Broken Glass

The lovers heavy panting echoed off the bedroom walls, the passion and excitement vibrated in the air and possibly could be felt in the next apartment over.

For those neighbors who if by any chance heard what was going on next door, above or below, it probably wouldn’t raise any eyebrows. However if they saw the man who entered the apartment, then perhaps a red flag would shoot straight up.

The young woman who co-owned this apartment was currently in the arms of a man who couldn’t call this place home. Although the man frequented the apartment enough his name wasn’t on the deed.

Min-ho couldn’t even afford a cardboard box offered in Gangnam let alone a penthouse condo. He lived in a poor neighborhood in Yeongdeungpo. Maybe a block or two away from the red light district. The man his lover was married to though could afford two units in Gangnam, one in Japan, a townhouse in London, and then a penthouse in New York.

Kim Jong-hyun was the CEO of a successful business conglomerate; he was able to keep his wife Eun-seo in the lap of luxury. She had beautiful clothes, exquisite jewelry, and two luxurious cars. Min-ho was slightly jealous not because of the material items, but because he hadn’t been the one to buy these outstanding gifts for this wonderful woman.

While Eun-seo assured him that his financial status meant little to nothing to her, he still felt slighted.

She never divulged much information about Kim Jong-hyun; he didn’t know if he treated her poorly emotionally or physically, he wasn’t sure if their marriage had been arranged or for love. His lover wouldn’t say much. Which made him curious. He also pushed it away as her way of being cautious.

The only thing Min-ho did know for certain was that the bigshot CEO was rarely home to keep his wife company.

Eun-seo was most definitely lonely otherwise she would have never had such a long lasting affair with him.

It had been three months since they met at the hotel he worked for. Of course she had been a radiant beauty that night smiling on the arm of her young successful husband. She caught his eye the instant she walked in to the lobby.

Her smile was beautiful and her laughter infectious.

She and her husband gave off the perfect image of happiness.

So why did she have another co-worker slip a piece of paper in to his hand that night?

He still did not know.

She didn’t talk about her marriage. She rarely opened up about anything that wasn’t a trivial interest. For example he knew that she liked the color lavender, her favorite animal was the snow tiger, she liked to play soccer when she had the time, and she loved hot chocolate with extra whipped cream.

He wondered if her husband knew these things too. It sent a little spark through his belly, he was most certainly jealous of the man. He didn’t know how lucky he was to have her.

Min-ho was quickly snapped out of his thoughts when a cell phone ringing a rather popular k-pop song pervaded the air.

He watched Eun-seo abandon his side quickly as she leapt for the cell phone in her purse. She rummaged through it like mad and when she finally found it her face lit up.

“Yeoboseyo?” she gasped in delight when the caller greeted her back, “Yeobo, I’ve been waiting for your call all night! How did everything go? Did the Lee group take the offer?”

The genuine happiness in her tone made Min-ho’s stomach churn. He thought for sure he could hear the sound of her love and affection in her voice, and it made him entirely jealous. She didn’t talk like that to him, she was affectionate sure but the tone of devotion never left her lips in regard to him.

He watched her get dressed again as she chatted on the phone about unimportant things to her husband.

Kim Jong-hyun wasn’t even here and she was acting if he were standing right next to her. Her hands moved wildly as she told him a joke he had never heard. Her face so bright when she smiled he thought it could blind a hundred men.

If her husband was so great then why was he here?

Why did she allow him to get between the obviously happy couple?

Anger swirled in his belly as she continued to talk to her husband. Before he knew it he was acting. He slid off the bed still sweaty and bare as he came to sit behind her on the leather chaise lounge. He kissed her neck and she moved away, ignoring his advances.

It only aggravated him further.

So this time when he kissed her neck he made sure to nibble so that it left a mark. It caused her to gasp so she made up a poor excuse of a shadow on the wall scaring her in to thinking someone was in the room with her. She turned back to glare at Min-ho as if he were evil incarnate.

“Yeobo go get some sleep alright?” she asked sweetly as she got up from the sofa to keep him away from her body, “Call me as soon as you get the chance.”

“Love you too.”

When the goodbyes came Min-ho smiled but frowned immediately when he noticed she wasn’t scolding him for his teasing.

“What was that?”

“I was just teasing…”
He tried to defend himself but she shook her head unhappily; was she actually upset?

“Do you have any idea what would’ve happened if Jong-hyun found out?”

“So what if he finds out?”

“What do you mean so what Choi Min-ho? Do you know how powerful my husband is? What he could do to the small ounce of happiness you have?”

“I don’t care.”

“Forgo your masculine pride for a moment Min-ho and think about the hospital your sick sister stays at…Kim Corporation has dealings with every medical supply company in this country. My Jong-hyun is a possessive man with no remorse for taking back what’s his and then some.”

The way she had spoken about Jong-hyun made Min-ho uncomfortable. His sister meant the world to him; he didn’t think that she was bluffing. He may have made a mistake in trying to one up her apparently very influential husband.

“Mianhae Jagiya,” he ran a hand through his dark locks, “I should have been more careful.”

Something in her demeanor changed rather quickly at his use of the endearment. Her eyes had become wide and her body incredibly still.

“Please don’t call me that.”

“Why not?”

Eun-seo swallowed thickly and she fiddled with her hands; a nervous tick he had learned she had.

“Min-ho I think we should end this before it goes any farther…”

She said almost as whisper but due to the silence in the room he heard it all too well.

“Mwoh?” Min-ho asked out of surprise and confusion.

“I don’t want you to get way over your head,” she sighed pulling her robe closer around her, “We have to end this Min-ho I’m sorry.”

His head was certainly reeling as he felt the world crashing down in front of him. He didn’t know what brought this on but he certainly knew this wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted her to choose him.

“Is it because of the money?” he asked her with no emotion, “If that’s the case I can get two more jobs or three—”

“That’s not it Min-ho.”

She gave him a small sad smile and began to gather his clothing for him.

“Then what is it?”

She shook her head in means of an answer but it didn’t satisfy him. The nod of a head was no reason to be breaking up with him. After three months of happiness he was blindsided.

“That isn’t an answer Eun-seo!” this time he snapped, “Was it something I did? Did your husband say something to you? Threaten you?”

“It’s not you,” she promised, “It isn’t Jong-hyun either.”

“Quit being so vague and tell me!”

Min-ho was normally a cool headed man but this woman had turned his world upside down. He didn’t understand how she could break up with him as if the past three months didn’t matter.

He stood from the chaise lounge only to grab her arms to keep her from fleeing.

“I don’t love you Min-ho,” she whispered softly after a moment of silence, “I love Jong-hyun and I can see in your eyes that you love me. I can’t let you develop any further feelings for me when I can’t give you what you need.”

His grip tightened on her arms to the point of where it was almost painful.

“What are you saying Eun-seo?”

She struggled to get out of his painful hold but once she did she recognized the danger and managed to grab her cellphone in case she needed to call security or her husband’s own forces.

“I’m sorry Min-ho but this was never supposed to be anything more than means to make my husband jealous.”

This seem to tip his tank from E to F real quick. He ran angry hands through his hair and it took every ounce of restraint in his body to keep from grabbing her and shaking her senseless.

“How can that be when a moment ago you were so cautious with him on the phone?”

“I didn’t want him to know that we’ve been sleeping together; you would be a dead man.”

“If you love this man like you claim then why me? Why lure me in to your trap?”

“It wasn’t supposed to have gone this far and part of that is my fault and for that I’m sorry,” she apologized sincerely, “I will make sure your sister remains in the finest care for my mistake.”

“Mistake?” he chuckled without humor, “I’m a mistake?”

Her eyes shifted away and she took a step back towards the bedroom door.

“I’m sorry but if you could leave discreetly as you have before…” she pointed to the door behind her when she took her leave for the bathroom locking herself in just in case.

Min-ho didn’t lose his cool he just got dressed and began to exit the room. He took a look over his shoulder before he stepped out of the condo for good.

He waited for the elevator to arrive at the top floor while he wallowed in his own self-pity. When the obnoxious bell dinged and the doors opened Min-ho was surprised to see a man in casual wear with his hair neatly gelled back, he was able to recognize the other’s man face from the photographs in the apartment he had just left.

He smirked at the man who looked surprised to see him too.

“Who are you?”

Kim Jong-hyun asked him of course suspiciously, his home was the only home on this floor.

The men switched positions coolly without touching, Min-ho was considering answering him with the truth but when Eun-seo’s warning echoed through his head he changed his mind.

“Nobody.”