Once Love Begins - Chapter 12. Part 1

Chapter 12. Part 1

The place felt strange. She couldn’t understand why her grandfather was so upset. Walking through the gate, she saw her favorite garden. It was large and well-kept—a place she could spend hours admiring.

Walking up the stone steps, she was stopped by a man at the front door. She wondered why he was there. He hadn’t called her, and she remembered him being annoying the last time they met.

She paused, studying him. She knew he was strong under his tight black suit, and she felt butterflies in her stomach just looking at him.

She blushed. She remembered how she’d spent three days in bed after four rounds the week before.

She moved closer to him, trying to reassure herself that it was just the cold wind. His eyes, like the dark sky, were deep, deep, deep, and she was afraid she would be sucked into them.

She did all kinds of dirty things, and now she’s ashamed of herself. The whole thing was full of things she didn’t understand.

He told her that it’s normal for couples to do dirty things behind the scenes. Besides, she doesn’t know if normal couples do that much when they have s*x.

Of course, she also knew that his stamina was unusual and that hers was unusual as well.

“When did you get here?”

Her lips burned as he stared at her with his hands in his pockets.  

“Let’s go inside.”

There was a faint smell of cigarette smoke on the tip of her nose. She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but she couldn’t talk to his serious face. She seemed to know why her grandpa had called.

She followed him inside.

“Grandpa.”    

Her grandfather, who usually greets her in the living room when she returns home, was absent today. The room was unusually quiet, and there was no sign of him.

“Grandpa?”

“Mr. Chairman, he’s in his room.”

She nodded as Mrs. Kim went about her usual duties. Mrs. Kim, who usually asked if she had eaten and if she was feeling ill, was silent today. Her expression seemed tense as well.

She stood in front of Grandpa’s room and took a deep breath. When she looked at him, he was staring at the door, his thoughts unspoken. 

She knocked and waited. She heard his voice from inside the room, asking her to come in.

When she opened the door, she saw her grandfather playing Go. He put down the game and greeted her, but his head was down, so she couldn’t see his expression.

She sat down in front of him, then moved to sit beside him, watching him closely. As the silence continued, it became uncomfortable for me to even breathe. The room was heavy with tension.

“…Grandpa?”

She couldn’t stand the silence any longer, so she called out to him. His attention snapped away from the chessboard he was staring at. She was surprised to see anger on his face, not just resentment.

“You’re the window couple?!” he exclaimed, leaving her astonished.

The words came out of her grandfather’s mouth, making her face flush with embarrassment.

“Kang-Jae, you have to tell me! They say you have an ex-lover. Is it true?”

He was so furious that he slammed the checkerboard down with such force that it shattered, his prized possession crashing to the ground.

“Grandpa, what’s going on?” she asked, bewildered.

“Yeon-woo, stay quiet! Kang Jae, you need to tell me. Is it true that you have another girlfriend?” Grandpa’s chest heaved as he struggled to control his anger. She feared it might affect his heart.

“No, there must be some sort of misunderstanding,” he replied in a calming tone, but she noticed that he was taking a deep, ragged breath in an attempt to calm himself.

“So what I heard was true? I was almost knighted. Is that why you avoided having children for so long?”

“It’s not like that.”

“Don’t even try to deceive me. Tell me the truth!”

“I have a former… No, I don’t think there is such a thing as an ex-girlfriend. Whether it’s true or not, you’ll find out soon enough, so why should I lie? Actually, I was planning to have a baby after she finishes her studies because she’s younger. We talked about it recently and decided to stop using contraception.

“Really?”

“Yes, I’ve been putting effort into it recently,” she replied. She made a conscious effort to maintain her composure, avoiding any signs of uncertainty as her grandfather scrutinized both of them with disbelief and suspicion.

She knew she could not afford to show weakness. Tensing her facial muscles, she continued the act she had maintained for as long as she could, hidden from view.

“Are you absolutely sure about this?” her grandfather asked her.

“…Yes,” she affirmed quietly. Bowing her head, she felt the weight of his penetrating eyes scanning her face.

“Mr. Chairman, please don’t be too worried. I’m not sure how that rumor got started, but we’re both fine,” he reassured him.

There was a pause, filled with unspoken tension.

His big hand tenderly cupped the two hands that rested on her thighs. It was a gesture of affection, similar to what one would do to comfort a loved one.

He squeezed her hand subtly. It was a signal for her to respond quickly.

“Yes, Grandpa, we’re doing well,” she responded.

Her lips refused to curve upwards; instead, they trembled. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as guilt gnawed at her for deceiving her grandfather. She also harbored resentment towards him for allowing news of their relationship with his ex-girlfriend to reach his ears.

If only she hadn’t held on so desperately. Maybe her grandfather’s surgery was just an excuse. She cursed herself for looking to him for comfort at that moment.

Struggling to compose herself and calm her grandfather, she stumbled slightly as she tried to leave the room. However, a strong arm wrapped around her waist prevented her from falling.

“Are you all right?” he asked, her nose nuzzling him, wrapping her in his familiar scent, the same scent she had gotten used to during countless nights in bed.

Her heart wasn’t pounding, but it was pulsing with a dull ache. She looked up at him from her usual spot in the garden.

“Let’s leave,” she finally spoke.

Her stomach rumbled, accompanied by a feeling of nausea. It wasn’t time for her period yet. Maybe it was the result of too much alcohol the night before. She stumbled toward the car.

“We have to stop,” she declared.

“Where to?” he inquired.

“Hannam-dong,” she replied.

She had to stop at her in-laws’ house. There was no way that what had reached her grandfather’s ears wouldn’t reach her mother-in-law’s ears. It made her sad.

She clasped her hands tightly, trembling slightly. Even though she felt his eyes on her, she stubbornly kept her eyes forward.

“No, we will talk to your mother in private. You should come with me and explain to her, I know she’s worried,” she said calmly. He nodded, his mouth twitching as if he wanted to say something, then let out a long sigh.

“Don’t pay attention to the rumors,” he reassured her.

“…….”    

‘They are indeed a window couple, and he indeed has an ex-lover, but why would he say it?’ she thought.

“Do you think I care?” she retorted, her eyes narrowing.

“I don’t know where that rumor came from, but I’ll fix it,” he assured her.

“Fix it?” she repeated, her lips twisting in a mixture of sweetness and bitterness. She brushed back a loose strand of hair.

“…And?” he prompted him.

He hesitated, then withdrew slightly.

“Please don’t drink until you’re too drunk to recognize anyone,” he warned.

“…”

She fell silent.

“Do I have to worry about you being carried home by another man?” He added.

He seemed agitated and sour, as if harboring some anger. She figured that was the reason. She had no energy to argue with him, but his words weighed heavily on her conscience.

“What about your ex-girlfriend, Hee-young? You drink alone with that girl,” she shouted.

“Is that so? Did I ever come home with her?” he replied.

“We went out and drank until dawn,” she recounted.

“Hmm. I’m not romantically involved with him; we’re just classmates and colleagues,” she clarified, giving him the benefit of the doubt.

“Stop drinking. I’ll stop too,” he stated.

“Why? Do I need your permission? Am I still a child? I’m a grown woman, perfectly capable of drinking!” she retorted, her face contorting in disapproval.

“Did you not hear what the chairman said?” he questioned.

“What?” she asked, puzzled by his sudden statement.

“Let’s have a child,” he said.

She was momentarily stunned into silence.

“What did you just say? A child? Are you serious?” she questioned, her voice filled with disbelief.

“Yes, let’s have a child,” he confirmed.

“Are you out of your mind?” she exclaimed.

“No, I’m not. I’m serious!” he replied firmly.

“Do you have dreams? You can get anything you want, so why not have a baby? You can always go back to college after,” he suggested.

“You… you’re awful!” she retorted, glaring at him with a murderous expression.

“Isn’t that what your grandfather would want?” he prodded.

“You idiot!” she shouted, throwing a punch at his shoulder. She wanted to break something, but he easily grabbed her wrist, preventing her from doing any more damage. The heat of the moment threatened to overwhelm her, making her dizzy.

As she struggled against his grip, someone knocked on the car door.

“Why are you just sitting there? Come inside,” her mother-in-law called out.

She gestured with her hands, creating makeshift glasses to peer through the tinted car windows, making sure they couldn’t be seen. They both stopped what they were doing and adjusted their clothes. She quickly controlled her angry breathing.

As soon as she got out of the car, her mother-in-law greeted her. A pang of guilt pricked her conscience.

“Have you arrived?” her mother-in-law asked, patting the back of her hand. She bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood.

“Have you eaten?” her mother-in-law inquired.

“Not yet,” she replied.

Although her mother-in-law must have heard the rumors, she did not bring up the issue.

“Would you like something to eat? I’ll make it for you,” her mother-in-law offered.

She stood there, trembling, before following her mother-in-law into the house with him. She felt immense guilt toward both her grandfather and her mother-in-law. If only she hadn’t been so selfish.

She washed her hands in the bathroom, her stomach rumbling again. The lingering hangover reminded her that she shouldn’t have drunk so much.

“Come and have some fruit,” her mother-in-law called out, smiling as she motioned to the couch.

“Ow!” she exclaimed suddenly.

“Oh, Yeon-woo!” her mother-in-law cried out.

She felt a sharp pain in her stomach as someone squeezed it. She turned and fell to her knees on the floor.

Closing her eyes, she saw him and her mother-in-law rushing towards her. And just like that, the memory faded.