Bye-Bye

Choi Sung-hoon, who left work at 3 pm, said softly as he hung his coat on a hanger.

“They said a friend was visiting.”

“Yes… Won-jo.”

“I don’t mean to stop you from seeing your friends just because I don’t like them. But I don’t want you to keep trash as a friend.”

“What do you mean trash. He is my friend.”

Crack.

There was a sound of something breaking. Choi Sung-hoon broke the hanger and threw it in the trash.

“I’m sorry. I can’t control my power.”

“… ” 

Choi Sung-hoon approached me in the blink of an eye with one hand pulling his tie. That was a sexy scene.

“I would like to create a place to formally greet Jang Won-jo ssi.”

“…It’s Jung Won-jo.”

“If it’s possible tonight.”

I nodded in amazement as I looked at his chest which was about to burst under his white shirt.

“Let me ask you…” 

“Oh, and your uncle as well.”

“My uncle?”

“Yes.”

I was distracted by the word uncle, but when I saw Choi Sung-hoon, who began opening the button after loosening his tie, I lost my mind again.

“The uncle who introduced a 40-year-old divorced Alpha to you in a hotel on December 24th at 10 p.m.”

Choi Sung-hoon was displaying a handsome appearance at the time, and I was at a loss for words.

I nodded and moved my gaze to the angry biceps and shoulder muscles that were about to burst.

Were you going to take your shirt off? Would you take it off?

“Try calling him right now. You’re going to introduce someone you’re going to marry, but when would be a good time to meet?”

“It hasn’t even been confirmed marriage yet…”

“Tell him that you’re going to introduce Kongkongi’s father.”

Choi Sung-hoon handed the cell phone that was lying on the bed in my hand. I called my uncle in front of Choi Sung-hoon.

[Small Uncle]

“…”

“There was a typo while saving it, haha…”

I laughed awkwardly, but I don’t know if Choi Sung-hoon would believe it.

My uncle asked if Kongkongi’s father had a lot of money and said he would meet him over the weekend. However, he asked Choi Sung-hoon to come down because he lives in a rural area. The words made me so angry.

“Why does our Choi Sung-hoon have to go down? Uncle, come up.”

– Why do I have to go up? I’m your second father, so tell the person you want to marry to come down!

“Wow, uncle, did you become a comedian? Second father.  So funny. You should audition for a comedian.”

– The way you talk is really…

While arguing with him in front of Choi Sung-hoon, Choi Sung-hoon’s big hand intervened and he naturally took my cell phone.

“This is Choi Sung-hoon. Is this Seo-yu’s ssi uncle?”

– …

Choi Sung-hoon continued the conversation with my uncle in a heavy and low voice.

“Yes, we can’t get the elderly to come up. I will go. However, Seo-yu ssi needs to rest, so he won’t be able to accompany me… This is exactly what I was hoping for.”

“Why is Choi Sung-hoon ssi going down? It’s a waste of time. To be honest, I don’t even have to introduce my uncle.”

Choi Sung-hoon wrapped one arm around me and patted me softly.

He set an appointment time and place in a low voice from beginning to end and hung up the phone.

I was filled with dissatisfaction and kicked the blanket. Choi Sung-hoon comforted me by telling me not to be upset.

“My uncle is not like family to me. Choi Sung-hoon didn’t have to make the effort to travel down to meet him.”

“I know. That’s why I’m going to meet him.”

“I told you, you don’t need to meet him?”

“I’d like to meet him right now because we don’t need to meet later. Seo-yu ssi, when you get married, you have to acknowledge your uncle as a member of your family…”

“No, I told you we’re not family! It’s frustrating. If I get married, I will cut ties with my uncle. You don’t have to treat me like an adult.”

“…Is that so.”

I tried to explain to Choi Sung-hoon what my uncle had done to me. It felt like I was digging my own grave when I talked about these things. How can I tell you that I’ve been rolling so dirty?

“But since we made an appointment, let’s meet him.”

“Do whatever you want!”

I put on a blanket and lay down. Choi Sung-hoon hugged me from behind and continued to comfort me.

When I saw Choi Sung-hoon treat trash like my uncle as my family, I felt as if my clothes were going to be turned inside out. It was a relief that I wasn’t present at the meeting.

At Choi Sung-hoon’s urging, I also contacted Won-jo, but he declined with various excuses. In any case, they’ll have to meet someday.

Two days later, the day Choi Sung-hoon and my uncle decided to meet, I was standing up from the morning.

I was so worried that my uncle would say useless things to Choi Sung-hoon, so I sent a separate message.

[Don’t talk too much to Choi Sung-hoon, especially about the past.]

Small Uncle [I see what you’re doing.]

[If you don’t want to end someone else’s marriage, please do me a favor]

Small Uncle [Well, if you’re getting married, he needs to know everything about your past.]

I wondered if I should deposit even pocket money.

Choi Sung-hoon arrived in Yeosu 10 minutes before the scheduled time of 7 p.m., and I received a call. It was a phone call in which he stated that he was close to the meeting location, that he would have a good conversation, and said he would return to me today.

I was so anxious that I called my uncle as soon as I hung up with Choi Sung-hoon.

“Choi Sung-hoon is near. Uncle, where are you?”

– I’m almost there too. Why are there so many gangsters going around today?

“A gangster?”

Choi Sung-hoon… I hope there won’t be a fight with the Yeosu gangster. It’s just that this was not his domain…

“Anyway, please be careful with what you say. Choi Sung-hoon is also a scary person, so you shouldn’t say things like I’ve met someone in the past. Please do me a favor.”

– It’s scary. However, knowing someone who likes people on your level is worthwhile.

My uncle laughed at me, but perhaps seeing Choi Sung-hoon in person would change his mind.

– By the way, I should reschedule the meeting. There are a lot of gangsters. There are some people who are very big and scary.

“Very big and scary.?”

– There’s a gangster leader. It was terrifying to see everyone bowed at 90 degrees. The scar on his face is very…

He’s very big, he looks scary, and he has a scar on his face?

I wasn’t expecting it, so I just kept listening.

– Hey, they’re coming this way. Seo-yu ya, call your Alpha and ask him to change the appointment.

“…”

– What, what… Why are they heading this way…

“…”

– They foll, followed me. Hiik.

After that ‘hiik’, a low voice was heard from the other side of the phone saying, “Are you Seo-yu’s uncle?” And the phone hung up.

I was lying in bed, clutching my cell phone, waiting to hear from either of them. About 20 minutes later, a message came from Choi Sung-hoon.

[It was nice to see your uncle. I’ll go back now.]

I immediately called my uncle, but he didn’t answer.

Then, about an hour later, my phone rang, and it was a trembling voice like a sheep in a storm.

– Seo-yu ya, will you please stop talking about me to your lover? What I’ve done to you in the past.

“…I see what my uncle trying to do.”

– If you don’t want to end my life, let it slide. Please do it like this. Okay?

“Well. He’s the one I’m going to marry, so shouldn’t he know everything that happened in my past?”

I had no intention of speaking, but I answered crookedly for no reason, and my uncle trembled the entire phone call. He kept apologizing for doing things he shouldn’t have done up until now.

I was so relieved. To some extent, I felt relieved because the stone that had been weighing on my mind for more than a decade had been shattered and disappeared completely.

So, when Choi Sung-hoon returned home late at night, I jumped into his arms, lifted my feet, and poured kisses on him. Choi Sung-hoon wrapped his arms around my waist and accepted the kiss.

The only blemish of the day was the fact that our progress ended with hugs and kisses.

* * *

Sung-hoon ssi♥ [Are you going to post it on social media again?]

[Yes]

[Aren’t you addicted?]

[I only post five a day. I didn’t post it anywhere else.]

I rolled around after lunch and texted Choi Sung-hoon. It was a critical message about whether or not I could post a picture of roses surrounded by baby’s breaths he bought yesterday on social media.

Originally, I planned to delete my social media, but Choi Sung-hoon told me to keep it after removing my ex-boyfriend from the list of followers. It became easier to post because the only people who followed me were Won-jo, Sung-hyun, Choi Sung-hoon’s father, and the company employees.

Sung-hoon ssi♥ [Do whatever you want. If you want to upload it, you can do it.]

[I’ll upload it] 

It was the moment I got permission from Choi Seong-hoon to upload the photo.

The screen changed at the same time as the vibration sounded.

I jumped out of bed when I saw the name [Choi Sung-hoon’s mother]. 

“Yes, mother.”

– Good, you pick up quickly. Did you eat your lunch?

“Yes, did mother eat?”

– I’m going to eat now. He’s grumbling and setting it up.

We had an appointment to eat together a week ago, but Choi Sung-hoon canceled it because his flight was delayed (the first time I knew that the private plane was also delayed). Sung-hyun told me that father was very upset that day, so there was no talk of eating out these days.

After a short greeting, my mother talked about the main topic.

– Did you recommend that Director Choi seek consultation?

“Consultation?”

– …You didn’t know?

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never even mentioned the word counseling to Choi Sung-hoon ssi.”

When I answered with certainty, mother let out a long sigh of embarrassment.

– I’m sorry. Please forget about this. If you don’t know, that’s fine.

“Yes, mother. If you say something you shouldn’t tell me, please let me know. I will forget it too.”

-… Aren’t you giving up too quickly?

“Yes?”

– Aren’t you curious?

It’s not that I was not curious, but I’m not sure if I have the right to be, and if there was something I needed to know, wouldn’t Choi Sung-hoon tell me? But mother seemed to want to talk.

When I hesitated to answer, mother spoke up a little faster.

– Actually, I called Director Choi separately yesterday and advised him to seek psychiatric counseling. I’m concerned about what will happen if a cold-blooded person like Director Choi meets a kind and tearful person like you.

I don’t cry often… It seems that crying once at that time had a significant impact on my image.

Mother kept talking without waiting for my response.

– Until now, I pretended not to notice Director Choi’s personality, but now he will become someone’s lifelong partner, and moreover, that partner is a tearful and fragile person who doesn’t fit in with an inhuman and mean person like Sung-hoon. I feel the last responsibility as a parent. I’m not sure how a guy who didn’t do anything good ended up with a good boy like you.

Those words reminded me of something I’d heard before. I remembered the words I secretly heard when I went to Choi Sung-hoon’s house during the Lunar New Year holiday.

‘It doesn’t suit you… ‘

‘… How did you end up with that… ‘

Did the conversation, which I misunderstood after hearing only fragments, actually mean this? Was it just me who misunderstood what his parents’ thoughts about me?

I stroked my pounding heart, which had been overwhelmed by the newly realized fact.

– So we found a few people who could consult with us, and we called yesterday to discuss it, but Sung-hoon has already accepted it. He only recently began counseling.

“…”

– I thought you advised him to accept it after hearing what I was worried about last time.

“I had no idea. I’ve never thought of that.”

My voice was dazed like a fool even when I heard it. Mother paused for a long moment before saying, “Ummm,” and then she spoke again.

– Sung-hoon decided to consult on his own. Even if I told him before, he wouldn’t listen.

“…”

It was a light voice as if it’d had a good experience. My attention was drawn to the vase of roses and then to the marriage certificate next to it.

A thin sheet of paper that I left to write on at any time.

If Choi Sung-hoon really started counseling because of me…

It means that his thoughts while filling out the marriage certificate was not done lightly.

It was never a lighthearted one.

– It’s a bit cliché, but love is great. Right, Yu-ya?

When mother asked a playful question, I pressed my throbbing chest down and said, “I guess so,” in a very small voice.