Dilemma

After the incident in the children's playground, Georgina and Giovanni booked a room in a nearby hotel. They didn't talk to each other even while she was putting an ointment on the side of his lips that got bruised from Henrick's punch. A long awkward silence lingers between them. Only the sound of their breathing reverberates inside.

"Van, you should go back." Georgina broke the silence as she fixed the medicine kit.

"Why? You want me to go so the two of you..."

"I didn't mean it like that. It's just my mother's radar is faster than what you expected. The battle that we started isn't over yet. She lay low for a while because of the conflict inside the company after dad died. But she has Warren now. It'll help her to get ahold of the company affairs. Once she settles down, she'll be going to target us again. I mean it." She said, fidgeting. "Listen to me. I'm doing this for your own sake. I don't know why you're acting like this, but I won't run away or leave you hanging again."

"You don't know how anxious I am. You don't know what makes me wake up from reality and..."

"What's wrong, Van? Why don't you tell me what's inside your mind that made you cry and anxious? You even came here. It's out of your character. Tell me, tell me, what's hurting you so badly?"

He didn't answer her, but instead, he looked down. "I don't want to hurt you, Gia."

She stares at him in surprise, but he has this stern look as if there's a lot of thought inside his mind. Instead of talking, she turns away and keeps her mouth shut.

"I don't want to do this to you, I want to stay with you, but my madness drives me crazy. I can't watch you crying or being in pain, but I caused all of it and forced you to become like this..." He said without looking at her. "When I saw you with him... A sudden surge of reality hits me. Why him? Why now? Why the two of you again? There are many why's, but there's no answer to them. I'm hurting because I know the time will come when I'll be giving you to the person who owns you."

"V-Van, what are you talking about?"

"Your mind might forget everything, but your heart didn't. It'll make you remember everything. I'm afraid. Gia, I'm afraid I can't give you to anyone."

"Y-you're..."

"Tell me the truth. I'm not the only one inside your heart now, right?" She jolted out when Giovanni said all those words and looked at her full of pain and hope, but even a single word didn't come out of her mouth. "I-I'm not wrong."

"V-Van, w-wait..."

"Take a rest. I'll go outside to calm myself, so don't wait for me."

Georgina couldn't utter a word and watched him leave the room.

'Is this a dream?' Everything seems so fast to be a reality. A few hours ago, Georgina just spent her time with Henrick, watching him sing his songs in the park, and Giovanni came out of nowhere. Then, the unexpected incident between the three of them happened, and now, she's staying in a single room with her ex, who keeps saying words she doesn't understand.

She heaves a deep sigh as she lays down on the bed—staring at the ceiling while trying to think about everything, but nothing comes to her mind.

Amidst her thought, she turned beside and looked at her phone. There's no call or text from Henrick. She knows he's mad, and his madness keeps bothering her mind.

She rolled around—lying on her stomach as she scanned her phone gallery. There she saw the recent picture from earlier. It's a photo of her and Henrick taken inside the arcade. He has a playful smile while pinching her cheeks while she has an annoyed look. A brief smile unconsciously escaped her lips before she scanned the next photo. But her smile vanished when she saw the last picture of her and Giovanni. It's during their school sports festival. He's wearing a tracksuit while his hand gets wrapped around her shoulder. Both of them genuinely smiled in front of the camera.

A bitter smile escaped her lips as she put down the phone and buried her face in the bed.

In the middle of her deep thoughts, her phone rings. She got her phone and answered it without looking at it.

"Hmm?"

"Where the hell are you? What happened to Henrick?"

"What? Who's this?" She asked and looked at the screen of her phone, but saw an unknown number.

"It's me, Sora."

"Sora? I'm in a hotel. Why are you calling?"

"Hotel? With whom? How come you can stay calm inside the hotel? Didn't you know what happened? I received a call in a bar, and they told me that Henrick picked up a fight with someone after getting drunk, but when I came there, they said he left a minute ago. I can't contact him anymore." Sora said, shouting. "He turned his phone off. Even his friends around here didn't know where Henrick's right now. Did something happen?"

Georgina couldn't answer her and just sat down in shock. "What did you say?"

"You're worthless. If something happened to Henrick, I would only blame you." Before she can ask a question, Sora hangs up the phone.

Instead of wasting her time to get some information from her, she dialed Henrick's number, but it was off, and she couldn't connect to him. She tried it again, but it was still the same.

She looked at the wall clock and saw it was past midnight. More than three hours already went since she saw Henrick in the playground. Henrick won't get drunk in a few drinks and never pick a fight with someone by himself.

Amidst her chaotic thoughts, she got startled when a message came in. It's a message from Henrick. Without hesitation, she opened it and saw a picture of a river. It was a Han River with the caption, 'I'm here.'

Georgina didn't know, but a tear fell from both eyes as she called his number again. It rang two times before someone answered it.

He didn't say a word. There's only silence between the line. Georgina heard the peaceful sound of water and the slight engine sounds of the vehicle.

"Come here. I feel terrible. Everything hurts." He said. "But, of course, you won't come."

She's about to say a word but swallows it and remains silent.

"The weather's too good, so why do I feel terrible, Gina? I tried to flirt with another woman, but I see you in them. Please, stop coming into my mind." He said as she heard him choked up in tears. "I... I want to see you." Her heart skipped a beat upon hearing his words.

A part of her heart feels softened. It's as if Henrick's words make her weak and surrender to his call. Without knowing, she stands up and wears her long coat before leaving the room. She takes a cab—heading straight to the Han River.

It didn't take twenty minutes before she reached the Han River. She went down the slope area and searched for Henrick while calling his number again, but as soon as he answered, she spotted him standing and looking at her.

"I'm here like what you want. I'm here." She tightened the grip on the phone and ran towards him.

Tears after tears fell down her eyes as they hugged each other. "Y-you came."

"What the hell are you doing making people worry about you? You're not someone who would pick a fight with anyone, but..."

"It's because of you." She pursed her lips upon hearing him. "I became a person whom I didn't know. It's strange to even for me. You came to your ex even if you promised me not to. I don't have any idea why I am hurting."

It's the same. Both feel strange these past recent days. Something was pulling them together, but neither the two wanted to get closer nor get attracted any more than it.

It's strange.

They didn't know whose heartbeats which keep palpitating now. It was like losing control. Even in the middle of the night—under the million stars and cold breeze of wind, they felt warm in each other arms.

She got startled when Henrick raised her chin as he leaned down, staring at her intensely. There's a tear urging to fall from his eyes, a bruised on his face, and a cut on his cheeks. Despite it, his eyes seemed to pull her closer, and they didn't notice their lips touched each other.

His kisses aren't aggressive.

It's gentle and sincere that she felt every sensation, the way he moved his lips and the warmth of his hands that touched her face to deepen it.

They're both panting when they separate, but as soon as their gaze meets, they unconsciously move to kiss each other again.

Amidst the kiss they share in the middle of the night, someone's watching them from afar. It's Giovanni Javier. He followed Georgina after seeing her ride a cab toward the place. He didn't do anything to break them apart but instead watched them in tears—feeling like his heart broke into pieces.