Chapter 12; The Wise Jerk
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"Sunbae, please stop. It's tickling!" She tried to release herself from my grasp but still giggling every time when I tickled her sensitive spot. "Yah! The food will be cold if you don't stop it right now!"
"You distracted me while I'm in the middle of making the most artistic masterpiece. So you deserved to be punished."
"I've done nothing wrong. I step inside your workshop to call you for lunch. But I don't mind if you want to eat your clay."
"Wrong move Ga Eul-yang, now I think I would never let you go and just eat you instead." I opened my mouth widely and started to attack her by gnawing softly at her neck and ear while my arms still locked around her waist. She was giggling uncontrollably at my move.
"Ehem." I heard someone clearing his throat.
"Aboenim!" Ga Eul forcefully pushed me away as she realised my father together with Yul Jin was standing at the door. He was holding Yul Jin's hand and he looks a little bit embarrassed to catch me and Ga Eul in questionable close proximity.
Different expression painted on Yul Jin's face. He was smiling widely and showed his sweet dimple. He pulled his hand from my father and ran to me.
"Appa!" He screamed happily as I crouched myself a little and ready to receive him in my arms. He practically jumped at my open arms and wrapped his arms tightly around my neck and wrapped his legs around my body. I hugged him back as tight as I can. Oh how I missed him so much. My tears threaten to fall so I inhaled deeply at his sweet scent.
"I love you so much sweetheart."
He heard my voice and removed his head from my shoulder to see my face. He put his small hands at my cheeks and smiling widely at me; "I love appa too!" Then he kissed my forehead.
He put his left arm back around my neck while his right arm was extended at Ga Eul's direction and he looked hopeful at her. Understand what he wanted, Ga Eul walked closer to us. Yul Jin immediately snaked his right arm around Ga Eul's neck and pulled her closer. He also gave her a kiss on her forehead. I looked at her and she looked back at me, both of our eyes were moist with happy tears. We were snapped back when I felt Yul Jin tugged us closer with both of his arms. I winked at Ga Eul to send her a message and she understood. We both kissed his cheeks simultaneously and then we did a tight group hug. Yul Jin was giggling happily and he seemed to enjoy being pressed in between me and Ga Eul.
That time I knew no matter what happen, I won't be separated from Ga Eul because Yul Jin's arms will always be the concrete bridge that linked me and Ga Eul permanently.
"I guess I have to go now." My father's voice made me realised that there was somebody else in the room. "Sorry for not inform you earlier about our early arrival. Yul Jin missed his father and mother so much, so we shorten our vacation. Your mother went straight home because she was too tired, I guess we're not young anymore to entertain a two-year-old boy."
I walked toward my father with Yul Jin in my arms. "Yul Jin-ah, say thank you to haraboeji."
"Thank you haraboeji." He opened his arms to my father and hugged his neck. My father hugged him back. "I love you haraboeji."
"I love you more Yul Jin-ah. Be happy always okay."
"Erm!"
Yes, Yul Jin is back wholeheartedly. From lunch to dinner he kept talking and told us about his little adventure in Disneyland and Ocean Park. He said everything was big; Mickey, Minnie and everything was bigger than him, not like what he saw in television. "The fish are also big in Ocean Park and haraboeji let me ride the dolphin!" He smugly said to us.
I'm so happy that Yul Jin was back to his old self. Dr Han was right, Yul Jin's mind was so simple. He's easy to forgive and forget. He didn't hold a grudge. When he saw me and Ga Eul were happy again, it made him happy too.
So I started to execute my plan to have a date with Ga Eul. I hoped to have romantic events ahead but it was hard to be romantic when there was a third person came in between us. Don't get me wrong, I love that third person but sometimes he can become a 'disturbance'. At first we wanted to leave him at my parent's house.
He didn't cry but he played trick with our soft heart. He started to make a sad face, pouted his lips and moistened his puppy eyes. He hugged us tightly as if he don't want to let us go before waving his weak goodbye with a face that was about to cry. He's so manipulative like his mother. And of course he successfully won his game. Who can resist his adorable pout?
I wanted to watch romantic movies in cinema so I can be lovey dovey with Ga Eul. Or watch scary movies so that Ga Eul would always hold onto me because she was afraid of scary movies. But instead, I had to endure hours of watching 'Despicable Me', a marathon of all 'Shrek' movies and a marathon of all 'Toy Story' movies. He was sitting in between me and Ga Eul while giggling at the movie that I'm not sure whether he understand it or not. The worst thing was, he seemed to be infected with animation. He asked me to buy the DVD's of 'Finding Nemo', 'Ice Aged', 'Detective Conan?', 'Ben Ten' and many more which I never heard before! I'm sure Jun Pyo was the one to be blamed here; he taught my son many useless things.
And I can't have a candle light dinner too. For him, candle was made to blow. Every time the waiter lit the candle, he immediately blows it. Everyone in that luxurious restaurant can hear his bubbly voice because the restaurant supposed to be cosy and quiet. I can feel some displeased eyes were looking at us but nobody dared to complaint because they knew who I am. So in the end, we only went to a family restaurants that more suitable to speak loudly.
My last plan to romantically strolling around the park also crushed by him. I wanted to hold her hand and walking side by side closely. But there were always him in the middle. He liked to hold both of our hands and dragged us to wherever place he wanted to go. Sometimes he walk, sometimes he run and sometimes he skipping happily but never once he released our hands so we had to follow his pace.
Every day I never forget to buy flowers for Ga Eul when I came home from work. "A rose for my queen." I handed the flower to a blushing Ga Eul but I also can sense a hoping stared from someone that stood beside her. He tilted his head to look at me. "And not to forget, a chocolate for my prince." I handed him the wrapper and he smiling widely to accept it but I immediately pulled it back. "Do you forget something my prince?"
"I promise to wash my teeth after eat it!" I handed back the wrapper to him and he accepted it happily and jumping around with his favourite chocolate in his hand.
Five months after Yul Jin's birthday, Ga Eul told me something that I'm hoping for so long; a sign. Don't get me wrong; from the day we were back together again, I've already set a plan to propose her but I can't find the right time. I need the sign that told me that the right time has come and luckily I don't need to wait much longer.
"Sunbae, I think I'm pregnant." She looks shy while sitting at the foot of our bed.
"Are you sure?" I asked her with a serious expression but inside me, I've already cheering for joy.
"I…I'm late, and we've been active lately and and …"
"Why are you stuttering?" I feigning to be angry but then I saw her started to sob quietly. I wanted to act longer but her scared face made me stop my pretence. I slowly rose up from the bed and kneelt down in front her. I hold both of her hands tightly and looked straight into her eyes. "I'm sorry, I thought I'm a bad actor but apparently I'm not. I love you so much Ga Eul-yang. Anything that comes from you is a treasure to me."
She smiled widely in her sob and she bent down her body to wrap her arms around my neck. I held her closer and lifted her up. Her legs instinctively wrapped around my waist as I twirling around with her. We were giggling happily and I kept twirling around the room until I'm out of breath.
"It does not confirm yet sunbae, you don't have to be this happy."
"Well if it's just a false alarm, then we can try it again, starting now." I winked at her along with a wicked smiled.
The next day, I asked my secretary to buy me the pregnancy test kit.
"Again sir?" He asked me in front of my gate.
"I hope so. Just get ready Jae Min-shi, you have to work harder in the future." I patted his shoulder before I went inside my house. I can tell that he was worried, for the next eight months his peaceful life will be disturbed if it's confirm that Ga Eul is pregnant.
Ga Eul took the kit and went inside the bathroom while Yul Jin and I were waiting anxiously in our room and I had to answer so many questions from him.
"What is dongsaeng appa?"
"It's mean that you will be a big brother soon. You will have a friend to play with."
"Yeay!" He was jumping happily but immediately stopped his movement. "Where is my dongsaeng now?"
"In omma's tummy."
He looked at his tummy and then at my tummy. With confusion visible on his face he asked; "How can dongsaeng fit in a tummy?"
I held his hand and we walked to a rack of albums and I retrieved one of the albums from the shelf. Then I sat at the foot of my bed and lifted him to sit on my lap. I opened the first page and it was Yul Jin's first ultrasound picture.
"Do you see anything in this picture?" I showed him the picture and he just shaking his head. "Do you see this small little dot?" I pointed at the picture and he looked closer. Then he nodded his head. "It's you."
"Really?" He looked again at the picture.
"Yes, you started as a small little dot just like your dongsaeng now, then you grew bigger and bigger inside omma's tummy." I said it as I opened the next pages of his ultrasound pictures, from he was just a small foetus until he developed completely.
"Wow! I'm in omma's tummy but who put me there?"
"Me!" I answered smugly but then I'm kind a regretted answering his question without thinking the consequences. I shouldn't answer something that created more queries in his little brain.
I should know his next question would be "How?" and he lifted his brows while waiting for my answer.
I cleared my dry throat and swallowed my own saliva while trying my best to think the simplest answer for him but all I can think was …sex. "Hey sweetheart, do you prefer to have a sister or a brother?" I immediately changed the subject.
"I want a boy like me so we can play a war game together but he will take all my toys and we will fight! Hmmm if that's the case, I want a girl because girl is gentler but she can't be my wrestling partner. Hmmm it's so hard to choose! Can we have both appa?"
"Err one by one sweetheart."
"Why can't we have both?"
"Because…because…" Please Ga Eul, hurry up. I don't know how to answer him anymore, so many tough questions from him. Luckily my prayer was heard and Ga Eul emerged from behind the bathroom door with a sad face. I walked to her and she immediately hugged me and whispered to my ear;
"I'm sorry sunbae."
"It's okay my love, we can try some other time." I hugged her and caressed her back to sooth her. But actually, my heart was in pain too because I put a high hope to get another child.
"I want to say I'm sorry because …the next eight months I'll become Emily Rose that hunted your life and make your life miserable."
"Really?" I pushed her to look into her eyes and she nodded while smiling widely at me and I hugged her again. "Oh I'm so happy Ga Eul-yang."
"Yeay! I'm happy too." I heard Yul Jin shouted and jumping happily on the bed.
The next day I told Ga Eul that I wanted to spend my time alone with Yul Jin. I gave her an excused that I planned to have a guy bonding time with him. Yul Jin was so happy and he wanted me to bring him to an amusement park.
"Sweetheart, before we go to the amusement park, can you help appa to choose a present for omma."
"Sure! What present?"
"A ring but you have to promise me not to tell omma about it."
"I promise not to tell omma about the ring!"
"Good boy."
Maybe I sounded silly to trust a two-year-old boy to choose a ring for me but the woman that I'm about to propose is his mother. I wanted him to contribute in this big turning point of my life. So I carried him in my arms to look into the counter that have lot of rings to choose. I walked from one counter to another with him but nothing seemed to suit his taste.
"Wait." He told me to stop walking. "There, that's the one." I gave a signal to the saleslady to bring out the ring that he pointed.
"Are you sure omma will love it?"
"Erm!" He nodded eagerly.
I looked again at the ring and that time I knew I made a right decision to trust Yul Jin to choose my engagement ring. Asking him was like asking Ga Eul what she wants for her engagement ring. The ring was so simple; a titanium band with a heart shaped diamond that mounted on top of the ring. Simple but elegant and stylish, beautiful in its own ways just like its future owner. I gave the saleslady the right size and she put the ring in a dark blue velvet box.
"Okay sweetheart, time to pay for your hard work. Let's go to the amusement park!"
"Yeay!"
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Back to the present
"How could you do that to her? What is your excuse this time? You got drunk again? I knew it, I knew I shouldn't let you live with her."
And now I was surrounded by curious and furious eyes of my friends. I just told them about Ga Eul's second pregnancy and I knew Jan Di will get mad, that's why I brought Yul Jin with me to save me from her kick.
"Relax Geum Jan Di, this time I will take full responsible of my action. I'm going to marry her and treat her like a queen for the rest of my life. I promise!"
"It's not fair!" Jun Pyo suddenly burst out.
"And what's wrong with you." Jan Di asked her husband.
"Yi Jeong is going to have his second child already. They are more productive than us. We've been married for almost three years but you never want a child and still eating those pills."
"I thought you agree on it."
"No! I said 'okay' because I love you but I don't want to wait anymore. I know you're busy but I'm busy too. Yi Jeong is busy too but he still can be a good father. You told me to love Yul Jin like my own and I did but the one he loves the most is still Yi Jeong. No matter what I did he still choose Yi Jeong over me because Yi Jeong is his father!" I can't believe this, Jun Pyo still wanted to be the best of everything, even for my own son! Of course he can't succeed.
"I just want my own child that sees me on top of everything. A child that always proud on me regardless of my weaknesses. Just look at Yul Jin, he always proud with Yi Jeong no matter how jerk he can be."
"Hey, I'm not like that anymore!" I'm not satisfied with Jun Pyo's statement.
"Jan Di-ah, I think Jun Pyo has been tolerating with you for so long. Now Yi Jeong will get his second child, of course Jun Pyo will feel more jealous." Ji Hoo voice out his thought.
For me, I chose to not interfere although I also pitied my friend Jun Pyo. I think it was better to not say a word because I'm afraid that Jan Di will start screaming at me again about Ga Eul.
I looked at Woo Bin who seemed a little dreamy. Woo Bin had started to take over his family business and his father asked him to take care of their business in Japan. It was hard to see him so we are not close like before. Since Ga Eul lived with me, I got more attached with Jun Pyo. Maybe because our ladies were best friend. So the gang had changed, me paired with Jun Pyo and Woo Bin with Ji Hoo.
He realised that my eyes on him and he stared back at me. "Yi Jeong-ah, please make her happy." His voice was so low like he was pleading at me.
I gave him an assuring smiled and said; "Don't worry Woo Bin-ah, I love her with all my heart, of course I will make her happy because my happiness depends on her happiness."
"You better don't make her cry again or I'll make sure nobody ever heard about you anymore!" Jan Di threatens me.
I rose up slowly while still holding Yul Jin. "Wish me luck guys, I'm going to propose her now." I took a deep breath and walked out from the lounge. This is the time So Ji Yeong. Fighting!
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The End
Author's Note: Finally the end of Yi Jeong's POV. As stated at the first chapter, the story consist of 3 person's POV and 2 more to go. Care to guess who will be the next?