~ Min Woo ~

I hadn’t moved one inch from my apartment since that day, and it has been a week since then. I ignored all calls that came to my handphone which had been chucked under the sofa in the living room, and eventually the battery ran out and it ceased ringing. The same went for every person that came knocking on my door. Some of the voices I recognised as my teammates’. I didn’t reply them. I knew I was going to get hell the minute I go back to training, but that was the last of my worries at the moment.

Another bunch of people came to ‘visit’ again today. I could hear the rapping of knuckle on wood and the rattling of the gate even behind the closed door. It was only 9 in the morning, way too early for so much action. I rolled over onto my tummy and held a pillow over my head, hoping to muffle out most of the noise. Still, I could hear the jingle of keys as the front door slammed open. Dammit, I really hate it when people throw open the door! Are they trying to spoil the hinges? What is wrong with them?

I sat up straight, seething in anger and irritation, with the pillow still balanced precariously on my head, and was about to give the intruder a piece of my mind when it occurred that no one had the key to my apartment besides myself… and my boyfriend. , Dong Hyun! I’m never going to hear the end of his wrath! And I didn’t lock my bedroom door!

I shot up from my bed and was about to make a mad dash to the bathroom to hide when the bedroom door swung open and Dong Hyun appeared at the entrance, flanked by four others. They stepped into the room and fanned out, blocking out all possible escape routes. Their faces were more serious than I have ever seen them and if I weren’t in a life-threatening situation I would’ve taken a picture of them for keeps’ sake.

I skidded to a stop inches away from Dong Hyun and began backing away, eyes darting about to try to find another way to get out. Window… No, there’s no way I’m jumping out of that thing when I live five floors up… Closet… I suppose I can fit in there and try to hold the door shut, if only I hadn’t simply stuffed all my clothes in due to my lack of time to fold them… My eyes landed on the balcony and began inching my way towards it. If I can get myself past the sliding glass doors safely I lock myself outside and stay there until they get tired of waiting and leave me alone.

Before I could even execute my plan out I was grasped by my boyfriend on both arms and hoisted off my feet, thrown over a shoulder and forcefully carried out to the living room. Resistance was futile. I was outnumbered by my boyfriend and the other four who surrounded me like bodyguards. Dong Hyun walked us over to the couch and I was set on my feet once again before being pushed onto my bottom.

“Aish.” I huffed as I landed on the couch less than gracefully. “What was that for?”

Jung Min sat down on my left and Young Min my right, with their beaus resting on the arm rest beside them. Dong Hyun knocked some of the empty milk cartons that littered the coffee table onto the floor before taking a seat opposite me. “We’d like to ask you the same question. Why haven’t you been answering our calls or texts? You worried us sick.”

“I was… Busy. Yeah, with basketball and stuff.” I cringed internally for the terrible lie I just said. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out the truth.

Dong Woo rested his forearms on his thighs and leaned in. “Min Woo, I went down to the gymnasium personally and spoke to your coach. He said he hasn’t seen you all week and told me to convey this message to you: ‘When you see No Min Woo again, tell him his is fried and he doesn’t even need to dream about playing in the next regional tournament.’ What else do you have to say for yourself?”

“, he scratched me from the line-up? I know I haven’t been turning up for practice and didn’t notify him about it, but this is too much! He knows I’ve been working my for this thing! I’m going to call him.” I attempted to stand up but was held down by my shoulders by Jung Min and Young Min. “Aish, what are you guys doing? Let me go! I need to call my coach!”

Kwang Min took a step closer to his twin and squatted down so he was closer to eye level with me. “Stop trying to avoid the question and answer it, Min Woo. You know we won’t be leaving this place until you do.”

I rolled my eyes in exasperation and flopped back onto the couch, throwing my hands over my head. “I… I had a family emergency to deal with, okay? Cut it out.”

“Because of that you cooped yourself up at home for an entire week? Min Woo, I thought you know better than to do this to yourself! It’s not healthy! This–” Dong Hyun swept his arm around the room and gestured to the unkempt state of my home. “–Is all because of your so-called family emergency?”

It already got on my nerves that my house had been invaded without my permission and I had been manhandled in my own living quarters, but he just had to going on and on about the pathetic condition of the apartment. “God dammit, just can it with the doctor’s lecture, will you? As if I didn’t already know that this isn’t good for me. But did it seem like I cared? No. You are my boyfriend, not my mother, not my caretaker, and most definitely not my health advisor. I can live however way I like to.”

“You have dirty clothes strewn all over the floor. A pile of clean laundry is sitting in the middle of the hall unfolded, and I see empty food and drink containers are everywhere.” Dong Hyun picked up an empty beer can and dangled it in my face. “And you’re drinking? I know how much you hate beer. This is totally unlike you, Min Woo ah. What happened?”

My patience, which was wearing very thin, finally snapped. “I went to meet up with my half-brothers, okay? The Jung twins who are wrecking havoc in our Jo twins’ relationship. I met up with them over the weekend. Or at least, one of them.”

They sat in shocked silence as I stewed in my thoughts and I took in deep breaths to calm my raging self. “I remember the first day I met them...”

- Flashback to 9 years ago -

It was two months after Umma’s death when he first brought them home. I had been doing my homework in my room when I was called downstairs by my father. He had returned home in his Bentley that day, and I knew it was going to be something big. This wasn’t going to be any ordinary dinner but a special occasion. He never brings out his Bentley unless it was a special occasion.

Sure enough, quite the peculiar sight greeted me when I came down the stairs. The old man had his arm around the shoulder of a woman I had never seen before. Behind them stood two identical twins who looked extremely uncomfortable to be in such an extravagant place. He turned to address me as I approached. “Min Woo, meet my guests. This is Jung Ri In and her sons, Daeryong and Soryong. They’re two years older than you.”

“I’m Min Woo,” I greeted briskly, barely casting them a glance, before looking towards my father for an explanation. I knew he was up to no good again. “What are they doing here?”

“Son, don’t be like that now. Show some respect.” He chided as he pulled the woman closer to his side. “Ri In-sshi here is simply an acquaintance of mine from a few months back. I heard that she was widowed and merely invited them over for dinner.”

Acquaintance. I knew what that meant. It’s his lingo for “someone whom I’m ing at the moment”. I’ve met a couple of his acquaintances before, but none of them ever lasted long. I seem to always put them off. I wondered where possibly could he have gotten to know this woman. She seemed soft-spoken and reserved and didn’t seem like the type who worked at a strip club. But then, where else could they have possibly met? In a grocery store line? I highly doubted so.

Over dinner the old man was busy trying to get me to strike a conversation with the woman by constantly bringing me into the picture when they conversed. The woman appeared genuinely interested in knowing me more, but I sure didn’t feel the same way. I always answered with one-worded responses before going back to jabbing at my food.

By the time for dessert, I was fully sick and tired of the show that they were putting up. I slammed my cutlery onto the table and decided to get straight to the point. “You’re going to marry her, aren’t you?”

“Son, what are you talking about?” He questioned, pretending to be mortified. “Don’t say things like that, you’re putting Ri In-sshi in a spot.”

“You don’t have to keep up with the formalities. I’m sure you call her all sorts of endearments when the two of you are alone.” He opened his mouth to protest, but I cut him off before he could. “Don’t even try to deny it. You brought them home in the Bentley. You don’t even do such things for your business partners, much less for some mere “acquaintance” so instead of trying to hide things, I would suggest telling the truth now.”

From the knowing looks the twins exchanged, I could tell that they had already met my father before, and they knew the true nature of the relationship that their mother had with him. It made me curious as to the extent of the indifference my dad had for me and my mother. As a father, he chose to raise someone else’s sons instead of his own blood-related one. As a husband, he chose to care for another woman instead of the one who waited faithfully for him to return home every night.

“You already know about it? Did Daeryongie and Soryongie tell you?” He decided to feign surprise this time. It irked me to no end that up till this point, he was using the woman and her kids to try to protect his dignity. Didn’t he love this woman? Why then would he fervently deny the status of their relationship? Was he embarrassed of her?

“Don’t be ridiculous.” I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him. “I haven’t spoken a word to anyone of them since they stepped under this roof. I recognise the looks you give her. I’ve seen it all too many times before. Do you need any further elaboration how and when?”

“Teenagers; all so feisty these days.” The old man chuckled nervously before casting me a sidelong glance warning me to watch my tongue. I rolled my eyes and huffed. “But since you have brought this matter up, Min Woo, let me clarify all things at this table once and for all. Yes, I have a romantic interest in Ri In-sshi, and yes, we are planning to get married in June. This is why I brought her family here to introduce to you today.”

“June. That’s three and a half months from now. You sure work fast. I’d never expected that you’ll get over Umma this soon. But then again, I should have known better, so whatever. Knock yourselves out.” I couldn’t hide the bitterness that seeped through in my voice. I pushed my chair back and rose from the table. “I’m done eating. You guys enjoy your meal without me. I’m sure you would, seeing how you love leaving me out of things. I’m out of here.”

He slammed his hand on the table hard enough to cause the wine in his glass to slosh about. “No Min Woo! That is no way to speak to your elders! I am your father! Get back here and apologise this instant!”

I whirled around once more to look the raging man in the eye. “If you are my father then you better start acting like one.”

I didn’t know how the dinner proceeded afterwards, and I wasn’t interested in finding out. I bolted from the place and into the safety of my room, locking the door behind me. I threw myself onto the bed belly first and picked up the photo frame that sat on top of my drawer. It had been taken when I was young, back when Umma was still alive. It showed the three of us grinning into the camera with bright, cheesy smiles.

We had been such a perfect family before. On top of being born into luxury, my parents showered me with love and care as the only child. We had outings to the amusement park or the beach together, and we did everything together as a family. But then, my father’s business started picking up with his company’s advancement into overseas markets, and he was always in his office dealing with paperwork or flying off somewhere.

He didn’t have the time for us anymore. His day was occupied with board meetings and business discussions, and at night he was cooped up with entertaining potential clients in karaoke bars. By the time I reached teenage hood, I was seeing him less than once a week. He hadn’t even turned up for my thirteenth birthday.

I thought things would get better when Umma had fallen sick with cancer around that point. After all, the old man would start showing more concern and be home more often, right? Wrong. If anything, the illness had only aggravated the situation and made him avoid home even more. He patronised strip clubs like he owned them and rarely came back. In Umma’s year long battle with the disease, he was home an average of once or twice monthly. I thought it was just the sickness that was causing him to hide from reality, but I was wrong about that too. It seemed that his heart was no longer at home.

His club-cruising habits grew worse after Umma’s death. It was as though he was finally liberated from the marriage that tied him down and could do anything he wanted now. The old man really let himself go. He would bring different women home late every night, assuming that I was already asleep and could not hear the deeds happening right across the hallway, and only stopped doing so after I caught him sending one of them off early next morning.

And here we are, two months after Umma’s death, with his latest conquest. By the looks of it, this woman doesn’t know about the old man’s chivalrous lifestyle. She wouldn’t have dated him if she knew. No woman in her right mind would ever let her sons live under the same roof with such a man where they can be easily influenced.

I felt bad for her. She should know what kind of a sleazy douchebag my father is, but it is no authority of mine to tell her so. I could only hope that my behaviour at dinner was enough to drive her away. But it didn’t. She stayed, and I could only cross my fingers and hope for the best for her. Besides, I couldn’t help but feel that she deserved her fate in a sense. If she hadn’t met my dad, he wouldn’t have become so distant from me and my mother, and we would still be together as a family. Maybe Umma might even still be alive then.

That woman took away my happiness with her existence. If there was anyone who didn’t deserve happiness, it would have to be her.

~~~

The days leading up to the wedding flew by. Despite my reluctance and fervent protests, I was still unanimously nominated to be the ring bearer at the ceremony. Thus, I had to be fitted with a tux even though I already own one from a cousin’s wedding a few years back. (“It has to be new, Min Woo ah! This signifies a new beginning for all of us!” The old man had said.)

The old man went all out with the preparation of the matrimonial. Declaring it his official return from being “in the slump”, he wanted the wedding to be as grand as possible and hired a wedding planner, interior designer and even an events coordinator for it. Business partners who were eager to get into his good books poured in their donations and sponsorships generously, making the big day seem more like a corporate event than a wedding. It was big and fake, just like his life.

It was the most torturing week of my life to have to be cooped up for long hours in the wedding shop with my soon-to-be half brothers, who were to be the ones walking their mother down the aisle, getting our measurements done. At the same time, I didn’t want the fitting to be over this soon. It meant that the dreaded wedding date was drawing closer and closer.

I remembered how I felt standing behind the closed doors waiting for my cue to enter the chapel. It was terrible. My stomach churned and I felt nauseous. I felt as though I was signing my father over to a slave-driving company for life. Once I entered in there with the velvet cushion clutched in my hands, I knew there was no turning back. My dad would become the husband of another woman and the father of other children. I would have to share him from then on.

Maybe it had been the realisation that he was never solely belonging to me. Perhaps I was sick and tired of his apathy and didn’t want to bother with any of his affairs anymore. As I heard my name being hissed by the coordinator, I signalled for the oak doors to be pushed open and I strutted down the carpet confidently, ready to give my dad away.

- End of Flashback -

I felt a hand cup my face and fingers tracing over the wetness of my cheek gently. I hadn’t even realised that I was crying. No, sobbing. I looked up and my gaze met with Dong Hyun’s loving eyes. He managed a teary smile as he my cheek with his thumb. “Love…”

“She was the only other parental figure I had ever had in my entire life but I took her for granted. She’s dead, hyung.” By now I was wrecking sobs in Dong Hyun’s embrace as he cradled me gently in his arms. The others had also gathered around and began patting my back. “You have no idea how much I resent my younger self for not getting to know her better when she was still alive.”

I stifled the hiccups that bubbled up my throat and drew my knees to my chest. “I lived for the past decade telling myself firmly that she was just another money- leech my dad picked up at a whorehouse even though I knew that she was nothing of that sort. I let my bitterness blind me and now all I have left are countless regrets.”

A/N: Hey, I'm finally back with an update... *waves tiredly*

School has only resumed for a week and it's already killing me. It took me an entire week to find time just to write the last portions. Which basically is just the few lines before and after the flashback. Brilliant. Don't you just love school life?

So sorry for those of you who were patiently awaiting an update. This chapter still dwells on Min Woo's past (just like the previous two) and there just seems to be no story progress at all. I am such a horrible person and you all have been waiting for too long... >.<

On a side note, it's actually Day 2 of Boyfriend's I-YAH comeback, so think of this as a welcome back present of sorts? I finally got to watch their full dance choreo for the song just now, and gosh those handstand/flip-over-shoulder things are DAMN COOL. I mustered whatever tiny ounce of energy I had left just to do a little spaz before flopping aside to recharge again XD

Hope you enjoyed this belated chapter!