Chapter 9 recap: Cynthia used magic to kidnap Craedon. Jordan thought they agreed to make him the star for his new movie,to expose his true self to the world. However, Cynthia knocked him out and transformed into Madame Cyprine. Phelia realized that she was being used. She even couldn't believe that Madame Cyprine had been spying on them the whole time not only through the crystal ball but also as Cynthia in disguise. She also wanted Craedon to herself and she kissed him which hurt Phelia. Craedon rejected the kiss, told her his understanding of love. Phelia used a boomerang to break the crystal ball she saw on the counter. It was the witch's source of power, so she didn't managed to poison Craedon, lost all her powers, and vanished. Phelia and Craedon believed that she was gone, and they found Jordan awake and no longer under a hypnotised spell.
Modern Prince
Written By: Michele Hii
Chapter 10: Feel My Heartbeat
Craedon paced around the hallway, making way for patients who were on their way to their wards. I knew that Jordan didn't look like he had serious injuries, but Madame Cyprine had brainwashed him like a tool and she ended up tossing him aside. He must have been exhausted from her control. Craedon noticed me tapping my right foot nervously on the white tile flooring and walked by to squeeze my shoulder gently, "He'll be okay, don't worry."
I sighed, "It's just that..I shouldn't have said mean things to him. I thought that he really had changed into an evil person."
"But he hurt you more. He even fired you." he pointed out.
"Yeah,I know."
The doors swung open and out came a doctor with his mask on.
"How is he?" I immediately got up and walked to him.
"He's fine. There's just cuts and bruises on his back because of the glass, and he hadn't had enough sleep because he was mentally exhausted, that's why he had a severe headache, but he'll be fine in a few days. He can go home shortly, but he'll just need rest."
"Thank you, doctor." we both smiled.
As he left, Craedon wrapped his arms round my waist and winked, "Told you he's okay."
"Yeah." I giggled, "All is good now."
Craedon smiled back. I noticed his cheeks turned pale.
"Is it just me or did I just feel air around my face?" he exclaimed. His face slowly lost colour and I knew exactly what was going to happen. I quickly held his face to maintain the shape of his jaw. In seconds, his face was back to normal.
"Not for long." he mumbled.
"Oppa...let's make our relationship memorable...for one last time."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's make our memories to last forever, by completing our story."
He sadly nodded, "Okay."
I swiped his fringe gently off his eyes. We didn't realize that we were in the lobby until Jordan's voice made us jump.
"Oh! Am I coming by at the wrong time?Because...uh...I can wait till you two are done with your talk." he backed away.
"It's okay, Jordan, we're good." I giggled.
"Oh! Good!" he stepped forward, "Hey um...I want to apologise...for..you know..treating you like s***. And to Craedon too. I couldn't even fight over the spell Madame Cyprine had injected into me."
I went over to give him a friendly hug, "It's not your fault, Jordan. You make me hate you, but...it's not from you. You're just being a puppet."
He smiled back "Still, let me make up to you."
"No, it's okay!" I shook my head.
"But really, I've been a foe to you recently, and I feel so bad."
"Jordan,it's not you, it's Madame Cyprine's the one to be blamed."
"But she's gone now." Craedon chipped in, "We don't have to worry about anything anymore."
"Your man's right." Jordan agreed, "Nevertheless, Phelia, I really want to do something for you..and for him too. Like you know...going out?"
"But doesn't your head still hurt?" I reminded him.
"The doctor said I should take these pills twice per day, and then the headache will subside. Don't worry about me, buddy." Jordan smiled, showing a white packet of medication.
"Well..." I looked at Craedon.
"Come on, Phelia! I'll treat you guys or something! Anything you want!" Jordan pleaded.
"Then let's go...have fun." I answered.
"Ooh! I like the sound of that!" Jordan rubbed his hands in glee, "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
I noticed Craedon frowning and immediately took his right hand. He was surprised by my touch and instantly looked at me."Oppa, let's enjoy out last date together," I said, "to mark our last moments."
"Yeah, you're right." he smiled back.
* * *
We were planning to drop by at the cafe where our first encounter happened. Unfortunately, when we spotted the blue-walled shop, we were all shocked to see a big red-lettered "Under Renovation" sign on the door.
"Well, just our luck." Jordan whined.
"Wrong timing, huh?" I sighed.
"Hey," Craedon rubbed my shoulder, "At least we've found it. Let's go."
I smiled and switched to drive mode on the gearshift lever.
We replaced coffee with Starbucks' frappes from the mall where he got his first taste of 21st century fashion. And then as we couldn't think of any other places to revisit our memories, Jordan chipped in, "How about we drop by at the studio?"
"Why?" I asked in surprise.
"I have a teeny tiny little task to do. You two can come along if you want, but I think it's best for you to come." he smiled. I peeked at the front view mirror but his face didn't show any sign of slyness or secrecy.
"Well...I guess we can drop by." I replied.
"Yeah, I haven't say goodbye to Bobby Allen anyway." Craedon added.
"Great!" Jordan nodded.
Good thing that there wasn't a heavy traffic. We made it earlier than I expected. Once I parked my car at the very front row of the parking lot, Jordan nonchalantly unbuckled his seat belt at the back and got off. He kept on smiling as he waited for us to get off.
"Come on!" Jordan motioned us to follow.
Question marks floated in my head as I wondered what was he up to. He didn't had red shades in his eyes this time and he didn't looked evil at all. As we entered in, a scrawny lady in a security uniform stood at a corner. I noticed that melancholic frown under her messy hair.
"Hi, Edith!" I flashed a friendly smile, "How are you?"
She looked back at me with a scorn but she managed to mumble "I'm fine". She immediately yelled at a 5-years-old looking boy who ran across the hall, "Hey you! No running!"
Craedon looked shocked as he watched the grumpy worker chased after the kid with her surprisingly strong legs. I nudged his elbow and giggled, "Just let her be."
Jordan led us to the second floor where a small theater was located. The room was dimly lit and a mini cart with a couple boxes of caramel-scented popcorn and a pair of soda cups was placed near the front row.
"Okay, Jordan, I can't take this anymore." I blurted.
"Huh?" he turned his head back.
"What's the evil plan you're hatching behind my back?" I glared.
Jordan threw his head back laughing. He then pointed at the cart with a toothy grin, "I've specially ordered those for you two. I'm presenting you a special screening of 'The Sapphire Key'."
Both of us just stared at him. Craedon guessed, "You mean, we get to see your movie?"
"That's right." Jordan nodded.
"But the trailer hasn't been released yet." I pointed out.
"I know, " he shrugged, "but I figure that Craedon needs to see it before he leaves this world so...yeah...he has to see it."
"I thought the movie is not entirely polished yet." I muttered.
"Phelia," Jordan walked forward and patted my shoulder, "I was wrong treating you like crap all this time. I made you lose confidence after all the hard work you'd done in this project. You've done well. We all do. Now it's time to show the final product, just for the two of you. And soon, the whole world will see this film, just like we've wished for back in college."
"Jordan," I exclaimed, "I don't know how to thank you."
"Oh! And uh..." he cleared his throat, "you're rehired. The person who fired the hell out of you is no longer here so..."
I giggled and threw my arms around him, "This is perfect, Jordan."
"Ahem!" Craedon's cough echoed through the theater.
"Looks like somebody's jealous." I stuck my tongue out.
"Well...uh...you can't just...hug another guy in front of me." he bit his lip.
I let go off my hug and sneaked a light kiss on his lips. He looked back in surprise.
"How about that?" I chuckled.
He smiled and crushed me into his own hug.
"Well, the movie will start in three minutes so take your time settling in here." Jordan winked, "Hope you enjoy the movie."
* * *
The change of colour in front of me signaled me to press the brake before stopping in front of the bold white line. I peeked at Oppa who had a neutral look.
"Oppa, gwenchana? You don't seem to like the movie." I asked.
"Huh?" he looked back.
"You're lost in your thoughts." I commented.
"It's just..." he recalled, "there's this one scene in the movie that stuck one to me."
"Oh?" I gripped on the wheel as the light started to change again, "Which one?"
"The part when the little boy say goodbye to the magic kingdom. It's silly of me to say that I forgot his name but...when he said that even though the kingdom will vanish, he'll still remember all of the moments he had there."
"Oh! That scene!" I recalled.
"Yeah, I'm just glad that he'll never forget his adventure there."
"Oppa," I said, "I'll be like that too. Even when you disappear, I'll be sure that I'll never forget about us."
As we arrived at our favourite escapade, we saw Jordan leaning against his Hilux with a jolly man I immediately recognized.
"Bobby!" I waved.
"Hey! There they are!" Bobby waved back.
"Is that Bobby? What's he doing here?" Craedon's face lit up.
"Surprise eh?" Jordan grinned cheekily, "I invite him over."
"For what?" Craedon moved his head to one side curiously.
"Our final hangout." I smiled, "I've even ordered something special for dinner...which reminds me...I have to go and pick up right now."
"Whoa! Since when did you order?" Jordan asked.
"When you and Craedon are chatting when the credits rolled in." I winked, "Anyway, I'll be right back, okay?"
"Okay!" the three men nodded.
I got back into my car and drove down 2 kilometers to a Korean restaurant. In the nick of time, the two large sets of spicy fried chicken and four bottles of beer were all set on the pickup table.
This is it. Oppa's last taste of chicken and beer. Wonder if he'll get these in Sun Yang....hmm...maybe not...since he's a prince.
I collected the orders and drove back to the park where Craedon seemed to have fun playing Frisbee with Bobby and Jordan. I left the takeouts on the passenger seat while I leaned against my car, watching them running to catch the spinning disc. Craedon caught it twice which left the other two pouting, but they would run to him and mess up with his hair, congratulating him for being a pro at first try.
My vision suddenly became glassy as tears streamed down my cheeks. I couldn't help feeling pitiful for Oppa. It's not fair that his life as a human was like an hourglass. Why would I be given a perfect guy, yet time was a punishment for me not to experience love as long as I want?
"Omo! Phelia's back!" his voice echoed.
I saw them coming up and I hurriedly rubbed my face with my hands. He was quick enough to notice my expression and his face softened, "Everything okay?"
"Y...yeah," I nodded, "I'm okay."
He wrapped his arms around me without bombarding me with more questions. Bobby noticed the takeouts in my car and gasped, "Damn! You got us chicken?"
I switched into a smile, "Yeap! Feel free to dig in!"
"Woohoo!" Bobby pumped his fist.
"Yes! I'm starving!" Jordan joined in.
We laid my picnic mat on the grass and opened the plastic containers. The chili sauce even had its flavour infused into the aroma which floated right into our nostrils.
"Don't forget your beer, guys!" I said, handing them a bottle each.
"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Jordan beamed.
"Good thing tomorrow's a weekend. Imma drink till I blank out!" Bobby laughed.
"Hey! Same here, man! Same here!" Jordan raised his bottle.
"Craedon needs to get drunk too, since it's his last day on earth." Bobby said.
"I've drank way too much soju since I've spent a lot of time with Phelia. I think I'll just drink a little bit." Craedon replied.
"Soju, eh? Cool!" Jordan said and stood up, "By the way...can I say something?"
"Please!" I nodded.
He cleared his throat, "So Phelia, my good friend, has told us everything about Craedon and sadly, he'll be going back to his kingdom soon. But! That doesn't mean we won't see him again. Right?"
I glanced at Craedon whose smile turned upside down. I reached out to his soft hand and he smiled back.
"Craedon," Jordan pointed his bottle at him, "I wish you all the best in whatever you do. I'm certain that we'll see you again."
Oppa raised his, "Thank you, Jordan."
"You're the weirdest dude I've ever met, pretty boy." Bobby spoke, "But...you have a heart of gold. You've cared so much for Miss Song. I respect you, man! Gonna miss you, buddy!"
"I'll miss you too, Bobby." Craedon smiled.
I stood in the middle and held my bottle, "Glad that you two accept him. I've tried my best to make him happy here."
Bobby looked at me in surprise, "Oh! Miss Song! You've done more than enough!"
Jordan stood up as well, followed by Oppa, " Couldn't agree more."
"They're right. I couldn't be happier.", Craedon nodded.
"Anyway, bottoms up!" Jordan shouted, "Cheers!"
We clinked our bottles under the evening hues.
After gobbling all of the chicken, Bobby and Jordan had pretty much finished their bottles. Craedon and I drank half of ours and we were perfectly fine compared to when we first drank together. I guess the more we drink together, the more we learn to control ourselves from being drunk red in the face.
"Oppa."
"Hmm?"
"Do you wanna go for a walk?"
"Sure." he put his bottle down.
"Yeah, you two go ahead. I'm just gonna lie down." Jordan shooed us off with one hand sleepily.
"Me too." Bobby slurred.
We both giggled and stood up. We naturally held hands and strolled down to the walkway surrounding the lake.
It was stupid for me to realize that the sun had fallen asleep. The moon had cast its twin on the still water surface. Despite the slightly chilly night, holding Oppa's hand was warm enough for me.
We walked in silence. I tried to remember a list of questions I'd saved at the back of my head for days, but unfortunately it didn't appear. Even as a resident, I was starstruck by the beauty of the lake.
Finally, a question popped in me.
"Oppa." I asked.
"Yeah?"
"Is there anything else you wanna do?"
He looked up into the stars for a moment before answering, "I've visited all of the places, so I guess I've done everything."
"Then...is there any...uh...last words you've been saving for me? Because right now...my head just goes blank." I said, "There's so much I wanna tell you now but...I can't think of words right now."
"Like what?" he asked.
"You know, something that bothers you or...something you want me to say to you?"
"Like the fact that you're a slow eater?"
"Hey!" I punched his left bicep.
"I'm just kidding!" he laughed like a schoolboy.
"Well...anything else besides teasing about my eating habits?"
He stopped and put his hands on my shoulders, "Since I'll no longer be here, I want to experience my last feeling of love with you. I want to feel your heartbeat, your touch, your kiss...for one last time."
I returned a small smile and nodded.
He pulled me close and I rested my head on his chest. Once I listened to the staccato drumming of his heart, I felt that not only our hearts were linked together, but also our bodies. He's loving like a real human. His heart was pumping like a real human. Even his love was expressed like a honest, passionate man I've ever dreamed of. I thought I would be happy in his muscular arms for the rest of my life, but with his fragile life which could only be maintained and his feelings which could only be allowed for a short period of time, I knew that I would be losing him any minute...any day. Sometimes, you'll never know that you'll meet the right person at the wrong time. And it's unfair, but that's how it was.
With these thoughts whirling in my head, I couldn't compose myself and started weeping once more. Maybe he would hear my heart crumpling instead of my immediate sniffles.
To my surprise, I could not only him sniffling, but I could also feel his chest tightened.
"My heart..." Oppa said shakily, "it's beating, but it hurts. How can a human heart be so complicated?"
I rubbed his back as I tried to reply with a steady voice, "Well...this is how a human experienced love. You'll end up missing that person...a lot."
"Now I feel blessed...for living on earth," he nodded, "because I can learn what love is."
My heart ached even more. I quickly buried my face on his shirt. He kissed my head and hugged tighter, almost crushing my body till my backbone felt like breaking, but I didn't care.
"Phelia." he whispered.
I slowly lifted my head and he wiped my tears while cupping my face, "Remember what I said before? Even when I disappear, I'll always be by your side."
He then leaned in to kiss me, pulled back a little, and kissed again. This time, I sank into his soft lips a little longer. It made me feel like I would be missing his kiss from that night onwards.
So...this is the end of our love story...isn't it?
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