AAE -- For Better For Worse

Part 3 -- Chapter 29

by LoveCR2

edited by All-About-AAE

 

 

Sun-Mi eyes the wall clock. It is almost five. Hyung-Chul had promised to come home early today.

 

She steps into the bathroom and flicks on the switch. The florescent tube comes on, casting a cold blue-white pallor over her face. She exhales slowly and opens her makeup kit. -- How long has it been since she put up her hair, painted her face, and dressed for her husband, instead of the punters at the club?

 

She begins the ritual. Cleanser. Moisturizer. Foundation and concealer. Powder, blush, highlighter. Then brows, eye shadow, liner, mascara. Each step precise, her fingers steady -- a master crafting a portrait.

 

The front door latch rattles. Footsteps sound on the floor tiles.

 

"Sun-Mi?" Hyung-Chul calls out, "I'm back."

 

"Just a minute," she replies. "I'm doing my makeup."

 

"No hurry. Take your time."

 

She finishes her mascara, then applies the final touch: a fresh layer of crimson lip gloss. A soft smile flickers as she smooths her hair back. She leans in, closer to the mirror, assessing the results.

 

Not bad. Not bad at all.

 

 

Then -- crisp heel taps announcing her appearance -- she steps out.

 

Hyung-Chul turns to look -- and freezes.

 

She smiles.

 

Twirling slowly, Sun-Mi shows off her new outfit. Her sleeveless, V-neck cocktail dress clings to her curves, the hem grazing her thighs. The deep burgundy makes her skin glow. Crystal buckles glint on her high-heel courts, sparkling in the light.

 

"I picked them up at the Oxfam, for a steal," she boasts. "Five pounds twenty. Not quite Dior, but what do you think?"

 

"You look incredible, Mrs. Yoon! But isn't this a bit too much for a pregnant woman?"

 

Sun-Mi pouts. Her eyes flash. "I still have my shape! I'm not all belly yet!"

 

"But why get all dressed up?"

 

"I want to go out tonight. I've been staring at these four walls for weeks!," she complains. "Celebrate your new job."

 

"Okay."

 

She narrows her eyes. "Well?"

 

"Well what?"

 

"Aren't you going to tell me what the job is?

 

 

"First, I have something to show you."

 

He motions to the kitchen table, where a spread of small single-serving pastries are set on a tray.

 

Her stomach growls loudly.

 

"Ah... I thought you might be hungry," he quips.

 

 

He ushers her to a chair. "Try them all, and tell me what you think."

 

Sun-Mi doesn't hesitate. She devours the first pastry without a breath, pausing only to sip water from the glass he offers.

 

The flavor hits her instantly -- velvety, rich, and oddly familiar. She closes her eyes for a moment, letting the sweetness linger on her tongue. Something about it tugs at her memory, like a song she can't quite place, but she shakes the thought away.

 

Her appetite now stirred by more than hunger, she attacks the others, one by one, until the tray is cleared.

 

 

Hyung-Chul watches, arms loosely crossed, a satisfied grin on his lips. "Well? Which do you like best?"

 

She knits her brow. "They're all delicious, but the tiramisu is heaven. But it seems familiar. Where did you get these?

 

"From The Corner Bakery in Soho. Owned by Auntie Lin -- remember her? She had that bakery we went to in Cambridge the summer you came."

 

Her eyes light up. "I knew it! Her tiramisu was always my favorite."

 

"Now," She says, leaning forward, "about your job."

 

"First, look at this."

 

He hands her a white envelope. Sun-Mi opens it and pulls out the paycheck, and frowns.

 

"Is that all?"

 

"That's just my probationary pay." He smiles confidently. "Next week, my full salary starts, plus I'm guaranteed overtime -- triple this amount."

 

"What is this job?

 

Hyung-Chul pull out a baker's hat from a bag and puts it on his head.

 

"I'm an apprentice baker, at The Corner Bakery," he says proudly. "Every pastry you just devoured? I made them all myself."

 

She stares at him in disbelief. "A baker? Then you aren't going to work so early for calls to East Asia, like before?"

 

"Nope. I'm up early to fire the ovens for the morning's fresh bread."

 

"But I thought you had a REAL job -- one with a future. Something stable. A solid living." She looks down at the empty tray. "So we can live in a decent place. Pay the bills without having to worry each month."

 

He sits down across the table from Sun-Mi.

 

"It is a real job -- I made all those pastries you liked so much -- and it has a future. Auntie Lin's retiring soon, and we've agreed that I'll take over the bakery later this year."

 

He takes her hand, looking at Sun-Mi with eyes full of promise.

 

"I want to expand the business. Open more shops. Maybe even franchise."

 

He gives her hand a squeeze.

 

"It's asking a lot, after how much I've disappointed you before. But I need you to trust me, Sun-Mi. It's a big dream, but it's possible."

 

She raises her eyes and nods slowly. "You're my husband. Of course I trust you."

 

"Thank you."

 

 

She pulls her hand out of his and stands up. "Come with me."

 

He gets up, and she leads him to the bedroom.

 

Hyung-Chul notices a tape measure on the cupboard next to several sheets of paper with rough plans of the bedroom.

 

"What's this?" he asks, picking up one of the sheets.

 

"We'll need to rearrange," Sun-Mi explains. "Push the bed closer to the wall, and move the cupboard to the living room.

 

"Whatever you want," he says agreeably. "But I think there's enough space for a crib and layette, without moving the cupboard."

 

"Senior, I have something to tell you," she hints with a twinkle in her eyes.

 

"What is it?"

 

"I had my first ultrasound today," she says, her voice turning solemn. "There's something you need to know."

 

His face tightens. "Is there a problem? With you? The baby?"

 

She shakes her head. "The doctor said everything's fine," she says calmly. "The babies are healthy."

 

He gapes at Sun-Mi, searching her face -- her laughing eyes and beaming smile -- his eyes slowly widening as comprehension dawns.

 

"Did you say... babies?"

 

 

Sun-Mi steps closer. Her eyes meet his. She tilts her head as she curves an eyebrow beguilingly.

 

"Yes," she murmurs in a low voice, "Mr. Bakerman, you put two buns in the oven. And right now that oven is blazing hot..."

 

She embraces him, presses her body against his, brushing her cheek against his chest. The scent of flour clings to his shirt -- warm, earthy, comforting. He wraps his arms around her and breathes in her fragrance -- fresh. dewy rose, with a note of sweet vanilla and a spark of zesty ginger.

 

And for a moment, the world narrows to the quiet thud of their hearts, beating together as one.