A Second Night with a Top Star (1)
Without even a moment to settle his racing heart after that shocking revelation, Park Siwoo stepped out of the bathroom. First things first — he needed to deal with the obstacle waiting right in front of him.
The door clicked open. The instant he stepped out, he felt a gaze lock onto him.
Isakawa Mio sat perched on the edge of the bed, staring straight at him. She wore a white blouse with a scooped neckline and ruffled trim, looking thoroughly unadorned. There was an unblemished clarity about her that he'd never felt from Lee Yena or Seol A-yeon — probably because she'd spent her entire life devoted to nothing but her studies. You could tell just from her phone. Unlike most people her age with their iPhones, she used a Samsung. He would have bet she didn't even have Instagram.
"Have you made up your mind?"
She asked it quietly as Park Siwoo approached. One hand was tapping restlessly against the blanket, a little anxious.
She really does like me, doesn't she.
She wouldn't be acting like this otherwise. Having made his decision, Park Siwoo spoke.
"I'll accept your sponsorship."
Mio's eyes went wide.
"R-really? Ho, hontoni keiyaku o suru no desu ka?"
She was so startled that Japanese came tumbling straight out of her mouth. Park Siwoo smiled faintly. She was supposed to be the one holding all the cards, and yet somehow he felt like he was the one in charge. The situation was rather enjoyable — a bit like raising an adorable child.
"Yes."
Park Siwoo nodded.
Mio sprang up from the bed. Her skirt flared with a dramatic flutter — she didn't seem to be wearing a slip, and a flash of something snow-white caught his eye.
There's a bunny printed on them.
Park Siwoo smiled awkwardly. Mio didn't seem to have noticed. Deciding not to mention it for her sake, he asked,
"How were you planning to handle the sponsorship?"
"Our foundation will provide the support. I'll send you the legal paperwork separately by email."
"Understood."
Park Siwoo nodded, then stood. Mio looked up at him, puzzled.
"You're leaving already?"
"Yes. Something came up at home. I'm sorry."
"No, if something came up, of course you should go. Did you drive here?"
"Yes."
"Then..."
A deep reluctance washed over her face — so much so that he could barely bring himself to take a step. Park Siwoo had no choice but to offer her something.
"Why don't you come by the company sometime soon? I'll have Neon Heart play for you."
And just like that, Mio beamed as if she'd never been sad at all.
"I'll definitely come."
"I'll be waiting. Thank you for today."
Park Siwoo bowed his head, then turned away. Right then —
"G-Guitar Hero!"
"Yes?"
"Aren't you taking the guitar and amp...?"
Park Siwoo looked at her, puzzled. Mio looked equally confused. She'd genuinely assumed he would take the guitar with him. When he smiled awkwardly, she pressed on.
"If it feels like too much, just think of it as part of the sponsorship. And..."
She flushed, speaking shyly.
"I'd love it if you used this guitar when you compose..."
"...Alright."
"That's a promise, okay?"
"I promise."
She was gifting him a seven-million-won instrument. How could he refuse? Park Siwoo nodded, and Mio smiled, satisfied, then made a phone call. Moments later, a group of people entered. A few words in Japanese — Park Siwoo knew enough of the language to catch them. They were to load everything into his car.
"Please, right this way."
Several attendants wrapped up the amp and guitar and carried them out. Mio waved as she saw him off.
"Go on home. I'll send everything over today, so please check your email."
"Alright, then."
And with that, Park Siwoo headed home.
He punched in the door-lock code and stepped inside. Lee Yena had been waiting for him.
"Welcome home."
As always, she came running out and took his bags. After setting the guitar and amp down carefully to the side, she crouched and neatly arranged his shoes the moment he stepped in.
"You don't have to do that."
"I like doing it."
The same exchange as always. Thinking that from now on he'd take his shoes off neatly himself, Park Siwoo said,
"I heard you went to the hospital. You said something serious had happened — are you very sick?"
At his question, Lee Yena smiled awkwardly.
"Were you worried...?"
Park Siwoo answered immediately.
"Of course I was. How could I not be, when you're unwell?"
"Oh my."
Lee Yena's cheeks flushed. Then she smiled shyly.
"When you say things like that, it makes my heart race even more."
Heh. She had no idea how much that text message had shaken him. Watching her laugh without a clue that his insides had been burning black with worry, he felt a flicker of irritation. And yet the moment he looked at her face, that simmering anger melted away, and his mood lifted right along with it.
She's so pretty you just have to look at her, huh.
Then again, she wasn't just pretty — she was the most beautiful woman in South Korea. Park Siwoo let out a long sigh.
"So you're not seriously ill, then?"
"No. It's nothing major. But..."
She rummaged through her pocket and pulled out something that looked like a pink stick, then carefully handed it to him.
"What's this?"
"Take a look."
At her words, Park Siwoo examined what he'd been given. This was...
A pregnancy test?
"Actually, my period was supposed to come a week ago, but it still hasn't. The hospital said it was acid reflux, but I figured I'd take a test just in case. And then."
He looked down at the test in his hand — and sure enough, two lines were showing.
Lee Yena gave a sheepish, almost foolish little smile.
"When we did it... was there a hole in it...?"
She'd said it lightly, but pregnancy was anything but a light matter. And this was Lee Yena — the most beloved woman in South Korea. The fallout would be enormous. More than anything, he was worried about what it would do to Yena herself. She was in the fresh bloom of her twenties, carrying the child of a divorced older man like him.
"Yena... is this real?"
"Yes... I think so."
He'd had a suspicion. Her symptoms had been identical to the early pregnancy signs he'd seen online. But to think it was actually pregnancy.
"Hah."
Park Siwoo drew a shaky breath and forced himself to sound calm.
"You only found out today, too?"
"Yes..."
"How long has it been since we were together?"
"About a month."
Then...
Park Siwoo spoke in a firm voice.
"We'll go to an OB-GYN first thing tomorrow."
"An OB-GYN?"
"Yes. We'll get a consultation for a termination, and having the procedure right away would be better for your health."
"Termination... meaning..."
"An abortion."
Lee Yena's eyes flew wide. It was a blunt way of putting it, and Park Siwoo didn't feel good about it either. But he truly was saying it for her sake — out of a sense of responsibility for having gotten her pregnant.
A female singer, pregnant.
And in her twenties, no less. It would absolutely devastate her career — especially given how many men in this country were in love with Lee Yena. How many celebrities had fallen from grace over a dating scandal?
Park Siwoo had feelings for her. Whether it was love or just affection, he wasn't sure. What he was sure of was that he couldn't stand the thought of her life being ruined because of him.
Lee Yena lowered her head, looking lost. Park Siwoo stepped closer to her. He was trying to think of something comforting to say when she spoke.
"Do I really have to get an abortion?"
"...I know it's frightening. But there's no other way. This was... an accident. You can't have my child."
The most realistic words he could offer were all he had. As he said this, Lee Yena clenched her fists.
"The way you say that... it sounds like you just don't want to take responsibility. For this."
Her voice was thick with unshed tears. Park Siwoo flinched.
"That's not it."
"Do you think my being pregnant is an obstacle?"
"No, Yena. I'm just worried about you."
If anything, he was recommending the abortion precisely because he wanted to take responsibility. A truly irresponsible man would have looked the other way until she gave birth.
Was sleeping with her in the first place already irresponsible?
Park Siwoo smiled bitterly. Then Lee Yena said,
"If you're worried, then take responsibility."
"I am taking responsibility. That's why I'm saying this."
"That's not what I mean. I want you to truly take responsibility for me."
Park Siwoo frowned. He raised his voice a little.
"What on earth are you saying? Are you actually telling me you'd have my child?"
She shouted even louder than he had.
"Yes!"
"What?"
Caught off guard, Park Siwoo let out a disbelieving laugh. Did I hear that wrong?
Right then, Lee Yena threw herself at him. Her full chest met his first, yielding against him, and then her lips found his. A soft, yielding sensation. Park Siwoo's eyes went wide. He tried to pull her away, but she had wrapped her arms tightly around him, and there was nothing he could do. And so he had no choice but to stay locked in a kiss with Lee Yena for some time.
"Phew."
After quite a while, when they were both running out of air, Lee Yena finally let go. Then, those big eyes sparkling, she looked up at him.
"I like you, Siwoo. So please take responsibility for me."
"Yena, really..."
Hah. Park Siwoo let out a sigh. Backing out now would be genuinely ridiculous.
"I'm the man you chose. A man who's been through a divorce."
"I know. And I know that's not all there is to you."
"You're really not taking no for an answer, are you?"
"Isn't that just how life is?"
"Hah."
Park Siwoo smiled, helpless.
I'm going to have to make a lot of money.
Satisfying the most beloved woman in South Korea wouldn't be easy.
For now, though...
Maybe I should start by satisfying her in bed.
Park Siwoo grabbed Lee Yena's arm and pulled her in.
"Kyah!"
Her small frame slipped right into his arms. Lifting her up just like that, Park Siwoo started walking — toward the bedroom.
The next day.
Park Siwoo got out of bed.
"Mm... Siwoo, are you up?"
Lee Yena's voice came from right beside him. He turned his head and saw the flushed nape of her neck, still tinged red. Only when he lifted his gaze a little further did her face come into view. She looked thoroughly exhausted, peering up at him through barely cracked eyes.
"I'm sorry. I should have made breakfast."
"Don't worry about it. Get some rest today."
He was the one who'd kept her up all night, after all. Park Siwoo pulled the blanket up over her bare shoulders so she wouldn't get cold, then slipped out of bed.
Cereal for the first time in a while.
Yena had always made breakfast for him. The fact that her absence felt this large probably meant he was already a goner.
How long has it even been since the divorce? Getting married again...
He'd talk about that once Yena was up. Park Siwoo turned on his phone as he ate his cereal. He wanted to check Neon Heart's ranking.
They're number one, obviously.
They'd been number one the last time he'd checked last night. Thinking that, he searched the charts with a light heart.
Then his eyes flew wide.
They dropped? To ENTRA?
ENTRA's track sat in the number-one spot with an overwhelming number of streams.
There's no doubt about it.
This was chart manipulation. Sajaegi.