Round Ninety

It didn’t make any sense to him. He was completely bare under the covers but Sunny was fully dressed in a worn out t-shirt and shorts. He remained still on the bed, trying his best to recall if something good had happened last night. Somehow, he didn’t think so. He remembered losing badly. He remembered drinking shot after shot. But he didn’t remember getting down and dirty with Sunny.

He could see Sunny as she walked to and fro the kitchen and the dining table. He could smell the fruits of her labour too. His stomach was urging him to get up and eat but the rest of him was in no hurry to move.

Finally, Sunny entered the bedroom. He shut his eyes immediately, pretending to be fast asleep. Waiting for the right moment to pounce, he opened his eyes and grabbed her just as she was leaning over him to wake him up. She shrieked in surprise and began slapping his chest as her giggles bubbled over.

“Yoongie!”

He grinned and planted kisses all over her face. She protested violently however.

“Yoongie! Your breath stinks!”

He snickered and blew a huge breath of air at her and she scrunched up her face in disgust.

“Go and brush your teeth! Your breath smells like dead fish.”

Yoong laughed. “That’s punishment for depriving me of my hero’s welcome last night.”

“I didn’t deprive you of it. You got an awesome hero’s welcome at Seventh Heaven.”

Yoong shook his head. “Nah. That’s not what I want. I want you. . under me all night. That’s the hero’s welcome that I want.”

“But Sunny the player doesn’t sleep with her playmates. That’s a rule I hold dear even if it’s with you, Yoongie.”

Yoong blinked. That actually made perfect sense. He knew that Sunny had been inexperienced until he came along. Yet, it hadn’t occurred to him that she would apply that rule when it was him she was playing with.

“But it’s me…” he whined.

Sunny shook her head. “I wanted it to be an authentic experience. That’s exactly what Sunny the player would have done. I wouldn’t have done it any other way.”

Yoong pouted. He was very touched by her gesture but it didn’t change the fact that he hadn’t gotten it last night.

“Tonight then,” he said after a moment’s deliberation. “Or right now?” He grinned and wrapped his legs around her, trapping her against him.

“Tonight. Not now. I don’t want to have with Mr. Stinky Breath. Get up. Breakfast is ready and it’s getting cold as we speak.”

“Yes Ma’am!”

~~~~~

“Yul, I’m very thankful for this.”

“You’re my brother after all. I’m still angry but I’ll get over it in time.”

“You don’t have to force yourself. I know that what I did really hurt you very badly. I’m really sorry for leaving. I regretted it so much and hated myself so much during those years.”

“You seem to be doing fine now.”

“My wife saved my life.”

“You love her very much.”

“Yes I do.”

“I guess that’s one thing we have in common.”

“Your wife saved your life too?”

“I wasn’t in trouble or anything but I didn’t have a life to speak of until I met her. So, yes. She saved my life. And she’s not my wife yet but we’re getting married real soon.”

“I’m very happy for you, Yul. It’s great to know that you’ve found your happiness with someone.”

“I guess, Mother can finally find peace in her heart, now that we’re both doing well.”

“Yes. Mother loves Hyegyo so much, it’s so adorable. She’s going to dote on Hyegyo to the point of spoiling her I think.”

“Mother deserves to have that. It is her right to have the joy that Hyegyo can bring to her.”

“I know. I know that I’ve been very selfish.”

“It’s all in the past. Let’s move on. Our lives will be better from now on.”

“Yes it will.”

“And…”

“Yes?”

“Do you…”

“Hmm?”

“Will you come to my wedding?”

“Of course!”

“Good. Jessica really wants everyone to be there.”

“You don’t want me at your wedding?”

“As I said, I’m still angry but I know that I’ll probably regret it if I don’t allow you to be at my wedding.”

“I suppose I shouldn’t feel too hurt about this. After all, I deserve the anger from you. I’ve let you down and broken all my promises to you.”

“I’m working on it, Hyukjun.”

“I’ll try my best to make it up to you.”

“You just have to be a good son to Mother. That’s all I want.”

“And a good brother to you. I’ll be that too.”

“If you say so.”

“I will. I will do my best to make up for all the wrongs I’ve done.”

“And I’ll try to stop being angry with you.”

“I think we’ve got a plan.”

“Yes, we do.”

~~~~~

“I did it.”

“You did?”

Yul nodded. “I’ve invited Hyukjun to our wedding.”

Jessica cheered with glee and planted a resounding kiss on Yul’s lips. “I’m so proud of you.”

Yul grinned. “Do you feel better now that you know he’s going to our wedding?”

“Yes! All my stress and anxiety is gone now.”

Yul narrowed his eyes and eyed Jessica warily. “Sometimes I can’t help but wonder if you’re taking advantage of the fact that you’re pregnant to get your way with me.”

Jessica giggled. “Of course not. It’s all for the good of our baby. Remember, a happy mother gets a happy child. You’re the one who told me that.”

Yul laughed and hugged Jessica. “I can’t wait to make you my wife. I can’t wait to be a father too.”

Jessica giggled. “I can’t wait to become your wife but I’m in no hurry to become a mother. Being pregnant definitely has its perks.”

~~~~~

“Krys, I’m going to Seventh Heaven tonight.”

“Okay.”

“Are you…”

“I’m not okay.”

Young sighed. There was no way out of this. So much for his father’s wise words. They’d spent time thinking of a solution for this but apparently there was none. She’d thought of tagging along but it wasn’t a good idea in his opinion. Firstly, it would cramp his friends’ style somewhat. Secondly it wasn’t very professional of him to bring his own girl to a business gathering. She argued that it was more fun and games than business but he argued that fun and games was business and her being there just wasn’t going to be good for business.

He had a tiny request in the back of his mind but he didn’t voice it. He knew that she wouldn’t agree to it. She would never agree to compromising and allowing him to act the part of the player in front of his friends and clients. That was also one of the reasons why he had not mentioned any of it to her before.

He didn’t want her to feel jealous about this. There was no reason to be jealous, in his opinion. He didn’t want those girls. Not even a tiny bit. He’d had his fun with them in the past. But that was the past. He didn’t want that sort of fun now. Not with the exciting, nerve wracking, y moments that he had with Krystal. One second with Krystal was better than one whole night with the hottest girl in the club.

Some would scoff that the credibility of that statement. Already, some of his friends had questioned his sanity when he excused himself earlier than usual to go back home after those gatherings ended. They could hardly swallow his explanation that he’d rather be talking to his girlfriend in the privacy of his bedroom than to hang out with the hot girls at the club after hours. But he was adamant in his decision and they had no choice but to let him go.

“Krys…I just need you to be a little bit more understanding about this.”

Krystal looked sad and it broke Young’s heart to see her that way.

“Krys…” Young hugged Krystal tight and soothed his hands over her back. “I promise, I won’t let them touch me so much. I’ll keep my distance as much as possible. And I’ll leave as soon as possible. You know that that’s what I’ve been doing ever since we started, right?”

Krystal nodded and Young patted her head.

“Trust me.”

“Okay.”

~~~~~

Papa Jung noticed Krystal’s lackluster eyes during dinner and asked her to have a talk with him in his study after eating. He wanted to find out why she’d been unhappy for the past couple of days.

“Is Young treating you right?”

He wasted no time in showing his utmost concern for her relationship with Young. He was all too aware of his daughter’s inexperience and having done his fair share of damage as a player himself, he feared for her immensely.

Krystal nodded mutely which did nothing to allay his worries.

“What’s wrong, Soojung? You can tell Daddy. Tell me what’s making you sad.”

“Daddy, if I tell you…promise that you won’t get angry or do anything drastic.”

“If he dares to treat you badly, I can’t guarantee anything.”

“He treats me very well. He loves me a lot. I can tell. It’s not what you think it is. If you can’t promise, I can’t tell you anything either.”

“Very well. I won’t get angry. I promise.”

Krystal looked long and hard at Papa Jung before heaving a heavy sigh. “Daddy…is it really that unprofessional for a businessman to bring his girlfriend to business gatherings?”

“That would depend on the nature of the gathering. Also, the agenda.”

Krystal heaved another sigh and Papa Jung felt more worried. He’d decided to cut down on his surveillance after his wife asked him to cut Krystal and Young some slack but it looked to him as though it hadn’t been a good decision to make.

“Did Young cheat on you?” he growled.

Krystal shook her head. “He didn’t. It doesn’t count, I guess.”

“What do you mean it doesn’t count? What are you talking about. Tell me now.”

Krystal sighed yet again. “Young is going to be at the club tonight. He has to entertain a group of clients from Taiwan and he’s bringing them there to have a good time.”

Papa Jung nodded. “And?”

Krystal looked up. “There’s going to be lots of girls joining them.”

“Ah…I see.”

Papa Jung said nothing more and Krystal was rather surprised by his lack of reaction to the news, given his earlier vulture-like stance on the topic of Young.

“That’s what I’m not comfortable with, Daddy.”

Papa Jung tapped his chin thoughtfully before saying, “Soojung ah, a businessman needs to do what he needs to do. Young is right to keep you out of it. His clients won’t want you to be there.”

“Not you too. Why are you talking just like Young?”

“Soojung ah, Young is a businessman. It’s a job. Entertaining clients is hard work. It’s not fun. It’s work. You have to trust him in that.”

Krystal sighed for the umpteenth time. “I know. Actually, I agree. I mean, I’ve worked in his company before. I know what goes on. I know what he has to do. But right now, I’m having trouble coming to terms with it. I don’t want to make it difficult for him but I’m not comfortable with it either.”

“Give yourself some time, Soojung ah. If you want, I can get my people to watch him.”

“No.” Krystal was firm. “No, I don’t want you to do that.”

“Fine. I won’t. But you have to adjust the way you think to accommodate his needs. Behind every successful business man is supportive woman.”

“I’ll try, Daddy.”

“Good.”

~~~~~

Young was ever so careful to put some distance between himself and the girls without being too obvious about it. In truth, he’d consciously kept his hands to himself ever since he got together with Krystal but it was a little harder to keep the girls’ hands off him.

He felt his phone buzzing so he checked his messages as the waitresses poured them drinks.

Clinch the deal baby. I believe in you. I’ll be waiting for your phone call.

His eyes bulged as he read the message. He checked the name of the sender. No mistake, it was Krystal. She was alright with him doing this? Was she really? It looked like she was. And baby? Did she just call him baby? He liked it. A lot. He wanted to hear her calling him baby all night long. Baby. Oh gawd. His mind was blown. And she was waiting for his phone call! Heck yeah! He couldn’t wait to call her too. Or better yet, bring her for a night drive to the outskirts of the city and find a quiet spot…

“Young!”

“Huh? What?”

“Young…what are you looking at?” asked the girl who was seated beside him.

He simply grinned. “My girlfriend’s message.” He showed her the message. “See, she called me baby.”

The girl tittered. “If you want, I can call you baby all night long.”

Young shook his head immediately. “No offense but no thanks. I only want to hear it from her.”

The girl tittered again. “That’s so sweet. I’m jealous of your girlfriend, Young.”

“Oh? I’m a good boyfriend, aren’t I?”

“Yes you are.”

~~~~~

“Let’s go for supper, Taetae. I’m hungry.”

“Okay. I’m almost done with this.”

“I’m pretty much done here. Jessica’s wedding is going to be great.”

“Of course. You’re in charge of it. It will surely be great.”

Tiffany laughed. “It’s going to be great because Yul’s entire family will be there. Jessica texted me to tell me this. That girl is really happy right now.”

“That’s good. Especially since she’s pregnant. It’s good for the baby.”

“How many children would you like to have in future, Taetae?” Tiffany asked suddenly.

Taeng blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected to be asked but he had an answer. “Any number more than one.”

Tiffany giggled. “Like eleven?”

Taeng’s eyes widened considerably. “E-Elev-ven?”

“I’m just kidding,” laughed Tiffany. “Eleven is too many. I’d like maybe two. But not too soon. I want to enjoy my time with you first.”

“Two is good.” Taeng smiled. “I want to enjoy my time with you too.”

“We should go on a holiday after Jessica’s wedding. To reward ourselves for all the hard work.”

“A holiday?” Taeng perked up upon hearing it. “I like holidays!”

“Me too.”

“Where should we go?”

“Anywhere is fine as long as I’m with you.”

Taeng blushed. Tiffany had been lavishing him with sweet nothings recently and it made him all gooey inside.

“Me too. I’ll be happy anywhere if I’m with you.”

~~~~~