Blog

Chapter 3: Home Sweet Home – November 21 – December 7, 2021 

The first thing that surprised her was that Jin’s wife, Yura, was clearly quite pregnant.  Like she was about to deliver any day now.  That’s when Heejin realized how long it had been since she’d seen Yura.  It had been at the ball Heejin had thrown for Hobi to romance Minsu.  Heejin hadn’t even known that Yura was pregnant then.  Tonight she was positively glowing with happiness.

Heejin felt a dart of jealousy pierce her heart.  Would she ever be that happy?

Her eyes slid towards Yunseok.  Just then, he glanced her way and smiled at her as their eyes touched.  Could she find her own place of joy with him?  Or even simply a state of contentment?  Most days she would have settled for that.  Just some simple peace.

The termination of the nightmares.  A ceasing of the memories that crashed in on her.  An eternal end of the echoes that were awakened by the most random things.  She couldn’t even watch television anymore.  Even the hint of a car accident set off violent reverberations within her soul.

She sighed.  She had told Yunseok the truth when she’d said she liked to socialize, so why was she wanting to go crawl into a cave right now?

“Heejin!” Minsu came striding across the room.  “How are you!? We missed you at our wedding.”

Now she just felt mortified.  “I’m so sorry.  My car broke down.”

“Hey, leave her alone, Minsu.  She did pop in for five minutes,” Hobi came to Heejin’s rescue.

“But we didn’t see you at the reception,” Minsu continued.

Heejin opened her mouth to reply, but Yunseok beat her to it.  “She wasn’t feeling well, Minsu.  I took her home.”

What he really meant was that he’d taken care of her.  When she’d fallen apart emotionally.  But she smiled gratefully up at him now.

Minsu frowned.  “I’m sorry you weren’t feeling well.”

“I’m fine now.”

Yunseok glanced down at her.  From personal experience, he knew that was a lie. 

She peered up at him momentarily, and their eyes collided.  Something stirred in the depths of them.  A connection was formed.  One that she didn’t understand.  But he did.

—

Heejin sighed as she slid into her seat in his car.  He bent over the passenger door and peered down at her.  

“You didn’t enjoy that, did you?”

“It felt like so much work.”  She leaned her head back.  “What is wrong with me?” she mumbled in exasperation.  And something deeper.  Something akin to depression.

He wanted to pull her into his arms.  Instead, he shut her door and walked around to the driver’s side.  After he’d climbed in and put his seatbelt on, he turned towards her.  His hand covered hers.  Gently.

“I was doing so much better last year.  I don’t understand.  More time has gone by.  Shouldn’t it be getting easier?” she whispered brokenheartedly.

His voice was a quiet rumble when he spoke.  “Sometimes, it doesn’t.  Sometimes, it gets worse.”

She glanced up at him then.  He sounded like he was speaking from experience.  But before she could ask him, he turned towards her and smiled.  

“Would you like to do something to take your mind off it?”

Two valleys carved themselves into her forehead.  “Like what?”

“Wanna go apartment hunting with me?”

Her eyes did light up then.  But a moment later, she frowned.  “I have no idea how much money I’ll be able to afford towards an apartment.”

“It doesn’t matter.  I’m going to rent based on my salary, not yours.  I’ll find one with two bedrooms, and you pay me what you can handle.”

She gaped at him.  “Yunseok…”

“Hey, I need an apartment.  I would have rented a two-bedroom anyway just because I want a bigger apartment.  So if you move in with me, you’ll be doing me a favor.”

“You don’t want to live at home and save money?”

He shook his head.  “I love my family, but it’s time for some independence.  How much privacy do you think I get with two nosy sisters?  I’m living with my parents, my sisters, a brother-in-law, and in a few weeks, Tae will move in too.  I’m surrounded.  It’s a lot for a loner to take.  It’s definitely time to move out.  And perfect timing since you need a roommate.”  He smiled at her then.  “So…what do you say?”

“Let’s do it!” she bobbed her head up and down once decisively.

—

Two hours later, they had discovered what they both liked and didn’t like.  And it appeared that what he liked, she disliked.  And what she loved, he deplored.  Frustrated, she walked out of the fifth apartment they’d toured this evening.

“How are we ever going to find something that suits us both?” she asked despairingly.

“Hmm.  I don’t know.  But we will.  Come on, let’s head to the last appointment.”

The moment they entered the spacious apartment, they both fell in love with it.  She loved the tall windows and all the light they let in.  Yunseok liked the way the bedrooms were set up across the hall from each other, and they each had their own adjoining bathroom which also opened out into the hallway. They both adored the generous kitchen complete with kitchen nook and center island.  The kitchen, dining room, and living room spaces all shared a common block, which would make entertaining easy.  He knew that would be important to her, and he had a certain pair of sisters who would wish to visit.  Along with their guys.   

The apartment building also boasted a parking garage, which would make storing his car convenient.  Since the apartment had two rooms, it came with two parking spaces.  Should she decide to bring her car with her, she’d be set too.

After they finished touring the apartment, he met her in one of the bedrooms.  She had taken note of all the locks on the doors. 

“Which bedroom do you like?”

“This one.  Because of the big window.”  She glanced up at him sharply.  “But it’s your apartment.  You should take it.  The other bedroom has no window.”

“It’s our apartment.  Not just mine,” he insisted quietly.  “Is this the apartment then?  Do you really like it?”

She nodded.  Then a huge grin awakened her face. 

“I love it!  It’s beautiful.  But,” she glanced into his eyes, “it must be awfully expensive.  I mean, it’s so nice; it’s new; it’s spacious.  It lets in so much light.”

“It’s affordable,” he murmured.  “At your current salary, what could you afford to pay me towards rent and utilities each month?”

“Well, if I get a bus pass instead of driving a car…”

“I told you, I’ll be your chauffeur.  Whenever you need to go anywhere.”

She frowned at him.  “I can’t do that to you.”

“But I want to do it.”

“Yunseok, you’re acting like you’re my husband.”

He just stared at her.  He wasn’t sure what to say to that.  Except…

“Look, I meant it when I said I’m solitary.  I don’t go out with friends.  Except for the occasional trip out with my sisters and Tae and Jungkook.  I like to stay home, read books, watch mysteries and dramas.  Play video games sometimes.”  

He smiled into her eyes.  “Within reason.  I don’t spend hours at a time doing it.  I love to cook.  I spend some time lifting weights each day, but even then, I have my own set.  I don’t head to the gym.  I jog around the park and work out at home.  

“My point is that if you need to go somewhere, I’ll be free to drive you.  I seldom make commitments.  My time is my own.  Outside of work, anyway.  And my job is nine to six.  So, I just want you to know I’m here for you.  If you need me.  If you want me…” His voice trailed off.

She scrunched up her nose as her eyebrows bent and tried to touch it.  “Why?” she whispered suddenly.  “Why are you so kind to me?”

“I have my reasons,” he murmured as his eyes caressed her own.

Just then, the real estate agent appeared in the doorway.  “So…what do you think, folks?”

His eyes still holding Heejin’s, Yunseok murmured, “We’ll take it.”

Her eyes widened.  

She was moving in with a virtual stranger.  A man.  Was she nuts?

—

“Seokie?” Yunyeong peeked into his room later that night.  “What’s going on with you and Heejin?  Are you dating again?”

He cleared his throat.  “Come in.  And shut the door.”

Her eyebrows rose to launch an invasion towards her hairline.  But she slipped into his room and closed the door behind her without another word.  Then she leaned up against it.

“Yuni.  Are you happy with Kookie?”

She smiled.  She was the only one who called him that, so Seokie was showing that he’d been paying attention.

“So happy.”

“I’m glad.  You – you weren’t yourself for a long time.  But I never knew why.”

A spasm crossed her face.  “You don’t want to know, Seokie.”

“That guy hurt you, didn’t he?”

Her eyebrows sent out another attack on her hairline.  “H-how did you know that?”

“It was the only thing that made sense.  Even getting your heart broken shouldn’t have affected you as deeply as you were touched.  You stopped talking.  Even to me.”  His eyes slid along the outline of her cheek.  He wasn’t meeting her eyes on purpose.  “Did he…did he rape you?”

He watched that outline bob up and down.  

“I’m so sorry, Yuni.  Mostly, I’m sorry you didn’t feel you could tell me.”

“It wasn’t you, Seokie!” she cried out.  “For a long time, I hated myself.  Because I blamed myself.  Kookie swears it wasn’t my fault, but sometimes I still think it was.”

His eyes did connect with hers then.  “Why on earth would you think it was your fault?”

“Because I went to see him that night.  To sleep with him.  But then, halfway into things, I changed my mind.  The only problem was, he didn’t.  He didn’t agree with me.”

“So he forced you?” He was horrified and wondering what would happen to that guy if he ever ran into him.

She nodded.

“You told him no, and he touched you anyway?”  

Again, a nod.

“Yuni, I wish you’d told me.  I would have rearranged his face for you.”

Yunseok had been so distracted by schoolwork back then.  He’d barely looked up the day she’d introduced him to her boyfriend.  She and Eunho hadn’t spent much time at her house.  If he remembered correctly, usually Yuni had gone out with her boyfriend.

She smiled mirthlessly at him then.  “I know.  That’s precisely why I didn’t tell you.  But…what does this have to do with Heejin?”

“She’s been very hurt.”

“She was raped?”

He shook his head.  “Not that I know of.  She…was in a really bad car accident a year and a half ago.  Her…her best friend was driving.  She died while Heejin was holding her hand.”

She gasped.  “Does Heejin know about…?”

He shook his head.  “But you understand why I want to help her?”

She nodded.  “Of course.”

“The thing is…I’m moving out, Yuni.”

“What?”

He nodded.  “I’m renting my own apartment.  And…”

Her gaze probed his.

“I’m moving Heejin in with me.”

She gaped at him.  “You’re going to live with her?”  She furrowed her brow.  “But I didn’t think you’d even kissed her yet.”

“I haven’t, but…” He glanced sharply at her.  “How do you know that?”

“Because you spent one evening with her, and then she never called you.  And tonight, out of the blue, you showed up with her at Jin’s party.  Didn’t seem like you had the opportunity.”  Perplexed still, she frowned.  “So I don’t understand.”

“We’re not sleeping together, Yuni.  I’m renting a two-bedroom apartment.  She’ll be my roommate.”

“Why?”

“Because her appa is a jerk.  And I want to help her escape his house.”

“So…you’re renting an apartment just for her sake?”

“Yes.  Though, truthfully, it’ll be nice to be independent.  And Yun will have a room for her baby if I move out.”

“Wow.  And I thought Kookie was extravagant when he built me a garden.  But you’re going to spend thousands of dollars just to give this girl a place to live?”

“No.  I’m sowing money into a relationship that I hope goes somewhere…permanently.”

Her eyebrows were sending out more troops.  “You want to marry her?”

“Quite possibly.  I mean, I can’t be sure yet that we’re that compatible, but I think so…This is one way I can know for sure.”

“I don’t really understand.  You’ve only met her twice, right?”

“Yuni, it only takes once.  I haven’t been able to get her out of my head for the past four weeks.  No girl has ever affected me this way.  I virtually ignored them all before.  You know me – my nose was always stuck in a book.  But I’ve had the hardest time concentrating on school the past month.  Even with all my projects coming due.”  He glanced sharply at her.  “Didn’t you know fairly quickly with Kookie?”

She gave him a pained expression.  “Yes, I did,” she answered in a perturbed fashion, sticking out her chin as she sank her teeth into her bottom lip.  “But that was supposed to be a secret.  No one knows that.  Not even Kookie.”

He laughed.  “Your secret is safe with me.”

She heaved a heavy sigh.  “I hope you know what you’re doing, Seokie.”

“Hey, it’s only money.”

She swallowed.  “I didn’t mean that.  I meant…living with her.  That’s a lot of temptation.  Will you be able to resist it?”

He just looked at her.  

She was assuming he wanted to resist it.

—

Yura groaned and rolled over in their big bed.  She couldn’t find a comfortable position.  Their daughter’s feet kept finding their way under her ribs.  Yura moaned and turned over to face Jin.  He opened his eyes in the gray morning light slipping through their window shades.  

“Yura?” Jin murmured.  “Are you all right?”

“I just can’t get comfortable,” she grimaced.  “Misuk keeps kicking me in the ribs.  She’s digging her toes in and wiggling.”

Jin scooted over and placed his hand on her belly, then he bent low over her and pressed his lips against her near his hand.  After he kissed her through the fabric of her loose shirt, he admonished his daughter, “Misuk, stop kicking your eomma.  You’re hurting her.”

The baby stilled.  Then, suddenly, the spot on Yura’s belly under his hand bounced up.  Then an elbow rippled across his palm.  He grinned, and his eyes slid towards Yura.  

“That’s my baby, Yura.  I think she likes me.”

She chuckled.  “She absolutely adores you.  Just like her eomma.”

“She’s so active today.  Do you think she’s getting ready to come see us?”

“Perhaps.  Maybe that’s why I can’t sleep.”

Just then, she felt a cramp.  She tensed.  Jin glanced sharply at her.  

“Yura.”

“I think maybe it’s starting.”  

Jin jumped out of bed.

“Where are you going?”

“To make you breakfast.  If you’re having my baby today, then I’m going to make sure you have the strength you need to bring our daughter into the world.”

She smiled tremulously at him.  “Jin, you’re so good to me.  Make sure you include some chocolate.”

He chuckled.  “Chocolate moose, it is!”

—

Late that afternoon, Yura and Jin welcomed their beautiful, little daughter into the world.  In the evening, Jin carried his son into the hospital room so he could meet his little sister for the first time. 

“Minhyuk, are you ready to meet your baby sister?  Misuk is pretty cute.”

“Just like me?” asked the little boy.

Jin chuckled.  “Yes.  Just like you.”

Minhyuk glanced up at him.  “Do you think she likes to eat chocolate moose too?”

Snickering, Jin nodded his head.  “I’m sure she will eventually.  Right now, though, she probably just wants her eomma’s milk.”

“Is it chocolate milk, Appa?”

Jin beamed down at his son as he chuckled.  He would never grow tired of hearing this precious, little boy call him “Appa.”

Now his life was complete, for in a few months, his daughter would call him by that name too. 

Jin helped Minhyuk to get settled in a chair so he could hold Misuk for the very first time.  A few moments later, Jin and Yura gazed down at their son as he sat still, cradling his baby sister in his arms.  The expression on his tiny face was absolutely precious.  A look of such sweetness blanketed his whole countenance that Yura felt her heart bending towards both of her children as tears filled her eyes.  She glanced at Jin who was also watching them.  His eyes met hers a moment later, and a feeling of deep contentment slid between them.

“Yura, this is it,” he murmured.

“What?”

“The moment I’ve waited my whole life for.  We’re finally all here together.  You, me, a son, a daughter.  The perfect, little family.  Don’t you agree?”

“I think you’re right, Jin.  Although, there does seem to be one thing missing.”

“Oh?  What is that?”

A smile curved her lips.  “A chocolate moose.”

They both snickered as they turned their attention back to their two tiny loves.  Minhyuk was clearly quite taken with his baby sister.  He was telling her the story of Mr. Jin and the chocolate moose.  It was sure to be a family favorite for a very long time.