Round Fifty-Five

 

Jessica was one excited girl. She could not wait for the event to be over so that Yul could make good his promise of a good time. The smile on her face was all the more stunning as she greeted and mingled among the guests at the show. However, there was one particular guest who looked like she was here on a vengeance. Sensing a possible problem, Jessica followed the female guest with her eyes from a distance. What was that woman up to?

 

~~~~~
 

Krystal was in the midst of explaining how wonderful it felt to drive the car that was behind her when a sharp jerk of her hair yanked her head up. Before she had time to react or even know what was happening, she was treated to a resounding slap. The male customer she had been tending too gasped loudly in shock but stepped in between them gallantly to stop the impending blow up.

 

“YOU ! Who do you think you are? Stealing Young from me like that! I’m his girlfriend while you’re only his . That’s how you got your job in his company right? By sleeping with him!”

 

Krystal was too shocked to react. She blinked rapidly as tears welled up in her eyes. Her cheek was smarting from the slap and covering it with her hand did not alleviate the pain. Everything happened so fast that it was as if she was on the outside, watching things unfold. The male customer tried to block the irate woman from getting to her but she did not stop trying to get her hands on Krystal again.

 

“Malina! Stop it!!”

 

Long arms wrapped themselves around Krystal and she found herself shielded from the claws of the wrathful woman by a solid chest. The angry voice cracked and trembled.

 

“So, she’s the one. She’s the who stole you from me.”

 

“Malina, please calm down. It’s not like that at all. She and I are nothing more than friends.”

 

Krystal felt a sharp pinch in her chest as she heard Young’s voice declaring their relationship as such. She squirmed to get out of his embrace but his arms only tightened their hold on her.

 

“Young, what’s going on? Is this tired of living?”

 

Krystal did not have to look to know that it was her sister’s distinct voice, slicing through the air icily. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to cry into Jessica’s shoulder but she knew that she could not do that. She did not want anybody to know that she was a Jung. She was happy being an ordinary person just like she was in America and to keep that freedom, she had to keep her relation to the Jungs a secret.

 

“Who’s the here? Get your facts right, lady! I’m the one who has lost her boyfriend to some crafty .”

 

Krystal felt Young’s chest heaving in a great sigh.

“Malina, there’s nothing to steal. We were never in love. You and I both know that I don’t do commitment. I’m a player, Malina. You know that. Don’t expect anything more than fun out of me and I’m sure I provided a lot of fun every time you were with me so you have lost nothing. I was the one who asked Krystal to call you. You were getting too clingy and I wanted out. Get it?”

 

And with that, the final pieces of the puzzle finally snapped into place. This Malina girl was the girl that she had spoken to on the phone. It all made sense now. She could understand why Malina was so angry with her now. It was partly her fault as well. She felt guilty for saying the things she did as memories of what she said came rushing back.

 

Young had left the office early for a meeting with some clients while she had stayed back late to finish some paper work when Young called the office and asked her to pass a message to the girl he was meeting later that night. He had left his phone in the office and had no way of contacting the girl to tell her that he would be late for their date. She could not explain why she felt grumpy when Young asked her for help. She was used to him going out with many different girls but he had been hanging out with this one girl for a suspiciously longer period of time than usual. She suspected that the girl was a clingy one and decided to do Young a favour. She would get rid of the girl for him.

 

She called the girl who was labelled M. Takahashi in his phone list as instructed by Young but the message she delivered went like this: “Miss Takahashi, Young wants me to tell you that he will not be meeting you tonight. Or any other night for that matter. He has a new girl now. And that girl, is me. So stop calling him from now on and leave him alone.”

 

The girl had seemed to be rather shocked as she replied, “Who is this? I don’t believe a word of what you’re saying. Where’s Young? I want to speak to him personally.”

 

And with an airy voice she had answered, “Oh, he’s in the shower right now and I’m about to join him in there. So long, Miss Takahashi and goodbye.”

 

She had shocked herself immensely by adding the last part. Unable to figure out what had gotten into herself, she could only hang up the phone, shake her head at her moment of insanity before continuing with her paper work.

 

“Do you really expect me to believe that the two of you are nothing more than friends?”

 

“I will admit that we are more than friends.”

 

Krystal gasped. What did he mean by that?

 

“We are best friends and she is like family to me.”

 

“Family?” the woman scoffed. “Come on, I wasn’t born yesterday.”

 

“She’s a friend that I treasure more than any of my girlfriends. Girlfriends are only temporary to me but she’s a friend that I will keep for life. So, please, leave this place. Whatever fun we’ve had is over.”

 

“Security, this woman out. Young, take Krystal to the back and take care of her. Jessica and I will handle the rest.”

 

Krystal turned at the sound of the authoritative voice and caught sight of Tiffany as Young began leading her away from the crowd that had gathered to watch the spectacle. She felt relieved at once. Tiffany would know how to handle the situation. As she walked towards the back with Young’s arm still wound tightly around her, she could hear Tiffany’s voice assuring the guests that everything was alright and telling them to go on and enjoy the car show. She could also hear Jessica’s voice in the distance but she no longer could make out what her sister was saying.

 

~~~~~
 

Hara was most intrigued by the drama that unfolded before her. There were a number of things that she learnt from it. One, Jessica cared a lot for Krystal. It was evident in the defensive way that she went to the other girl’s rescue. Two, Krystal’s relationship with Young was dubious. That Malina girl would not accuse Krystal of being a and for nothing. She had to have a reason for doing so. That was when she decided that Malina was going to be quite useful to her and she hastily made for the exit to find the girl. She had some questions for her.

 

~~~~~
 

Young said nothing to Krystal. He had figured out more or less what Krystal had said to Malina and his mind was in a whirl. They entered the office at the back and he closed the door before seating her down on a chair. Squatting down before her, he asked in a concerned voice, “How are you feeling right now?”

 

“I’m sorry.” Krystal’s soft whisper barely made it to his ears but he managed to make out what she said.

 

“Does your cheek hurt? Do you need some ice for it?” Young started to get up to look for some ice but Krystal’s hand shot out and held him back.

 

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was a little stronger this time and Young turned back to her, gazing deep into her eyes.

 

He reached out and cupped her reddening cheek with his hand, caressing it gently. She winced and he withdrew his hand immediately.

 

“You need ice. It’s swollen.”

 

“I don’t need ice. I deserve whatever I got. You don’t have to be nice to me. Go ahead and yell at me. It’s my fault that your car show got ruined.”

 

Young could not stand seeing the tears well up in her beautiful eyes.

 

“You are more important than a car show. Don’t worry about the car show. If anything, that bit of drama will probably get my car show even more exposure and publicity for free.”

 

Krystal shook her head. “I’ve created nothing but trouble for you. You’ve helped me enough. I think it’s time I quit this job.”

 

“Krystal. You may have gotten in with my help, but you’ve proven over the months that you deserve to have the job. You’ve topped our sales charts for three consecutive months now. There’s nothing anybody can do or say to bring you down after seeing the good work that you’ve done.”

 

“But this…this mess up…I should never have said all those things to her.”

 

Young wiped the tear that rolled down her cheek and his lips curled into an amused smile.

 

“What exactly did you say to her that got her so raving mad?”

 

Krystal sniffed. “I basically told her that you’re not interested in her anymore and I’m your new girl. And…” Krystal turned red which piqued Young even more.

 

“And? What else did you say?” he urged her as calmly as he could.

 

“I told her that you were in the shower and that…I…was about to…join you…in there…”

 

Young roared with laughter as her face flushed into a deep, rosy shade of pink.

 

“Shower? HAHAHA! Krystal, you’ve watched one too many dramas for your own good. I can’t believe she believed you! HAHAHA!”

 

Krystal was wide eyed with wonder when he finally stopped laughing.

 

“You aren’t mad at me for making you lose a girlfriend and causing that scene at your show?”

 

“Ah…” Young waved his hand dismissively. “I have no lack of girlfriends. Coincidentally, I was going to end things with her that night. She was a little too clingy for my liking and our time together had expired a week ago.” He grinned widely at Krystal. “I should thank you for getting the job done for me in advance and very effectively, I must say.” Then he tapped her nose playfully and continued, “And as for the car show, I must say that it probably wasn’t a desirable scene but I’m sure Tiffany is handling it as we speak.”

 

~~~~~
 

The door slammed open suddenly, causing both Young and Krystal to jump in their skins. A fuming Jessica stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

 

“Get away from my sis, you .”

 

Young sighed and stood up, stepping away from Krystal as he did so. He spread his arms wide open and moved towards the door.

 

“She’s all yours. I’ll leave the two of you to talk.”

 

Jessica watched as Young left and shut the door behind him. It was only then that she hugged Krystal tightly and patted her back gently.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Krystal nodded. “Unnie, don’t be mad at Young. It’s totally not his fault at all.”

 

Jessica rolled her eyes and waggled her finger at Krystal. “Don’t you get all protective of that . He’s bad news to you.”

 

“This had nothing to do with him. I was the one who said all the mean things to that woman. I deserve that slap.”

 

“But he asked you to call her—”

 

“He asked me to call her to tell her that he’d be late for their date. However, instead of telling her that, I told her that Young didn’t want her anymore. And that slap…it was karma. I totally deserve it.”

 

Jessica narrowed her eyes and asked, “Are you in love with Young or something?”

 

Krystal looked stunned. “No! We’re just really good friends!”

 

“You know, that’s what all the celebrities say when they are interviewed. Then it turns out that they’ve been dating for ages.”

 

“I’m not a celebrity, unnie.”

 

“I know. What I meant to say was that I hope you’re not trying to hide anything from me.”

 

“I’m not. I have nothing to hide. There’s nothing between me and Young.”

 

“I trust you and I believe that there’s nothing between you and Young right now but the way the two of you are behaving makes me think that there’s something going on.”

 

“Well, there’s nothing going on. You heard what Young told that woman too. We’re just best friends. Family, at the most.”

 

“I hope it stays that way. Young is not known for maintaining platonic relationships with girls you know. I’m surprised he hasn’t made any moves on you but that’s also the only reason why I haven’t objected to the two of you hanging out together so much.”

 

“Could it be my age? Am I too young for him?”

 

Jessica laughed. “Young had dated girls as young as you before. Or younger. Age is not a deterrent to him.”

 

“Then why not me? Why isn’t he attracted to me?”

 

“Krystal, there’s no way he’s not attracted to you. The way he protected you just now…it looked like a scene from Romeo and Juliet. Maybe you’re special to him and he doesn’t want you to be just another one of his girlfriends that he goes out with and then dumps after a while.”

 

“Really? Unnie, do you really think that’s the reason?”

 

“Krystal, you’re a Jung. And even though you’re only my half-sister, being half related to me is awesome enough. We’re Jungs, madly gorgeous and insanely attractive. Every man out there wants us. I believe Young knows a gem when he sees one.”

 

Krystal smiled sweetly and hugged Jessica tightly. “Thanks unnie, you’ve made me feel so much better.”

 

~~~~~
 

Hara clamped her hand over as she gasped at the new knowledge she had just attained through the door.

 

Krystal is a Jung! Jessica and Krystal are half-sisters! Which means… Krystal is…an illegitimate child. OH HO HO HO… even the heavens are helping me this time. All of you Jungs…you’re going to get what you deserve. Let’s see how long you can keep up that arrogance and haughtiness once I’m through with you.

 

~~~~~
 

On the other side of the car show, Sunny was rather taken by a cute, yet total wicked looking car. She stopped right in front of the car on display and a sales rep was quick to tend to them.

 

“I see that our Veloster has caught your eye. This is our 2013 model and you’re looking at a car that has a very unique build. For one, it has three doors. Special, ain’t it?”

 

Sunny smiled at the sales rep and walked around the car. It was a beauty alright. It was a bright orange in colour and very vibrant looking.

 

“The colour of the car on display is called VITAMIN C. Cute, isn’t it?”

 

Sunny nodded and smiled. She then stepped forward and stood on her toes to peep into the car as it was elevated on a platform.

 

“Miss, we’d like to check out the interior of the car,” Yoong requested. The sales rep nodded and opened the doors of the car immediately.

 

“For this colour, the interior will be black. If you’re interested in this beauty, there are a few options for you to choose from. Whether it’s manual or automatic, turbo or not and to have a sunroof or not, it’s all up to your preference.”

 

“Mmm…sounds good. What other things can we have in the package?”

 

“You can opt for an interior light kit, auto-dimming rear view mirror and Michelin performance tyres to be fitted as a package.”

 

“Excellent. And what kind of price tag are we looking at?”

 

“For everything that I’ve mentioned and more, we are looking at just over thirty million won.”

 

Yoong nodded briskly and extracted a credit card from his wallet. He handed it to the sales rep who looked a little stunned and said, “I’ll take one. Veloster in VITAMIN C with everything thrown in. Do you have one ready to go? I’m willing to pay extra to have one ready to go as soon as possible.”

 

The sales rep gaped for a couple of seconds before fumbling with the phone at the counter. “I-I’ll have to ring up my manager but I’m sure we can get it to you in less than two days.”

 

“Do what you have to do. I’ll be waiting for your good news.” Yoong winked at the stammering sales rep and strode back to Sunny’s side.

 

All this time, Sunny had been watching Yoong with a look of disbelief. How could anyone make such a big purchase with so little thought? And before she knew it, Yoong had already handed his credit card over to the sales rep.

 

“Yoong, don’t you need to think this through? I’m not even sure if I really want this car yet.”

 

“Sunny, I saw the way you looked at this car the moment you laid your eyes on it. It was love at first sight.”

 

“And how would you know that?” Sunny laughed.

 

“It’s similar to the way you look at me.”

 

Sunny stopped laughing and rolled her eyes at Yoong. “You flatter yourself too much.”

 

“Oh? Are you not in love with me? Are you sure you don’t adore me to death?”

 

Yoong looked so impishly cheeky that she could not resist giggling about it. But even as she giggled, she had to admit that Yoong was right. There was something about this car that struck a chord with her. It was one of those moments where you formed an instant sense of connection with a non-living thing. However, buying a car was not quite the same. There were other things to consider.

 

“But don’t you want to find out more about the car before buying it? Or at least, I know I would. And I’ll be the one driving it so I should find out more.”

 

Yoong grinned and bent low, hovering his lips near her ear as he whispered, “I know everything that is to know about the Veloster. I probably know more about it than that sales rep so if there’s anything you need to know, you can find out from me. I’ll be your personal tutor.”

 

“How…Why do you know so much about the car? You’ve never shown that much interest in cars, as far as I know.”

 

“How you forgotten why we are even here in the first place? Have you forgotten who I hang out with all the time?”

 

Sunny’s eyes sparked with revelation and the name ‘Young’ rolled off her tongue in a long, drawn out syllable.

 

“Yes. Young. I knew about this car even before it hit the markets. Young has wagered a generous amount of his funds on the sales of this car. It is truly unique and quite a work of art. Young is very proud of it. Sunny, you have impeccable taste in cars and also in men.”

 

“Oh gosh, you’re so obnoxious,” said Sunny with a smile that contradicted her choice of words.

 

“You think?” Yoong’s breath was hot on her neck, sending thrills down her spine as he continued, “I’ll show you just how obnoxious I can be in the privacy of your new car when it’s ready.”

 

The naughty look in his eyes flickered only for a second as he leaned away from her but she knew that the game was back on. “I’ll have you begging for mercy this time,” said Sunny, with a gleam of determination smoldering in her eyes.

 

~~~~~
 

Tiffany slumped on to the car seat, feeling totally exhausted. She had handed Taeng the keys. She was too tired to drive. She massaged her temples with her finger tips and took deep breaths to rejuvenate herself—to no avail. Her head throbbed from the stress and pressure that she had been subjected to prior to, during and after the car show. It was a long journey but she had reached the finish line in one piece and she was thankful for that.

 

She looked to her left at Taeng who was focused on the road and smiled gratefully. She realized that she would have suffered a lot more without him around her, taking care of her needs before his own. When she first hired him, he had always made sure to take care of her. It was not the big gestures that she noticed. It was the little ones, like how he would bring a steaming hot cup of coffee made the way she liked it without her asking for it.

 

Now that they were a couple and working out of her home temporarily, she felt it even more. Without the presence of other co-workers around, Taeng was even more caring. There were times when he would come from behind and give her a shoulder massage. She did not have to ask. Apparently, he had some sort of built-in radar that could sense the tension in her shoulders and would act on it when necessary.

 

Where in the world was she going to find another man like Taeng? She was sure that there was no other to be found and she was not going to let any other woman have a chance to charm him away from her.

 

~~~~~
 

Jessica threw herself onto the couch and lied flat on her tummy. It was her first real show on the job and boy, was it tiring. What had she gotten herself into? Was it too late to back out of Tiffany’s company? She would much rather be a silent partner rather than one who had to be actively involved in the work on the ground.

 

“Sica, are you hungry?”

 

“Mmm.”

 

Yul chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes. Will spaghetti be fine with you?”

 

“Mmm.”

 

“Alright. You just lie there and rest. I’m going to take a quick shower and cook afterwards.”

 

Sensing something amiss, Jessica lifted her head and asked, “What about the good time that you promised?”

 

“I was going to teach you how to make spaghetti bolognese but I suppose you’re too tired for that now.”

 

“That was the good time that you promised? You liar. Bully. Mean Yul. A scumbag. That’s what you are.” Jessica pouted miserably and dropped her head back onto the couch lifelessly. “I have no motivation to get up now.”

 

Yul appeared by her side suddenly. “I’m not a liar. I’m not a bully. And the last thing I would ever do is to be mean to you. So don’t call me a scumbag when I haven’t done anything to deserve it.”

 

Jessica sighed and rolled her eyes. It was just like Yul to get all touchy and sensitive whenever she called him names. “I was just ranting. You don’t have to take it so seriously.”

 

“Well, I don’t like it. Don’t rant like that in front of me. You know that I always try my best to be good and do the right thing. I don’t like it, Jessica. Especially when you don’t mean it.”

 

Uh oh… Yul sounds really unhappy.

 

Jessica pushed herself off the couch with great effort and sat up to look at Yul.

 

“Are you angry with me?”

 

Yul clenched his jaw and his eyes darkened rapidly, much like the sky during a sudden thunderstorm. He held her gaze for a moment and she could see the unhappiness flickering in his eyes. Feeling worried, she reached out to hold his hand but he stepped away from her and headed to the bathroom instead. And she knew. Once he got into that silent, angry mode, he was going to ignore her for quite a while.

 

She sighed as her heart sank low. It had been a while since he last gave her the silent treatment. How was she going to appease him this time?

 

~~~~~
 

As Yoong had predicted, the power of money came through and he was pleased to accept the delivery of a spanking new Veloster, decked out in a bright VITAMIN C colour, complete with the luxurious sunroof among other add-ons that he had asked to be included. He had it secretly delivered to the car park of his office building and had it covered up nicely with a Pikachu plush sitting on the bonnet.

 

He rubbed his hands in glee, thinking about how surprised Sunny was going to be when she knocked off later on. And his grin grew all the more at the thought of what he planned to do to her in the privacy of her new car. Oh yeah, life was good. It couldn’t get any better than that.

 

~~~~~
 

Sunny had no choice but to allow Yoong to blindfold her. His childish grin and pure exhilaration left her breathless and unwilling to dampen his good mood. After all the tough times that they had endured, she would humour him and let him have his fun. He guided her into the elevator and held her firmly against him by her waist.

 

“Is your heart thumping real fast right now, bunny?”

 

“Yes.” Sunny’s throat was dry and hoarse suddenly. She had a suddenly feeling that something was up. Something big.

 

“Is it because of me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Sunny could hear Yoong’s little chuckle of satisfaction and her lips twitched in amusement. What in the world was this impish man up to now? He guided her along and she sensed that they were in the car park. All at once, she knew. The car had arrived!

 

“You know, I’ve already seen the car. You don’t have to blindfold me to surprise me,” teased Sunny.

 

“Aww, indulge me, please.”

 

“Haven’t I always been indulging you?”

 

“Then it wouldn’t hurt to do it again this evening, would it?”

 

“You owe me so much for all the indulgence I’ve lavished on you.”

 

And Sunny could hear the tremor of anticipation in his voice as he said, “I’m about to make up for all of that in a moment.”

 

All of a sudden, they halted. His hands on her waist tightened and held her still. Her blindfold was finally removed and she gasped at the sight of a Pikachu plush sitting on the bonnet.

 

“Yoong… you didn’t have to…” Sunny whispered; feeling touched.

 

He placed the Pikachu in her hands and nodded towards it. “Squeeze it.”

 

Sunny blinked, taking a moment to process his instruction before doing as asked.

 

“Sunny, I love you,” went Pikachu in Yoong’s voice, albeit a rather robotic version.

 

Sunny looked up at Yoong immediately, deeply moved by the unexpected declaration of love from the man who used to be one of the last men she had ever expected to end up with.

 

“I love you too, Yoongie.”

 

“Do you really?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“How much do you love me?”

 

“Yoongie… what’s going on?”

 

“Well, I hope you love me enough to accept this.”

 

He pulled the cover off the car with a flourish and opened the door for Sunny. She was ushered into the driver’s seat where she sat, feeling confused. Hadn’t she already accepted his gift? Although it went against her principle of not accepting such expensive gifts from him, she had relented and agreed to accept it simply because she wanted him to be happy. She watched blankly as he pushed the start button with the key fob to start the engine and her eyes continued to follow him as he closed the door, rounded the front of the car and got into the passenger seat beside her.

 

“Yoongie, I’ve already accepted the car as a gift, haven’t I?”

 

Yoong cleared his throat awkwardly before gesturing at something she had not noticed before. There was something dangling on the rear view mirror in the car. It was small. It was shiny. It was—

 

Sunny’s breath hitched and she gasped. Her hands flew to which had fallen open. It was a beautiful diamond ring, hanging on a chain.

 

“I know that we’ve known each other for only less than a year but after going through what we did, I know that I’m done with playing around for good. Sunny, you’re the only one I want to play with for the rest of my life. And don’t fret, I’m not asking you to marry me right now.”

 

He took the chain off the rear view mirror and held the ring before her.

 

“This ring is my promise to you. And all this playing around and teasing that we’ve been doing to each other, I want you to know that I may not look like I’m planning to but I really, really want to marry you one day. When we’re both ready for it. But for now, I’d like us to be engaged.”

 

“Yoongie…”

 

“Now, do you find me obnoxious?”

 

Sunny felt her cheeks heating up at the recollection of their conversation at the car show the day before. She had assumed that his being obnoxious involved trying to get under her clothes but boy was she wrong. She had never been more wrong in her life. What Yoong had just proposed was far from obnoxious. It was the sweetest thing anybody had ever done for her in her entire life.

 

“I find you extremely obnoxious.”

 

How she could still keep up the banter when her heart was doing multiple cartwheels in her ribcage, she would never know.

 

“Obnoxious enough to keep you for life?”

 

“I suppose you’re obnoxious enough for me. You’re exactly the kind of obnoxious that I love.”

 

His eyes simmered with emotion as he slipped the ring out of the chain. He then took her hand in his and held the ring at the tip of her middle finger.

 

“May I?”

 

Sunny could not speak. All the emotions in her heart seemed to be spilling out and over into every inch of her being. She could barely manage a nod to which he immediately slipped the ring onto her finger. It fitted so well. It looked so pretty and shiny. It was perfect. It was the perfect engagement ring from the most obnoxious man she had ever met and fallen in love with. And seeing it sparkling away on her finger made her oh-so-obnoxiously happy that she threw her arms around him and hugged him as tightly as she could.

 

“Yoongie…”

 

~~~~~