*incase it wasn't clear this is another alternative ending so this had NOTHING to do with chapter two, it follows what happens after chapter one only*

Cheating Bastard

Chapter Three

“Baby-“ I didn’t let Minho finish the sentence, instead enveloping him into a deep ‘welcome home’ kiss. I assume it would be the usual ‘I’m home,’ anyways. I let him go and he chuckled, handing me his briefcase as I took his blazer off, going to set them down on the couch as I allowed for him to take off his shoes. “Eager today?” He teased and I only giggled, leading him to the dining room, sitting him down in front of his plate.

“Part because I love you part because I need something,” I tease, taking my own seat beside him, taking a sip of my wine, which he did not fail to notice.

“Wine? Whatever it is it must be quite important,” he comments, but the smile on his face tells me he’s nowhere near thinking of denying it to me.

“I want to quit piano lessons, instead I want a vocal coach,” I didn’t think he’d think much of it, but his smile faded and I wondered if I had been caught already.

“Piano? Baby, come here,” he requested and I did, scooting closer as he grabbed my hands in between his and kissed them, “why do you want to quit piano? Did you get yelled at by your teacher again? I won’t hesitate to call the academy,” his voice gives me butterflies, it’s filled with concern and threat to hurt anyone who hurts me.

“That’s not it, Minho. I just feel like I already know how to play and I can always practice by myself now, but I know a pianist is not what I want to be. Maybe singing? I’ve always wanted to try, but as you know my voice is kind of weak…” I wasn’t lying about that part. I wasn’t lying about any part, because I don’t lie to Minho. And he doesn’t lie to me. We’re both just omitting certain parts.

“You know I can pay for both, it’s fine,” he reassures me, with concern still on his eyes but I shake my head at the suggestion.

“I’m still going to go to dance practice, if I keep piano, I won’t have enough time,” I wouldn’t be able to keep up with everything I have planned.

“Whatever you want baby, do you need help finding a place?”

I shook my head. I had done my research before Minho came home already. I knew exactly what academy to go to, exactly what man to request.

“Perfect then, just request for them to charge my card automatically every month,”

This wouldn’t take a month. Shouldn’t take a month.

This was not what I was expecting. To be fair, I didn’t even know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. Why am I feeling so nervous? So scared? So … wrong?

All I wanted was my husband back. All I wanted was to make sure this bastard never set foot near my Minho again. I had confidence that once he was gone, I’d be able to deal with Minho on my own, because no matter how much I love him he wasn’t forgiven. But that could wait until later, until after I ruin this ’s life.

Mad? Betrayed? Offended? Of course I was, I love him. But did that mean I had to become a pitiful husband that waited around for everything to get done? I had been doing that already and look where that brought me. This time I was going to do something about it.

I was so sure of myself, so confident. So then why was I sitting in the lobby of the academy, too afraid to actually go into my appointment? I didn’t know it until now, but I wasn’t confident. I was scared and angry and forget all those emotions- I was hurt. Without realizing it, tears were already at the brim of my eyes and the only thing stopping the whimpers coming out of my mouth was how badly I was biting my lip to stop them.

“Excuse me, has Lee Taemin showed up? He was supposed to start his lesson with me 30 minutes ago,” I snapped my head up to see that man. It was definitely him. Good news is I am somehow better at finding people than I thought, bad news is I didn’t want to go through with this anymore. I wanted to throw up and cry and have Minho tell me he loves me and only me and that he’s never met this person in his life. Even if it’s a lie, I’ll believe it. I want to believe it, because suddenly all the pain that I had tried so hard to act like it wasn’t there, came bursting at just the wrong moment. Not here. Not in front of this monster.

Perhaps it was my small whimpers or that I was the only one sitting in the lobby besides the help desk, but he had spotted me so easily, giving me a confused stare before approaching me.

“Minho?” He questioned, with a soft voice, and why did it sound like he was concerned for me. If he was going to be that worried about strangers then he shouldn’t have gone sleeping around with other people’s husbands.

“That’s not my name,” I tried to sound as angry as I was, but with my crying it only sounded like a whine.

He chuckled, scratching the back of his head awkwardly, just like the first time I met him, “I- I know, sorry. I just don’t know your name, and I thought calling you ‘housekeeper’ would not be the best way to identify someone,”

“Taemin.”

“Huh?”

“I’m Taemin,” maybe I was stupid to think that would do anything, to think that Minho would have ever told him about me, because saying my name did nothing for him to recognize me.

“Oh, you came here for vocal lessons? From me? Well, I suppose you don’t know me, what a coincidence! I’m Jinki, Lee Jinki,” he extended his hand out to me, but how could I take it? How can I shake the same hand that’s probably wrapped around Minho’s neck hundreds of times in the way that only my hands should have done?

“I-I’m gonna go,” I whispered out, trying desperately to flee, because I really couldn’t do this anymore. I wanted to throw up and cry and part of me wanted to kill this man too. Then Minho too. Except… not Minho. Not him, because I can’t see myself living without him.

“No, stay. Come on, let’s go in, we can talk about what’s wrong. You don’t look so good and I don’t know much, but I know you shouldn’t be alone when you’re like this,” then stop sleeping with my husband. Make Minho faithful. Make me forget that he ever felt like he needed anything else I couldn’t give him. Better yet, tell me what couldn’t I give him? What exactly did I lack that you have?

I would have protested harder, but my body was shaking more violently than I’d like to admit and the tears streaming down my face weren’t helping me in holding any authority.

“Do you want to talk about it?” was the first question that came to me after we had settled into a silent room save for my hiccups and sobs and the gentle sound of his hand patting at my back.

“I don’t think I can…” I really didn’t. What was I supposed to say to him?

“Well, I can talk about myself a little to begin with,” he had now moved his chair to sit in front of me, sighing as he looked to this side to think of just what to begin with, “well, you already know Minho, he’s the light at the end of my tunnel, I really like him and I’m so sure, so so sure I’ll love him soon,” he finished with a smile, but was that supposed to make me happy?

I don’t even know what would be worse. You don’t even love him and yet you have the audacity to steal him from someone who could die for him? Or perhaps, it was better that he didn’t love him yet, because if he did there would be no way for me to get him out of our lives. I should know, look at me not able to leave him.

“When,” I whispered through a choked sob, but I had to know, “since when have you been with him?”

“It’s been around… six months? Yeah, six months now. He had come in here looking for a potential vocal coach, said his husband at the time might end up taking lessons-“

“Husband? You knew he had a husband?” I already hated him even if he hadn’t known, but knowing that he did only further made my blood boil.

“Do not think about me in that way! They’re divorced now, as you should know!” was his cheap aim at excusing himself.

“I fell straight at first sight, I mean you work for him, you should know! He’s gorgeous and sweet and kind, with the deepest most velvet voice. Just the fact that he had come in looking for his husband’s vocal coach was proof enough to see that he valued the relationships he was in and I knew it was a little selfish, but I wanted that. I wanted to be the one he did that stuff for,”

“But he was married. He already had a husband. He was already taken!”

“It wasn’t fair! I hadn’t known him before, it wasn’t my fault I couldn’t have met him earlier! It wasn’t fair and I wanted a chance too!”

“So what, you just took it?”

“He had only come for one thing and after getting his information he left. I desperately wanted to meet him again, but what could I do? I didn’t know him or anything about him, so I had no choice but to let it be. Until I saw him again… it was by accident, I swear I’m not a stalker. I was leaving a hotel after finishing up private lessons, and he was entering it, the most dashing black suit on, hair styled perfectly. I wondered how he could have possibly looked even better than the first time,”

“He was at a hotel?”

“I followed him in, there was this huge gala going on at the ball room and that’s when I found out where he worked. I also found out his name was Choi Minho and this time I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave without approaching him.” Looking at Taemin for input, Jinki took Taemin’s expecting eyes as sign to continue, “I noticed that after a while he wasn’t really conversing with anyone else, just by himself at the bar, downing drink after drink. I felt like this would be my only chance, so I walked up to him and just talked. He said he was having a rough day, problems at work, problems at home. We had more drinks and after a while we were rushing to book a room. I guess that’s when all this started.” Problems at work? I know all about them. Problems at home? What problems were we having? What problems in the perfect life I thought we were living in, came up? Me? Was it me and what about me? I wanted to know and yet I was too afraid to ask.

“He had a husband. You knew he had a husband.”

“Don’t try to make me feel guilty about it, it wasn’t fair. And just how great was the other guy? If he had the confidence that he was much better than me, then why did he so easily let go of Minho? He obviously didn’t love him enough if he let him go just like that,”

“Is that what one is supposed to do? Stay with a cheating bastard to prove how much they love him?”

“Stop trying to make me feel guilty and instead tell me why you were crying earlier, I believe I’ve told you enough about myself,” he tried changing the topic, his voice sounding annoyed at my judgment.

“My lover cheated on me.”

“Baby, I’m going down to my parent’s house tomorrow, will you be okay all by yourself this weekend?” We were on the couch, my back pressed onto his chest as he held me. The movie was never really what I was focusing on, instead constant thoughts back to my meet up with Jinki. But I suppose now Minho wasn’t focusing on the movie either.

I turn slightly in his arms, to look up at him and his face is sincere, as sincere as I’ve always thought. And now I can’t help but wonder- is this face that I consider honest his face of deception? “All weekend?”

“I know, I know, I’m going to miss you too and weekends are the only full days I get to spend with you, but I know you’d rather spend your time elsewhere than with my family.”

“Why do you have to go down there so suddenly?”

There it was.

There it ing was. As clear as day, the small flicker of his eyes. Whatever was about to come out of his mouth was a lie.

“I just miss them is all,”

I couldn’t help my internal bitter chuckle. One good thing? At least I can be reassured that I do know when he is lying. Bad thing? Maybe I’d rather live in ignorance.

“When do you leave?”

“Tomorrow morning,”

“Make love to me tonight,”

It’s true, I have no idea what I’m doing or what I will do. But my mark, my touches, and my scent would be plastered on him before I’d let him leave.

“Wow, I thought I’d never see you back here again,” Jinki greeted me with a huge smile on his face as I stepped into the room. It was my first time back here since, well, the first time. My original schedule had two more bookings in between now and then; one of Friday and Sunday, but I figured I’d only end up with a stranger if I had showed up, as Minho was gone all weekend, and missing his parents was not the reason.

“I didn’t think I would be either,” honestly, I didn’t. But could I help my curiosity? What happened? Did you guys have the time of your life? Did you see my marks on my husband? Did you replace them with your own? I suppose I could have checked for the last question myself after Minho came back, but I was too scared and Minho had slept on the couch last night.

This was the first night we hadn’t spent together. Originally, I couldn’t bear the thought of finding out so I had gone down to sleep in the living room, but Minho was quick to urge me to bed, telling me he’d sleep downstairs instead. I hadn’t told him I was upset; I hadn’t told him he was the problem, but I guess he could read me as easily as I could read him; he knew. How much he knew though, I didn’t know.

“Well, I’m glad you came back, because I feel like I left a really bad impression on you last time, and I really want to be friends. You’re funny and nice and,” he trialed off, but I knew.

“And I’m Minho’s maid?”

“I swear that’s not the only reason why! I just… you must know Minho quite a bit, right?”

“I’d say so,”

“Then, is there anyway you could help me?”

“Help?”

“He’s been… he’s been kind of distant and he hasn’t talked to me much. I guess you know that much, as I even went to his house to ask you if he was at work that one time.”

“I don’t understand, didn’t you just spend the whole weekend with him?”

“What are you talking about? Did he say that to you? Was he not at home all weekend?” Why were his eyes alarmed, why were they concerned?

“H-he didn’t tell me that he’d be with you, said he was going down to visit his parents, I just assumed-“

“He went to his parent’s place? Oh my god, I need to call him and make sure he’s okay! What if his dad’s condition got worse? Taemin, really, thank you. Here I was worried he was growing tired of me, and instead he’s struggling all to himself.” I should be mad at Minho and I should hate him, but at this moment all I could do was feel my heart drop. Something was wrong with his dad? The man he loved more than me- well, I thought he was the only man he loved more than me anyways.

“Dad’s condition? What’s wrong with his dad?”

“Oh, you probably don’t know, but his dad was diagnosed with cancer, but chances of getting better weren’t looking so good, I’m worried that maybe now it’s gotten worse,”

“H-how long? How come I don’t know about this?” Was I not good enough to handle his problems anymore? But Jinki was?

“Oh gosh, since I first met him. Remember that night at the gala? Those were the problems he was having, I was the one who comforted him, so I should know how much he struggled with the news.”

“D-don’t tell him you knew he was at his parents house this weekend, if you do, I might get fired for disclosing information,”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.”

“Minho? Baby are you home?” I called out worried.

I didn’t know what to think, what to do. I was mad and I was hurt because cheating on me can’t just mean so little, but right now that didn’t matter. It couldn’t. Not when I knew just how incredibly hurt, he must be himself right now. Knowing that he was in pain put me in the same amount and I just wanted to make it better. I wanted to make it better right now. After leaving Jinki’s studio in a rush, I only stopped to give his parent’s a call, let them know I was sorry I couldn’t make it this weekend and that they had my full support.

I asked all about Minho’s dad’s condition and though I’m no doctor, no way to help, I did find out that the only option they had left was a kidney transplant except they had no donors available and neither Minho or his mom were a match. But I had the same blood type as him, and chances of me not being a match were too slim. All I had to do was go down and test. I was so happy, so happy, that I could possibly resotre the beautiful smile on Minho’s lips.

After not receiving a response I walked into the living room to see him sitting down with a blank expression on his face, rushing to sit next to him, embracing him in my arms, I kissed his face all over.

“You’re so stupid. You’re so goddamn stupid,” I whispered into his lips, “Why didn’t you tell me? You knew we had the same blood type, you knew I could be a possibly donor, why didn’t you just tell me?”

“So it was true,” he replied, pushing my arms away, “you really did call my mom.”

“She called and let you know already? Well, it doesn’t matter the good thing is I can go down to test as soon as tomorrow, and that’s exactly where you’re taking me, so hurry and call out of work,”

“You’re not donating your kidney to my dad,”

“So long as those tests come back with the result I hope they have, yes I am. And don’t you dare get angry at me when I’m the one who should have been angry the moment I found out you didn’t tell me about this!”

“You can’t donate your kidney to my dad, Taemin! He’s my dad, not yours, you have no reason to do this!”

“No reason? Are you ing kidding me? You’re my husband Minho, you’re my husband and I love you and I would do anything to keep and make you happy, and this is one of those things! It’s not a big deal, why are you acting like this? I’m healthy and I don’t need both of mine!”

“I want a divorce.”

“What?”

“I want a divorce, now, as soon as possible. I don’t want to be your husband anymore- no, I can’t be your husband anymore.”

“Minho, why are you being like this? What are you saying? No matter how hard things are, we’re supposed to stick together, that’s what we vowed to do!”

“I thought I loved you! I thought I did, I really did, but it’s becoming really clear to me right now, that I don’t love you. You’re making me really easy to see that.”

“What are you talking about?”

“If I loved you so much then I’d never do anything to hurt you! If I loved you so much as much as you love me then maybe I – maybe I wouldn’t have cheated on you.” So this is how he confesses? Why? Why now of all times? Why couldn’t he just let me do this and then confess? I don’t know where we’d end up, but I do know that no matter what he’s done I want him happy.

“I’m not giving you a divorce,”

“Did you not just hear me? I cheated on you. For six months I have been cheating on you.”

“So what?”

“Taemin I want a divorce.”

“So you can run back to that ? What? Do you really think that man-- will drop everything and give your dad his kidney?!”

“No. I don’t think he would and I wouldn’t expect him to. That’s how I know he doesn’t love me the way you love me, doesn’t love me the way you have for years. And that’s why I can’t be with you anymore, Tae, I do not deserve you.”

“I say what I do and don’t deserve, okay. And you- you I deserve. You cheated on me, so you owe me, you have to make up for the pain you brought to me. So whether you like it or not, I’m not giving you the divorce.”

“I know I need to make it up to you, I do. But this isn’t the way, Tae. This will only hurt you more.”

“Do you love him?”

“No, gosh, I could never,”

“Then why,”

“I don’t know, I really don’t know,”

“You’re taking me to get tested tomorrow, that’s final. And you’re not sleeping on the couch again, I want you holding me tonight.”

I don’t know what I was doing. I was playing a dangerous game and I knew it. How many roles was I playing? I was in way over my head. I was the happy husband who pretended nothing was wrong when out with my friends, I had become the great friend and half-spy to Jinki, the guy my husband was cheating on me with, I was the upset husband who did everything to make Minho’s life uncomfortable, yet not painful, and to top it all off I was the perfect son-in-law that was about to donate his kidney after testing positive.

How many roles were they? Which one was the real me? I was acting in all of them.

“Taemin!” I heard Jinki call my name out happily, guess he finally arrived. Over a short-period of time we had become close. I liked him, a lot. He was funny and nice and talented and if he wasn’t ing my husband behind my back maybe we would have really ended up as best friends. Why was I doing this? Why was I still coming here and pretending? I don’t know. I confuse myself, but it feels like if I don’t do this, don’t do anything, then I’ll become a sad, pathetic husband. Instead I’m wasting my time, but at least I feel like I’m doing something.

“Hey, it’s been a while,” I smile in return, standing up from my seat to give a short hug before sitting back down. We were at a café, having – what had become a regular- coffee talk.

“It has and I really missed you! Gosh it feels like everyone is ignoring me.” He huffed out and I did care.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t trying to ignore you I just had a lot of things to do,” I give an excuse that I really shouldn’t need to, yet I felt like I had to. I mean, getting tested and visiting Minho’s parents was kind of my duty.

“Yeah, but at the same time you get busy so does Minho. He’s not answering my calls, he’s not returning my texts, I’m really worried for him. Before I would have thought it was about me, but I really think it’s just him dealing with his dad’s condition.” He hadn’t been contacting him at all? Why did that make me feel good? It’s obvious why, actually, because when he holds me at night, I can now be reassured he hadn’t done that to him previously? But that doesn’t change that the minute his dad gets better he’ll go straight back, or that he had done so at one point.

“He has been quite busy lately,” no he hasn’t and I don’t know why I’m even trying to reassure him about my husband not having time for him.

“I should just go find him, let’s just go to his house. You have to go back to work there, anyway right?”

“No!” I yell almost too loudly. How was that going to look? Me coming home with my husband’s mistress? And why was I so scared of getting caught when I was not the one doing anything wrong?

“What, why?”

“What if he’s just cheating on you?” was the first excuse out of my mouth and it wasn’t anything serious, I just didn’t have anything else to say, but his reaction, his overly cocky reaction made me want to really stick with it.

He simply scoffed at that, crossing his arms across his chest with the most confident smirk, “Oh, Minho wouldn’t cheat on me,”

No, of course not, Minho could never cheat on you, but he could to his husband? His dutiful husband that has stuck with him for five years and is donating his kidney to his father? I knew he didn’t know who I was, but he had just single-handedly given me the biggest insult I had ever received in my whole life.

“What, he can cheat on his husband, but not the he slept with while still married?” I spit out and for a second I thought he was going to dump his glass of water over me, but instead he calms himself down.

“Look, I know your partner cheated on you, so you have a really bad outlook on that, and I’ll let it slide for that. But don’t you dare ever call me that again and don’t look down on Minho so quickly. I- I may not have told you the whole truth of that night,” He muttered the las part and I was immediately intrigued.

“Fine, sorry. I’m just saying if he cheated on his husband what makes you think he won’t cheat on you?”

“Like I said, I didn’t say the whole truth. That night- when he had drunk too much, it’s true we booked a room, but he had no intention of sleeping with me. He allowed me to make the reservation and help him up because he didn’t want to go home to his husband like that- didn’t want to let him know that his dad was having problems. I tried to make a move on him, several actually! But he wouldn’t do anything, just kept asking me to leave the room politely.”

“I don’t understand, I thought you guys spent the night together,”

“We did. I apologized and said I had gotten the wrong vibe from him, but that I could still continue hearing him out, so we ordered more drinks, he talked some more, eventually he was too drunk and passed out. His phone kept ringing and sure enough, it was his husband, or at least that’s what I gathered from his contact name, so I just replied and gave some excuse about having to work overnight. I helped him sleep comfortable on the bed and… I laid down next to him, took a couple pictures and left.”

“You’re crazy,” I muttered completely appalled.

“Don’t say that! I didn’t tell you at the beginning for this same reason. Look, I wasn’t trying to do anything, but I don’t know, sometimes you just do things at the moment that you wouldn’t do if you had thought things out! The next day I just sent him the pictures and just like that, he was so easily running to me. I only had to use them as bait for the first couple meetings, after that he was the one that decided he’d divorce his husband, as long as I didn’t tell him. I guess he just didn’t want the other guy to take half his money if he knew he was cheating,”

As he talked, I could really sympathize with what he was saying. I found that I really did understand Lee Jinki and that we were really similar. I completely agree. Sometimes you do do things at the moment that you wouldn’t have done had you thought of them before.

And after hearing his story there was only one thing running through my mind.

This has to die.

A/N:

The end.

I don’t really have to continue right? Tae kills onew, still donates his kidney, goes back to ming.

As for ming…. Ill let you guys decide whether he freaks out about tae murdering someone or whether he even finds out in the first place or maybe he just doesnt care and just goes with it, possibly even thankful.

Please let me know what you think.... I'm curious and also don't kill me.