CHAPTER 19

So Min walked towards the gate of the property.  She realized the gate was open and she slowly went inside.  She noticed the two-story building looked a little bit different but she could clearly remember the building.  She remembered the lawn where she used to run around with the other children.  This was the orphanage she and her parents used to visit when she was a little girl.

She went inside the building and could hear the children busy eating their lunch in the huge dining hall.  The ages of the children ranged from infants to teenagers.  It had been a while since she saw this place but she remembered having fun playing with the children when she used to visit.

“Can I help you?” one of the staff asked So Min.

“Oh, yes.  I’m looking for my husband.  My name is Kim So Min.  I’m the wife of Kim Hyun Joong.”

“Hello Mrs. Kim.  My name is Lee Hee-Jin and it’s nice to finally meet you.  No wonder you look familiar.  I saw your pictures on newspapers and magazines when you and Mr. Kim got married.”

“Nice to meet you also Lee Hee-Jin and thanks for offering to help.”

“I think Mr. Kim is having a meeting with Mrs. Hong Tae Ra.   Please follow me and let me show you her office.”

So Min followed Lee Hee-Jin to the other end of the hallway, toward the administration office. Inside the office she saw a lady about her mother’s age and Hyun Joong who was sitting across her.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Hong and Mr. Kim.  Mrs. Kim is here looking for husband,” said Lee Hee-Jin.

“What are you doing here, So Min?” Hyun Joong said completely shocked seeing So Min.

“I’m sorry Hyun Joong.  I followed you here,” So Min said.  She wanted to explain further but she didn’t think it was the right time and place for it. 

“Oh my goodness, is that you So Min?” Mrs. Hong said very excited to see So Min after so many years.  She got up and shook So Min’s hands.  “I don’t know if you remember me.  My name is Mrs. Hong Tae Ra and I’m the administrator of this orphanage.  I don’t know if you still remember me.  The last time I saw you was when you were just ten years old.”

“Please forgive me Mrs. Hong but I don’t remember.  But I do remember visiting this place when I was a little girl.”

“It’s okay So Min.  It was a long time ago and I don’t expect you to remember.  I’m just so happy to see you again!  I heard so much about you from Hyun Joong.”

“I hope they are good things,” said So Min attempting to make a joke.  Hyun Joong stayed quiet the whole time.  He didn’t know what to say.  He didn’t expect So Min to show up in the orphanage.

“Oh, don’t worry.  Hyun Joong has only good things to say about you.  I was really excited when I found out the two of you got married and that you are expecting your first baby soon.  And I have to say So Min, you’ve grown into such a beautiful lady.”

“Thank you,” So Min said suddenly feeling embarrassed.

“Would you like to take a tour of the place,” Mrs. Hong asked So Min.

“Maybe next time Mrs. Hong.  I’d better take So Min home.  I’m sure she had enough surprise for the day,” said Hyun Joong.

“I understand.  But promise me So Min you’d come and visit us again, okay?”

“Yes Mrs. Hong I definitely would like to visit again and meet the rest of your staff and the children here.”

Mrs. Hong gave Hyun Joong and So Min a hug and walked them out of her office.

Hyun Joong and So Min were quiet as they walked to their cars.

“Don’t worry about your car.  I will drive you home.  I will ask Do-Han to pick up your car here. I know I have a lot to explain to you So Min, but do you mind if we wait until we get home so I can concentrate driving?”

“Look Hyun Joong, I’m not upset.  I was just wondering why you didn’t tell me.  Yes, we can talk when we get home.”  And to prove that she was not upset So Min gave Hyun Joong a hug before they went inside the car.  Hyun Joong felt so relieved. 

Hyun Joong and So Min proceeded to their living room as soon as they reached home.

“Look So Min I’m sorry for not telling you everything.  I’ve known you since we were young.   I don’t know if you remember me but I was the boy who used to push you on the swing every time you came to visit with your parents.”

“Yes I remember.  That was you?”

“Yes, it was me.  For some reason you liked that swing and you would stay there the whole time while your parents were meeting with Mrs. Hong.”

“I don’t know but I enjoyed being on that swing, especially when you would push it really high.  As a kid, it felt like I’m reaching the sky.”

“But then you stopped coming.  I was really upset.  I would wait every Sunday afternoon hoping you’d come.   I don’t know, in a way I was jealous.  Seeing you with your parents made me miss my own parents.  Sometimes I’d wish I was part of your family.  That’s why I was upset when you stopped visiting us.”

“My parents stopped bringing me to the orphanage.  They didn’t think it was healthy for me.  They told me years later that I would come home very sad after visiting the orphanage.  They said I would cry for hours and would beg them to bring all the children home.  They said I felt sorry for them that I would be upset after every visit.  So they stopped bringing me.”

“Wow, I didn’t realize it was hard for you to be there.  No wonder they didn’t want you to visit the orphanage anymore.”

“So how was it growing up in an orphanage?”

“It was not easy but I made the most out of it.  The staff at the orphanage worked hard and made sure that every child’s needs were met.  But it was never the same.  I sorely missed my parents so I focused all my attention to my studies and actually excelled in school.  I had a great sponsor who paid for all my education expenses, including graduate school in the United States.  For years I wondered who my generous sponsor was so I asked Mrs. Hong but apparently she was under strict instruction not to divulge the information.  Five years ago I eventually hired a private investigator to find out.”

“So who was it?” So Min asked with anticipation.

“It was actually your father.”

“It was my Dad?  Does he know?”

“No.  Your father chose not to know.  He wanted to remain anonymous.  Since I found out, I’ve been following your family through the news, magazines, and internet.  And the private investigator would keep me posted once in a while.”

“Why?”

“I couldn’t explain it.  There was this urge to get close to your family.  Maybe because part of me knows I owe your father a lot.  If not for him I wouldn’t be this successful.”

So Min watched Hyun Joong as he was telling his story.  She could feel his warmth and sincerity.  She reached out and held Hyun Joong’s hands.

“Every time I see pictures of you I would stare at them for hours.  I would remember the days at the orphanage and the child in me would come out and all of sudden I would miss you terribly.  Then I heard that your father was having a tough time keeping his company together and I wanted to help him badly. Like a son who wanted to help his father.”

“Was that the reason you proposed a partnership with my father?”

“Yes, but of course I did my homework.  After all it was a business arrangement.  For me to sell the idea to our own investors, I needed to prove that this was a wise investment for us.  And it was.  Although I would admit it was hard to separate my personal feelings as I was preparing my business proposal.”

“But why include me in the arrangement?”

“Believe me that was not part my original plan but I found out He Ra was planning to completely take over your father’s business.  I know He Ra, once she has set her mind into something there’s no stopping her.  I figured as long as I’m part of your family, she wouldn’t be able to touch your father’s business.”

“But you don’t know me at all.  You were willing to take that risk?”

Hyun Joong looked at So Min.  “I wasn’t sure what it was but I wasn’t scared.  I didn’t think at all.  I just followed my heart.”

“But you were so cold to me when we first met.”

“I think because I was trying so hard to convince myself that this was all for business reasons, a favor to return your father’s generosity.  But I was wrong.  The moment I saw you on our first meeting I found you irresistible.  After I met you, I wanted you to be my wife more than ever.  And after we kissed that night, I knew I want to be with you for the rest of my life.”

“Oh Hyun Joong,” So Min couldn’t help it anymore and gave Hyun Joong a passionate kiss.

“I love you So Min,” Hyun Joong said under his breath.  “You have no idea how much I love you.”

“I love you too, Hyun Joong.  I’ve been dying to tell you but I wasn’t sure if you felt the same way.  Besides you kept saying what we have was just physical attraction and in a way I believed you.”

Hyun Joong touched So Min’s face.  “So when did you find out you love me?”

So Min smiled.  “During our honeymoon.  When you were singing to me.  Back then I realized the happiest moments of my life were the days I spent with you.  I didn’t want to be away from you since then.”

“Was that the reason you followed me in New York.”

“Yes.  I couldn’t bear to be away from you.  It was driving me crazy.  I couldn’t focus on anything and all I could think was you.”

“Oh you really are a sweetheart.  You have no idea how lonely I was being away from you.   I was so happy you came to New York and decided to be with me.  Because of you and our baby, I’m the happiest man on earth.”

Hyun Joong carried So Min to their bedroom.  Hyun Joong slowly undressed So Min.  Looking at her with her protruding baby belly and larger bosoms, Hyun Joong found So Min ier than ever.  He couldn’t get his hands off her and couldn’t wait to make love to her.  Confessing their love for each other brought their passion to an even a higher level and they made love that night like it was the first time.

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It was almost nine o’clock in the morning when Hyun Joong woke up.  He remembered what happened the previous night which brought a smile to his face.  He looked at So Min still sleeping next to him.  She looked beautiful and peaceful.  Hyun Joong decided he will not go to work that day but would rather spend the day with So Min.  He gave So Min a kiss on her forehead.  Minutes later Hyun Joong’s phone rang.  It was Mrs. Hong.

“We need you badly Hyun Joong.  Please come, hurry!”

TO BE CONTINUED