Mrs. Original Visual (Irene x Fem Reader)

Chapter Thirty-Two

"You're late," Irene chastises when she opens the door. "I told you to bring him back at exactly 7:30 pm."

"I'm sorry," you answer. "We were stuck in traffic."

"Next time, please call me and let me know. I was really worried, [Y/N]."

"Relax. I won't let anything bad happen to him."

"Look, Eomeoni!" Kai exclaims excitedly. "Mommy bought me a new toy!" He shows off his brand new Nintendo Switch.

Irene crosses her arms over her chest. "[Y/N]!" she says with a hiss. "You're spoiling him way too much!"

"He asked for it," you reply with a sheepish smile. "I couldn't bring myself to say no to him."

She shakes her head at you. "Has he eaten?"

"Yeah, we ate at the mall."

"Good." She looks at Kai, whose eyes are now fixed on the screen of the Switch. "Kai, let's give you a quick rinse and get ready for bed."

"Mommy, will you sleep here?" he asks you, pouting.

"Oh, I can't. I am still very busy at work," you lie. You and Irene still haven't told him that his parents are divorced; you both figured it's better to tell him once he's a little older.

"But will you at least stay and read me a bedtime story?" He looks like he's about to cry.

You shift your gaze to Irene, who sighs before she answers, "Yes, she can. But she cannot stay here any later than 9:00. She has work tomorrow, Kai."

Kai gleefully runs upstairs as soon as he hears his eomeoni's response. You mouth a "thanks" to Irene, and she returns it with a smile.

Truth is you miss reading him bedtime stories at night. Since the divorce has been finalized five months ago, you only ever get to do it every Saturday and Sunday.

"How's Rosé?" Irene asks so casually.

You're taken aback by the sudden question about your fiancée, the woman whom you cheated with, but you quickly recompose yourself. "She just moved into her home. She's quiet busy with rehearsals these days; Blackpink will start touring in two months so she's been preparing herself physically and mentally."

"Oh! I didn't know that you've finished her home," she answers. "I heard that you're engaged. When are you guys getting married?"

"Hopefully next year."

"I see." She nods at you. "Well, why don't you take a seat? I'll give Kai a quick rinse then you can come up to his room for his bedtime story."

You smile and nod at her, then you watch her as she goes upstairs.

Irene bought the house right across her umma's. You even offered to assist her with the renovations but she declined, saying she knew that you were caught up with the house that you were building for Rosé and she didn't want to tie your hands any further.

You scan the framed pictures on top of the grand piano that she bought; you're happy to discover that she put up some pictures that included you.

She summons you to Kai's room not long after.

"Oh, Mommy!" he exclaims when he sees you. "I thought you'd left!"

"Not before I read you a bedtime story, son," you say.

"You can't stay past 9," Irene reminds you. She plants a soft kiss on Kai's forehead and bid him goodnight, then she leaves the two of you alone.

You read him Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, a book that Joy recently bought just for him. Halfway through chapter three, though, he interrupts you and asks, "Mommy, will you and Eomeoni ever live in the same house again?"

You shut the book and look at him. "Kai..." You stop, unsure what to say to him.

"Do you still love Eomeoni?" he pushes on after a moment of silence.

"I do, Kai. I do and I always will," you tell him without an ounce of lie.

"But why are you always spending time with Aunt Chaeyoung instead of Eomeoni?"

You take a deep breath. "When you're a little older, we will talk about this again," you promise him. "Until then, don't worry about these things anymore. Okay? I just want you to know that Mommy and Eomeoni love you so much. We love you and we want what is best for you."

He yawns, signaling that he is already sleepy. "I love you, Mommy," he tells you. "Even though you're not around that much anymore."

You peck him on the forehead. "Sleep now, child. Tomorrow, I will see you again." You tuck him in and he almost immediately falls asleep.

Such a sleepyhead, you think to yourself. Just like Joohyun.

You walk to the shelf to put the book back. You notice a white envelope on the top of the shelf. Out of curiosity, you grab it and check what's inside.

And you find two plane tickets to Los Angeles.

Irene is leaving and she is taking Kai with her.

They leave tomorrow.

You run out of Kai's room and look for your ex-wife; you find her watching TV in the living room.

You throw the tickets on the coffee table. "When are you planning to tell me that you're taking my son to LA? Tomorrow, Joohyun?"

Irene closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she says. She opens her eyes and meets your gaze. "I knew that you wouldn't let me take him."

"Of course I wouldn't, Joohyun!" you hiss. "He's my son! I am still his mother; I should have a say on this matter. You are taking my son away from me?!" You run a hand through your hair, feeling frustrated.

"I am not taking him away from you, [Y/N]. I've been casted by a producer and I start filming in a month," she reasons out. "Besides, it's a good opportunity for me and Kai to start anew. You're building a new life with someone else, [Y/N]. You and Rosé are getting married. That's not something I want for Kai to see at such a young age."

"You cannot take our son away from me."

She rises from her seat and walks to you; she holds you by the arms. "You can come to him anytime you want. I'll bring him here to you for Christmas and summer vacation. I promise I won't take him away from you." She gives you an encouraging smile. "But I need to get on with my life, [Y/N]. I need to heal. And in order to do that, I need to be as faraway from you as possible."