“What do I do?”
“Talk to her?” Sung Soo shrugged. “This is a discussion that needs to happen while you’re both sober. And in case you need someone to say it, Tessa is not Hye Jin.”
Eun Gi tripped over the memories. The rush of young love, the absolute bliss prior to the proposal, followed by the crippling blow of her refusal, and the subsequent denial and detachment that carried him into their tour.
“Do you think her saying no has an impact on your fear with Tessa?”
“Maybe. I know now that I didn’t love Hye Jin, at least not in any kind of sustainable way.”
“Like how you love Tessa?”
“Hyung!” Eun Gi’s gaze snapped towards Sung Soo.
“I’m just asking.”
“You’re supposed to tell me how I feel so I can move on.”
“I can’t do that. You’re the only one who knows how you feel, but I can certainly speculate.”
“Speculate away, then.”
Sung Soo grinned and swung an arm around Eun Gi. “You’ve got it bad.”
Chapter 20
Tessa woke with a headache and a mouth like she’d been sucking on cotton. She sat up, bedraggled, and wandered over to the bathroom. The door was half open when she got there, and a damp but dressed Eun Gi stood at the vanity. He blushed when he caught sight of her in the mirror. His gaze darted away.
“Good morning,” he said.
“Good morning.” Tessa quirked her head. “You’re up early.”
“I didn’t want to run late getting to set. Are you coming by today?”
She nodded. “I was going to. Are you okay?”
“Fine.” He fussed with his hair.
“I have to call bullshit on that. Why won’t you look at me?”
He sighed and put down the comb. “It’s something you said last night.”
“Oh God, what did I say? I’m not used to drinking. Min Jae kept pouring. What did I do?” Confusion gave way to clarity, and she cringed. “Eun Gi, please tell me I didn’t say what I think I said.”
“If what you think you said had anything to do with loving me, then I can’t help you.”
Tessa groaned, embarrassment flooding her system like wildfire. “I’m sorry. I never wanted to say it like that.”
“But you did want to say it?” he asked, finally turning to face at her.
She chewed her lip. “Yes.”
Tessa had no idea what his expression meant. Fear? Amazement?
“Really?”
“Really.”
He didn’t speak for so long that Tessa shifted uncomfortably. “Can you please say something?”
His phone went off, and he checked the readout, cursed, and then denied the call. It went off again immediately. Irritation seeped across his face as he denied it again, slamming it down on the counter. When it rang a third time, he snatched it up and answered.
“What?” he snapped.
“Is that any way to greet your mother?”
Tessa could hear the other voice clearly from where she was standing. Her heart dropped to her toes.
“What do you want, Eomeoni?”
“You’re in Busan. I want you to come home tonight.”
“We have plans tonight.”
“Cancel them.”
“Eomeoni…”
“Cancel them, or I’ll talk to some of the charming reporters hovering around your film set.”
“Fine.” He hung up and squeezed the phone, knuckles white.
He turned to Tessa with a sigh. His face was even more confusing than before. “I’m sorry. We need to talk, but I’m not in a good headspace for it right now. We have to go see my family tonight, or Eomeoni is going to pull some kind of bullshit, and I just…can’t.”
Anger flourished on his face, but a frantic edge of fear leaked through too.
“That’s okay. We can talk later.” She didn’t want to talk later, but she wasn’t about to push him while he was all riled up.
“Thank you.” He slipped past her and gathered up his things for the day, then left without saying anything more.
Too distracted to work on her book, she plunged herself into emails and social media, sorting through business propositions and a million questions from readers. The alarm on her phone jolted her, signalling it was time to join Eun Gi on set.
When she arrived he caught sight of her. Surprise filled his expression, and he walked right past her. Tessa whirled around and saw him talking to a girl who looked to be in her early teens.
“Chun Hei, what are you doing here?” he asked in Korean.
She raised a manicured brow and popped her fists onto her hips. “I can’t come because I missed you?”
“Why aren’t you in school?”
She shrugged. “It’s lunch time, Oppa. They won’t care if I’m a bit late getting back.”
Oppa?
Chun Hei inclined her head toward Tessa. “Is that her?”
Eun Gi’s head whipped around. Panic flashed in his eyes before he waved her over.
“Tessa, this is Baek Chun Hei, my dongsaeng,” Eun Gi said in English. “Chun Hei, this is my wife, Tessa.”
Tessa couldn’t remember having heard that he had a little sister, and she definitely hadn’t been at the wedding with his parents.
“Nice to meet you, Chun Hei,” Tessa replied in English, assuming Chun Hei would be able to understand.
“Don’t you know how rude you were, getting married without coming to see us first?” Chun Hei snapped back.
“Chun Hei,” Eun Gi bit out.
“What? I’m just stating facts.” Chun Hei shrugged again, and switched back to Korean. “I should have been at the wedding, but I had exams, and Eomma wouldn’t let me. She threw a fit when she found out everything.”
Tessa placed a gentle hand on Eun Gi’s forearm, a gesture of comfort to temper down the wildness rising in him.
“It was complicated. Drop it,” Eun Gi told his sister.
Chun Hei surveyed her with a scrutiny that made Tessa want to shrink away. The girl gave a nod, declaring some finality to herself. Then she asked in English, “Did you marry Oppa for his money or his looks? Or are you pregnant and covering up the scandal?”
Tessa choked. “Neither. How could you say that?”
The shrug Chun Hei gave felt dismissive.
“I can say that because he’s my oppa, and there are plenty of gold diggers out there. I haven’t decided yet if you’re one, but you’re not very convincing.”
Eun Gi stepped between his wife and sister. “Chun Hei, stop.”
She leveled a glare that could melt glass. “I don’t think you have any authority to order me around, Oppa. You might be older, but you’re barely a brother,” she snapped, returning to Korean.
“Chun Hei,” Eun Gi growled. “You’re being rude, and you need to stop. Now. Tessa didn’t do anything wrong.”
Chun Hei swept her hair over her shoulder. “Whatever. I have to get back to school. See you tonight, Oppa.”
Stalking off, she left Eun Gi shaking in her wake.
He turned to Tessa immediately. “I’m sorry, she’s—”
“Young. It’s fine,” Tessa answered. “You never said you had a sister.”
Eun Gi drooped, suddenly sheepish. “I try not to let the world know too much about my family. For their sake and mine.”
“Do I still count as part of the outside world?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to not tell you, it just never came up.” He rubbed his forehead. “We have a lot to talk about, and we will. I promise.”
Being blindsided by a belligerent sister was something she’d have preferred to avoid.
“I have to use the bathroom.” She turned and bolted. Resting against the vanity, she pulled out her phone and messaged Kelly.
Tessa:
Eun Gi has a sister
Kelly:
Since when??
Tessa:
I dunno. She looked about 14. She hates me
.
Kelly:
I’m sure she doesn’t hate you
Tessa:
We’re having dinner with his family tonight and I’m not excited
Kelly:
Maybe it’ll be fine?
Tessa:
I doubt it.
Kelly:
Well keep me posted. If you need me to fly to Busan to kick some ass you say the word
Tessa:
You’re the best. Love you <3
Kelly:
Love you too <3
Over lunch, Eun Gi was more anxious than Tessa had ever seen him outside of a panic attack. He was entirely unfocused, and he barely ate. Then they parted ways—Eun Gi to set, Tessa back to the hotel to finish her own workday.
When he arrived to pick her up, he was utterly deflated and miserable. She was still a little miffed, but stuffed it down. They would deal with that later.
His family lived close enough for them to walk and they passed the distance in awkward silence.
“I’m sorry,” he said when they stopped in front of an apartment building. “I’ve been a bit of an ass today. It’s not your fault I have these issues, and I should have told you, even if I couldn’t go into details.”
“Eun Gi, I’ve said that I’m here for you, and I am. You might not be able to accept that yet, but it doesn’t change it. I know this is hard for you.”
“Quit stalling, Oppa!” Chun Hei yelled at them from the balcony several floors up.
“Let’s get this over with. I can only guess at what Eomeoni wants, but please try not to respond to her baiting. I don’t need her to have any more ammunition against me.” Eun Gi sighed. “Maybe they’ll get bored, and we can get out early.”
They were both on edge when Chun Hei opened the door for them. The apartment was spacious, with gleaming floors, a wide sweep of windows overlooking the sea, and expensive furniture arranged just so. It smelled heavily of stale cigarette smoke, and there was a vague haze in the air. Articles over the years had informed her that Eun Gi didn’t come from money, but a home this large, next to the ocean, and in such a densely populated city would be beyond the means of most people. How much of Eun Gi’s money had gone into it?
His mother stepped out of the kitchen dressed in sleek cream trousers and an embroidered blouse. Eun Gi’s hand leapt into Tessa’s and squeezed, tension radiating through his body the moment he saw his mother.
Moving like a cat, she approached him, a predator cornering her prey. She pulled her son into a stiff hug and ignored Tessa entirely.
“He’s here,” she called out, striding into the dining room.
Eun Gi’s father emerged. Thin wire glasses almost disappeared on his brow, and a frown marred what was otherwise a handsome face. He scanned Tessa head to toe, the same uncomfortable leer he’d forced on her at the wedding.
“He brought the foreign tramp with him.”
Tessa’s mouth dropped open.
“Abeoji!” Eun Gi snapped.
The man shrugged. “What? Look at her. She can’t understand a word I’m saying.”
Tessa’s heart hammered. She’d never been spoken to or about like this before. Chun Hei was bad enough, but Eun Gi’s father was an adult.
Chun Hei sauntered past. “She’s pregnant.”
“Chun Hei!”
Tessa stood frozen, unsure of what to say or do.
“She’s not pregnant,” Eun Gi insisted. “Can’t you all be pleasant for a single meal?”
His mother shrugged. “I don’t think we have any obligation to be pleasant to a son who can’t be bothered to visit us.”
Tessa squeezed Eun Gi’s hand.
They all sat at the dining room table where an array of dishes were spread out. No one spoke to Tessa, continuing on the assumption she couldn’t participate in their conversation. Dissuading them of such a notion wasn’t appealing.
“Why couldn’t you find a Korean girl for this nonsense?” his mother asked. “Or will none of them have you?”
“Gold digger,” Chun Hei muttered under her breath while she helped herself to food.
“You all need to stop speaking about my wife like this.”
His mother laughed, reaching across the table to pat his cheek. “She can’t understand anyway. Besides, if you think you can order your Eomma around, then clearly living in Seoul has addled your brain.”
They picked at him through the meal. Tessa’s stomach pitched, and nausea roiled in her throat. She reminded herself of the rules: be cordial for his sake, and don’t give his mother a reason to go on the attack.
Tessa didn’t say a word. She kept hold of his hand under the table, absorbing the desperate squeeze of his fingers in hers.
Finally he stood. “We have to be going.”
“I didn’t say you could leave yet,” his mother said.
“I don’t need your permission to leave, Eomeoni.” His hand clutched Tessa’s painfully.
His mother twisted the stem of her wine glass. “Think of all the things we could leak to the press. If your dating scandals don’t destroy your career, I wonder what a family scandal could do? Or I could tell them this whole arrangement is a sham, meant to fool your fans because you think they’re all idiots. I don’t care whether that’s true or not, but I expect this marriage to not interfere with our arrangement.”
Tessa’s breath came out in a whoosh. “What kind of miserable bitch are you?”
Everyone turned to her, mouths dropped open.
“You speak Korean?” Chun Hei asked.
“Fluently.”
Chun Hei blushed, but the parents looked almost amused.
Tessa’s heart raced. “He is your son, and you’re being so horrible to him. I would be absolutely sick if my parents ever spoke to me that way.”
His mother smiled, and Tessa checked the urge to step back.
“Eun Gi, does your wife know what a pathetic child you were?”
“Eomeoni.”
“He paid us a lot of money to keep quiet.” She waved a dismissive hand at her son. “He didn’t want anyone to know about us. Made such a fuss. You can imagine how hurt we were that he would turn his back on his family that way.”
Tessa bristled. “I’d turn my back on you all too.”
“You’re making this worse. We should leave.” Eun Gi let out a sound of distress.
Tessa stayed focused on his mother. “It doesn’t matter if you tell them our relationship is a lie, because it’s not.”
“You poor delusional girl.” His mother’s expression sharpened, brows drawing together. “He only cares about his career. He doesn’t love anyone except himself.”
“Eomeoni, please.”
The edge of tears was audible in his voice, and it put Tessa’s hackles up. “How can you speak so hatefully about your own child?”
“I can say anything I like,” she snapped. “He was an ungrateful boy who never appreciated anything we gave him. Then he left.”
“I left because I would have died if I stayed here!” Eun Gi’s face was red, his eyes wild. “You might hate me and my career, but it’s what bought you this apartment. It puts food on your table and sends Chun Hei to a good school because you can’t be bothered to do it yourself.”
His mother sneered. “You wouldn’t have died, you stupid boy. Don’t be so dramatic.”
“Eomeoni, you locked me in a fucking cupboard!”
The bile rose in Tessa’s throat.
Chun Hei’s eyes widened, and she jolted away from the table. “Eomma, what the hell?”
“You hated me.” Eun Gi’s voice broke. “Blamed me for everything. I thought every day about walking into the ocean to drown so I didn’t have to go home.”
His mother laughed and reached for him again, but Tessa’s hand clamped around her wrist.
“Don’t you fucking touch him.” She threw her hand back towards her and grabbed Eun Gi’s arm. “We’re leaving. I don’t care what you do about this. I’ll protect him. You don’t deserve
to be his mother, and I hope one day you realize what a piece of garbage you’ve been.”
Shouting erupted behind them, Chun Hei’s and her mother’s voices suddenly damped by the slamming door.
Eun Gi
“I can’t believe you did that.” Eun Gi bounced on his toes outside of the apartment building, desperate to release some of the energy that snarled inside him.
“She deserved it,” Tessa insisted.
“She’s going to destroy my career. Fuck.” He sank into a squat, breathing hard, arms wrapped around himself. “She’ll ruin 24/7 if she has the chance. She hates me. The company is going to fire me, and I’ll die in poverty because Eomeoni’s taken all my money. No one will hire me for anything after she gets through with me.”
Tessa knelt in front of him. “You don’t have to face her alone.”
“I do,” he insisted. “She’s going to come after me. I give her money to make her leave me alone, but now she’s mad.”
“Maybe she won’t do anything. I mean, if she ruins your career she’s killing her own income.”
“She’s taken almost everything I’ve ever made and she just demands more and more. I hardly keep anything. There’s probably millions stored away somewhere I’ll never see again.”
They had to have planned for the day when he stopped being their cash cow. His level of fame, of energy needed to create and tour at such an intense calibre, wasn’t sustainable in the long run. Eventually it would taper off.
“Sometimes I think it would be a relief to have nothing left for her to take from me.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “But at the same time, I don’t want to give up what I’ve worked so hard for.”
“You should talk to a lawyer. There’s no way what she’s done is legal. Fight back.”
Eun Gi cast a withering look at her. “I can’t litigate my own mother.”
“Eun Gi, you deserve justice. You’re so talented, you could rebuild things if it became necessary.”
“Family is too important here. There’s no way I could recover if this all exploded. Even if the fans eventually forgave me, no company would ever hire me again. I’d be a problem, and they don’t want that on payroll. If I move against her, it would ruin me.”
Heart and Seoul (The Seoul Series Book 1) Page 25