Twist Of Fate

Chapter 40

Unexpected Situation

You were surrounded by the sounds of screaming kids in the kindergarten. You were seated on the couch in one of the rooms, sipping from a cup of coffee with some mothers.

You sighed deeply and wished you could turn down the volume of the loud noises. It had been a long day. You came straight to the arrangement after finishing your work.

Ki Joon’s kindergarten was holding another arrangement. You always went to these arrangements, because it was nice for Ki Joon to meet his friends and to show that you care about your kid. If you didn’t show up, you knew some of these mothers would talk.

Ki Joon was somewhere in the place, playing with his friends, which was good for him. Yongguk was gone as well, talking with some of the dads. Hence, you were alone, but not really alone.

A mother was seated next to you, and you didn’t know her. However, she was quite kind, and she spoke of her daughter.

You were surprised to hear that her daughter liked Ki Joon. You stared at the women, and she was smiling and laughing, when she told you the stories. You weren’t sure of what she meant.

“My daughter seems to have a crush on your son. She often speaks about Ki Joon.” She finally said.

“Oh, wow. That is so sweet.” You said, sounding surprised.

Suddenly, you were wondering if Ki Joon liked this little girl too. It was quite sweet, and you wanted to know.

“What is her name?” You asked as you were becoming curious.

“Her name is Bora and she is five.” The mother said, and you blinked your eyes a couple of times.

You had never heard of her before. Ki Joon hadn’t mentioned a friend named Bora.

“That’s such a lovely name.” You said, and the woman smiled. “She’s a year older than Ki Joon.” You smiled, and she nodded.

You stood up from the seat and excused yourself.

“I need to find my boyf.. uhm.. my kid’s dad.” You said with a small smile. She nodded, and you took off.

You shook your head at yourself as you got away from the place.

I nearly said my boyfriend.. Where in the world is he anyways? That toad.

You searched for Yongguk in the place, and you just couldn’t seem to find him. You furrowed your brows and groaned deeply.

You walked into different rooms, and people looked at you. You looked around you, ignoring the others, and left the rooms, when you didn’t find him.

Some kids ran past you, and some of them pushed you as they ran off. You stopped abruptly and sighed deeply.

“Don’t run inside, kids.” You said aloud, and they just laughed as they ran away.

“Where are their parents?” You muttered to yourself and took off.

You made a turn down the hall. This kindergarten was big and had two separate departments. It probably wouldn’t be easy to find Yongguk.

“Oh my God.” You squealed, when someone suddenly grabbed your arm and pulled you to the side.

You got slammed against the wall, and you shut your eyes tightly for a moment. But the familiar scent that lingered in the air made you lift your eyelids and look up. You just knew who it was. No man smelled that good like him.

Yongguk stared into your eyes deeply, and you froze. He had a tight hold on your shoulders and you seemed to have become momentarily numb.

Why had he pushed you up against a wall? Your heart started to race frantically, without a warning, and you wanted it to calm down.

But, Yongguk was staring so intensely into your eyes. It was hard to control any emotions inside you, right now.

However, it dawned on you this moment that you had to tell him about this kid Bora, who likes Ki Joon, because maybe your kid had a crush too. That was why you went to find him. You opened your mouth.

“Yon-”

“We need to talk.” He interrupted in his deep tone that was somehow deeper than his already deep voice, and you could tell something was wrong.

“What happened? Where is Ki Joon?” You asked quickly, jumping to conclusions, and you tried to get free from his grip, because you wanted to find the boy now.

However, Yongguk pushed you back against the wall, and you gasped of surprise. You froze and stared back into his eyes.

“What is it about?” You finally asked.

“I think I heard some kids say something to Ki Joon that made him get upset and he disappeared before I could get to talk to him.” He said.

“What did they say? where is Ki Joon now” You blurt out.

“I don’t know entirely.. something about married adults, and he was gone quickly.” He breathed sharply.

“What are you talking about, Yongguk?” You looked at him confused, because nothing made sense.

“They told him about their parents, and I think it made Ki Joon think of us.. and..” He paused, and you nodded for him to continue. “Our relationship.” He finished.

“Well, then we need to do something about it.” You said, and you were about to walk away again, but he pulled you back once more.

“Kwon, we can’t just walk up to him and ask him what it is.. He knows.” He said and breathed sharply. His eyes seemed to become even more intense after the latter part, he spoke, and you stiffened, knowing what he meant. “He knows he’s adopted.”

“Yongguk.” Your voice turned small.

“Whatever it is, I’m sure Ki Joon will tell us. He always tells us, when he wants to know something.” Yongguk said.

You lowered your gaze to the ground, wondering about what words Ki Joon might have heard that could have upset him.

You became quiet and zoned out. Ki Joon had just turned four when you had adopted him. He had lost his parents as a infant, and you want him to have a better life.

Suddenly, you felt a pair of warm hands cup your cheeks, and you tipped your head back. Your eyes locked, and he gave you a little smile.

“Don’t think too much. We always make it work out.” Yongguk said, and you sighed deeply.

But you gazed into his eyes for a moment, knowing he was right. Somehow, you managed to make things work out, together.

“I’m worried now.” You confessed.

“Let’s find him.” He said, and you nodded.

You turned around and took off. Your thoughts were filled with questions about what Ki Joon might have heard.

What if he heard something shocking. What is he was sad and alone? You didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.

The pair of you tried so hard to seem like a couple for his sake. You didn’t want to lie to anyone about being Yongguk’s girlfriend or finance, or whatever. But Ki Joon needs stability in his life, and parents who care for him.

“Kwon, wait.” Yongguk suddenly broke out as he hurried up to you.

Your steps came to a sudden halt, you turned around and looked out. He met your curious gaze, and then your eyes widened, and your expression changed, because he was holding your hand. He laced your fingers, and your gaze wandered down to your hands.

“C’mon.” He said, taking the lead, he led you down to the hall and to Ki Joon’s favorite playroom. “He might be there.” He said, and you nodded.

“Do you think someone told him that we aren’t a couple?” You finally asked.

“I really don’t know. But the kids here don’t know that, only the teachers and some of the adults, I think.” He said.

“We worked so hard for him to upon up to us, Yongguk. What if his trust to us gets ruined?” You said, and you stopped in the middle of the hall.

“Kwon, think about it. We’ve not told him a big lie.” He said, and you furrowed your brows. “We don’t exactly do what married people do. We aren’t deceiving him. We aren’t really lying to him.. are we?” He asked and for once, Yongguk seemed lost, and you shrugged. You weren’t sure anymore.

“If we are lying to others, then aren’t we deceiving our kid too?’” You asked.

Yongguk gazed into your eyes. He stood still, his face was expressionless, and yet not. You could tell he was thinking deeply about it. You sighed deeply, giving him a defeated look, and then you walked away before he could respond.

You opened the door to the playing-room, and you froze, when you saw Ki Joon. He was all alone, sitting on the floor, in a corner, near a couch and he looked down.

Yongguk finally made it to your side, and he stopped behind you, when he found Ki Joon. You tensed up, when he placed his hand on your lower back.

A shudder rushed down your spine, when he rubbed your back up and down, so tenderly and gently. It was like he gave you a gesture that told you not to be afraid, and you finally stepped into the room.

“Ki Joon?’” You called out in a soft and warm voice.

The little boy lifted his chin up, looked out at you with a small pout on his face. Your heart broke into tiny pieces, when you saw the hurt in his eyes and you wondered what hurtful things he must have heard.

Ki Joon remained quiet, and you slowly walked to him. He stayed seated on the floor with his knees to his chin.

You finally kneeled in front of him, and Yongguk got down as well. You reached your hand out and tenderly the boy’s cheek.

“What’s wrong sweetheart? How long have you been here alone?” You asked.

“Beom Soo said that his mom and dad sleep in the same room, because... because you love someone, you d-do that, Beom Soo and s-so-someone else said that.” Ki Joon looked at the pair of you with a confused gaze and he was pouting.

He truly didn’t seem to understand it, and you felt so awful for doing this to him. He knew that none of you shared a room.

He used to get into your bed in the middle of the night, and sometimes, he would sleep in Yongguk’s bed, depending on whom he wants suddenly. And you knew that this isn’t how a couple with a kid should be like. That this isn’t the norm.

“He said that?” Yongguk asked, and the boy nodded.

“But how come, you have your own rooms?” Ki Joon finally asked.

What do I say? What do I do?

You instantly looked at Yongguk with a helpless look. He always had a way out. Were you finally going to get caught in this lie? What were you supposed to tell Ki Joon?

You couldn’t just tell him the truth, that none of you had planned to adopt him together. He wouldn’t understand it.

He is just four years old. He would get hurt, and the trust he finally built up could vanish. He would wonder why the pair of you didn’t want him together. He would be heartbroken.

“Sera’s room is a guest room.” Yongguk said suddenly.

You quickly looked back at the boy, who had his full attention on Yongguk now. Then he began to explain that he had chosen your room to be the guest room, before you moved in. That he had bought the house a few years ago, when he hadn’t met you.

Ki Joon listened quietly. Yongguk mentioned that his friends Daehyun, Himchan, Jongup, Youngjae and Junhong used to live with him sometimes, but they all slowly moved out.

Yongguk also mentioned that, when you moved in, you really liked the guest room. Hence, you had two rooms. Sometimes, you liked to sleep alone, he told. Ki Joon nodded.

“But Sera.. sleeps.. in.. my.. my room.” Yongguk rubbed the back of his neck as he turned to look at you.

He didn’t look like himself. He didn’t look calm, cool, or collected. In fact, he looked nervous, panicked, and confused. He didn’t like having to lie. You knew it, because the look he had on his face was the same as yours.

You blinked your eyes a couple of times. You thought that he did well. He saved you from a lot of trouble.

“Don’t listen to what others tell you. They don’t know about our family.” You said in a soft tone as soon as you looked at the boy.

You could feel and see from the corner of your eye that Yongguk was watching you. Ki Joon nodded once more. A smile started to slowly form on his face, and he didn’t seem troubled anymore.

It wasn’t entirely a lie, what Yongguk told. Your room is originally a guest room, and you have slept in Yongguk’s room before.

You stared off, thinking back to the night you came home drugged, and passed out on Yongguk’s bed. That was the last time you had slept in his bed.

That night was still a missing piece of the puzzle from your memories. It still bugged you that you didn’t know what had happened that night, till this day.

Yongguk let out a sigh of relief that was soon followed with a laugh, when he saw Ki Joon smile and calm down.

“Come here my boy.” He said.

Then he reached his hands out and picked up the boy in his arms. He stood up and hugged Ki Joon into him.

The two just stood still, hugging each other for a moment, and you watched them as a smile formed on your face.

You watched how Yongguk rubbed the boy’s back lovingly, and tenderly, just like how he did with you before. It was the same affection, and you frowned.

You bit onto your bottom lip, and shook your head, wondering about how you started to think of that.

“Come straight to mom and dad, when something happens.. okay?” Yongguk spoke in such a soothing voice.

It surprised you, every time. You wondered how a man with such a deep voice could speak with so much affection, and not sound scary.

Sometimes, Yongguk could sound frightening, to some. But to you, his voice gave you chills from the first time you heard it.

Ki Joon nodded again, and you noticed how the corners of Yongguk’s lip curved up. His smile finally reached to his eyes, his eyes lit up, and he too seemed relieved now. He finally seemed like himself, and not worried. You sighed of relief.

“Where are you going?” Yongguk asked, when he saw you walk away.

You tipped your head to the side, met his gaze and he frowned, when he saw the hard look in your eyes. You broke off the gaze.

“Kwon?” He called out, but you ignored him.

You left the room, and Yongguk quickly put Ki Joon down. He kneeled to the boy, who smiled as he looked into his eyes. He was finally himself now. Yongguk his cheek lovingly.

“Go and play with your friends. I need to talk with mom.” Yongguk said, and the boy nodded, and ran off.

~❋~

By the time, you were walking down the hall, searching for that person, whom you had a lot to tell, you could hear Yongguk shout after you. You muttered a silent curse beneath your breath.

“Damn it.”

You ignored him, walked past the teachers and parents. You had something important to take care off.

You increased your speed, when you could hear that Yongguk was nearing you. Like the saint he is, you knew he would stop you.

People were looking, as they could tell that Yongguk was chasing after you down the hall, and it clearly looked odd to everyone. You knew that you had to stop now, or it would look very bad to others.

In just a matter of seconds, he gripped your wrist tightly, spun you around, and hauled you towards him.

You bumped right into his hard chest, and you bit onto your bottom lip, biting back your groan. Then he wrapped his arms around you so that you couldn’t run away. You muffled into his hard chest.

“Don’t tell me you are off to find that kid’s mom.” He said in a low tone.

“Let go of me.” You tried to wriggle free from his strong hold.

“Kwon, people are watching.” He warned in a low tone.

“Don’t care.” You said. 

He inhaled sharply, and then he let go of you. You flashed him a bright smile, but he had a stone look as he stared into your eyes. Your smile faded, and you furrowed your brows.

“What is it?” You whispered, when you noticed his hard look.

You thought he’d let you go, but instead, he grabbed your wrist and began to walk away from the people. He was taking you away from the mass of people to a quieter and private place.

“Yongguk, let go.” You repeated and in a firmer tone, but he ignored you like the stubborn man he is.

Yongguk was taking you away from the people, and you knew why, so that no one could see the pair of you, and make any assumptions.

The noises were fading away the further away you got. Finally, a while later, he stopped. You were in some vacant room.

Yongguk freed your wrist, stopped, and breathed harshly as he stared deeply into your eyes. You were catching your breath as well, but you had a hard look on your face.

“What are you thinking of doing?” He asked.

“What do you think that I am thinking of doing?” You asked as you took a step closer to him.

Yongguk somehow froze, becoming hard as granite. He clenched his jaw and his sharp eyes bore in yours.

“I don’t know.” He breathed out.

“You did well with Ki Joon out there, but Beom Soo’s mom needs to know this, she has to tell her kid to not go around and talk to other kids like this. Beom Soo won’t stop until he is told to.” You said in one breath and inhaled sharply.

“Kwon.” He breathed out.

“No, Yongguk. You saw how our boy looked in there. He was crumbled toge