Hey guys! Sorry this is late; it's hot off the presses! Or... my fingers I guess. I actually spent yesterday in the ER because I was in a lot of pain. Our baby is just fine but the doctors couldn't really figure it out, so I'm in pain, but at least my life isn't in danger. Win? I'm really grateful I live in an area where I can get medical attention, though! Anyway. This is the end of my backlogged chapters, so from now on I'm going to have to scramble to get the chapter done and uploaded in time, so I'm sorry for any future waits. I will, however, stay up late if I have to in order to post within the days I've promised I'll post. I made this dedication and I'm going to stick with it. I've been doing some character research and really trying to figure out how this story ends and I think I've got at least a vague direction I'm going with this so, hopefully these last chapters aren't too weird.
Chapter 34
After tossing and turning most of the night, Yeong In finally fell asleep just as the early glow of dawn spilled through the windows. It felt like she'd barely closed her eyes when she was startled awake by something wrapping around her stomach. Her stomach ached slightly under the pressure and as her murky mind cleared she realized that something was an arm. Young Do's arm. His soft snores tickled her ear and all tiredness left her mind as she tried to decide what to do.
If she threw his arm off of her, they would both be embarrassed, but what would happen if she didn't do anything and he woke up like that. He'd know she didn't do anything and he'd likely use it to poke more fun at her. Maybe she could carefully remove his arm and he'd just roll back over peacefully. That would work. She sighed, delicately working her arm out from under his. She'd almost gotten it loose when his arm tightened around her and he nuzzled his face into her hair.
She wasn't necessarily uncomfortable. Her face heated and she hoped he wouldn't notice how quickly her heart was beating. Really, what was the harm in leaving him alone? Surely he wouldn't tease her too badly since he was the one doing it in his sleep anyway. Perhaps she could pretend to be sleeping and then he could feel guilty about it all on his own. She liked him. They were technically married. What was the harm?
Then she remembered how she'd sworn to herself that she'd never let him come on to her while inebriated. Did sleeping count as well? She frowned and sighed in disappointment, trying to remove his arm as lightly as possible. At that moment, her nose itched. Sudden panic welled in her throat, but she didn't have time to do much of anything but squeeze her eyes shut and plaster her hand over her face before her body convulsed with not one, but two sneezes.
It startled Young Do so violently he fell off the other side of the bed. Yeong In rolled over, not sure if she should apologize or call him out, but he flew into the bathroom, red faced, before she could even open her mouth. The shower turned on.
She'd have to ask Driver Yoon for a body pillow to separate them. Sighing, she warily got out of bed and headed for the closet. As nice as it had felt to have his arms around her, it also felt hollow. Wrong. Like she had been taking advantage of him. They were in this mess together and she'd make sure he got out of it with as few repercussions as possible, even if it hurt.
She pulled on a polkadotted navy blue and pink blouse but stopped, mid-button.
"I'm beginning to sound like an annoying drama heroine martyr," she said to herself in disgust. But what choice did she have?
OooO
Young Do shivered as he stepped out of the frigid water and dried off. He was tempted to turn the hot water up and shower again, if only to postpone having to face Yeong In for a few more minutes. The beating of his heart, however, told him that was still not a good idea. Instead, he searched for clothes he could put on until he could lock himself in their closet.
Holding his razor to his foamy chin, he grimaced. Despite the shower, his face was still red. Who'd told her to wear such short shorts and a tight top to bed anyway? If only the Yeong In in his dream had been wearing even that . . . He flinched and touched a small sliver of red just under his jaw. He groaned angrily and tried to force himself to focus on shaving. Or anything. It was so weird and awkward thinking of her that way. Ever since he'd kissed her at the altar, it was like he'd seen her as an actual woman for the first time.
Which sounded stupid even as he thought it, but it was true. It wasn't like he'd not noticed she was female. He could understand the appreciative looks the younger boys gave her at the dojo, he was a man afterall. Something was just different. He couldn't quite grasp what it was and that alone would probably drive him insane.
~.~
He left the bathroom in the same shorts and t-shirt he'd slept in and happily slunk into the closet after seeing her fully dressed and facing away from him. Had she worn a skirt like that during the few days she'd substitute taught at his school? He couldn't quite remember . . . he'd been so focused on hating her. In his memory, she seemed one-dimensional. He stopped himself from picking out a more appropriate skirt. Preferably something shapeless and floor-length.
But that would be silly because for one, she was interviewing at two elementary schools. They were safe. And second, that would make him a controlling jerk. Which he wasn't. Controlling, anyway, he was still a jerk most of the time. He smirked to himself in the mirror as he tightened his tie. From now on he would need to work hard if he wanted to keep the savvy life of Choi Young Do.
He left the closet, walking to where Yeong In sat on the couch with as much grace and composure he didn't feel. "If you're ready, Driver Yoon should be waiting out front."
Before she could respond, he marched down the stairs. If he ignored his hammering heart long enough, it would go away. He was simply embarrassed. Anyway, Yeong In seemed to pick up on his lock-lipped air because she didn't say anything as they drove in the direction of the Zeus office building. The silence settled him.
For about the first five minutes. He snuck a few glances at her, but her gaze remained fixed at the window. Another five minutes passed and Young Do grew more and more worried. She was never calmly quiet for that long. He noticed how her leg bounced and her eyes shifted uncomfortably whenever the situation warranted. She hated silence. But the only nervous tic he could see was the worrying of her thumbs. He wondered what she was worried about so intently? Was it about this morning? Last night? He berated himself; what wasn't she worried about at this point?
He cleared his throat. "Today, I'm not sure how late I will be at work." She turned from the window, but only to retrieve her phone from her purse. "Driver Yoon will accompany you until I am finished. You have two interviews, correct?"
She nodded.
He'd never hated silence so much in his life. "Alright, well I will do my best to finish up work as soon as I can. Perhaps a visit with your family would be a good way to spend the evening." She nodded again and Young Do grit his teeth. If she was going to be difficult, he decided he wasn't going to push her any more.
Once they reached the building, he bid her a clipped goodbye and focused on the lines of uniformed employees standing in front of the door to greet him. He had to put Yeong In out of his mind; there was much work to do now. He walked to the door and turned. "Thank you for greeting me, but I would like this to be a one-time thing. I'm merely an assistant to the Management Department, so this kind of thing isn't necessary. Please, return to your jobs." He bowed lowly. Unlike his father, these people were not his enemy. The more they respected him, the easier it would be to gain the company's favor and the favor of the other stockholders. However much it made him cringe.
He smiled to himself. No matter what he had to do at work, it paled in comparison to the embarrassment he'd experienced upon waking that morning.
OooO
The first interview Yeong In had scheduled was for a cram school twenty minutes from her father's dojo. She didn't even make it to the front desk before a middle-aged man in a purple suit called her name from a hallway.
"Choi Seungsangnim!" His honorific was awkward, but she forced a smile. She supposed that was what she should expect. "I'm Director Chang! Come, come. Let's talk in my office."
He ushured her into a small office and sat behind a cluttered desk. "We are so happy you've chosen to work with us! We need someone with raw teaching talent like yourself. Would you like to see the lecture hall? It's the biggest one in our building-"
"Thank you, Director Chang, but I thought I was just here for an interview."
"He furrowed his eyebrows. "We assumed by your response that you'd already accepted our request."
She felt like she was being manipulated into a corner. "I'm sorry for our miscommunication. You have a lovely facility, but may I have a few days to think about it?"
"First, let's have a look at your lecture hall." He led them back out into the hallway. "I don't know if I should say, but I've already rejected all our other applicants, so I ask you to not take too long in deciding."
~.~
Yeong In approached the second interview - a school - with much more trepidation. The cram school had been mostly empty since it was still regular school hours, but this school was flooded with children.
It wasn't that she hated small children . . . She passed a group of first graders in the hallway. Their smiles riddled with awkward teeth and their heads almost too big for their bodies. She smiled nervously and continued down the hallway toward the principal's office. No, she didn't hate children, they were just a little menacing.
She'd been a student aid for a kindergarten during her last year of school and it had traumatized her enough to wait for a teaching position at a high school. She just didn't understand their endless, pointless questions or their random breakdowns or social hierarchy. Older students, particularly ones preparing for university exams, were easy to understand. Their social pressures were still fresh in her heart and they were generally more well-behaved - or at least more intimidated by demerits.
When she finally made it into the sanctity of the Principal's office, she couldn't help but sigh in relief, but she did her best to hide it with a polite bow.
"Good morning and thank you for coming." A plump woman with short hair and pink lipstick sat behind her ebony desk. "I am Principal Yang."
Yeong In bowed again. "Thank you for your time, I am Ba-Choi Yeong In." She took her offered seat and cringed inwardly.
"We don't usually interview teachers without a primary educational background, but since you teach English, we are prepared to make an exception. Your resume says the only experience you've had with students younger than middle school is a semester at a kindergarten, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"I see." She stared down at Yeong In's resume for several seconds and Yeong In was certain her thumbs were red from fidgeting.
"Why do you want to teach at our school, Choi Yeong In-ssi?" Her gaze was cold.
"I would like to excite students about the english culture, enable them for their future, and watch the impact of students who gain confidence and understanding through the ability to speak another language." She spouted off the same thing she'd said at countless interviews.
"I see." Her eyes narrowed, a reaction Yeong In wasn't accustomed to getting. "And when you say excite, is that how you gained your husband, Choi Yeong In-ssi?"
Yeong In visibly flinched. "Excuse me?"
"I'm not as naive as some, and from an educator's standpoint, I do not like what I've read about you in the tabloids."
"That is none of your business." Yeong In bristled.
"I make it my business to know what kinds of people are teaching our children, and so do their parents. I do not think you are a good fit for this or any institution."