Was there something that guaranteed you to feel ready to lose your innocence to a guy?

Irene asked that to herself that night, as Sehun ate her up again, kissing her until she felt dizzy.

They had their first kiss the previous month – far rougher than she thought, though – and Sehun got it upon his head that they needed to have more skinship. “I’m getting Noona to be more comfortable in being touched” he whispered against her lips, his hands caressing her waist, back, shoulders and thighs.

She was still in her pajamas, but he made her trembled nevertheless.

“You’re good at this” Irene suddenly said, as his hands went dangerously nearing her s.

“At what?” he said, stopping his movements and looking straight at her.

“At this whole thing”

“Did you have anyone else to compare with?”

“No......” she said, trying to focus as Sehun began kissing her on her neck again, on that spot that always made her gripped a handful of his clothes, “You know I’ve never been with anyone”

“Hem....all the better......I’d hate it if I knew someone else has touched you like this......”

“Wait!” Irene exclaimed.

“What now?” Sehun asked. Instead of being annoyed, he looked totally amused.

“We need to talk about th-this”

“About having ?”

Her face turned crimson in one second.

Sehun chuckled.

“God, Noona. You’re so—“ he was going for her lips again but she put her palm on his mouth.

He sighed, before kissing her palm.

“What is it?”

“Are we going to use protection?”

“Um..... I think we have to. If Noona got pregnant, I wouldn’t want to leave our child when I’m in the army”

“What – what kind of protection would we use?”

“Would Noona take pills? Or -- I heard there’s an anti-pregnancy shot that works for six months”

“That’s right. Where did you hear that?”

“I’m not a medical student, but I am learning Health Management – so.....”

“Hem”

“Wae? Did you think a girl told me that?”

She cleared , “No. I’ll – I’ll ask for pills when I go to Seoul next time”

Sehun’s heart flipped.

“You mean......we can do it sometime soon?”

“Well, you seem to get even more impatient lately, so—“

“Two months from now is our second wedding anniversary” Sehun reminded.

“I know”

“Let’s make it a date. I’ll check us in to some fancy hotel so we could.......”

Irene gulped.

“I can practically see the wheels in your brain spinning now, Noona”

“No, you can’t”

He chuckled again, “What are you so afraid of? I’m your husband, am I not?”

“You are” she affirmed weakly.

“You know we’ll do it sooner or later, right?”

“Ne”

“And you can’t distract me forever.......”

She blinked.

“I just – I want to feel ready”

“And I’m helping you to get ready” he responded, kissing her down , his hands slipping beneath her pajama.

She jumped at that.

“Shhhh......I won’t take off your clothes, just – I want to feel your skin”

She positively buried her face at the crook of his neck as his hands caressed her back.

“Your skin feels like silk, Noona. I can’t wait to see you .......”

Irene groaned in embarrassment.

“What are you so afraid about? You and I will be great”

“I don’t know anything about it. I might be bad. Besides, I might die if you see me with – with nothing on”

Sehun laughed.

“I’ll make Noona enjoy it” he promised, pushing her down to the bed and hovering above her.

“I need to sleep” she begged, “My shift is early tomorrow”

“Mm hm. I’ll stop very, very soon” he vowed, covering her lips with his yet again.

*************************************************

Lisa just went out from another clubbing, where somebody said it was amazing how Sehun and Irene would reach their second wedding anniversary soon.

It’s stupid and of course childish, but Lisa hated how Sehun was the only guy that broke up with her, ever. Effectively making himself unforgettable.

She carried on with her life, having fun, sleeping around and partying, but she missed those days when Sehun was beside her, telling her how he preferred the quiet after all the loud music and champagne.

************************************************

“Who’s this?” Sehun sleepily asked, holding his phone as it vibrated at 2 AM, in his Seoul bedroom.

“You’ve deleted my number”

Although he had turned to hate the owner of the voice, there’s no use in pretending that he didn’t know who it was.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Care to meet for a hook-up? Gotta be lonely without your little wife in town”

“No, thanks”

She could sense that he was about to hang up so she said out loud, “I can’t believe you!”

Sehun cringed, “Can’t believe what?”

“I can’t believe you’re such a cliché. Always thought you hate boring stuffs. And now you marry the wife you’re arranged with, living a boring, loyal life. Come find me in my apartment, Babe. I’ll give you some fun, just like old times”

“Lisa” Sehun said, wary of it already, “Why can’t you just get the out of my life??? Find another toy to play with!!!”

“How? I rather you than anybody else......”

And once more, Sehun remembered why he preferred his stubborn but polite wife through and through.

“Too bad then, it will never happen again, even until all your bones dry out” Sehun said,  hanging up then blocking her number afterwards.

**************************************************

As hard as it was to believe, Lisa cried her eyes out after Sehun hung up.

“I’m such a stupid for falling in love for Sehun” she sobbed forlornly, before getting up and staring at her own face in the mirror.

Her mascara had smudged and she looked hideous in her mirror.

“You will regret treating me like this, Sehun. I swear you will!!!” she murmured, before throwing a bottle of perfume to the mirror.

*************************************************

That day, Irene and Joy helped the appendicitis surgery of an old grandfather.

After the surgery was over and Irene had washed up, she saw the wife of the old man crying silently at the Hospital Ship’s waiting room.

“Haelmoni??? The surgeon told you everything went well, right?”

“Ne. She did. I’m just – he’s old, what if he doesn’t wake up?”

“From his anaesthesia? He’s in a good condition, despite his appendicitis, I’m sure he will wake up in no time”

“It’s just – when you’re a wife, you would understand. Your husband becomes – your whole world. And just thinking that he might leave you, makes you feel like your world will end”

That would have sounded so dramatic in another situation, if only Irene’s eyes weren’t watering.

“I’m also a wife. And I think I can understand what you mean” she smiled.

“You’re married? For how long already?”

“It will be two years soon, Haelmoni”

“Oh. Do you have a baby already?”

“Aniyo. We’re not ready yet. We both still have a lot of plans”

“Well. You do look very young”

“My husband is younger than me” Irene confessed out of the blue.

“Really? How much younger?”

“Three years younger”

“Is he childish?”

“.........not really”

“I’m sure he’ll be even more mature in the coming years, Child”

“How long have you been married, Haelmoni?”

“Forty years this year”

“Omo!”

“I know it sounds so long. But it feels like only four years for me”

“How old were you when you had your first child, Haelmoni?” Irene asked, suddenly curious.

“I was eighteen” the haelmoni chuckled, “We married very young back then”

“Were you ready?”

“Our marriage was arranged” she answered. “I hated that at first. But we both decided to make it work, since there’s no other choice for us. And we found affection for each other along the way”

Irene was stunned to silence then, until a nurse announced, “Haelmoni, your husband is regaining consciousness”

“Thank God!” she said, getting up from her seat and immediately going into the room, leaving Irene with her own thoughts.

***************************************************

Of all the unwelcome things in the world, little could compare to the video that Lisa sent to Sehun that night.

It was of them having , back in high school.

He unblocked her number and called her.

“You finally call me” Lisa chirped with glee.

“I never thought you’d stoop this low”

“I stooped lower for you in the past” she replied, disgusting him entirely.

“What do you want, really?”

“I want you back, or destroyed, along with your little wife”

“She knows I was with you in the past. Sending her this video might make her cry, and make me want to kill you, but it will not ruin our marriage”

“Hem........how about if I send it to the internet? Your family’s name will be so down in the mud”

“You’re evil!” Sehun spat.

“If you don’t want that to happen, come to the address I’m sending you. You can see me deleting the video with your own eyes”

“I’ll be there. Just make sure this is the last time I have to see you in private”

“Cute. See you, soon, Babe”

************************************************

The text Irene received that evening and she read while she was already in bed in the little house at the outskirts of Busan was:

“Noona, if you hear anything bad about me sometime soon, I need you to trust me. I love you.”

She frowned at the text and read it several times, before she finally called him.

But no matter how many times she tried, he didn’t pick up.

*************************************************

Author’s Note:

Hold on tight, the ride is about to get bumpy very soon.