She Is Pregnant With My Child.
Ji-Tae sat opposite his mother and Jin-A at the table they had reserved at the restaurant they always frequented.
He watched them as they discussed clothes and people. He almost laughed out loud when he recalled his plan to fool them.
He would have to show his mother that he was just as horrible as she was.
"Why are you smiling so broadly?" Jin-A asked, looking at him curiously.
"It's nothing. I just remembered something amusing," He answered as he ate.
"We must be so boring that you have the time to think of other things when we are right here in front of you," His mother responded in her usual cold manner.
"So what is this dinner about? We have been here for over an hour already, yet you've been making small talks," Ji-Tae said in an equally cold voice.
"We are here to discuss our engagement," Jin-A said with a smile. She didn't care much about the mother-and-son drama... All she wanted was to put her plans in motion as soon as possible.
"Our engagement? Really? You never cease to amuse me. Didn't you see my girlfriend yesterday?" Ji-Tae asked. He was grateful they had finally given him the opening he needed to prove his acting skills.
"Oh! That tramp? I saw her, alright. But she is insignificant," Jin-A said, waving it off like she was slapping off a fly.
"I take exceptions to you referring to the mother of my child in that manner," He snapped at her.
"Mother of your child?" Ji-Tae's mother, who had been watching them idly, suddenly sat up with a raised brow.
"Yes. She's pregnant with my child," He said with a smile.
"Are you saying this so that you can see what I'm capable of doing to her?" His mother asked, raising a hand to silence Jin-A from speaking.
"On the contrary, I'm saying this to avoid scandal. I can't marry her when someone else is pregnant with my child. I love my girlfriend, and she is the one I will marry," He said stubbornly.
His mother looked at him for a while. She could tell he was this way because he had a backup plan. Ji-Tae would never dare stand up to her in this manner without a plan. She wasn't going to fall into this trap by doing what he expected her to do. She was going to ruin his plan, whatever it was.
"Ok, I understand what you're saying. I'll love to see this girlfriend of yours. It seems like I'm the only one yet to meet her. Even Jin-A has seen her already," She said with an easy smile that suddenly made Ji-Tae nervous.
"Have your driver bring her over tomorrow. I would love to get to know her. Since the reason for the dinner has been put on hold, I'll be leaving now," She said, rising and signaling Jin-A to move with her.
Ji-Tae sat still after they had left. Why did he suddenly feel nervous? He had expected her to shout and threaten him. Maybe it was just the usual calm before the storm. He was very sure his mother wouldn't allow him to marry Min-Jung.
His plan was still in place. All he had to do was go home to Tan. He wouldn't tell Tan about his plan to use Min-Jung as a sacrifice for Nana; Tan would never allow him to do that. Tan was always too soft and too honest; since Tan was yet to meet Nana, he could make it seem like he was no longer with her instead.
That way, when he resolved everything, he could explain to Tan and ask for forgiveness. Tan was always forgiving; he had no doubt that Tan would understand after it was all over. These were some of the things people did for love anyway. He concluded as he left the restaurant in a lighter mood.
"Why did you ask to see his girlfriend?" Jin-A asked curiously. If there was something she had gotten to learn about Ji-Tae's mother within the last few days, it was that she wasn't one to give up easily.
"Don't worry your head about anything, my dear. I'll take care of Ji-Tae's mess," She said with a smile, patting Jin-A's hand.
"Do I have to be around for the meeting too?" Jin-A asked. She had plans of her own, she didn't care about Ji-Tae marrying any silly baby mama, but she was going to achieve everything she wanted before allowing him to do that.
"That's not necessary, trust me. I've got your back," Ji-Tae's mother said. She could tell Jin-A wasn't in love with Ji-Tae, but she couldn't tell why Jin-A was interested in Ji-Tae yet. She intended to find out about everything soon enough.
**********
Just when he had thought he was so close to finding her... Now he was back to square zero. It was even worse because now he knew Min-Jung wasn't even her real name. How was he supposed to find someone whose name he didn't know and whose picture he didn't have?
He slammed his palm against his forehead in frustration.
Min-Jung, who he had never met until today, had managed to screw up his life because of her stupid actions.
He exhaled deeply.
How was he even sure she had been telling the truth? Had she paid the lady before the job? No, that wasn't possible... she couldn't possibly be that stupid. That meant she had to have paid the lady after the job, which also meant she had to have had the lady's number to do that.
She must have lied to him; all he had to do was meet up with her and ask her again. This time he would pay more attention to her answers and body language, and God help her if he found out she had lied to him.
The sound of the doorbell brought him out of his musings. Oh, shoot! That must be Mi Cha; he had forgotten all about her... So much for being a protective big brother. He told himself, shaking his head as he went to open the door.