Chapter 79 - A Dark Past

Yu Seok caught Xie Eun who had fallen directly into his arms with his hands on her waist.Suddenly, Xie Eun who had been hopping felt her nose pressed into a hard chest..once again she felt as if the fragrance was familiar to her somehow so she sniffed deeply. This caused Yu Seok to stiffen and comment,"Xie Eun?Are you still hungry?Is that why you are sniffing at me?Let me tell you that a little of the food smell may be clinging to me but I am not edible."

Xie Eun felt embarrassed at being caught at something so awkward moved back and replied without meeting his eyes, explained,"It's not that..Just..just that your after shave is really nice."Slowly moving out of his arms, she thought of a distraction,"Yu Seok, you finished you education early and that too from such a top tier university, your parents must be really proud of you!"

Yu Seok stilled at this and Xie Eun who still stood close to him, felt this..She saw the bleakness flash in his eyes before it was covered again with indifference.When Yu Seok would have turned away without answering, Xie Eun caught hold of his hand. Holding his large hands in hers, she simply said,"Yu Seok, I am proud of you!And I am especially grateful that you accepted me as your friend.."

Her sincere expression and clear eyes without pity or judgement, softened his heart and using his other hand to cup her face, he said,"I am glad to have you as a friend.If my master was here, he would have said something like this.."

She was truly General Xie's daughter.And if he had been here, he too would have been proud if Xie Eun..

Xie Eun smiled and asked,"Your master?Is he the one who brought you up?"

This time, Yu Seok did not stiffen up and kept himself composed,"Xue Eun,I was brought up in the streets.There was no one at home to bring me up..From the time I was eight and woke up near a dumpster to the time I turned sixteen, I had no one to take care of me.My master found me at sixteen and he was the one who taught me how to read and write.He made me the man I am today..And if he was alive, he would have definitely been proud."

All this was said mechanically and without any emotion but Xie Eun could sense the pain.A young boy..and no one around.No wonder he was so obsessed with cleanliness.She wanted to cry for him and his childhood but knew that be would be insulted at this..And she wanted to ask more..about his life before he turned eight years but his closed off expression already warned her that he would only clam up more if she probed. She could already guess that he was already regretting telling her so much..So she cleared her throat, turned around towards the sofa where her laptop bag was placed with her luggage and said,"You were a really brave boy Yu Seok..You deserve everything in life...

With her back facing him, Xie Eun plugged in the USB and continued,"Are you going back to work?I have kept you away for a long while.You can go..Thank you for the lunch.We can eat out tonight.It will be my treat to celebrate your success.Or if you are busy, we can even plan another day..."

Even though Xie Eun tried to keep her voice steady, Yu Seok heard the slight tremble and could feel her tears through her voice.Her pain for him was like a balm to his soul.He had always known, from the first time he met her and she ordered him to carry her, that she had a big heart.And now as she cried silent tears for him, he knew that he was right.He wanted tincinsole her.Even though she cried for his past, for which he had never shed tears, he was pained to see her cry. He did not know why he suddenly brought up the past.He was not one to think about it.Maybe, subconsciously he had wanted to test her or maybe he had wanted her to know about him.He wanted to tell her, she was just like her father but he knew that he could not say that..So unable to say anythin, he slowly went to her and bending a bit, placed a small peck on the crown of her head before saying,"We'll celebrate at home tonight...I'll take a rain check for today.."

Xie Eun nodded her head, saying nothing and soon she heard the found of the door opening and closing. The both of them failed to realize that it had not even been a day yet they both believed this to be their home...Because in reality, they were each other's home..

It was only after she was sure that he was gone, did she keep aside the laptop, pick up a cushion and hugging it to her chest, started to cry. The silent tears that had flowed down her cheeks now turned into sobs.She cried for the little lonely boy and she cried for the boy who had finally found a father figure and then lost him again.She had always felt that she was pitiful for not having a mother.Always longed for a mother but today she realized that she had been lucky to have her father...there were so many people who had never had anyone.Finally after a heavy bout of crying, Xie Eun pledged to herself that she would never abandon Yu Seok..and if any one dared to hurt him, she would personally go and break their legs! She decided, she needed to meet Yu Seok's boyfriend formally, as soon as possible to check if he was trustworthy..but then she thought of her own 'terrific' character judgement techniques and shook her head...Finally she decided to ask her husband for help.He was a known businessman and his judgement would be good.And they had begun dating.Maybe after this weekend, she will ask Wolf to go on a double date with Yu Seok and his partner so that Wolf could see the man.She would not let her friend suffer anymore.Having come up with an ideal solution, Xie Eun modded to herself, wiped her tears and started to study.