CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

“Oppa?” Shae had just returned home from the office when she noticed a man standing by her apartment door.

“Hi Shae, can I come in.” he asked her.

“Of course oppa. Mi casa es su casa.” She told him laughingly as she opened the door to her house. “Come in. Are you staying tonight? You have good news for me?” She asked him excitedly.

“Shae we need to talk.” He said seriously as he watched her go in the kitchenette.

“You’re scaring me there.” She laughed. “The divorce is going to take long? I guess it’s ok, at least I’ll get to know Yumi more and we can go house searching. This house doesn’t seem big enough for the three of us, and frankly I would find it awkward living in your current apartment.”

“It’s not that.” He said softly interrupting her incessant chatter about the perfect house.

“Oh. Is it about the custody of Yumi? I’m sure we can all come to a friendly agreement.” Shae said as she turned the coffee maker on.

“I won’t get a divorce.” Jaejoong finally said.

“You can’t get a divorce? Why? Oh! You need to go through the seperation period first. That’s ok I guess. I’m not in a hurry to get ourselves married.” She said shakily, fearing that that is not what Jaejoong meant.

“It’s not that I can’t, it’s that I won’t.” he said looking at her. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry I don’t understand.” She said with a shaky smile on her face.

“I will not divorce _____. I came to tell you that I will not, not now not ever, divorce _____. She’s my wife, mother of my child and all future children. I’m sorry Shae. I think I should go.” He said as he stood up.

“Sit.” Shae said as she started into nothing. She was shocked. “You love me. I understand that marrying you just after you divorce _____ will look horrible for me. I get it, you just want to protect me. I understand that your family and friends may not approve of this immediately; I know your family love _____, I saw that with my own eyes but I’m willing to bare all the snide looks and remarks as long as you’re there.”

“It’s not about that Shae.”

“Are you afraid that _____ won’t let you be part of Yumi’s life if you divorce her?”

“It’s not like that.”

“_____’s using Yumi so you won’t divorce her right?” Shae asked Jaejoong with wide eyes, believeing that this was really the cause of his change of heart.

“No – ”

“You told _____ you wanted a divorce and she said no, right?”

“No Shae no. I love _____, she’s my – ”

“No! No you don’t! No I don’t want to hear it. Lalalalalala” She said covering her ears with her hands and shutting her eyes as if wanting to shut reality. “You love me.”

“Shae,” Jaejoong said gently, removing her hands from her head and then making her look at him. “I’m sorry to have made you believed that we would be more but now I realized that that cannot be. I love my wife, it took me a few months to remember her but now I do. I remember everything about her, about us…ok well not everything. I might not now what her favorite brand is or who her favorite singer is but I know one think I love her.”

“You love me.” She said defeatedly.

“I don’t.” he said and turned to leave but Shae stopped him.

“Fate. Fate brought us together after years. You woke up because you remembered me. Remember? If _____ hadn’t met me she would never have told you about me and you wouldn’t have reacted. If I didn’t come to that hospital then, you probably would have still been in that bed, in a coma. The reason why you remember me and not her because you still love me and fate made it possible for our love to resume. This is our destiny oppa, for us to be together. You said the last thing you remember before you went into a coma is me. I’m the one.” She told him.

“If that is how destiny planned our life, then I’m going to fight destiny. I love _____. Shae please just let me be. You don’t deserve half a man. You deserve all the loving. Go find that person and let me be whole with _____.”

“But I’m the one – ” she protested feebily.

“Yes I admit it. I’m the worst husband. I forgot my wife. I forgot my daughter. I forgot all the love I had for the person who makes me smile and angry, who makes me feel. You might have been the last thing I saw before I went into a coma but maybe it was because I saw someone who resembled you or something. I don’t care about that anymore. All I care about is the present.” And with that Jaejoong left Shae behind in her apartment.

“Ok. Baby formula and pampers, where art thou.” _____ said to herself as she looked at the shelves that lined the grocery.

“_____?” a voice called from behind her.

“Shae. Hi.” She replied politely. “You got lots of icecream there.” _____ pointed out Shae’s nearly full cart of assorted icecreams and popsicles.

“When I get depressed this gets me through. Next stop, dvd rentals of soppy films.” She said sadly.

“I’m sorry, what happned?”

“You happened.”  Shae said with a hint of hostility.

“Shae?” _____ backed up as Shae kept advancing towards her.

“Give oppa his divorce.” She kneeled infront of _____, ignoring the 2 or 3 customers in the aisle with them.

“Shae stand up, please. You’re causing a scene.”

“Give oppa his divorce and don’t make it hard for him to get to Yumi. Yumi deserves a father. Just because I love Jaejoong and want him for me doesn’t mean I don’t want Jaejoong to bond with his daughter. Is that what you are afraid of?”

“Shae – ”

“Divorce him and let him be happy _____.”

*flashback*

“_____, I…there actually is a reason why I brought you out to dinner. I want a divorce.” Jaejoong said.

*end flashback*

“_____! Please!” Shae called out as _____ left the grocery. 

_____ walked and walked and walked until her feet ached until she was lost after all the turns she took but didn’t pay attention to. She asked a passerby where they where and once she found out where they were she called the one person she knew she could rely on.

“Yunho, pick me up please.”

“Ah! This is so good! Ahjumma this is the best! Can I please have another bottle of beer.” _____ told the stall owner. They were eating at a food stall a few minutes away from _____’s apartment.

When _____ called for Yunho to pick her up Yunho was worried sick. For one thing, the area she was at was a good 30 minute walk from her house. Secondly, it was not a neighborhood of good reputation. Lastly, _____ seemed to have been crying when she made her call. However, when he arrived he found _____ smiling at him and she seemed to be in a good mood. On the way home, they spotted a food stall that was just about to start business. _____ asked him if he would accompany her for dinner, and seeing that he was getting hungry, Yunho happily obliged. _____ seemed as if she has not eaten for months. But what really scared him was the fact that she was downing beer as if it was nothing.

“_____ stop with the beer. I think you’ve had enough.” He told her as she asked for her fourth bottle.

“See Yunho. I found the best cure to not getting drunk. If I eat a lot, I won’t get drunk as fast. And I need my alcohol now. I’m celebrating.” She told him then signaled for another beer. “Ah wait! Ajumma! Do you have soju? Give us soju and beer. My friend and I are celebrating.”

“We are? What are we celebrating?” Yunho said as he poured her soju.

“To Jaejoong’s happiness.”

“What happned? Did he get that account he’s been slaving off?”

“I’m not sure what the status of that account. We’re toasting to his and Shae’s happiness.” She said and drank her soju.

“What?”

“Seriously Yunho you have to learn other words than ‘what’” She told him. She poured some more soju and was about to drink it when Yunho stopped her.

“What’s going on?”

“Yesterday night, Jaejoong and I went on a ‘date’ And he asked for a divorce. Today I met Shae asking me to grant Jaejoong’s wish for a divorce. So we’re toasting to Jaejoong and Shae’s happiness and to my last days as a married woman.” She said and knocked back her soju.

"Why did you give in so fast? You were fighting for your marriage why the sudden change."

"Because he asked me. He really wants it. He wants to be with her. And when have i ever been able to say no to Jaejoong." she laughed lightly as she remembered all the adventures she had thanks to Jaejoong.

“Are you really ok?”

“No. That’s why I need to drink. Let’s do some sake bombs but instead of sake lets use…soooojuuu!!” She said giddily and giggled.

“Ok let’s! Doesn’t matter that I have a nine o’clock meeting with some important people. Let’s get hammered!” Yunho said as he prepared her a soju poktanju*. “Now this will get you high and drunk so fast you won’t know what hit you.”

“Thank you Yunho.” _____ said softly as she watched Yunho do his thing.

*a shot glass of draft beer dropped into a pint of soju

uwaa~!! Hey guys! i updated so fast. wohoo!

i got inspired. isn't jaejong sooo *drool*

heeheehee.