Gigolò: 14/20
---CHAPTER FOURTEEN---
"It's usually recommended that you come in earlier for these tests, but eventually you did."
The nurse spoke to her and smiled reassuringly.
"Sorry. First baby," she looked off, "I don't know if I was quite prepared for it."
Hyoyeon knew she'd delayed, but it would have been even more unfair to Jinki if she didn't at least attempt to take care of the baby. He was happier than he'd been in a while; she owed him that much.
"Just ask. We're here to help. Now, I'm finished here. The doctor will be in in a moment to give you the results."
"Thank you."
The nurse was heading out, opening the door before Hyoyeon called to her.
"Wait! Can...you send in my husband?"
The nurse smiled at her softly.
"...of course."
It was a few minutes of finger twiddling and anxiousness before Jinki walked in. He came to sit beside her in the small room and took her hand. Her grip on him was shaky, but she held on.
"Hey...don't be so nervous. I'm sure nothing's wrong with the baby. We're both perfectly healthy so don't worry so much."
She nodded her head in agreement to assuage him, but truth be told, she knew nothing of Chansung's history. Jinki's grandfather was a smoker, but he had lived a long life, and his following sons didn't pick up on the habit. Hyoyeon herself knew there was a history of high blood pressure in her family, but that could be handled.
They heard the clicks of a knob turning and shifted to face it as the doctor came in. All parties smiled politely and the doctor introduced herself.
"I will be helping report any major problems or issues with your baby for the rest of your gestation, so do come to me with any questions you have. Now, we have done what is a called a CVS, or chorionic villus sampling, to do this, as I'm sure you ma'am had already been told in your initial testing. And...I will tell you of some initial findings...but," she looked at Jinki, and then back at Hyoyeon, "...they're a bit conflicting with both of your medical histories."
"Conflicting? How?" Jinki questioned, more out of curiosity than concern. "We don't have anything odd in our past...do we?"
"Well sir, no you don't...the baby is developing fine. But," she looked over to Hyoyeon, "...ma'am do you mind if your husband is here as I read off the results?"
Hyoyeon knew this would come, but she didn't think this soon. She could have ushered Jinki out, but this news would inevitably come back to him. Her head was down again and she the twiddling of her fingers came back.
"Ma'am?" she questioned again.
Jinki took her hand and held it tight to still her. He finally started looking worried, wondering what the doctor had to say.
"It's fine."
She said the words in a hushed and hurried manner. Her eyes remained averted, staying on their clasped hands and avoiding the doctor and Jinki's eyes.
"Go ahead," he said.
The doctor looked at him worriedly before she began to speak.
"Well, the baby is going to be perfectly healthy and we've found nothing amiss," she looked at Jinki, "but I'm afraid...only one of you is a parent."
"What?" Jinki asked.
"Sir, you are not the baby's father. At some point, I may need to have him in here, but for right now, as per your wife's request, I will continue to read off my results. Now, the baby's growth is normal thus far, it is..."
Jinki's face hadn't moved and it didn't show any signs of emotion. He sat quietly in his chair and listened intently to everything the doctor said, taking in details of it's health. He was taking in details of something that he now knew was no longer his. His grip on Hyoyeon's hands loosened and he let go. He put his hands back in his own lap and left hers to tremble again.
As the doctor finished her explanation, she scheduled another time to meet them, hoping that there would be a way to see the baby's father.
The room was quiet again as she shook both of their hands and left the room.
Jinki ushered his wife out of the room and walked with her to the elevator. Their ride down was silent. The ride in the car and walk up to the front door was even quieter. As he opened the door, only the clicking of a light could be heard.
"Jinki?" she whispered.
He dropped his keys on a counter and held a hand up softly. She felt him distancing himself from her.
She sat in the living room, staring at the bright pink of the couches, and remembering how he just said yes to her, how he said yes to everything she did. Hyoyeon remembered how it was her dream to have a pink living room, selfish as it was, and didn't care for his opinion in the purchase...his purchase. Jinki always acquiesced to everything she did, but now, he was even refusing to answer a question. She let herself think for twenty more minutes and never saw him return from the hallway. As she rose, prepared herself for bed and went to their bedroom, she continued to think.
She was in her nightgown as she came in the room, his shirtless back facing her. Hyoyeon slid into bed in the dark room. She went out to reach for him, but pulled her hand back. She almost felt she didn't deserve to. Her body turned away from him and she nearly started to cry from the guilt she felt.
"Who is he?"
She question startled her as she thought he'd begun his drift into sleep. Their backs remained to each other as he spoke.
"Answer the question. ...what's his name?"
Hyoyeon blinked her eyes rapidly to dry them and stilled her breath before she answered.
"Chansung."
They fell asleep to the echo of that name on their walls.
---
A few days later, Hyori was meeting and catching up with In Young in her favorite coffee shop.
"You call this coffee? What is this shit?"
In Young made a face at the initial sip of her latte.
"Sorry ma'am, we could make you another-"
"Don't bother. Ugh," she waved her hand at the waitress, "take it away and just get me a plain, black coffee. ...and don't look so hurt, you'll get your tip."
The waitress nodded her head and left with the coffee.
"Why are you so mean to some people?" Hyori asked.
"I'm not mean, I'm honest. There's a difference."
"Do you really have to call the coffee 'shit,' though? Honestly."
"It tastes like shit, so I'm going to call it shit. Apparently you seem to like the taste though," she rustled through her bag, small chinks echoing, "I don't know why."
Hyori shook her head at her as she sipped her drink in the familiar shop as In Young pulled out a bottle of Bailey's.*
"What are you doing bringing alcohol in here?"
"What? She can't make a latte so I'm going to make myself an Irish coffee. Now hand me the sugar and talk."
Hyori grabbed a couple of packets from a small container on the table and handed them to In Young.
"What am I suppose to talk about?"
In Young looked at Hyori as if she were the stupidest person in the world. Then she pulled a wine glass from her purse and broke the packets open into it.
"How about how you're getting fucked on the regular?" she asked nonchalantly.
Hyori almost spit up some of her latte.
"Excuse me!?"
"Don't act dumb. Your cheeks are flush, you're glowing and you're talking to me again without looking at me like I'm crazy. I didn't lie did I? So...he's good isn't he?"
In Young smiled as she saw Hyori blush even more.
"I knew it."
The waitress walked back with her coffee and saw the bottle sitting on the table.
"Ma'am," she started, "you can't bring your own beverages in here, especially alcohol bev-"
"How old are you?" In Young questioned.
"I...I'm-"
"Doesn't matter," she said, cutting her off, "do you know who I am?," the girl zoned out, "Obviously you don't. ...listen. You get coffee. That's it. You don't ask questions unless it's to ask me what else I want. If I want to...I can shut this place down. Now where will you work then? Take this," she handed her a hefty tip, "and walk away. I have a chauffeur so don't worry about me driving."
"I- I'm sorry but-"
"Less talking more walking," the girl nodded her head and walked off, "...thank you."
Hyori just sat there in awe, staring at her friend and judging her with a crooked eyebrow.
"Oh don't even try to judge me. I told you to fuck Chansung and you took the bait."
"What? I never said it was Chansung did I?"
In Young leaned in after she poured the coffee over her mixture of Bailey's and sugar.
"But it is him," she said, "isn't it?"
Hyori sighed and finally gave in.
"Okay yes. ...and he's wonderful. And that's all I'm saying so don't give me that look!"
"Fine, fine! ...I'm happy for you. ...cheers?"
Hyori looked reluctant for a moment but raised her small mug anyway. It tapped In Young's glass.
Then was a small, quick ring that came from In Young's bag and she turned to shuffle through it. She looked at the contact that sent her a message: Hyoyeon.
"Oh...I have to go. We should do this again Hyori," she stuffed the bottle back in her bag, "and with less interruptions! Call me!" she picked up her bag and dashed out, "We can do lunch!"
Hyori watched her dash out and laughed to herself. However embarrassing, she missed In Young's antics and took a mental note to meet with her for lunch.
The coffee shop remained quiet as another employee came over to take In Young's questionable drink.
"May I take your friend's drink miss?"
His voice was familiar and sounded young, so she wondered why he'd called her 'miss.' As she turned to the side to see his face, she smiled softly.
"Hello Joon."
"Hello. ...um, the glass? I'm still on the clock."
"Oh! Oh...yeah, take it. She's gone."
He nodded at her curtly before he started walking away with the glass. Hyori's head bowed down sadly as she took another sip of her latte. Maybe he didn't want to talk, she thought. At least he'd acknowledged her, but it left her a little sad. Minutes later, the original waitress brought out her receipt for the coffees.
"But my friend already paid for these. Didn't she-"
"I was told to bring over this ticket. Sorry ma'am."
Hyori sighed heavily as she looked over the receipt. Everything was indeed already paid for, and there was a note scribbled at the bottom.
'Sorry. I really was on the clock and can't lose this job. TURN OVER==>'
She giggled slightly and turned the receipt over.
'I'm off at five each day and will wait fifteen minutes after every day, when and if you want to talk.
p.s. I'll never call you "ma'am," so just get use to it Miss.'
---
In Young was in her chauffeured town car that afternoon and quickly dialed the number after the message.
'Emergency. He knows.'
Hyoyeon's phone began ringing and In Young almost felt like wringing her neck. She should have taken steps to prevent this, the stupid girl, she thought. Did she just cave and tell him?
The ringing stopped and In Young didn't wait for an answer before she blasted her voice in the car.
"You bitch! How did he find out? I warned you that I would have your ass for this. I warned you, didn't I!? When I see you again, you better hope you're still pregnant so I won't kick your ass!"
In Young was breathing heavily as she impatiently waited for a response.
"Answer me! What the hell were you thinking!?"
"I sent the text wondering if you'd answer. So you do know?"
In Young's eyes bugged out as she settled herself. It was a man's voice on the phone, not Hyoyeon's.
"My wife is out. She went for a walk. Takes every chance she can get to avoid me now. But I guess she was doing it before, wasn't she In Young?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I was talking about someone else."
"No you weren't. If there's anything you are, it's a bad liar. You were referring to my wife's affair."
In Young stayed quiet on the phone.
"My wife is a private person In Young, and I could never for the life of me understand why she confided in you. And in the spring, she started making her visits to your home longer than usual. Or she was up too early for work. Or the gym..."
In Young's mouth dropped open and her eyes stared out at the buildings passing her window. The sigh on the other line was long and deep.
"...I stupidly thought she was trying to get in shape for our wedding, but... I was suspicious and saw his number in her phone after she met you. It was called and messaged quite a bit. Even before the wedding. Even once," he took another deep breath, "on our wedding night. ...look, I'm not here to fight with you. I've never liked you, you should already know that, and with even further reason now. But I need you to be truthful with me. ...who is Chansung? I think I deserve that at least. The truth."
In Young started forgetting the threats she'd had for Jinki, knowing how a broken heart felt. She thought of Chansung, but then thought of her own broken home and marriage, and how she had been too happy when her husband passed away. She didn't miss him at all; she didn't want that for Jinki and his wife. Now, there was a baby on the way, another life in the balance, and she was caught in the act; they all were. Hyoyeon didn't honor what she had and it blew up in everyone's face.
"You were never nice to me In Young, but dammit you knew I loved Hyoyeon. And you fucking...helped me lose her. The baby isn't even..." she heard his voice cracking, "fuck it's not even mine and I would have taken care of it like it were but knowing...dammit I have to at least know who the father is-"
"He is. ...Chansung. I think he's the father."
The words spilled out. She knew she'd been devious about things before, but let the truth out, bit by little bit. In Young softly began telling him everything. She told him how she'd met Chansung, up to the point where Hyoyeon found herself pregnant with his child. She told Jinki how Chansung only connected with one woman, a teacher at the local university and the one he'd been speaking to at the party Hyoyeon fainted at. Jinki remembered her episode, now understanding her anxious apology; her need to escape the moment and get away. He traced over his wife's actions during the past year and felt himself becoming enraged. He was angry with her for choosing to be with such a man, or even such a man over him. Why him? If he could have had a choice, he would have rather it been anyone but him.
"I'm sorry Jinki."
She heard the line click.
---
Hyoyeon wasn't back yet, but he left her a note that he'd gone out for a drive. He left with his cell phone and started calling Chansung, a contact in her phone that he'd saved to memory long ago. Jinki hoped never to call it. When and if he did call, he'd hoped it would be a woman's voice on the other line; a new friend with a peculiarly masculine name. He let the hum of the car calm him down before he made the call.
"Hello?"
"Yes, hello. You are Chansung, correct?"
"Yes. ...who is this?"
"I'm...a friend of In Young's. I saw you at a party she had earlier this year. Heard you quit your," Jinki began stiffening his neck, "job recently?"
Chansung wondered why he was receiving such an odd call from a number and name he didn't know, but In Young was a powerful woman with many connections, so he treaded with kind and careful words.
"I really don't know if I want to discuss my employment history with you sir."
"I apologize. I understand. But...I have a job for you. Meet with me, but keep it quiet."
"I'm still not sure-"
"Look, I'm not here to beat around the bush. I know what you use to do."
Jinki was losing his patience, but Chansung was instantly quiet on the other line.
"I need to know something, Chansung. Meet with me. I'll hand you the money, but you need to follow orders."
"Hey, I don't know who you are, but you can't threaten me like this."
"Oh I can, and I am. Especially if you don't want your girl Hyori to find out about your past."
Chansung stopped what he was doing and started listening intently.
"Yeah. I know about her, too."
"Who are you?" he asked quietly.
"You have two days to think about it before I find her and tell her myself. ...I'm texting you the address. You can see who I am then."
Jinki was coming out of his polite character, cutting a line for the second time that day. He'd been a fool...but no more. No more, he told himself. He continued his drive until he was calm enough to go back home.
*Bailey's is this alcoholic beverage.
"It's usually recommended that you come in earlier for these tests, but eventually you did."
The nurse spoke to her and smiled reassuringly.
"Sorry. First baby," she looked off, "I don't know if I was quite prepared for it."
Hyoyeon knew she'd delayed, but it would have been even more unfair to Jinki if she didn't at least attempt to take care of the baby. He was happier than he'd been in a while; she owed him that much.
"Just ask. We're here to help. Now, I'm finished here. The doctor will be in in a moment to give you the results."
"Thank you."
The nurse was heading out, opening the door before Hyoyeon called to her.
"Wait! Can...you send in my husband?"
The nurse smiled at her softly.
"...of course."
It was a few minutes of finger twiddling and anxiousness before Jinki walked in. He came to sit beside her in the small room and took her hand. Her grip on him was shaky, but she held on.
"Hey...don't be so nervous. I'm sure nothing's wrong with the baby. We're both perfectly healthy so don't worry so much."
She nodded her head in agreement to assuage him, but truth be told, she knew nothing of Chansung's history. Jinki's grandfather was a smoker, but he had lived a long life, and his following sons didn't pick up on the habit. Hyoyeon herself knew there was a history of high blood pressure in her family, but that could be handled.
They heard the clicks of a knob turning and shifted to face it as the doctor came in. All parties smiled politely and the doctor introduced herself.
"I will be helping report any major problems or issues with your baby for the rest of your gestation, so do come to me with any questions you have. Now, we have done what is a called a CVS, or chorionic villus sampling, to do this, as I'm sure you ma'am had already been told in your initial testing. And...I will tell you of some initial findings...but," she looked at Jinki, and then back at Hyoyeon, "...they're a bit conflicting with both of your medical histories."
"Conflicting? How?" Jinki questioned, more out of curiosity than concern. "We don't have anything odd in our past...do we?"
"Well sir, no you don't...the baby is developing fine. But," she looked over to Hyoyeon, "...ma'am do you mind if your husband is here as I read off the results?"
Hyoyeon knew this would come, but she didn't think this soon. She could have ushered Jinki out, but this news would inevitably come back to him. Her head was down again and she the twiddling of her fingers came back.
"Ma'am?" she questioned again.
Jinki took her hand and held it tight to still her. He finally started looking worried, wondering what the doctor had to say.
"It's fine."
She said the words in a hushed and hurried manner. Her eyes remained averted, staying on their clasped hands and avoiding the doctor and Jinki's eyes.
"Go ahead," he said.
The doctor looked at him worriedly before she began to speak.
"Well, the baby is going to be perfectly healthy and we've found nothing amiss," she looked at Jinki, "but I'm afraid...only one of you is a parent."
"What?" Jinki asked.
"Sir, you are not the baby's father. At some point, I may need to have him in here, but for right now, as per your wife's request, I will continue to read off my results. Now, the baby's growth is normal thus far, it is..."
Jinki's face hadn't moved and it didn't show any signs of emotion. He sat quietly in his chair and listened intently to everything the doctor said, taking in details of it's health. He was taking in details of something that he now knew was no longer his. His grip on Hyoyeon's hands loosened and he let go. He put his hands back in his own lap and left hers to tremble again.
As the doctor finished her explanation, she scheduled another time to meet them, hoping that there would be a way to see the baby's father.
The room was quiet again as she shook both of their hands and left the room.
Jinki ushered his wife out of the room and walked with her to the elevator. Their ride down was silent. The ride in the car and walk up to the front door was even quieter. As he opened the door, only the clicking of a light could be heard.
"Jinki?" she whispered.
He dropped his keys on a counter and held a hand up softly. She felt him distancing himself from her.
She sat in the living room, staring at the bright pink of the couches, and remembering how he just said yes to her, how he said yes to everything she did. Hyoyeon remembered how it was her dream to have a pink living room, selfish as it was, and didn't care for his opinion in the purchase...his purchase. Jinki always acquiesced to everything she did, but now, he was even refusing to answer a question. She let herself think for twenty more minutes and never saw him return from the hallway. As she rose, prepared herself for bed and went to their bedroom, she continued to think.
She was in her nightgown as she came in the room, his shirtless back facing her. Hyoyeon slid into bed in the dark room. She went out to reach for him, but pulled her hand back. She almost felt she didn't deserve to. Her body turned away from him and she nearly started to cry from the guilt she felt.
"Who is he?"
She question startled her as she thought he'd begun his drift into sleep. Their backs remained to each other as he spoke.
"Answer the question. ...what's his name?"
Hyoyeon blinked her eyes rapidly to dry them and stilled her breath before she answered.
"Chansung."
They fell asleep to the echo of that name on their walls.
---
A few days later, Hyori was meeting and catching up with In Young in her favorite coffee shop.
"You call this coffee? What is this shit?"
In Young made a face at the initial sip of her latte.
"Sorry ma'am, we could make you another-"
"Don't bother. Ugh," she waved her hand at the waitress, "take it away and just get me a plain, black coffee. ...and don't look so hurt, you'll get your tip."
The waitress nodded her head and left with the coffee.
"Why are you so mean to some people?" Hyori asked.
"I'm not mean, I'm honest. There's a difference."
"Do you really have to call the coffee 'shit,' though? Honestly."
"It tastes like shit, so I'm going to call it shit. Apparently you seem to like the taste though," she rustled through her bag, small chinks echoing, "I don't know why."
Hyori shook her head at her as she sipped her drink in the familiar shop as In Young pulled out a bottle of Bailey's.*
"What are you doing bringing alcohol in here?"
"What? She can't make a latte so I'm going to make myself an Irish coffee. Now hand me the sugar and talk."
Hyori grabbed a couple of packets from a small container on the table and handed them to In Young.
"What am I suppose to talk about?"
In Young looked at Hyori as if she were the stupidest person in the world. Then she pulled a wine glass from her purse and broke the packets open into it.
"How about how you're getting fucked on the regular?" she asked nonchalantly.
Hyori almost spit up some of her latte.
"Excuse me!?"
"Don't act dumb. Your cheeks are flush, you're glowing and you're talking to me again without looking at me like I'm crazy. I didn't lie did I? So...he's good isn't he?"
In Young smiled as she saw Hyori blush even more.
"I knew it."
The waitress walked back with her coffee and saw the bottle sitting on the table.
"Ma'am," she started, "you can't bring your own beverages in here, especially alcohol bev-"
"How old are you?" In Young questioned.
"I...I'm-"
"Doesn't matter," she said, cutting her off, "do you know who I am?," the girl zoned out, "Obviously you don't. ...listen. You get coffee. That's it. You don't ask questions unless it's to ask me what else I want. If I want to...I can shut this place down. Now where will you work then? Take this," she handed her a hefty tip, "and walk away. I have a chauffeur so don't worry about me driving."
"I- I'm sorry but-"
"Less talking more walking," the girl nodded her head and walked off, "...thank you."
Hyori just sat there in awe, staring at her friend and judging her with a crooked eyebrow.
"Oh don't even try to judge me. I told you to fuck Chansung and you took the bait."
"What? I never said it was Chansung did I?"
In Young leaned in after she poured the coffee over her mixture of Bailey's and sugar.
"But it is him," she said, "isn't it?"
Hyori sighed and finally gave in.
"Okay yes. ...and he's wonderful. And that's all I'm saying so don't give me that look!"
"Fine, fine! ...I'm happy for you. ...cheers?"
Hyori looked reluctant for a moment but raised her small mug anyway. It tapped In Young's glass.
Then was a small, quick ring that came from In Young's bag and she turned to shuffle through it. She looked at the contact that sent her a message: Hyoyeon.
"Oh...I have to go. We should do this again Hyori," she stuffed the bottle back in her bag, "and with less interruptions! Call me!" she picked up her bag and dashed out, "We can do lunch!"
Hyori watched her dash out and laughed to herself. However embarrassing, she missed In Young's antics and took a mental note to meet with her for lunch.
The coffee shop remained quiet as another employee came over to take In Young's questionable drink.
"May I take your friend's drink miss?"
His voice was familiar and sounded young, so she wondered why he'd called her 'miss.' As she turned to the side to see his face, she smiled softly.
"Hello Joon."
"Hello. ...um, the glass? I'm still on the clock."
"Oh! Oh...yeah, take it. She's gone."
He nodded at her curtly before he started walking away with the glass. Hyori's head bowed down sadly as she took another sip of her latte. Maybe he didn't want to talk, she thought. At least he'd acknowledged her, but it left her a little sad. Minutes later, the original waitress brought out her receipt for the coffees.
"But my friend already paid for these. Didn't she-"
"I was told to bring over this ticket. Sorry ma'am."
Hyori sighed heavily as she looked over the receipt. Everything was indeed already paid for, and there was a note scribbled at the bottom.
'Sorry. I really was on the clock and can't lose this job. TURN OVER==>'
She giggled slightly and turned the receipt over.
'I'm off at five each day and will wait fifteen minutes after every day, when and if you want to talk.
p.s. I'll never call you "ma'am," so just get use to it Miss.'
---
In Young was in her chauffeured town car that afternoon and quickly dialed the number after the message.
'Emergency. He knows.'
Hyoyeon's phone began ringing and In Young almost felt like wringing her neck. She should have taken steps to prevent this, the stupid girl, she thought. Did she just cave and tell him?
The ringing stopped and In Young didn't wait for an answer before she blasted her voice in the car.
"You bitch! How did he find out? I warned you that I would have your ass for this. I warned you, didn't I!? When I see you again, you better hope you're still pregnant so I won't kick your ass!"
In Young was breathing heavily as she impatiently waited for a response.
"Answer me! What the hell were you thinking!?"
"I sent the text wondering if you'd answer. So you do know?"
In Young's eyes bugged out as she settled herself. It was a man's voice on the phone, not Hyoyeon's.
"My wife is out. She went for a walk. Takes every chance she can get to avoid me now. But I guess she was doing it before, wasn't she In Young?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I was talking about someone else."
"No you weren't. If there's anything you are, it's a bad liar. You were referring to my wife's affair."
In Young stayed quiet on the phone.
"My wife is a private person In Young, and I could never for the life of me understand why she confided in you. And in the spring, she started making her visits to your home longer than usual. Or she was up too early for work. Or the gym..."
In Young's mouth dropped open and her eyes stared out at the buildings passing her window. The sigh on the other line was long and deep.
"...I stupidly thought she was trying to get in shape for our wedding, but... I was suspicious and saw his number in her phone after she met you. It was called and messaged quite a bit. Even before the wedding. Even once," he took another deep breath, "on our wedding night. ...look, I'm not here to fight with you. I've never liked you, you should already know that, and with even further reason now. But I need you to be truthful with me. ...who is Chansung? I think I deserve that at least. The truth."
In Young started forgetting the threats she'd had for Jinki, knowing how a broken heart felt. She thought of Chansung, but then thought of her own broken home and marriage, and how she had been too happy when her husband passed away. She didn't miss him at all; she didn't want that for Jinki and his wife. Now, there was a baby on the way, another life in the balance, and she was caught in the act; they all were. Hyoyeon didn't honor what she had and it blew up in everyone's face.
"You were never nice to me In Young, but dammit you knew I loved Hyoyeon. And you fucking...helped me lose her. The baby isn't even..." she heard his voice cracking, "fuck it's not even mine and I would have taken care of it like it were but knowing...dammit I have to at least know who the father is-"
"He is. ...Chansung. I think he's the father."
The words spilled out. She knew she'd been devious about things before, but let the truth out, bit by little bit. In Young softly began telling him everything. She told him how she'd met Chansung, up to the point where Hyoyeon found herself pregnant with his child. She told Jinki how Chansung only connected with one woman, a teacher at the local university and the one he'd been speaking to at the party Hyoyeon fainted at. Jinki remembered her episode, now understanding her anxious apology; her need to escape the moment and get away. He traced over his wife's actions during the past year and felt himself becoming enraged. He was angry with her for choosing to be with such a man, or even such a man over him. Why him? If he could have had a choice, he would have rather it been anyone but him.
"I'm sorry Jinki."
She heard the line click.
---
Hyoyeon wasn't back yet, but he left her a note that he'd gone out for a drive. He left with his cell phone and started calling Chansung, a contact in her phone that he'd saved to memory long ago. Jinki hoped never to call it. When and if he did call, he'd hoped it would be a woman's voice on the other line; a new friend with a peculiarly masculine name. He let the hum of the car calm him down before he made the call.
"Hello?"
"Yes, hello. You are Chansung, correct?"
"Yes. ...who is this?"
"I'm...a friend of In Young's. I saw you at a party she had earlier this year. Heard you quit your," Jinki began stiffening his neck, "job recently?"
Chansung wondered why he was receiving such an odd call from a number and name he didn't know, but In Young was a powerful woman with many connections, so he treaded with kind and careful words.
"I really don't know if I want to discuss my employment history with you sir."
"I apologize. I understand. But...I have a job for you. Meet with me, but keep it quiet."
"I'm still not sure-"
"Look, I'm not here to beat around the bush. I know what you use to do."
Jinki was losing his patience, but Chansung was instantly quiet on the other line.
"I need to know something, Chansung. Meet with me. I'll hand you the money, but you need to follow orders."
"Hey, I don't know who you are, but you can't threaten me like this."
"Oh I can, and I am. Especially if you don't want your girl Hyori to find out about your past."
Chansung stopped what he was doing and started listening intently.
"Yeah. I know about her, too."
"Who are you?" he asked quietly.
"You have two days to think about it before I find her and tell her myself. ...I'm texting you the address. You can see who I am then."
Jinki was coming out of his polite character, cutting a line for the second time that day. He'd been a fool...but no more. No more, he told himself. He continued his drive until he was calm enough to go back home.
*Bailey's is this alcoholic beverage.