hap·pi·ness

noun

the state of being happy

.....

Sunlight filters through a large window bringing in warmth on the chilly autumn day. Outside, the leaves are bright in their last show of colour before the grey of winter sets in.  Eun Bong Hee watches mesmerized as one of the leaves breaks free and floats to the ground. She sighs a little, realizing how quickly the seasons were changing.

The past few months have flown by in the glimpse of an eye. It feels like only yesterday she had been struggling to find clients and move past the murder trial. But in the span of a few years everything had changed. From trainee prosecutor to murder suspect to struggling lawyer to now making a name for herself in a boutique law firm.

And more recently, she had become someone's soon-to-be-wife. She smiles with warm pleasure  thinking of the man who she had fallen for again and again. He had been her prosecutor supervisor, then the prosecutor in her trial and afterwards the person who had helped her get to where she was now as a lawyer. She had trusted him every step of the way, fallen in love, had her heart broken then fallen again. 

And now, they were going to start a new life chapter together. She couldnt be happier. 

The conviction of the real murderer almost a year ago had  helped clear her name. However, despite the numerous articles and the media coverage; there were some who still believed she had done it.  Bong Hee has learned to shrug it off. In fact, she's found the bad rep gives her a little edge, like her Crazy Woman Eun Bong Hee fame during her trainee days. Clients were in awe of her and prosecutors gave her a wide berth when she was riled up. Needless to say, her lawyer life was going exactly as she hoped and slowly but steadily she was building a solid list of clients.

As for her love life, well... she smiles. The man she had dreamed about for so long had proposed to her in his typical sweet, yet straightforward way and they were still head over heels in love. She looks down at the ring on her finger, marveling again that they had decided to do this. Take a chance and build a life together. Everything was perfect with the world.

Everything.

"Ahjumma! In my family we get married in a church!" the shrill voice has risen another notch and Eun Bong Hee turns with a sigh to look at her lunch companions. She was at a coffee shop with her future mother-in-law and her mother. Both had insisted in helping out with wedding details, but at this point, Bong Hee was tempted to just elope. 

"Sabuin ma-nim, we are going to be in-laws now. Don't you think you should drop the 'ahjumma'-ing by now? After all I am younger," Bong Hee's mother had only recently found out that fact and she could not resist pointing it out whenever she had the chance. In fact, the honorific she used was specifically to address an 'older' in-law. Tee-hee.

The elegantly-dressed lady across from her sputters and Bong Hee decides to wade in before a fight breaks out.

"Omeonim," she adresses her future mother-in-law respectfully, "While a church would be lovely, Prosecutor No and I have decided to hold the wedding at the hotel where we first met. It has enough room for all the guests we want and-"

"You met at a hotel?" No Ji Wook's mother asks, her eyes looking at Bong Hee sharply.

Oh, woops. 

"Y-yes.... but it's not like that!" Bong Hee hurries to add, "I was there to meet someone and happened to bump into Prosecutor No," and then proceeded to ask him to sleep with her. Long story.

"What were you doing at the hotel?"

"Yes, well um..."  Ok, this was looking bad. Bong Hee had been hunting down a cheating boyfriend and it had not been pretty.

"Actually," she clarifies, "we had already met a little earlier. We were riding the same subway and..." uh, then again, never mind. That story was even worse. The actual first time she and No Ji Wook had met, she had accused him loudly of being a ert and fondling her . She had been wrong, but this was not a story to tell his mother.

Bong Hee pretends to cough loudly, and quickly sips on her tea, burning her tongue a little as she forgets how hot it is. She winces and several murderous thoughts about her missing fiancé pop into her mind. But not literally murderous. As a previous murder-suspect she wanted to make sure that was clear.

Anyhow, Bong Hee had not planned to deal with both moms by herself. She and Prosecutor No were supposed  to discuss a wedding date with their parents but he had gotten called away suddenly with a new case and his father, who was also her colleague at the law firm, had yet to show up. A part of her wonders now how urgent that call from Manager Bang had really been. Frankly, she would have run along after her fiancé  if she could have come up with a good excuse. But, since he was now a prosecutor, and she still a defense lawyer, it would have been too obvious that she was trying to escape.

Next to her, her mother and future mother-in-law had moved on to another discussion-slash-argument about the size of the wedding party, the number of guests, and when and where the cake should be ordered. In Korea, the parents still paid for the wedding, so truth be told there was not much they expected Bong Hee to do other than look pretty. 

Her fiancé had assured her he would back her up in any decision that mattered to her; but lately he had been missing more often than not. No Ji Wook had become quite the rising star at the prosecutor's office and his recent successful cases and handsome good looks had made him a bit of a media darling. Needless to say he had been very busy. She barely had time to see him at all.

As if on queue, the television near the front of the cafe switches to a breaking news bulletin. The very familiar face of her fiancé fills up the screen, his eyes serious and intent as he addresses a crowd of reporters who had gathered near the front of the prosecutors' office.

"Omo, omo...it's my son. Hush, back there! Shhh..!!" Her mother in-law does not hesitate to quieten down the people around them before she flips back to the screen.

[Reporters:] Can you confirm, has there been a new kidnapping? Is it related to the Ju Myeong Shi and Kwon Ji Soo case?
 

[Prosecutor No:] While we are aware of a new report, it's too soon to say if it is related to any other case. Our investigators are exploring all possibilities and we ask the public to contact the police if they feel they have any information that can help us.
 

[Reporter:]  The alleged victim this time is a man. Does this mean this is not a simple /kidnapping case as is suspected with the other two victims?

[Prosecutor No:] Any such talk is pure speculation. Our office has not released any information regarding those other cases. They are still considered active investigations and no news can be shared at this time. Again, I urge the public to contact the police should they have any information.

He walks away to enter the headquarters of the Prosecutor's Office, leaving the crowd of reporters behind him to shout out questions. 

The TV news report switches to a picture of the more recent kidnapping victim along with what little information the media had. Apparently the man had disappeared in broad daylight near a school. He had stopped by there to pick up his daughter but somewhere along the way he had disappeared. His car with his belongings was still parked nearby and he had just finished chatting with his wife and hung up when he left the car.

It was only when the wife got a call a little later reporting that her daughter had still not been picked up did anyone realize something had gone wrong. His wallet had still been in the car and there had been no known reason for him to disappear.

The TV report continues on with a recap of the other two mysterious kidnapping cases and the show feed brings in some experts and talking heads to add more speculation.

The people at the cafe break into chatter discussing this most recent incident.

What is this world coming to? You're not even safe in broad daylight...

I'd better call my daughter to make sure she doesn't go out alone...

Huh, the police are hopeless. All they know is to write up traffic offenses and threaten you if you even look at them wrong. They're the real criminals...

Did you see that prosecutor? How is he so pretty? He is so my style...

The U.S. have their FBI. And what do we have? Those idiots at the prosecutor's office. How long are they going to let this go on?

That last comment earns the speaker a glare from both Bong Hee and her future mother-in-law. Luckily for the speaker in question, the two are distracted by the arrival of Lawyer Byun, No Ji Wook's father. 

"Yeobo, I'm sorry I'm late," he tries to smile ingratiatingly at his wife, but she is having none of it. 

"Ceo Byun, we're almost done; you might as well have not shown up. Anyway, our son the Prosecutor, "she announces loudly for the benefit of the table behind them, "had another of those horrible kidnapping cases to deal with so he had to leave." 

CEO Byun (who was no longer a CEO, but the name stuck) had missed the whole news report so this was a surprise to him.
 

"Aigo... he's going to be so busy with that," he moans, "we're never going to get this wedding going." Then, realizing what he was saying he looks guiltily at Bong Hee across from him. 

She just nods and sighs. Perhaps it's a good thing they hadn't decided a date yet. She picks up the pastry in front of her and chews. At least this was a good pastry.


------


It had been another long day at the office for Ji Chang Wook and he barely feels  awake as he opens his front door and slips on his house shoes. Today's events had put even more pressure on his team to find any lead for the kidnapping cases. He'd even gotten a call from the Prosecutor General's office questioning whether he and his people could handle it. The last directive he received was that he was now officially co-investigating with the NARCs team who handled drug and gang-related violence.

And this was not good news to Ji Wook. The last thing he needed was one of those smartass, gun-toting thug wannabes to walk all over his crime scenes. The NARCs were not big on finesse. They believed in breaking things first and figuring it out later. 

He wearily climbs the steps to the upper floor; but pauses as he reaches the little sitting area.

Ah, dammit. He had forgotten. It was date night. More often than not this had recently meant watching a movie with Bong Hee at home since he had been so worn out lately. But tonight he had been so engrossed on the case, combing over all the possible pieces of evidence and witness lists; that he had forgotten about it entirely.

His fiancée was asleep now on the sofa; an open can and a bag of chips on the coffee table in front of her. He tiptoes closer, and smiles to see her peaceful expression as she lay there, her hands tucked under her head. Sweet angel.

He gently puts down his brief case and scoots her over a little so he can stretch out next to her. She murmurs a little in her sleep but he pats her slowly and she settles back down.
 

He really should go change after the long day he had; but at this moment, more than anything, he just needed to feel her in his arms. He holds her a little tighter, breathing in the sweet, soft scent of her.

This time her eyes do flutter open and she stares drowsily at him.

"Jagiya," she smiles softly.

He kisses her gently and smiles back, happy that his day could end like this.

"I'm sorry I didn't make it earlier, sweetheart. Were the Furies any better today?" he referenced their little nickname for their mothers. Separately the two were fine but put them in the same room together and the claws came out.

She chuckles then looks at him seriously, "Jagiya, how do you feel about Vegas?"

"That bad, huh..." 

"Actually, that's the problem. They're being too good. They're really holding it in now. Like a scary volcano; no two scary volcanoes," she shudders a little. 

He laughs at the mental image then hugs her closer. "I'm just glad you're still going through with all this and marrying me," he sighs. Not for the first time he feels guilty about how much he's neglecting his girl.

They stay in cozy quiet for a while, and he feels almost ready to drift off to sleep; but something is not quite right. He looks down to see Bong Hee squinting quietly deep in thought.

"Jagiya, I can hear you thinking. What's going on?"

"Well..., it's about what you just said."

At this point Ji Wook isn't sure he remembers. What did he last say before he had almost drifted off? Was it about their mothers? No, it was about her still going through with the wedding.

Suddenly he feels awake, a feeling of alarm coming over him.

He sits up, looking at Bong Hee and she scoots up too, her eyes not quite angry or sad... but, regretful...?

"Prosecutor No," she starts, and he winces. She only calls him that when he is in trouble. "I understand that this is a busy time. And I am not, at all, in any way upset about that or about you. I was jut wondering, with everything going on, how about we put the wedding on hold for just a little bit? Until things get calmer?

Now that she's said it, it sounds very terrible and selfish of her and Bong Hee cringes. But the truth was, they were both running round and rushing through trying to juggle everything and this was not how she wanted their life together to start. 

She holds his hands and smiles at him reassuringly. "Jagiya, I love you more than anything. And I want to be with you and marry you. I'm suggesting that we just put a pause on the wedding plans until we are ready to continue."

"Think of it this way, we'll have the fun of dating and none of the responsibilities of being married for a little bit more." her lawyer's training kicks in and she throws in a little incentive. "And, if you persuade me hard enough, maybe I'll consider moving back in."

Ji Wook had been about ready to pout, thinking he wanted to have all the responsibilities of marriage; but at her offer, his eyes light up. Despite their lengthy courtship Bong Hee had insisted on having her own place even though she ended up at his more often than not.

But, if she moved in, then he could have as much of her as he wanted. His mind thinks of all the meals they would share together, the evenings where she would be all his and, most definitely, the mornings where she would wake up next to him. He gazes at her intently, a dangerous glint in his eye.

She notices and blushes, but her eyes beckon him even closer and he leans down, capturing her lips. Mmm... he could definitely get used to this.

......