TITLE: worried out of my mind SUMMARY: In which Jong Kook makes Ji Hyo worry for naught.  

 

Despite knowing it was a bad habit, Ji Hyo nibbled on the side of her index finger anxiously, her gaze flitting from the clock to the front door and back to the clock over and over again.   It read 10:38PM, and her husband still wasn’t home.   Jong Kook usually arrived between 8:30PM and 9:00PM, taking the time to message her in advance if he’d be any later or earlier.   She knew this because they had set this routine when they first had Mi Young. They both agreed that one parent had to be home with their kid (kids, if they had more in the future) as much as possible, and if they could, they should be home no later than 9PM, so they could both be present at bedtime.   These days — with Ji Hyo taking a break from making movies and dramas, while Jong Kook began to work on his new album — it was Jong Kook who came late in the evenings after tiring days recording and writing songs at the studio.   Ji Hyo normally wouldn’t be this anxious, if only because Jong Kook always came home on time. And if he didn’t — well, it’s as she said: he never failed to call her or text her for a heads up.   But now, Jong Kook was already an hour late, and this was the first time that he wasn’t picking up her calls nor replying to her messages. She had already tucked Mi Young to bed and made sure to conceal her worries by making up an excuse for Jong Kook.   Appa’s just stuck in traffic, ddal-ah. He’ll be home in awhile.   She doesn’t know if it was said to placate her daughter or herself.   In her efforts to continue reaching him, Ji Hyo is pretty sure she already hit the 30th missed call mark and will surely reach 50 at the rate she was going. However, she won’t bother knowing the exact number just so she can avoid adding more weight to her worries.   When the clock struck 10:45PM, Ji Hyo sighed heavily when Jong Kook failed to answer once again.   God, she doesn’t know what has happened to him. What if he was in —    No!   She can’t think like that. It would only do her worse if she went down that road, especially with no concrete proof of it.   It is then she remembered that one of the reasons Jong Kook may come home late is because he’d drop by at the 401 and get the occasional update regarding his business with Dong Hoon. And so, she decided to call up the other man to try her luck.   “Eo, Ji Hyo-yah?” Dong Hoon picked up almost immediately after the phone began to ring.   “Oppa!”   “Wae, Ji Hyo-yah? Is everything okay?”   Ji Hyo heard some shuffling before the muffled music from the background quietened. Yes, he must be at the 401, just like she thought.   She let out a quivering breath before speaking, “Are you with Jong Kook oppa, by any chance?”   “Jong Kook hyung? Ani. He came to the restaurant earlier this evening, but he left at around 8:30 — said he was going home already. Why? Hyung didn’t arrive yet?”   Ji Hyo debated on whether she should lie just to avoid making him worry too, or she should tell the truth and they can look for her husband together. The second option seemed like the better, more logical choice, but she knew it would blow the matter to bigger proportions because Dong Hoon was bound to call up the other oppas and their dongsaengs to help in the search.   And so, the first option it is.   “Ani, everything’s okay, oppa. He came home awhile ago but left again. I thought he’d be with you.”   It didn’t matter that she lied to her oppa — it’s better if he (and the others) stayed in the dark rather than be alerted of Jong Kook’s disappearance, and Jong Kook ended up being okay in the end. They’d all be worrying over nothing.   “Ah, algesso, Ji Hyo-yah. He’s probably just at the gym in your building. I think he mentioned he was overdue for a workout.”   Even if Jong Kook was at the gym, he’d have told her about it. She was so sure he would.   “Neh, you’re probably right, oppa. Thank you for your help,” Ji Hyo conceded and concealed another worried sigh.   “Okay, Ji Hyo-yah. You take care, alright? Give uri Mi Young-ie a kiss from me and Go Eun.”   “Neh, oppa. Good night, and thank you again.”   “Eo.”   The call ended, and Ji Hyo wasn’t any step closer to finding Jong Kook.   She scrolled through her contacts again, nibbling on her index finger as she searched for more people who could be with her husband at the moment. She crossed out the other oppas because she knows, at this hour, they’d also be with their own families. The dongsaengs would be a bust as well because they had mentioned going overseas and wanted to invite her too.   Ji Hyo passed by Tiny Oppa’s number and paused. She wracked her brain, trying to remember if he was in the country or in the States at the moment.   She opened their last conversation and found that — yes! He was in the country!   Maybe Jong Kook was with him instead.   At this point, it was already 11PM, but she knew Tiny Oppa would be awake with jet lag, seeing as he’d just arrived two days prior.   At the third ring, the call was picked up.   “Lil’ sis! What’s up?”   “Oppa!” Ji Hyo perked up with hope and dove straight to the point, “is Jong Kook oppa with you?”   There was a beat of silence before Tiny replied, “Ani, Ji Hyo-yah. But I’m with Dindin and Gap Jin though. Why? Is Jong Kook not home right now?”   Ji Hyo’s shoulders sagged in despair. “Jong Kook oppa isn’t home yet, oppa. I thought he’d be with you because he isn’t with Haha oppa.”   “Oh, Ji Hyo. Do you want me to call the dongsaengs to ask? Maybe he’s with them instead; they’re probably at the soccer field, getting in a late session.”   “No, it’s okay, oppa.” Now, Ji Hyo was scared out of her wits, but she can’t let it show to Tiny or else. “I think I’ll just wait for him at home. He’s probably heading back already.”   If she wasn’t so worried out of her mind, she’d be proud at the fact that she’s still got her acting mojo.   “Alright, Ji Hyo-yah. I think he’s heading back by now too. Call me if you need anything else, arrachi?”   “Neh, oppa. Thank you.”   “Okay, I’ll go ahead, Ji Hyo-yah.”   Once the call was dropped safely, Ji Hyo threw her phone to the opposite end of the couch.   “!”   She dropped her head in her hands and tried to think of more reasons why Jong Kook wasn’t home yet.   Did they go on overtime working on his album? Did she forget about an event he had to attend that night? Or maybe he went for a quick visit to his parents? Or to his hyung?   , did he get into an accident? Is that why he wasn’t answering?   Ji Hyo’s not sure how long she stayed in that position, head in her hands, breaths so deep she’s not sure if she’s still even breathing — maybe it’s been close to an hour, if the clock reading 11:53PM was anything to go by.   She was near drowning in her thoughts, when suddenly, their home alarm system beeped positively and their front door opened.   In came Jong Kook with his glasses atop his head, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder, casual as ever like he hadn’t disappeared for a moment.   He was okay!   Before she knew it, Ji Hyo flew across the living room and bodily slammed against him in her haste to wrap her arms around him — just to feel that he was real and okay and safe.   “Eo, Ji Hyo-yah!” He sounded surprised. Then he chuckled, “Did you miss me that much, yeobo?”   Ji Hyo only tightened her embrace in response. She felt a kiss drop on the crown of her head, before she felt his arms wrap around her too.    At that moment, everything else didn’t matter. Jong Kook was finally. Home. She could finally breathe again, and the heaviness that sat upon her shoulders fell away, bit by every bit.   They stayed in that position for quite a long time, though it was enough for Ji Hyo to regain her composure and calm her roaring thoughts down.   Then, she spoke.   “Where were you, oppa?” Ji Hyo asked,