To Be or Not To Be A Family - Chapter 79

Eun-Kyung was lying on the bed, motionless. The whole night her phone kept ringing with news about Ashma. Early morning, she sensed that Young-Soo has left the bed. She knew as he left the bed he would go upstairs to his swing. She knew the whole night no one in the house slept thinking about Ashma.

She kept her eyes closed for a few hours praying for sleep to come but she was too tense because of Ashma. A girl who never drinks, drank a lot of vodka for the first time. She exhaled loudly after lying for a long time on the bed. After worrying about Ashma, she decided to leave the bed and go sit with Young-Soo. She knew both can ease each other’s minds.

The moment she reached the terrace, the ground slipped from under her feet. Young-Soo was hugging Vidhi, again. She first thought it was just parental assurance. One parent was comforting another parent about their daughter. It was the same when Ashma ran away from home in anger.

But she knew something was different about this scene. She could see the devilish smile on Vidhi’s face. She understood the tonal shift in her voice. She could see her fake cry. What was her plan? What was she trying to do? She was getting closer and closer to Young-Soo.

“What if I lose my daughter?” Vidhi faked her cry. Her tears refused to come out of her eyes so she squinted them. That forced the tears to come out.

Young-Soo immediately wrapped his arms around her and assured her, “I WILL NEVER LET THAT HAPPEN.” He kissed her head and calmed her down. Not knowing that Eun-Kyung was seeing everything.

Eun-Kyung clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. She was angry at both Vidhi and Young-Soo. She knew Young-Soo would never cheat on her but was a little insecure as she knew that Vidhi was his first love. And it is difficult to forget first love. Moreover, she was still beautiful.

The sun was slowly coming up the horizon. The pink hue was scattered in the sky. The cold air was blowing smoothly. Eun-Kyung cleared her throat, thus announcing her arrival and approached both of them. Young-Soo stopped hugging her immediately and stood up from the swing.

Vidhi was disappointed with the arrival of Eun-Kyung. She was sure that if she didn’t arrive at that moment, young-soo would have kissed her and once he kisses her, he will remember the golden days when they both were in love.

“Could not sleep?” inquired Eun-Kyung.

“No, thinking about Ashma,” replied Vidhi while wiping her fake tears.

“Everyone is thinking about her, and I know my friend Hei-Ran, she will take good care of her,” reassured Eun-Kyung with full confidence in her friend.

“I should have gone to see her,” Vidhi again distorted her face and tried crying. A tear dropped from one eye. She sniffled hard. The cold air too was helping her in sniffling. Eun-Kyung rolled her eyes at the acting.

“Now, that I think, you must have. Why don’t you go in after a few hours? I will ask my driver to take you,” suggested Vidhi. She wanted Vidhi far away from Young-Soo.

“She will be back in a few hours, what will she do, this early at Seo Mansion?” interrupted Young-Soo.

“Take care of Ashma and bring her back, what else?” replied Eun-Kyung. Her voice was getting slightly high-pitched every sentence.

“I don’t think that will be feasible, yuhbo,” said Young-Soo. Eun-Kyung smiled forcibly at Young-Soo.

“Well, what were you two talking about?” asked Eun-Kyung staring Vidhi down.

“Ashma, what else?” said Young-Soo.

“Right! Talking about Ashma makes you hug her,” mocked Eun-Kyung with all the seriousness she could find.

“I am… I am sorry, he didn’t… he didn’t mean to, he was just consoling me,” stammered Vidhi and protected Young-Soo. She lowered her head and tried showing that she was guilty and not Young-Soo. Eun-Kyung raised one eyebrow and looked at Vidhi, sceptically.

“Great! Are you consoled?” asked Eun-Kyung, sarcastically.

“Yes, I am sorry. I never meant to create any problem between you both,” replied Vidhi. Young-Soo was taken aback by Eun-Kyung’s line of questioning.

“No, no, there is no problem, if you will remember that now he has a family,” Eun-Kyung poked Vidhi, verbally.

“Yuhbo!” interjected Young-Soo.

“Today is shiahbuhji’s birthday. I have thrown a surprise party for him,” announced Eun-Kyung.

“So, this was the occasion, you women kept talking about secretly while Ashma was gone?” asked Young-Soo.

“I am not going to his party,” declared Vidhi with anger.

“It’s your wish but if you decide to go, the theme is traditional dress. I have selected some for you, pick one. I will send them to your room,” said Eun-Kyung, indifferently.

Young-Soo sensed her coldness. He said, “Yuhbo!”

“What?”

“Are you okay?” asked Young-Soo.

“I am fine. I will call Hei-Ran and ask when she will be coming with Ashma. We have a lot to do,” said Eun-Kyung and started walking away.

“I will come with you. Vidhi! You too go and have some rest. Ashma would be arriving within a few hours,” said Young-Soo and followed Eun-Kyung.

Vidhi stared at both of them leaving her alone on the terrace. She went to the swing and punched it hard with the hand that had cast on it with anger.

“Just a few more moments and he would have kissed me. That, stupid, Eun-Kyung, she snatched my Young-Soo before and tried to take him away again. I will not let that happen. He will be mine at last,” chided Vidhi. “No one can take him away from him this time, not Eun-Kyung, not even my daughter.”

Eun-Kyung went into her bedroom and Young-Soo followed her. She was walking briskly trying to get away from him but he ran up to her and grabbed her arms and forced her to look at him.

“Yuhbo! Are you okay?” he asked, softly.

“I am fine,” she snapped.

“You are not fine,” replied Young-Soo.

She softly hit him over his chest and said, “I don’t like when you touch her.”

Young-Soo lovingly placed his finger on her chin and made her look into his eyes. “Hey! Look at me. It’s nothing. I was just assuring her as a parent.”

“But she doesn’t think of you as her father, I feel sad for you about that,” said Eun-Kyung in a sobbing tone.

“But she will always be my daughter,” replied Young-Soo.

“And Vidhi?” asked Eun-Kyung.

“She was my friend first and after I got married to you she again became my friend,” reassured Young-Soo.

“I could have lost you then and would not have felt a thing. But I cannot lose you now,” Eun-Kyung started crying. Her eyes teared up. Her voice turned sad.

“You are never going to lose me, don’t think like that.” Young-Soo wiped her tears. Eun-Kyung hugged Young-Soo and cried in his arms.

“She has a daughter with you,” Eun-Kyung pointed out.

“I have a daughter and a son with you,” counterpointed Young-Soo.

“But she is your first love,” said Eun-Kyung

“Oh, come on! First love is so over-rated.” Both smiled at each other and Young-Soo hugged her tightly.

While Eun-Kyung and Young-Soo were talking about their first love, Yong-Sun was crying over his first love. He cried for hours clenching his heart. His heart was aching as if someone was stabbing him over and over with a knife in his heart.

He was unable to bear the pain but he knew that she had made it clear at the very beginning that she was not here to start any new relationships. She came for her mother and she will return to India one day. They both really had no future together.

But still, one thing was running in his mind. Why was she crying when she saw him kissing Young-Mi. she then kissed him too. And that kiss, that magic was duplicated at the pool. What was that about? Does she likes him too but is not ready for relationships or she does not like him and everything was a result of the situation?

Ashma too was restless and could not go back to sleep. Tension and stress were causing her stomach to be upset. He started feeling queasy. She ran to the bathroom covering her mouth with her hand. While she was running, she kicked the table and the vase on it fell on the floor and shattered into million pieces.

Yong-Sun jumped from his bed after hearing the sound. He wiped her tears and ran towards the room. The door was still closed. He knocked at the door but all he could hear was Ashma puking her guts out. He knocked again, he called her out but still, all he could hear was a gurgling sound from the bathroom.

He pushed the door and it opened. He ran to the bathroom. Ashma was struggling with her long hair while vomiting. He reached her side, collected all her beautiful hair and tucked them in his hand.

“Please, leave. I don’t want you to see me like this,” said Ashma and went straight to vomiting.

“Let me help you,” said Yong-Sun and knelt beside her.

After she was finished, she washed her face and started walking towards the room.

He suggested, “take my support.”

“I can walk,” she replied.

He was angry at her, first, she rejected him and now was rejecting his help. He grabbed her arm, threw her against the wall and pinned her to the wall. He enclosed both sides with his hands and stared her down. “Why won’t you let me help you?” he screamed.

She could not speak, she was too tired from crying and vomiting. She closed her eyes and placed her head on his chest. She didn’t move. He didn’t move. He let her rest on his chest. He placed his hand over her head and caressed her hair with adoration.

Ashma’s knees started giving in. she was about to fall but Yong-Sun sensed that before it could happen. He swiftly placed his arms around her and lifted her in his arms. He moved towards the room when Hei-Ran came running after hearing all the noise. It was clear that she was in deep sleep and she jolted out of her slumber.

“What happened?” asked Hei-Ran while rubbing her eyes.

“She vomited and is feeling weak,” replied Yong-Sun.

“Lie her down, let her sleep,” said Hei-Ran.

“Yes, uhmma.”

Her eyes were red and that’s why she didn’t see his son’s red eyes.. After he lay Ashma on the bed, he tucked her in and both Hei-Ran and Yong-Sun retired to their room where they all slept for a few more hours.