Chapter 10
It have been a difficult day for Ga Eul. Ever since she left the museum earlier in the day, the littlest thing seem to get her emotional. She got frustrated when she was stuck in traffic. She got angry when she couldn't find a certain utensil to cook lunch. The kimchi dish she made was either too bitter or too spicy. When Yoo Eun woke up and cried, she cried along with Yoo Eun. Everything felt out of place and no matter how hard she tried to make things right, it just didn't want to go her way.
The taunting words from Yi Jung was stuck in her head. "A waste of time". "Whining like a child". "You're here to make my life more difficult". "I work my butt off for you and Yoo Eun…". Half of her hated him for being such a jerk, yet her other half hated herself for not realizing the workload he does for his family. Her mixed feelings kept her head spinning and she spend most of the day laying on the couch with Yoo Eun in her arms under a blanket. They watched the Disney film, Frozen, on repeat over a dozen times. Whenever the song, "Let It Go" came on during the movie, Yoo Eun would dance around and mumble along with the words while Ga Eul found herself in tears, hoping to follow the advices of the lyrics.
In need to vent her emotional state to someone, she called Jan Di on the phone at exactly 6:30PM. It was the usual time Jan Di gets off work. Jan Di was the only person she could trust to share her problems with. "Jan Di," her voice cracked when Jan Di answered her phone.
Jan Di immediately knew from Ga Eul's tone who may had caused Ga Eul to be so broken. "Ga Eul, I told you that Yi Jung won't change," Jan Di later said after hearing the whole story of what happened at Yi Jung's office. She continued her typical "don't trust Yi Jung" speech to Ga Eul. "I'm going to beat Yi Jung up the next time I see him," she added.
Ga Eul was glad to have a good friend who will always take her side, but at the same time, a little part of her didn't want to see Yi Jung always beaten up. "Jan Di, I think Yi Jung was only mad because of the construction and the stock," she said.
"Still, it doesn't give him any excuse to be such a jerk to you. You were only trying to help him." Jan Di sigh. "And he's still going to attend those stupid auction exhibitions? It doesn't surprise me anymore that he will always choose his job over you and Yoo Eun. Ga Eul, come spend Christmas with Jun Pyo and I. I promise you, we'll make you forget all about Yi Jung."
For the first time throughout the day, Ga Eul gave a small smile. "Okay, but after we spend some time at my parents' place first. My appa and omma wants to see Yoo Eun on Christmas day too."
They talked the whole night about other things as well. Jan Di shared some more crazy stories from her job and Ga Eul talked about Yoo Eun's time at the zoo. Soon, Ga Eul was feeling better and was even laughing. They ended their conversation when Jun Pyo came home from his job. Jan Di had wanted to spend some time with her husband.
Ga Eul was happy she got to talk with Jan Di. Talking with her best friend always put her a smile on her face. But when she notice it was past nine o'clock, her mood suddenly became anxious again. This was the time Yi Jung would be home if he was working overtime.
She got up from the couch and went to the garage to see if he was in yet, but there was only her car. She bite her bottom lip, thinking with how the day have been going so far, it's likely he won't be home till a much later time. She was fine with that. Her current feelings were still quite raw and she wasn't sure if she was ready to face him yet in fear of how she will react towards him. She needed more time to recuperate herself.
When Yoo Eun went to bed and she had some time to herself, she took a quick shower, then went to wash the dishes she left in the kitchen sink. On the way back to her bedroom, she stopped to look at the three and a half foot Christmas tree by the dining room window. The tree stood on a table to match the height of the window. Yoo Eun and her had bought the small tree the prior week and decorated it with colorful ornaments and blinking Christmas lights. To make it more like the western culture, Ga Eul even added some candy canes, pine cones and ribbons. Underneath the tree, it had all of their Christmas presents. She took a rectangular, thin box that was wrapped in dark red foil with a handmade bow on top. She read the tag on the box.
"From: Your Beautiful Wife & Daughter, Ga Eul & Yoo Eun. To: The Handsome Man in our Life, Yi Jung. Soulmates Forever."
She had wrapped Yi Jung's present after their long and fun day at the zoo. She smiled, thinking of the gift, but her smile slowly vanish when she remember how Yi Jung won't be with her and Yoo Eun on Christmas day. A tear almost emerge from her left eye just thinking about him all over again. She quickly placed the gift where she found it at and went to bed.
Woo Bin was at Club Galaxy playing a game of poker with his some of his mafia men in his suite. His eyes darted from the two cards in his hand to the four set of cards that were exposed on the table. He had a pair of Kings and needed another King on the fifth river card to have a chance to win the game. It was only down to him and Kim Tae Ho. The other three men were already out of the game. With a poker face, Woo Bin threw in a $15,000 chip into the $95,500 pot.
Tae Ho's left mouth rose. He didn't hesitate and called by matching Woo Bin's amount. Both men tossed their cards down and Tae Ho had a pair of diamonds. Tae Ho needed another diamond card on the fifth river card in order to receive a flush and win the game. The fifth card was drawn and it was a seven of hearts. Woo Bin grin and Tae Ho clutch his fist and slam the table. Woo Bin didn't receive his King, but his matching pair was enough to beat Tae Ho.
One of the men laughed. "That was a close one, Tae Ho. But the night have been going Woo Bin's way."
Woo Bin smirk and gather all the chips he won towards him on the table. "Tae Ho, Jin Sook, go check to see if the jewelry have been delivered from China yet. If it's here, take it to jeweler to check. I'm tired of having fake jewelries floating around," Woo Bin said.
"Yes, boss," Tae Ho and Jin Sook said at the same time. They got out of the private booth and as they exited the suite, they almost bumped into two girls who were entering. The two girls cheerful ran to their model-like friends at the bar, whispering loudly at each of them. The girls at the bar suddenly were in awe and beaming with happiness. They all band together, giggling with excitement and left the suite.
Woo Bin have been watching them. Ever since he's been an owner of his nightclubs for the past five years, he have never seen his regular party girls this excited about something. Curious as to what it may be, Woo Bin followed the girls. The girls continue down the stairs until they reach the bar lounge and surrounded someone there. Woo Bin smirk, assuming it must be another KPop star or famous actor visiting his nightclub. His nightclub was a popular hangout for celebrities. However, there was something different about this particular person that made Woo Bin more interested. This person was attracting all the party girls who were always at his nightclub on a nightly basis. These same girls have seen many celebrities that seeing a new one wasn't a big deal anymore. Woo Bin knew this new person must be someone special.
A few of the girls who were next the person began shouting in anger and a little shoving match began. For a second, Woo Bin thought the girls were fighting amongst themselves, but when he realize they weren't and were actually in an altercation with the special person, Woo Bin ran into the crowd to stop the quarrel.
"Yo, calm down!" Woo Bin said, trying to break up the fight.
"Why won't you tell Playboy Yi Jung to calm down," one of the girls said. All the surrounding girls started grumbling in agreement.
Woo Bi blinked his eyes in confusion. Yi Jung? He glanced at the person he had been so curious about and sure enough, it was Yi Jung.
Yi Jung stared back at him with an angry expression. He was sitting on a barstool with three open beer bottles in front of him. His dress shirt sleeves were rolled up, his tie was loose and his hair was a mess. "Tell these damn girls to stop pestering me," Yi Jung said. Somehow, the girls had found out about his true identity and were now glued to him.
"We were just trying to be friendly with him, but he started cussing at us and shoving us away," the shortest girl in the crowd said. "Don't you know how long we've been waiting to meet Playboy Yi Jung?" she asked. Some of the girls started muttering and nodding.
Tiffany, the girl who had helped an unstable Yi Jung a day ago, was also there. She was standing next to Yi Jung and hugged his arm. "Oppa Yi Jung, don't you remember the favor I owe you to make you feel better."
Yi Jung jerked her away so his arm can be free again. "Stop bothering me. I want to be left alone," he growl. The other girls started begging for Yi Jung's attention when they realize he didn't want Tiffany.
"Yo, girls! He said he wants to be left alone. Come on, give him some space," Woo Bin cried out.
But the girls were too loud and didn't hear what Woo Bin said. They kept converging closer to Yi Jung, flaunting and saying sweet things to him. It made Yi Jung more upset. He wasn't in the mood of giving anyone any attention.
"Get away from me!" he scream. He tossed his beer bottle across the room and it crashed into some shelves. All the girls froze in shock and Tiny appeared through the crowd.
"Tiny, take the girls away," Woo Bin called out to Tiny.
Tiny nodded. "Girls! You heard Woo Bin. Party's over. Let's move!" he yelled at the girls, shooing them away. Most of them left disappointed, but a few linger around, still hoping Yi Jung will notice them. "Honey, Candy, that goes for the both of you too," Tiny said to a set of twins. The twins pouted and left.
"Yo, man. Is everything okay?" Woo Bin asked Yi Jung when they were finally alone. He sat down next to Yi Jung and folded his arm on the bar table.
Yi Jung had buried his head onto the table with his hands rested above his head. He sat back up and was more calm. "It's just the stock, the new building...The usual work stuff," he replied. "Sorry for ruining your shelf. I just wanted to be left alone."
Woo Bin can tell Yi Jung have been having a misery day. "Don't worry about it, bro." He notice the bandage on Yi Jung's right hand. "What happen to your hand?"
Yi Jung held up his right hand for a second, staring at it. "A little accident. It's fine now." He glanced at Woo Bin and saw Woo Bin had a small cut above his right eyebrow. "Looks like I'm not the only one getting injured lately."
Woo Bin smirk, realizing Yi Jung have notice his cut. "It's work too. Some of my men and I got into a fist fight with some Chinese men. They've been smuggling us fake jewelries lately. Got to teach them some lesson."
"At least at your job, you can express your aggression on someone," Yi Jung quipped. He couldn't understand how Woo Bin can have some of the best jobs.
Woo Bin gave a small nod in agreement. "What brings you here, anyways? You always go home after work. I didn't expect to see you here."
"I just needed a new place that I can get my mind off work."
"Aren't you flying out tomorrow your business trip?"
Yi Jung checked his watch. It was 12:48AM. "I'm flying out in another seven hours. First stop. Hanoi, Vietnam." He waved at the bartender to bring him another beer.
Woo Bin sat up straight. He wasn't sure if Yi Jung should be going home drunk. Let alone, flying on the plane with a hangover. "I think you should go home and rest now," he told Yi Jung.
"I will. After a few more drinks."
"You've had enough drinks for tonight. Come on, bro." Woo Bin grabbed Yi Jung's arm, but Yi Jung quickly pulled himself back.
"I'll leave when I want to," Yi Jung said.
Woo Bin sighed and nodded towards Tiny to come over. With the help of Tiny, they both pulled Yi Jung out of his seat and to the exit. This time, Yi Jung didn't fight back and allowed them to escort him out.
"One of my drivers will take you home tonight. You're not in the right condition to be driving around town," Woo Bin said when they were outside. "I'll get a tow truck to drop your car home later." A black sedan car arrived in front of them and Tiny guided Yi Jung into the back seat.
"Make sure he gets home safe," Woo Bin told the driver after giving Yi Jung's address to him. Woo Bin crouch down to check on Yi Jung in the back seat. "Yi Jung," he called out.
"Hmm?" Yi Jung responded looking at his feet.
"Don't work too hard or do anything stupid."
Yi Jung gave a smug smile and waved his hand lazily at Woo Bin.
"See you next year, bro," Woo Bin said, smirking back. He shut the door and watched the car disappear into the traffic.
Ga Eul tossed and turn in bed. Whenever she closed her eyes, all she thought about was the argument she had with Yi Jung. She imagined herself slapping him each time he would say something that offended her. Then there was another image of her, crying and apologizing profusely to him. Frustrated to still be having these mixed emotions and thoughts, she decided to search for Ji Chang Wook's fan club on the internet through her cell phone. She needed to keep her mind occupied on something or else she'll spend the whole night repeating her scene with Yi Jung. She found Ji Chang Wook's fan club page and skimmed through his profile.
Her ears perked up when she heard a car pulling into the driveway. She turned off her cell phone and pulled the blanket up to her neck. Assuming it must be Yi Jung, her heart began racing and she let out a heavy sigh, telling herself she have no choice now but to see him in flesh again. She listened attentively as the car door open and a mumbling conversation between two people started. It last for a minute, although to her, it felt like forever. Then the car engine started again and the car was gone.
Confused as to why the car left, Ga Eul got up and went to the window. She peeked and saw a glimpse of Yi Jung before he disappeared towards the back of the house. He must be going to his studio, she thought. It was typical for him to go there after a hard day at work.
She thought of going to see him, but was hesitant because of the possibility he may still be in a grumpy mood. She bit her nail and after thinking for awhile, she went back to bed. The last thing she wanted was to start another argument with him. To keep herself relax with the thought of knowing how close Yi Jung is, she turned on her cell phone again and watched some funny video clips. All the emotions she felt today had made her fatigue and she soon drifted to sleep.
The shuffling of some clothes woke her up. Her eyes slowly peer open and the bright light from the walk in-closet burned her eyes. She closed them again and can hear a luggage being zipped up and drop to the floor. Then it was being wheeled away with the closet door being shut behind. One of her eyes pop open and she saw Yi Jung going inside the bathroom.
Yi Jung closed the door and unwrapped the bandage on his right hand. He flexed his hand and it wasn't as painful anymore. The gash was numb and had some dried blood around it. He took off each of his clothes and got in the shower. The hot water made him feel fresh again. It cleaned his wounded hand, but caused the throbbing pain to reappear. He grimaced and ended up washing himself with only one hand.
Once he was out of the shower and clothed, he found the first aid kit under the cabinet sink hidden behind a basket full of cleaning supplies. He set the kit on the counter and began wearing a new bandage. Putting on a bandage by himself was much harder than he thought. He took the kit with him out of the bathroom and placed it inside one of the side pocket of the luggage. His phone suddenly vibrated and he checked it. It was a text from a driver he had hired to pick him up for transportation to the airport.
He glanced at the bed and saw Ga Eul motionless. Thinking she was still sleeping, he quietly left the room and went to Yoo Eun's room. Yoo Eun's room was dark, but a small light bulb at the power outlet kept the room glowing. As usual, Yoo Eun have shifted her body throughout the night and was now in the opposite position she originally started. Her feet rested near her pillow and her head was at the bottom of the bed. Above her head, was her Hello Kitty doll. To protect her from an accidental fall, Yi Jung had purposely bought her a full size bed with wooden pink rails on both side.
He stood a few inches from her bed and watched her snore. Her mouth was half open and a drool was dripping out. Yi Jung lean down and wiped the drool off her face with his left hand. Then he gently kissed her cheek. Her body twitched at his touch and a small smile grew on her face. Yet within seconds, she was snoring again and the smile gradually went away.
"Appa will be back very soon. He has to go take care of the museum," Yi Jung whisper in her face. Staring so close to her and being able to smell her sweat reminded him how important he needed to continue to work harder. If no one was going to appreciate his efforts, he hope someday his daughter will.
"Saranghae," he said. "Appa loves you very much." He kissed her forehead and with one last look at Yoo Eun, he quietly got out of the room. With his luggage in his left hand, he went to the front door and checked his watch. It was almost six in the morning. He didn't want to be late for the plane ride, so he sped up his walk.
"Yi Jung."
The call made him freeze and he turned around towards the sound. It was Ga Eul. She was in her robe and holding a red rectangular box with a bow. She walked towards him and when she was only an arm's length away from him, she held out the box without looking at his face.
Yi Jung studied the box. "What is this?" he asked.
"It's a Christmas present from Yoo Eun and I," she replied.
Yi Jung lower his head to look at his feet.
"Take it and open it on Christmas day. If not for me, please do it for Yoo Eun," Ga Eul said.
Yi Jung lifted his head up to stare at the present. "Ga Eul, I-"
But Ga Eul stopped him from his words when she harshly shoved the present into his chest. She didn't want to hear what he was going to say next. It didn't matter to her anymore.
"Take it," she said louder.
Yi Jung took it and was about to say something again, but she quickly turn around and walked out of the room. Her eyes swell up with tears and she wanted to leave before Yi Jung can see them. She didn't want him to know how hard it was for her to give him the present. She wasn't even sure why she felt the need to give it to him too. Perhaps it was because she still cared for him, or maybe she no longer wanted to see his present lingering around. Regardless of the reason, it was done and over with. She found herself going to Yoo Eun's room and when she got inside and saw her daughter, she ran to the bed to lay next to Yoo Eun.
Yoo Eun woke up and saw tears dripping down the side of Ga Eul's face. "Omma," Yoo Eun weep. Seeing her mother sad also made her sad.
Ga Eul embraced Yoo Eun tightly into her arms. "Everything's okay," she assured Yoo Eun. "Everything is going to be okay."
She wiped Yoo Eun's tears away, then her tears. The last 20 hours have been a roller coaster ride of emotion for her. It was filled with anger, hate, frustration, and sadness, hurt, and despair. She was tired of this crazy ride. A ride created by Yi Jung. Old Ga Eul. New Ga Eul. It didn't matter which Ga Eul she was going to be for him. He wasn't taking any of the bait.
A cloud of anxiety that hung over her slowly washed away and she smiled at a new thought. She have made up her mind and is going to put a brake to this ride. It is her turn to make herself happy first. It is her time to surprise others. She will be the fearless Ga Eul who will do whatever she wants. She gazed into Yoo Eun's eyes and began singing "Let It Go". It was the only song she could think of at the moment to make both of them happy.
Yi Jung stood staring at the present he was holding. It made him remember how he won't be with his family on Christmas day. Still, he can't let the holidays distract him. He have more important things to worry about now. The stocks. The building. The future of the museum. Yoo Eun. He can't fail Yoo Eun. Yoo Eun's future is in his hands. He faced the front door again and headed to the waiting car.