HERE COME THE REGRETS

F I V E

Mingyu was drowning with the amount of papers in front of him – papers that needed to be reviewed before the stock review reports are presented in a couple of days. He rolled up his sleeves as he flipped the pages of what seemed like a fifty-page write up and corrected a few computations manually. It was his fool-proof method of rechecking the figures, and he has done this since he started working in the company for almost 2 decades ago.

He was in the middle of checking a graph when a knock on his office door was heard. Breathing exasperatedly, he answered. "Come in."

A head popped out of the hinges of the door with a small smile on his face; it was Seungcheol. "Hi Gyu, do you have a minute?"

How could he say no to his boss?

Seungcheol then came in as the door opened widely, following him was a married couple, wearing sleek black and white outfits, hands held as they both went in. They were had an impression on their faces that they weren't to be messed around.

Mingyu, stood from his desk and welcomed them with a bow. "Hello, good morning. I apologize for the bulk of papers, reports are coming in."

"That's fine, Gyu," Seungcheol said smilingly as he walked towards the desk. "This is Kwon Soonyoung and his wife, Jihoon. They inquired about time investments and savings, and they prefer not to just go on a teller from downstairs. So I thought you're the best man for this job."

"S-sure," he shrugged, feeling nervous as these slit-eyed couple looked like they could slash his throat without even saying a word. Immediately, he fixed the folders, piled them to one side, and asked the couple to sit on the chairs in front.

Seungcheol tapped the man's shoulder and said something before bidding Mingyu goodbye, leaving the latter with the couple.

"Before anything else, my name is Kim Mingyu," he stretched out his hand to them which they shook as well. "I am an account and investment specialist in SCJH. How can I help you?"

The man had a small smile on his face which eased Mingyu, "We read something online about your time investment and savings and we are a little interested about it." He turned to his wife who gave him a small smile despite of the stern look over her pretty round face.

"We would like to avail it for our children," the wife said, her voice floated softly among them. "I think it's time for us to give them something to do with their money and make use of them when they grow up."

"Sure," Mingyu bent down to get a couple of folders and explained to them the process and other things.

Jihoon, as she listened to Mingyu and his explanations, had memories flashed before her eyes. It was one of those times that she needed to be honest with her thoughts. She can be tricky with their business, she runs it like a bitchy boss and handles it like how a pro should; however, when it comes to her children, it was a different story. She becomes attentive, aggressive, and very dedicated, more dedicated than her money in the stock market. Their children were always considered as a top priority and she doesn't want anything second best near them; especially their eldest who they always considered a blessing.

This is why they choose SCJH; and this is why they are here in the large white and gray chromed office, discussing with the best plans for them, with the best person for the job, and that is Kim Mingyu.

She and Soonyoung have been married for over 20 years now. They were only both 18 years old when they were kicked out by their parents when Jihoon told them that she was already pregnant for 10 weeks. Jihoon implored to her boyfriend of two years, Kwon Soonyoung, about this dilemma in which he bravely faced. Soonyoung was the son of a fisherman; having to live in a small house with barely enough space for them to juggle things inside was not what she expected, considering that her parents were both accomplished engineers and given her the best of everything under their care. When Soonyoung ran to his parents for refuge, they gave him a cold shoulder. Instead, they gave him a small amount of money to support their living, but after that there was nothing more they could give. Shortly after Jihoon's transfer to Soonyoung's, she experienced of what looked like a sharp pain on her lower abdomen. She thought it was just something normal any pregnant woman would experience, so she paid it no mind. But as hours passed by, the pain progressed until it was almost unbearable and slowly, she saw warm blood trickling down her inner thighs. She knew she needed help, trying to call Soonyoung, but he was still in University, in the middle of his final exams for the first term. All alone, she went to the hospital, bleeding herself to near death and praying that she and her baby would be alright.