Maybe if Vina hadn’t been so excited, she would’ve been more careful when sharing her good news with her mother. If she’d been more careful, she would’ve noticed her grandmother standing at the door to the kitchen when she cheerfully told Na-ri, “Eomma, Orion and I are moving in together?”
“What?” Both Na-ri and Doo-shim exclaimed, but it was Doo-shim’s voice that had Vina spinning to face the door.
Her eyes wide with shock, Vina exclaimed, “Halmeoni, I didn’t know you were at the door.”
“What did you just say?” Doo-shim gaped.
“Nothing.” Through suddenly dry lips, Vina insisted, “I said nothing.”
“She was joking,” Na-ri jumped in too, griping Vina’s arm tightly. “It was just a joke.”
But the elderly woman wasn’t fooled. Her eyes narrowed. “It didn’t sound like a joke.”
“Tell her it was a joke.” Na-ri tugged at Vina’s arm.
Lying would’ve been easy, and Vina had done it for so long that it came instinctively. She actually opened her mouth to agree with her mother, but then a thought struck her. Did she really want to do this? Weren’t the lies she’d already told enough? If she lied now, then she’d need to keep lying, and adding on to it more and more just so she could keep seeing Orion. Was she going to force him to lie along with her again? No, she couldn’t do this to him. She couldn’t do this to herself.
She faced her grandmother. “It’s true.”
“Im-na!” Na-ri exclaimed, her fingers trembling as they dug into Vina’s arm.
Vina ignored her and addressed Doo-shim. “I’m moving in with Orion.”
“Maybe I’m not hearing right.” Doo-shim tapped her ear as if to make sure it was still functioning. “Maybe you mean that you two are getting married.”
“No, I don’t,” Vina refuted quietly.
Doo-shim blinked. Then blinked again. “Aigoo, Song Im-na, have you gone crazy?” She pulled in a long sharp breath before turning slightly to face the outside of the room, Doo-shim. “Min-kyu. Min-ky-”
“Eomoni, there’s no need to call Im-na’s father.” Na-ri rushed to her mother-in-law’s side. “Why don’t we just discuss it-”
“Min-kyu. Min-kyu,” the elderly woman’s piercing shouts echoed in the house.
Moments later, Vina’s father came up behind her. Frowning, he asked, “What is going in here?”
“Omo! Omo! Omo!” Doo-shim pressed her fists to her waist and shook her head slowly. “Your daughter has finally gone crazy. Our Im-na has finally lost her mind.”
Min-kyu’s gaze shifted past his mother to his daughter. “What’s she talking about?”
Vina opened her mouth to speak, but for some reason she couldn’t get any words out. She’d thought that she was brave but apparently this was as far as it went. Now that she was in front of her father, fear had taken complete control of her, leaving her speechless and quaking in her slippers.
Doo-shim, however, was only too willing to take over the explaining. “She says that she and that man are moving in together.”
For a moment, Min-kyu just stared at Vina with this cold, unfathomable gaze that gave no hint as to what his thoughts were on the matter or if he’d even understood what was going on. But then he transformed. His lip curled and war-like rage filled his eyes. His arm already rising, he moved swiftly towards Vina. But his wife got there before him.
Na-ri ducked in front of Vina and blocked Min-kyu’s path to her. “No.”
Min-kyu was so stunned by his wife’s sudden defiance that stilled. For a moment he just stared at her. Finally, he bit out. “Move.”
Her eyes never wavering from his, Na-ri shook her head. “No.”
“Move,” he repeated, his voice wintery cold.
“N-” Na-ri never got to finish the word. Min-kyu’s palm slammed so hard against her face that its clap echoed in the room. Na-ri fell to the floor with a low cry.
“Eomma.” “Min-kyu!” Both Vina and Doo-shim scream. Vina knelt down next to her fallen mother while Doo-shim grabbed her son’s arm trying to calm him down. “Ya! There’s no need for you to be like this.”
“No need?” Min-kyu’s voice rose with each word. “Did you hear what she’s planning to do?”
“No. No. She was just joking,” Doo-shim tried to soothe him.
“Joking? About dishonoring me?” He pointed at Vina and shook his finger. “You. If you don’t want to get disowned right now, call that man right now and tell him that you won’t be seeing him again.”
“Min-kyu-a, Min-kyu-a,” His mother patted his back even as she held tight to his arm to keep him from moving towards Vina and Na-ri. “Relax first, eh? Let’s talk about this in the living room, eh?”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” His rage-filled eyes locked on Vina. “Call him now.”
Vina was torn between obeying her father to protect her mother and disobeying him so she could be happy.
Her mother made the choice for her. “Im-na, go pack your bags.”
“What?” All three occupants of the room turned shocked eyes to her.
Na-ri slowly rose to her feet with Vina hanging onto her arm. She patted her daughter’s hand as she locked eyes with her. “Go pack your bags. Now.”
“Young Na-ri!” Min-kyu boomed.
“What?” Na-ri spun to face him. The anger that was in her eyes, the determination in her posture was so unfamiliar that everyone in the room, including Min-kyu, was stunned into silence. Glaring at her husband, she spoke to Vina. “Go. Let him disown you.”
“Eomma!”
“Go.” Her mother pushed her towards the glass door that led to the dining room.
Conflicted, Vina stared at her mother. But finally she too made her decision. She started towards the door.
“Song Im-na.” Her father’s yell followed her. “If you take another step, it will be the end. You’ll never be able to get into this house again.”
Vina stopped moving.
“Im-na-ya, there’s nothing good in this house. All it’s brought you is pain,” Na-ri countered. “Go and be happy.”
Vina pulled in a deep breath then took a step forward, and another, and another.
“Im-na. Im-na,” Min-kyu’s calls merged with Doo-shim’s pleas to calm down but Vina kept moving until she was out of the kitchen. Instead of going upstairs to pack, she just grabbed her purse from the living room, put on her shoes and headed out the door. She was scared that if she stayed any longer, she’d change her mind.
It was only once she was outside, getting beaten by the night’s cold breeze, that she finally took her first easy breath. But with that easy breath came a host of conflicted emotions. So she was out – but what about her mother? Vina looked back at the two-story mansion that was once her home. Should she go back in and get her mother? How could she leave her in there with her father raging like that? What if he killed?
It was almost as if Na-ri was a psychic because right then Vina received a text message from her.
“I’m okay. Your father won’t do anything to me,” the text said. “I’ve already called Orion and told him to expect you.”
Almost at the same time, Orion called. As soon as Vina picked up, his worried voice echoed over the phone. “Where are you?”
For some reason, hearing his voice overwhelmed her. The emotions swirling inside her broke out of their cage. Anger, fear, worry, disappointment – they all spilled out and before she knew it, she was crying. She hunkered down in front of her parents’ house with her phone to her ear and cried.
VINA’S SOBS CUT into Orion. they speared into his heart and left him teary-eyed. He didn’t even know what exactly had happened to get her kicked out of their house and yet it still broke his hear her crying so bitterly. The worst part was that he wasn’t even close enough to hold her.
When her sobs finally eased into sniffs, he prodded, “Sweetheart, where are you?”
“I’m-” She sniffed. “I’m in front of our house.”
“Wait for me there.” He stood up and grabbed his jacket and car keys. “I’ll come for you.”
“It’s okay. I can just take my car-”
“Alvina,” he cut her off. “I’m coming for you.”
It only took him only twenty minutes to get to her but it seemed like an eternity. A relieved breath puffed past his lips when he found her at a stop that was just a couple of feet from their house. As soon as she was in the in his car, he leaned over and dragged her into his arms. The feel of her, soft and small and unhurt, made him sigh in tortured relief.
“Are you okay?” he whispered against her hair.
Her breath puffed against his ear as she spoke. “I’m okay.”
He held her close for a moment longer before he pulled back so he could see her face. The only indication that she’d been crying was her slightly swollen and reddened eyes. “What happened?”
Her gaze turned away from his and towards the direction of their house. She sighed. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
He wanted to push her for more information, find out who had hurt her and hurt the person back. But she looked like she needed his shoulder more than his vengeance. He leant forward to touch his lips to hers briefly before starting the car.
As soon as they got to his apartment, Vina made a beeline for his bedroom. After locking up and turning off the lights, he followed her there. She was nothing more than a covered bundle inside his bed. Orion stripped down to his briefs, lifted the covers then crawled in beside her.
With extreme care, he curved his arm around her waist and pulled back against him. Vina turned until they were facing each other then buried her face in his neck. She wasn’t crying, but it was obvious she needed his comfort tonight. He surrounded her with his arms and held her close.
He wasn’t sure who drifted off first but eventually, they both fell into slumber’s web. When he next woke, it was to the annoying ring of his doorbell. Opening his sore, scratchy eyes, Orion turned to glance at his bedside clock.
Four-thirty-seven a.m..
Good God! Who was at his door at this hour? Not even his mother was that brazen. His gaze lowered to the sweet bundle of womanly curves cuddled so trustingly against him. Vina was deep asleep, apparently undisturbed by the annoying all the ringing. And if he wanted to keep her that way, he needed to open the door.
With a groan, Orion stumbled out of the bed, put on some pants and headed to the door. What he found when he opened the door brought him to full wakefulness. Standing at his doorstep were several men dressed in matching overalls. In their arms were boxes upon boxes of Vina’s clothes, shoes, books among other things. One of the men even had her car keys and promptly handed them to Orion.
Her father had officially kicked her out.
Orion tried to keep the workmen from making too much noise as they carted her possessions into the house, but the inevitable happened. Vina woke up. When she saw her stuff piled high in his living room, she bit her bottom lip. Immediately, he could tell that she was holding back tears. Taking her hand, he led her back to his – no, their bedroom. Once they were there, he closed the door and pulled her into his arms. Obviously shaken and hurt by the finality of her father’s actions, Vina clung to him, seeking his comfort.
A tremor of fierce emotion went through Orion as his thoughts zeroed in on Min-kyu. What kind of father kicked his daughter out so unceremoniously? Even if she’d committed some unimaginable crime, how could he send her out into the night then dump her stuff at the doorstep of some man? It was almost as if the man was completely erasing Vina out of his life. No wonder she was so hurt.
Soon, Vina calmed down enough to murmur, “I’m sorry. I know you weren’t expecting this to happen so soon-”
“Don’t apologize.” Orion held her more tightly to his body. “I’m just glad you’re here.”
As luck would have it, this was the morning his mother chose to make one of her surprise visits. As soon as she saw the boxes of what was obviously a woman’s belongings and Vina sifting through some of that stuff, she went straight for her son.
“Lee Ri-on.” She smacked his arm with her bag. “Why you… why you… What exactly do you think you’re doing here.?”
“Eomma.” He ducked away. “That hurts.”
“It should.” Yoon-ah chased him around the sofa with Vina looking on in obvious shock. “Are you insane? Are you high?”
“Hey, just listen first.” Orion stopped running to face his mother.
“Listen to what? To what?” Her purse caught his in the arm. “How can you do this to Im-na? How can you move her in without marrying her?” Yoon-ah punctuated each question with a smack. She wasn’t hitting him hard enough to cause real damage, but it was still painful. “Are you a dog? Why are you acting like one? Is this how I raised you? How dare you waste someone’s daughter like that. If you don’t want to get married then just live alone, you rat.”
“Eomma… sss,” Orion hissed as something hard in her purse knocked against his elbow.
“How am I supposed to face her parents?” She switched her weapon of choice now hitting him with her hand. “You punk.”
“Eomoni,” Vina raced to them and stepped in front of Orion. “Stop… please calm down.”
Orion immediately pushed her to the side lest his mother turn on her. But he was too late. Yoon-ah had already taken note of Vina.
Her eyes flashing with anger, the older woman turned to Vina. “You. You’re pretty, you’re smart, you cook well, you’re successful and you’re tough. I liked you. I really liked you… but you allowed this kind of behavior? What are you thinking?” She pointed to her son. “Do you love this punk that much?”
“Madam Hong,” Orion protested. “How can you call me a punk?”
“Shut it!” Yoon-ah snapped before turning to Vina. “What’s wrong with you? You should’ve insisted that you weren’t moving in here until you had at least an engagement ring on your finger.”
“I’m sorry, Eomoni.” Her head lowered, Vina murmured, “It was my idea.”
“What?” Yoon-ah stared at Vina, obvious shock in her wide eyes.
“No, don’t listen to her.” Orion tried to intervene to prevent his mother from turning her anger on Vina. “It was my idea.”
Both women ignored him. Yoon-ah asked Vina. “It was your idea?”
“Yes.” Vina nodded. Cracking her knuckles in obvious nervousness, she explained, “I’m the one who doesn’t want to get married. I’m the one who asked if we could move in together. I’m sorry.”
Her statement stunned Orion’s mother into silence. So stunned was Yoon-ah that she stumbled away from the pair to take a seat on the couch. Orion and Vina traded looks before they settled on either side of the older woman.
“Aigoo!” Yoon-ah exclaimed to herself. “You thoughtless kids.” Her gaze shifted from Vina to Orion and back to Vina as she shook her head. “If you love each other so much, why don’t you just get married?”
“We don’t want to,” Orion retorted.
“Why?” She stared at Vina.
“It’s personal,” Orion answered.
“What is personal between us?” She slapped his back. Glaring at him, she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. “Aigoo. To think I raised a criminal like this one.”
“If you don’t like our decision then just disown me,” Orion dared her cheekily.
“I don’t like it. I don’t like it. I don’t like it.” Yoon-ah hit him a few more times until he had to wrap his arms around her to keep her still.
“Don’t be like that,” Vina berated him.
“You see what I’m dealing with,” Yoon-ah shook off her son’s arms and shoved him away from her. To Vina, she said, “Now he’s your problem. You don’t know how irritating he is, how rude he is. He’s going to make you miserable. At least if you had a ring you could console yourself and pretend that he’s worth all the misery.”
Orion laughed. “Eomma, you know you’re talking about your son, right?”
“I know.” Yoon-ah kissed her teeth again. “What a disappointment.”
He grinned and wrapped his arms around her shoulders again. “I love you too.”
“Get off me.” Yoon-ah shoved him away, but he didn’t miss the unconscious smile that tugged at her lips.