Part 2 – Storm

Her name was CL, an acronym for her real name, Lee Chaerin. She was Jiyong’s close acquaintance at the art studio. However, that close friendship had morphed into a passionate relationship between the two as Seungri had realized that evening. Always decked in designer apparels, CL was a daughter of a rich tycoon and she could do whatever she wanted in her life. She chose art to fill her days and at night, it was all about partying and socializing. That was how Seungri met her, having been introduced to the diva by Jiyong when they were out clubbing one Friday night. CL left a bad first impression on Seungri, she had an aura of confidence mixed with arrogance which only seemed to exist when Seungri was present.  In front of Jiyong, she acted like a demure and sophisticated lady.

The last time he saw her, before that evening that is, was at the club last week. The scandalous pair was extra close that night on the dance floor, but Seungri paid no heed. He gave Jiyong the freedom to dance with whomever he wants, not wanting to appear as a bitter jealous lover. Seungri mentally slapped himself for dismissing the thoughts that sprouted in his brain after witnessing the endearing look his husband gave to that woman as he pulled her from the crowd to ‘get her a drink’ so he claimed. Seungri was left there alone, in a pool of gyrating bodies and sweat.

He would have followed, wanting a drink himself but Jiyong would be thoroughly annoyed if Seungri clung onto him for he demanded space. It was pretty odd, Jiyong was never like this when they first started their relationship but Seungri accepted the fact that their honeymoon period was over. Reality was starting to kick in and Jiyong was finally revealing his true colours, he was not as clingy as he portrayed to be.

Jiyong was taken by surprise that Seungri did not tag along. In the past, his husband was like an irritating parasite. It was probably the major outburst after a very long night with pesky Seungri stuck by his side that caused Seungri to let go. Of course, Seungri was hurt when Jiyong spat those angry words to him, about how he felt imprisoned by Seungri’s behavior. Seungri’s actions of love were misunderstood. Abiding Jiyong’s request, he learned to release Jiyong from his tight grasp and to trust him. Seungri’s trust for Jiyong had reached an impeccable level but sadly, it was the trust that led to Jiyong’s infidelity.

It was not a drink that they were going for, but some alone time in one of the cubicles of the men’s restroom. With the bass pumping faintly in the background, lust took over the couple. The searing kiss from CL made Jiyong forget about everything else, even his own husband who was nursing his loneliness by dancing with complete strangers. They returned to the dance floor after a quickie, not wanting to arouse Seungri’s suspicions and they were so glad that Seungri did not seem to suspect anything amiss.

As Seungri began to recollect the memories of their relationship over the past few months, everything seemed to click into place. The increase in meaningless fights and the loss of endearments from Jiyong were all caused by Jiyong’s unfaithfulness. Seungri’s eyes began to sting at the thought of Jiyong’s betrayal. Questions were running through his mind, he wanted to know how, when and most importantly, why?

--

Awhile after she left, the doorbell rang, pulling Seungri out of his thoughts. He ambled to the door and opened it. He was half-expecting CL to be at the door, asking for something that she might have left behind. However, it turned out to be the baby-sitter, standing there and greeting him politely as she flashed a genuine smile.

Kim Mi Cha was a sweet lady, the twins had been comfortable with her ever since Seungri hired her last summer. That was why Seungri always called her back. She was great with children, like a loving mother. The twins adored her immensely. They even called her ‘Umma’, she was indeed a mother figure for them.

She was a rare gem in Korea. Unlike other women her age, she dressed modestly and was contented with her humble job as a baby-sitter. Despite being an ordinary-looking lady in terms of physical appearance, her inner beauty definitely shone through. 

To Seungri, she was a very lovely woman. It was a mystery that she was still single, not dating anyone even. If he was not involved with Jiyong, he would definitely go for her. He had a slight crush on her but he never acted upon it, knowing his limits as a married man and a faithful lover. Today though, ideas of having a secret affair with the baby-sitter came to his mind but he shook them off almost immediately. He was probably on a rebound after what had transpired that evening. 

“Ah, Mi Cha-shi, come in. The twins are in the kitchen having dinner,” he returned her smile, trying to mask any pain that was evident on his face.

He led her to the kitchen and upon her entry into the kitchen, the twins went wild with joy. They launched themselves onto her and showered her with kisses and hugs. Her pretty pink cheeks were now stained with a little pasta sauce. Mi Cha entertained the twins while Seungri did the dishes; his mood was lifted for a moment as he heard the twins happily chattering away with their ‘Umma’ in the living room.  Once he was done, he served the chocolate ice cream that he promised to the twins. He even prepared an extra bowl for his guest out of hospitality. She thanked him and gave him the sweetest smile he had ever seen. As she continued to play with the twins on the couch, Seungri noticed the sauce staining her cheek. Without her noticing, he reached his hand out and rubbed it off; catching her off guard.

“Sorry, just some pasta sauce,” Seungri explained when she slightly pulled away. He resisted the urge to the sauce off his thumb seductively right in front of her. That would be inappropriate in front of the twins, so he settled with wiping it off with a piece of tissue.

“Seungri, are you okay? You don’t seem like yourself today,” Mi Cha asked, her voice sounded rather concerned.

In response, Seungri just shrugged and lied that he was feeling fine. He scratched his temple and blinked furiously as he found himself in an awkward situation. It was time he left before he made a fool out of himself in front of the kids and the baby sitter. Bidding goodbye to the three of them, he pressed kisses to the twins’ foreheads and shook Mi Cha’s hand formally (awkwardly) before he hurriedly left the house. This convinced the baby-sitter that Seungri was definitely out of character today.

--

Another shot of alcohol burning his throat, he had gotten used to the sensation, lost count of how many he shots he had. He screamed in frustration, unable to numb the fury and woe in his heart, but it was drowned by the loud music blasting from the speakers. He downed another shot and relished the burning feeling as the alcohol flowed down his oesophagus.

“Another one please,” he ordered, slamming the empty glass on the bar top and the bar tender hurriedly met his request for more alcohol to relieve his emotional pain.

“Well, well, well, who do we have here?” Seungri heard a taunting female voice coming from behind him.

CL appeared, dressed up in an all-black attire, and she took a seat beside him. She signaled to the bar tender to get her a drink and when he was gone, she turned her attention to Seungri.

Although he felt a little lonely, company was the last thing he wanted and CL being there by his side was not making him feel any better.

Seungri glared at her and through his gritted teeth, he asked, “What the hell do you want?”

She smirked when she heard his question, his unpleasant tone demonstrating his annoyance due to her presence, “I don’t want anything, I’ve got everything I want and need.”

“Go away,” Seungri demanded, banging the bar top for added effect and hoping that that would drive her away.

CL chuckled at Seungri’s outburst before adding, “Oh come on, I just wanted to say hello. Can’t you be a little more friendly to your husband’s girlfriend?”

She could sense his growing frustration and she loved it. Seeing Seungri in agony was a delightful sight.

“Why do you hate me so much? Is it because I stole your husband?” CL mocked, fuelling Seungri’s rage.

He knew what she wanted, to torture him mentally with the fact that his husband was no longer his. CL had him wrapped around her fingers and Seungri could do nothing about it.

“I said GO AWAY!” Seungri roared, just as the bartender returned and set CL’s drink down, he picked it up and splashed the alcoholic contents onto her.

CL gasped in shock, surprised over what Seungri had done. She stared at him in disbelief. Her face initially felt cold due to the drink but it began to warm up again as blood rushed to her face. Her blood was boiling; she was enraged by Seungri’s daring act.

“You bastard!” CL shrieked and a tight slap landed on Seungri’s right cheek.

His cheek throbbed in pain and Seungri winced as he clutched his aching cheek. Under alcoholic influence, Seungri was in no position to make right decisions. He would have left if he was sober but his drunken mind together with his emotional heart made him determined to win this fight. Seungri did not want his ego to be bruised by this woman.

He raised his clenched fist and flung it to CL’s face, giving her a black eye. She cried out in pain and Seungri felt like he had the upper hand in this game. A crowd of nosy spectators began to form around them, wanting to witness the next move in this fight. He was about to give another punch when a group of security guards stopped him. Seungri tried to break away from their hold on him but they were far too strong.

Out of nowhere, Jiyong emerged and he quickly approached CL who was covering her injured eye with her hand.

“Oh my gosh, baby are you okay?” Jiyong inquired, prying her hand away so that he could examine her injury.

“He punched me!” she cried out and pointed an accusing finger at Seungri.

Jiyong turned livid at the fact that Seungri had hurt his woman. He starred daggers at Seungri, who was held back by the guards. He stepped forward so that he was towering over him and just like CL, he slapped Seungri but on the left side this time.

“How dare you lay your hands on her! Get out of my sight before I break your nose!” Jiyong yelled, causing Seungri to cower in fear.

He was at loss of words, not knowing how to rebut Jiyong. He felt helpless and weak with no one to back him up. His heart ached even more, knowing that he had lost Jiyong to CL and there was no way he could salvage his marriage after what had happened. All the emotions trapped within Seungri were set free as he started to shamelessly cry in front of them. His knees also gave way, and thankfully the guards were there to hold him up.

As CL looked on, she smirked and felt the triumph of winning the fight. She leaned onto Jiyong’s chest and Jiyong embraced her in return. The sight drove Seungri mad, he tried to release himself from the grip of the guards but his attempts were futile. Jiyong ordered the guards to take him away and Seungri spat in their direction while the guards escorted him out of the club.

--

It was almost 1 am in the morning when Mi Cha was rudely awakened by the incessant ringing of the door bell. She trudged to the door and turned the lock to open it. A very drunk and distraught Seungri was at the door, without Jiyong by his side. Miraculously, Seungri managed to drive himself home safely despite his drunken state.

Something must be wrong, Mi Cha was sure of it ever since Seungri left the house alone. It was only an hour later after Seungri had left that Jiyong came out of the room. He was all dressed up and after greeting her and kissing the twins goodbye, he made his way out of the house. It puzzled Mi Cha immensely, why the couple acted as such when usually, they would leave together.

She helped Seungri to the couch in the living room and when he started to make retching sounds, she quickly grabbed the bin so that he would not make a big mess on the floor. She spotted the streaks of dried tears, his red nose and cheeks as he vomited into the bin. It must have been a rough night for Seungri and this made her worried for she had never seen him in this state before.

“Seungri, are you okay?” Mi Cha asked, for the second time that day as they continued to make their way to the couch.

Seungri was unable to answer, everything was a blur. He slurred some incoherent words and he started to giggle. Seungri felt like he was dreaming. Mi Cha had never been so intimately close to him before. Due to his lack of judgement, he misinterpreted the lack of physical distance between them. He was certain that he was dreaming, one of those happy dreams that required a cold shower when he woke up. Her soft hands were resting on his bare arms since he was wearing a short sleeved shirt and the skin to skin contact sparked his desires even more.

He looked up to see her lovely face, "No I'm not okay," and he crashed his lips onto hers while he pushed her towards the wall.

His rough kiss caused Mi Cha to feel violated. She was frightened by his actions and she tried her best to push him off but he was too heavy, he was already pinning her against the wall with his upper body. Seungri's lips prevented her from screaming and this made her even more afraid that she would not be able escape. She started crying, fear taking over her being. Her body was thrashing violently but this tightened Seungri's grip on her.

She tried biting his lip but her efforts failed. However, a sharp pain in his groin jolted him and he stopped his animalistic act. His death grip on her loosened as Mi Cha kicked him again at the same spot. She took the opportunity to run and left him there, slumped on the ground in pain.

Seungri lay on the wooden floor, wincing due to the soreness in between his legs. When the physical pain subsided, the emotional pain started to set in once again. Seungri felt utterly unloved and unwanted. It was too much to bear. Soon, tears were spilling from his eyes and he sobbed silently until he fell asleep on the hard wooden floor.

--

To be continued~