Jennifer went to the supermarket to do an errand for Mrs. Evangelina. As she was heading back, she encountered Martin Kyung, Sarah's enemy.
" Martin, it's you! What a coincidence?"
( What is he doing here? He didn't follow me, did he?)
" It's not a coincidence!" He muttered to me with an assertive gaze.
" Huh?"
" I trailed you from afar right to the supermarket". He admitted with a guilty expression.
( He trailed me down? For what purpose did he do that?)
He added: " Sorry! I know it was out of line for me to do so, but I wanted to talk to you and as I couldn't meet you in Sarah's presence, I trailed you down here. I'm very sorry!"
Jennifer aka Princess Vanessa was beyond shocked. To have someone trail her just to talk was a first for her.
" You trailed me just to talk?" I asked.
" Yes!" He answered without a single hesitation.
" That is not very gentlemanly, you know. I bet that's how you got that poor Louis kidnapped, am I right?" I asked.
To my second question, he kept silent and lowered his head in shame. I had struck him where it hurts the most, the heart. Nonetheless, he said: " Can we go somewhere to talk? It'll be quick!"
I could see in his eyes and from his expression that he was in dire need of talking to someone, so I conceded to his request. He brought me to the nearby coffee shop.
" What can I get you?" The barman asked for our order.
" That'll be coffee for me and a glass of water, thanks!" I gave my order to the barman.
" I'll have the same as her". Martin followed through, ordering the same as me.
" I'll be right back with your orders". The barman left our table.
The air was heavy until the barman got back with our orders seven minutes later. He walked away after making sure we didn't require anything else.
" What did you bring me here for, Martin? What did you want to talk about?" I took a sip of my coffee and asked him thereafter.
…
" I wanted to talk about Sarah". He muttered in a reluctant tone.
" Sarah?"
" I know Sarah hates me and it's all my fault. She hates my guts and I'm partly to blame for that. To get her to love me, I did something unforgivable".
( By something unforgivable, he must mean kidnapping Louis, I presume!)
" I already know what you did to that family. Sarah and Mrs. Evangelina told us all there is to know about that case". I said assertively.
Martin looked at me stunningly. For some reason, he averted my gaze and looked at the floor in shame.
" I know you kidnapped Sarah's baby brother, Louis, as a means for her to give in to you. You're right regarding what you said. What you did to that family was despicable! You should have been in jail for what you did". I snapped at him.
…
" It's not because a girl rejects you that you must take revenge by kidnapping her family. Do you have the slightest idea what they're going through because of you?"
…
" I was angry because she rejected my love. I went berserk and the next thing I knew, I had her brother with me. At the time, I thought I did the right thing by having him kidnapped. I thought that way, she would surrender to me without making a fuss as her brother's life was on the line. I thought by making life difficult for them and cutting off their customers, they would lose courage and come crawling to me in desperation but, nothing of what I imagined happened".
…
" Not only didn't she give in to my threats, but she also stood out to her convictions and morals. She told me with conviction and confidence that she would pay me back and have her brother retrieved from me. From everything I've done, the only thing I gained was Sarah's growing and immense hatred towards me". He muttered, sadly.
" What did you expect after all you did to her?"
…
" You're a rich kid. You were born with a golden spoon in your mouth with everything already at your disposal. No one ever denied anything to you and you undoubtedly would continue that way but then, you encountered Sarah and things changed. Someone said no to you for the first time in your life and you made it your oath to make that someone yield to you. Out of selfishness, you destroyed Sarah's family entirely".
…
" I know what I did was wrong. I realize it now which is why I feel regretful. When I brought Louis his mom's homemade meal, the smile he showed made me remember the smile Sarah once wore, and then, it hit me. That's when I realized that what I did was bad. After kidnapping her brother, never again had I seen her smiling face". He muttered, sadly.
…
" It's good that you're having regrets about everything you put them through, but that doesn't tell me why exactly you're telling me all this". I said.
"' I want your help. I want you to offer me assistance in setting everything right". He said with assertiveness in his tone and expression.
" You want my help?"
( What does he mean by the phrase " Setting everything right?")
" You're the only one who can help me redeem my mistake. Please, you have to help me!" He pleaded.
I stared at him utterly confused and said: " I don't understand what you mean by 'Setting everything right'".
" I want to return what I took from this family. In other words, I'm planning on returning Louis to them which is why I'm asking for your help". He answered.
( He wants to return Louis to Mrs. Evangelina and Sarah which is a good thing. I did well by postponing the plan. It'll be for the best if he's the one to return their happiness to them as he was the one that took it away).
" You want to return Louis to his family after having him kidnapped. Do you expect them to forgive you just like that?" I asked.
" No! I'm not doing the right thing because I want to earn their forgiveness. What I did was unforgivable". He answered.
" Why are you doing it then if you won't gain anything from it?"
" I'll gain something from it and that is to see Sarah smile again. I don't want anything more than that".
( He wants to see her smiling face once more. In other words, his purpose is to reset Sarah's smile. He must truly love her to do that, but I know he won't be forgiven by returning Louis to them but at least, their hatred towards him will diminish. That alone will help him to gain their forgiveness bit by bit. More importantly, Sarah might start seeing him in a new light).
" Will you help me? Will you offer me your assistance?" He asked.