Capítulo 12: Make A Decision
As they descended towards the exit, Yuanwei began asking the young woman about what she planned to do with the child.
"You're definitely not giving him away?"
"No. This morning, I called a counselor; she told me I wasn't obligated. I will undergo a morality examination to check if I meet the criteria to keep Taeyang, and if so, I will be recognized as his guardian if he doesn't find his family."
"Do you really want to keep a child?"
"Yes."
Yuanwei chuckled.
"Why? Do you want to jeopardize your life as a young woman to take care of a kid? Do you know what kind of sacrifices it will demand in case he turns out to be an abandoned child?"
"I know. And for him, I'm willing to sacrifice my youth, my sleep, and my peaceful life. Everything, and if I do it, it's because his eyes tell me he needs me."
"His eyes," Yuanwei said, unconvinced.
"Hm. I know, I sound crazy saying it like that, but it's the truth. And if you try to look at him, not with your eyes but with your heart, you would understand. People like us need to be listened to with the heart, you know?"
Yuanwei turned his gaze towards her, wondering what Pingguo meant by "people like us." In what way were they different?
When they were closer at the university, as far as he could remember, despite Pingguo always being the more talkative of the two, the young man never had the true impression of knowing his friend. Pingguo never talked about her family; the subject didn't interest her. But she went through difficult situations alone without even contacting her parents, who were alive and well. Yet, Pingguo never sought help from any of them. Their relationship was complicated, and the young woman didn't talk about it.
Sometimes, he used to ask such questions about Pomme Oya. Questions she would never answer because, like now, Yuanwei avoided asking her. The time when they were close was long behind them, and they couldn't go back. So Yuanwei ignored it, let the usual silence between them linger, and kept his curiosity about his secretary's resentment quiet. He knew nothing about her, and vice versa. Things were better that way; they didn't want it to change.
When they reached the parking lot, Pingguo stopped in front of the door. From a distance, she could see him and his beloved car. Knowing him, Yeongwon had surely waited until his partner finished work to take her home. It was the first time he had acted like this, and Pingguo felt her heart beating rapidly. She was shaken, didn't know what to think. Was it another trick on his part to re-enter her life, or had he truly changed? In any case, whatever the answer, she wasn't ready to hear it today. She had Taiyang in hand and hadn't explained the situation to him yet, so she absolutely couldn't see him tonight.
"Yah," called Yuanwei, "aren't you going home?"
"Y-Yes! Drive me, please."
"No, you can handle it."
Pingguo Yuanwei caught up and clung to his arm; he couldn't abandon her today. Her boss was her last hope, otherwise, she might burst into tears. Yuanwei turned around annoyed, but seeing Pingguo's teary eyes, he changed his mind. He didn't understand her sudden mood swing, but in any case, he knew she wouldn't give up. He let go and walked towards his car, followed by the young woman who tried her best not to be seen. She placed Taiyang properly in the back, wanted to sit in the back, but the driver refused.
"Please, just for today."
But Yuanwei didn't want to hear anything; his day had already been bad enough. His decisions were irrevocable most of the time.
"No, I'm not your chauffeur. Either you sit in the front, or you figure it out."
"Aren't you even ashamed of being cruel to a little baby," she muttered.
Pingguo, against the wall, was forced to accept, risking alerting Yeongwon. She walked with a bowed back, opened the door, and sat down. Then Pingguo took out a scarf and her glasses and put them on. Yuanwei said nothing; it was probably just another one of her crazy episodes. He got in and started the car, and suddenly a beep echoed in the car.
"What's wrong," asked Pingguo, worried, "is it a gas problem?"
"Impossible, I filled up yesterday."
Yuanwei checked around to find the issue and finally found it. He leaned abruptly towards Pingguo, and she stiffened immediately. She held her breath; she could see his irises, now maintaining eye contact with her boss. Yuanwei had icy brown eyes, translucent, beautiful. The breath Yuanwei blew on her cheek made the young woman shiver; the scent of his boss's perfume filled her lungs. Pingguo's only reflex at that moment was to close her eyes. Suddenly, the beep stopped, and the young woman opened her eyes because she no longer felt that oppressive presence near her. Yuanwei looked at her, stoic.
"Yah, idiot. What did you think I would do? You hadn't fastened your seatbelt," he explained.
"Ah..."
"'Ah,' sheesh! You really have a problem."
Yuanwei grimaced, then decided to leave the parking lot. Once her thoughts were collected, Pingguo tried to explain her strange reaction, but only she wanted to hear it. Pingguo talked so much that she got tangled up in her own words; her own thoughts confused her.
During the ride, Pingguo told Yuanwei, though he was not very interested, about her cohabitation with Taiyang. The atmosphere was light-hearted until Yuanwei turned into the street where his secretary lived.
"No," she said in a neutral tone. "I'll sleep elsewhere today; drop me off in Area C, please."
"Why don't you want to go home? Is there a problem?"
"Uh, y-yes! I have a leak in my ceiling, and I'm afraid it might cause damage, so I'm going somewhere else until it's fixed."
"Ah, okay. And where do you plan to sleep? Do you have a friend there?"
No, in fact, Yuanwei didn't know, but her sister lived in that area. Her elder sister, Agnes Wu, and she had lived apart. Agnes had grown up with their maternal aunt after she had a falling out with their father when she was a teenager. Since that day, Agnes never returned home, and her younger sister held it against her for that reason. She grew up feeling abandoned by her sister, her parents, everyone. Pingguo didn't really know Agnes before coming to Beijing, and since then, they had tried to get along as best they could, maintaining a rather stable relationship.
Divorced from an abusive marriage, Agnes had gotten closer to her younger sister for that reason. Pingguo had hosted her and supported her until she recovered from that difficult ordeal, and later, Agnes supported her sister when she got involved in her toxic relationship with Kim Yeongwon.
"Yes... Yes, there is someone I know who lives in the area. She's lending me her guest room for a while; it's fine."
Yuanwei glanced in the rearview mirror; Taiyang was fast asleep. Then he looked at Pingguo; he didn't know her well enough to know she was lying. When she lied, Pingguo pulled on her clothes or twiddled her thumbs, avoiding eye contact with her interlocutor, doing so every time, to cover up her shopping sprees during the day instead of performing bureaucratic missions. Yuanwei was aware of it, yet he said nothing and obeyed the young woman. He didn't ask her why she lied or why she refused to go home. For Yuanwei, it was her private life, and she could handle it as she saw fit.
When Yuanwei dropped her off in an alley, Pingguo waited for him to turn into the next street to go to her destination. She entered a residence and went up to the second floor. Before she could even ring the bell, her sister's apartment door swung open wide.
"Oya, finally! I thought you weren't coming anymore," her sister exclaimed desperately, jumping into her arms.
"How did you know it was me?"
"I was doing my nails by the window when I saw you get out of your cute boss's car. By the way, isn't he looking for good company?"
The young woman rolled her eyes and replied, tired of repeating herself, "I already told you he was born in the same cradle as a girl named Seo-jun or Seohin, I'm not sure. "
The young woman passed her sister to enter and went to collapse on her comfortable sofa. Agnes was so absorbed in the conversation that she hadn't even noticed the baby seat her sister was holding. Agnes let out a cry of horror and rushed to the seat. Several times, she touched the sleeping baby to make sure it was really human.
"What have you done again," asked the elder sister, "don't tell me you had a kid with that psycho... wait, we talked just two weeks ago. You didn't look pregnant; how is this possible?"
"Because this is not my baby. Well, I carried him in my heart, and I plan to raise him. Big sister, meet Taiyang, soon to be Oya."
Agnes was lost by her sister's words, so the young woman told her the course of events. She expected nothing less from her younger sister; this kind of crazy and improbable story suited her well. And as she was, it was obvious that she would make such a decision. More than her elder sister, Pingguo was the more sensitive of the two sisters. She was a liberal-minded teenager, and for her, every life deserved to be protected. She thought with her heart, so faced with the abandonment of a poor infant, she could only decide to keep him.
"Tell me one thing," said her elder sister calmly.
"Yes, what?"
"Are you crazy?"
"Agnes..."
"Idiot! Do you realize the decision you're making? Listen well, you're almost thirty, you're single, and all you find to do is keep an abandoned kid. Tell me, who's going to marry you with this kind of story in your bag?"
"But... but I couldn't abandon him; I couldn't! Look at him; he's all alone in the world."
"Yes, and so what? Are you Mary, the mother of the disadvantaged children? Wake up a little; maybe his mother abandoned him to have a quiet life and get married without children!"
"Big sister," Pingguo asked, intrigued. "So, you think Taiyang is like... a youthful mistake?"
"Of course! The world is a jungle, and only fresh game is hunted, not one that has already been worn out by a thousand births. Now, the nuclear family is in vogue; people don't want to raise ungrateful bastards who will end up stealing their pension!"
"Taiyang is not a bastard, watch your mouth!",the youngest pouted, nuzzling her sister's shoulder.
"Ouch, you crazy bitch, you have no respect, I'm your eldest!", the eldest shouted while massaging the painful area.
"Yes, well Taiyang is my baby, and I urge you to respect him and not use such hurtful words towards him."
Agnes observed the little one, she finally felt guilty.
"OK! sorry, baby Taiyang."
"That's better", congratulated Pingguo.
Agnes always brought the logical side into her younger sister's life. Since she hadn't been there for her in their youth, the elder sister tried her best to be there for her.
"Big sister," Pingguo inquired, outraged, "what should I do now?"
Agnes lost patience; she pretended not to understand. The eldest gave her a hit in the middle of the head and started her blame again, in a loud tone.
"Orphanage, idiot!"
Pingguo opened her mouth slightly.
"I can't! Look how small Taiyang is. He needs love, care, and happiness. Have you ever seen anyone happy in an orphanage?"
Agnes looked at her, exasperated. Pingguo had prepared her defense well. She didn't intend to hand over this child, even if it meant giving up so much. But the young woman understood her reaction. In fact, Pingguo saw in Taiyang a way to avenge her past. Pingguo and she had a difficult family life, but now fate gave her the chance to offer a rejected child like her the happiness she couldn't have before. Agnes sighed, then she took Pingguo's hands in hers.
"Listen, little girl, this kind of thing is not a game. Right now, Taiyang is small, but he will grow up. A child is a whole process. His health, his education, his future... everything has to be planned. Do you understand?"
Pingguo looked her sister straight in the eyes, nodded, and smiled.
"Yes, I understand. But I know deep down, things will go well for Taiyang and me. I'll work hard to build him up, little by little. And you know," she lowered her head, "there are some unworthy parents who spoil their gift, but these children still become stable individuals. Look at me, for example!"
Agnes looked sadly at her sister, aware that this story might not necessarily promise the best.
"And your psychopath boyfriend, does he know? I know men like Kim Yeongwon, and I know you'll eventually make a decision. You understand what I mean, right?"
The two sisters looked at each other, letting their eyes speak for them.
"Making a choice..."
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