The Anniversary
Once a year, Jaehee went into a depression. She made sure that all of her life, no one knew that didn’t absolutely need to. Jumin was informed when he noticed the pattern of her taking that day off every year and, for once in his career, pitied the poor woman while giving her that day off annually.
Jaehee loathed the time waiting to tell MC but every time she wanted to, she could feel her throat close up as tears would threaten to break through. She never wanted to cry out of sadness in front of MC.
So when the day came along and MC just so happened to be in a different country with Jumin for RFA business, Jaehee almost felt relief.
The Skype call that night—as they had every night—was sweet. They smiled and MC cooed over whatever Jaehee had done in the shop that day. For a moment, MC wasn’t even suspicious that there was anything wrong.
Except that everything went quiet for once and MC’s signature, “Cheer up, Jaehee!” was only met with a smile and a quick nod.
“Hun, are you okay?” MC asked, eyes wide with concern.
“O-of course. Why do you ask?”
“You seem kind of… off today. Are you sure everything is fine? I can come home right now if you need—”
“You will do no such thing!” Jaehee cut in. She forgot to smile as she scolded, making MC even more worried than before.
“Jaehee,” MC started, using the soft voice that always got Jaehee to confess to anything. MC could ask if she committed a crime in that tone and Jaehee would tell her exactly how she did, even if innocent. It really was a crime, the control MC had over her. “You can tell me anything. You know that.”
Like a dam being broken, suddenly the buildup of tears she’d been holding back the entire call were released. Jaehee sobbed without explaining why, barely listening as MC mumbled about how it was okay to cry and how she was here to listen.
“Do-do you kn-now what today is?” Jaehee stuttered out through tears.
“International manatee day?” MC joked with a small smile.
“It’s been a long time since my parents died… but I still can’t do anything on the anniversary but mourn.”
“Oh… Jaehee, you poor thing.”
“I tried so hard not to be a burden. I tried so hard. But every year it comes back and hits me that they’re gone and I’m all alone. If I fail, I have no one to go back to.”
“Jaehee…”
“Mr. Han saved me and I swore that I would repay him for that. How did I do it? I ran off to chase some dream.”
“Jaehee.” MC repeated more forcefully, interrupting Jaehee’s cries of pity, “Don’t you dare regret leaving to follow your heart. If we fail, we’ll start over. You’re not alone anymore, you have me.”
Jaehee contemplated the revelation. It wasn’t like she’d never thought about it that way before. She just fell back into the same cycle of self-pity, covering it by working three times as hard afterwards.
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to be. I’m here, Jaehee. You’ll never be alone again. I’ll be here all night if that’s what you need, and all of tomorrow—”
“But you have a meeting—”
“You always come first. Foreign dignitaries can bite me if they don’t think the RFA planner isn’t going to be there when her wife and fellow RFA member needs her.” MC subconsciously twirled her fingers around a necklace as she spoke, slipping the ring there up and down the chain.
“Of course.” Jaehee responded quietly. She looked down to here she had a matching ring on her right hand, waiting for the day she could switch it over to her left. While her attention was turned away, a few familiar notes came from her speakers. "You're not...?"
"Come on, you can't resist singing along..." MC smiled before slipping back into Zen's musical number from the hit musical Zorro. Jaehee smiled and began to sing along, knowing that even though it wouldn't take away her pain she could always depend on her future wife to help her when she needed it.