Thanks for the memories (Chapter 9)
"My son, Moonbin," he introduced the child, to his father.
He saw how Yunho's face hollowed as he observed the child. Moonbin suddenly became embarrassed and hid behind his mother's legs.
"How come you have a son, Jaejoong? And he called you omma?" Yunho showed interest after learning the truth. Then he sat, leveling with the child's height and held his shoulder.
"Well, yeah. Few men were gifted with childbearing. Haven't you heard of that? And I'm one of them."
"So, you're married," he said with sadness in his voice.
"Not yet. But soon I will. Moonbin's father and I still don't have the time to get married. He still has a contract to finish in Japan," he lied. He was able to come up an excuse to avoid Yunho of finding out the truth.
"I see," he nodded but deep inside he could feel the heavy weight in his heart.
"Fortunately, I met a man who is far from you. He sticks to one lover and never finds another. Even though we have this long-distance relationship, he's still loyal to me. We will immediately get married once he's back," Jaejoong continued weaving lies.
Did he just see what is painted in Yunho's face right now? Sadness? He looks like he's mourning? Yunho kept quiet for a moment and continued observing Moonbin.
"He's such a lucky man. He already has a cute little boy," Yunho said. "What's your name, young man?"
Moonbin was too shy to answer to his not-yet-known father.
"So, both of us are soon to get married," Yunho suddenly said. He forced to smile. "Tiffany and I already have our wedding plans. We are in a relationship for one and a half years."
"You? Getting married?" he said in a mocking tone.
"Yeah. The branded playboy is finally getting married. Well, many people thought I'm not the marrying type. They just don't know that I'm quite picky. But now that I finally found someone to have a long-lasting relationship with, I'll prove to them that they're wrong."
Jaejoong couldn't say anything.
"Tiffany is a banker's daughter. Her family and mine are friends. She works as a model. But she's quite possessive. Because she's the youngest daughter, a spoiled brat you can say."
Jaejoong felt a heavy weight in his heart. Everything he said to Yunho were all lies. He really doesn't have any boyfriend. It's not real that he'll get married soon. But he knows that Yunho's words were all true because he could see how Tiffany is very possessive of him.
"Are you not going to introduce me to your son?" Yunho asked with affection as he enjoyed observing Moonbin.
"Uhmm, Moonbin, this is… Uncle Yunho," he could feel a lump in his throat as he introduced his son to his real father.
"Hey, cutie. Do you want chocolates?" he sweetly asked his not-yet-known son.
"Nae," he immediately answered. Moonbin is smart. He could already speak fluently even though he is only three and a half years old.
"Then next time I'll bring chocolates and toys. I have lots of robot toys at home."
Moonbin's eyes sparkled because of excitement. His shyness for Yunho went away.
Jaejoong bit his lip as he saw the interaction between Moonbin and his father. It hurts him thinking that he was depriving his son of a father, and Yunho of a son. But he thought that this is the best thing he should do. Yunho is getting married to Tiffany. So there's no need for him to tell the truth. It will just complicate the situation. And besides, he could take care of his son by himself.
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Yunho's visits to the saloon were more frequent now. And Jaejoong doesn't know if his true intention was him or his son.
One time, after his meeting with his client, he saw Yunho playing with Moonbin. The child even showed off all the toys that Yunho brought. He saw how Moonbin enjoyed the company of his father.
We should've been a happy family.
If only Yunho had asked his hand in marriage, if only he hadn't been branded as a playboy.
Jaejoong would never forget Yunho running back to Gwangju once he noticed that the young man already told his father what happened between them. Probably, he's not the only person that Yunho made pregnant.
"My son might get too attached to you. That'll give me problems later on," Jaejoong warned Yunho.
"Let him enjoy my company. Your son is already three years old and yet he has no father at his side. Even just for now, while his father is not here yet, let me take that role."
Jaejoong felt a pinch in his heart. He saw how Yunho wanted Moonbin to feel the love of a father. But he would still keep the truth for himself.
He's just scared that not only Moonbin would get used to the man's presence but also himself too. He should not forget that he would get married to Tiffany soon.
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Yunho's visits to the saloon have become daily already. Jaejoong tried to stop him but he couldn't resist the man especially when he always brings something for him and Moonbin.
"Why did you suddenly leave Aunt Jaehwa's house that time?" Yunho raised the topic. The two of them were eating lunch together in a fastfood near the saloon.
"No reason," he answered. That was the first thing that came to his mind.
"You would not do that for no reason."
Jaejoong sighed before answering the question.
"I was mad at you, Yunho. And I'm scared that you will do that again. And I don't want to be tempted to steal again."
"I'm regretting everything, Jaejoong. Please believe me," sincerity could be seen in his eyes. "I tried to look for you. I wanted to apologize. My conscience bothered me. I know that I made a big sin. I took advantage of your weakness." Yunho's head was bowed as he was talking.
"In fact, I'm even angry at myself. I should've understood your situation. I should've helped you explain your illness to Aunt Jaehwa."
"What's done is done, Yunho," Jaejoong said bitterly.
"But you're still mad at me. I can feel it, Jaejoong."
Jaejoong couldn't answer. Because he, himself, couldn't even answer that question. Wasn't he trying to hate this man? But why is he entertaining him now and even let him play with his son?
"The pain is still in my heart, Yunho," he frankly said. "What you did to me, I still find it hard to forget it."
Especially now that it left a living memory. And I would always think about that because of this, I wasn't able to accomplish my dream. He wanted to tell that to Yunho but he couldn't voice it out.
"Forgive me, Jaejoong," Yunho plead. Then Jaejoong just noticed that Yunho was holding his hands tightly on the table. He tried to remove his hands from Yunho's but the man only tightened the hold. They looked at each other's eyes. And Jaejoong could feel the whirlwind of emotions coming back to him.