The Guy in White

THIRD PERSON

Jaechan pauses from wiping the table when he noticed that Dr. Kai stands up move closer to the window and looks up at the sky through the window.

“What’s matter?” Jaechan asks in polite and respect.

“It has started!” Jaechan’s eyes widen when he suddenly heard a new voice which own by Yeonjun who just appeared inside the room.

“He already remembers!?” Jaechan exclaimed and his lips rose in excitement.

Huening, the Deity smiles as well. “Everyone, Taehyun’s fate has begun once again. Let’s make it all right, this time.”

Yeonjun clings his arm around Jaechan and they are both giggling at what the highest have stated. “Taehyun! Let’s go!” Jaechan shouted.

“You did well too, Woo Hyun,” Yeonjun compliments the kid and the other smiles in response.

KANG TAEHYUN

“He’ll be fine, mom… You know he always collapsed since then…”

I can hear noona’s voice and my mom’s low sobs. Then next thing is I smell the familiar scent of the hospital room. I gently open my eyes and fixed my eyes on the ceiling.

“Mom…” I called.

“Son! My baby!” I heard mom calls in panic and quickly held my hand. I suddenly feel uneasy but I just act at her.

I smile, “Did I worry you too much? I’m sorry, mom,” I apologizes.

She continued crying while hugging me and noona went out to call Dr. Jeon. After several tests, the results came as all normal but I still need to stay for a while to rest.

I see my mom cutting some apples and preparing other fruits for me. I just observe how she moves. I haven’t regain most of my memories especially those that I’m with Woo Hyun.

“Mom,” I called her. “What really happened before I got to accident? Was that really a car crash or I got run over by a car?”

She stops slicing the fruit and look at me. “Taehyun… we already talked about this…”

“About Kim Woo Hyun… why didn’t you tell me anything about him?” I added a question again.

“Woo Hyun… That kid,” she reacted kind of mad. “That kid only brought you trouble! You don’t attend class because of him. You even…” she pauses to breathe. “You even left home and lived with him.”

It’s because Beomgyu hyung was calling me from time to time and I can’t just disappear at any moment. That’s why I stayed with Woo Hyun who knows who I was.

Because Kim Woo Hyun is also a wish granter angel and his real name is Jaechan.

And that also explains why I rarely hangout with Beomgyu hyung. The latter part where I needed to avoid him from falling out of love with Soobin was also a different story.

Some information are still missing, I’m still trying to regain some of it.

“I told you Woo Hyun wasn’t that kind of person—”

“Then why did he know that you’re going to get hit by a car?” she cut me off and I can finally see that she’s mad. “He was the last time you talked to that night. Do you think it makes sense once the people find out that you planned your accident? It was your dad’s peak in the industry too.”

That too… I haven’t figured it out yet. Why did I plan to get hit? What was the reason? And why does Jaechan knows about it?

“But mom…” I called her again. “Are you really my mom?”

I saw her gulps and her face screams the obvious answer already. “You aren’t, right?” I asked again. “Where are my real parents?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she just replied. “Taehyun… please,” she move closer to me and hold both of my hand. “Let’s just pretend this conversation didn’t happen, okay? You’re Kang Taehyun. You’re my son,” she begged and tears are on the corner of her eyes.

From my relaxed and stern face, I acted smiling adorably. “No worries, mom. This is our secret that I’m your son but…” I paused and she paid attention. “Once I know who my real parents are and who really I was… Please don’t hold on to me too much,” I chuckles after.

“You’re… you’re really back…”

Right after I got discharged, I went to the rural hospital of Shindong District. I used of course some money and such to get some information with Mr. Lim to cover me up.

Inside a private room, I inserted the drive on a laptop and I started looking for the patient records. I typed “Kang Taehyun” and one folder popped up. I clicked it and saw my record five years ago.

“Wow… I really died five years ago,” I commented.

Coronary heart disease, failure to respond, vein rapture, coma, and time of death 5:13 AM. No guardian’s name indicated? Why? Beomgyu hyung talked to my real mom after I died though?

I started massaging my forehead while looking at my display picture on the personal data. If I died five years ago, then why am I here? Did the Deity made me live again? Why? For what reason?

I’m getting crazy.

My phone rings and saw it’s Beomgyu hyung. My mom probably told him about what happened to me. He’s sure worried. I close my eyes for seconds. How should I face him after everything that I did to him?

“How far can you remember things?”

I look up and saw a familiar feature near the open window with the white curtain blowing by the wind. “Hueningkai,” I called his name. “Deity…”

He looks at my direction and I saw him smile at me. “Hello, welcome back,” he greeted me.

I take a stand and walk closer to him. I bent my upper body to show respect. “There are still a lot that I need to know,” I stated after raising myself.

He nods, “There are still sure a lot that you haven’t figured out yet but I can’t help you with that,” he replied.

“Why not?”

“We agreed on this… five years ago.”

“Yeah?” I frown. “Why? Me?”

“Figured it out, why? Why this kind of fate you chose,” he chuckles after while I’m still confused. “Taehyun,” he called my name. “What are you going to do with Beomgyu?”

“I’ll keep it to me first…” I answered. “I c-can’t even face him right now. As long as I haven’t regain all of my memories… I can’t let him know about this,” I decided.

Hueningkai nods at what I’ve planned. “Well, that’s up to you already. Let me just warning you again, Taehyun,” he speaks and inhales. “This will be tough… tougher than the last battle you did,” he said.

My brows knitted, “Yeah? W-why?”

He looks directly at my eyes, “Because this time, your grip will be too tight that the last time.”

There’s a sudden silence after that and I heard my phone rings once again so I looked back at the bed but when I shifted my eyes back to Deity, he wasn’t in there anymore.

It made me sigh. How am I supposed to meet Beomgyu hyung? How can I pretend that the Taehyun and he loved and the new Taehyun that he meets are two different people?

I didn’t answer the call but I finally replied at his message and decided where we’re going to meet. It’s a café in Seoul and I waited for him at the roof deck of the tables. My elbows are resting on the steel railings and staring at the view below. It’s near from school so I can see students in their uniform.

“Taehyun?”

When I heard that soft and deep voice, memories started flashing back across my mind once more. I can feel how my system shakes. I gulp first before slowly turning my back and our eyes meet.

Déjà vu.

That’s one thing I can say, the first time I appeared as Beomgyu hyung’s wish granter, his eyes still looks the same. He’s frowning, his eyes are in confusion and wonders. I can still remember how shocked he was that time as well. While here I am wearing this all white clothes that he used to see me wearing five years ago.

“Hyung,” I called him and smile for a bit. I need to act. I gotta act like how I always behave around him but I can’t. Something’s stopping me from doing it.

“Are you okay? Are you feeling well now?” he asks me as he walk closer and stand beside me.

I nod and look away, “Yeah… I’m sorry. Did I startle you?”

“I was so worried,” he replied. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m sorry,” I apologized and looks down, not really wanting to have an eye contact with him.

“Taehyun,” he called me again and I felt his hand holding mine that made me look at him in surprise. “Did I hurt you? I’m sorry. Did I offend you by what I did before? I’m sorry. I am so caught up with everything that happened so maybe I didn’t really thought things through,” he explained and I saw his worried eyes soften with his little smile.

Hyung, why? Be angry. Get angry get we. I left you. I just left you behind without telling you everything. Please, resent me instead.

“Looking back at it— I mean, thinking about your side,” I corrected. “You did well, hyung,” I affirm. “You wished because of your grandma and you didn’t waste your chances to save her once more,” I added. “Taehyun… Taehyun has his fault too. He probably knows the consequences of loving you back but he still did.”

“I don’t know…” he reacted. “Anyway, everything was done. It already happened five years ago, it’s not like I can undo everything—”

“What if you can?” I cut him and stare at his eyes directly.

“What do you mean?”

“What if you can really undo everything this time…? Will you still risk for Taehyun?” I asked seriously.

“You’re Taehyun, you’re the Kang Taehyun that’s why please stop talking about him. You said before that you wanted to help me move on from him. So please, let’s stop, okay?” he answered instead.

“I-I’m sorry,” I apologizes as I realized how I acted. “He’s already dead,” I whispered.

He gently squeezes my hand, “Yes, he did. That’s why, let’s leave him at peace, okay?”

I nods and smiles. Hyung, should I really leave things at peace? Should I really turn a blind eye at everything and just keep things like this?

“Are you okay? Why are you spacing out—”

I didn’t let him finish what he’s about to speak when I hug him. I hug him tight and I rest my chin on his shoulder. I feel like crying. I want to fix things but there are a lot that I need to remember first.

“Beomgyu hyung…” I called him, trying not to sob behind his back.

“Hmm?” he hums in reply while caressing my back.

“It’s okay to get angry with me… It’s okay to resent me… It’s okay to blame me for everything,” I speak.

“W-what are you talking about? Hey, I’m not mad at you,” he chuckles. “I know why you reacted like that, okay? Stop saying those,” he assures and gently pulled me away so he can see me.

He was shock to see me crying so he quickly wipes my tears. “Why are you crying? Hey, I’m not mad, okay?” he laughs at me. “Are you afraid, I might scold you?”

I shake my head. I’m more afraid of the fact that I might hurt you again, hyung.

“Aigoo, who made this baby cry, huh?” he teases me as he continues wiping my tears. “I know you’re cute when you throw tantrums but I don’t want you crying, okay? Let’s having shaved ice cream, you want that?”

I nod at him and I sniffs, “Yes, hyung… Thank you,” that’s the only thing I replied.

He smiles and pulled me back closer to him and I felt him kissing my forehead. “I won’t let you get hurt again, Taehyun… Not again because of me. I’ll protect you this time.”