Jinhwan prayed that he had heard her incorrectly, that the words out of weren’t her expressing her displeasure with their marriage but something else. Something like, “I want a horse.” That he could deal with. He could easily call in a favor of some sorts, take her out to a racetrack and let her ride one, but that wasn’t it. Yumi wasn’t asking for a horse, she wasn’t asking for anything really. She was more like telling him; telling him she wanted out of their marriage, and Jinhwan didn’t know how to respond.

“What?” He was sure it was the wrong question to ask but he asked it anyways, while he slowly walked up to her, flicking the lights to the living room on so he could properly see her face. Maybe she was just playing around, Yumi could never really keep a straight face when telling jokes or trying to pull pranks; he could only hope that was what she was doing now.

Yumi didn’t move from her seated position on the couch. She kept her eyes fixated on some imaginary point in front of her and remained still despite the fact Jinhwan was now standing in front of her in the flesh. She couldn’t even remember the last time she saw his face, and even though a part of her wanted to just throw her arms around him and tell him just how much she missed him, she knew herself that words weren’t going to change anything. Not anymore. “A divorce. I want one.”

He did hear her correctly, and a sudden wave of panic rushed through him as her words played over again in his mind. If the empty tone of her voice was any indication, Yumi wasn’t playing around with him; she meant it. “Listen honey, if this is about the stupid rumors going around then forget about it. There’s nothing going on between me and her, the media has it all twisted. We were supposed to work-”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Yumi bit back, cutting him off while he tried to explain his side of the story. She was hurt and angry, any idiot could see that reaction coming a mile away, but she was exasperated as well. It was hard enough for the young woman to get the words out, to come to the realization that there was no way she could salvage her marriage, and then to have to sit there, after having to repeat those same words, and hear him try to talk his way out for the umpteenth time – she had enough. He just didn’t understand, and Yumi was beginning to wonder if he ever understood her or what a marriage really entailed.  

Standing up to her feet, Yumi fought to keep a straight face while her legs began to tingle, sensation slowly creeping back into the numb extremities. She hadn’t even realized she had been sitting still for such a long period of time that she lost feeling in them, and momentarily feared if she could even make it to the bedroom before she started crying again. “This has nothing to do with her, or whatever it is you do on your free time. I’m tired.”

Jinhwan watched as her face contorted, her bottom lip quivering, sure tell signs that she was going to cry, and it hurt Jinhwan knowing that he was the cause for it yet again. But Yumi refused to cry in front of him. She would have rather preferred it if she would just stop crying all together, but she couldn’t help it; everything hurt too much. “I’m done.” She reiterated. “I want out.” Not waiting for a reply, she shuffled her way into the bedroom, Roman following closely behind.

The rapper wanted to run after her; he had to. He wanted to at least make the effort and try and talk things through but the small click of the doorknob locking it behind her prevented him from doing so. Instead, he stood there, his forehead leaning against the door while he heard the light sobs coming from inside the room. “I’m sorry.” He whispered out, wishing with all his heart that those words could undo everything.

The next morning Jinhwan laid in bed waiting for the sound of Yumi emerging from the bedroom, and when he heard the floorboards creak and the pitter-patter of their canine following her he bolted out of the second bedroom. Changing out of the clothes she was in last night, Yumi donned sweat pants and a black hooded sweatshirt as she made her way toward the front door, secretly hoping she get out of the apartment before having to face Jinhwan again. Her stomach twisted into knots and she frowned when she heard him call her name. “Yumi.”

The young woman turned around to face him, and Jinhwan could only grimace when he noted the dark bags underneath her eyes. Apparently she didn’t sleep any better than he did. Yumi’s eyes were empty as she looked back at him blankly for a few seconds before reaching for the black leash that hung by the front door. “Come on, Roman.”

Jinhwan flinched when the front door slammed in front of his face and he knew he would have to go after her. He couldn’t give up now. He had to keep trying to get through to her, to make her understand that she was just hurt over the rumors and didn’t actually want a divorce. Running back into the second bedroom he ignored his ringing phone, stuffing the device into his back pocket and grabbed a jacket from his closet. He would bet all his money on it being Baek Kyoung, probably calling to yell at him for slipping away when he had the chance; but at the moment he could careless. The love of his life was walking out on him and he couldn’t let her leave. Picking up the keys on the kitchen counter, he ran out of the apartment and down the one flight of stairs out to the sidewalk, skidding to a halt when he saw Baek Kyoung talking to a very disinterested Yumi.

“Listen Yumi, it’s just temporary. Just to get him some press.”

Jinhwan frowned, not liking what he was hearing from his manager as those weren’t words of apology but rather more excuses that he was slowly realizing Yumi didn’t want to hear. “Yumi, please we need to talk.” He reached out, lightly gripping onto her forearm.

Yumi had to admit that the mere touch alone caused a shiver to run down her spine and her heart to beat fast, and he wasn’t even directly touching her skin. It was just the feel of his firm grip on her arm, as if reminding her that he was still there, still next to her. How is it that he still has this effect on me? Get a grip on yourself, Yumi, the woman tried to control her emotions her mind telling her heart that one touch wasn’t going to change things, nor was one conversation. “I need to take Roman out for a walk.” She replied coldly, deciding this time not to face her husband as he spoke to her.

“Baek Kyoung can walk him. Please, let’s just go back inside.”

The manager looked around nervously hoping that no one would see them or the fact that Jinhwan’s hand was holding onto Yumi’s arm. The man had finally got press buzzing about Jinhwan and the last thing Baek Kyoung wanted were reports of Jinhwan being in a relationship with someone else, or deeming him a player. Yes bad publicity was still publicity, but not when they were trying to get a jump-start on his musical career.

“There’s nothing left to say.” Yumi finally turned to face him. His eyes were drowned with concern and something else she couldn’t quite figure out, but she maintained her stance and instead bit back sarcastically. “Don’t you have to go record a song or something?” Yanking her hand away, she tugged on Roman’s leash and began to walk down the street, her footsteps gradually quickening to the point where she was now jogging down the road. Her grip on the leash tightened as her pace only increased, trying hard to fight the urge to turn around and see if he would follow her.

Yumi was the naïve one, thinking that once she told Jinwhan her desire to get a divorce that he would quietly agree; maybe it was her that didn’t understand him. “.” Jinhwan hissed when he saw Yumi turn the corner, the German Shepherd right alongside her. “What did you say to her?” He growled at his manager. Jinhwan had worked long enough with the male to know just how seedy he was, and the notion that he was able to exchange even a few words with Yumi alone worried him.

“Nothing,” the manager shook his head for added effect. “I just told her we weren’t going to release a statement about the validity of the rumors and just use the press to our advantage.”

Jinhwan had every right to be worried. “Are you ing kidding me?” The rapper yelled out, ignoring the couple that glared at him as they walked passed. “That’s the worst thing you could have said to her!” He turned to run after her but was yanked back when Baek Kyoung pulled on his hood.

“Where the hell are you going?”

“Where the do you think?” Jinhwan yelled back, trying to pull away but Baek Kyoung’s grip on him was relentless. “Let go of me,” the rapper snarled.

“So you can run after Yumi and tell her how much you love her in broad daylight and in’ ruin everything? No thanks.” Baek Kyoung’s other hand reached out and gripped the man’s arm tugging him toward his car parked on the side of the road. “Besides, she’s just PMsing, she’ll get over it.”

“This is not something she will just ‘get over,’ I have to tell-”

“Get in the car,” Baek Kyoung commanded. “We’ve got a radio show to go to, and you look like .”

Flicking his arm and finally breaking away, Jinhwan turned his body and began walking in the direction Yumi had just ran. “I’m not ing going anywhere.”

“Walk away from me and you’ll have to pay the fees of breaking the contract.” Baek Kyoung yelled after him, pleased when he saw the rapper stop in his tracks. “And unless you’re going to run to her parents and ask for money, you have no way of doing that, do you? So get in the in’ car Jinhwan.”

Yumi looked over her shoulder, her pace slowing down gradually. She didn’t even know just how much she wanted to see Jinhwan running around the corner to come after her, to try and stop her until she realized she had stopped running, her eyes welling up with tears as she huffed for breath. He didn’t come after me. Was that it? Did he just give up? Was she really not worth fighting for anymore?

Jinhwan slumped back into the passenger’s seat as Baek Kyoung pulled the car away from the sidewalk and headed toward the radio station. His eyes focused on the side-view mirror as they drove away, the corner of the street where Yumi had turned growing more distant and blurry. Jinhwan hated how his manager used the money card on him, knowing full well that Jinhwan had already taken out an advance on his contract just so he could help pay the bills at home, and the last people he would ever go to ask money from was her parents.

Knowing Baek Kyoung had his attentions on the road, Jinhwan pulled his phone out. If Yumi wouldn’t let him sit down and talk with her then he would have to get his point across some other way. Calling her cell phone he smiled when he heard her sweet voice. “Hey, this is Yumi. Sorry I can’t come to the phone right now, but leave a short message and I try my best to get back to ya!”

“Yumi, it’s me. I heard you loud and clear last night, and now you hear me out. Everything about that scandal is false, and I know you know that. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, you’re the only one for me. I love you, and if you even think for a second I’m going to let you leave without a fight, Yumi, then you’re wrong. Because so help me, I will never stop fighting for you.”

word count: 2111

thanks for reading!