Perfect Love

Chapter 3

When they arrived at the house, Bon-Hwa lay Karina on the couch. The color had begun to return to her cheeks.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Bon-Hwa asked her.

"I'm not an invalid. I'm pregnant. I think carrying me all the way in here was a bit of an overkill," she groused. "Anyway, don't you have a real job to get to right now?"

"They are letting my assistant handle the costumes so I can focus more on you," he replied.

"So, let me get this straight. You are getting paid to be my husband 24/7?" she asked.

"Pretty much," he answered.

"Doesn't that make you sort of a man-whore?" Karina asked. For some reason, she felt the urge to get him riled up. She didn't even know why. She was angry and felt helpless. Somehow seeing him wriggle made her feel a little better.

"I'm no man-whore," Bon-Hwa said emphatically. "Don't ever call me that again," he added, his tone becoming even more forceful. "Maybe you think this marriage is a joke, but I'm taking it seriously," he clarified.

"How can you be taking it seriously? It is a joke. We aren't really married as far as I'm concerned," she replied.

"Well, I have a paper that says differently," he shot back.

"Whatever," Karina answered.

Just then, they heard a knock on the door. "Who could be coming here?" Karina asked. "From what I thought, no one knew we are staying in this house."

Bon-Hwa went to the door and opened it. Across from him stood a well-dressed middle-aged woman with her black hair pulled back severely into a French twist.

"Who are you?" the woman demanded.

"Umma?!" Karina cried out when she heard her voice. "How did you know I would be here?" she asked in a panic.

"Mr. Oh and I are on very good terms since my own daughter never calls me. I have to find out about you somehow," she reasoned.

"Karina Umma," Bon-Hwa said with a bow. "I'm Karina's husband, Bon-Hwa," he said.

"Husband?!" the older woman shrieked. "Mr. Oh told me to be ready for a surprise, but this is not what I had in mind," she said as she pushed past Bon-Hwa and entered the house.

She grabbed Karina by one ear and pulled her to her feet. "You'd better explain this right now!" she warned. "Is this some kind of a joke?" she demanded to know.

"Well, I didn't want for you to find out this way," Karina said, "but apparently some people can't keep their mouths shut." She gave Bon-Hwa a telling look. Turning back to her frantic mother, she said, "I'm in a bit of a ... situation."

"Situation? What does that mean?" her mother asked as she twisted Karina's ear slightly.

"Umma, stop! That hurts," Karina protested.

"Then you had better start talking, young lady," she demanded.

"It turns out --- um --- that I'm --- a little bit ---. I mean --- I'm pregnant," Karina finally forced out.

"To this guy?!" her mom cried out.

Karina hesitated a moment. "Ne," she replied, asserting that Bon-Hwa was the father. She regretted lying to her mother, but if she knew it was a contract marriage, it would only make things worse. At least, this way, she would feel like she had a legitimate grandchild and a son-in-law. She would be able to brag to her friends about her great fortune. Since Karina wasn't far into her pregnancy, they could say that the baby came a month early, and no one would have to know the truth.

"So, you did this to my daughter?!" the woman screamed at Bon-Hwa. Karina looked at him with pleading eyes. She prayed he wouldn't sell her out and reveal her lie.

"I'm prepared to take responsibility," Bon-Hwa said, bowing deeply as Karina's mom pummeled his head with her Gucci purse.

Bon-Hwa dropped to his knees and put his forehead on the cold, tile floor. Karina jumped up from the couch and ran to her mother, holding her arms behind her back.

"Umma, calm down!" she ordered.

"It's all your fault!" her mother said as she tried to escape Karina's grasp to continue to beat Bon-Hwa. Through all of the chaos, Bon-Hwa kept his head down, expressing regret for an offense that wasn't his. The unfairness of the situation was not lost on Karina. She secretly chalked a point up to Bon-Hwa for not exposing her lie.

Karina pulled on her mother's arms and led her to the couch. "Sit here," she ordered. "Let me get you a cup of tea," she suggested. She went to Bon-Hwa who was still on his knees. "Get up," she told him as she put her hands under his arms to lift him up.

Bon-Hwa got up quickly without her help. "You shouldn't be lifting heavy things," he warned.

"Well, at least you've got the sense to take care of her," Karina's mother huffed from her spot on the couch. "Somebody has to. I'll tell you; this girl never listens," she complained.

Bon-Hwa crept carefully toward the armchair across from Karina's mother. "I know, Mother. She is so difficult, isn't she?"

"I'm sorry I didn't raise her well," the older woman said, finally slumping down and abandoning her fighting stance.

"Oh, no, Mother, you raised her well. It's entirely her choice," Bon-Hwa replied. Karina considered for a moment that Bon-Hwa was effectively throwing her under the bus, but she had to admit that it was a clever strategy. He had managed to pull her mom to his side by agreeing with her about all of Karina's perceived faults. So, instead of being angered by his words, Karina was grateful that he had found a way to stop the cycle of violence.

Later, after her mother had left, Karina stood washing the teapot and cups. Bon-Hwa came up behind her and poked her on the waist. "Go on and rest. I'll wash them," he said.

"You don't have to. She's my mom, my problem," Karina replied.

"Well, she's my mom now too," Bon-Hwa answered, nudging Karina's hip with his own, trying to urge her away from the post she had staked out in front of the sink. Karina had not expected it, but that little nudge of this hip lit her up with internal electricity. She moved away slowly, almost afraid that he would do it again and send her mind for another loop.

"I'm going to wash up and lie down," she announced, feeling a sudden need to not be in the same room with Bon-Hwa. It was incredibly unsettling to her that a slight bump against her hip would be so impactful.

It must be my hormones, she thought to herself. She had noticed since discovering her pregnancy, she had been beset by an unnervingly high libido. She found herself thinking about sex entirely too much. In fact, as she lay there in that unfamiliar bed, she kept seeing flashes of scenes from the day --- his arm muscles wrapped around her legs as he carried her, his thigh muscles showing under his pants as he knelt before her mom, his well-formed behind that had bumped against hers just a few moments earlier. For a moment, she even considered leaving her room and seeking him out. I mean, it wasn't like she could get more pregnant or anything. And technically, they were married. She shook her head violently, trying to knock these thoughts out of it. Getting into a real relationship would complicate things unnecessarily. What would happen when the two years were up? Would he want his freedom then? It was too risky, she determined. She tried to get comfortable, but spent most of the night tossing and turning, and slept very little.