AAE -- For Better For Worse

Part 3 -- Chapter 24

by LoveCR2

edited by All-About-AAE

 

 

The next morning, Sun-Mi awakens to a shaft of bright sun piercing through the threadbare, faded bedroom curtains across the cramped bedroom, illuminating the dingy coat of paint and scuff-marked furniture. But to her sleepy eyes, the diffused light spreads a tranquil golden sheen reflecting the warm glow still filling her heart.

 

Hyung-Chul's side of the bed is empty -- he's already gotten up. She stretches languidly, her limbs still weighted with slumber, remaining nestled under the sheets, fully relaxed and rested, savoring the first long sleep she's had in weeks.

 

Her eyes drift to their wedding photo on the wall. The frame still bears the faint scar of a chip, carefully mended with glue. She lingers on the image of the youthful bride and groom, eyes bright with promise, radiant with the joy of love. Her lips curve into a soft smile. That dya had felt like the beginning of everything.

 

"We were so young. So sure," she murmurs to herself.

 

Her heart swells with thankfulness for a husband who accepts and cherishes her wholly, without condition. For a brief moment, anxiety creases her brow as she reflects on how close she had come to losing him. But True Love had prevailed. She believes in it now, more than ever. God had intervened, somehow, stitching their hearts back together into one with the invisible thread of His Holy Spirit.

 

Closing her eyes again, Sun-Mi lets the memory wash over her, conjuring up the tantalizing electricity of his kisses, the tender coaxing of his touch, the gradually deepening rhythm as their bodies synched in union, not just in desire, but devotion -- a reaffirmation of their vows -- to love and to cherish, 'til death do us part.

 

She rests her hand lightly over the new life growing inside her. The fruit of their love. A second chance. A miracle given when she had least expected it.

 

She prays, "Lord God, please bless my body to bring this child to a healthy birth. Amen."

 

 

But the quiet moment is fleeting. Her thoughts shift to the practical concerns of her day ahead. She needs to make an appointment with Social Services for assistance. Schedule another with a prenatal doctor. Later, ask Judith to reduce her hours, with fewer turns on the stage. Maybe speak to Manager Chin about returning to bussing tables again once her belly starts to show.

 

She glances at the clock.

 

"Ohmigod! I'm late!"

 

 

She bolts upright, snatches her robe from the floor -- discarded in the heat of passion -- and throws it on. She steps into her worn slippers and rushes out of the bedroom, her mind shifting into overdrive...

 

She needs to move quickly. First, pick up her costumes and pack them up for work. Second, grab something from the frig for lunch. -- Everything else will have to wait until tomorrow.

 

Two steps later -- she stops. Outside the bathroom door, the floor is empty, cans picked up, the mess of spilled beer wiped clean.

 

Looking into the living room, her eyes widen as she sees everything is back into it's place. Her sequined costumes, fishnets, and dance heels are neatly arranged back on the coffee table as she had placed them, ready to pack into her tote bag.

 

Turning, she finds the kitchen sink is cleared, dishes washed and put away. Moving her gaze onward, she sees lunch is set on the table, a covered bowl beside a dish of rice and kimchi.

 

But Hyung-Chul is nowhere to be seen. Then she notices the note, written in his precise script...

 

"Eat heartily... you're feeding two now -- Y"

 

 

She scoffs, crumpling the paper with a smirk. "Think you're being funny, huh?"

 

But she pauses. Smoothes out the note and reads it again, this time more thoughtfully. Her eyes shift to the food as she reconsiders. She lifts the cover of the bowl to find steaming miyeok-guk, seaweed soup. It looks appetizing. The scent is comforting. Her empty stomach growls despite her morning nausea.

 

"He did make the effort," she admits. "And I AM hungry..."

 

She sits, placing the note beside her plate, and lifts her chopsticks, ready to take a savory bite...

 

 

Footsteps sound at the door, and Hyung-Chul breezes in, hefting a full grocery bag, out of which he produces some fruits -- persimmons, purple grapes, Asian pears -- her favorites, and a small white box labeled '임산부 약' (pregnancy medicine).

 

She frowns. "Where did you get that? We don't have the money to waste!"

 

"I went to buy fruit," he replies, setting the bag down. "The ahjumma who runs the chemist next door was elated when she heard you were expecting. She insisted I take these, and said she'll come by later to check up on you. She doesn't trust British doctors with Korean pregnancies."

 

"Well, take it back," Sun-Mi snaps, her tone brittle. "I don't need it."

 

Ignoring her pique, he smiles disarmingly, "Why can't you accept someone's offer to help?"

 

"Because..." Sun-Mi turns away, swallowing the knot in her throat, her voice taut as she looks down into her soup, searching for the words to answer, "Because help always comes with questions. About things I'd rather forget."

 

She abruptly stands, her appetite gone.

 

"Let's talk about it later. I'm already late for work. Manager Chin's introducing me to a special VIP client today, a Korean businessman visiting London. He said if the 'private arrangement' works out, that I could earn a lot of money toward my debts."

 

Hyung-Chul's face darkens. "But you took that loan months ago. How much can you still owe?"

 

She hesitates before coming clean. "More than I initially borrowed."

 

He blinks, puzzled, "How is that possible?"

 

"I barely earned enough to pay our bills, so I couldn't even meet the interest due," she reveals her predicament. "Then there were costume expenses, house fees. Before I knew what had happened, I was sinking in a hole that kept getting deeper. So I took the jobs offered to me for more money, first bar hostessing, then exotic dancing, then stripping for private dances. Now this..."

 

"There won't be any arrangement. Last night we agreed you're done with that place," he states flatly, reminding her of their lengthy discussion.

 

"We agreed I'd stop working AFTER you find a decent job," she argues her point of view. "That's not today."

 

"I did more than shop this morning," he corrects her, "I also went job hunting."

 

"Looking for a job is one thing," she spits back sarcastically. "Actually getting hired is another."

 

A grin curls his lips. "And starting the job is a third. I start tomorrow."

 

Her eyes narrow skeptically. "Really? Doing what?"

 

"I'll tell you when we celebrate my first paycheck," he keeps it a secret, teasing her with a wry smile.

 

"I'll believe when I see it," Sun-Mi snorts, sparks igniting from her eyes, dismissing him with a deliberate toss of her head, sending her short bob flying. "Right now, I have a bus to catch."

 

"No you don't," Hyung-Chul objects. "This morning I went to see that jerk Chin, to tell him you quit, and..."

 

Her face drains. "You WHAT?!" she gasps, interrupting him. "I told you if I quit, I have to immediately repay the loan! What will we do when he comes to collect? Do you know who Manager Chin is connected to?"

 

Sun-Mi starts to get up. "Maybe if I beg, I can still get my job back."

 

 

Hyung-Chul stops her with a hand on her shoulder. "What I meant to say is you can't go back. The place is shut down."

 

She freezes. "What? How?"

 

"It seems someone tipped off the police," Hyung-Chul informs her. "Chin and his wife were arrested this morning for trafficking underage girls. Smuggling them in from Asia to be prostitutes."

 

"Not Judith, too?" she questions, stunned. "She was so protective of us dancers, and treated me so well. Gave me little favors."

 

"That kindness? It was a mask," Hyung-Chul deduces. "They were using your debt to trap you. To groom you for their schemes. Fortunately, it wasn't too late."

 

Sun-Mi looks up at him, the realization slowly filtering in, "So... I don't owe them anymore?"

 

"No one will be coming after you. You're safe. Free."

 

She exhales along breath of relief, the tension she'd carried for long months dissipating in mere seconds," Maybe God did give us a miracle." Then her brow furrows. "But miracles don't pay bills."

 

"Give me a chance to prove myself," he appeals, gently taking Sun-Mi's hand. "Please, trust me."

 

She sighs, conceding, "All right, I really don't have much choice, do I?"

 

 

Hyung-Chul flashes a cocky grin, the smile she remembers from when he was a carefree graduate student at Cambridge.

 

"We'll be okay, won't we?" he gives her a jaunty wink.

 

 

Sun-Mi nods, tightening her fingers around his. The strength in his hand steadies her. The certainty in his voice anchors her. And the assurance of being together again with one heart gives her hope.

 

"With God's help," she replies confidently, resting her free hand on her belly as she looks lovingly into his eyes. "All three of us. One day at a time."