Last Chapter

“I think I chose the right wife,” he uttered, eyes still on me, and smiled playfully.

“I think I have to admit that you at least have good taste in woman,” hwejangnim responded. Jung Yonghwa grinned even wider.

“I think you’re just lucky,” Jung Yunho teased, making the other giggled.

“I am,” he agreed easily, showing his snaggle teeth still.

“I think you’re in love,” Sooyeon unnie added, I jerked my head to look at her, surprised by her comment.

“I am,” he confirmed. He was beaming at me.

Oh, Jung Yonghwa. What a jerk. What a cruel jerk.

~o0o~

Four

Men Are Stupid

I was beyond furious.

The way he so easily affirmed that he was in love with me, inviting endless teasing from the rest of his family that night. While on the other hand I could do nothing but bowed down as if I was shy, though the truth was I was hiding my anger.

Abonim's comment about Jung Yonghwa falling for a girl like me was something expected almost made me scoff at his face.

His annoying grin.Bursting cheeks in all their glory.Snaggletooth and all. He clearly enjoyed the attention. I wish I could wipe that smile away from his face.

When he led me by my back to the car as we bid good bye to his family like he did before in the pub,I imagined my body emitted some heat so every time he touched me, his hands would be burnt. How lovely that would be.

I sat as far as possible from him in the car, looking outside without sparing him even a glance, ignoring him completely.

“Seo Juhyun, are you perhaps, angry?” he asked after we reached the freeway, shifted closer to me.

“Don’t you dare, Jung Yonghwa!” I hissed, stopping his move under my deadly glare. He was clearly surprised.

“Don’t you dare coming closer to me. Don’t touch me. Don’t talk to me. Don’t look at me.” I warned him.

He stayed silent, trying to digest my words.

“Then what am I supposed to do?” he asked in confusion.

“Like I said,” I muttered under my breath, “Don’t. Talk. To me. Dinner’s over. The show’s over. You don’t need to perform your magnificent acting when there’re just the two of us.”

“What are you-“ he tried to argue but I cut it with another glare, forcing him to stop.

With that I got back to my previous position, shutting him off. I heard him sigh.

When we reached my home, I immediately got off the car and walked inside briskly in anger. I didn’t even give him a glimpse of my back.

Maybe he was surprised, and confused. Maybe I made him wondering why the hell I acted like that. Maybe he would stay awake all night thinking about what I said in the car, trying to understand what I meant. Maybe he would go to work in the morning with dark circles under his eyes, but still clueless nonetheless. Knowing how dumb men could be.

Or maybe he would just go home like nothing happened, sleep tight without nightmares disturbing his slumber, go to work on time looking dazzling. And when we meet again, he would be his usual playful self, grinning and laughing loudly, as if he didn’t have the capability to understand a word I’d said. Knowing how men could act stupid so easily. And I know so well, how great of an actor Jung Yonghwa was.

I was so close to believing that Jung Yonghwa was different from any other man. He was far from useless. He was cocky some times, but he knew how to be grateful. And the things I heard about his bad relationship with his uncle was apparently false. They were just like any other family. Jung Hwejangnim was indeed strict to his successors, especially the males in the family. But I could see clearly that Jung Yonghwa, Jung Yunho, Sooyeon Unnie and Jung Soojung, grew up together and as close as cousins could be. They even made me wonder whether I could be as close as them with Kyuhyun Oppa if I hadn’t have left.

But I guessed Jung Yonghwa was just as stupid as the rest of his kind.

~o0o~

I woke up late the next morning. I didn’t have any class on Monday and I just didn’t feel like letting go of the comfort of my bed. My phone vibrated a little after 10 a.m. I absentmindedly picked it up from the bedside table, checked the caller ID and took the call after realizing it was from one of my best friends.

“Yoboseyo?” I greeted lazily.

“GET UP, SLEEPYHEAD!” the other end yelled to my ear without mercy, making me shrieked. Before I could protest, she had continued with “WE’RE SHOPPING!” and soon was replaced by that annoying continuous ‘beep beep’ sound.

I sighed loudly before uncovered myself from the warm duvet and walked to the bathroom in heavy steps.

~o0o~

When I reached the restaurant where we usually hang out, it was almost midday. I didn’t have to search too long for them since I could hear them chatting nosily from the entrance, and as usual they occupied the table near the pond in the indoor garden of the restaurant.

They welcomed me with smiles and happy greetings. And surprisingly, Sooyeon Unnie was there, too. As we exchanged greetings, a waiter came to us to take my order since my friends had ordered already.

“I thought you’re spending a quality time with Harabonim,” I said as I took a seat in front of her.

“I thought so, too, but suddenly Haraboji went off to work this morning, attending some monthly executive meeting or something. Leaving me alone in his huge mansion,” she explained, “so I called Hyoyeon,” she ended her explanation with a look to her side where a blonde girl blowing her hot caramel mocha leisurely.

“She wanted to drag me around Apgujong to shop, but I got a better idea, why don’t we go to Tokyo instead? I haven’t had Issey Miyake’s winter collection yet, and I bet she hasn’t either. But I suddenly realized, none of us can speak Japanese that well. So I called Sooyoung,” Hyoyeon Unnie told me excitedly.

“But I hate being the third wheel, so I called you. I know you’re free,” Sooyoung Unnie, who sat beside me, added.

“I am free, but do you know how hard it is to break through that horde of reporters?” I whined.

“Don’t blame me, blame her cousin,” Sooyoung Unnie pointed Sooyeon Unnie with her chin.

“Don’t worry, Juhyunah, I’ll make sure he’ll take responsibility for the rest of his life,” Sooyeon Unnie winked at me, and the other girls started teasing me. I sighed exasperatedly.

“We just had dinner last night,” Sooyeon Unnie announced.

“We know,” Hyoyeon Unnie responded, “we talked regularly in Kakaotalk. And while we’re at it, you, Jung Sooyeon,” Hyoyeon Unnie nudged Sooyeon Unnie with her elbow, “seriously, when will you install that chatting app? It’s easy, you know? And it’s free!”

“Oh, Kim Hyoyeon, don’t talk like a penniless kid. I don’t mind paying your international phone call, you know?” Sooyeon Unnie argued.

“But you’re always busy-“

“See?” Sooyoung Unnie interrupted, “This is what I’m talking about. Without you, I’ll be just a tour guide of these lovers,” Sooyoung Unnie said to me as she rolled her eyes. I only giggled as I took the mug filled with warm goguma latte from the waiter.

“So, how did the dinner go?” Sooyoung Unnie asked me, the other two immediately turned their attention to me.

“I think it went well,” I shrugged.

“Of course it did, my family loves you,” Sooyeon Unnie affirmed, “And Jung Yonghwa loves you,” she added, almost made me spurt my goguma latte to her face.

“Wow, wow, flash news!” Hyoyeon Unnie reacted, “What is this? Why have we never heard this before?”

“Relax, Unnie. He doesn’t love me,” I denied, “Sooyeon Unnie, stop the teasing, please,” I pleaded.

“I’m not teasing you,” Sooyeon Unnie said in defense, “It’s just what I saw last night. And my handsome cousin had admitted it, too.”

“Really?”

“He admitted that he loved Juhyun?”

The other two girls looked at Sooyeon Unnie wide-eyed excitedly, and the latter nodded vigorously.

I sighed again. What should I do? How to tell them that it was all an act? How to tell Sooyeon Unnie that her so-called handsome cousin was a jerk?

~o0o~

In the end, I decided to just let them be. Let them think like everyone did while I was finding a way to reveal it one day.

We had lunch as we chatted away. We hadn’t met for a long time though we talked regularly. Especially with Sooyeon Unnie, since she moved to Boston for good three years ago. She was appointed to help his father establishing Taeyang branch for American market. When it started running steadily, his father came back to Korea, but Sooyeon Unnie opted to stay. The last time I met Sooyeon Unnie was on Taeyeon Unnie’s wedding, another one from our bunch, last year.

After lunch, we went shopping as planned, but instead of going to Tokyo, we settled with the first plan instead, Apgujong, much to Hyoyeon Unnie’s disappointment. As we browsed some Burberry coats, Hyoyeon Unnie kept mumbling about opening Issey Miyake’s store here in Seoul someday.

As I checked my reflection in the mirror with my new found beige coat, I could see Sooyoung Unnie was sitting on the couch alone, frowning at her phone. I actually knew that she was avoiding a phone call since we were in the restaurant before, but because she acted nonchalant about it, I just brushed it off my mind.

But now she looked truly bothered by it.

“Is anything wrong, Unnie?” I asked her as I walked closer.

She looked startled, “Oh, Aniya,” she shook her head, putting back the phone inside her tote bag. I knew she was hiding something. But I abandoned my initial intention to dig deeper when I remembered my own secrets. I decided to just give her time.

Even though Hyoyeon Unnie whined the most when we decided to go to Burberry, she brought back the most shopping bags among us. I decided to take home the beige coat while Sooyeon Unnie chose the leather clutch and a pair of matching heels. Sooyoung Unnie didn’t buy anything.

When we were busy in the cashier, a man suddenly came and pulled Sooyoung Unnie by the wrist, startling us all.

“What the- what are you doing here?!” Sooyoung Unnie yelled at the man.

“What can I do when you refuse to answer my call?!” the man yelled back. Out of curiosity, I tilted my head so I could see the man clearer. And did it shock me.

I was too late to look away as the man caught my eyes.

“Juhyun?” the man mumbled my name, not really asking anyone, as he stared at me in disbelief. I was speechless.

Sooyoung Unnie wriggled her hand free off his loosened grip.

“Let’s talk later, Oppa,” she whispered to the man, but I still could hear it.

“Let’s go,” Sooyoung Unnie walked ahead out of the store. We followed suit.

I glanced at the man as I walked past him. And he glanced back at me.

~o0o~

Sooyoung Unnie kept mum about it as we continued shopping. And none of us intended to force her to spill it out because we were sure, she would tell us everything when she was ready.

I went home after dinner with them. I sat at the back of the car, looking at the snow covered streets outside absentmindedly while Kim Ahjusshi drove slowly. Kim Ahjusshi drove me around ever since we announced the wedding. Omuni thought it would be safer to have a driver who could also act as a personal bodyguard to keep me off the paparazzi. I accepted Omuni’s request with a condition that I would only allow Kim Ahjusshi to be my driver/bodyguard. I didn’t want to have any kind of men around me every time, everywhere. But Kim Ahjusshi was fine, I didn’t mind with him.

On my way back home, I couldn’t stop thinking about the man I met at the Burberry store before. I just thought about him the night before, and out of nowhere he was there right in front of me. That face, I couldn’t ever forget, even though it had been twenty years since the last time I saw it. How could he look so similar with my father? He was like the carbon copy of my father when he was young, only taller.

Questions. They suddenly popped into my head.

What did he do for living? How did he know Sooyoung Unnie? What was their relationship? Why didn’t Sooyoung Unnie tell me about him? Had Keun-appa and Gomo been well? Did they miss me?

And just like that, like a broken dam, my tears flowed on my cheeks as memories of my childhood flooded my head.

Me desperately looking for Kyuhyun Oppa in one of our hide and seek session, calling him over and over again, nearly tearing up, because he always hid so well. And when I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore and shamelessly sitting on the ground crying, he would come to me with annoyed expression on his face. He would scold me for crying instead of looking for him carefully which made me cry even louder. Then he’d pull me up by my hands, dragged me to his home, then scattered his books and pencils and asked me to draw something with him. And I’d stop crying. We’d lie on our stomach on the room he shared with his parents, drawing and joking around.

I also remembered those Saturday nights on the beginning of the month when our fathers just got their payments. We’d gather on Kyuhyun Oppa’s house to have barbeque and we’d feed ourselves with meat until our stomach nearly exploded.

Or those Sunday afternoons when my father would teach us to play piano in our apartment.

Or those puppies we used to pat on our way back home from school, wishing that someday our parents would give us one.

Or those scary nights when my father wasn’t home and Omuni was at work so I ran as fast as I could to Kyuhyun Oppa’s house, as if it was my only sanctuary, and I’d be fine as long as I was there.

Or that summer, when the bugs he caught two days before died but he couldn’t careless because he heard me leaving.

I remembered him chasing the car that brought me back to Halmoni, screaming my name over and over again, maybe wishing it would stop the car. But the car didn’t stop. Omuni had offered me to say my last good bye to Kyuhyun Oppa. But I refused. For I knew so well that when I stopped and got off the car, I would want to stay.

And I remembered crying in my new fancy bed room for days because I missed my cousin. I missed Kyuhyun Oppa.

But then after parted with him for more than twenty years, I saw him.

Cho Kyuhyun, stood before me, and looked much alike my father.

~o0o~

When the car entered the gate of the exclusive complex where I lived, few reporters chased it, hoping to get a glimpse of me, asking where I had been all day. After surrounding my house all day on Sunday, the management of the residential complex finally moved the security guards to chase the reporters out of the area. Now they didn’t have a choice but to wait outside the gate. What were they waiting for actually? We clearly announced that the wedding wasn’t until April. They obviously wouldn’t get anything by waiting around or stalking me all day.

As the car drove away from the reporters and several security guards on-watch preventing them to chase further, I spotted a man. Unlike the reporters, he just stood there motionlessly, watching the car I rode faded away.

A picture flashed on my mind. A picture of a boy chasing after a car desperately.

“STOP!” I unconsciously screamed, startling myself. Kim Ahjusshi stepped the brake immediately.

“What is it, Agasshi?” he looked back at me worriedly.

I looked back at the man who was still standing despite the guards closing the gate on his face.

“Ahjusshi,” I started, “Do you see that guy who stood still outside the gate?”

Kim Ahjusshi was confused but eventually looked at the direction I meant.

“I think so,” he answered uncertain, “what is it, Agasshi?”

“Can you get him here?” I hesitantly asked, “I need to talk to him.”

Kim Ahjusshi stared at me incredulously.

“Please,” I pleaded, determined. That did it.

“Algesseumnida,” Kim Ahjusshi said as he opened his door.

“His name is Kyuhyun,” I screamed before he got off the car, “Cho Kyuhyun,” I added.

~o0o~

The waitress of the cafe found us in a staring competition when she brought our drinks. She awkwardly put the cups on the table, probably feeling the tension in the air.

“I heard you’re getting married,” he started when the waitress had gone back to the counter.

“What’s your relationship with Sooyoung Unnie?” I asked not minding his statement before.

He chuckled.

“We’re dating,” he answered readily.

I raised my left eyebrows skeptically, “She never told me that.”

“Because she knows I’m the cousin that you don’t want to see ever again,” he reasoned.

“How could you date her? Where did you guys meet?” I shot him with more questions.

He took his hot cappuccino and sipped it slowly. I waited impatiently.

“I worked as the aide of Minister Choi,” he answered as he put the cup back down, “thus, I met her often. And then sparks flying…” he trailed off.

“You dated your employer’s daughter?” I scoffed, “Sounds like someone I knew.”

Hearing my words, he turned to stare at me intently, not finding my joke funny.

“Why didn’t you tell Jageun-appa about your wedding?”

“Why should I?”

“I know you hate him, Juhyun, but he’s still your father, shouldn’t you at least-“

“I’ll send the invitation later.”

“He’s your father, and he got to hear his daughter’s wedding through TV.”

“And you think it’s my fault?”

“Cho Juhyun…”

“SEO! My name is Seo!”

I hated myself that moment. For being too emotional.For not able to control my tears.

I nervously wiped my wet cheeks with my right hand and quickly grabbed my hot citron tea to drink the content. I put down the cup after feeling better, but I still couldn’t look back at him.

“Aboji misses you,” he said with gentler tone.

I tried to gulp down the lump in my throat to prevent me from stuttering, “Is he – is he alright?” I failed, “Have Keun-Appa and Gomo been well?”

Kyuhyun Oppa smiled, “Yes, they’ve been very well. Aboji has retired now, so he just lied around at home and bugged Omma every day.”

I smiled unknowingly. Keun-appa and Gomo used to bicker all the time, unlike my parents. But even though they bickered every single day, they stuck together until now, unlike my parents.

“Do you still live with them?” I asked.

“No. They chased me out two years ago,” he pouted, making me giggled.

“Where do you live now?” I asked again.

“Why? You wanna drop by?” he asked playfully, as he plopped down his elbows on the table and put his chin on his palms.

“You wish,” I looked away.

“Will you introduce me to your husband-to-be?” he asked again.

“Why would I?” I asked back, narrowing my eyes at him.

“Because I’m your cousin,” he stated the obvious.

I stared at my cup as I thought of Jung Yonghwa, “I don’t think he knows that I have a cousin.”

“Does he know about Jageun-appa?”

“I don’t know,” I was unsure, “Maybe.”

“If he knows about Jageun-appa, then he’ll know about me,” he shrugged.

We fell into another silence, but not as tense as before.

“So what’s wrong with you and Sooyoung Unnie?” I asked.

He looked down on his cup. He sighed before he answered, “She… saw me,” he paused and I just waited in silence, “having lunch with a hoobae from college.”

I rolled my eyes.

“It was just a lunch,” he said in defense, “we just ate and talked and… she misunderstood…”

“Seriously, Oppa, you should find another role model,” I advised him.

~o0o~

The next day after breakfast, I immediately checked the schedule of my wedding preparation that Omunim had emailed me on Monday. Because I arrived home late last night, I just got the time to check it that morning.

I talked with Kyuhyun Oppa until almost midnight. Though we spent hours and cups of coffee and tea in the cafe, we didn’t talk that much. It was funny how we talked so little when we actually tried to catch up on the twenty years we were apart from each other. We would fall into silence for several minutes after talking about a topic, before we found another thing to talk about. And it was strange how we weren’t awkward at all when in fact we never met since that summer twenty years ago.

Before we parted last night, he gave me his business card, asking me to give him a call some times. Of course I told him to get real. What made him think I’d call him? But I still put the card inside my coat’s pocket anyway.

As I was writing down the schedule on my journal, my phone vibrated, calling me back to reality. I checked the caller ID before picking it up.

It was Jung Yonghwa.

Strange. He never called me before.

“Yoboseyo?” I greeted plainly.

“Have you read today’s newspaper?” he asked directly without greeting back.

“I haven’t,” I answered curtly, “Why?”

“Read it.”

That was his short sentence before ending the call. What is he? My boss? Ordering me around to read the newspaper? Why? Does our stocks price rise again?

I snickered and continued writing.

I checked the time when I finished rearranging my schedule. I only had about an hour before my early financial management class. So I hurriedly put my stuffs inside my bag and got ready to go to college.

I was shocked when I found Jung Yonghwa sitting in my living room joking around with Halmoni when I was on my way out.

“Oh, you’re ready?” Halmoni asked. I nodded, smiling. “Jung seobang has been waiting for you,” I cringed at the foreign word, “He said he wanted to take you to school,” Halmoni winked at me.

I sighed, preparing myself for the doom of his usual lovey dovey act.

“Let’s go?” he asked curtly. Eyes piercing into mine, startling me.

Because Omuni had gone right after breakfast, we only bid goodbye to Halmoni. He walked ahead of me to his car, no more guiding me by my back. Did he actually obey my previous warning to not touch me? He opened the door for me but didn’t look my way when I got inside the car. Wow. Now he didn’t even look at me. What this whole sudden obedient behavior was for, I wondered.

I buckled my seat belt as soon as I settled inside his car. He sat at the driver seat beside me.

“Did you read the newspaper?” he asked again without looking at me as he buckled his seatbelt.

“No,” I answered curtly, starting to wonder the importance of reading a newspaper in the morning.

He opened the drawer of the dashboard and pulled out a folded newspaper and shoved it to me. He wasn’t obedient, alright. He was… angry for some reasons. I wondered why, was it because I didn’t read the newspaper?

“What is it?” I muttered in annoyance as I unfolded the paper on my lap.

It was the newspaper which first published our picture together a couple days ago. Then I found the reason why Jung Yonghwa kept insisting me to read it. There I was in the front page, exiting a cafe with a man, with a big bold font above the picture that read “SEO JUHYUN’S SECRET LOVER”.

I turned my head at him and found his eyes staring at me so coldly.

“Who is he?”

~o0o~

Author's Note:

Hi, hi...

Happy Third Anniversary for Banmal Song!!

an early update to celebrate it...

and surprise, surprise...

a new poster!!

As always, I would like to thank you my readers, subscribers, commenters, upvoters...

and of course, s3xyangel in Forbidden Dreamers... love the beautiful poster...

here's the link if you guys are interested.. click

Thank you!!