Chapter 9: “I didn’t say half the things I wanted to- Taylor Swift”

-o0o-

“The food was so good!” remarked Choonhee, entering their bedroom while rubbing her tummy. Walking beside her was Yesung, already in his PJs as the two switched the lights on. He lied on the bed at once, grabbing the book he found earlier from the attic. Choonhee settled herself beside him as well, setting her head unto his chest as he continued reading.

“You’re pretty damn heavy,” Yesung commented, clearing his throat. His lungs seemed to vibrate as he did this, Choonhee moving away with a disgruntled look.

“Seriously, you know how to piss someone off,” Choonhee muttered, getting up and sitting on one of the chairs by the bed. She looked displeased, and still Yesung didn’t mind this. He was busily reading the book, not at all bothered by his wife’s fluctuating emotions. She raised her legs until she closed them in, hugging them instead of the pillow. From where she sat, Yesung appeared like a really handsome prince, having his nighttime story. But Choonhee remained silent; now wishing Yesung would make a move.

She couldn’t resist it; the silence was too appalling. “Yesung-sshi.”

“Hmm?” he said, eyes staying on the book.

Choonhee bit her lips. “Hey, Yesung-sshi. Do you love me?”

“I love you,” Yesung replied, glancing at his wife, delusional to be wondering about this. “Why?”

“Because...I think it’s not true,” she responded dryly.

Yesung closed the book, threw it to his bedside table, and looked at Choonhee expressionlessly. “Doubting?”

She continued to bite her lip, knowing that he was on to her. “I...I...just thought...it...”

“It what?” Yesung asked, opening the comforters for her to dive in. “I was lying? Really, Choonhee. What do you want? I already married you. Isn’t that proof enough that I love you? This talk is pathetic. Would you get back here?”

Choonhee rolled her eyes, getting under the covers with him. “I feel nauseated. Must be the crabs I ate.”

“I told you Mom put poison in it,” Yesung said, getting the book and opened to the page were he left.

She got hold of his hands, gripping them and putting the book down. She snuggled closer, kissing his cheek. Yesung knew what would happen next, the moves he had memorized coming from her were totally predictable. He turned his back on her, closing his eyes and ignoring her loud sigh.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Yesung kept quiet. “If I were you, I’d go to sleep.”

She scowled. “Why? It’s like 10:30.”

He sat upright, exhaling. She noticed his annoyed expression as Yesung rolled his eyes. So suddenly, he punched their headboard, muttering a bunch of cursing words.

“I would go to sleep now, Choonhee,” he yelled happily at the top of his voice, Choonhee’s brows furrowing. “You should too. We have many things to do tomorrow. And it’s not good for our health to be staying up late. My mother, who I assume isn’t listening right now, is the sweetest thing. She would not want something that can cause us harm. And I know she isn’t eavesdropping on us. She’s much too good to be doing that. So let us go to sleep. Lights off!”

Choonhee laughed, completely understanding. “Omo, is this why?” she whispered, giggling.

He nodded, putting a finger to her lips. “Don’t laugh. She gets lots of ideas about it.”

“Your mother is amazing,” Choonhee responded, adding volume to her voice. Yesung couldn’t help but laugh at this as well. “Okay, let’s go to sleep now. I don’t want Umma to scold us.”

Yesung tightened his grip on her hand. “She won’t scold you. She scolds me.”

She pushed him playfully. “Would you stop it? Your mom isn’t eavesdropping on you.”

“Oh yeah?” Yesung said. “When I bring a girl home, she always does that, wondering what we’re doing.”

“Girl? Omo, you had girlfriends before?” Choonhee’s imagination ran miles and miles away.

Yesung quickly shrugged. “The past is the past. It doesn’t matter now.”

She beamed. “How many? Who was the best? Huh, Yesung-sshi? Who?” She tickled his sides, with him squirming to get away from her. He couldn’t attack from behind, for her guard was up. Choonhee had always been lighthearted, now pouncing at him with a pillow. Yesung had a hard time controlling his laughter as well, as he clutched both of her hands, how beautiful she was in this state. With her hair falling to her face, Choonhee’s mischievous eye smile always had him melted. He smirked at her.

“Aish, you know who the best was,” he reacted, pulling her in and kissing her.

-o0o-

“Mar do eops i sa rang,” she read the title of the album, recalling the sad drama on TV when she was around her college days.

“It’s from the romantic drama ‘Your Beautiful’. The one where the girl pretended to be her twin brother to replace him in a famous rock band? Have you watched this? It’s pretty damn cool,” he told her, holding her hand as he did so. She was like a lost child who knew nothing about her Korean past. Kim Stella grew up in the United States, never ever returning to where her real motherland. Although she took the chance to study in SMEU for her first year, she found love at the most surprising places. And that returning at once broke her heart. She wanted to stay in Korea but she must leave for she was much accepted in America.

Today she was wearing her black hair down---straight it was than before. Siwon looked at her happily. “There are so many things here in Korea you have to see. I mean, you’ve stayed for one year here before but you’re a 30-year-old woman who knows nothing about it.”

Stella smiled. “Yes, that’s right. I feel stupid for not learning my Korean. My parent’s barely practice it anymore in the US. I can’t recall what else there is.”

“Don’t worry,” Siwon stated. “We have a month staying here before I get back to work”

 Stella sighed silently, nervous of her next question. “Why do you...think it’s important to my father that I marry you?”

Siwon stared at her for a minute, at lost for words. She finally revealed another side of herself, slowly opening up to him these past few days. It was rather nice to hear her unfold stories about her real self, knowing that he had missed this poor girl so much. It was hard to move on, to get on with life when Stella left SMEU that year. Somehow, if it weren’t for Sooyoung who brightened up his days, it would have been totally lifeless. As he graduated and took over his mother’s business, he met Stella who was an employee in their company. She worked so hard in the office that she got a lot of promotions. The two of them were more acquainted when Stella’s parents added an insurance group to the Choi’s Company a couple of months ago. Since then, her father had been wishing that the two of them got married.

“I don’t know the answer to that,” Siwon replied.

Her lips curled. “I guess...he thinks only of the money.”

“He doesn’t know about...our...relationship before, right?” Siwon inquired.

“Yes,” Stella said, regretting that she had asked him a bunch of questions. “You know it isn’t what I’m after.”

He nodded courtly. “You don’t have to prove anything to satisfy that statement.”

“As long as you promise we’ll be together no matter what,” she smiled, holding out her pinky for him to swear on. He tied himself to it as well, smiling.

“Yeah, I promise. Stella and me: Forever,” he laughed. “It’s kind of childish but okay, I’ll do it.”

He remembered Choi Sooyoung, the girl he last swore an unbreakable promise. But still, he had broken it. He had to give her up; he knew then that it wouldn’t last too long. They were far too different, much like a bottle of water and a can of soda. He was attracted to her, not just how long her legs would go, but because she was the most interesting person he’d met, someone not as usual as the ones you’d meet in the streets. And he felt how much she was in love with him as well. After seeing her again in Jessica’s party, Siwon knew that he had to contact her as soon as he could, just to ask how she was, talk about something out of the ordinary---Sooyoung’s conversation style.

-o0o-

“꿈꾸고싶다”.

When was the last time she ever spoke these words? Two years ago, perhaps, he had gone drinking that night and left Seohyun alone in the evening. As he went home, she greeted him, telling him words like this. It was always like this before having been divorced.

It was a Monday morning. He was already packed, not much of an effort for he hadn’t wasted clothes during his stay in Incheon. He gazed at Seohyun, whose hair was tightly fixed in a bun. She wore her white uniform loosely and her white shoes were shiny. Her smile that morning warmed his heart a little. She was probably off to work that time, and she had to waste her precious seconds just to accompany Kyuhyun to the airport.

“Are you ready?” Seohyun asked, not anymore entering the house.

Kyu bowed his head in greeting, and then smiling. “Yeah. There’s no need for you to---”

Seohyun raised a finger, Kyuhyun shutting up at once. “Aigoo, oppa. I have to see you off. It’s the least I can do.”

He had to look away---too much eye contact with her made him feel uneasy. He reached for his wallet in one of his pockets. “I will just pay you for all the expenses and burden I have made this weekend.”

She shook her head, helpfully getting his luggage and walking towards the back of the car. “You don’t have to. I told you. I don’t need your money. I can work it on my own. Call this one as charity work,” Slowly she placed the bag down to open the rear back. She unlocked the back of her car with a key, now heaving up his heavy bag. Pity was what made him approach her and carry the bag himself.

“You’re a weakling,” Kyuhyun told her.

Seohyun sighed. “Well...that’s a sweet thing to say to someone who just helped you.”

Kyuhyun chuckled. “Let me drive.”

Her eyebrows knitted close to each other. “Drive? No, I think I should do that.”

“I’m a better driver,” he defended.

“I never doubted that after your accident,” She pinched his cheeks as she hurriedly got into the driver’s spot. Kyuhyun rolled his eyes, following her lead and getting into the seat next to her. Kyuhyun waved at their old house. He knew he would be getting it in no time at all. She began the ignition, swiftly passing the street. The two of them were awfully silent along the way, Kyuhyun receiving loads of calls from Sungmin and Ryeowook. Seohyun didn’t mind how busy he had turned out to be, nonchalantly driving through traffic. When he was finally resolved with the calls, this time it was her phone that rang, Kyuhyun glancing at it as she picked it up, answering cheerfully while her eyes stayed on the road.

“Oh, oppa!” she answered, Kyuhyun sitting properly and looking out of the window. “Yes, I’m driving him now to the airport. How are you? How is Sijoong?”

Kyuhyun’s insides were grunting and complaining, hating the fact it was her boyfriend calling her. His face was still, but his mind was running amok in unfortunate thoughts. Perhaps it was usual for ex-husbands to feel this kind of antagonism---maybe because Kyuhyun thought she was too young to remarry.

She laughed every now and then, their conversation seemingly casual that until the end. “Yonghwa-oppa, I love you too. Stay safe. Take care of Sijoong while I’m gone.” She giggled at his reply. “Aish, don’t miss me that much. I’ll be back in the clinic in no time. Yes, yes. I love you. Aish, don’t waste your calls on me. Take care. See you.”

She flipped the phone back to her pocket, stopping the car when she realized they had arrived in the airport. She barely looked at him when they walked towards the pre-departure area. Seohyun had gone from silent to perfectly quiet doll. She still looked the same even after two years---no difference to the features above. Halting, the ex-lovers faced each other, gazing at each other, both still uncomfortable with this forced situation. She was smiling at him, bowing her head in respect. Motionless, Kyuhyun smirked.

“So...