SORRY FOR KEEPING LEE DONGHAE HIDDEN! BUT HE HAS FINALLY APPEARED! WHOO!

I was dealt a second blow the next morning.

“Haemin, I think you should move to stay out of town for awhile. At least till you’ve given birth,”Hyukjae oppa said during breakfast.

That morning, I knew something was wrong when the ahjumma wasn’t there. Hyukjae oppa had called her the night before telling her to take a break today as well. He had cooked breakfast and was now sitting opposite me.

“What do you mean by that? You’re asking me to stay all by myself in the outskirts of Seoul?”I asked, not believing what was coming out of his mouth.

“You’re not going to stay alone. I’ve arranged accommodation for you. You’ll be staying with my childhood friend. You remember Lee Donghae?”he hurriedly said.

He went on to launch a description of Donghae whom he had told me about. Hyukjae oppa and him were from the same elementary school but his parents met with financial difficulty and he wasn’t able to proceed onto the same high school as Hyukjae oppa. I, on the other hand, was lucky that my parents had scrimped and saved to get me into the school. If not for them, I wouldn’t have met Hyukjae oppa though I’m wondering if that was a good or bad thing now.

According to Hyukjae oppa, they still keep in contact and Donghae is now the principal of a childcare centre in the outskirts of Seoul. Although I know most of his friends, Donghae is one of the friends that I have never met in my life. Though Hyukjae oppa did mention him a few times.

“That’s even worse. You’re asking me to stay with a grown up man! Do you even know what might happen to me?”I asked exasperated.

“Donghae’s a perfect gentleman. I trust him. Besides, I’ll come by every alternate day to visit you. I’m sorry, Haemin. But I really can’t tell the media that I’m an unwedded father. It’s going to affect the business. Please understand me,”he reached out to hold my hand.

I sighed as I looked at him and my heart softened. This was what I was like with Hyukjae oppa. Whatever he said was final and I would listen. Just because I can’t bring myself to argue with him and I trusted him and would do everything he says because it has to be right. Hyukjae oppa cannot be wrong. Can he? I pushed that thought away.

“Fine, I’ll go stay with your friend. But what about the baby and everything?”I asked.

“I…er…Donghae…he…will accompany you to the doctor’s for your monthly check up. That’s to prevent any scandals!”he explained hastily.

I squeezed my eyes tightly shut. I hated the whole idea of staying in a house with a guy I don’t even remember knowing and going on my monthly check up with him.

“When will I move in with him?”I asked.

“As soon as possible. Preferably by Saturday. Since Donghae will be free to settle you down and you can slowly get used to the house,”he answered.

“What happens when I need to give birth?”I asked.

“I’ll come stay with you and be with you when you give birth,”he said.

“But Hyukjae oppa, don’t you think you are doing it all wrong? I mean, what would the media say when the child appears at our wedding ceremony?”I reasoned.

“I’ll think of something by then. I can’t do the wedding this year. The company’s expanding to Japan,”he said firmly, his eyes full of determination.

I opened my mouth to try to persuade him but he cut me off.

“Trust your Hyukjae oppa on this, alright?”he said softly.

And I nodded. It was as if I was under his powers. Whatever he said, I would agree even though I felt it was wrong.

“Alright, go and rest later. I’ll bring the laptop out to do some work. Tell me when you’re hungry and I’ll cook dinner for you,”he said before going off to get his laptop, leaving me alone to eat.

But I pushed the bowl away. I was in no mood to eat breakfast. I didn’t want him to attend to my physical needs. I needed him to tend to my emotional ones. He was about to send me off to stay outside the city and he wasn’t even spending time with me before I left. Yes, on the surface, he is caring. Noticing if I hadn’t eaten or when I’m vomiting. But he became so hopeless at reading my mind and stopped trying to empathise with me. This was so unlike him and I hadn’t even noticed despite him being like that for months.

The next few days, I packed my things bit by bit with the help of the ahjumma. As much I hated to reveal this but Hyukjae oppa had went off to work the next day. My clique, my parents and the ahjumma had no idea what had happened but he spun a story saying that I had to move out of the city to take care of his parents and wouldn’t be staying here anymore. They didn’t quite believe him and kept asking me if Hyukjae oppa and I had broken up to which I tried to laugh it off. Saturday finally came and I was dreading it. The past few days were hell. I tried my hardest to collect my thoughts and to brainwash myself that this was the best solution.

All this while, when I’m going through one of the toughest period of my life, Hyukjae oppa was nowhere to be found.  That morning, the ahjumma came early to make breakfast again and kept watching my every movement. She kept looking at the photo frames that lined our wall. To make sure that Hyukjae oppa wasn’t about to take them off, signaling the end of our relationship. After breakfast, she sent us off to his car and I hugged her tight, thanking her for her hard work the past few months that I had stayed there. I got into the car with Hyukjae oppa and he drove off. Throughout the whole trip, we didn’t talk. I was too scared while he couldn’t even care less to calm me down.

It took us almost three hours to drive all the way out of the city towards the outskirts. Unlike the heart of the city where his apartment was, the whole countryside was lined with trees and fields. He turned towards the right and we got to a small road with many cottages and small houses lining both sides. He stopped in front of a small house with a small garden.

“That’s Donghae’s house. Don’t worry about him losing his patience,”Hyukjae oppa said as he got out of the car.

I got out as well and just stared at the white house. This was going to be my home for the next eight months of my pregnancy. Hyukjae oppa got my suitcases out and led me towards the front door. He pressed the doorbell while I surveyed the garden. It was tidy and well kept with no weeds. This Donghae must have been working hard on his garden. The front door swung open and I turned to face the owner of the house.

“Hello,”the man standing in the front door bowed at me.

“Donghae, this is my girlfriend, Haemin and Haemin, this is Donghae. You’ll be staying with him from today onwards,”Hyukjae oppa introduced.

“Hello,”I bowed at Donghae sshi and he bowed back.

“I’m sorry for the trouble caused but this is my only solution,”Hyukjae oppa said apologetically.

“We’ll talk later. Come on in, Haemin sshi. This is your room,”Donghae sshi led me into the house.

The interior was small as well with a living room, a kitchen and two bedrooms. Although Hyukjae oppa and I stayed in an apartment, it was much bigger than his house. Our apartment also had two bedrooms but was about twice as big as this tiny cottage. But compared to the modern vibe that the apartment gave off, Donghae sshi’s house gave off a homely feel. Donghae sshi led me to the nearest bedroom and there was a closet, table and a bed. There was an adjoined bathroom for me to use.

“This is your room. You must be tired. Feel free to rest while I talk to Hyukjae,”Donghae sshi smiled before he closed the door after parking my suitcases by the bed.

The room was cozy and small. It is perfect for me to stay in. But I was curious about what Donghae sshi had to say to Hyukjae oppa so I opened the door to peek outside. The front door was slightly ajar and I could see Donghae sshi’s back. Hyukjae oppa’s lips were tightly pressed while Donghae sshi kept moving his head. It seemed as if they were having a heated conversation. But they hugged after awhile and Donghae sshi turned to open the door. I walked out of my new room and went towards them.

“Haemin, take care, alright? I’ll come and see you tomorrow or Monday night,”Hyukjae oppa smiled at me.

“You’re not going to stay longer?”I asked, suddenly becoming flustered since I was in an all new environment.

“I’m sorry, Haemin but I forgot to bring my laptop along and Donghae doesn’t have a computer here. So….,”he gave an apologetic smile.

“It’s okay. Go ahead,”I admitted defeat.

“I’m doing this for our future. Please bear with me. I gotta go now. I’ll call you every night,”he smiled.

“Bye,”I said half heartedly.

He gave me a quick hug and was out of the door. From the kitchen, Donghae sshi had been watching us and was not amused at all. 

End of Chapter

DarkAngel