A Silent Lover

31. Epilogue: TaekWoon

It had been four months since the trial ended and all the media attention has thankfully finally died down. There are still issues that we face though; Imani continues to encourage JaeHyun to speak to his mother and get to know her, but he's been resistant to our talks of visitation.

I can't say that I blame him, but Imani worries that he'll never accept the other woman and her place in his life. But I reminded her often that Jae was still a kid; there would be plenty of time for them to become comfortable with each other. Giving him the space he needed was key; if we forced him then the gift she had given Kang would become the worst kind of punishment for them both. 

With our sudden exposure to the world while we had to maneuver through this difficult situation, a definite positive was that Imani's business has flourished in the months after our relationship had been made public. Now not only was she teaching students English, she also had several classes for foreigners looking to learn Korean.

Vixx as a whole had reached a new level of stardom that we just hadn't been able to get in the wider market before; people were curious who we were and inevitably the news brought them to our music.
While this was good for our pockets, the catalyst that was our adoption of Jae had hit the headlines hard and people were naturally curious about my wife and son as well.

The fact that Imani was so easily accessible through her work had fans and antis alike lining up outside her hagwon to catch a glimpse of her and myself as well. To combat this, I had done a stream on VLive and casually let it slip that I spent very little time at Imani's workplace.
Soon after that, foot traffic had decreased a considerable amount but public interest in us didn't wane as easily. Like Vixx's publicist had predicted, our popularity skyrocketed, and I was in particular demand for many months after our story had been told. 

Despite all the chaos and in the face of the many changes that had become a part of daily life, the one constant had been Imani's presence by my side. Inexplicably she wasn't fazed by her newfound fame, nor did it stop her from living as she had done before. If anything, she was more determined to be normal and for our home to remain the one place I could truly be myself. 

I was continuously amazed by her spirit and indomitable will. When it came to our happiness, Imani put all of us first. I was more confident than ever that I had picked the right woman to be with. But the hasty details of our marriage still lingered at the back of my mind. And with our first anniversary approaching all too quickly, I knew what I wanted to do. 

It was dark outside but twinkling lights lit up the outdoor eating space of one most popular restaurant in Seoul, the brand-new place specializing in Chinese dishes. I'd brought Imani here because I knew she was a fan of soup dumplings and today of all days, I wanted her in a good mood. The fare here was luxurious, but the atmosphere was semi-formal at best. In keeping with the feel, Imani was dressed casually but beautifully in a body-hugging plum dress, her hair curled into an effortless afro. I matched her in a deep burgundy dress shirt and slacks, both of which my wife had purchased in her attempt to see me in more colors. 

My palms were sweaty and I wiped them on my pants covertly, the motion reminding me of a long-ago coffee date where the same anxiety had kept me from having a decent conversation. I would probably always be shy offstage, but the woman sitting across from me embraced who I was in all forms, even back then when she'd agreed to be my girlfriend.

Almost a year later and she was my wife but thinking about the circumstances leading to our marriage had made me disappointed. I would never regret marrying Imani or adopting Jae when we did. But lately a small voice had been becoming louder in my head; I wanted a better affirmation of our love, one that was based purely on our feelings. And so here we were, and I was ready to propose to Imani again, this time with all the meaning we'd forgone before.