Happily ever after.
Most fairy tales end with that one simple sentence.
But no one has ever written about what happens after the prince & princess get married. About what happens after the magical wedding kiss.
Will they still live happily as husband & wife?
Will they love each other forever?
Will their life be free of conflict & fights because they just simply love each other so much?
My life was once a fairy tale. I married the love of my life after our pure love conquered all obstacles.
However, life began to throw pebbles at us. Then, boulders. And without us even knowing, our supposedly undefeated love had been trampled into non-existence by the harsh reality.
So much for a fairy tale ending.

I sigh deeply as I observe our wedding picture. We look so happy, our eyes are so full of love for each other. The euphoric expression on our faces shows our high hopes for the future.
Catching a glimpse of my own reflection at the corner of my eyes, I look up at the mirror. I stare at my bloodshot eyes, heavy eye bags, & disheveled hair with disgust. I try to smile but it only deepens my repulsion. Wrinkles have begun to form on my smile lines & around my eyes. Gone are the sparkles in my eyes & the youthful glow on my face.
I look like a sad ajumma.
The sound of baby wailing wakes me up from my daze.
"Ne (Yes) Jisung ah, eomma is here!" I instantly put down the picture frame & rush to the baby's room.

A few hours later
The sun is shining so brightly today.
My face is drenched with sweat as I carry the crying baby in one hand & grocery bags in my other hand.
"Jisung ah, eomma will make your favorite porridge when we get home ok?" I coo to the baby, his cheeks flushed possibly from the heat.
Right then, I hear people whispering beside me. I turn sideways & see a bunch of female college students glancing my way. Their gaze isn't pleasant.
Suddenly feeling self conscious, I look down at my attire of worn-out long floral skirt & plain old white T-shirt with a medium-sized brown spot visible on the chest area. I wipe the stain with my thumb but it won't come off, so I awkwardly hold the baby higher to cover up the spot.
The students giggle as they walk pass me & I catch a phrase that gets stuck in my head for the next few hours.
Pitiful.
I try to shrug it off, but inevitable regret creeps out from the deepest part of my heart.
I would be one of them too if I didn't choose this path.
"Mm-ma. Mm-ma." Jisung's call diverts my attention.
"Oh sorry, eomma is spacing out. Let's go home Jisung ah." I force a smile to comfort him, although I'm pretty sure that he doesn't even know that I'm upset.
The sun shines so brightly, but it can't chase away the gloom that seems to be following me all the time.

Night
The baby has been crying for a few hours now. His fever won't come down despite the cold patch I've stuck on his forehead.
"Jisung ah, what's wrong? Tell eomma oh? Why are you like this?" I ask in panic as I hold him in my arms, but that only irritates him even more.
"Baby, stop crying. Please. What do you want? Are you hungry? I'll heat up the porridge for you ok?"
I put Jisung down & rush to the kitchen. I frantically turn on the stove & grab a pan from the cabinet. Accidentally, my elbow bumps into the hot water bottle during the process.
"Ow!" I yelp as the hot water burns the back of my hand, leaving a deep red splotch on my skin.
The pain is unbearable, but Jisung's sudden loud cry makes me hurry back to his crib. His face is flushed & he's sitting in a puddle of his own vomit.
"Omg Jisung ah, why are you like this?" Ignoring the pain on my hand, I immediately hold him in my arms but he still won't stop crying.
Feeling helpless, I finally go to my last resort. I grab my phone & dial up a number.
My husband, Jimin's number.
"Come on pick up." I fidget impatiently waiting for him to take the call.
"What's wrong? I'm busy right now." He says as soon as he picks up.
"Jisung is very sick. I don't know what to do, can you please come home?"
He doesn't say a word for a few seconds, making me think that the call has disconnected.
"Jimin ah?"
"I'm sorry I can't. I'm still accompanying a client now. Go figure it out on your own." He coldly says.
"What? Your son is sick! Isn't he more important than your client?!" I can't believe that he can be so heartless towards his own child.
Then, I hear it. The unmistakable sound of a woman in the background calling his name.
"Where are you?" My heart has gone cold instantly.
"Y-You don't need to know. I need to go now."
"Park Jimin if you dare to end the call-" I don't even get to finish my sentence because he's turned off his phone.
My lips whimper & my body feels numb. Tears roll down my cheeks but I wipe it off quickly.
"It's ok Jisung ah. Abba is busy, let's go to the hospital with eomma ok?" I try to stay calm for the sake of my baby. However, I can feel that my heart is slowly dying inside. The last petal of hope for my future with Jimin has fallen to the ground. Dead & irreversible.

Jimin POV
"Jimin ah, who is it?" The middle-aged woman calls out to me.
"Ah it's my manager. Sorry, you were saying..?" I quickly put my phone inside my trousers pocket, ignoring the guilt tugging at my chest.
"I was saying that after much consideration, I'll accept your proposal. You can start drafting an agreement tomorrow." The slur in her words indicates that she's already tipsy.
"Really? You're not bluffing, are you Director nim?" I excitedly exclaim as I pour her another glass.
"Of course not. How can I lie to such a cute guy like you?" She leans forward & pinches my cheek.
Her pointy nails dig into my face, making my skin crawl in disgust, but I plaster a constant smile on my lips.
"Aigoo, thank you so much Director nim. My manager will be very happy to hear the good news."
"Just so you know, I'm doing this because of you." She bats her eye lashes flirtatiously & leans even closer to me, invading my personal space. Her alcohol-laden breath blows over my face & the urge to cover her face with one of the sofa pillows is so strong that I have to clench my fists to control myself.
"T-Thank you Director nim. I'll never forget your kindness." I scoot slightly away from her, but she grabs my thigh & follows suit.
"I don't need your gratitude Jimin ah. You know what I want.." She trails off as she bites her lower lip.
The sight of it makes me gag, but my manager's words this morning flash in my mind.

Flashback
"Jimin ah, I can't be lenient to you anymore. The others are complaining. I need to let you go." He said.
"Please, hyung. Don't do this to me. How can I feed Jisung & Y/n if I lose this job? Please hyung, I'll make sure to secure this deal with Kang director nim." I pleaded.
"Ya, don't play the pity card on me. I feel sorry for Jisung & Y/n too, but I don't own this company Jimin ah. I can't keep looking out for you forever." He sighed deeply.
"Please give me one more chance. If I fail this, you can fire me." I clasped my hands together & bowed my head at him.
"Huh.. Alright fine, I'll give you one more chance. If you blow it again, I don't have a choice."
"Thank you so much hyung. I promise I won't disappoint you this time."
"You shouldn't have quitted back then. You were doing so well. If you hadn't quitted, you wouldn't have to suffer so much.."
"Thank you for your concern hyung, but I made my decision. And my family is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I have no regrets." I cut him off & smile confidently.
"Yeah yeah, love conquers all & all that shit. Just make sure you don't blow it again this time."
"Nee (Yes) hyung! I'll get going first." I bowed at him & exited his office.
My smile gradually turned upside down into a frown.
You shouldn't have quitted back then..
His words got inadvertently stuck in my mind. I shook my head trying to get rid of the thought. Hastily, I fished out my phone & looked at the photo on my lock screen. A picture of me, Y/n & Jisung at his one month's party, all smiling happily.
I did the right thing. I made the right choice.
I repeated the mantra over & over so that I could make my heart believe in it again. However, in all honesty, I would have chosen differently if I could turn back time.

Present
"I don't need your gratitude Jimin ah. You know what I want.." She trails off as she bites her lower lip.
"Director nim.. I-" I'm beginning to accept my fate that I have to sacrifice my integrity for this deal when suddenly the door swings open with a loud bang.
"Kang Bokju! Is this what you've been doing all this time?! Playing with a boy toy behind my back?!" The short chubby old man shouted at us, the blueish green veins on his neck popping dangerously.
"Chagiya! Why are you here? It's not what it looks like. I was just talking business with this young man." Kang director immediately stands up & rushes to the man's side.
"Business?! What business?! The way I look at it you & that bastard are about to do it before I walked through the door! Have you no shame?! Don't you remember how old you are?!" He becomes even more hysterical with each word.
"S-Sir, please calm down. Like she said, this is all a misunderstanding." I step closer to him & try to explain.
A heavy fist suddenly lands on my right cheek, making me stumble backwards & crash onto the table, knocking all the bottles & glasses down.
"That's for flirting with my wife! What kind of man sells his body for money?! You are a disgrace for men." He spits on me.
Kang director gasps in shock at the scene & frantically pulls her husband away.
"Chagiya let's go now. We'll talk at home ok?" She tries to soothe her angry husband.
Then, she takes out her wallet, pulls a few fifty-thousand won bills & puts them on my hand.
"I'm so sorry. Please take this money for the hospital bills & forget about this incident, ok?" She hastily says.
"W-What about our deal?" I manage to speak, despite the atrocious pain on my left jaw.
"E-mail me the agreement draft tomorrow. I need to go now." She rushes out the door leaving me alone in the room.
"Finally.." I heave deeply.
I stare at the money in my hand. The ridiculousness of the situation begins to crack me up. Gradually, my soft chuckle turns into a burst of manic laughter.
Without me realizing, tears roll down my face, wetting my split lip & bruised cheek.
"Gosh, why am I crying?" I embarrassedly wipe away my tears & get off the floor.
I'm doing the right thing. For Y/n & Jisung's sake.
I think to myself as I grip the money tightly in my hand.