Bring It On! - Chapter 64

Chapter 64.

It was Park Jong-hoo. When I looked at him in surprise, he gave an awkward smile and slightly bowed his head in greeting.

“Try pressing the button on top to shoot fire. That’s it.”

I couldn’t understand why a dark-suited adult was here alone, in a place full of kids. Moreover, his handling of the arcade machine was clearly not a first attempt. It was like a hidden master training a novice.

“Quick to understand… you’re smart,” Park Jong-hoo praised.

Buoyed by the compliment, Su-ho pressed the buttons even more boldly, completely absorbed in the game. While he was busy, Park Jong-hoo quietly called me over.

“There’s a café right next door. Would you like to go?”

The meeting we were supposed to have this evening had been unexpectedly moved up. I hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

***

We left the seats by the large windows overlooking the city and chose a secluded corner instead. Park Jong-hoo brought an Americano and a strawberry smoothie, placing one in front of each of us. The Americano was mine.

“Is your arm okay?” he asked.

Yesterday, the IV tube came out abruptly, causing some bleeding. My arm was slightly swollen and bruised, but it wasn’t serious.

“It’s fine.”

“That’s good to hear.”

I stared at him expressionlessly. Despite his words, Park Jong-hoo didn’t seem genuinely concerned about my health.

Park Jong-hoo… I repeated his name in my mind several times. It felt strangely familiar. I had definitely heard it somewhere. 

Park Jong-hoo… as I kept mulling over the name, something suddenly came to me.

“Yacht…!”

The words slipped out before I realized it. Park Jong-hoo, who was sipping his smoothie, flinched and quickly pulled the cup from his lips. He wiped his mouth with a tissue and nodded.

“That’s right. The CEO purchased a yacht under my name from the company you were working at.”

I opened my mouth slightly in shock. The CEO he referred to was Jay. Which meant the owner of the yacht…

I couldn’t continue speaking, my mind a whirlwind of confusion. A faint distortion appeared around his eyes as he noticed my reaction.

“You didn’t know?”

The sudden flood of information made it hard to think straight. Jay had been the one who bought the yacht that caused the drifting incident. I had complained endlessly about what an outrageous jerk he was, now I realized I had practically spat in his face. 

How could fate connect people like this? I let out a shallow breath, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Park Jong-hoo seemed to think it was strange that I hadn’t realized sooner. But how could I have known? Even though I had been rescued from the deserted island, my isolated life remained the same. 

There were no friends or family rushing to the hospital, and my phone had long since disappeared. After nearly half a year on the island, I had grown accustomed to life without a phone. There was no urgent reason to reactivate one, so I hadn’t bothered.

It meant I had no way to communicate with the outside world. Furthermore, the number of reporters who had been waiting in crowds outside the hospital had dwindled significantly. It seemed Jay’s family had intervened. 

The only people I could talk to were medical staff or occasionally the TV. Even then, the news I saw never mentioned me or the yacht. It mostly focused on Jay’s older brother, CEO Cha Seong-hwan.

I pressed my hand against my throbbing head. That outrageous jerk was Jay… The news hit me without warning, leaving me dazed.

I pulled the straw from my Americano, pushed it aside, and gulped the coffee like cold water. 

Clack. I put the cup down. Park Jong-hoo immediately offered a tissue. I didn’t take it, pressing my hand to my mouth instead.

“Does Jay know?”

“Jay… Oh, you mean the CEO?”

“That I was stranded while transporting his yacht.”

“Hmm…”

“Does he know too?”

Park Jong-hoo’s expression turned ambiguous. He was a man difficult to read, but in his eyes, I clearly caught a fleeting moment of hesitation.

Damn it. Jay clearly didn’t know. After tearing someone else’s life apart… I downed the rest of my Americano in one go, not leaving a single drop.

“Shall I get you another?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Well… the CEO also feels sorry about it. It wasn’t intentional, but he probably feels some responsibility… or something like that.”

“Responsibility? That’s not his personality.”

“Sharp insight, indeed.”

“Not at all.”

Park Jong-hoo had tried to soften the image of his superior, but after meeting my gaze, he eventually gave up. He realized no lie could convince me.

I exhaled a long, heavy sigh, letting the frustration deep inside me escape. It was shocking enough that the jerk who ordered the yacht was Jay but it was already in the past. I couldn’t let myself remain trapped in emotion forever. There was one thing I absolutely had to ask.

After a brief silence, I finally spoke the words lingering at the edge of my lips.

“Jay… he doesn’t remember me, right?”

I clenched the hand resting on the table. I tried to remain calm, but my racing heart wouldn’t be quieted. When Park Jong-hoo finally said, “That’s correct,” I dropped my gaze. 

I feared my unrefined emotions would betray me, showing on my face in an ugly way.

“He doesn’t even remember the fact that he was stranded?”

I couldn’t meet Park Jong-hoo’s eyes. I remembered the blood that had drenched the back of J’s head just before we were rescued from the deserted island. I pressed the inside of my palm with my fingernails until it hurt. The time we had spent together… meant nothing to him.

A sickening nausea surged up my stomach.

“We have no obligation to take responsibility for the damages you suffered, but we plan to provide a modest consolation payment as a moral gesture. It won’t be full compensation for anything, but still…”

I lifted my bowed head and stared Park Jong-hoo in the eyes.

“So you’re saying Jay isn’t pretending not to know me on purpose.”

“Excuse me?”

“As long as he regains his memory, that’s all it takes, right?”

My tone was firm, my emotions tightly controlled. Park Jong-hoo, who had been feigning sympathy all along, finally revealed raw emotion. A faint fatigue creased the corners of his eyes.

“The CEO has many matters to attend to. I understand your feelings, but all you’ll get is more hurt…”

“No. You don’t understand me, Park Jong-hoo. You absolutely don’t understand me.”

Before he could respond, I stood up. I heard someone calling me from behind, but I didn’t look back.

My churning heart was a storm of emotions. He doesn’t remember me? Heat rose to my eyes. I quickly wiped away the tears threatening to fall with my sleeve. Who gave them permission? Amid sorrow, resentment, and sadness, I felt a fierce resolve.

One day, Jay had said, if I ever forgot him, he would call me ungrateful and slap me.

Promises had to be kept.

***

The only sounds in the quiet night were the hum of the humidifier. I pulled the blanket at my feet tightly over Suho’s shoulders. He chattered about games until just before falling asleep, finally exhausted and collapsed. I brushed his cheeks with my hand and quietly slipped out of the bed.

My fingers pressed the elevator button with force. I was heading to the terrace on the top floor. I didn’t know if Jay would be out there at this hour again.

Ding. The elevator doors opened.

From nearby came heavy footsteps. I quickly stepped out and scanned my surroundings. Jay! Miraculously, he was walking toward me. 

Seeing him instantly washed away yesterday’s hurt and unease, and it felt like a bright light had been switched on inside me. Joy, the kind that fills you with thrilling excitement, surged through me. Even if he had lost his memory, that person was still Jay to me.

Jay and I saw each other and locked eyes, but he kept his expression neutral, radiating only coldness. His vividly colored eyes were dark like smoldering ashes, rippling with a fierce energy. The guards following him at a distance held their breath.

“Jay!”

Even in the face of that oppressive presence, I stepped forward toward him. But he completely ignored me, treating me as if I were less than nothing.