,,Hey." Romeo met me halfway as I was heading back to exhibition. ,,You're alright?"
,,I'm sorry." In order to make sure he knew it was the only thing on my mind, I wanted to share it as soon as possible.
,,I messed up."
,,You didn't. And let's hurry up. Mrs. Choi is waiting in the meeting room so we can carry out the transaction." He turned in the direction he had come from and began to lead me back to the chaos I had cowardly escaped from.
,,So nothing happened to my painting?" I asked, however it wasn't the right question that was my intention to pose.
Somehow, I didn't believe that a lady like Mrs. Choi would still be interested in my work after what I had done.
,,No one will be able to use that frame anymore, but apart from that everything is as it should be." He replied with a scowl on his angry face, which honestly discombobulate me as I didn't know he was capable of that emotion at all.
,,I'm really sorry, Romeo-"
,,You're not the one who should be saying these words to me. I'm just sorry that this had to happen to you, Millie." He surprised me with his statement, during which he gave me a concerned look.
,,Mrs. Choi is getting impatient, let's go." He finally said when I couldn't bring myself to answer.
However, before we could get anywhere, I felt a vibrating in my purse. With an apology directed at Romeo, I pulled out my phone and instantly put it to my ear when I saw the number displayed on the screen.
,,Millie?" Mrs. Kwack's voice rang out, which made my stomach drop automatically.
,,Is there something new?" I asked promptly and hoped after her words I would finally be relieved.
,,Dear, I'm calling because I need to verify one thing and I need to know it one hundred percent." Her tone was too serious.
,,Mr. Jee's clothes when you saw him outside the bank. Was he wearing a long thick gray coat?" She was questioning me and I tried to go back in my memories.
,,Yeah, I'm sure of that." I nodded even though she couldn't see me.
,,Could you try to remember any detail on it?"
I stopped in my stroll, causing Romeo to do the same as I squinted my eyes attempting to remember.
,,It had such unusually large pockets, I noticed them because they were lined with contrasting fabric." I answered.
,,And there might have been a dark spot on the collar, but I'm not certain about that, though."
,,Oh..." It was her reaction that didn't give me the feeling I was expecting.
,,What's wrong, Mrs. Kwack?" I asked, my heart dropping in my boots.
,,Dear-" she gave herself a short pause before deciding to continue ,,this coat was found in poor condition washed up on the shores of the Han River. Along with it, a few bills in one of the pockets." She finished.
I felt a firm grip on my shoulder, and as I looked into Romeo's face, it was only then that I began to hear the voice coming from the speaker again, repeating my name.
The sudden wetness on my cheek startled me so much that my hand shot up to my face and with fingers touched the tear that slowly trickled down to my lips.
My brain gave me only one explanation that made my knees lose their strength and rapid quickening of my breath.
In a few seconds I was close to hyperventilating.
I felt the brunette guy in front of me pull out my phone from my fingers and then press the red icon.
I saw his lips move, but the sound didn't reach my eardrums.
,,What should I do, Millie?! Tell me! Please, Millie-" Finally, I somehow started to perceive his voice, but I couldn't bring myself to say any words.
However, it didn't seem to slow down my breathing at all.
,,Look at me. Look at me, Millie." He kept trying less frantically, but I couldn't look him in the eye at that moment.
My mind was flooded with only images that terrified me to the point that even without my permission they multiplied more. It was even worse to think that the beginning of all this was caused by me.
It was caused by what I thought was a strong part of my life and suddenly it slipped through my fingers.
Responsibility.
And then, in a blur before my eyes, Romeo's face suddenly transformed into Su-Jin's.
I examined his shaped lips, straight prominent nose in detail until I reached his eyes.
Those eyes that refused to reveal their emotions.
I tried it so hard that I couldn't carry on anymore. I recklessly used up all my strength at the very beginning, when my head was in the clouds. I couldn't and didn't want to continue without him helping me.
I went through his small scars that had their own story. Maybe each one had their own or they all had one in common.
I wanted to hear this story from himself.
,,That's it. Very slowly." Romeo's voice came again as I felt the pressure push me into something soft.
,,I see... things..." I mumbled as I closed my eyes to get Su-Jin's face out of my subconscious.
,,What happened?" He asked me when he realized that my chest was rising at a more leisurely pace.
When my eyes opened again, I noticed that I was no longer standing in the middle of a wide corridor, but was put in an armchair.
,,Are you feeling better?"
This time I responded to his question with a slight nod and I supported my head, in which there was still a tornado of thoughts, with both palms.
,,I'll take you to the hospital. I wanna get you checked because what happened a while ago could lead to something even worse." After his announcement, I shook my head right away cause the last thing I needed right now was what Romeo was suggesting.
,,I believe you noticed that it wasn't a question." He said with a hard expression while he took out his phone.
As he started typing the message, I tried to stand up, but his palm pushed me back into the armchair.
However, in a few moments he was already helping me to get up anyway and with him supporting me we headed to the exit again.
In the fresh after-rain air, he leaned me against one of the massive pillars, where he assured me with a few words that he would be back with his car in a couple of minutes.
I used that time to breathe deeply in the soothing scent until I was interrupted by noisy footsteps approaching me.
My eyelids lifted wearily so that I could catch a glimpse of the incoming blondie.
,,Hey you!" She yelled at me and I got dizzy thinking what this could lead to.
And when she was only a few steps away from me, my view of her was overshadowed by the chest, which also brought with it the typical musk, because of which I didn't have to think much about who the chest belonged to.
,,Put an end to this." My voice almost sounded like a whimper. ,,Go away, Su-Jin."
,,I plan on doing it." He said and I registered his nod with my peripheral vision as I avoided looking directly into his face.
,,But I need to hear it first."
His tall frame towered over me like a protective shield. This feeling still lingered in me. And when his words reached my ears, my gaze locked with his with expressionlessness.
He must have been startled by my glossy eyes because his brows suddenly drew together from the way he frowned.
I didn't avert my gaze even in the supposition, that he might think it was because of him.
It was obvious he was considering the best course of action.
,,I need to hear your reasons." Su-Jin continued even though I showed no interest in it.
,,Because your silence always grips my heart tightly and squeezes it until I'm completely unsure of myself. Until I feel like slamming my face into the nearest wall just because I don't have the slightest idea what's going on inside your head." His voice was underlined by total sincerity, which I appreciated despite this situation.
And after this I realized that we are both enigmas to each other. Mysteries we thought we had solved.
But at that moment I just knew that it was too much to handle for me. I couldn't react rationally to anything because I felt like it was everything.
The silence Su-Jin mentioned was something I taught myself. It was better than giving the person who was just stomping on you another piece of yourself to get dirty with the dirt from the soles of their shoes.
Fortunately, my silence this time was given to me by an expensive-looking car that stopped just a few feet from us.
,,My silence is the best answer you can get from me, so far." I only said so that he wouldn't insist on my reasons. The state I was in at the moment put me at risk of another panic attack.
As I stepped away from him to bypass him in peace, his expression hardened into the same I had seen on him as he led Ma-Ri away from me.
When I was only a short distance from opening the door, I felt dizzy again, but this time, in an attempt to reduce the growing pressure in my temples, I decided to put my fingers to the places where the pain was throbbing the most.
Immediately after that, I heard the driver's door open, and within seconds Romeo was standing next to me.
,, Has it begun again?"
,,No no. I just got dizzy, I'm fine." I reassured him, only that something entered my mind, which made me not so sure of my words. My stomach let my head know that it no longer had the strength to hold all that was in it.
Therefore, my palm intuitively landed on my lips in an attempt to prevent a possible disaster.
,,We're going to the hospital right away." Romeo immediately opened the passenger door for me, when I heard his voice again.
,,What's going on?"
But before I could react in any way, I was gently pushed into the car and the door closed behind me.
I could only rest my head on the headrest and turn my face to the window to see two men talking. Romeo had his back turned to me, while I had a direct view of Su-Jin's face and body, which suddenly tensed at the words of the Italian standing across from him.
Su-Jin then asked him something very concerned, and when his gaze met mine again, I didn't have to guess what exactly they were talking about.
Finally, Romeo hastily offered his hand to the brunette guy opposite and when they shook hands, he instantly took a few long steps to the driver's place.
And the last thing I saw before Romeo stepped on the gas pedal was Su-Jin's figure standing there the whole time until we hit the main road.
Then in the peaceful silence that followed, one question rang out after few moments.
,,Do you two know each other?"