Chapter 47: The Free Spirit Spies
Yoochun had been visiting Junghwa at the hospital whenever he could. He was worried for her safety and for her health. Even though Junghwa had only asked Yoochun to take care of her son, he felt that that was not enough. He felt useless, letting her solve the problem alone. Still, he couldn’t even help her if she refused to talk about the incident. The days, thus, passed until Junghwa was released from the hospital.

Gina called to scream, “You lied! She’s going back to him! She’s meeting him!”    
 “Wh-what?” Yoochun stammered in the early morning.
“Junghwa is going to meet her husband this afternoon at Café Solar,” she blurted.
“I’ll be there,” Yoochun muttered. “I promise.”
“You better. I thought you said you’d take good care of her!”
Yoochun thought so too, that he would be able to protect her and her son. The issue was that Junghwa refused his assistance. What could he do when she guarded her past so stalwartly? Now, this seemed to be his opportunity to do what he did best, listen. Indeed, he became an eavesdropper. He purposely came around five minutes later than Junghwa’s expected meeting time. He had to sit either behind or in front of her table. Conveniently, the restaurant was configured with booths running across the side closet to the windows and round tables spread around the room.
Approaching the reception counter, he was greeted by a young waitress, who looked at him oddly, “Hi, table for one?”
Yoochun just bobbed his head. He didn’t want anyone to recognize his voice. Apparently, his voice was too distinct and as Jaejoong would say, it was partly croaky, a quarter deep, and another quarter soothing. When Yoochun had refuted Jaejoong’s proposition by saying that Rhett’s voice was similar to his own, Jaejoong insisted that Rhett’s was like a lullaby, while his was like a beaten up song that occasionally skipped a few beats.
Scanning the room, Yoochun found Junghwa at one of the booths, one spot away from the corner. He decided then that he would at the corner booth and spy from behind. During his stroll to his wanted seating area, he kept noticing the customers staring at him. He wondered if his disguise was actually attracting more attention. He thought he had the perfect look comprised of a black beanie, sunglasses, a surgical mask, a hoodie, a pair of sweat pants, and some runners. Casual wear was to seem normal. The accessories acted as his camouflage. The two complemented each other or so he thought. At least Junghwa didn’t recognize him as he took a seat a booth away from her. He didn’t want his back behind her. He wanted to be opposite of who she was about to meet, so he could actually see the person’s face.
He wasn’t sure how long he had waited, but by the time that Junghwa’s guest arrived, Yoochun was fidgety. His right knee was intensively shaking up and down. That was his trademark for anxiety, one that Jaejoong, Rhett, and Changmin despised. Changmin would always say that this was related to Parkinson’s. Jaejoong would just slap Yoochun’s knee and Rhett would just gawk at Yoochun’s mistake. Although Yoochun had attempted to break this habit, he could never stop when suffering from sheer nervousness. His fretfulness only strengthened at the sight of Junghwa’s visitor. The man was tall and athletic. He had broad shoulders and even when he wore a suit, it was evident that this man frequently worked out. His biceps were almost bulging from the dress shirt.
What made Yoochun even more uncomfortable were the man’s attire and his face. The man wore black from head to toe, making him resemble an agent. His expression was solemn, accentuated by his black framed glasses. His grey eyes were cat-like and sly since they curved upwards. His nose was upright and straight. When Yoochun caught a glimpse of the man’s pale skin, he was reminded of Sanghyun. Sanghyun and this man shared that unhealthy paleness.     
“You’ve decided to come to me this time?” The man heartily chuckled after he sat across from Junghwa.
Junghwa uttered, “I didn’t exactly have a choice.”
“You always had choices. You just never made the right ones.”
“I thought you’d help,” she retorted, “but who knew you changed?”
“Don’t fucking tell me about changes! You’re the fucking one that changed!”
“You’re still mad at me?” she croaked. “I wanted what was best for my son.”
“You mean, our son,” he corrected.
“How’d you—“
He laughed again. “One look at him and I knew he was mine.”
“Why would you hurt him then?” She now sobbed. “Why would you hurt my Sanghyun?”
So, this man must have been the one that hit Sanghyun, Yoochun thought.
He didn’t answer her question at all. Instead, he posed, “Why would you marry Minhyuk then?”
 Yoochun was not completely confused. He thought this man was the one that she married. Gina had told him that she was meeting her husband. Wasn’t he her husband? Nothing was making sense.
“He was always there for me,” she finally explained. “Where were you when I needed you? And then . . . you took him away. You destroyed our lives!”
How did he destroy their lives? Who was Minhyuk? Who was this man then? There were too many questions to ask, but there was not a time to ask them.
“Don’t blame me for his weak self and I don’t think we’re here to discuss such things. Now, I know you’re here to see what I have to offer you, so I’m giving you two choices. You either stay with me or Sanghyun stays with me.”
Yoochun couldn’t see Junghwa’s visage, but he knew that this would probably be the hardest decision in her life. Yoochun could only assume that staying with that man was equally as traumatizing as leaving Sanghyun. Whatever choice would ultimately wound her. Perhaps, that was the man’s intention. What Yoochun couldn’t understand was the reason for this man’s purpose. The man was Sanghyun’s biological father. Who would want to harm the family’s relationship?
Silence persisted, which meant that Junghwa was still contemplating. Impatient as the man seemed, he still waited for her reply. “I . . .” She began to choke up. “I’ll go with you, but you have to promise to let Sanghyun go.”
“Of course. A deal is a deal. I will pick you up tomorrow at your place.”
“Okay,” she mumbled.
Then, the man paid the bill and left. Before Yoochun could approach Junghwa, a waitress asked, “Would you like a refill for your coffee?”
“Sure,” he accidentally answered.
Then, she turned her head around and glared. “Yoochun? What are you doing here?”
“I . . . I can explain,” Yoochun stammered.
“Gina called,” Yoochun commenced his explanation. “She said you were meeting with your husband and that I had to follow you here.”
No matter how bizarre the truth sounded, he was determined to explain everything. If he were completely truthful, then there was a possibility that she would be too.
“I didn’t mean to listen, but I couldn’t exactly interrupt your conversation,” he hopelessly uttered. “And I also wanted to see Sanghyun’s dad. I just, j-just can’t understand why he would leave you or why . . . what, What is going on?”
Junghwa didn’t dare make eye contact with Yoochun as she relentlessly remarked, “Just take care of Sanghyun for me until I come back. I already know what I have to do. You just need to do your part.”
“No,” Yoochun said, “you have to tell me first what’s going on. Who is Minhyuk? Who is that man you were just speaking to?”
“Didn’t you hear? The man who was just here is Sanghyun’s father,” she reminded. “All I can tell you is that his name is Jisung. Don’t ask any more questions, Yoochun. It’s better for you to be clueless.”
He didn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed to know. He didn’t care about his own safety. He just wanted to know the truth to protect Sanghyun.
“What about Sanghyun? You’re just going to leave him like that? You’re not even going to say goodbye to him?” he urged. “What am I going to say to him?”
“Tell Sanghyun that I love him and because I love him, I have to go away. Tell him that I promise to be back for him,” she muttered before departing, “and Yoochun . . . don’t ever follow me again. You’re only going to hurt yourself and Sanghyun. Jisung has a way with everything.”
There had to be a way to solve this enigma, Yoochun thought. He just needed to be patient and cooperative for now.