MADE IN KOREA

MIK 49

49: Denial

The husbands were back inside the house, the door closed behind to contain their quarrels inside the four walls. The least thing they want the villagers to know is that they are husbands.

Jisung fiddled his fingers, glancing at Minho who was being silent all the time, patiently waiting for an explanation. Jisung let out a sigh of feeling wronged and started speaking.

"What?" Minho raised his eyebrows.

"You know what it is, Jisung."

"Did I do something wrong?" Jisung asked, hoping for the other to stop his interrogation, but who was he kidding to? Minho can't change his stubborn attitude overnight.

"Yes you did!" Minho exclaimed, "You kept your exam a secret. How could you, Han? How can you walk around without feeling guilty?"

"Why should I feel guilty? It's for my life and my career. It's not like I have to say everything to you." Minho's expression changed. He stood up from where he was seated, and walked towards Jisung.

Minho stopped mid-way, giving them the safe distance they needed at the moment. Jisung raised his eyebrows, but on the inside he was facing conflicts, afraid of where this would lead to.

"You don't have to," Said Minho, "but at least as your husband, don't I have the right to know?"

"Do you consider yourself as my husband?" Finally, Jisung let out the question he was anticipating to ask. He watched the latter's expression turning to disbelief and hesitation.

The question lingered in the air like a weighing silence; too odd to strike a conversation, yet Jisung wanted to hear the thoughts from Minho's mouth. The thoughts he has suppressed.

"Jisung, don't make it difficult for me." It wasn't the answer that Jisung seeked for and the disappointment he felt hearing the words was immense.

"I'm not making it difficult, you are." Jisung exclaimed, pointing his hands at Minho, "I wanna know what and where our relationship is. You can't randomly kiss me and claim it as revenge." Minho stood there silently as he stared at the Jisung who was too composed for the cold situation.

Even though Jisung's question was out of the blue, Minho knew that one day he had to answer the question. If it was the old Minho he would have clearly declared that 'You are my husband till our first anniversary' however having a clear awareness about his feelings for the younger, he doesn't know what to answer as Jisung clearly despised him for many things he has done to the latter.

Thus how can he confess that he loves Jisung? Minho was hundred percent sure that Jisung would brutally reject and mock him and Minho doesn't want that.

Keeping his blooming feelings hidden was much better than getting it crushed by the love of his life.

"I don't know," Minho glanced away, not noticing Jisung's face falling,"I have never thought about it."

"You never have or you didn't want to?" Jisung only received silence in return making him sigh. He felt like crying out but what did he expect from Minho who married him out of ego?

"You wanna know the details right? Here it is. I will be leaving for America in January right after the first week. To make it clear, no I won't be coming back until our contract comes to an end." Jisung at first felt anger eating him as he only received silence yet again. Tears started forming over his eyes, but at the same time emptiness started overshadowing him.

"Give me some time." Jisung blinked his eyes, finally hearing a response from the latter. "It's too much to process."

"Too much to process?" Jisung shook his head in disbelief. "Call me dramatic or whatever you want, but have you ever thought about how much I was going through? Can you imagine a day where you get threatened by someone you met during your work hours and that person takes your dream job away saying it's my punishment for what? Offending? Lee Minho, you are in a headspace."