Chapter 2

 

No husband? Hmmm.

 

Still in her living room, staring at the agitated gleam that lived within the depth of Yuri’s eyes, he couldn’t help but notice that his mood brightened at the information but it didn’t cease his wonder of where the little boy fitted into this story.

 

She had absolutely no clue how much he thought of her after the little performance of running away from home. Night & day, he stress out his brain when thinking about her. He consulted his parents about her sudden disappearance & even reported to the police about it. He thought about contributing it to her father but it was pointless for he was too drunk to even know he was on earth then. Heck, he might be too drunk enough to know now. Not even trying to hide his concern towards her, he even posted a lost ad at every telephone pole he found but years & years of trying, there were still no signs of her & during those years, he had to continue on with his future, therefore, partially forgot about her but no, he could never forget Yuri, not if his life depended on it. She was a sweet image that was permanently engraved in his head.

 

Now, his new neighbor was Yuri, Kwon Yuri, the love & childhood memories of his life, was his new neighbor. Fate, playing its twisted humor, had them reunite near a dumpster. Not only reuniting with his old crush but happens to be a supposedly single mother.

 

She came before him, holding the door for him to enter, looking more beautiful than she did before. She has gone from a teenage girl to a lustful woman. Her hair was still the same when he last saw her, mid-back length, dark brownish. Her baby soft skin was as delicate as ever, glowing in the light. Her eyes still had the dancing glint lit in it, although not as bright as before but it was still present. Her kissable lips were pinkish, contrasting beautifully with her rosy cheeks. The whole structure of her was more desirable than ever. She was irresistible as a teenager & her alluring motives rocket-fired to a higher level as an adult.

 

His thoughts wandered back to the unexpected son that just came into the room, came to his self-awareness & perhaps, came into his life. If Yuri didn’t have a husband then she must have left him for some thankful reason, producing the little boy before. Since he cannot hold back his peculiarity, he asked, “Divorced?”

 

Once again, her head made its way to shake slowly & nervously, “Never married.”

 

‘Ah, that was interesting.’ He thought. He shouldn’t be prying over her personal life for it has been years & it’s almost as if they have met for the first time. Somewhere deep down inside of him wants to know more but his conscious told him he would be better off without knowing.

 

A single mother who was never married didn’t sound appealing to him a bit. Could the offspring be developed coerced? Or were they even blood-related? All the questions crowded heavily within his brain, threatening to be let out. Shaking his thoughts away, he focused on Yuri’s blank stare.

 

Having nothing else to say or do, he tensely pointed at the room where Yuri’s son had entered, “How old is he?” He asked.

“He just turned five last month.” Yuri informed.

 

‘Five years old?’ Yunho repeated mentally, just a year after Yuri left did the boy existed, “What’s his name?” “Dohyun. Dohyun Kwon.” Yuri breathed out softly.

 

It has been cliched that when a child is surnamed after the mother, that the kid was considered an illegitimate. Wanting to kick himself for even considering that of Yuri, he resolved to just giving his full attention to Yuri rather than think of half-baked ideas.

 

“Why did you decided to moved here in Japan?” Yunho asked, finally thought of what to say to break the strained atmosphere.

 

“I don’t really know myself but it’s probably the neighborhood that attracted me.” Yuri gripped onto her cup & took a sip.

 

“Who would have thought it attracted you to me.” Yunho muttered, under his breath.

 

“What was that?” Yuri inquired, but Yunho shook his head.

 

Trying his best not to ask anymore questions about Yuri’s personal life, he thought of other things to talk about. He almost choked on his drink when he found out that Yuri was working as a massage therapist. The image of Yuri rubbing other men’s, half men’s, skin gained his irritation & envious spirit.

“Sometimes when clients are severely stressed out, I would send them to a special room where there would be candlelight & soft music of which they can relax but it’s when I start the massaging is when the relaxation really occurs.” Yuri elaborated, to Yunho’s discomfort. It was bad enough that she has to be in a room with half- people but she had a room that was considered romantic in a way & with the high percentage of Yuri’s ability of attraction, who knows what the men could be thinking.

 

Impossible to hold back, he asked, “Are most of your clients male?”

 

She stared at him blankly, “Does it matter?”

 

He shrugged & offered a wry grin, “Somewhat.”

 

Rolling her eyes at his sarcasm, she asked, “What do you think?”

 

Not even using his time to rethink, he mouthed out, “Male.”

 

“Care to make a wager on that?” She challenged.

 

He frowned at her proud posture & reconsidered, “You have that look on your face.”

 

“What look?” Her eyes were innocently shining.

 

“The look that has me questioning my ego.” He countered.

 

Her response was a jovial laugh, one that sweetened his heart, one that he longed to hear for so many years. Her lovely features pleased him dearly. He could still make her laugh.

 

When Yuri saw Yunho’s door closed shut lightly behind him, she closed her own door & locked it as well. Leaning against it, she sank down when her bottom met the floor & hugged her knees, smiling.

 

Five years. They haven’t seen each other for five years. She had missed him so. It wasn’t easy leaving him in the first place but there wasn’t any choice; she just had to escape. The past is all a dusty file of records locked somewhere deep in her mind & she wasn’t going to unlock the drawer any time soon. During the conversation with Yunho, she knew he had thousands of questions to ask her but he kept quiet & she was grateful for that. Although, she feels that he is only keeping quiet for a short time, she couldn’t help but wonder how she was going to answer him.

 

Over that, she didn’t cease to notice how handsome Yunho had turned out to be. Of course, he was attractive before but it didn’t compare to him now. His short, dark brown hair was trimmed at the side & was tousled that she felt like sinking her long fingers in them & ruffle them. His eyes still had the protective & comfort flicker that was so familiar to her that she could pinpoint the slightest mark. His jaws were strong & locked, his lubricous bow-shaped lips plus his built frame stimulated her desires.

 

Shaking herself from her trance, she laughed at how ridiculous she sounded, ‘I will just go with the flow.’ Yuri thought. She was feeling tired & needed to sleep early if she was going to wake up at three in the morning. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day, just like today but even more but today’s chores weren’t half of what she was going to go through tomorrow. Her massage parlor was without a doubt going to be packed with clients. That was one of the reason why she moved to the city was because there were loads of hard-working people. Just as she expected, her schedule was filled throughout the whole week. That means her leisure time with Dohyun would be short cut.

 

Resting her eyes on the number of boxes that were still closed, she decided that she will finish unpacking when she had the time. Right now, it was sleep time. Moving in was more tiresome than she expected, excluding the help from Dohyun which was less. Sleep was good since it was good for recovering her self-conscious & good for recovering her shock from encountering Yunho again.

 

Turning off the lamp that was lying near the couch, she headed for the bathroom. Glad that she unpacked her toothpaste & pajamas, she quickly changed into them & then began to brushing her teeth. Walking to Dohyun’s room with her toothbrush still in , she opened the door, getting ready to tell him to go to bed.

 

“Honey, it’s time to.” She paused, when she saw her son.

 

He was already sprawled on the floor sleeping, his hand resting under his cheeks as he drooled from his dreams, his toys still surrounding him. Smiling at his pose, she carried him onto the uncovered mattress & flung the soft blanket over his body. Giving him a kiss on the cheeks, she turned off the light & closed the door lightly. After brushing her teeth & other refreshments, she turned off all the lights & went to bed, not long after dozing off to a restless dream.

 

“Mommy!” The comrade voice boomed loudly into Yuri’s ear. Scrunching her face together, she opened her half-asleep eyes to see a fully awake boy before her. Like always, Dohyun was bouncing on the mattress blithely, a routine he bestowed to get her up from the bed.

 

“It’s time to wake up!” The boy shouted, still bouncing, “Wake up!”

 

“I’m awake. Really, I am.” Yuri surrendered, pulling herself up as Dohyun helped her.

 

For five years, Dohyun has been her alarm clock. Even when he didn’t understand the world just yet, his baby instinct cried at exactly three & he continued ever since. When he e & apprehended several things, his cries stopped & it came to boisterous whines. At exactly three in the morning, she had to hand it to him; the boy was a gift to her. The bright side of it was she wouldn’t have any trouble trying to get him up to go to school. Heck, he’s the one waking her up.

 

“Mommy, if you don’t get ready any sooner, we are going to be late for Sooyoung’s.” Dohyun pointed out.

 

Choi Sooyoung was Dohyun’s babysitter, twenty-four years old & earning money for her college fund. Since Yuri was extremely busy in the day & school hasn’t start yet for Dohyun, she decided to take him to Sooyoung’s place. Dohyun liked her a lot & she enjoyed Dohyun’s company as well so the compromise ended well.

 

“Honey, I’m sure Sooyoung wouldn’t mind if we are a little late.” She exaggerated, staring at the digital clock that read three-fifty. Pulling her comforter away & stepping to the floor, she pulled Dohyun as well & led him out of the room.

 

“Now, let’s get ourselves some breakfast, shall we?” Yuri said. Dohyun ran to the kitchen & towards the refrigerator. Pulling the door open, he took out a carton of milk & a glass cup from the counter. Yuri scanned through the room overfilled with cardboard boxes, debating on which one that had the cereals.

 

“It’s that one.” Dohyun pointed to the smaller box that was next to the couch. Thanking him, she reached out for it & pulled out a captain crunch box of cereal. Dohyun had his huge bowl in front of him on the table already with his utensils in his hands; she smiled & began to pour the cereals into the bowl.

 

Dohyun frowned, “What happened to froot loops?”

 

“You have already finished it so I threw it away. If you want some more, I will buy some today.” Yuri said, pouring some cereals into her bowl after she was done with his.

 

“It’s not that.” He shook his head, “There was a toy in there & I didn’t get a chance to see what it was.”

 

“Oh, is that all?” Yuri asked, “Don’t worry, I took it out of the box before I threw it away. It’s somewhere in one of the cardboard boxes but I don’t remember but we will find it okay?”

 

With a satisfied nod, he began to dig into his cereal. Yuri looked out of the window & frowned. The sun wasn’t fully out yet & she still felt drowsy. The cereal tasted dull in & she decided not to finish it. She was wondering what Yunho was doing now, ‘He must be sleeping.’ She thought. She woke him up yesterday & it was three-fifty so of course he was still sleeping.

“Mommy?” Dohyun snapped her from her absent-minded posture. Yuri turned to him, “Yes?”

 

“Who was that man that came yesterday?” He asked.

 

Stunned, Yuri stammered, “Oh, he’s just an old friend, sweetie.”

 

“I have never seen him before. Is he a really, really old friend?” He played with his bowl of cereal.

 

“Um...you can say that.” Yuri considered.

 

“What’s his name?”

 

“Yunho. Jung Yunho.”

 

Then, out of nowhere, he asked, “Is he going to be my new daddy?”

 

Shocked, her eyes widened, “Don’t be ridiculous, honey. Where did you get an idea like that?”

 

He shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe it’s the way you look at him & the way he looks at you.”

 

“Don’t be silly.” Yuri tried to change the subject, “Finish your breakfast & go change. Sooyoung wouldn’t like it if we are late.”

 

“But you said that she wouldn’t mind.” Dohyun remonstrated.

 

“Maybe she would.” Yuri got up from her chair & pulled him out also, “Now, go change.”

 

“But I don’t know where my clothes are.” Dohyun articulated. Yuri rushed over to the largest box marked clothes & pulled out a red speedway graphic tee & pull-on plaid shorts. Giving it to him, Dohyun ran to his room.

 

“Don’t take so long!” Yuri shouted. Although the comment from Dohyun scared her, it also pleased her for some strange reason. Oh well, she was just grateful that he didn’t ask for further questions.

 

The day went smoothly for Yunho; apparently his wish for a good day came true. After his reunion with Yuri, he knew good things will turn out somewhere after that. The conversation they had that night got him thinking like hell. He didn’t even get a second of sleep, thinking of her the whole time as he stayed in bed, tossing & turning. The office was back to normal today, the secretary got the right files & there was no meeting to stress him out. The only bad thing was the rain that suddenly came in the middle of the day & he had to run to his green audi car.

 

It was strange. The rain wasn’t reported in the weather newscast but it was so hard that it should be detected. His window-wiper sweep rapidly as he tried to make his way through the traffic. The green light flashed but the car in front of him wasn’t moving, making him groaned & leaned one hand against the door. He stared out of the window, the rain spots covering his vision of the outside but as he wiped away the fog, it was in better level.

 

There were people walking in the sidewalk, gripping tightly for the wind was so hard it could almost blow it away. Gosh, the weather was so horrible, yet the morning was sunny & bright. What the hell was nature trying to pull?!

 

A woman caught his attention. He turned to see that it was Yuri, wearing a white denim & trucker jacket & her bottom was bare for she was wearing a white classic pencil skirt. She was covering her son with great effort as they both ran slowly through the rain. Yuri was extremely wet & trying her best to keep her son dry. As they got to the bus stop, she held her son close to her side because there wasn’t any seat left on the bench. Yunho watched with appreciation as Yuri bend down to ruffle the boy’s hair, intending to dry it up. There was no doubt in the world that Yuri was a wonderful mother.

 

A beep of a car snapped him out of his admiration as he realized that the light had turned green & the car in front of him had already went ahead. Grinning, he steered to the side of where Yuri & her son was standing & stopped slowly on the sidewalk when he reached Yuri’s side.

 

Rolling down the window, he shouted to her, “Get in!”

 

She hesitated & looked around. What does she have to think about? Taking her chance, she grabbed onto Dohyun’s hand & ran to open the car door. When they got into the backseat, Yunho drove his car forward, “Thanks.” Yuri smiled & hugged Dohyun tightly to herself. Yunho nodded off her appreciation & laughed at her image.

 

Yuri frowned at him, wondering what was so funny, “Look at yourself.” He grinned over his rear mirror. When Yuri saw herself, she blushed & made an effort to fix her hair.

 

“I look so horrible.” She uttered.

 

“I think you look beautiful.” Yunho complimented.

 

“Yeah, mommy. You look beautiful.” Dohyun joined in.

 

Yuri beamed & ruffled Dohyun’s hair again, secretly telling him not to say anymore. Turning to Yunho, she said, “Thanks so much for taking us. My car ran out of gas so we had to take the bus.”

 

“No need for any further thanks. We are friends remember?”

 

Yuri almost looked disappointed at that comment but wasn’t about to show it, “Yeah, friends.”

 

After Yunho saw Yuri & her son off to their apartment, he went to his & did his work before getting ready for bed. It was only eight when he got home from work & the traffic delayed his time to nine by the time he got home. It was already dark & the rain didn’t subside a bit. He could hear a clad sound of a small thunder.

 

He worked on the paper for about three hours before he shut off his computer. Taking off his navy-blue repp tie & throwing it onto his bed, he ed his french blue non-iron slim fit point collar dress shirt & discarded the rest of his clothes, leaving him bare with only bright pink/cruise navy ralph lauren polo player woven boxers on. His eyes felt drowsy already so he was getting ready for bed early. Brushing his teeth & splashing his face with some warm water, he shut off the bathroom light, along with every other light & was about to head for the bedroom when there was a light knock on the door.

 

Frowning, he walked to open it. Before him stood Yuri, looking beautifully concern with Dohyun in her arms, his little hands wrapped tightly around her neck.

 

“What’s wrong?” He asked, opening the door wider so Yuri can come in.

 

“I’m really sorry to disturb you at this time.” She apologized, “But Dohyun is afraid of thunders & I couldn’t get him to sleep. Tomorrow is his first day of school & I...I don’t know what else to do so I.” At her pause, he knew what her instincts were.

 

“No need to worry.” He assured, “He can stay here tonight. My bedroom window is soundproof so he won’t hear a thing.”

 

“Really?” Her eyes widened, “Thank you very much.” Turning to Dohyun, she whispered, “Honey, it’s going to be quiet in here so you can sleep okay?”

 

Dohyun responded with a slight nod as Yunho led Yuri to his bedroom. When Dohyun was tucked in Yunho’s bed, Yuri closed the door lightly.

 

“Thank you so much again.” Yuri said repetitiously.

 

Yunho chuckled, “You know, you are the person I know that says thanks & apologizes the most.”

 

Blushing, Yuri bowed her head down, “Sorry.”

 

Laughing, Yunho gestured for Yuri to his couch. Yuri realized that this was her first time in Yunho’s apartment, even though it was the second day that they had seen each other again. His apartment was modern & homey, a comforting atmosphere around.

 

Just as they sat down on the couch, Yuri realized that the only thing covering Yunho’s body was his boxers. Shocked & nervous, she looked away, her cheeks burning scarlet red as she slowly moved a distance away. At her movement, Yunho smiled. She was still shy around him.

 

He watched as Yuri’s shaky hands cupped around each other. He covered it with his large ones & pulled her closer to him. It caught her by surprises for she turned to him with wonder. It was almost as if it was the first time he was close to seeing her face as he thought to himself on how beautiful she really was. Caressing her soft cheeks with his palm, he lifted her chin up with his other one.

Her rosy cheeks glowed from the darkness as Yunho inched closer to her. Her heart was pounding rapidly when finally; Yunho brought his lips down to hers gently. The kiss started out soft & gentle & it intoxicated her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. At Yuri’s response, Yunho deepened the kiss as he advanced his tongue in, making the kiss more passionate & lascivious. Yuri was so deep into the kiss that she had no awareness that a boy was in the next room.