Chapter 283 - The Truth About Us (3)

Her words shocked him to the very core. At first, he was not even sure if he heard her correctly but there was no doubt that she said them.

"Let go of the past, Jiwon," she said quietly. KJ let her go and looked directly at her. He wanted to be sure that she meant what she said. 

"But I destroyed the life we had," he emphasized. "Everything we went through, it was my fault! Mirae, if you're angry with me then don't hold it in. Just let out your feelings-"

"These are my feelings," she admitted. "I don't know about that life! I don't know about any of it. All I know is that, if this is a second chance then doesn't it mean that we were meant to be together? Many years may have passed by and we were both with different people during this time. But now we're together. This is our life. Not the one which was left behind. And from what you said, it was very clear that we were both too naive then. There were too many secrets and mixed signals. We had no idea what we were doing and the Cartel took advantage of that! But now…

She took a deep breath. "We're not naive anymore," she said. "We don't have any secrets between us. We know what we're facing and we're ready for it. Besides, if you hadn't gone back in time, both Jade and I would have been dead. You didn't run away from us, Jiwon. You saved us."

Mirae held his hand with both her palms. "None of us are perfect," she said. "Both of us made mistakes and came out as better people than we were before. So stop punishing yourself. I still don't understand how all this worked but I know that you're telling the truth. And that you've saved me. If you hadn't gone back in time, I don't think we'd be alive. So let go of that past."

Her doey eyes were looking at him with a tenderness which was washing away his guilt. The burden he carried for so many years was starting to lift, leaving an everlasting peace. How did I get so lucky? He wondered. 

"Thank you," he whispered, clasping her hand tightly. She smiled and gave him a peck on the lips. 

"Now tell me more," she said, her tone turning a little cheerful. "I wanna know about our lives here. Did we really leave behind our inheritances and lived here? Was it hard or did we manage? I wanna know everything!"

KJ smirked and said, "It was hard. We didn't have a lot of money and there were times when I was really frustrated. Sometimes, I even wished that we hadn't left the mansion. But you cheered for me. You gave me a lot of strength. At that time, I didn't realize it but you really pushed me to be better."

He turned her around and hugged her from the back, lightly kissing her neck. "We were poor and couldn't do a lot of things. I couldn't even take you out on a date!"

"Is this why you never miss our dates now?" she asked, leaning against his chest.

"I guess I was making up for our lost time," he admitted. 

"Was I a good cook?"

"No you were still terrible."

She pinched him in annoyance but he only laughed. "What about our wedding?" she asked. "Did we have a wedding?"

She turned around and looked at him expectantly.

"Uhh…we didn't have one. We simply registered it."

Her face fell a little at his reply. 

"Do you want a wedding ceremony?" he frowned. Now that she mentioned it, he never thought that Mirae may harbour intentions of a wedding ceremony. In both timelines, they were married in a hurry so he did not get the chance to ask her about what she wanted. She just went along with his plan.

"I...I just always thought I'd get to dress up in a bridal gown," she pouted. "While my groom would look handsome in a tux. There would be just the two of us, standing inside a large chapel as we say our vows."

"Why just the two of us?" he snickered.

"Feels more intimate," she explained. "Besides, you're an idol. The media will scrawl all over the venue if we make it public. We can invite our friends for the reception dinner later. But the ceremony is ours."

He listened to her as she described her dream wedding. From the design of their rings to the flowers she would be carrying. She had an elaborate fantasy of it.

When she finally finished, Mirae looked longingly at her husband. "But it's all too much," she said, shaking her head. "With the Cartel and their constant threats, it's too much to think of. We should focus on eliminating them so that we can live in peace."

KJ did not reply but checked his watch. It was getting late.

"We should go back home," he said. "It's almost midnight and both of us have to go to work tomorrow."

Mirae nodded and followed him out. She took a last glance at the place which was her home in another timeline. It was not much but it was still a place which belonged to them.

"What's going to happen to this place?" she wondered out loud. 

KJ also glanced around before replying, "I'll sell it off."

Mirae was not surprised. She knew that it was his way of letting go of the past. If he held on to this place, it would become more difficult to move on. 

She felt his fingers wrap around hers as he reminisced the memories of their life together in that house. He would miss coming here but it was for their own good.

"Let's go, wifey," he said. Mirae nodded and followed him outside towards the car. They were silent throughout the drive back home, each lost in their own thoughts. 

….

"You go to bed," KJ said as they entered their bedroom. "I have to make an important call."

"Okay," Mirae yawned. She was very sleepy and was ready to fall into a deep sleep. As soon as she entered the bathroom for a shower, KJ took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello," Somi greeted him groggily from the other end. 

"Somi, I want you to do me a favor," KJ said at once. "I need you to buy a wedding dress in Mirae's size. I need it by tomorrow."

"What?" she snapped. "It's one o'clock in the morning KJ! Where will I find one at this hour?"

"Make the arrangements," he pressed. "I don't care but I want it by tomorrow at six o'clock in the evening. And she mustn't find out!"

Somi was hurling a string of curses at him when he hung up. It was time for a new chapter of their lives.