Blessed-Cursed (#2 of Polaroid Love) 

Chapter 3: No

You grabbed the key from your purse and unlocked the door to your apartment. You walked in to see Riki typing on his computer. A few days ago, he had to get glasses because of headaches from looking at a computer screen. He only had to wear them when he was on his computer. Riki didn't want to wear them but gave in after you were nagging him about it. Who knew the sentence, "You look more handsome with glasses on," could change everything?

Riki didn't seem to notice you walk in, and that made you a bit annoyed. It was happening more often now. Pushing your worries aside, you walked to your husband and kissed him on his cheek. "Hey, Riki," you said, hoping to catch his attention. Riki stopped typing and faced you. It looked like he was caught off guard. "Oh hey, Y/n, I didn't even see you come in." he grinned. You rolled your eyes and sat next to him. He didn't notice your reaction.

"Anyways," you said, starting a conversation. "How was work?" "Same as always. Oh, one of my kids had a bloody nose. I almost fainted when I saw it, but I walked him to the nurse." Riki explained, laughing. "You know how icky I am with blood."

You laughed as well. "There's nothing wrong with that." Riki suddenly closed his computer and looked at you once again. It was like he was studying something. "What? Is there something on my face?" you asked, patting your face. Riki shook his head. "No, you don't. Y/n, you have something to tell me, don't you?"

"Wait, how did you know?" you were planning to tell Riki about the modeling later tonight.

"We've been together for a long time; of course, I can tell. Plus, the tone of your voice sounds more strained." "Oh, I guess you're right. Here, let me show you this."

You reached into your pocket and handed Riki the business card. "I got scouted by a modeling agent while at lunch. I was shocked when the person asked me to model; I fit in the category he was searching for. I looked up the company afterward, and they're pretty good. BE:LIFT Lab has a lot of famous actors and mo-"

"No, Y/n."

You stopped when Riki interrupted you. He didn't have a happy expression; he looked annoyed. "Riki, you didn't let me finish," you said, laughing. Your husband wasn't laughing, however. "Y/n, you don't need to model, especially for that jerk Park Sunghoon as your agent."

"Wait, what's wrong with Sunghoon? He seemed like a nice guy."

Riki placed the business card on his closed laptop and turned to you. "Do you remember when my adoptive mom mentioned that I modeled when I was younger?"

"A little, but why?"

"I modeled with Park Sunghoon. We were...coworkers."

"Wow, that's amazing!" you said. "So you know what Park Sunghoon is like then? Are you two still friends?" "Not at all. There's a reason I don't talk about my modeling days; it's mainly because of that jerk. Sunghoon and I were best friends for ten years until he broke my trust."

"So he betrayed you? What happened?"

Riki shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it now." "That's fine, but what's your point?"

"My point is that you don't need to work with Sunghoon because he'll betray you. He's also a womanizer, so he'll try to get inside your pants."

A disgusting expression appeared on your face. You leaned back in your chair and crossed your arms, raising an eyebrow. "Riki, it sounds to me like you're jealous of Sunghoon," you stated. "Did he treat you that bad?"

"Why would I be jealous of that jerk, Y/n? I hate him." Riki picked up the business card and tore it in half. You gasped.

"Riki, think about it, though." you calmly said after collecting yourself. You placed your hand on your husband's wrist. He became less tense. "Modeling could earn us way more than we make now. Is there anything wrong with that?" "Is there anything wrong with our current salaries?" Riki rebutted. "Nothing is wrong with our current salaries, but if I do the modeling job, we'll have enough money to raise a child. You want a child, right?"

Riki sighed and took his glasses off, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Y/n, you're not modeling. End of story."

Why is Riki not convinced? He's not the one modeling!

"You just don't want to be around any other guy except you and Jungwon!" You clamored.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Riki exclaimed.

"There's nothing wrong with earning extra money! We can barely pay rent with our current salaries!"

"But Y/n, they're taking literal pictures of your body and posting it on the internet! Are you okay with that?"

"It sounds like you're jealous now!"

"I'm not jealous! You'll turn into a prostitute if you take that modeling job!"

"Is that how you think of me?" you exclaimed. "Some sex slave? You're disgusting, Nishimura Riki! I never expected you to say something like that!"

"You know I'm right, Y/n."

You didn't have anything else to say. You heard your phone ringing in your back pocket and took it out, reading the Caller ID: it was an unknown number. You scooted back your chair and stood up.

"I have a phone call to take," you said. "I'm going to bed afterward."

You walked to the bedroom and closed the door, locking it. Your phone was about to stop ringing when you finally answered. "Hello?"

"Y/n, hey! It's me, Park Sunghoon! How are you?"

"S-Sunghoon?" you stammered. "How did you get my number?" "Don't worry about that, sweetheart; I have my ways." the man chuckled. "Anyways, have you made your decision yet?"

"My decision?"

"Your decision to model, of course! Remember our conversation from this morning?"

Sunghoon sounded excited, waiting patiently for your answer. However, Riki's conversation still echoed in the back of your head. You still couldn't believe he called you a prostitute.

But the thought of extra money was still there. What's wrong with earning more money? It will come in handy for the future.

"Hello, Y/n? Are you still on the line?"

You jolted back to the present. "Yes, sorry. Sunghoon, I will do the modeling job."

"Really? That's great! Thank you for considering it, Y/n! What time are you free tomorrow?"

"Um, around noon, I think. The same time we met today."

"Excellent! Tomorrow let's meet at noon at the same cafe as today. We have some stuff to go over."

"Okay then. Thank you, Sunghoon; I have to go now."

"No, thank you, Y/n. See you tomorrow!" Then Sunghoon hung up the phone.

Right when the line hung up, there was a knock on the door. "Y/n, are you still awake?"

It was Riki.

You didn't say anything. You walked to the door and slowly opened it, peeking through the crack. There stood your husband; it looked like he was crying. His face lit up when he saw yours. "Y/n, I'm sorry I yelled at you and said those things. I'm sorry I called you a prostitute as well. I'm just tired from a long day at work. You don't need to forgive me now; I understand. If you want, I can sleep on the couch."

"No, you don't need to," you said, fully opening the door. "I'm tired too. How about we both go to bed?" Riki smiled somberly. "Yes, I'd like that."

You gently grabbed his arm and pulled him inside the bedroom, closing the door. Riki pulled back the duvet and motioned you to lay down first. You did, and he followed, pulling the duvet over you two. You were both still in work clothes, but that didn't matter now. Riki wrapped his arms around you, and his hands went under your shirt and onto your stomach.

"You're not doing the modeling job, right?" Riki asked, whispering. You swallowed, nodding your head. "Yeah. I'll call Sunghoon and tell him no tomorrow. Can you turn off the lamp?"

A sickening pit appeared in your stomach. You wondered if this was the first time you ever lied to Riki.

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Was Riki wrong to say those things? Was Y/n wrong to take the job? Are they both in the wrong?
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