LEAD－Song Mirae (The Second Lead)

SCENE
B A DOLL OR BE AN IDOL

SUNDAY MORNINGS CAN be very lazy and relaxing. Due to a certain incident, this whole scenario turns opposite for you.

After receiving that mail last night, neither you can sleep nor you can do your work properly. Life of a journalist is hard but you chose it. Because life taught you to be someone you can admire while standing in front of your mirror.

Repent has no place in your life. But that one mail from last night makes you feel a pang of repentance, which is hardly likable for you.

If only you didn't reply, if only you deleted that mail.

If only you didn't pull that stunt years ago.

If only you walked away, acting oblivious.

You wince when the thoughts touch a deep wound, unlocking the old memories that waste no time to crawl back inside your mind.

Sighing, you keep the book aside and stand up from your indoor swing chair. There's no meaning to read a book and act like of enjoying it, if the mind is going to brew a tale of its own.

Preparing some black coffee, you head to your study room to start on preparing your report that is half done from last night.

If only everything goes according to plan.

You halt on your way, when the phone makes a ting sound. Your occupation is such that demands your attention 24/7. So you think, it is one of those demanding hours on a Sunday morning.

An ominous feeling engulfs you when you take the phone from the kitchen counter. That feeling becomes reality as soon as you unlock the phone, reading the notification.

It is a reply of the poem you forwarded in answer.

"I knew you're going to reply something like that. Seems like even after all these years you haven't changed," reading the mail out loud, you scoff in disbelief.

A mixture of hurt and anger starts to consume your senses. You gulp it down, masking it with your blank thoughts.

"You didn't realize," you smile, while setting the phone down on the counter.

"You didn't realize the reason behind that slap."

Turning away from the phone, you take heavy steps towards your study room.

For a moment there, you want to type it out that how wrong she is, how she knows nothing. Nothing of what your heart feels, nothing of what your mind screams, nothing of your feelings.

But you don't.

Breaking that moment and push passing it, you don't let her see, don't let her know.

Just like before.

The furious typing on the laptop is competing with your heavy thoughts. You are trying hard to focus on the issue that will complete your report. It is getting hard for you to focus when your own mind is having some issues of its own.

You groan and sip on your coffee, letting the bitter taste take control and your bitter thoughts to get mild.

The laptop's screen is a blur when you stare at it blankly. All it needs is a blink, for the droplets of warm water to fall down on your hand.

Yet again, she won. I let her crush me again.

The reign of hers over your mind is declared.

"What do want from me now, Taehee?"

To say you're a confused soul, will be an understatement. You don't want Taehee or anything related to that name anywhere near you, let alone your life.

You worked hard, really hard to be the person you're today, to be your own idol.

Taehee. This name, these six letters are enough to make the wall of your confidence crumble, to see the weak you.

But you can't let that happen. You're certainly not going to be the doll of hers again. For that you need to, you've to know why Taehee made an attempt to contact you after years.

If there is anyone right now who can understand the dilemma and rush of anxiety that you're feeling, then it's him.

He's the one who saw everything, heard everything. What Taehee didn't know, he did. What Taehee failed to feel, he felt.

The guilt is eating you, when you give him a call after not being in touch for a long time. But you had to do that as you need space from everything related to Taehee, including him.

He has every right to be angry and be upset with you but deep inside you know, that he will understand, he will never treat you like a doll.

Lost in your own thoughts, you don't realize when the said person answers the call.

"Hello? If you're mute then send me a message instead of calling, please."

You laugh at his sarcastic voice.

"Jeon Jeongguk, when will you stop acting so cocky and be like the innocent bunny you really are?"

Shaken to the core, Jeongguk feels as if he just accomplished his ice bucket challenge.

His routined Sunday twelve hours long sleep is long forgotten, as he abruptly sits on his bed and tries to close his mouth that was hanging open like a fish.

"M-Mirae? Is that you or am I just having one of my weird dreams again?"

If Taehee was the one who used you like her very own personal doll, then there was Jeongguk, exactly opposite of hers.

You're still clueless about how much that boy admires you. For him, you are his idol. The only one he remembers through all way of his life.