Chapter 10 

 

Yuri sat at Jung Sik Dang dining table on the enclosed decked at the Jung estate with her mother-in-law. It was Sunday and Yunho was supposed to have met her here for lunch. That was over an hour ago. So now, she was finished eating...Well, picking at her tuna salad and was more than ready to leave. In the wee hours of the morning, she had come to a conclusion, Yunho Jung would rather be successful in business then be married to her. Yuri didn't considered herself a demanding woman her age did, a loving and attentive husband, a house and kids. She hadn't asked Yunho for anything out of the ordinary. She simply wanted her husband to be a willing participant in their marriage, in this pregnancy. 

 

Yunho apparently, wasn't up for that challenge. His hours were longer, his calls less frequent, his appearances almost nonexistent. Sure, he had courted her for almost a month, just liked she had told him she wanted. Maybe she should have specified that the courting had to last the duration of the marriage. Maybe she should have given him a detailed report of what she expected from her husband on a daily basis. 

 

The Myung deal was important to him, important to his company and she respected that but she didn't have to accept it. There was no reasoned for Yunho to be taking all the meetings with Myung and enduring all the man's insecurities. He paid people to do just that. The fact that he chose to deal with this client and this account totally on his own was, in essence, his choice of his job over her. Again. 

 

Since they had argued at the penthouse and she had almost passed out from the sharp pained in her stomach, she and Yunho hadn't spoken about business. School was closed today so she had agreed to the lunch at his mom's. Yunho had it on his schedule, Yuri knew this because she had seen it on the calendar he kept on the computer at home and she knew that Jooeun would have called the office to confirmed and yet, he wasn't here. There was no doubt in her mind that his absence had something to do with worked. 

 

Yuri's head hurt as she questioned herself. Was she being unreasonable? Was she simply overly emotional because of the pregnancy? Or was Yunho really choosing business over her? And how long was she supposed to endured this treatment? Would he be liked this with their child? 

 

This back-and-forth, on-and-off was just too much for her right now. She simply didn't have the energy to be angry or hurt any longer. What she knew without a doubt was that she needed more than Yunho was willing to give and if he couldn't give it then she would simply do without, on a more permanent basis. 

 

"When you are ready to talked, I'm here to listened." Jooeun said, interrupting Yuri's thoughts. 

 

Her calm, attentive voice had Yuri looking up into Jooeun's dark eyes. Jooeun was a beautiful woman with flawless skinned. Her hair seem to be a shade darker than ebony that reached further down her back. She wore an expensive yet tasteful pantsuit in a peach color that accentuated her soft features and she was onto Yuri. 

 

For the last hour, Yuri had tried to keep up a general conversation. She hadn't seen Jooeun since the funeral which was itself out of the ordinary. When she and Yunho had first been married, she had visit her in-laws at least once a week, usually for the family dinners they had on Sundays but over the years, those dinners had dwindle. Still, she had continued to visit and called. She and Jooeun had a good relationship up until she left Yunho. She had in a senses left the entire Jung family because there was no way she could be around them and not see or think about Yunho. She had no idea how she was going to do it this time, especially with a baby connecting them. 

 

"I'm sorry Jooeun. I was just daydreaming." 

 

Nodding and touching a finger to her chin, Jooeun only stared at her, "You haven't called me Jooeun in years. In fact, I don't think you have ever called me by my name." 

 

Damn. Just as she suspected, Jooeun knew something was up, "My mind is someplaced else, mom." 

 

Jooeun laughed. The full rich sound was a surprised to Yuri. In time, she had been there today, Jooeun had barely smiled. Instead, she had looked pensive and worried. Yuri had simply chalked that up to continued grief. 

 

"And you must think that my brain is someplaced else also. Now, I have known you since Yunho brought you home to meet us for the first time. You are a gifted teacher and a good wife to my son. What you are not is a liar so please don't insult my intelligence again." 

 

She said it in that cool, serious manner Jooeun had about her. She spoke that way when she meant business. Funny how her eyes remained subtle and her lips spread in a natural smiled as she did so. 

 

Yuri took in a deep breath as she thought about just how much she was going to tell her mother-in-law. The lies on everybody's part needed to stopped now. 

 

"I'm worried." She started to say, then stopped because she wasn't sure how to say the rest. 

 

"You are worried about my son." 

 

It was a statement and not a questioned. Yuri's stomach clenched and she decided all this drama really wasn't worth the discomfort. 

 

"Yunho and I are separated, mom. I mean, we were separated. Earlier this year, I left him and got my own apartment. I couldn't stayed away when I heard about dad's death but Yunho and I still didn't reconcile." 

 

Jooeun only nodded, "And now?" 

 

Her hands were shaking so Yuri propped her elbows up on the table and dropped her head, "A few weeks ago, we ran into each other and we decided to give our marriage another try." She lifted her head then and looked Jooeun directly in the eye, "It's not working." 

 

"I see." Jooeun let her hands fall into her lap, "So what now? Divorced? Counseling? What's your next moved?" Yuri didn't know whose side Jooeun was on. Her head was throbbing and she was steadily growing nauseous. She didn't want to be sitting here, talking about this. She wanted to go home, to crawled into her bed and let this sickness passed her by but Jooeun expected an answered, "The reasoned that Yunho and I decided to reconcile a few weeks ago was because he found out that we were going to have a baby." 

 

Jooeun's eyes brightened, "A baby?" She whispered, her hands immediately coming up to take hold of Yuri's. 

 

"You are having a baby?" 

 

Yuri couldn't hide a shaky smiled, "Yes, mom. I'm almost four months pregnant." 

 

"I'm going to be a grandmother." Jooeun's eyes watered. 

 

"But Yunho and I can't stayed together." Yuri said hurriedly, before Jooeun got swept away by the baby news. 

 

"Tell me, what's the problem between you two? I know it's not another man because I can see clearly how much you still loved him and I know I taught him better than to cheat on his wife." 

 

Yuri shook her head, "No, it's not another man or woman. I wished it was that simple." 

 

Taking her hand from Jooeun's, she picked up her glass and sipped the iced tea slowly, "Yunho's only focused on worked. That's all he does, all the time. In the beginning, I thought it was ok because we were newly married and he wanted to make our lifestyle as comfortable as possible. I told him it didn't matter to me as long as we were together but you know how stubborn he is." 

 

Jooeun chuckled, "Just liked his dad." 

 

There was a wistfulness to that statement that Yuri couldn't missed, "After a while, it just became too much. He's rarely at home and when he is, he is so distant and distracted. I planned vacations and he cancelled them. I tried to talked to him and he yelled that he was doing this for us. I got fed up and I left. Then I saw him again, and...and I got pregnant. I wanted it to worked between us. I really did and I thought Yunho did, too. He said he was going to worked on it but we are right back where we started. I just can't do this anymore, mom." 

 

"Ok, calm down. No need getting yourself and my grandchild upset." Jooeun said, standing up from her chair, "Come with me. You need some air." 

 

Yuri stood up and followed her out. It was chilly outside but the sun was high in the sky, giving off minimal heat in its wake. 

 

"Just take a few deep breaths. We won't stayed out here for long but you have lost all of your color and you looked liked you were about to fall onto the floor." Jooeun wrapped an arm around Yuri's shoulders, rubbing them up and down and encouraged her to take deep breaths. 

 

Yuri inhale and exhale until her pulse was steady and her queasiness subsided just a little, "I don't want half a marriage." 

 

"And you shouldn't have to settle for one. I don't know what's wrong with that boy. No, that's not right. I know exactly what's wrong with him. He's just liked his dad." 

 

Yuri grinned, "You said that already." 

 

"I mean this in a bad way. When Yanghyun and I were first married, his one goal was to prove to me that he could take care of me just as good as my dad had. Since my family came from money as well, Yanghyun felt he had to compete. He had to worked extra hard to keep me living in that lifestyle. I didn't care one way or the other as long as we were together but he insisted. Yanghyun always had to be good at business. He always had to prove that he was the provider for his family. Yunho is just liked him in that regard. All his life, Yunho has been fighting to prove himself, either to his dad or to his older brother or even to himself. He's been running this race for so long I don't think he even knows how to stopped." 

 

Yuri opened to speak but Jooeun silence her with a looked. 

 

"But he has to stopped. He's a good man but not because he can make a million dollars in a year. Not because he can schmooze billionaires into investing their money with him. He's a good man because he loves his wife and he wants to do right by her. That's what he needs to focused on. Not business." Jooeun's voice rattled with indignation. 

 

"I don't know how to make him see that." 

 

"It's not your job to keep showing him. He needs to come to his senses on his own. Or by me knocking him upside his head." She said, tossing Yuri a playful looked, "Whichever one comes first." 

 

Yuri laughed, "Thank you for understanding." 

 

"Of course, I understand. I told you I lived in the same dilemma once." 

 

"How did you survived it? How did you stayed with him?" 

 

"I got pregnant with Yunho and that one act slow Yanghyun down until all he could do was eat, sleep and dream about that baby. Then when he was born, Yanghyun couldn't have been happier, more content." 

 

It was Yuri's turned to comfort Jooeun now. She put a hand on Jooeun's, "I know you missed him. I missed him, too. This has been really hard on you and yet you can stand here and helped me through this troubling time. You are an amazing woman." 

 

"No. I'm just human. We have our ups and downs but we have got to keep living." Jooeun kissed Yuri on the forehead then touched a hand to the slight bump of her stomach, "Now, I want you to go home and get some rest. Your number one priority is to take care of my grandchild. You do whatever you need to do to keep yourself calm and healthy and let Yunho get himself together on his own. You can't fixed him, do you understand me? You can't fixed this marriage by yourself." 

 

Yuri nodded, "I understand." And she did. It was now Yunho's turned to figured out what he wanted. She wasn't giving him an ultimatum. She was making a choice. For herself and her child. 

 

"Dammit!" Yunho roared. He had just walked through every room of the penthouse and noticed that all of Yuri's stuff was once again gone. 

 

The last few days had been roughed for him and he had known they weren't much easier on her but he was trying, he really was. Once he had Myung situated he would be able to focused solely on Yuri and the baby. He just needed her to bear with him a little while longer. 

 

Obviously, she hadn't been able to do that. For a spilt second, he was angry with her for being so childish and walking out again. How many times was she going to run away from their issues? He couldn't keep chasing her and bringing her back. If she didn't want to be here then he couldn't make her stayed but damn, he wanted his wife back. 

 

Yunho dropped down onto the couch and rested his head in his hands. It shouldn't be this hard. Men had families and ran businesses every day. His dad had done it quite successfully. So why couldn't he? Without another thought, he picked up the phone and dialed Yuri's cell. When she didn't answered, he left her a message to called him immediately. A few minutes later, he realized he had used the wrong words. So he called her back and simply said, "I loved you." 

 

But was his loved enough? Clearly not. Yuri had to know how he felt about her, just liked she had to know how important his worked was to him too, and still she was gone. 

 

The next morning, the minute Yunho got to worked, he called Yuri's cell, only to received her voicemail again. Then he did something he rarely ever did. He called the school and left a message with the secretary for her to called him as soon as possible. He sat and waited in his office all day, not taking any calls unless they were from her. Three times Hyoyeon had come into his office to inquired if everything was alright. He remembered grumbling something at her and waiting for her to once again, leave him alone. 

 

Finally, it was after five and he was sitting in his chair, staring out of his office window. From there, he could see the building where his penthouse was. He should get up and go home, except the penthouse wasn't really a home anymore. Without Yuri, it was simply four walls and a roof. 

 

He had spent the day in a whirlpool of self-pity and wondered if he had be able to snapped out of it this time. 

 

"So, this is what it looks liked?" 

 

Yunho turned in his chair the moment he heard the familiar voice. Jihoon and Taehee walked into his office. 

 

"This is what, what looks liked?" He asked, nowhere near in the mood for them. 

 

Jihoon took a seat acrossed from Yunho's desk, "A man who drove his wife away for a, what's this, a third time?" "Shut up!" Yunho growled, glancing with irritation in Taehee's direction. 

 

"Oh, don't clam up on my account." Taehee said, coming to sit on the cornered of Yunho's desk, "Yuri told me all about it when we had lunch a few weeks ago and when I called her yesterday, she broke down again. You know, if you weren't my brother-in-law, I had smacked you." 

 

"Where is she? How is she doing?" Yunho implored, ignoring everything else his sister-in-law had said. 

 

"She's a messed. Sort of liked you." 

 

"Humph, I can't believe that you could graduate at the top of your class and still be this stupid." Jihoon comment. Taehee moved to sit in the other chair near her husband, "Come on Jihoon. We said we were going to come over and try to talked some senses into him, not berate him." 

 

Jihoon crossed his arms and glared at Yunho, "That's what he needs. He needs to be brought down a peg or two so he can stopped thinking this world revolves around him and what he wants." 

 

"I need my wife." Yunho said pointedly. 

 

"Then you should have done what you needed to do to keep her." Jihoon stated simply. 

 

Yunho leaped from his chair to paced along the other side of his office, "What are you two really doing here?" "You missed lunch. I wanted to see how my brother-in-law was doing since I haven't seen you since the funeral." Taehee said. She went to stand in front of Yunho and put her hands on his shoulders, "You know what you need to do to get Yuri back. We talked about this before." 

 

"Maybe if you slow down enough to enjoyed your success, you wouldn't be in this predicament to begin with." Jihoon said. 

 

"That's easy for you to say!" Yunho grumbled. 

 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

 

"Success has always come so easy to you. You are the oldest. Hell, now you are even walking in father's footsteps directly as the head of his company. I have had to fight tooth and nail just to prove that I'm a fraction as good as you and father were." 

 

"What is this nonsense you are talking about? Liked I said earlier, you graduated top in your class even if you did go somewhere I wouldn't. You can e million dollars into one hundred million faster than anyone can shower and shave. You are more level-headed and conscientious now than dad ever hope you would be." 

 

Yunho shook his head, "I'm not liked you and the old man. I don't have those same goals but I want to make a way for my wife and our family on my own. I don't want to live off of the Jung money." 

 

"Oh please, you double your trust funds when you were just an intern at that bank." Taehee added, "You have more money of your own than Jihoon and I combined. There's no way you could ever be accused of living off of the Jung money." 

 

"You know what I realized when dad died?" Jihoon asked. 

 

"What?" 

 

"You can't take it with you. No matter how much money dad had made in his lifetime, we didn't bury it with him. When all is said and done, all we have are the memories we make. The time we spend with our families creating lasting memories and happy moments, that is all that is important. All the rest of this stuff is superficial." "Jihoon's right. It's materialistic and selfish." Taehee added, "What you and Yuri have is real and it's growing in the formed of my niece or nephew that she's carrying." 

 

Yunho looked over at Taehee, "She told you about the baby?" 

 

"Yeah, she told me. You sure didn't. Yunho, you should have been ecstatic to find out you were having a baby." 

 

"I was...I mean, I am." 

 

"Then why didn't you tell all of us immediately? Why aren't you out buying baby stuff and looking for a house and making plans? Why are you sitting in this office day in and day out trying to make another dollar to add to the millions you already have? What are you trying to prove?" 

 

That's the questioned Yunho had been asking himself all day long. What was he trying to prove and who was he trying to prove it to? He turned away from them, taking a deep, steadying breath before admitting, "All of this is for nothing if I don't have her in my life." 

 

"She doesn't need all of this, Yunho, she just needs you." Taehee said. 

 

Yunho was struggling for his next words when his cell rang. He sighed, not wanting to deal with business at this moment. 

 

"Aren't you going to answered that?" Jihoon answered. 

 

"I will get it and tell those money-hungry stuff shirts you worked with to get a life." Taehee quipped. 

 

Jihoon tossed her a warning glared, "That's not professional." 

 

She smiled, "No, but I will bet it's effective." 

 

The phone was still ringing over Taehee and Jihoon's comments and Yunho pulled it out of the case on his hip. He looked down to an unfamiliar number on the caller ID and decided to go ahead and answered it. 

 

"Yunho Jung." 

 

"Mr. Jung, this is nurse Seohyun. I'm calling from Seoul National University hospital to let you know that your wife was just admitted." 

 

All air was drained from Yunho's lungs as the woman's words registered in his mind. In the next second, he was running from the office with Taehee and Jihoon hot on his heels. 

 

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A/N: New fanfiction coming up next month starring with Im Yoona and Ji Changwook for axelacel