Chapter 24

MAL sighed as she told Millie the story of her fight with her dear husband as the car continued to make its way through the big, luxurious houses. Since Millie's car needed to be fixed, Mal had offered her a ride since she wanted someone to talk to.

And Millie was a good listener nonetheless.

"So I had to kick him out, Millie, you don't understand..." Mal finished explaining, rubbing her temple in distress. Millie nodded in sympathy and grabbed her friend's hand.

"I may not know entirely how you feel, Mal, but it's just-" Millie began, then paused to gather her words. She wanted to say what she thought, really. But the problem was that she couldn't afford for her friend to get upset. "It's just that..."

Mal glanced at her, silently ordering her to continue. Millie rubbed her chin and glanced at Mal, her eyes baffled.

"Something seems off about the whole thing."

Mal furrowed her eyebrows and shrugged, slightly confused as well. "Like... What?"

Millie thought for a moment.

"I don't know," she began, "but Hyunjin seems like the sweetest guy ever, Mal. And, Lauren... Lauren is not. Lauren lies to make it all better for her. So she can start drama."

Mal stared at the area in front of her to absorb the words.

"Hyunjin seems like he loves you. Don't forget that even his parents don't believe in him and he saw you as the only thing in his life that made him feel better. I don't think he would throw all of that away for a night with Lauren."

Mal reached up to wipe her lower lip with her finger in confusion and distress.

"But I saw the underwear under his bed. She was definitely there," Mal replied softly, her voice disappointed. "And the pregnancy test. What the hell are we going to do about that pregnancy test?"

Millie shrugged, "you don't need to do anything about it. Mal, have you considered listening to him before, you know, kicking him out?"

"To be honest, he was crying a lot and I couldn't understand shit."

Millie lightly giggled at her friend's tone.

"What if Lauren was there, but lied about the whole thing?" She asked, making Mal think deeply for a second.

"I don't know, Millie..." Mal began, her voice exasperated, "but how will we know, anyway?"

Millie shook her head, "I don't know, but I would definitely believe my husband if I were you."

...

It didn't take long before the luxurious limousine pulled up in front of Mal's mansion. Since Millie had already been dropped off at her mansion as well, Mal sighed and strolled out of the car, waving at the chauffeur in the process.

She made her way towards the gigantic front door and let out her keys from her purse after fumbling in it for a second.

Inserting the key in the doorknob and opening the door quickly, she glanced at the front yard before closing the door behind her. Then turning around to check on the living room.

She sighed in exhaustion and walked towards the living room couch, her heels clinking at each step she took. She sat down with a soft squish and set her purse beside her, her phone in her hand.

Curving her mouth slightly, she placed one leg over the other and pressed the power button on her expensive iPhone. Then, she began scrolling through her social media.

A few minutes had passed with her not moving an inch. Her tensed muscles relaxed and she sank back into her seat.

Until she heard a loud bang coming from the kitchen.

She jumped up at the sound, startled. She stood up from her seat and slowly made her way towards the kitchen, her heart racing between her ribs.

Coming to the view of the kitchen, she spotted a familiar figure standing by the island, glancing at the pan on the floor with helpless, teary eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She growled, eyeing his trembling figure. He looked up and bowed a little, apologizing for the mess he made.

"S-Sorry, jagiya, I was just t-trying to-"

"Quiet," she snapped, frustrated. "Who gave you permission to come back here?"

He bowed once again.

"I'm sorry, jagiya!" He apologized, tears in his eyes. "Please let me stay. I promise I won't disappoint you again..."

She stared at the floor and avoided his gaze. "You already did."

That broke his heart.

"I..." he began, "I know that, jagiya. Please let me make it up to you."

He gulped and fumbled with his fingers anxiously. "I'm making dinner right now. Maybe we can-"

"We can't." She interrupted, her voice firm. "Leave me alone, you hear me? Don't come closer or you'll be sleeping in that nearby motel."

He nodded through his tears, biting his lower lip in disappointment and heartbreak. However, a tiny chunk of hope sparkled inside him. Maybe she wasn't as mad as he thought she would be.

"So I can stay, right?" He questioned slowly, his voice trembling. "You're all I have, jagiya... Please let me stay."

She stared into his pleading eyes before rolling her own, turning to walk out of the room.

"Whatever, Hyunjin," she yelled, exasperated, "whatever."