kismet - 4
Pairing: JongIU
Synopsis: Every happy ending deserves a second chance.
Jonghyun spent the entire week and a half after he got word that Jieun was scheduled to leave the hospital planning how he’d be able to work around the fact that Jieun didn’t have a second apartment to go back to like she did when they were together. There was just no reasonable explanation, nothing that he could make up and have Jieun believe without a few questions.
So once they got back to his apartment and got her settled in, he considered an idea he had for less than a minute one night when he was unable to fall asleep. He dismissed it almost immediately; that would be pushing it. If he was scared people might find him opportunistic for plastering photos of himself and Jieun all over the house when, in reality, they were no longer together, they’d definitely think he was opportunistic for that idea.
But in the end, it was the only idea that could work. Everything else could easily fall into place once he got that out of the way.
“Mm, it’s so nice to have real food again,” Jieun said as she watched Jonghyun ladle kimchijjigae into a bowl in front of her. “The food in the hospital tasted plastic-y and reheated. So gross.”
“Well, I hope you enjoy this,” he said. “You know I’ve never been too good of a cook.”
Jieun scoffed as Jonghyun sat across from her. “That’s a lie,” she said, picking up a spoon. “Your cooking is my favorite. But don’t tell my mom that.”
Jonghyun smiled and watched as Jieun took a heaping spoonful of her soup. She put the spoon in her mouth and let her shoulders droop in satisfaction. “It’s good?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Jieun said. She grinned and pushed the kimchi around with her spoon. “It’s good.”
“Can I ask you something?” Jonghyun asked, and Jieun nodded. “I’ve been thinking and... I want you to move in with me.”
Jieun’s eyes opened wide. “What? Wait, seriously?”
Jonghyun nodded and Jieun dropped her spoon and clapped her hands together. “I... think it’s about time we... move forward, you know? Running back and forth from your apartment to mine is a waste of time. Just stay here.”
Jieun’s eyes welled with tears. “Jonghyun... that’s really big, are you sure? I mean, I’m not arguing because I’d love to but -”
“I’m positive,” Jonghyun said. He reached across the table and let his fingers graze her wrist. “I just want you closer, that’s all.”
Jieun smiled. “Okay. If you’re okay with it, and I’m okay with it - yes. Yes, I’ll move in with you.” She squealed and jumped out of her seat, running around the table to fling her arms around Jonghyun.
He laughed and hugged her back. “Please be careful,” he said. “I don’t want you going back to the hospital for any extended stays again.”
Jieun pulled back to look at Jonghyun, her teary eyes searching his face. She leaned in to kiss him and in a moment of panic, he turned his head. “Finish your jjigae before it gets cold,” Jonghyun said as her lips met his cheek. He chewed on his bottom lip as she sighed and stepped away from him, rounding the table back to her seat. “I worked really hard on it, and it tastes best when it’s hot, so...”
Jieun nodded and picked up her spoon. “I’ll eat it well,” she murmured.
As she sipped on her soup and slowly chewed the pieces of kimchi floating in it, Jonghyun felt a pang of guilt. He knew that he had to completely take the role of her boyfriend, but he couldn’t do it. He tried to get past it by telling himself that no one would know, that Minho wouldn’t know, but the fact that there was someone else and Jieun, for the moment, didn’t know who he was put him off.
But Jieun really needed Jonghyun, because he was all she knew. Unfortunately for him, all he had come to know was being without her. Just as he didn’t know how long it would take Jieun to remember, he didn’t know how long it would take himself to do the same.
Jieun went to sleep a lot earlier than Jonghyun. He’d gotten called in at work for a few hours, and she resigned to his bed as he left, complaining of a headache. He came home exhausted, ready to just call it a night and sleep in the next morning - but instead, he stopped still in the doorway of his bedroom, staring at the bed.
It had been a long while since anyone but Jonghyun slept in his bed. At first, he hated it, hated feeling alone; she used to spend most nights a week with him and when they broke up, it all ended so abruptly. He remember hoping that, maybe, as they remained friends, she’d still come over and cuddle with him and fall asleep like they used to.
But, of course, the next thing he knew, she was with Minho, so that bit of hopefulness went right out the window.
He gradually got used to being alone, in an intimate sense, anyway, and came to like having the bed to himself.
He was tired, so incredibly tired, and just wanted to crawl into bed, but not with Jieun there. He contemplated taking a few pillows and a blanket and sleeping on the couch - then thought about how Jieun would react in the morning and thought against it. The best thing to do would just get into bed beside her and try to think nothing of it, but his mind kept conjuring up repercussions for doing that - even though he had permission to do it - and he didn’t dare to budge from his spot at the door.
Jieun stirred, rolling from her stomach to her side. She pulled the sheets up over her shoulder and curled her legs up to her chest, then started to snore quietly again. Jonghyun glanced at the clock - 10:30 - then back to the bed.
Too tired to change into sleeping clothes, he laid down on his side of the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He slowly turned his head and looked at Jieun’s sleeping form, her hair in a loose bun to keep from getting caught in her stitches. He rolled onto his side, facing her, and watched her in silence until he, too, fell asleep.
Jonghyun was barely awake when he felt something tighten around his waist, but in his sleepiness he disregarded it. He started to fall into a deeper sleep, only to wake up a little more when he felt what he assumed were lips against his neck.
He tried to ignore it, but as the lips brushed a particularly ticklish part of his neck, he smiled and gave himself away. “Wake up,” he heard whispered into his ear, but he continued to try to stay asleep.
The lips traveled upwards to his cheek, then closer and closer to his own lips, until they made contact. The tightness around his waist released and a hand caressed the side of his face, and his own hand found its way to the warm skin of the person kissing him.
Then, suddenly, he was wide-awake, heart pounding as he realized exactly what was happening.
He pulled away and gave her a bewildered look, and she only grinned and giggled. “Good morning,” Jieun said. “I missed those lips so much.”
Jonghyun gulped. His fight to keep himself from having Jieun unknowingly betray her husband had come to an end, and it was her own fault. No one will know, he thought. “M-morning.”
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” she said, resting her chin on his chest. “Did I scare you?”
“Yeah, a little bit,” he mumbled. “Did you sleep well?”
“I guess so. My headache’s gone,” she said. “You got in late last night?”
“Not too late,” Jonghyun said. “I was back before midnight.”
“Well, that’s good,” she said, hugging him tight and smiling. “I always hated it when you got in so late, since I go to bed early. It’s nice to have you around to cuddle with.”
Jonghyun felt another all-too-familiar pang of guilt, but smiled and rubbed her back. “I’ll try to get home earlier for you, then.”
“No, no, it’s fine,” Jieun said. “Because I live here now... and I’ll see you whenever you’re not at work. This works perfectly. Speaking of which, I have to go downtown to talk to my landlord about moving out -”
Oh, goddamn it, Jonghyun thought. “Nope, no... it’s all set.”
Jieun sat up and cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean, it’s all set?”
“I mean... while you were in the hospital, I ended your rental because I was planning to have you move in with me,” Jonghyun said. “And... I paid the last of your rent and everything is in storage, I just have to make a call and get it for you.”
Jieun scoffed incredulously. “What if I said, no, I won’t move in with you? What would I do?”
“You’d... live with your parents,” Jonghyun said, and Jieun snorted. “Let’s just say I was quite sure you’d say yes.”
“Because I love you,” Jieun said, and Jonghyun smiled. “Right?”
“Right,” he said. “Because you love me.”
At noon, the doorbell of Jonghyun’s apartment rang. When he answered the door, he was greeted by Jieun’s five best friends, who pushed past him in order to get to her. Sunyoung hung behind while the other girls gushed over Jieun, looking Jonghyun up and down with a mischievous smile on her face.
“What?” Jonghyun deadpanned.
“Nothing,” Sunyoung said, running her hand through her hair and chuckling. “You just look really... comfortable, now that she’s here.”
“Why should I be uncomfortable?” Jonghyun asked.
Sunyoung raised her eyebrows. “Really? Is that a serious question?” She beckoned Jonghyun closer to her, then cupped her mouth with the back of her hand. “You should be uncomfortable because Minho’s pissed. Remember, he exists, even if Jieun doesn’t remember him,” she whispered. She wiggled her eyebrows then joined the rest of the girls.
Jonghyun pursed his lips as he shut the door. He was beginning to think Sunyoung had some sort of vendetta against him; for what, he had no idea.
“Baby,” Jieun called, and he turned to look at her. He glanced at the faces of the other girls, who, bar Sunyoung, awkwardly smiled at her term of endearment. “The girls want to take me out for lunch, is that alright?”
“Of course,” Jonghyun said. “I have things to do anyway. We have forever to hang out together.” He glanced at Sunyoung, who was busy covering up her laughter with a series of quiet coughs.
Jieun smiled. “Alright, I’ll get ready,” she said, leaving the group of girls to go back to the bedroom.
Once she was gone, the girls gave Jonghyun a dirty look before they turned to each other and spoke in low voices. Jonghyun shrugged and went to the kitchen to find something to eat. He figured he’d just have to get used to everyone on Jieun’s side hating him for things he had absolutely no control over.
Before she left, Jieun went over to Jonghyun, who laid on the couch watching television, and gave him a kiss goodbye. “How do I look?” she asked, backing away from Jonghyun to show off her outfit. She wore a black blazer over a white t-shirt, accented by a gold chain Jonghyun had bought her on their first anniversary. The t-shirt was tucked into a gray a-line skirt with black tights underneath, and black leather ankle boots hugged her feet. It was her style to a T, Jonghyun thought. It was one part of her that hadn’t changed.
“You look gorgeous,” he said, and she giggled, checking to see that her hair was covering the side of her forehead with the stitches in it. “But you’re always gorgeous.”
“Stop,” she said, waving him off. “I’m leaving now. I’ll be back before dinner.” She waved and left the room, and Jonghyun heard the door close softly behind her as the girls left the apartment.
He shut off the television and turned his attention to the conversation they’d had earlier. Jieun was under the belief that Jonghyun had put her belongings in storage and that it would simple for those things to be brought back to the apartment, in literally no time.
The truth was, of course, that her things were at her house with Minho. Sunyoung was out with Jieun and, frankly, even if she weren’t he wouldn’t ask her for another favor, because it seemed like his reliance on her was going to her head. There was no one else who could do the job for him.
So he’d have to do it himself.
Jonghyun dug up the old wedding invitation before he left. He didn’t want to text Sunyoung and ask her for the address, and he remembered a very important by-line on the invitation: the address for the home that Minho and Jieun would be living in after the wedding. At the time, Jonghyun overlooked it and almost took a pen to it to black it out in his anger, but now he was thankful he hadn’t.
He put the address into his GPS and followed its directions until he reached a very posh area a few towns over. The street was lined with massive American-style houses with lush front lawns and expensive cars. He felt more than out of place in his beat-up, decade-old, hand-me-down car but pushed that insignificant thought aside as the GPS chimed a monotone “you have reached your destination” and he brought the car to a stop.
He parked and walked up the stone walkway, eyeing an older woman elbow-deep in the soil of the garden lining the house’s facade. “Um, excuse me,” he called out, and the woman glanced over her shoulder. “Hi... do you, um, do you work here?”
“I’m the gardener, yes,” she said, standing up and dusting off her hands. “Can I help you?”
“Is... your boss? Minho... is he home?” Jonghyun stammered.
She nodded slowly. “Can I help you?” she repeated.
“I wanted to speak to him,” Jonghyun said. “Thank you.” He walked away and the gardener shrugged, going back to her work.
He stepped up to the door and rang the doorbell, his heart pounding double-time against his ribcage. Except for at the wedding, he’d hardly spoken to him, and now this situation was going to throw a wrench into the surprisingly friendly banter they’d had. It was enough to make him turn and go back home and tell Jieun the storage company had sold her things.
Before he could, the door opened. Minho looked him up and down, his face stern.
“Hi,” Minho said.
“Hi... can I come in?” Jonghyun asked.
“For what?”
Jonghyun raised his eyebrows. “Excuse me?”
“What do you want to come inside for?” Minho asked.
“I... need to talk to you,” Jonghyun said. “It’s important... regarding Jieun.”
A pained expression flashed across Minho’s face for a split second before he stepped aside and let Jonghyun inside. Jonghyun glanced around, taken aback by the majesty of the house compared to his simple apartment. “So, what is it?” Minho said flatly. Jonghyun spun on his heel to look at him. “What do you want?”
“Uh...” If Jonghyun wasn’t intimidated and nervous before, he was now. “I’m really sorry about all of this. I’ve been thinking about this whole situation nonstop and I can’t help but feel terrible that this has happened to you.” Minho shook his head and looked away. “I think that we need to come to some sort of agreement, to make this easier for the both of us and, ultimately, for Jieun... since we’re doing this for her.”
“What’s your point?” Minho snapped.
Jonghyun blinked in surprise. “Well, I-I’m saying that... we should try to have some sort of friendship so that we... well, I, don’t have to walk on eggshells when it comes to you. Long story short, I need the rest of Jieun’s things. I told her that I canceled her rental agreement for her apartment and her things were in storage, and to get them I just needed to call someone... so to keep up with that illusion, I’ll actually need whatever’s left here.”
“Follow me,” Minho said, walking past Jonghyun to the staircase. Jonghyun hesitated, glancing at the door then over his shoulder, but followed him anyway.
“Jieun never told me that you were her boyfriend,” Minho said. “She did tell me, before we got together, that she was dating someone... but she never mentioned who.”
Jonghyun put his hands into his pocket and watched his feet as he strode alongside Minho down a long corridor. “Oh,” he murmured.
“So imagine my shock when she wakes up and announces that the last thing she remembers is dating you,” Minho said with a forced laugh. “I didn’t know whether I should be mad at you or at her for not telling me the complete truth right away.”
“Don’t blame her,” Jonghyun said. “We were still friends after we broke up. If she told you about our past... I guess she was afraid that you wouldn’t want her to be around me, wouldn’t want me at the wedding... she has her reasons, I’m sure.”
“So, I should be angry with you?” Minho stopped and faced Jonghyun. “You haven’t done anything except what the doctor told you to do, for her well-being. I guess I should be angry, if not envious, that you have my wife for the time-being and I don’t.”
Jonghyun sighed. “It’s not like that, I promise. For her, I’ll play the role of the boyfriend but I know - I know - that that’s not my true role. She’s yours and she’ll be yours for the rest of your life. I don’t mean to come between that.”
“I’m sure you don’t,” Minho said. “That doesn’t mean I can’t be angry about it.” He turned to the door behind him and Jonghyun nervously ran a hand through his hair. “Her things are still packed up... in suitcases from our trip, and in boxes from when she moved out of her apartment. I’ll be leaving; the housekeeper will lock the door for you when you’re finished.” He opened the door and walked away.
Jonghyun watched him leave, waiting until he disappeared completely before he stepped into the room. Once he could no longer hear his footsteps, he went inside and went straight to Jieun’s belongings.
As he assembled the smaller boxes to fit in his arms as he made his way back to the car, he looked around the room. It appeared to be completely untouched, from the bed to the closet. Minho probably couldn’t even use the room without thinking about Jieun, Jonghyun figured, and guilt struck him again. It was bad enough that he was uprooting the life that Minho and Jieun had set out to live together, right down to the fact that he was hauling her things out and bringing them home with him.
“Soon,” Jonghyun said to himself, alluding to Jieun regaining her memory. That was enough to put his guilt on the backburner so that he could complete his task and get home before Jieun.