You Never Know [JIKOOK]

43. Dada

FLASHBACKS

"Are you sure about this, Hyena?" Her husband's voice was trembling, his eyes searching her face for any sign of hesitation. He had asked her this a hundred times before, but it felt different now. The weight of reality was beginning to crush him.

She nodded slowly, her heart aching. "We never truly loved each other, Jungwo. Not in the way that matters. You loved someone else from the start." Her voice was soft but resolute, trying not to show how broken she felt inside.

Jungwo's eyes widened in panic. "I-I can leave her. We don't need to divorce!" he blurted out, desperation lacing every word. His hands trembled slightly, as if the very idea of losing everything was too much to bear.

Hyena looked at him with sad, tired eyes and gave him a small, bittersweet smile. "We were too naïve, agreeing to this marriage when all we did was act out of responsibility. You married me because I was pregnant. It wasn't love," she said, her voice cracking slightly.

"Don't make it sound like it was a mistake!" Jungwo's voice rose, his chest tightening with frustration. His fists clenched as he tried to maintain his composure. He couldn't stand hearing her say that everything they had shared was wrong.

"But it was!" Hyena snapped, her voice finally breaking under the pressure. The room seemed to grow smaller as the tension between them thickened.

"Jimin wasn't a mistake, for fuck's sake, Hyena!" Jungwo's anger finally spilled over, his face red with emotion. "What we did before was wrong, but Jimin is the best thing that came from it. I won't call him a mistake!" His voice wavered, and for a moment, his anger turned to sorrow, his shoulders sagging.

Hyena's heart clenched painfully as she saw his face soften. She shook her head, unable to meet his eyes. Deep down, she knew he was right about Jimin, but that didn't change the reality. "L-let's just divorce," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Jungwo's chest heaved as he tried to hold back his emotions. "What about Jimin? Our son?" His voice cracked, and despite his attempts to stay composed, the desperation in his words was palpable.

"I could keep him. I'll take care of him," Hyena replied, though her voice betrayed the deep fear she carried inside. She tried to sound confident, but it was clear she was hanging on by a thread.

Jungwo chuckled darkly, shaking his head in disbelief. "Do you think I'll agree to that? You want a divorce? Fine. But you'll never take Jimin away from me. Never." His voice dropped, cold and deadly, as he glared at her, his hands shaking at his sides.

Hyena's lip quivered as she looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please, Jungwo... You can have anything you want, but not Jimin. He's my strength," she said, her voice breaking as tears welled up in her eyes.

Jungwo clenched his jaw tightly, his heart aching. "Why now, Hyena? Why, when everything was fine?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper, laced with sorrow. "I loved someone once, but I left her behind because Jimin became my priority."

Hyena turned away, her vision blurring as the tears threatened to spill. "You don't understand," she mumbled, her fingers trembling as she fought to keep her secret hidden. The tumor in her brain-the one that was supposed to have been removed-had returned, and it was growing. She didn't want him to know.

Jungwo's frustration grew, his confusion turning into anger once more. "Then make me understand!" he demanded, his voice cracking. "I don't want to divorce because I want to give Jimin the family he deserves. A complete family." His voice grew quieter, almost pleading now. His jaw tightened as he looked at her with tear-filled eyes.