Mr. Hyun recently landed a job in an oil firm in Busan. On some occasions, the local train would be too packed to board in the evenings, or an unexpected meeting would come his way. He would have to stay for another day or two. It was on days like these where Irene would stay over at Sehun's.
A certain level of convincing had to be done, but in the end, he managed to get the approval from Irene's father.
"Promise me you'll take care of her. I need you to promise."
"I will, sir."
"No funny business either, alright? Just take care of her till I'm back."
The words of the father were resolute. He sounded firm, but he was more scared than anything. He didn't want to lose his daughter too.
Sehun brought her over to his house that night itself. Irene found it nice to be somewhere else, it got her away from all the bleak and painful memories of her mother and did wonders in healing her, even if it was just temporary.
After all, Sehun and Irene had broken a boundary between them. The boundary that prevented them from opening up to each other, and talking about things that not even their circle of friends would hear. They would talk on and on till the very depths of the night, to the point where it would get too late and Irene would just sprawl herself across Sehun's bed. Sehun would have to sleep in one of the smaller guest rooms, though Irene resented this fact quite a bit.
"Just let me sleep in a spare room." Irene would say in the middle of the night, as she leaned by the guest room door, rubbing her tired eyes with one hand and holding onto a blanket with the other. Sehun, who fell asleep just a couple hours ago, was awakened far too quickly by the spill of light that entered the room. The musky orange light highlighted her silhouette. It hugged her curves, managed to bring light to black hair. It was bugging him too, so he struggles wordlessly to his feet, yawning as he stumbles out of bed. "Not tonight." he says to her.
From his hazy vision, Irene looked just like a child who had woken up from a bad dream. "You like my room best, don't you? If you're worried about invading my space, don't be." Sehun walks with her to the large room he called his own. The bed was big, big enough for two people. Sehun could easily throw himself on it and join her, but instead, he held up the king-sized covers, as Irene slides in, one leg after the other. She gets comfy, tossing her hair back while she secures her favourite sleeping position: flat on the stomach.
"What would my friends say, if they saw me sleeping in your bed?" she wondered aloud, tucking her arms below her face. Her eyes were shut, but it sounded like she couldn't have been more curious.
"Do your friends have a problem with you sleeping in my very lush bed?" he replied, trying to make a joke. Wasn't very successful, though.
"I know how they feel about you. They think you're no good for me."
He stops in his tracks, his mind diverts itself to these friends Irene keeps mentioning. He pictured Seulgi's eccentric eyes, Joy's plush lips, Wendy's button nose. An image soon conjured up in his illusive mind; an image of these girls staring him down, judging him like he was dirty trash.
"And what about you, do you feel the same way?" There was an empty silence in the room. His heart carried an invisible weight as he waited for her answer.
"I don't. I like you very much." she replies, adjusting the position of her pillow.
Sehun watches her from where he stood, feeling some indescribable motion tugging at his heartstrings.
"You really feel that way?"
"Of course. Want me to rip out my heart and show it to you?"
Irene rolled on her side now, facing him. She had on a light, pin-striped, white and pink set of pyjamas, with nothing else underneath. "What about your friends? How do they feel about me?" Her breasts pushed together, creating a smooth-looking cleavage. They think you're fucking hot, is what he wanted to say. The city lights outside his lengthy window made the outline of her nipples more visible than when she was standing at the doorway before. "They think you're nice." Sehun had kept his eyes on her bust. He knew he had to avert his gaze, but it wasn't that simple.
"Honestly, I don't think my group of friends are what I can call friends. I don't blame them though, I've built a wall around me, never letting anyone in. I just have too many things to take care of." Irene reached out for his arm, combining his warmth with her cold fingers. "Sleep tight, Sehun." she whispered.
Sparks of desire came over him, flowing from the top of his head all the way down to his toes. A woman of 23 years, who goes by the name of Irene, was in his bed, holding onto his arm, wearing nothing under those clothes. The thought of that made his penis go rock-hard. Nothing new there.
Due to luck, she had her eyes closed, which he thanked his stars for. He found it almost impossible to keep himself from pouncing on top of her right there and then, pinning her down onto the bed, like a lion claiming his lioness in the heat of the savannah. But he knew that wasn't the civil thing to do, especially at this time of night. He brought down her hand, laying it on her tummy. He walked out of his room and left the door slightly ajar; he didn't want to lose sight of her just yet.
When the sun came up, Irene would go to school as per usual, and Sehun would have woken up at least an hour earlier, cooking and plating omelets for the pair of them - wild mushrooms in his, and fresh cherry tomatoes in hers. He would almost always ask her to try his coffee, the one that he ground specially every week. Sehun was very devoted to his coffee, and had to have it made from special aromatic beans. Irene learned that after getting him an americano from a newly-opened coffee shop in town, making sure to add extra ice cubes in his. Sehun sips the liquid in between his teeth, trying to keep in his facial composure.
"It's honestly not that bad."
Irene laughed. "Quit the lies." She slid the venti cup away from him, binning it in the trashcan. "I'll make sure to just use your special coffee beans next time."
To her new found friend and confidant, Irene opened up about all sorts of personal things. Sehun on the other hand, was a little adamant about revealing too much. Regarding his father, and his family's permanent loan to a kleptomaniac, topics like these weren't something he could easily talk about. The wounds were still too fresh, too deep.
On the last night of her stay, Irene asked to know more about his love life, just out of the blue. It was a summer's night and they were out in the patio, dipping their legs into the illuminated bright cyan pool. "I want to ask you something."
"Go right ahead."
Irene paused momentarily before asking Sehun straight out: "How many women have you been with?"
He went silent for a bit. The water lapped up just past his shin, making the question ring back in his mind with each passing wave.
"Well, I've been in three relationships. My first was a girl in primary school. Her name was Jiho. She was slim, pretty tall for her age too. It wasn't anything too serious. I just called her my girlfriend and that was it really. My elder brother was in a relationship at the time - and as cheesy as this may sound, I was jealous. So I went to her table during our lunch break and pursued her."
"How romantic of you."
"Like I said, it was nothing serious, we broke it off after a week. Then I was with someone who was a lot older than I was. And I don't think I've told anyone this, but she was actually my tutor."
Irene was quiet, listening intently to his words. "If I can remember, I think she was fifteen years my senior. She was a business major and wow - she made me a lot wiser beyond my years."
"How so?"
"Remember how I said Jiho was my first? This tutor of mine was my first first."
Irene raised her head and looked fixedly at Sehun. "You mean, you had your first time with her? She took your virginity?"
"There had to be someone who did." Irene's deep eyes widened, her face blushing a faint tinge of pink. The thought of Sehun getting undressed and having sex with a woman old enough to be a parent was a lot to take in.
"Prior to that fling, I decided not to fool around anymore. For a long time, I stopped falling in love and going out with girls. I had to focus on what I was brought up do in life. Make a living and become successful."
"I see." The moving water projected shapes onto him. Irene gazed at his face for some time before speaking again. "The last was Hayi, right?"
Sehun paused, staring into the void of deep water.
"Look lively, Sehun. Straighten up your tie while you're at it." Mrs. Oh says, fixing up the twenty-year old's collar.
"Yes, I got it."
The three remaining members of the Oh family entered the 5-star hotel on a chilly evening in Seoul. They were all dressed up to the nines in formal wear.
"His name is Jung and he'll be there with his relatives as well. Do not make a fool out of yourselves, you two. I'm warning you."
Sehun, his brother and his mother entered a fancy ballroom. He saw a large family of at least eighteen people sitting around one of the circular tables.
"Minjun!"
One man stood up, giving Sehun's mother a wave. He was a middle-aged man, had fine wrinkles on his forehead, and had a prominently pointy nose. This was this guy my mother's getting married to? Sehun thought, unable to wipe the look of distaste off of his face.
"I finally get to meet your boys." he says, placing down his glass of white wine onto a coaster. He takes his brother's hand into his, shaking it as a sign of greeting. Jung shakes Sehun's hand next, inspecting him as he does so. He glanced up at Sehun's brown parted locks, down to his sharp jawline. All Sehun could do was watch Jung observe him like he was an art piece. "What a handsome bunch you have here, Minjun. Please, take a seat." he says, leading the two men to the table.
Sehun finds himself a chair next to a young woman. She had dark brown curls and grey eyes, a strange combination of genes for a pure-blooded Korean. The woman smiled, scooting her chair a little over to the right to make some room for him. Sehun gave a slight nod, obviously entranced by her beauty. She had this calming look about her that couldn't be ignored. "This is my niece, Hayi. She's currently training to be a professional ballet dancer in a school in Russia." said Jung.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." Hayi said, extending out her gloved arm to him. He took her hand and automatically, gave it a light shake, feeling the touch of expensive lace in his palm. "The pleasure is all mine." In between the meals, he managed to take quick glances at Hayi. To his surprise, she was doing the same. He looked straight at her hands — which were covered in this gorgeous, beige-colored lace — each time she switched between different utensils.
After their dessert, which was a torched parfait a-la-mode, made its round, Hayi wiped her mouth clean with a napkin and stood up from the table. "May I be excused? I need to go powder my nose."
The young lady made her way to the exit, her hair swaying from left to right. Sehun found himself staring at the way she walked, with the click of her heels that functioned almost like clockwork. That backless floral dress of hers did him no good either. Hayi looked over her shoulder at the now completely smitten Sehun, sending him mixed messages with her alluring eyes. It took some thought, but in the end, Sehun decided to leave the table as well.
The timid twenty-year-old slid pass the double doors and found his damsel leaning against the wall, presumably waiting for him. One thing led to another, and it didn't take long before Sehun found himself in a handicapped bathroom with Hayi, shoving his tongue down her mouth. Their lips clashed together, fighting for dominance. It was hot, rough and stuffy in the cubicle, but neither seemed to mind.
Hayi brought his hands behind her backless dress, politely asking him to unzip it for her. He did as he was told, and took in the sight of her amazing figure. All those years of ballet training had given her a plump set of breasts, a flat stomach and toned calves. They kissed each other with passion. To commemorate that, her lipstick left red marks all over his face. "You just met me, and you're already acting like this?" Hayi holds up his black tie, tossing it out of the cubicle. They continue to play with each other, the whole thing lasting about seven minutes. Max.
"I can't believe your uncle's the corporate heir of the largest business in Korea. That's insane."
Sehun looked at Hayi in the mirror, washing the pigmented lipstick stains off of his mouth with a washcloth. "You're entire family must be showering in money."
"You look pretty well off too." she says from behind him, brushing his hair with her fingers. Sehun shakes his head in disagreement.
"My family's pretty mediocre. We were fine before, but now that my dad's passed away, we've been crumbling. He was our main source of income."
"Sorry to hear that."
He clamps his lips shut, letting more water run through the cloth.
"But you know," she says, sliding her two hands down to the front of Sehun's broad chest. "I'm sure my Uncle Jung can help you with that." Hayi whispers sensually into his ear, giving his jaw a final kiss. He squirms, looking at her reflection in the mirror.
"Are you kidding? I just rubbed that spot!"
Hayi laughs, looking at him and herself in the mirror's reflection. "We look like a married couple."
It was a far-fetched comparison, but somehow, Sehun could agree. He looked dapper as ever in his tuxedo, and she exuded radiance in her designer gown.
She flew back to Russia when the new term started, and since then, their relationship has always been on and off. Sure enough, he was now working for Jung, who in return, helped his family thrive in wealth. The work was tough - no doubt, and living in luxury was only a bonus; but if it made his mother feel dignified and content, then that was enough for him.
Sehun's mind was hooked on his first and fondest memory of Hayi, but it was high time to be brought out of that dark whirlpool of yesteryear and flung back to present day. Three years later, he's sitting at his family pool, dipping his legs in water with Irene, who was now keenly looking at Sehun. He recalled the last thing Irene had said.
'The last was Hayi, right?'
So that was it.
The question had shot through him like a bullet, intoxicating his lungs. The truth is, Hayi was never out of the picture. Sehun hadn't broken up with her. It was not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't.
Though it seemed like him and Hayi were in an unstable relationship, with no sense of communication or real development over the years, Sehun was still with her.
He feared for what would happen to his family if he dared to call it quits. Hayi was possessive at times, and she hated losing - breaking up with Hayi was like breaking up his family. Without connections with Hayi, there would a taint in his relationship with Jung. If there was a bad relationship with Jung, his family could have everything taken away from him. Like smoke. They would fall off the social ladder in a snap, tarnishing their reputation forever. Trust me, you do not want to get on Jung's bad side. Sehun sensed the familiar pain just by thinking about what he could do when he was angry.
"Sehun? You're zoning out again."
Quickly snapping out of the dangerous spiral of thoughts, Sehun was able to feel Irene massaging his stiff right shoulder. "You don't have to tell me anything. I have to get going now anyway." she said, gently running her hands up and down his back.
Abruptly, he stops her, and holds her hands in his. Sehun looked directly into her eyes, those sweet eyes. The eyes that didn't have a clue how the man in front of her was lying right through his teeth. Even so, no matter the suspicion, Irene still looked at him that way: with care. It was the purest form of care anyone had ever given him.
It truly killed him inside, knowing that even if he had come clean to Irene in the very beginning, telling her his story from start to finish, she still would be there to support him. Every step of the way.
But it was far too late now.