Chapter 40

Scaling Mountains

Sandara was wheeled into the room with Angela vigorously waving at her and calling out her name from behind the door where she came from. “Mama!” she is a small lump of energy.

She blew her a kiss which the child made an elaborate move to sweep it. She heard Seunghyun laugh as he tightened his arms around his daughter.

“Fighting!” the father and child tandem chorused above the din and she nods in acknowledgement. The child did a fist pump.

This one is for her family.

Sandara sat straighter and held her chin up.  No one is bringing her down family down, not Jiyong and most definitely not some mixed breed spawn.

~~~~~

“Why is noona on TV?” Seungri straightened from his seat and increased the volume of the TV.

“Dammit!” Bom swore and dumped the alcohol content from the bottle she was holding on to the model’s head and chucked the container towards Jiyong.

“Noona!” Daesung stood to stop her again from attacking further.

“Idiot.” She reached up to pull on Daesung’s ear. “Didn’t you just see your mother!” she swung her arms to motion toward the screen.  “Your mother is in the venue standing alongside my family. Sandara Park is going to save your mother’s effing image against the mud slung by this !” She shoved him hard.

“Go ahead and defend her.  I hope Sandara changes her mind and hangs her out to dry.”

She turned to face Kiko. “I will drown you in a vat full of rotten fish innards after this.” She hissed.  “You just wait.”

Seungri stood from where he was seated and pulled Bom to sit next to him. “Let us just listen to what noona has got to say.” He turned to look at Kiko then his hyungs. “This is far from over.” Then he shrugged. “Let us not forget that she might still have an ace in her possession…and possibly a joker.” He smiled at Kiko and winked.  

“or two.”

“What do you mean?!” Kiko found her voice again.

Seungri simply lifted his forefinger towards his mouth as if to shush her. “My noona is saying something.”

Sandara’s voice filled the room.

“…It was brought to my attention today that a certain demand was made that I apologize for what has happened several nights ago at The Turret. And I agree…I have to acknowledge what I did and the trouble I have caused.  To everyone who lives at The Turret, I am sorry for the ruckus I have made.  I want to mention that I have made some friends in that community and they were disturbed. To the sweet lady Mrs. Dong, Auntie I am sorry I worried you.  To my friends at the racing club, who were having a not so quiet time that night, the demise of a much beloved car is heartbreaking and I am sorry you had to witness it.”

Dara shuffled some cards and said “That is all I am ready to apologize for and if the party who made the demand isn’t happy that makes the two of us.”

“I want to tell everyone a story. Please indulge me.” She tried to smile.

“Everyone knew I got married early this year. I married Kwon Jiyong in an enchanting ceremony viewed by thousands on television.” Sandara smiled painfully.

“It felt like a dream, a start of my very own fairy tale where the prince marries the frog princess, well in my case the mountain rabbit. Then most recently I learned that I am pregnant. I have to admit it scared me. Children are very permanent and I wasn’t sure if I was ready for a tangible proof of my love towards anyone. But in the span of several months my husband managed to convince me that I am truly loved and that there is no reason for me not to love him back.”

“So what happened? One may ask…Well this happened…” Sandara pointed at the big white screen on the left side of where she was seated.

“They look so in love don’t they? I thought so too. They were childhood sweethearts, each other’s best friend. Kwon Jiyong is a stalwart defender of the beautiful Kiko Mizuhara. She was everywhere, in my engagement, in Seunghyun’s party and even in my campaigns. They are positively a match made in heaven and the best part is they also have a daughter.” A collective buzz was heard from the people present.

“Their’s have all the ingredients of a wonderful love story if only he isn’t married to me.”She paused.

“He made me believe he loved me.  He made me believe that he will not just love me tomorrow but today, everyday.” Sandara shrugged.  “I guess he lied.” She stared at the screen for a moment and watched them kiss again.

“I am sorry I believed you, I am sorry I am hurt, but I am not sorry for what I did.” Sandara clenched her jaw.

“No man leaves his pregnant wife to seek comfort in another’s arm and come back to find her fine. Hell. Fury. Woman scorned.” Sandara stared at the camera.

 “My children are the only reason I held back. They are far more important than my bruised ego. I am a mother first. So Yuka, the sister of Ms. Mizuhara, had volunteered to serve as agent of peace among us and for that I wish to thank her.”

Bom chortled.

“I along with my children as a consequence will leave the country to seek healing and spend time reflecting. We will not press charges against anyone, in exchange, Kwon Jiyong will renounce all his rights to his children and from this point forward all of them will be referred to as Parks. My children, grandchildren of Anna and Benjamin Park.”

“That is not going to happen.” Jiyong roared and smacked the folder in front of him.

“May I remind you that Yuka is an agent of peace.” Seungri grinned.  “Meaning, noona will not hesitate to hurt her should you miss to give her what she wants. And please take note, she will hurt her.”

“Jiyong..” Kiko croaked.

“Shut up!” he slammed her.

“She will hurt my sister!”

“The hell I care.” Jiyong was so enraged.  “Do you even for a moment think about Angela? I am not going to abandon my daughter, not for your sister who came to them unbidden.”

“You were also the one who went to me that day Jiyong.”

“He wouldn’t have come if you did not know of the child.” Daesung exclaimed. “You made sure to be available when he did. You were everywhere hovering like a bee over honey.“

“He wouldn’t have come for me if he loves her more than he loves me!” Kiko cried.

“And the saga continues.” Bom chime in. “ Sandara played her cards well, don’t you think?” She jumped from her seat and smiled like a Cheshire cat. “Come on now, Jiyong.” She pushed the folder to him. “Sign here. I have a plane to catch”

“You don’t have to sign anything hyung.” Daesung interjected with a wave of his arm

“Sure.” Bom grinned sardonically. “And Yuka gets reunited with Kiko and we all live happily ever after.”

 “I want to see her.”

“Not until you sign here…here … and here.” Bom pointed at all the empty spaces. “Sandara will let you say goodbye.” She tapped the surface of the documents she held and handed him a pen. “We can catch them at the airport.”

“And hyung.” Seungri stood and pulled something from his jacket. “Noona refused to let you see these but since I have a copy, you might as well have these.” He handed him two print outs.

Bom sidle next to Daesung, “Pictures of your nephews. Well, would be nephews at least. That is if Tokki decides to keep them after he scribbles his name.”

~~~~~~~~~

“Mama!” Angela shrieked immediately upon seeing Sandara being wheeled in. “Mama.” She was quick to wind her short arms around her neck and nuzzled between her s. The child had been restless since they have left the venue.  Leaving in different cars had been Youngbae’s idea. It was easier to dodge any tailgater.  They were huddled together inside Passions.

“I missed you.” The child whispered and bends further to kiss her stomach. “And you… and you.”

“We missed you too.” Sandara kissed her daughter back.  She brushed her short hair out of her eyes, Kwon Jiyong’s eyes. She swallowed the lump on . She loves the child very much, oh the irony of it all. She kissed her again.

“And Appa too?” She asked. “I miss Appa…He isn’t here, but Grama Liz is over there.”

“And what about Papa?.” Youngbae was quick to pick the girl from her mother’s lap and saddled her behind his neck. “Don’t you miss Papa? Huh? Huh?” And he started moving around which earned him shrieks from the child.

“So do you miss him?” It was Seunghyun.

“I don’t think he even remembered me when he held her. “ Sandara tried to smile but failed miserably. “I don’t think he deserved to be missed.”

“But you do.” He insisted.

“Spilt milk .” She said bitterly.

“Sandara.” Seunghyun called her ominously.

“ I already made my bed Tabi. I am sleeping on it.“  She tried to stand from the chair.

“Will you stop being petulant.” He held her firmly and helped her to the nearest couch. “You are still married.”

“On paper.” She raised her chin. “If he wants to marry her he would have to find me first, eat dirt and post pictures of her groin online.”

“But you are willing to see him again.” Seunghyun pulled her closer.

“Of course.” She replied. “ For Angela, I will scale the highest mountain and gouge the monster’s eye. “ She narrows her eyes and tried to smile.

“ But since you are heavy with children. The monster would have to wait.” He pinched her nose to distract her.

“We can have somebody else gut her.” She suggested hopefully.

“Her?” He eyed her suspiciously. “You did not do anything to her, did you Tokki?”

“What can a pregnant mountain rabbit possibly do to anyone, Tabi?” She laughed full of mirth in her eyes.

“Based on what you have done, plenty. You are scaring me Tokki.” He held her hand “The monster would have fled the mountain once he knew you’d be coming for him.” He nudged her.

“Jiyong would never flee.” Sandara gestured towards the glass window. True enough, Jiyong stepped out of the car followed by Daesung and Seungri.  

"Son of a... Bommie! Where is Bommie?" Seunghyun stood in alarm.

A/N: Hello Everyone!!! I hope you are well.  Life is pretty ty on my end so you can just imagine the crazies the characters go through as well hehehe. :) Thank you everyone for reading, for the comments and for the subcription. I hope this chapter make sense hehehhe.

Please do not forget to leave your comments below :) I do look forward to reading those.

Happy Holidays everyone.