Wang So

The smell of grilled meat and fresh rice wafted around the small apartment, leaving through the open window in the living room. There were new lightbulbs in every lamp and brightness encapsulated the apartment, shining over the little succulent on the kitchen counter.

Wang So took a sip of his tea and cleared his throat, setting the mug onto the table. He looked over his new laptop and his new kitchen table. There was a chair in his living room for him to sit on, and a chair at his table. His new books sat on his kitchen table, one of them already dogeared at the page he read to while eating dinner.

He tapped on his computer, logging in a new email address, a new password, and a new resume. Wang So was a thirty-seven-year-old man with a single degree from a prestigious university and no working experiences between the ages of twenty-two and thirty-seven.

When he finished his relatively short resume, So looked at recipes online, deciding on what he would cook and what materials he would need. There were an endless number of dishes online that called his interest, and So downloaded each and every one onto his new hard drive… except for the ones that he planned to make tomorrow.

Everything was new - even the things he could have reused. Anything that had ever touched the sordid life of a killer he had grown accustomed to during his fifteen year tenure he replaced entirely.

He wrote down the names of the two dishes he would make for lunch and dinner, frowning when his pen scribbled blank marks into the notepad he used. Halfway through his search for recipes, his pen died. Sighing, So tossed it aside and made a mental note on which recipes he wanted to pursue.

No more check-ups on Soo and her family, no more keeping tabs. That was how he could tell Soo he was doing alright. Now, he had a gym membership, and in the four months between his leaving her home and his current state, So let his hair grow longer and took more walks along the Han River. He enjoyed when he could, and tried to see the world through the eyes of Hae Soo.

It was a happy sight.

He washed his mug and the pots and dishes he used for dinner after finishing his tea. There was little to wash up, but So made sure to keep his space tidy. He liked being able to look upon the clean apartment and know that it was not a facade. There was nothing hidden beneath the immaculate countertops, or any skeletons in his closet - only clothes.

He avoided tabloids completely, and for good reason. They swarmed with pictures of Soo, which So assumed were only present because of something in her life that was preventing her from caring. He sorely hoped he was not still on her mind. She deserved better and So refused to stoop to becoming a stalker.

He decided to go grocery shopping. He was out of milk, cereal, and needed vegetables for the next day's meal. That and a new set of pens.

Realizing he had no car was another aspect of So's life that he needed to get used to again. No more luxurious work car. Now, he walked. But So enjoyed the time it took for him to get to the grocery store.

He jammed his hands into his pockets, glad to be free of the constricting suits and cramped dress shoes. Now, he could wear his jeans and hoodies and sneakers in peace.

So walked in silence, absorbing the sounds of the city around him and finding himself missing the quiet peace of the suburb where Soo lived. A lawn was no commodity in Korea, yet he missed the ability to privately walk through grassy areas and kick soccer balls with the children. However, he was content with what he had. The bustling city gave him an endless array of things to observe, and it was mesmerizing to watch the hundreds of people around him living their unique lives on their own.

He stepped out of the heat and into the cool, air-conditioned blast of the supermarket near his home. Picking up a basket, he made for the produce section.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, potatoes, and dried seaweed. All went into his basket until he stopped in front of the fish corner. So glanced around the tanks, letting his eyes drift over the fish.

"How much for a flatfish?" he asked the woman at the counter. "Just live. I can cut it up myself."

"Ten thousand per kilo."

So gave a small nod and thanked her before walking away from the fish counter. Disappointed with the price, he looked to other sources of protein.

I can go to the fish market and haggle if I want. I already had fish anyways.

He made for the meat corner, already taking in the sight of workers offering samples of cooked meat. Walking to the glass display of the day's meats, he asked for four servings of beef and collected the package from the person manning the stand.

He thought of his family when he passed by the children's section on his way to find some new utensils for his kitchen. Another spatula was necessary after accidentally breaking the other while washing it.

Glancing at the colorful toys that appealed to children, So thought of his niece and nephew… and then to Mi and Yoon. He wandered toward the bright things and wondered if they were well. Mi, with her long hair in braids that flew when she played on the swings. Yoon, who painted on her clothes and giggled whenever Soo blew on her belly.

"Excuse me."

So flinched and put the princess dress he was holding down, turning to look at a young woman that smiled at him. "Oh, um-"

"Do you have a daughter?" she asked.

So bit the tip of his tongue and shook his head. He thought of Yo's daughter and wished he could buy things for her. "Niece. She's too young for these things, though." The woman nodded and took the dress he had put back, adding it to her laden cart.

"Me too. Are you… single?"

So's attention snapped back to the woman. She had bright eyes and cherry colored lips, dark hair that swung past her shoulders, and a bright, white smile. "I have a girlfriend."

Her smile went away and So cleared his throat as she nodded and walked off.

She wore a bright, purple shirt and held an obviously designer handbag on her wrist. Her jeans were tight against her petite frame. She was pretty, and he remembered her having a nice smile. She was younger than Soo, but not enough so that So would be stigmatized for dating her.

And he did not have a girlfriend. She was married. She had children. She was gone.

He ran out of the children's section and found her in the stationery aisle, the woman stared at him in surprise as he approached and cleared his throat. "Had. Sorry. I had a girlfriend. Just got out of a long term… um… relationship. Sorry. I- my name is Wang So."

Fumbling for words, he outstretched a hand and smiled. She laughed and accepted his gesture. Her hand was soft, slim, and her grasp was firm. Like Soo.

"Hwang Yu Hui."

So forced himself out of thought and away from Soo, focusing on the moment and on the woman before him. His hand retracted after the correct amount of time. "Would it be possible for me to get your number?" he asked.

Yu Hui nodded and So reached into his pocket for a pen and any form of paper. He blanked momentarily, realizing why there was nothing in his pocket but his wallet.

"Are we the only people in Seoul that leave home without our phones on us?" Yu Hui asked with a light laugh. So laughed with her and sighed before reaching for the nearest package of pens and pack of sticky notes.

Tearing them open, he tossed the plastic and tags into his cart, noticing the look on Yu Hui's face when he offered her the new pen and paper.

"I'll pay for them," So said immediately.

"Wouldn't care if you didn't."

He frowned at her words, but accepted the returned materials. The pens clattered into his basket, and the sticky notes remained in his hand.

Hwang Yu Hui, 010-0120-0980

"Call me for coffee sometime. Now I really should go; my ice cream is melting."

Smiling again, So waved and placed the yellow paper into his cart. He collected the last few things he needed, selecting a new pack of pens that he liked.

So thought of Yu Hui's number in his basket as he made for the cashier. Even while the person scanning his food gave him a strange look for having opened packages in his cart, he kept his attention on the note that now resided in his pocket. Methodically he opened his reusable grocery bag and stacked his items into it, placing each thing so it all fit into the cloth sack. He paid with card.

As he walked home, he checked his watch, pausing when he noticed the gold bracelet on his wrist. The white flowers and red beads were so tiny on him, but they still shone brightly on his skin. He never took the bracelet off, and now he stared at it in the middle of the street.

Lowering his wrist, he reached into his pocket. The ivory flowers shone in the evening moonlight as he tossed the phone number in his pocket away and continued to walk.

Hwang Bo Wook

"Divorce?"

The incredulousness in his voice was so apparent that he could not help but express it on his face as well. Staring down at his pregnant wife, Wook scoffed and shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck with an agitated hand. "Divorce."

"I'm divorcing you," she said quietly. Soo's hands pressed against her belly and Wook's rage flared as the palms of his hands burned. He looked her in the eye and she did not shy away. She was being completely candid.

"Hae Soo," he said, trying to reach for her shoulder. His grasp was gentle but the movement Soo used to shove him aside was rough. Wook's hand fell to his side and he glared.

"Hwang Bo Wook, this is something I should have done much longer before. We're not happy together. I'm divorcing you."

They stared at each other in the foyer, neither willing to budge. Wook sighed, slipping his jacket off and laying it over his forearm. He looked down at his wife and heaved a sigh, lips pressing into a thin line. "Even after I offered to raise the baby as my own. Even after I told you I would try to make our marriage work."

He heaved a sigh and rubbed between his eyebrows. Anger surged through him as he pushed a lid down on his emotions and tried to communicate to his wife his dismay.

"It wouldn't work. I don't want it to work." She was being obstinate and Wook was tired. "This baby doesn't deserve to grow up a lie."

"Exactly what about Wang So makes him a better father than me? That's what this is about, isn't it? You want to leave me and go run off with your little fling?" He did not care about the fact that there could be ears all around them. The servants were tied and gagged with nondisclosure agreements. Wook only felt the burning rage in his chest that his wife only nudged closer to explosion. "You think either of us deserves to get what we want? I gave up Si Yeon for you. If anything, I'm sure I'm much better than whatever the damn bodyguard was."

Her expression contorted at his statement but Wook only saw red. He glared as she shook her head, her hair swinging back and forth with her movements. "So never cheated on me… and you're the one in the wrong."

He scoffed loudly, looking away in disbelief before addressing her with a laugh that fell flat. "Don't martyr yourself, Hae Soo. We're both cheaters and we both aren't going to get what we want. You and I are stuck together."

He could not understand why she wanted to leave him. Even after he had pushed his lover away and returned to his wife, even after he had made the decision to give his all to Soo, she still pushed his kindness away.

"We may be the same," said Hae Soo, her breathing heavy, "but I am not giving you a child that isn't yours."

The fragile glue that held their family together since the death of Lily, since Wook's cheating, since Soo's cheating began to fall apart. There was little holding their family together and Wook scrambled to keep the pieces together. He fought to keep his family afloat amid the tumultuous waves he and Soo created with their argument.

"You're not leaving me," snapped Wook.

"I am!" Soo shrieked at him. Wook took a step forward and he towered over his wife, unwilling to play her game any longer. Something inside him broke as Soo shouted at him.

"Fine! Divorce me!" he shouted at her. "But know this, Hae Soo, I get full custody of the girls."

Soo's face went red with rage and Wook looked down his nose at his wife, unwilling to bend even when she leered at him with a hatred he had never seen burning in her eyes before. His heart ached and screamed as flames of anger and hatred overcame his want for peace with his wife.

"If you don't remarry, then maybe I'll allow visitation. Wang So can have his child. I'm keeping mine."

They glared at each other, sizing each other as the walls of their marriage crumbled and the years of ups and downs collapsed into rubble. "You're horrid," Soo said, her voice levelling into something dangerous.

Wook's heart broke as his wife moved beyond his reach. Her words tore into him and he pined for them to return to peace. They both needed to be there for Yoon and Mi. With another baby on the way, Wook had no idea how Soo would react to their children. She loved Yoon and Mi, but they were born from him. The new baby was Wang So's. Wook did not want to see how hurt his girls would be if their mother favored the new baby over them.

"I'm protecting my children," he responded. "You're being a delusional child. What makes you think Wang So would be any sort of father for our girls, huh? When he already has a baby of his own inside you! I'm Mi and Yoon's father and I'll protect my babies from anything!"

A tense silence fell over them, the entire house resonating with a chilly stillness that felt like a long breath held in for hundreds of years. Wook unfurled the fists he had not realized he'd clenched in the first place. Soo released a shuddering breath.

"Stay, Soo." He spoke with a level tone, no longer willing to shout at the woman he had given everything to. All he wanted was for her to stay. He would do anything for her to continue their lives together the way things were. Soo would stay as the girls' mother and she would remain his wife. All he asked was for that and nothing else. "Stay and don't bring up divorce again."

She remained silent, unflinching. Wook swallowed thickly as he realized his words were not reaching her. She needed more.

"If you truly want," he uttered. "And if you truly find me so utterly despicable that you won't even consider staying with me, I'll let you bring the bodyguard back into our employ. You can fuck him if you want, but you stay here as Yoon and Mi's mother and as my wife.

"But, if you really think divorce is the only way we can move forward, then I dare you to test me. I dare you. Yoon and Mi will live with me and I'll be their sole guardian. You can see them on weekends if the bodyguard isn't present… I'll have my secretary send you the legal documents."

Soo's lips pressed together and Wook saw the shift in her stance. Her hand swung at his face to slap him, but his arm shot out to catch her wrist in a lock. She was weak in his grasp and Wook squeezed Soo as she fought to free herself from him. The impact her wrist left in his palm let Wook know just how hard she meant to hit him. His heart hurt more than his hand as he pulled his pregnant wife closer and leaned in to murmur into her ear.

"Don't add familial abuse and assault to our marriage, Soo. You're better than that, and I don't want my daughters to call their mother a criminal." He released her wrist and Soo shot backwards, her hands by her side.

"You're despicable," she said. "We're through."

She stormed off, leaving Wook behind in the ashes of their destroyed marriage. None of the pieces fit together anymore, and Wook's hands trembled at his loss of control. He had nothing, and that was terrifying.