He started helping with the salad. He knew what he is doing. I braised the porkchops, the noise of the hot oil against the slab of meat is too distracting to keep our conversation going. After 15 minutes, I put the porkchop in the oven and put on the timer. He finished preparing the vegetables for the salad.
"We'll wait for another half an hour max. I hope you're not hungry yet…" I walked to the living room with my wine glass. He followed with the bottle of wine and his glass. I can feel the uneasiness of the atmosphere, right now. He is usually all expressive and touchy, especially that we haven't seen each other for a week. But right now, it seems that he is waiting for a chance to say something.
"I'm sorry. I did something." He blurted suddenly when we sat down. I looked at him in disbelief.
"Is it something that I will be angry about?"
"Probably."
"Which is?"
"I confessed to my family about the Namshin shares."
"…and so?"
"That day, when Har-ri and her parents were at the house, they came to give their support in exchange for either the engagement or my father's support to Congressman Park's mayoral race. It turned out Jae-yin didn't secure the 4% but our cousin Ae-rin did. And then they thought that the other remaining stocks was my uncle's doing."
He looked at me, waiting for some response. I just look at him, shrugged my shoulder to indicate that he can continue.
"So, I was so mad that I have to tell them about the shares. And naturally, they asked how I secured it…"
"So, you told them about our deal at Namesis?" I confirmed.
I thought it was the end of his confession. But I can feel from his sigh that there's a heavier information coming.
"There was a news that my dad found… so I needed to take a stand. I needed their support. And in order for them to understand my desperation, I have to tell them about you." Now, he's not making any sense.
"What about me?"
"About everything…."
For a while, I'm trying to let it sink in.
"Are you telling me, that in order to get your family's approval, you needed to tell them that I'm not poor? Is that it?!" I am feeling so offended.
"It's not like that…please understand."
"So, tell me in a way that I could understand…
The oven alarmed. Our food is ready. But it seemed that my appetite is no longer cooperating. How can I even start telling him about my father now, if his family cannot even accept me as I am, what will they do if they found out about my father?
"Let's eat first…" he went to the kitchen. I followed him.
"You know that I don't like being left hanging."
"So, we can talk while eating…"
"You talk…I listen. Isn't that how this works?" I reiterated.
"Are you willing to listen? Or you've already formulated your judgment?" he is also serious now.
"I'm listening…" I set the table.
Somehow, our arguments are usually this rational. We don't get into unnecessary bickering. Maybe, if there's an advantage of maturity and experience, is that arguments will become more of discussions to meet halfway.
"Just trust me on this…it's not like that. I needed to tell them so they will understand your situation. I needed their support, so we can get through it together…"
"If you keep being vague about this, how would you expect me to understand?"
"My father had been digging on your background. Somehow, he found out about your past. And your father's" he finally made sense. And I am now the one who cannot say anything.
He is looking at me. Trying to figure out my reaction. So, they know about my father?
"My father's past what about?" I wanted to know how much they knew.
"It seems that we really didn't meet because of pure coincidence, somehow fate let us meet because our life has been tangled long before that…"
"Your father used Ronel Fernandez as an alias when he came to work here in Korea. He was the same Ronel Fernandez that my aunt had children with…" he stated as straightforward as possible.
Should I tell him what I know? I'm staring blankly at him now. Unable to process anything else. So, how did his family take that information? Is that the support he asked from them?
"I have to tell my family about you, in order for them to understand that you can't possibly be entangled on whatever controversy that Namshin will have. And also, to explain to them about that rumor that you divorce your husband because of his money. They found out that your ex-husband has a business in Denmark and rumors had been going on about getting money out of the divorce etc… I needed their support, because from here on out it will get more complicated. And I don't want to have my family on the other side, fighting against them."
"Ok." I replied. I wanted to make this conversation more coherent in order to confess what I know.
"OK?"
"How did your family react about my father?" I wanted to make sure how they take the news, in order to decide if I could tell him about what I knew.
"Honestly, my dad is a little concerned at first because he is afraid of how the board will vote if they found out about that piece of information, especially if my uncle will get a hold of it. That's why I needed to tell them about the shares. That no matter what happened we already have the majority shares."