Chapter7
711 Words
The first hour came two days later.
Ji-hoo arrived with a backpack full of things he'd bought in a panic: colouring books, dinosaur stickers, a small keyboard, three kinds of juice boxes, and a stuffed brachiosaurus that was almost as big as Hae-sung. He felt like someone who had an important work interview and was trying to not look as nervous as he felt. He knew that he had to make up for the time that he had lost out in his son's life.
"Did you rob a toy store?" Soo-ah asked, watching him drag the dinosaur through the doorway.
"I panicked."
"You're a grown man with a multi-million dollar contract and you panicked at a toy store?"
"I didn't know what six-year-olds like! I googled it and the internet said dinosaurs, so I bought all the dinosaurs!"
Hae-sung came running out of his room, took one look at the stuffed brachiosaurus, and screamed with such joy that the neighbours probably called the police.
"It's a BRACHIOSAURUS!" he shrieked, tackling the plush toy to the ground. "Mom, he got me a BRACHIOSAURUS!"
"I can see that, baby."
"I'm naming him Prince Ji-hoo!"
Ji-hoo's heart swelled so big he thought it might c***k his ribs. He looked at Soo-ah, who was watching her son with an expression that was equal parts joy and terror.
"One hour," she reminded him.
"One hour," he agreed.
They spent that first hour on the floor of the living room, Hae-sung teaching Ji-hoo how to play a card game whose rules seemed to change every thirty seconds. Soo-ah sat on the couch, pretending to read a book, but Ji-hoo caught her watching them more than once. Her eyes were soft, conflicted, hopeful.
When the hour was up, Ji-hoo stood reluctantly.
"I have to go. Filming."
Hae-sung's face crumpled. "But you just got here."
"I'll be back," Ji-hoo promised, kneeling down to look him in the eye. "In two days. I'll bring more dinosaur stickers."
"Pinkie promise?"
Ji-hoo held out his pinkie. Hae-sung wrapped his small finger around it, squeezing tight.
"Pinkie promise."
At the door, Soo-ah stopped him.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "For not pushing too hard."
"I'm going to push eventually," he admitted. "But not today. Today I'm just grateful."
He left before she could respond, before he could do something stupid like kiss her or beg her to let him stay. The drive back to the filming set was a blur of traffic and his own racing thoughts. Above all he was so grateful that he got to spend time with his son and learn about all the things he likes. With a large grin on his face, that made all the cheesy characters he had played before cringe, he drove off happier than usual.
His manager, Kim Jae-won, was waiting for him in the parking lot, arms crossed, expression thunderous.
"Where were you?"
"Busy."
"Doing what?"
Ji-hoo got out of the car, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Jae-won-ah, how long have we known each other?"
"Twelve years. Why?"
"Do you trust me?"
His manager hesitated. That was answer enough.
"I'm going to tell you something," Ji-hoo said, "and you're going to want to scream, and then you're going to want to quit, and then you're going to want to scream some more. But I need you to listen first. Can you do that?"
Jae-won nodded slowly, his face pale like he was already dreading what was going to come out of Ji-hoo's mouth next.
"I have a son," Ji-hoo said. "He's six years old. His name is Hae-sung. And I'm going to be his father, no matter what it costs me."
The screaming started approximately three seconds later. To Jae-won, this news was career-ending and would just make all the years and energy they put in building Ji-hoo's career go down the drain. On the other hand, Jae-won was also a friend to Ji-hoo and he had to put the fact that his friend had missed the first years of his son's life while chasing the limelight. Jae-won knew about Soo-ah as Ji-hoo's first love and knew how close they were when they were in High School. The news about the child was the last thing he thought would happen to Ji-hoo.
- Writer
