On the dark suspension bridge, Nina stood between two men, her brows and eyes filled with apology. In her mind, past scenes played out in a chaotic loop; letting go of either side was a struggle for her. But the feelings among the three… for whom… were an endless torment. Now that Luka had retired from the military, it was finally time to make a decision.
Lanky couldn’t bear to see Nina in pain, turning his back to her, not wanting her to see the anguish twisting his face.
Meanwhile, Luka roared at her in fury, “Is this how you treat me? You’re really being ridiculous! I don’t understand what you’re thinking at all! Nina! What you’re doing is wrong, wrong! The ridiculous part is… I can’t even bring myself to hate you, letting you act so arrogantly in my world…” As he spoke, Luka collapsed to the ground, a bitter smile on his face as tears slid down to his lips. He tasted the saltiness, astringent; this was the first time in his life he had been defeated so thoroughly. His anger clashed against the calmness of the two, making him seem so childish.
Nina quietly shed tears, suppressing the voice inside her that wanted to defend herself. She was afraid, afraid that if she spoke, Lanky would turn around and give her a hug. And this hard-won balance would shatter in the hearts of the three, leaving indelible scars.
Luka’s emotions spiraled out of control, exhaustion etched on his face: “Just tell me! Do you love me or him? Arguing about who’s better or worse… is so utterly pointless. I just want an answer from you; I don’t want to be toyed with anymore!”
Nina couldn’t respond… although she wanted to selfishly say… can’t we be together forever? Just like when we were kids. She couldn’t bring herself to speak, only gazing mournfully at the stone bridge by the stream below, their happiest secret base in her memories.
But now…
“Don’t make it hard for her! Luka, you have the most complete family among us. If you’re willing to treat her well…”
“No!” “No…”
Luka glanced at the haggard Nina, feeling a pang of heartache and wanting to withdraw. God knows he didn’t want to make it hard for her.
“Let’s set aside family factors; I don’t want to take advantage of you… and… if we’re going to count like that, your dad was a pilot who died in the line of duty. So, genetically, I’ll always lose to you, this martyr!”
Lanky coldly replied, “Can you not be so childish? This is completely different!”
“Yes, I’m that childish. Not like you, mature and steady. If it weren’t for you discovering the instructor peeping at Nina back then, who knows who Nina would have ended up with!” With Luka’s words, the three fell into deep thought again.
In the end, it was Nina who spoke, “When I was nine, my mom sent me to the ‘Goodwill Orphanage.’ I was very scared. The first thing I saw… was you, grinning like an idiot, and the gentle-eyed Lanky. So when you ask me to choose, how can I choose? The one who could make choices since childhood wasn’t me; fate tied the three of us together, unbreakable…”
The three’s thoughts returned to that year at the ‘Goodwill Orphanage.’
