CHAPTER 18

            Hyun Joong wanted to find out more why He Ra was going to set up an office in Seoul but he knew that Mr. Maeng would not have the answer for that.  He just shook his head and went back in his office to finish the paperwork on his desk.  “I wonder what she’s up to this time,” Hyun Joong asked himself.

            Hyun Joong was pleasantly surprised when he reached home.  So Min prepared dinner for them.  It was a nice treat after a long day at work. 

            “Wow, what’s the occasion?”

            “I still owe you that home-cooked dinner, remember?” So Min answered.

            “Oh, that was nice of you.  But you didn’t have to.”

            “Well, it’s all made for you.  Let’s just call it celebration dinner for our baby.  Sounds good?”

            “Sounds good to me,” Hyun Joong happily replied and started enjoying the food So Min served.

            “Can I ask you a question?”

            “Sure, what is it?” Hyun Joong said.

            “Do you want to find out ahead of time if it’s a boy or girl?”

            “Hhhmmm…I haven’t thought about it yet.  What do you think?”

            “I know some parents like the element of surprise but I want to plan properly for the arrival of our baby, especially the nursery.  I’d like to get the right color and theme for the room.   I’d like to know if that’s okay with you.”

            Hyun Joong reached and held So Min’s hand.  “Whatever you like Sweetheart.  Whatever makes you happy.”

            “Thank you.”

            They were finishing their dessert when So Min’s phone rang.  It was her mother.

            “Hi Mom.”

            “Hello, Dear.  Is this a good time to talk?”

            “Yes, Mom.  Hyun Joong and I are finishing dinner, but I can talk.”

            “Since tomorrow is Saturday, how about you and I do some shopping while Hyun Joong and your Dad can play golf at the country club?”

            “Hold on Mom.  Let me ask Hyun Joong.”

            “He said that’s a great idea.  We’ll see you at ten in the morning then.”

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            Mrs. Jung was not joking about shopping for the baby.  She literally wanted to buy everything in the store.  So Min had to work hard in order to convince her to buy only the basic things for now.   “Mom, let’s wait until we find out first if it’s a boy or girl.  Hyun Joong and I agreed to know ahead of time.  Besides, I don’t want them to deliver the furniture until the nursery is ready.”

            “We went to the wrong place.  We should have met with our interior decorator then.”

            “I know Mom.  How about we stop shopping for now and I’ll call Ji Yun and schedule a meeting with her in the next couple of weeks?  I promise Mom, you will be part of your grandchild’s life, every step of the way including designing the nursery,” So Min said while laughing.

            “Okay, then,” Mrs. Jung finally agreed.

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            Hyun Joong dialed Mrs. Hwang’s number in New York.  He was curious if his assistant in New York had any information about He Ra setting up office in Seoul.

            “No, Hyun Joong.  She didn’t discuss anything with me about it.  All I know is she left this weekend for Seoul. Is everything okay.”

            “So far so good.  I haven’t seen her yet but I’m sure I’ll find out when I see her which I assume sometime today.  Thanks Mrs. Hwang.  I’ll call you if I need anything.”

            “You’re welcome Hyun Joong.  I’ll be here if you need me.  Take care and give my best to So Min.”

            “Thanks Mrs. Hwang.  By the way, I want to share with you the good news. So Min and I will be having a baby soon.”

            “Oh my goodness Hyun Joong.  Congratulations!  I’m so happy for you and So Min!  This is wonderful news.  You know I treat you like my son and I will treat your baby like my own grandchild.”

            “I know you will so thank you.”

            “Promise me you will take good care of your wife and the baby, okay?”

            “Will do. I promise.”

            It was almost nine o’clock when He Ra showed up in Hyun Joong’s office.  “So you have seen my new office yet?”

            “Of course.  It’s hard to miss it when it’s next to mine.”

            “Are you planning to stay in Seoul for a while?” Hyun Joong asked obviously annoyed with He Ra’s presence.

            “Yes.  I’m working on a couple of projects and most of the clients are based here in Seoul so instead of flying back and forth I decided to set up an office here.”

            “It’s interesting you forgot to mention this to me.”

            “As I told you before Hyun Joong, as far as I’m concerned I don’t need to tell you anything.  I’ll do as I please especially if it means helping the company grow.”

            Hyun Joong wanted to fire back at He Ra but he realized it would be pointless.  He ignored He Ra instead and went back work. 

            “Oh I see. You will just ignore me.  That’s fine,” He Ra said and walked out of Hyun Joong’s office.

            Hyun Joong focused on his work and did his best to ignore He Ra for the rest of the day.

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            It was close to eleven o’clock.  Hyun Joong and So Min were sound asleep when Hyun Joong’s phone rang.  He recognized the number right away and answered the phone.  “Is everything okay?.......I see. ……Okay, I’m on my way.”  Hyun Joong carefully got out of bed.  He did not want to wake up So Min.

            It was close to two in the morning when Hyun Joong got back.  So Min felt Hyun Joong return to bed but she didn’t bother to ask him.  She was too tired to talk and went back to sleep.

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            “Very good, So Min.  The pregnancy is going well,” said Dr. Seo Jung Eun.  “Your weight gain is pretty healthy and the baby’s heart rate is healthy too.  Hyun Joong, you must be proud of your wife.”

            “I am, Dr. Seo.  I’m very proud of her.  I know she’s uncomfortable at times but she doesn’t complain about it.  And did you notice Dr. Seo, my wife is glowing? She’s getting more and more beautiful every day.”

            “Stop it Hyun Joong.  You’re embarrassing me!”

            “I can’t help it.  I’m just telling the truth!”

            “We’d better go before you embarrass me even more.”

            “Okay guys, I’ll see you again in two weeks,” Dr. Seo said.

            While on their way home, Hyun Joong’s phone rang.  It was that familiar number again.  He barely spoke while on the phone.  When he was done he asked Do-Han, their driver, to take So Min home.

            “Do you mind if Do-Han takes you home?  I need to go to a meeting now.”

            “No, not at all.  Are you going to be home for dinner?”

            “I’m not sure yet.  I’ll call you later and let you know.”

            “Do-Han can you please stop by my office first so I can take my car then you can take Mrs. Kim home.”

            “No problem, Mr. Kim,” Do-Han replied.

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            It was almost ten o’clock in the evening and Hyun Joong was not home yet.  So Min couldn’t sleep.  She tried calling Hyun Joong’s phone a couple of times but he did not answer which was unusual for him.  So Min noticed that Hyun Joong had been going out a lot lately, and at times in the middle of the night.  So Min wondered what was going on.  She wondered if it was somehow related to the mysterious calls Hyun Joong had been receiving lately.  A lot of crazy ideas entered her mind but she immediately shut them down. No matter what I need to trust my husband, she told herself.

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            The last couple of days Hyun Joong had been successful avoiding He Ra at work.  But he wasn’t so lucky that day.  He Ra managed to invite herself to a dinner that Hyun Joong set up with one for their clients, Mr. Han Yoon Sub.  Hyun Joong almost cancelled his dinner with Mr. Han, but Mr. Han was glad to hear He Ra would be joining them for dinner. Hyun Joong had no choice but to bring He Ra along.

            To Hyun Joong’s surprise the dinner went very well.  Mr. Han was very interested in expanding his investment with their company.  Hyun Joong was particularly interested in Mr. Han’s investment which he could use to fund the partnership with Jung Capital Investment.  As much as he didn’t appreciate He Ra’s presence, he was glad he didn’t cancel their dinner appointment.

            After dinner, He Ra invited Hyun Joong for drinks but Hyun Joong declined.

            “Look He Ra, I know what you are trying to do here.  I told you I’ve moved on.  You should do the same.  So Min and I are going to be parents soon and I don’t want to create any misunderstanding between us.”

            “You mean So Min is pregnant,” He Ra asked and couldn’t believe what she just heard.

            “Now you know, I’m warning you He Ra, don’t do anything that will upset or hurt So Min and our baby.  If something happens to them, I don’t think I will ever forgive you.”  Hyun Joong then walked to his car and left He Ra standing in front of the restaurant.

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            It was Sunday morning.  Hyun Joong and So Min had nothing planned for the day. 

            “I’ll run out for a few hours.  I have an errand to do,” Hyun Joong told So Min.

            “If that’s the case, do you mind if I invite Seung Ah over for lunch to keep me company while you’re gone.”

            “No.  Not at all.  I think it’s a good idea.”

            A couple of hours later Hyun Joong left.  So Min was about to call Seung Ah and invite her over but she changed her mind.  For some strange reason she was curious where Hyun Joong was going.  She already made a decision to trust her husband but somehow this had been bothering her for days now.  She needed to know what was going on.  Her curiosity was killing her.

            So Min got in her car and followed Hyun Joong.  She kept a safe distance so Hyun Joong would not recognize her car and would not know he was being followed.  Half an hour later Hyun Joong reached his destination and went inside the property.  So Min got out of her car and carefully looked at the property in front of her.  For some reason the property looked familiar to her.  She stood there for a while. Then it came back to her.

TO BE CONTINUED