Perfect Love

Chapter 4

"Get your head in the game, Karina!" Ms. Kim yelled over the loud music. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight!" she counted, trying to get Karina back on beat. When her efforts turned out to be futile, Ms. Kim called for a ten-minute break.

All the members went to sit against the wall and check their phones. Karina sighed wearily as she stared at the screen.

"What's up?" Winter asked.

"Mr. Oh has set up a press conference this afternoon for me to announce my marriage and my pregnancy. I mean, I know I can't keep hiding it. It's just that I really dread facing all those reporters and reading the aftermath online," she admitted.

"Well, then don't read it," Giselle said.

"Easier said than done," Karina replied.

Just then, Bon-Hwa entered the practice room with a giant bottle of Evian. He knelt down beside Karina and passed her the bottle.

"Do you think you could have found a bigger one?" Karina asked sarcastically.

"Hey, you need to stay hydrated," Bon-Hwa defended. "Here, take your pre-natal vitamin," he ordered, handing her the bright pink pill.

Ningning made a face at Karina. "You know, I don't know what you're being all annoyed about," she said. "I would love to have a hubby who brought me stuff and waited on me hand and foot," she added.

"I suppose you're right," Karina sighed. "I'm just so hormonal and irritable these days." She turned to Bon-Hwa. "I'm sorry for being like this. I know you're trying your best to make something good out of a bad situation," she added.

Karina wasn't sure, but she thought she had seen him wince at her words. "It's not all that bad," he replied, sounding a bit defensive.

Karina decided to let that last comment pass. "Are you ready for this afternoon?" she asked him. "We're going to have to come off as believable in front of the press," she cautioned.

"That won't be a problem for me," he replied, causing Karina to wonder why.

Later that day as they sat beside each other at a long table facing the press, Bon-Hwa took Karina's hand as they heard the clatter of dozens of camera shutters clicking. The lights were too bright. Karina shielded her squinting eyes with her other hand.

"Could we get the lights dimmed a little?" Bon-Hwa called out, seeing her distress. One of the reporters ran to turn the dimmer switch down. Bon-Hwa released her hand and put his arm around Karina's shoulder and pulled her closer. She shot him a warning look before she realized he was just doing his part to make their ruse believable.

Karina pulled the mic closer and began her prepared comments. "Thank you all for coming today. I would like to announce that I recently married the man you see today."

A loud communal gasp rose from the gaggle of reporters. The room buzzed with energy as the reporters typed quickly on laptops set up on long tables.

"His name is Bon-Hwa, and he was the costume director for aespa. We got to know each other through work, and we began a personal relationship. I would also like to announce that I am pregnant," she continued.

At this, the room broke out in a cacophony of shouted questions. It was hard to even hear the questions due to the high noise level in the room.

"Karina, did you get married because of the baby?" yelled a male reporter as he waved his notepad in the air.

Bon-Hwa pulled the mic toward himself. "What are you doing?" Karina whispered. "You don't have to say anything. Remember?"

Bon-Hwa did not respond, but merely leaned toward the mic. "I can speak for myself when I say that this marriage isn't about the baby. Sure, we want the baby to grow up in a stable family, but for me, marrying Karina is the fulfillment of a dream. I think I fell for her the first moment I saw her checking her reflection in the mirror. I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen," he said without a hint of guile.

Bon-Hwa looked at Karina with a soft expression that she hoped was being caught by the flashing cameras. She marveled at how sincere his speech had sounded. Had she not known he was in it for the money, she might have actually believed it. His brown eyes held such a wistfulness as he continued to gaze at her.

"Will you be leaving aespa?" cried out another journalist how was standing on her tip toes to see over taller men in front of her.

Karina took this question. "I will remain in the group as long as I am able," she said. "Obviously, when I begin to show, I will need to begin my hiatus. But I hope to have the baby and be back in a month after the birth, if possible."

"A month?" gasped Bon-Hwa. "That's too soon," he said in full range of the mic.

"Honey," Karina said with a warning tone. "I don't think this is the time or place to have this discussion."

Bon-Hwa took the hint and backed down, but after the press conference had ended, he met her in the hallway. "Returning in a month is too much to expect," he renewed his argument.

"Listen, have you ever heard the phrase, 'Not my circus, not my monkeys'?" she asked. When he said nothing, she continued. "It's not your problem to worry about. They want me back as soon as possible, and I've agreed to do so."

"But at what cost to your health?" he questioned.

"I'm not sure why you're so worried about my health," Karina shot back.

"Because I care about you, okay?" he replied. "All that stuff I said out there was true. I've had a crush on you since the first time I saw you," he admitted. "You think I'm doing this for the money, but that's not why," he continued, his voice rising slightly.

"You've got to be kidding me," Karina said. "You actually got into this hoping I would fall in love with you?" she asked.

"I mean, I guess," Bon-Hwa replied. "You don't have to fall for me. I just hoped maybe you would."

"That's outrageous!" Karina replied. "We had a deal. This was supposed to be for show. How could you marry me and actually mean it?"

"I thought you would be happy to know my feelings are for real," he answered.

Karina began to pace in a circle in the hallway. "No, I'm not happy!" she declared. "I feel tricked. I thought we were on the same page about all this, and now you come out with the fact that you wanted this marriage to be real," she concluded.

Bon-Hwa looked at the floor. "I'm really sorry to hear that you find my feelings so disgusting. I'm an honest kind of guy. I let it all out there and you don't want me," he said. "That's fine. That's up to you," he added as he walked out the door of the building and caught a taxi. By the time Karina reached the doorway, he was gone.

Mr. Oh drove her back to the house. She entered, hoping to find Bon-Hwa sulking about somewhere in the house, but he was not there. Karina sprawled herself out on the couch. She looked at her watch. It was 6:00. She was hungry. She almost wished Bon-Hwa were around because he could make a feast out of some ramen, a few eggs, and some vegetables. She finally gathered up the strength to get up off the couch. She rooted through the refrigerator only to find it almost bare except for a few protein shakes. She grabbed a shake and flopped back down on the couch, waiting for Bon-Hwa to return. Somehow, she fell asleep, and when she awoke, it was 3:00 AM, and Bon-Hwa still was nowhere to be found.