This Night Never Happened

NOTE: Hello, Hyena babies! Another anonymous writer has sent a fanfic story. Thank you so much, anonymous writers, for trusting this account with your work.

Here’s the story. 

Enjoy! 

Summary: Just an excerpt from Hyena EP 8.

I do not own the conversation script and characters here.

—–

It starts with a late meeting and a simple question from a stranger.

‘What business are you here for?’ That’s what he asked back, meeting an old man in a dusty old grey coat who wanted to find his way to her office. It was a bit rude to look at someone from head to toe but he couldn’t help having to since this man had quite a special requirement.

Of course, in the end, he let him know where her office was. Not that he trusted him though. But Ji-eun was there, and he was near so if anything really happened, she wouldn’t be alone.

However, it turned out that he couldn’t shake this out of his head. So when Attorney Boo found out that one of Jung Guem-ja’s files was with them, he quickly grabbed it and, without any hesitation, volunteered to return this to her himself. Such a perfect excuse, he thought.

That…brings him to this.

Standing still like a fool outside of her room, with her file in his hand and Ji-eun by his side, surprised at what he’s just heard.

Get the hell out of my face?

He’s never seen her losing her temper before. Even in the courtroom or when being challenged, she always remains calm and powerful. Being furious, he can see sometimes, most of the time actually, but never losing her cool. That’s why this leaves him speechless, hesitating if he should barge in. What happens? Are they fighting? Is she okay? Lots of questions sprout up. Lots of assumptions. Lots of possibilities.

Still in a trance of confusion, he sees the old man leave the room. Before the door is shut again, he quickly sneaks a peek at her to see if she is fine. Physically, she should be alright, judging from the fact that she is still standing there, so Hee-jae just politely nods back at the stranger and watches him go, burying his irritation of what this man has just done deep behind his stillness. Turning back to her door, his eyes flash tight and worried. He remains unsure if it is the right time to see her.

Maybe.

He takes a step forward.

Or…maybe not.

He takes a step back.

One thing he learns from Jung Guem-ja, she doesn’t like being seen as weak. This must have left quite an impact on her. It might be better to give her some space right now. Some more time. To let her cope with herself.

—————

It is late and the firm is all empty. At least, almost.

He sighs. Wearily. Checking his watch from time to time. Perhaps, he has already given her enough space. Perhaps, she might need more. Who on earth apart from her would know that? He pretends that he is swamped with work, faking writing something on his note, drinking glasses after glasses of coffee. But his mind, his mind is racing to the opposite room.

He can see her from here, actually. Thank God, that she doesn’t pull down her blind. She has been sitting on the couch like that for hours. Doesn’t even move a bit. As if she’s become a statue. He used to imagine how pleasant he would be, seeing her in this kind of state, like the queen falling from her throne. At that time, he tried to convince himself that he would be more than content. That he would enjoy every single moment she was falling to the abyss.

He was working so hard to make himself believe in that. To deny that he would feel bad seeing her get hurt. To refuse to admit that he couldn’t forget their good old days no matter what she had done to him.

Yes, he tried to convince himself even though he knew it was a forlorn attempt.

At that time, he knew all along that he would never succeed in lying to himself. Deep down in his broken heart, he knew that it was beating for her, the woman who had crushed it with her own hand. And now, it is officially proved that he is always right. When her heart aches, his heart does too.

Maybe, if he can find a perfect excuse, it might be easier to drop by. Maybe.

—————

The light in her eyes is gone.

She looks dead. That’s the first thing coming up in his mind after stepping into her room, seeing her face for the first time after what happened.

She stares back at him. And he would have been glad even to see a glimpse of annoyance in that pair of pale brown eyes. But instead, he sees nothing in there. Empty. Lifeless. Nothing.

He shows her a bottle of wine and two glasses as if they were a peace treaty, his excellent superb excuse that is so precious to him and costs him quite a fortune. Slowly, he takes a seat in her usual red chair and opens the bottle, knowing that she is watching his every move.

‘I heard you were still here.’ He looks up, doesn’t allow even an inch of worry to be shown on his face. Maybe, because she used to say that before. Maintain that dignity. He truly can remember everything she says.

Her gaze turns from him to his gift. She reaches out to grab the bottle, fills her glass, and lifts it up to her lips as if he weren’t there. He doesn’t mind though. That even raises a faint smile on his face too, knowing that a part of Jung Guem-ja has gradually come back.

‘It seems like I had the right idea’ Okay, now, his idea works. Time to step forward. ‘I met your father in the hallway.’

She glances at him. Behind that weariness, he cannot read exactly what’s on her mind. But he needs to know more. He needs to know more if he wishes to help her. So he doesn’t retreat. He gives her an assured look, the one that says no matter what, she has to say something.

‘I don’t have a father.’

That is her answer. He sighs. Not really out of worry this time but out of relief. At least, he has heard her voice. Tired. Angry. Hateful. Painful. Even broken. But at least, she lets him in.

‘I hope you brought more.’ She continues.

‘I have a few more bottles.’ He nods, knowing that a few more bottles he mentioned are the last of this collection that he has. Well, if it can make her feel better, it’ll be more worthwhile than being tasted by other tongues for him anyway.

She nods and bottoms up. A good sign, he thinks. Alcohol gradually retrieves her missing pieces. She really needs that right now. To come back to be Jung Guem-ja he knows again.

‘Well,…’ he moves forward ‘if you want to talk about it…’

She stops. He thinks maybe that’s it. That’s the furthest he could go. She will push him away and slam her door right in his face again, drawing a very thick line that he cannot erase.

But then, beyond his expectation, she mumbles,

‘Why on earth did I step backward?’

His brow furrows, still not believing that she is willing to share.

‘Before I knew it,…I was…drawing back.’

She pauses. He can see that she is travelling back in time. The ‘real’ her in the old days that he has never got a chance to meet nor learn.

‘It happened 23 years ago. The bastard almost beat me to death.’

He turns away for a moment, trying to suppress a fire of anger that burns up in his heart when his imagination touches what she had faced in her dark past.

She lets out a sarcastic chuckle.

‘Even after all these years.’ And takes another glass.

‘Funny, right? I’ve experienced my fair share of thugs and gangsters and everything that comes with them. There was nothing to be scared about, so I wasn’t scared back then.’

He exhales deeply, leaning forward a bit as it is getting harder to draw back his fury. What is in her head, he wonders. Does this woman think she really has no one waiting for her to come home safe and sound? Well, he might have just known her but at least, she has Ji-eun, right?

‘If I died, then so be it.’ The way she says this tells him that she really doesn’t care. It scares him somehow, knowing how easy it is not to see this woman before him walk in tomorrow.

‘That’s what I actually thought.’

He looks at her, remaining silent.

‘But then,…I saw him today…and he walked towards me. He became an old man,’ Her face is filled with hatred. But not of that man. More like of herself. Her eyes flash a hint of self-pity.

‘But I kept stepping backward.’

He blinks, dying to tell her that it’s not her fault. That she has done her best. That someone who has shared the same experience as hers would have done the same thing or even worse. But, in the end, he doesn’t.

‘I guess…that’s how memories are.’ She says bitterly. ‘They’re that dreadful. And cruel.’

And then she ends it with another glass, giving him some time to recompose too.

He turns silent for a few seconds, putting out the heat in his mind. Placing it aside to have her as his priority first.

‘What can I…do for you right now?’ That question is really coming from the bottom of his heart. He really has no idea what his next move should be. This is not like any of the other cases that he used to handle before. This is why personal emotions should be completely kept out of every single case. Otherwise, it would overwhelm him. Like this.

‘Just be here.’

Surely, he doesn’t expect to hear that. And absolutely not with the crack in her voice.

‘Don’t get any ideas though.’ She quickly closes the gap before he could say something or even build his hope. ‘Because I don’t intend to rekindle our romance.’

Hurt. But it’s okay. That’s what he always tells himself every time she hurts him. It’s okay.

‘Right now,…just manage how you feel.’ He replies. ‘My heart…is mine to handle.’ It’s true.

And he is handling his heart right now, seeing her eyes turn red, filled with tears that she tries so hard not to let it fall. Deep down, in this vulnerable state of her, it’s not hard for him to see through her facade. To find that she is feeling wrong too, for asking for his company but still insisting that their ‘love’, if it did exist, was already dead.

‘If you need to,’ he leans closer, not afraid that his heart might bleed more than it does now, ‘use me.’

But he should have been. It hurts more than he thought. He has to move away, grabbing the bottle to distract himself a bit to suppress the pain in his chest.

‘You’re good at it. Using me, of course.’ Then he gives her a smile, trying to make it a firm one but he knows he fails. ‘I’ll let it slide tonight.’

She looks back, doesn’t move a muscle. Perhaps, it might be because she is on the edge of breaking down now so he cannot get into her true reaction to what he has just proposed.

‘You want another bottle, right?’ He quickly changes the subject. Who is he to even have a silly hope that she would take his offer? This is his Jung Guem-ja. The one who has never had to depend on other shoulders. There is no reason why his shoulder wouldn’t be worthless too. So when her tear is about to drop, he just rises up and walks to the door to bring more supply, giving her time to be with herself and get healed on her own.

‘All right,’

He stops dead, doesn’t even dare to turn back. Did I hear that correctly?

‘I’ll use you then.’

When he turns around, she is already there in front of him. Her eyes are full of emotions. Tiredness, yes, he sees that. Pain, yes, it’s there. But what he isn’t certain is if there really is longing in her eyes too. The longing that he once saw when they were together. The longing that was painted in her pure brown eyes every time they met after not seeing each other for too long. The longing that made him believe with all his heart that she was the one and would be the last in his life. Only this time, it is stronger, clearer, and truer. Like it really comes from her heart. Like she really has feelings for him.

Are his eyes cruel enough to fool him again?

A drop of tear is finally falling from that beautiful brown crystal, a pair of mirrors that reflect his face. He is still not really certain what she means by using him. But the answer is waiting behind her last words already.

‘This night never happened.’

To her, he doesn’t know. But to him, the moment when her lips touch his, he knows he will remember this night until the day he dies.

THE END

Aww, our little tribe is growing. Thank you, 3rd Anonymous Writer, for sharing your work with the rest of us. ❤️

I am just so happy to welcome all stories about our fave #Hyena OTP. Fangirling is a lot of fun when you’ve got people to share the love with. 

To you, anonymous writer, please don’t stop writing! 😊 I love that you took the time to expand this moment and give us a glimpse of what Hee Jae was thinking. It’s so wonderful to go back to this unforgettable scene in the series. You fleshed out his thoughts up until that iconic KISS. Thank you! 

To the readers of this blog, thank you for stopping by! ❤️❤️❤️

If you want to check out the other fanfics on this site, they’re HERE. 

COMMENTS off Tumblr

nothingremainsunsaid posted this

b-is-for Thank you, Anonymous Writer! I have watched this scene a gazillion times because it is so incredibly powerful (and also hot). My fascination is partly driven by how nuanced their expressions are in this scene. Geum Ja's unshed tears and the tender yet sorrowful look her gives her. Ahhhh. Those say so much! I have been slightly obsessed with trying to interpret (and reinterpret) what those nuances mean and this lovely fic of yours feeds that obsession quite effectively!😍

b-is-for Anyway, BRB, must re-watch and then re-read. 😊 Thanks again for writing this and am looking forward to reading more stories from you! 😊

happym8 Thank u for writing about my favorite episode writer 🙈🎊😚

nothingremainsunsaid @b-is-for: aww me too. i don’t know how many times i’ve watched that moment right before the kiss because everything before it just adds to the tension of the moment, and the angst as well as the heartbreak. because of course, he’s still hurt. but he can’t help himself. i died over that emotionally gritty scene. ❤️❤️❤️

nothingremainsunsaid @happym8: it’s one of my fave episodes too. Just makes it fun to rewatch these scenes when these stories play in our heads. teehee. Thanks for stopping by! 😄

#hyenafanfic #kimhyesoo #jujihoon #hyenanetflix #hyenakdrama #sbshyena