The Age Of Love

Six - Coming Clean

Jeong Hyeok wearily stepped out of the elevator onto the top floor of the hotel where their suite resided. He walked up to the door, rubbing his heavy eyes and pausing to think about every possibility that lay beyond the door. The room could be empty-- Hye Jin and her things gone, back to Europe on her private jet without a word.

Or maybe, she'd be there but already sleeping. He could crawl into bed with her and pretend for just one more night that things would be okay between them.

Or she could be sitting up waiting hours of built-up anger and hurt ready to pour out at him.

He didn't think he had the energy to fight with her tonight. Not that he wouldn't deserve every harsh remark and every curse word she could throw at him. His exhaustion was probably for the best. He could just sit there and take it like a man without trying to defend his indefensible actions.

It was time to pay the piper. He fingered the electronic key card for a moment more before sliding it through the slot. The light on the door turned from red to green and the lock clicked audibly. He turned the knob and entered. The lights in the common room were on and empty, a lipstick-stained wine glass sat on the desk. Hye Jin had been there at some point. Now time to find out if she still was.

He toed off his shoes and shrugged off his jacket, laying it over the back of a chair before approaching the door to the bedroom. He turned the knob gently, trying not to make a sound as he pushed it open and looked in.

Hye Jin lay on the bed. She was on top of the covers with a throw draped over her legs. Her upper body was perched up on a stack of pillows. Her head lulled to the side. Her MacBook was open on her lap.

He walked silently over her and took the computer to set it off to the side. There was some document with a whole bunch of science language his BAs in journalism and economics didn't prepare him to understand. A proposal for a new drug, most likely.

"Jeong Hyeok," Hye Jin mumbled sleepily as he placed her laptop on the night table. He turned back to see her stirring slightly.

"Shh," he whispered. "Go back to sleep."

She shook her head, trying to push herself up on her forearms. "No," she protested as she wiped the sleep from her eyes. "We need to talk."

Jeong Hyeok cringed. He knew it was coming, but that didn't make him any more prepared for it.

"We can talk in the morning," he suggested. Anything to put off the inevitable.

"No. Now." she insisted, now fully awake.

"Okay," he agreed reluctantly. Hye JIn was leading this show, and he had no delusions otherwise. He pulled a chair up to the bed and took a seat.

"How's the baby?" she asked, casting her eyes away.

"Perfect," he whispered reverently. He couldn't help the smile that crept on to his face at the thought of his daughter. He didn't want to be happy in front of Hye Jin but he had very little control over his emotions right now. He'd had more highs and lows in the last 30 hours than his 2014 stock portfolio.

"Good," she nodded succinctly. "Then we can move on to other matters," she forced her eyes back to meet his.

He leaned forward to cover her hand in his but she pulled it away. "I called you a couple of times," he said, trying not to be hurt by her rejection. He'd earned it a hundred times over.

"You know this isn't really a telephone conversation."

Jeong Hyeok nodded in understanding. Hye Jin had too much self-respect and class to end their engagement over the phone. "You're leaving me, aren't you?" he asked, slumping back in his chair. If he couldn't delay this conversation, there was no point in drawing it out unnecessarily.