Round Eighty-Eight

Yul found himself waiting for his mother’s voice with bated breath. He forced himself to exhale and relaxed a little bit more when Jessica smiled comfortingly at him.

“Tell her,” she mouthed one last time before leaving the room.

Yul was grateful for her sensitivity towards him. She had somehow sensed that he would appreciate the privacy and had taken the initiative to leave the room. Jessica was such a wonderful woman. He smiled.

Just then, the call was answered. “Hello.”

“I have something to tell you.”

“What is it about? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Well, maybe not so fine.”

His mother’s voice took on a worried tone immediately. “Are you sick? Did something happen to Jessica? Or the baby? What is it?”

“I’m not sick. Jessica and our baby are fine. We got a good report at our last visit to the doctor’s. It’s not about us. It’s about Hyukjun.”

His mother fell silent. Not a word. Not a sound.

“I saw him. I saw Hyukjun.”

“Where?” his mother asked softly.

“A flower shop called Flower Power.”

“He’s selling flowers?”

“Well, he was when I visited the shop.”

“Did…you…talk to him…?”

“The first time I didn’t. I left the shop in shock. But Jessica made me go back after I told her about it.”

“Jessica is a good woman,” Yul could hear the smile in his mother’s voice. “She is so kind and gentle. So did you get to talk to him when you went back?”

“I beat him up when I went back. Punched him many times until Jessica made me stop.”

“Oh, Yul…”

“I went back one more time. This time, Hyukjun told me everything. I know everything now. I know that you lied to me.”

His mother’s voice cracked right then. “Y-Yul…I’m sorry. I really wanted to tell you but Hyukjun’s words made so much sense. You were just starting law school. You finally had a chance for a clean start. I didn’t want you to have to deal with all that when you finally had a chance to lead a less painful life. And Hyukjun…he…he couldn’t face you after all that he did.”

“I understand all that. And I don’t blame you.”

“You’re not angry with me?”

Yul sighed. “I can’t be angry with you. I know that you just wanted the best for me even if I don’t agree with what you chose to do.”

“Yul, you’ve grown up so much. I’m so touched.”

“Sica helped a lot, to be honest.”

“Ah, that girl. I liked her the moment I saw her. She’s so sweet. Such a dear. You had better treat her like a princess, okay?”

Yul laughed. “She treats herself like a princess even if I don’t.”

“Yul…you have to be a gentleman. Take good care of her.”

“I am. I will.”

“That’s good. I can put my worries at ease then.”

“Well, there’s just one more thing I have to tell you.”

“Mhmm?”

“Hyukjun has a wife and a daughter.”

His mother gasped. “A wife and a daughter? How old is she?”

“I don’t know about the wife, but his daughter looks like she’s no more than three years old.”

“I want to see him.”

“You can come and stay in my apartment. Then I’ll bring you to see him at the flower shop.”

“Yes, I’ll go to your apartment tomorrow.”

~~~~~

Meanwhile, Jessica had gone to Krystal’s room. She opened the door and found Krystal buried under her sheets, fast asleep. This girl. Tsk. Tsk. You’re asking for trouble Jung Soojung! She kicked the mattress that her sister was lying on but the sleeping girl was not affected in the least.

“Soojung!” Jessica raised her voice. Argh. Of all the bad Jung traits, she has to go and pick up on this one. She climbed onto Krystal’s bed and placed near her sister’s ear. “JUNG SOOJUNG!” she yelled and shook her sister’s shoulders violently.

“Mmm…” Krystal mumbled as she opened her eyes sleepily. “Unnie? Good morning…”

“Hey! Don’t go back to sleep! Wake up! Talk to me!” Jessica patted Krystal’s cheeks not-so-gently and Krystal tried to fend her off without opening her eyes. “Wake up!”

“Alright! I’m up! I’m up!” Krystal grumbled as she sat up. Her hair fell messily over her face and she swept it back grumpily. “What do you want to talk about? I’m very sleepy and tired. I want to sleep some more.”

“I’m here to question you. What did you do last night? Where did you go? The guards said that you got home way past midnight.” And she grew more suspicious when Krystal turned pink.

“I…er…I was at the movies with Young. We watched the midnight show.”

Jessica wasn’t entirely convinced by what her sister said. “You’re acting dodgy. Why are you so dodgy?”

“I’m not! We were at the drive-in movies! We caught the 9.30 show and decided to watch another one at midnight after grabbing some supper.” Krystal raised her hand to flip her hair again as she explained and Jessica caught sight of something on her shoulder. She wasted no time in pulling her sister’s t-shirt off one shoulder and there it was, in its full glory—a mark of love.

“Were you really watching a movie?” Jessica looked at Krystal pointedly.

“Please don’t tell Daddy,” pleaded Krystal. “Please, Daddy won’t let Young off if he finds out.”

“If Young wants to live, he shouldn’t have done this in the first place.”

“It’s not Young. It’s not him. He was perfectly willing to wait.”

Jessica narrowed her eyes into slits. “What do you mean?”

“It…” Krystal faltered and turned red. “It was me. I wanted this. I…seduced him…”

“What!” Jessica gaped. Then, she groaned and buried her face in her palms. “You’re such an embarrassment to us Jungs.”

Krystal protested indignantly at once, “You aren’t any better than I am. You’re pretty desperate for Yul yourself.”

Jessica raised her hand and opened , ready to fire a retort but it occurred to her that what Krystal said was true. She waspretty desperate for Yul as well. So her retort turned into a sigh and her sigh turned into a giggle.

“So, how far did you get last night?” Jessica asked, holding up four fingers as she did.

“Unnie!” Krystal shook her head vigorously. “We didn’t!”

Jessica raised her eyebrows a fraction of an inch before holding up three fingers. “Did you get to third base?”

Krystal’s face was tomato-red as she shook her head. Jessica had an incredulous look on her face as she held up two fingers. “Second?”

Krystal bit her lip and nodded slightly. “Last night was the first time we…” Krystal trailed off, her face turning redder than it ever had been.

Jessica gaped. “You’ve been together for months now and you’re only at second base? Are you sure it’s Young you’re dating? You sure it isn’t his saintly twin brother that you’re seeing?”

“Young isn’t a player when he’s with me. In fact, he’s so uptight that I have to try to get him to loosen up. And if I didn’t go all out to seduce him last night, I don’t think he would even have gone to second base with me.”

Jessica continued to gape. “I can’t believe this. This is not the Young that I know and heard of.”

“You don’t know him the way I do. He’s different when he’s with me.”

“I’m happy for you then. It’s good for him too or Daddy would skin him alive.”

Krystal pouted. “Daddy is too strict with him. I know he wants to protect me and all but seriously, what he’s doing is cramping our relationship.”

“You can’t blame Daddy for being like this. You know that he feels sorry for leaving you all alone out there for all those years. And you’re not like me. You’ve never had a boyfriend. And of all the first boyfriends you could have chosen, you had to go and get yourself a player like Young. It’s impossible to ask Daddy to calm down and let go.”

“I know…that’s why I’m not complaining.” Krystal sighed. “I just wished…”

“What?”

“I want to be able to kiss and hug Young freely. But he’s so uptight when he’s here. And sometimes, even when we’re out. And even though he tells me that he wants to treat me differently from the other girls, I know that part of the reason for that is Daddy.”

“Just hug and kiss him if you want to. There’s nothing Daddy can do if you’re the one doing it. He’s not going to skin you alive.”

“That might get Young into trouble.”

Jessica grinned. “Trust me. It won’t.”

“Really?” Krystal looked hopeful.

Jessica giggled as she stood up from Krystal’s bed. “Trust me. I’ve been there and done it all. See? I’m still alive and well enough to tell the tale.”

~~~~~

Yoong was most reluctant to let Sunny go but her time in Japan had come to an end. She had work waiting for her back in Seoul and that was the unwelcomed reality of their situation. He grabbed her and rolled around on the bed with her, unwilling to be separated from her. He buried his nose in her hair and breathed her sweet scent. How is it that he had never discovered the wonderful fragrance of feminine shampoo until now? Maybe he had been too engrossed with the physical part of it all before. Only with Sunny, did he truly stop to smell the roses—or in this case, her hair.

“Sunny, Sunny, Sunny. I love you.” He kissed the tip of her nose, forehead, eyes and cheeks before finally staking his claim on her lips. She must have been feeling the same too for her kiss was greedy. Her tongue chased his around and he enjoyed being dominated by her. She could hold her own ground before him and it was a delightful exchange of passion for him. He could feel her hands all over him, teasing him; tempting him. One thing he was thankful for: this wasn’t a game of endurance.

He gave in without a fight and lay flat on the bed watching as she waged a war against the outfit he’d worn for breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. It didn’t take her long to emerge victorious and soon, her own clothes had joined his on the floor as well. He grinned. Sunny was so y when she was on top of him. Not that she wasn’t y when she was under him. She was always y in his eyes. To him, the most desirable girl in the world was none other than Sunny.

He looked into Sunny’s eyes as she flashed a devilish grin. “A parting gift, from me to you.”

He’d barely registered what she said when she got down to business and obliterated all coherent thoughts from his mine. He moaned. It was the only sound he was capable of producing with all the pleasure that was overloading his mind. And for the next twenty minutes, he gave her full rein to do whatever she wanted with him. He just hoped that he could make it through without losing his mind.

~~~~~

Apparently he was a lot more resilient than he’d thought for he managed to collect his wits after Sunny scattered them all over the bed. Not only did he manage to collect his wits, he also managed to use them to drive Sunny to the airport.

They stood at the departure gates, feeling a twinge of déjà vu as they held hands. It was goodbye all over again, only this time, she was leaving. He pulled her into his embrace and held her close. I’m a big boy now. I can handle this. “Sunny, I’ll see you soon.”

“Video calls every night.”

“Until I get back.”

“Deal.”

“Kiss.”

They kissed. As deeply as they could without making a scene of themselves in public. Then he had to let her go.

“Bye, Sunny.”

“Bye, Yoongie.”

“Text me once you’re home.”

“I will.”

~~~~~

Taeng dutifully switched off the lights and power switches before leaving the office. He was the only person in the office that day, having stayed in to work out Tiffany’s schedule for the next month while the rest headed out to oversee their projects. He slung his satchel over his shoulder and made his way out. Just then, his phone buzzed. It was a text message.

Our fight ain’t over, shorty. Come down to the car park and face me like a man.

Taeng’s breathing quickened right there and then. It was sent by Dennis. It was a challenge! With a rapidly accelerating heartbeat, he took the elevator down to the car park, determined to prove that he was a man. He would not fight Dennis because Tiffany didn’t like it but he wasn’t going to avoid a challenge like that. He was a man. He would stand up for Tiffany.

Suddenly, a fist came flying out of nowhere as he stepped round a corner and slammed into his face. “Oww!” He reeled from the impact, staggered backwards and fell onto the ground. A hand of his clamped over his punched cheek and he blinked in confusion and panic. What was going on!

A pair of polished shoes entered his line of sight and stopped right in front of him. He blinked some more as he looked up. Then, alarm bells went off in his head when his gaze locked on the chiseled good looks of Mr. Dennis Oh. He began backing away from the man who towered over him, shuffling his on floor, pushing himself backwards with his hands and legs and managed to get back on his feet as Dennis glowered at him.

“Fight me you little wimp,” Dennis practically spat at him hatefully.

“I’m not a wimp but I’m not fighting you.”

“Coward,” sneered Dennis.

“I’m not a coward.”

“You’re afraid of being beaten to a pulp. You’re weak.”

“I’m not weak. I’m a gentleman and you’re not. You’re a bully and a ert!”

Dennis growled. “You’re asking for it shrimp!”

Taeng leapt away Dennis as the man lunged at him. He managed to dodge a flying fist and mentally congratulated himself. Thank goodness he’d learn a trick or two from Yul back in high school! But it was time to make a dash for it. He wouldn’t be able to beat Dennis if it developed into a full blown fight!

Taking advantage of Dennis’ momentary confusion, he his heels and ran for it. He dashed out of the car park and up the stairs to the lobby with Dennis hot on his heels. He ran past two security guards who were guarding the entrance and screamed for help.

“Help! Help!”

The two security guards leapt to their feet and jumped on Dennis who had just about caught up with him and pinned him to the ground. Dennis struggled violently but the security guards twisted his arms behind his back and stopped him from struggling.

“Let me go! s!” Dennis hollered.

“Taengoo! Call the cops!” instructed one of the security guards.

Taeng nodded and whipped out his phone to make the call whilst the security guards tied Dennis’ wrists and ankles together with cable ties.

“Don’t! Don’t call the police! Don’t! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Dennis begged.

Taeng’s finger stopped short of tapping on the ‘call’ icon and he thought quickly. If he called the police, Dennis would be in deep trouble. On the other hand, he didn’t want to be punched again. The ache in his cheek made him wince. It hurt. And his cheek was beginning to swell.

“Please. Please. I can’t lose my reputation. My restaurant just opened. Please don’t.”

Taeng made a decision there and then. There was something more important than worrying about being punched again. “Promise me never to treat a woman disrespectfully again.”

Dennis looked stunned and Taeng wondered why.

“Is it too difficult for you to promise? But I can’t let you go if you’re going to treat another woman like how you treated Tiffany. So you have to promise me.”

“Are you for real?” Dennis wore a look of disbelief that puzzled Taeng even further.

“Am I for real? What do you mean? Of course I’m real.” Taeng frowned. “A man shouldn’t make a woman feel uncomfortable. A man should do his best to treat women like royalty. I hope you can promise to be a gentleman and take good care of the women you know.”

“You’re unbelievable. You’re really unbelievable.”

“Taengoo, say the word and we’ll call the cops. Don’t let this guy hoodwink you into letting him go.”

“Taeng! No. No. Please. Okay, I promise. I promise!”

“Promise that you’ll treat women respectfully in future.”

“I promise to treat all women respectfully from now on.” Dennis looked sincere and very earnest as he promised and Taeng decided that it was enough.

“Okay. I won’t call the cops. But if you break your promise, I’ll call the cops on you. My two hyungs here are my witness.”

Dennis chuckled suddenly. One chuckle led to another and soon, he was crying tears of laughter. “You little shrimp. Hahaha! What world do you live in, seriously! Okay. Okay. You win. I give up. I promise to keep my promise.”

“Okay. Hyung, we can let him go now.”

“Are you sure, Taengoo?”

Taeng nodded. “Yes, I’m sure.”

“Okay, whatever you say, Taengoo.”

The security guards cut the cable ties loose and Dennis got back on his feet with Taeng’s help. Taeng stuck his pinkie out and held it in front of Dennis as soon as the man stood on his own.

“What’s this about dude?” Dennis asked with a trace of amusement in his voice.

“A pinkie promise.”

“You’re kidding.”

“If you break a pinkie promise, the pink fairy will come at night while you’re sleeping and sprinkle pink dust on you and you’ll end up with pink cheeks.” Taeng grimaced. “Pink. Eww.”

Dennis shook his head as he slowly extended his little finger towards Taeng’s. “Dude, you’re one of a kind. I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

They locked pinkies and Taeng nodded with satisfaction.

“Well, I suppose you are Tiffany’s type, weird as you are,” Dennis conceded after they locked pinkies.

“We love each other very much,” Taeng said very seriously. “We’re going to get married next year.”

Dennis patted Taeng’s shoulder. “I guess I have nothing left to say now. Congratulations, you little shrimp.”

~~~~~

Taeng pouted as he watched Dennis leaving. His cheek was beginning to hurt really badly. Ouch. He sighed. It looked like he had to get some ice on it fast. He got into his car and started the engine. Should he go back home or…head to Tiffany’s place? He wanted to see Tiffany. He wanted to hug her and kiss her. He grinned. The decision was made.

~~~~~

Tiffany gasped as soon as she saw him and he wondered why. Did he look scary? Or terrible?

“What happened to you!” Her eyebrows were furrowed with worry.

He pouted. “Dennis punched me.”

“Dennis what!!!” Tiffany cupped his face looking very concerned and a moment later, very angry. “Why did he punch you? That jerk! Just wait till I’m through with him,” she fumed.

“I don’t know why he punched me but he wanted me to fight him and he started calling me names. So I said he wasn’t a gentleman and he got really angry and was going to hit me again but I dodged him. Then I ran away and he chased after me. Luckily, the security guard hyungs helped me to hold him down and they tied him up with something. Then I was going to call the cops but he begged me not to so I made him promise to be a gentleman in future.”

Tiffany gaped. “Please don’t tell me that you let him off like that.”

“He promised never to treat women disrespectfully again. I thought that it’s a good deal. Isn’t it?”

Tiffany didn’t answer him. She simply pulled him to her and gave him a full on kiss that got his blood racing around at triple speed.

“You’re really something, Taeng.”

~~~~~