Matt, Neil and Ryu Long invaded their little brother's house for the 'bachelor' party. Long Ah Hai was set to be married soon and the four brothers would use this chance to celebrate. While all other guests played poker and other games outside, the four brothers were in another room as they toasted their success.
"The world may believe us to be successful but only we know that we have not succeeded in life until we have a family to protect and love. A Long without a family is incomplete. Ah Hai, you are finally going to be married and Matt, you have recently married. You have both chosen well. Let us celebrate this night to toast to your success and future happiness.!"
The glasses all clinked after Neil finished his toast and the brothers drank quietly. The atmosphere was happy and somber at once. Ah Hai would be leaving in a few minutes as he was officially going to have his name taken off from the list of spies and available undercover officers from the country. After he experienced the death threat hanging over his wife's head, Ah Hai seemed to realize that Shi Ai had been living her life under such a threat, the fear of him being harmed. As a result the man was now going to get debriefed and all his achievement records erased. This way he would only live his life as a former discharged soldier, his merit buried underneath many layers. Once Ah Hai was gone, the three brothers were about to walk out but Matt was stopped by Ryu with a glance. Neil Long noticed this and smirking, left the room closing the door behind him. The lofty one called Matt Long was in for a lecture from their big brother. Matt had never stepped out of place never causing worry for their eldest brother Ryu apart from the simple fact that he was what one would consider a playboy. Neil knew that one could say it was the age where this would happen. Each of them had tried to find solace in something when their parents had died. Matt had only been a teenager at the time. With the four of them left in this world, talking had never been a strong suit among them.. They understood each other with glances and looks without having to talk eloquently. But once in a while, a lecture was a must. He had received one from Ryu and so had Ah Hai. And now finally it was Matt's turn.
Saying nothing to his brother, Matt calmly stared back at Ryu. If one considered five years to be a generation then he and Ryu were a little more than a generation apart but to him and both his brothers, he was their father. And so he knew that he had to answer whatever questions Ryu Long had. Their brother had earned this right by making numerous sacrifices for their sake.
Just like Matt, Ryu Long sat silently staring at the drink in his glass, he knew what Matt was waiting for while Matt knew what he wanted to know. They were at an impasse and Matt knew he would be the one to break it so he simply sighed and said, "First Bro! We are not in a business meeting that would need you to be so dominating! Just say what you want to."
Ryu smiled at his brother and said one word, "Talk."
Rubbing a tired hand over his face, Matt Long sighed, "Talk about what? The simplest fact was that we eloped. Jianan and I. .we have been together for a while so marriage was the next natural step. And neither of us wanted any fanfare so we chose the simplest and fastest way. You know Jianan is a good person so this should not be a problem...and we will live together happily...We will love each other and.."
Before Matt could continue, Ryu interrupted, "Are you trying to convince me or yourself? Jianan is a wonderful woman and you are lucky to have her. But that does not mean you are not an a**!Matt take your head out of the sand and accept the fact that Jianan loves you. You know it and you wont be able to hide that you know the truth for long. And once she realizes that you have accepted all the love she has to give and yet you don't reciprocate it.. her love will turn to resentment! Have you told her about your obsession for the person that appears in your dreams? The one that you can't stop drawing or painting?"
"Ryu..I think I can fall in live with Jianan otherwise I never would have agreed to marry her. And regarding that...that person, since I have not yet found the person, I can only conclude that it is merely my imagination. Maybe once I am able to capture the entire thing on my canvas, the obsession would come to an end. I cannot leave reality behind to blindly chase my obsession."
Having heard his brother out and saying his piece, Matt Long walked out of the room, his face as serene a mask as ever.
Ryu stared at the way his brother went out for a while with a feeling of heaviness in his heart. He felt sorry towards Matt. Slowly, life had moved on for them. But Matt, the calmest of them all was still where he had been. He had never been vocal like Neil or rebellious like Ah Hai. But like a pillar, his presence had always been there, stable and reassuring, merging into the background but supporting silently. Ryu could feel the loneliness emanating from him. With Jianan, he could see that he was happier but he also sense that something was missing.. and if he could sense these so could Jianan. She had been patient with Matt and created a place for herself in his heart. But that patience would come to an end some day and when that day came, everything would be destroyed undoubtedly. He just hoped that what Matt said was true and he would have fallen in love with his wife before then. They had failed Matt terribly and could now only hope that Jianan would succeed..
Late into the night, Matt walked towards his home, his mind wandering in the silence. The bachelor party had finally winded down since the groom had give missing and most everyone had just decided to rest at Ah Hai's house itself after drinking to their heart's content. But he wasn't drunk and thought to use this time to self reflect-something he had been trying to avoid for a while now but his brother had forced him to face.
The face that appeared in his dreams...The one that his heart craved was not Jianan..but someone else...someone he wasn't even sure existed. And the fact that this was stopping him from accepting Jianan fully was something he would have to remedy. Because he too felt like a jerk whenever he thought of this person and Jianan in the same sentence. This was wrong to Jianan, like cheating.. And one thing he wanted to be sure of was that he would never cheat....