Wedding Gown
Jay-jay's POV
The retreat ended ahead of schedule. Because of what happened to Aries, Yuri and the other students who were caught with alcohol and cigarettes, the organizer chose to end the retreat. Aries was rushed to the hospital and so was Yuri. We left Camp Keneme without a word from the entire Section E. If anyone spoke to me, they didn't talk about the trouble that happened. I really didn't want to talk about it. Since the retreat was supposed to be a week but it only lasted three days, the remaining days were vacation. Today is Saturday, two days have passed since Aries was hospitalized. I've been ignoring Yuri's texts and calls for two days now . Keifer has been ignoring me for two days now. "Is that so?" I asked Keigan. "Yeah... Sorry about that." He answered and forced a smile. "...If he gets home, I will call you immediately." "Okay. Thank you." "Be careful." My shoulders slumped as I left Keifer. I'd been going back and forth with them since yesterday. He didn't answer my texts and couldn't be reached when I called. I couldn't help but worry. I knew he was angry at what he saw. I pressed the brakes on the bike I was riding today. This is what I was wearing yesterday when I went to see him. Keigan's answer to me yesterday was the same as today. ' He hasn't come home yet, after leaving'. It was depressing, I wanted to blame Yuri but....for what? I heard my cellphone ring. I stepped aside before picking up the cellphone. A text message came to me from Kuya Angelo. From: Kuya Angelo. Message: 'Where are you? Go home now.' I just sighed. Kuya didn't know that I left the house. He wasn't there earlier either, so I didn't say goodbye. I quickly rode home. Keifer's house is really far from our house. I was just a daredevil riding a bike. It's just a bike... What about a car? When I got home, a fancy car immediately greeted me. Rich! Wow! I looked at it for a moment before putting my bike in Tita's garage. I went inside and that's when I recognized who the owner of the car was. Yuri's mom and the driver, I think. "Konnichiwa..." He greeted me while smiling and bowing. I also bowed because I knew that was their way of greeting. "Konitsiwa." "There you are." Brother Angelo suddenly said while carrying a tray of Juice and Sandwiches. "...Mrs. Hanamitchi has been waiting for you for a while." He put the tray down on the table. He looked at me from head to toe and then raised his eyebrows. "Get changed... You're going somewhere." Brother ordered me. I looked at myself. Is there a problem with the faded jeans and loose t-shirt? "No. It's okay." Yuri's mom stopped him. "...It's not necessary." "But----" But Jay-jay looked like he was wet. "We'll only be for a moment, so maybe it's not necessary." He cut off what Brother was going to say. Brother couldn't do anything but agree. Yuri's mom smiled and stood up. She came over to me and grabbed my arm as if we were very close. We're close, right? "Let's go?" He said to me. "S-okay." I hesitantly answered. He looked at Kuya Angelo and smiled. "We'll go ahead." We walked out, straight to the car they were going to get. I was so lonely that I didn't move the entire trip. I wanted to ask where we were going, but I couldn't. What was it really? "Anything wrong, Jay?" He broke the silence. "W-nothing." Even though it was cold inside the car. I was really sweating. My heart was beating ast. Why did I feel like I had done a big sin to Yuri's family? We stopped in front of a large building. Yuri's mom got off ï¬rst. I followed her and stared at the building in front of us for a moment. She grabbed my arm again. I could almost drag myself with the speed of her every step. The truth? Is she angry? We reached the elevator. It was a good thing it was already open so we didn't have to wait. "Sorry if I was in a hurry. We're already late." He told me. Late where? He pressed the button with the number 20. There were only two of us and they looked like foreigners. I didn't want to talk, because besides feeling lonely----well, I REALLY FELT LONELY! That's why I didn't want to be rude. "H-how's Yuri?" I asked. Shit, Jay! I shouldn't have asked that. I was so annoyed! He would think we weren't talking. "He's okay... Fully recovered already." He answered me. The elevator bell rang and the door opened. Yuri's mom walked out so I followed. A strange floor opened up for me. There was a receptionist and it looked like an office. We approached the women at the reception. They talked for a while and then we waited. I didn't know what or who we were waiting for. What place was this? "Mrs. Hanamitchi!" An unknown person shouted in a loud voice. He was gay, I'm sure. He looked sophisticated even though he was pointing his ï¬nger. She looked like she was going to get rich too. "Gertrude!" Yuri's Mommy greeted back and they kissed. "You still look pretty." Gertrude said when she was called. Yuri's Mommy replied. "Thank you." Gertrude suddenly looked at me so I immediately forced a smile. Her eyebrows were raised as she examined me from head to toe. "Shinken ni? Kono shÅjo?" (Seriously? This girl?) She said and Yuri's Mommy just smiled. Nga-nga! I felt like I was cursed at or insulted. I didn't know how I would react. If I fought her, I might look rude. Should I punch her and then say I didn't mean it? "Yeah... She's pretty. Right?" Yuri's Mommy said and motioned for me to come closer to her. I did and immediately forced a smile at Gertrude. She just sneered and made me feel awkward. What's her problem? I don't have a problem with gay people, but now I might have one. I don't like this, why am I like this? I might get angry, I can't handle this. "Yes." He replied sarcastically. "...Let's go." He walked inside. The office table next to me opened up. A pile of papers. I saw a white sofa set, where many people were talking. Some were holding magazines and some were pieces of cloth. But what caught my attention was the headless mannequin. Some were wearing a gown. A wedding gown! That's how cold I was when I realized what our purpose was in this place. I looked at Gertrude and Yuri's mom in front of me. They were happily chatting and laughing. They stopped for a moment and opened the glass door with VIP written on it. When the door opened, Yuri's mom entered ï¬rst and Gertrude followed. Left me?! I just pushed the door open and went in alone. The ï¬rst thing I saw was a circular sofa set. It probably ï¬t 15 people. Then there was a large curtain in front. "Beautiful!" Gertrude called me sarcastically. When I approached her, she approached the curtain. How rude?! "Madam Yakito! Here we go! Look!" She said happily and suddenly opened the curtain. In front of ï¬ve rows of large mirrors. A white wedding gown caught my eye. I almost went blind. "Oh my..." Yuri's mom said happily and immediately came over. "...Look at this! You did a great job." I couldn't bring myself to step closer. I didn't react. All I could do was smile----it was plastic. "I'll have my assistant come over here to help you get dressed." Gertrude said and quickly walked away. Yuri's mom turned to me with a smile. I tried to return that smile. "Isn't it beautiful? This is what you'll wear to your wedding with Yuri." She said happily. I can't. I can't be happy like her. After everything Yuri told me. After everything that happened. I can't... A woman came and immediately approached the gown. She untied it from the mannequin and motioned for me to come closer. Yuri's mom left and closed the curtain. "Please take off your clothes." The woman said. I looked at her hesitantly. "L-all of them?" "Just the top... Even the underwear." Son of... Should I go topless? I hesitated and slowly removed my T-shirt. I was about to take off my bra but....shit! I stopped and looked at the woman pleadingly. "W-can I... Put that on ï¬rst before I take this off?" She smiled and nodded. With the size of the wedding gown that seemed to be catching up with Marian Rivera's gown, we had a hard time putting it on. After putting it on up to my chest, I only removed the underwear. She ï¬xed the back and everything else. She also ï¬xed my hair that had been in my ace earlier. After getting ready, I looked at myself in the mirror. I stared at myself. It was hard to believe that I was looking at myself in the mirror now. Because it was so beautiful----that gown! This is how it feels to buy a wedding dress. It was so exciting and thrilling. It felt like going straight to the church. But my smile gradually disappeared. Gradually it entered my mind that I was getting married to someone I didn't love. I was getting married to someone who lied to me. To someone I trusted. To someone I thought was just a victim of their amily's business dealings. "Didn't you like it?" I was a little surprised. I quickly looked up and saw Yuri's mom behind me. The curtain was already open. "I-I liked it." I forced myself to answer. "That's great to hear." She turned to the woman who helped me get dressed. "...leave us alone." The woman nodded and walked away. He left my clothes on the sofa before ï¬nally leaving. Yuri's mom moved in front of me and took out her cellphone. She pressed for a moment before pointing the camera at me. "Smile." She said to me and I smiled. "...I'll send this to Yuri." She pressed for a moment before her cellphone rang. She laughed a little before facing me. "Can you go straight to the altar now?" She asked and laughed out loud. I just laughed, I hope she doesn't look plastic. She stared at me and the gown I was wearing for a moment. When her eyes met mine, I immediately looked away. It was so strange and I wasn't used to making eye contact with her. "To be honest... I don't want you to be my daughter-in-law." She said with a smile but there was a hint of seriousness in her oice. It's okay... I don't want myself to be your in-law either. "...but I love my son so much and I'm willing to sacriï¬ce everything..." She said sadly. "...The whole Hanamitchi clan don't like me. From the start that I married Yumori, I keep pleasing them. I try to prove that I'm worthy to be part of their family but... They never accept me." Yuri mentioned it to me. She forced a smile and arranged my hair behind my ear. "I thought it would be like that forever. But when Yuri came, half of the clan thanked me. For them, she was lucky. She was born at a time when the family business was going down." I honestly didn't understand why she was telling me this. But I remained silent and listened to her. "Smart, cheerful and obedient. That's my Yuri... I gave him everything even though his not asking for it. From the beginning they couldn't get along with my father-in-law but he still didn't move to prove himself." I wanted to ask her why she was interested in Yuri's wishes. Why did she talk to Ella. But my tongue was stuck and it seemed like they didn't want to be together. "I also considered his friends as his children, especially Keifer, who was the closest to him, even though I was really against their riendship." He took a deep breath and that's when I saw his tears forming. "...but when he introduced Ella to me, everything changed." Mud! That's it. "...I didn't accept him and the same thing would happen to our clan. So I did what I thought was right. I talked to Keifer and told him to keep Ella away from Yuri. But I didn't know that they were ï¬ghting over the same woman." His tears kept falling. "...my son came home a different person. He often drank, had cuts and dirty clothes. He also dyed his hair which shocked everyone. He also learned to talk back and forth with us, especially his grandfather." Even though I wasn't sure, I hugged him and let him cry on my shoulder . I could feel that he was hurt by what happened to Yuri. "Please..." He said while still crying. "...love my son." Just! Just ask for something else. Don't do that, don't love him. "...I can't bear to see him miserable again. I beg you... Love my son." I also cried on my own. I hugged him tightly. I also wanted to do what he said. I wanted to, I really wanted to! But I couldn't! I loved someone else and no matter what I did, he was the one I really wanted. He was the one I really loved. Keifer. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ David's POV ["She's okay...In a few weeks he can go home."] Percy said on the other line. "Are you going with him?" ["Maybe I'll go ï¬rst. I want to see Jay-jay and Felix."] I looked up at the sky. My contract is about to end. I'll see Cheon----my girlfriend. The troublemaker in my mind will also disappear. "S-thank you by the way." I said shyly. ["I should be the one to Thank You. Thanks for watching over Jay- jay, I really hope so..."] He was silent or a moment. ["...I really hope you keep your word."] I bowed. "Y-yeah." He hung up the call. I looked at the gate of their house. At Jay-jay's house. Percy didn't order me anything, I just really wanted to come here. And see him. Their gate opened so I immediately got in the car. I didn't want anyone to see me. I wasn't disappointed in my wait. Jay-jay came out of the gate carrying a garbage bag. He dropped it off just in front of their gate next to some sacks of garbage. He was about to enter but suddenly Angelo came out and seemed to be scolding him. He was just bowing his head but when his cousin left he immediately made a face and seemed to be imitating what his brother was saying. It was really awkward. I just laughed. That was enough, so I immediately started the car and left. I don't exactly know what I'm doing. I'm head over heels with my girlfriend but when I got close to Jay-jay, I suddenly became confused. Everything got even worse because of Percy and I's agreement. If I couldn't agree, this wouldn't have happened. *Flashback...* My foot is tapping the floor. We've been waiting here in ront of the OR (Operating Room) for almost 4 hours but we still haven't heard anything from the doctor. I sighed and bowed my head. "David..." Cheon's Mom called me. "...Go home ï¬rst. You were here last night." I force a smile. "I'm-I'm okay, Auntie... I can't stay home long either ." "Eat ï¬rst, son. I'll buy you something. What do you want?" Tito, Cheon's dad, offered. I immediately stood up. "No. I'll buy it myself." He smiled at me and let me go. I knew they were also worried about me. Since Cheon was brought back to the hospital, I haven't been home yet. I can't eat properly either. I started walking away. I was out of my mind and in a daze. I don't want to leave. I'm afraid of what might happen while I'm gone. I thought he would be okay when they brought him to Hong Kong but he wasn't. I kept walking when I bumped into someone. I immediately looked at him and apologized. "S-sorry." I said. "...I didn't mean to." He stared at me as if recognizing me. His eyes were blue even though he looked Filipino. "It's okay." He replied. I started walking again and headed straight to the hospital cafeteria. Even though I didn't feel like eating, I didn't want to be the next to get sick. After eating, Tita texted me just in time. The operation was over and the doctor was going to talk to them. I hurried back, I caught up with Tita standing in front of the door of the doctor's office. "Let's go... The doctor said he's going to talk to us." Tita said to me. We went inside and the Doctor's sad face appeared before us. I have this bad feeling that the results weren't good. "Sit down please." The Doctor told us. Tita and I sat down but I remained standing. He took out the tablet and pressed something before showing it to us. A video of the heart ultrasound. "The operation was not successful. We don't want to take too much risk. The hole in his heart is already big along with the swelling of several arteries----" I didn't let him ï¬nish what he was going to say. I immediately left his office. I just punched the wall because I was feeling so heavy. "Tsk! Don't push the wall." I was stunned by what he said. I immediately looked at him with a frown. He was the one with the blue eyes I bumped into earlier. "What do you care?!" I asked, annoyed. Why was he asking me? I didn't know him and he didn't know me either---. "David Brewer." He said, stopping me. "...Former president of Section E." H-how did...? "D-do I know you?" He smiled at me and to be honest, I was very surprised. I don't know him. He's not a student of HVIS---I know. Somehow he looks just like my age. "Maybe you heard the name... Percy Rey Collins?" He asked. Collins? I only know one Collins, that's Felix. Then I realize it, he is Felix's stepbrother. But.... He's dead. "From the way you look at me... I think you already know me." He held out his hand to me. "...Nice to meet you." I didn't take his hand. My mind was even more confused. I also don't understand why he came to me. He withdrew his hand but still kept smiling. "Well... I won't budge anymore. I would like to offer you a job." "Excuse me? A job?" "Yes... A job." He repeated. "...We can talk about this now. If you have time?" I shook my head at what he was saying. "Look... Mr. Who-ever-you-are, I don't know you. The Percy I know is dead and I'm not interested in your offer. Now if you'll excuse me----." "I can help Ms. Cheon Sa Kim." He cut me off from what I was about to say. I was confused by what was happening. How did he know my girlfriend's full name ? And what help is he talking about? "...Her operation was not successful. Other hospitals don't want to operate on her because it's dangerous and they don't want to ruin her reputation." He continued. "...The only thing you can do is take her to New York. But her family can't afford it." Crap! How did he know all that? The doctors have been trying to get her to New York for a long time but her parents can't afford the expense. We've also made ï¬nancial offers but it's still not enough. "You see... I can pay the bills for her. I have a private plane that will take her to New York safely." I bowed. He's a total stranger to me. But I'm tempted by his offer. It's already Cheon's turn to talk so a big part of me says to listen to what he's saying. "How can I assure that you're telling the truth?" I almost whisper . He smiles broadly. "Let me explain it to you." He walks somewhere. I just follow until we stop at a patient room. He sits on the bed and starts explaining. He also shows some photos as proof of what he's saying. He also explains why he's going to do this. I'm starting to believe him even though I don't really trust him. "...I only have one rule." He said after explaining my job. "...Don't ever like him." I tried to hide my reaction. How? How would I do that? What if I had other feelings from the start? But Cheon needs me more now. That's why I asked a lot. "I accept your offer." *EndofFlashback...* Now here I am. So fvcking confused about my feelings. I shouldn't be feeling this. I love Cheon that's why I sacriï¬ced. But when I'm with Jay-jay, my heart beats differently. This is fvcking wrong! I don't want to get involved in Keifer and Yuri's mess.