Round Ninety-Nine

Young was finally out with Krystal again the next day. He had been dying to see her after having the intense talk with her father. Well, dying and dreading at the same time. He couldn’t wait to see because he wanted to tell her that her father had finally given them his blessings but he was dreading the moment because he would also have to tell her about the condition.

Still, his heart couldn’t help skipping when he saw her, looking beautiful so effortlessly, even though she was decked out in the most casual of clothes: a t-shirt and jeans.

“Krys!” he called her enthusiastically and she flashed the brightest smile upon seeing him. They hugged and kissed and sat down facing each other.

“What is it that you’re so eager to tell me?” Krystal’s eyes were alit with life and passion.

“Well, I have two things to announce.”

“What? Tell me. Quick.”

“Firstly, I should tell you that I met your father.”

“What?! Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I didn’t want you to worry about it.”

“Young! I—”

“Shh.” Young silenced her with his finger on her lips, a move that he was beginning to love to do on her because he got to touch her soft, luscious lips. Also, he enjoyed seeing her blush from their contact. It was incredibly endearing to him. None of the other girls ever blushed genuinely like she did. None.

“The talk went quite well. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Really?”

He could see the uncertainty in her eyes and patted her head to assure her. “I won’t lie to you. It was intense but your father gave us his blessings before he left.”

“REALLY!” Krystal yelped in excitement and the surrounding patrons looked at them amusedly.

Young didn’t notice them looking, however. He was too happy to notice anything as he nodded to affirm what he said before.

“Young!” Krystal leaned over the table and planted a smacking kiss right on his lips and it was his turn to blush as more eyes stared at them.

That was another thing he loved about Krystal—her ability to make him blush.

“Krys. Everyone is looking at us,” he whispered loudly when he saw the eyes on them.

“Oh, let them look. Have they never seen a couple happily in love before?” Krystal waved her hand dismissively and continued to grin from ear to ear.

Young chuckled. Krystal was Krystal. There was no way to properly describe every bit of her, every aspect, every surprise. But he had a second piece of news that was sure to dampen her spirits and he dreaded having to tell her about it. She seemed to sense it too for her smile faded a little and her eyes became unsure again.

“There’s something else. What’s the second thing?” she asked hesitantly.

“Well…you might not be too happy about this…but please believe me when I say that I wanted this even before your father mentioned it.”

“What? What is it?”

“Our first time will be on our wedding night.” Young let it out in a whoosh. It was a relief to finally say it.

“What?” Krystal blinked, as though she thought she had heard it wrong. “First…what?”

“Krys, I want this too. Please understand, that after all the things that I’ve done, I want it to be truly special for us. I want us to wait. I want us to be completely ready. And there is no better moment for it, than the night of our wedding.”

“My father put you up to this,” she spoke in a low and unhappy tone and he shook his head violently to dispute her assumption.

“No. Believe me. I had the idea in my head way before he said it.”

“Really?” Krystal paused as though a thought suddenly hit her. “Is that why you kept on rejecting me?”

Young nodded seriously. “Yes. I wasn’t sure why at first. Remember when I said that I wanted it to be special? And I couldn’t fully explain?”

Krystal nodded.

“Well, after that, I sort of figured it out. I realized that I wanted our first time to be truly special. I want it to be unique, Krystal. Unforgettable. And the one thing I’ve never done with any other girl…is marry them.”

Krystal looked as though she couldn’t breathe when the last three words left his mouth. Her eyes opened wide and her cheeks were tinted in pink as she gasped softly.

“I was impulsive and stupid when I asked you to marry me before we even dated. Back then, in my mind, I accepted that I was due to be married and when I finally faced the truth of my feelings for you, I simply thought that it was the most wondrous, yet convenient thing in the world—marrying you. But now, I’m sure that I want to marry you not because I have to, but because I want to. I can’t marry anybody else. Not even if my parents want me to. I will fight for you, Krys. I will fight for us.”

And as he looked into Krystal’s beautiful eyes, he was slightly alarmed to see them glisten.

“Krys?” He cupped her face with one hand and caressed her cheek with his thumb. “What’s the matter?”

“I feel like a princess…” Her soft voice was warm and infused with tenderness. “…in a fairy tale…with my happily ever after…”

She reached for his face and cupped it like he did hers, her thumb matching the way he caressed her cheek and continued to say, “If waiting will make it special for you, I will wait with you. But don’t make me wait too long, okay?”

Her loving smile blazed a fiery trail of love straight to his heart and it surged with life that he had never felt before. Did she just ask me to propose a little sooner? His heart thumped that much faster at that thought.

Without hesitation he replied, “It won’t be too long, Krys. It won’t.” A kiss sealed the deal and for the rest of the night, all they could do was smile giddily at each other and interlace their fingers even as they ate.

~~~~~

Things were not going well in the other side of the Jung household however. It seemed like Murphy’s Law was at work and Jessica went from losing her drive for to losing her temper a lot more as well.

“The soup is too salty!” she complained and threw her soup spoon down.

Yul, who didn’t approve of her tantrums, tried his best to be understanding so he bit his tongue and said nothing as her soup was cleared for her. If it weren’t for her crazy pregnant hormonal changes being the cause of her change in temperament, he would’ve chided her long ago. But he knew where it was coming from and the doctor had advised him to be patient. So patient, he was.

Still, it wasn’t a good combination. He wasn’t getting his dose of her loving and to add salt to his injury, he had to tolerate her temper as well. It was just a bit too much. Hence, there was only one thing left to do: hang out with Taeng and the boys.

~~~~~
 

“Cheers to Yul becoming a dad real soon!” Young led the toast and their mugs clinked. Each man drank a healthy gulp of their beer and set their mugs back down on the table.

“So, finally. The honeymoon period has ended.” Yoong waggled his eyebrows knowingly. “Yul, the perfect husband has finally cracked and is seeking his male buddies for relief.”

“Just wait till Sunny is pregnant too. We’ll see how long you can tolerate her hormones then,” Young quipped and grinned evilly.

“Oh my gawd. Don’t even. Don’t even.” Yoong shuddered. “Don’t make me fear my cute little bunny.”

“You do know that if she ever finds out that you’re calling her by that name in front of us, you’re gonna lose your head, right?” Young reminded him playfully.

Yoong winced. “I don’t know why she hates it so much. She’s totally fine with it when we’re alone.”

“She probably doesn’t want anybody else to know what goes on behind closed doors, Yoong,” said Yul. “She’s quite a private person in some ways.”

Yoong sighed. “I get that. But…she really is a cute little bunny to me. I can’t help but call her that.”

“Well, we won’t tell. But you’d better not make it a habit,” Hyun warned him seriously. “You might blurt it by accident and make her unhappy.”

“I’ll be careful,” Yoong said.

“And how’s your love dance coming along, buddy?” Young asked jovially.

“It’s not going too well. It’s been two weeks and we’re only two days away from the competition but I keep dropping her. And knocking into her. I even hit her with my elbow once.” Hyun looked down at the table sadly. “And she keeps on encouraging me and assuring me that it’s alright but I really think that she should consider dancing with someone else.”

“Are you stupid? Or are you stupid!” Young and Yoong blurted incredulously and looked at each other when they realized what they had done. “Jinx!” they yelled almost instantaneously and laughed at each other as Yul and Taeng looked on, clueless about what was going on.

“They tend to say certain things in the exact same way at the exact same time and when they do, they’ll yell jinx and laugh about it. Don’t mind them. It’s just a little tradition,” Hyun explained.

“Oh, that’s nice,” Taeng said with a smile. “Why don’t we do it too, Yul?”

Yul looked appalled that Taeng had even suggested it. “Er…we’ll leave the tradition to Young and Yoong.” Then, he cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject. “So, Hyun, I don’t think you should put yourself down like that. Hyoyeon obviously chose you for a very good reason. You should have some faith in yourself.”

By this time, the laughing buddies had managed to recover from their laughter and they nodded vigorously in agreement. “Don’t even think about letting Hyoyeon dance with another man, Hyun,” said Young, seriously.

“Yeah. Only a fool would give his woman up to another man,” Yoong added.

“But it’s just a dance. I’m not giving her up to another man,” Hyun reasoned and his friends palmed their faces in exasperation.

“Hyun,” went Young, “Even if you drop her, she’d rather dance with you than any other man. Don’t you understand? Women are weird that way. When they love you, nothing you do is wrong. When they’re sick and tired of you, everything you do is wrong. So, don’t disappoint Hyoyeon. She wants you to dance with her.”

“Hyun, listen to Young. He’s normally full of crap but he’s actually speaking sense today,” said Yoong.

Even Taeng chipped in. “I’d agree. I wouldn’t let Fany dance with another man even if I’m messing up the dance. Fany wouldn’t let me give her up either.”

And finally Yul said his piece, “So Hyun, dance with her. No matter what. We’re all behind you.”

Hyun smiled warmly. “Thanks, all of you. I will. I’ll dance with her. No matter what.”

~~~~~
 

“Tif, I don’t know what is happening to me.”

“What? What happened?”

“Everything is messed up.”

“Jessi, what’s going on? Are you alright?”

Jessica shook her head miserably even though she was somewhat aware that Tiffany couldn’t see her over the phone.

“No. I’m not.”

“Jessi, you’re scaring me. What in the world is wrong?”

“I’m not myself anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“Tif…I don’t like anymore...”

“What?!”

“And I keep losing my temper.”

“Okay…”

“And Yul is coming home later than usual. I think he’s angry with me.”

“Jessi, Yul is out with Taeng and the boys. He’s not mad at you.”

Jessica sniffed and shook her head miserably again. “No…he’s definitely mad at me. And now he’s coming home later to avoid seeing me. Why wasn’t I told that being pregnant would make me change like that? Why?”

“Jess—”

“And the stupid doctor is useless.” Jessica rambled on, venting her frustrations without realizing that she’d cut Tiffany off. “She told me that she can’t help me. She told me that pregnant women are all different and I’m the way I am. There’s nothing she can do.”

“Jess—”

“I should sue her, right? I should totally sue Doctor Han for being so useless to me. What kind of doctor is she anyway? And she’s supposed to be the best. The best,” Jessica scoffed, “…more like the most useless.”

“Jessi, I’m sure Yul is not mad at you and Doctor Han is the best doctor you can find. There’s nothing wrong with you and I’m sure Yul knows it too. He just needs some time with the guys, you know? Some time to hang out. Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon because Taeng just told me that they are heading home right now. Talk to him when he comes home, Jessi. Talk to him.”

“No. I’ll just go to sleep. I don’t want to talk to him when he’s mad at me.”

“Jessi, believe me. I’m sure he’s not mad at you. Yul is very understanding. Right?”

“Tif…I can’t believe I don’t like anymore…I hate being pregnant!”

“It’s going to pass real soon. It’ll all be over and you’ll love more than ever.”

Jessica heaved a huge sigh. Even Tiffany’s words couldn’t cheer her up.

“It’d better blow over quickly. Anyway, I want to sleep now. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Jessi. Talk to Yul. Talk to him tomorrow or something.”

“Maybe,” Jessica mumbled non-committedly and hung up. Then, she sighed again. Being pregnant wasn’t a good thing after all.

~~~~~
 

Tiffany was waiting for Taeng when he returned to her apartment. She greeted him with a warm smile and a lingering hug, finishing off with a peck on his lips.

“Mmm…how many bottles of beer did you drink?” she asked, standing akimbo, much like a mother hen in some ways.

“Just two.” Taeng’s eyes were earnest and honest.

Tiffany smiled. Taeng didn’t have to do much to make her smile. That was the amazing thing that she relished every single day—Taeng’s natural ability to lift her spirits.

“How was Yul tonight?”

“Yul? He’s alright.”

“Did he seem troubled or…down?”

“No. He was himself.”

That Jessi. Overactive hormones and overdramatic imagination. “Tsk, tsk.” Tiffany shook her head along with her thoughts.

“What’s wrong, Fany?”

“There’s nothing wrong at all. I’m just asking.” Tiffany smiled to assure Taeng that there was nothing wrong. Then, a curious thought struck her. “Taetae, what if I got pregnant and turned into someone completely different. What would you do?”

Taeng blinked and stuttered. “S-Someone completely d-different?”

“Like if I were to lose my temper all the time. And just be horrible to get along with. What would you do?”

Taeng frowned, his eyes focused on a single point, as though he were thinking hard. “I’ll take even better care of you. And do everything you want me to do.”

Tiffany giggled. Taeng was always giving in to her. He was so cute! “Really? You’d do that if I turned into a crazy pregnant woman?”

Taeng nodded determinedly. “I will take good care of you and our baby. I’ll do anything to make you happy.”

“Oh Taetae,” Tiffany purred. “Do you know what’s the best thing about you that I love?”

“W-What is it?”

Tiffany’s lips curled into a seductive smile. “You are who you are. And I love you.”

“I love you too, Fany-ah.” Taeng blushed and Tiffany couldn’t get enough of him.

“Taetae, I wanna soap you up real good tonight,” she whispered seductively.

Taeng’s eyes were wide open as he babbled, “Soapmeup?”

“Mhmm. It’s my turn tonight.”

And with that, Tiffany pushed Taeng into the bathroom unceremoniously, slammed the door shut and leapt straight into action.

~~~~~

Yul read the text message that Tiffany had sent him and sighed. She had told him a little about Jessica’s meltdown on the phone and he knew that he had some consoling to do when he got home. He had thought that he wouldn’t have any problems with handling her even after Doctor Han told him about the possible behavioral changes in pregnant women. He was sure that he would be able to take her tantrums, her sensitivity, and the moodiness that came along with the changes in her body shape and whatever else her hormones threw at her.

But one thing he hadn’t anticipated was the limit of his own tolerance. It wasn’t so easy to keep his hands off her, night after night, day after day. It wasn’t so easy to coddle her each and every time she was upset about something. It wasn’t easy at all. Even when he knew that it wasn’t really her that was talking.

~~~~~
 

He opened their bedroom door and stepped in quietly. She seemed to be fast asleep for she was lying on her side and under the covers. But when he finally slipped under the covers to sleep, she surprised him by calling him softly.

“Yul…?”

He turned and saw that she was looking at him with sleepy eyes.

“Did I wake you? I’m sorry. Go back to sleep, baby.”

Jessica made no move to go back to sleep, however. Instead, she sat up and the bedside lamp.

“Yul, are you mad at me?”

Yul sighed and sat up too. Jessica was in one of her moods again, no doubt. He hoped that her pregnancy side effects would go away soon but till then, he had to be the gentleman, understanding husband.

“Baby, why are you asking me this question now? You should be sleeping.”

“I can’t sleep if you’re mad at me,” Jessica pouted as she spoke. She certainly looked rather sad. Tiffany was definitely not exaggerating about the drama over their phone call.

“I’m not mad at you.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I have no reason to be mad at you.”

“But you’re coming home later than usual. And you’re going out with the guys more. Are you trying to avoid me?”

Yul was alarmed that she was harbouring such thoughts and moved to hug her immediately. “No. I’m not avoiding you. I love you, I’m not mad at you and I’m not avoiding you.”

Jessica sniffed and nodded before speaking in a soft voice. “Okay.”

Yul rubbed her back and arms and kissed her forehead tenderly. “Baby, work has been busy lately and I have no choice but to help with a few extra cases. And yes, I’ve been out with Taeng and the rest but I’m not avoiding you. I’m just taking a break. You know? Relaxing a bit.”

“It’s because of me, right? You need a break from me.”

“Well, to be honest, yes. It’s not easy to tolerate your tantrums and it’s not easy to go without loving you for so long but I feel better after hanging out with the guys. But right after that, I come back to you, Sica. I still love you just as much. You’re still my lovely wifey.”

“Yul…” Jessica snuggled closer to him, presumably for comfort and consolation.

“I love you, Sica. I love you, baby,” he whispered, lips brushing against her lips. Then, he kissed her, applying sweet pressure on her lips until they parted and met him passionately.

~~~~~
 

It was the day before the competition and Hyun struggled to keep up with the spinning that preceded the part where he had to hold her and dip low, with her hovering just inches from the ground. This was the part where he had dropped her countless times and each time, he’d apologize profusely as she rubbed her head sorely.

But today, he managed not to drop her and he was jubilant.

“Yay! I didn’t drop you! At last! Hurray!” cheered Hyun and Hyoyeon laughed and danced along with him.

“Yay, Hyunnie! You’re the best!”

“The best?” an uninvited voice joined them and they stopped cheering.

“Eunhyuk, what are you doing here?” Hyoyeon huffed. She’d been extremely unhappy with him ever since Hyun told her about what he overheard by accident. She knew that he was the best student dance in the academy but his head had obviously become too big for him. He thought he was good enough to dance with her? Not by a mile, he wasn’t.

“I’m here to prove that I’m your worthy partner, not him.” Eunhyuk sauntered in, confident and proud.

“I’m not looking for a worthy partner. I’m looking for a partner who is compatible with me.”

“Compatible?” Eunhyuk spoke in a tone that Hyoyeon disliked. His tone was way too condescending for anyone to like, really. “Who can be more compatible for you than me?”

He restarted the music, grabbed her before she could react, and started dancing. By instinct, she danced and they whirled along with the music, their hips totally in sync and swaying side to side in sharp, distinct movements. Hyoyeon didn’t have to look to know that they looked extremely sharp on the dance floor but she also knew that they wouldn’t have a chance to win and the reason was simple: they didn’t love each other.

Eunhyuk was, no doubt, a gifted dancer. However, his overconfidence and sheer pride ballooned his ego to the point where he danced solely to impress. And that was something that judges would mark him down for in a partnership dance. Eunhyuk could only dance solo.

So she finished the dance with him before turning to Hyun and saying, “Now, do you know why I’m dancing with you?”

Hyun nodded slowly with enlightenment flashing in his eyes. “I think I understand now. You want someone who will dance with you.”

Hyoyeon’s smile was at its brightest even as Eunhyuk huffed, “You don’t know anything, er. I dance flawlessly while you can’t even hold her properly.”

Hyun then puffed his chest out and rebutted with confidence, “But I’m dancing with her. And that’s what a love dance is all about.”

Eunhyuk looked at them in disgust. “Well, just don’t cry when I clinch the top prize tomorrow. Hyoyeon could have won it with me but since she doesn’t want to dance with me, I’ll dance with Dana instead.”

And Hyoyeon’s heart almost burst when she heard Hyun replying, “Top prize or not, we’ve already won because we have each other.”

She slipped her hand into his and smiled at him with all the love she had for him. Hyun…he was worth all the time she had spent planning pranks to play on him. Yes. He was.

“Ignore that idiot. Let’s practice some more.”

Hyun smiled at her and nodded. “Okay.”

~~~~~