Sun-kissed: Part II / ACT II

A formidable dragon stood in his path.

But that wasn’t what caused Youngbae’s mood to swiftly change from heartache to sudden irritation. It was the deadly glint in Jiyong’s eyes that grated on his nerves.  Like he had wronged him somehow.  Youngbae’s jaw hardened at the sight.

“Excuse me,” Youngbae bit out curtly as he tried to pass.

Jiyong shifted direction, further blocking his way.

They stared each other down in silence. 

He didn’t need this right now.  Didn’t need his best friend’s look of disapproval or condemnation.  Not after having dragged his heart through the last fifteen minutes of hell.  Not after telling and implying to his other significant half – the love of his life, the mother of his unborn child, that she had to reexamine her love and trust for him or else they needed to reevaluate where they stood in their relationship.  No, he didn’t need this .  He had enough guilt and burden riding on his shoulders to last him a lifetime.

“Move,” Youngbae ordered in a low tone.

“You really want to do this?” Jiyong challenged, his light eyebrows slashed low.  “After all those months of suffering your bouts of depression because your girl was overseas… and supposedly, over you?  You want to just push her away like this?”

Why wasn’t he surprised that it was Jiyong that walked in on them earlier?  He felt mildly irritated knowing that his friend had eavesdropped on his private conversation with Amina, but better him than someone else.  “Stay out of this,” Youngbae warned.

“Nah man…” Jiyong bared his teeth.  “You may not listen to her… but you’re going to listen to me.”  He watched as his words penetrated his best friend; watched as Youngbae’s nostrils flared and his chest puff up with anger.  “You’re about to make a mistake.”

“I’m warning you.  Stay out of this,” Youngbae repeated louder.  He took a step towards Jiyong and eyed the taller man with steely intent.

“Didn’t I tell you?” Jiyong chided.  “From the beginning, I said ‘if you’re not ready to move on, then don’t.’ 

“What the are you talking about?” Youngbae quietly sneered.  He eyed Jiyong in disbelief.  “Apparently, you don’t know what’s going on.  Because if you did, you’d know that Nara is just a friend.”  He bit his bottom lip in frustration.  “You know what?”  He shook his head in aggravation.  “I don’t have to explain myself to you.”  He started brushing past Jiyong.

“Why? Because I might be right?” Jiyong sneered back in a low tone and watched as Youngbae paused, his back towards him.  “Your wife thinks something is going on.  That should be enough for you to reconsider.  Unless you think it’s okay to just go back and pretend like everything is fine while Amina rights whatever it is in her mind until she sees things your way.”  When he didn’t get a reaction, Jiyong was left with no choice.  He threw down the gauntlet.  “You sure Nara’s just a friend?” he taunted.

Youngbae whipped around, his face red and angry.  “This goes beyond Nara,” he shot back.   “It goes beyond what you just heard.  That conversation was between Amina and me.”  His eyes flickered over Jiyong’s face.  “Why don’t you stick to your own problems and stop meddling in mine?” He mugged Jiyong up and down.  “Maybe man up and tell Hanna how you really feel instead of playing lackey to try and win her affections.”

Jiyong narrowed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief.  “Are you ing for real?  You think I’m being concerned just because of Hanna?  I may have promised to look out for Amina, but that has nothing to do with what I’m saying to you now.”  He furrowed his brows and looked into his friend’s furious gaze.  “I’m telling you.  You’re making a mistake.”

The door to the lounge opened.

They both turned and stared as Amina’s pale face came into view.  Aside from the dull look in her eyes and slightly reddened nose, she looked none-the-worse for wear.  It was if she had came to some realization and pulled a mask over her face.  She shut the door behind her and looked briefly at the pair.  “Excuse me,” she bowed her head as she walked in-between the two, intent on heading for the emergency door exit that housed the stairwell. 

“Amina-sshi,” Jiyong called after her.  She glanced over her shoulder at him and paused.  “Are you okay?” he asked, ignoring Youngbae’s scoff and the hands that were thrown up in the air.  He stared mutely as Youngbae stalked off towards the elevators.

Amina watched her husband’s retreating back, her lips trembling lightly.  She turned back to Jiyong.  “I’m fine,” she said.  She could see that he didn’t believe her.  “I’ll be fine,” Amina clarified, attempting a sad smile.  “Please… stay out of it.  I need to do this for us.  I need to…” Tears pricked at the back of her eyes.  She blinked rapidly to clear them away and put on a brave smile.  “I need to fix myself.”  She turned and started walking away.

“He’s wrong,” Jiyong adamantly stressed.

With her hand on the door, Amina turned back and shook her head dismally.  “It doesn’t matter.”  Her bleak eyes stared into his.  “He thinks I don’t trust him.  I have to prove to him that I do… because if I can’t do that…” She lowered her head and rubbed her lips to calm the sudden onset of hysteria that was threatening to overwhelm her.  “This is my only chance.  If I can’t prove that I trust him… then there’s no reason for us to be together.”

By the end of business, Amina had completely recovered from her earlier shock.  Or at least she did a pretty damn good job of masking her pain.  It was the same protective routine she reverted back to whenever her world came crashing down upon her.  Just like the time she found out that her parents had betrayed her with an arranged marriage.  Or like the time her parents had cut her off completely from their lives after choosing Youngbae.  Or like the time she found out that her father had passed away and she didn’t get a chance to make amends.  With so many disappointing and regretful moments in her life, one would wonder how she didn’t become immune to such heartache.  But she endured it.  With her guard pulled up and securely in place, she endured it.  But although the resilience was there, she couldn’t deny that it still hurt.  Somehow, she expected it from her parents.  Only now, she knew to expect it from her husband as well.

She knew better now.

Only a lingering numbness remained as she brushed aside her forlorn thoughts and focused on keeping busy.  It was easier to drown in the piles of correspondence and tasks at hand instead of dwelling on their future.  She kept her voice lively and her eyes forcefully bright.  Even when Daesung came by for his usual visit, he couldn’t tell that anything was off.  She spoke easily with him and even graciously accepted his surprise bag of chocolates with a joke – teasingly telling Daesung that he was the main reason for making her gain so much weight these past few weeks.

“Are you ready to go home?”

Amina looked up from her computer monitor, feeling a bit startled by Youngbae’s presence.  He sounded wary and hesitant.  She nodded jerkily.  “Umm… neh.  I’ll just shut down here…”  Her voice faded away as his attention wandered off towards the sound of increasing boisterous laughter coming from inside their sajangnim’s office.    

“Ah, Youngbae-yah,” President Yang smiled as he walked out of his office.  “Guess who stopped by.”  Following closely behind him was Ro Seung-hwan, otherwise known as Sean from the hip hop duo Jinusean.  A former rapper turned philanthropist, Sean was known in the community for his work as a social activist due to his compassion and support of varies charities and volunteerism.

A wide grin split Youngbae’s face.  “Ah, hyung…”  The two traded greetings and briefly embraced.  “How’s the family doing?”  While the trio caught up, Amina started saving her work and began her routine habit of writing down a short to-do list for tomorrow.  After grabbing her purse and locking up her desk drawers, Amina stood up, catching Sean’s eye momentarily.  She gave him a small smile.

“You have to do the honors now,” President Yang joked, his eyes on Youngbae.

Sean looked between the two, his face slightly puzzled.  “Did I miss something?”  He watched as Amina made her way slowly around to them.

“Ah…” Youngbae sheepishly smiled.  He held out his arm, beckoning Amina forth.  “I want to introduce you to someone.”

“Oh,” Sean’s eyebrows rose.  “We’ve met,” he smiled, remembering the glass of water Amina brought to him earlier.

Amina looked up and found the apples of her husband’s cheeks tinged with pink.  Her eyes softened at the sight while she allowed him to pull her close to his side.  The familiar warmth of his hand on her back made her anxiety subside; made any lingering uneasiness disappear.  She smiled and bowed formally after Youngbae properly introduced her as his wife.  Her eyes flickered with amusement at the shock on Sean’s face.

“Wait until I tell Hye-Young-ah the news when I get home!” Sean exclaimed.  “She’ll think I’m lying and probably make me invite you to the house so she can see for herself.”

They laughed.

“I would love to meet your wife and children one day,” Amina smiled.

“Well, maybe you can soon,” perked up Sean.  “I was just telling President Yang about a charity event I’m hosting to help fund a children’s rehabilitation hospital for the Purme Foundation.  It’s planned to open next May, but we’re still a little short in reaching our goals.”

“Oh?” Amina’s eyes brightened.  “The hospital that’s being constructed in Sangam-dong?”

“Neh,” Sean nodded.

“It’s huge!” Amina grinned, genuine excitement glowing in her eyes.

“Neh,” Sean repeated, grinning in return.  Pride and accomplishment were evident in his voice.  “It has eight stories, three of which are below ground.  Once it’s finished, we’ll be able to treat up to 150,000 disabled youth and children each year.”

“That’s amazing,” Amina reverently murmured.

“It is,” Sean nodded.  “And hopefully with your husband’s help here, we’ll be able to drudge up a little more support for the project.” He looked pointedly at Youngbae.  “I still can’t believe you’re married.  No wedding?”  His eyebrows furrowed.

Youngbae smiled as he glanced briefly down at Amina.  “Not yet,” he replied easily.  “But maybe after my promotions and after the baby arrives.”

Amina’s eyes dimmed slightly, the smile frozen on her face.

“Baby?” Sean’s eyes widened.  Dumbstruck, he stared at Amina’s barely protruding stomach that was concealed heavily by a large loose wrap before feigning a glare in Youngbae’s direction.  “What is it with you kids these days?  Is it the music?  Bad influence...”

The all chuckled good naturedly as Youngbae s