Round Sixty-Four

 

It was time for breakfast after their exhilarating morning’s workout so they headed down to the dining table. Krystal was already digging into her cereal when they got to the table.

 

“Are you feeling better this morning?” Jessica asked her sister as she pulled out a chair to sit on.

 

“A lot better. I’m feeling quite alright actually.”

 

“Good morning omonim, good morning Krystal,” Yul greeted them politely.

 

“Good morning, Yul.” Mama Jung smiled warmly at him.

 

Krystal burst out into laughter just then and Jessica looked at her strangely.

 

“What are you laughing about?” asked Jessica.

 

“It sure was a good morning for the two of you,” replied Krystal.

 

Jessica blushed instantly.

 

“What are you talking about? Every morning is a good morning when Yul is with me.”

 

Krystal snorted with laughter and Jessica braced herself for another cheeky reply from her sister but the timely appearance of Papa Jung at the table ended the little episode at once.

 

“Good morning, Daddy,” chorused Jessica and Krystal.

 

“Good morning, abonim,” Yul greeted him politely as well.

 

“Good morning,” went Papa Jung as he sat down at the table.

 

The conversation ended there and everyone focused on eating their breakfast.

 

It was a short while later when Papa Jung spoke again.

 

“Sooyeon ah, how are your wedding preparations coming along? Is everything going well?”

 

“Things are going well. Tiffany is really good at planning.”

 

“Good. I will have to meet Yul’s mother soon then. Yul, arrange a day for us to meet.”

 

“Yes, abonim. I’ll arrange a date as soon as possible.”

 

“Good, good.”

 

Silence then ensued and for a while, all that could be heard were the sounds of spoons clanking of against their porcelain bowls. It wasn’t until Jessica announced that she was done with breakfast that Papa Jung spoke again.

 

“One more thing, Sooyeon ah,” said Papa Jung.

 

“Yes, Daddy?”

 

“I’ll get your room soundproofed by this week,” Papa Jung said gruffly.

 

“T-Thanks Daddy.” Jessica turned red and made her escape from the dining table and her giggling sister as quickly as she could while pulling Yul away with her.

 

~~~~~
 

There were times when he hated who he was. He hated being a Choi. He hated being the youngest and only son. He hated being an heir. He hated his life. There were times when he felt tired. There were times when he felt sick of what he was doing. But most of all, he hated himself for trying even harder to hide what he truly felt about everything for the sake of the people he loved.

 

Then there were times when he hated himself because he had to fire people for various reasons. He hated himself when he woke up next to a different girl every other week or month of the year. He hated himself when he saw Krystal lying on the hospital bed, looking as though she were on the verge of death. He hated himself for pretending to be just a friend to Krystal and he hated himself for trying to believe that he could live without her.

 

Sometimes it felt like nobody could understand him. His sisters assumed that he was having a good time because of how he partied and the presence of many different girls by his side. His parents assumed that he was alright because he did his job diligently, responsibly and even managed to better the company that he was tasked to run.

 

His friends assumed that he was happy because of the jokes that he constantly cracked and the smiles that he flashed an endless supply of. The general public envied him, thinking that he was leading a life of luxury, enjoyment and fulfilment in all areas of his life.

 

No one. Absolutely no one knew of his deepest, darkest feelings that were locked deep inside him. No one…except maybe Yoong…and Hyun. They knew some of his secrets. They knew what he was really like. They knew why he did what he did.

 

He knew why Yoong was so opposed to his decision to marry Jade. He knew that Yoong knew exactly why he chose to make that decision. Despite all that, he had turned a deaf ear on Yoong’s frustrated protests because he had been too convinced that it was the only solution to make everyone but himself happy. But right now, he wasn’t so sure. The things that Sulli had told him about Krystal were surprising to him. He hadn’t thought about the possibility of Krystal having feelings for him at all.

 

It had never seemed possible. Right from the start, they’d been friends. He certainly hadn’t meant for them to end up as friends when he first chatted her up on the plane but there had been something about her aura when he met her again that told him that she wasn’t going to succumb to his charms like the others girls had.

 

For starters, she had called him for help, which was unexpected since he didn’t think that he would see her again after they parted ways. She also didn’t strike him as the type of person who would ask for help easily. Hence, when she had called and asked for help, he felt honoured to be the one she called when she was in trouble. And given the circumstances in which they met again, it would not have been wise to try to get her into bed with him when she had such serious problems in her life.

 

So that was how their friendship began. He helped her to find cheap lodging (which wasn’t as cheap as what he had told her, but this, she didn’t and would never know) and a job. Truthfully, in the job aspect, all he had to do was to arrange an interview for her. She had impressed the panel during the interview and her work performance in the months after being employed spoke for itself. Hence, he never credited that to himself. She would have survived, even without him.

 

She had always been this friend that popped into his life, a girl that he would never bed, a girl who didn’t really need him and when he found out who she really was, it was another step backwards. It was then that he felt that she was totally out of his league. He had never met anyone like her—so independent, so strong, so resilient and so stubborn. Everything about her screamed of attraction, admiration and respect. He could never be good enough for her—even her own father had said so. And that was when he decided that they would be friends forever; that he would treat her like the younger sister that he never had.

 

That was, right up until Sulli said that Krystal had feelings for him too. Krystal had feelings for him? The thought excited him. Really?! How was that possible? He didn’t quite dare to believe it.

 

A sudden recollection of something she once said popped into his mind.

 

“And that’s why you’re my dearest friend. I don’t need to date anyone. I’m happy enough to have a friend like you. You’re better than a boyfriend, you know.”

 

Better than a boyfriend? What did that mean? She was happy enough to have a friend like him. So happy that she didn’t need anybody else? Was he the reason why she didn’t want to date anybody else? Or was he reading too much into what she said?

 

“ARGH!” he yelled out loud in frustration and his heart thumped faster.

 

He wanted to know. He had to know. If he had a chance, he’d never let it go. If she wanted him, he’d never let her go. The question now was how he could be sure that she wanted him too.

 

~~~~~
 

“Daddy, I have something to tell you.”

 

“What is it, sweetie?”

 

“I…”

 

“What is it?”

 

“IgotengagedtoYoong.”

 

“What did you say?”

 

“I…”

 

“Soonkyu ah…what are you trying to say?”

 

“Daddy, I got engaged to Yoong.”

 

“You what?”

 

“I got engaged to Yoong.”

 

“You’re engaged.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You, my little sunshine. My little baby girl. You’re engaged.”

 

“Yes, Daddy.”

 

“Your mother is going to cry.”

 

“Daddy…don’t be so dramatic.”

 

“What are we going to do without you?”

 

“Daddy, I won’t be far. I will still visit you and Mummy often.”

 

“Rubbish, your sister has practically disappeared into thin air after getting married. She’s so busy with her work and family that she doesn’t have time for us anymore.”

 

“I won’t disappear. I will visit often, I promise.”

 

“You promise?”

 

“I promise.”

 

Her father sighed, the sound of his heavy breath travelling through the line to her ears and it made her tear a little. Her father’s sigh was so heart wrenching. Why did it feel as though she were cutting off a part of her? She had no idea that it would feel this way.

 

“I suppose this is where I ask when I can meet Yoong’s parents.”

 

“His grandfather wants to meet the two of you.”

 

“His grandfather?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I see. How about this weekend?”

 

“I will arrange it.”

 

“Okay, take care of yourself, my dear.”

 

“You too, Daddy.”

 

~~~~~
 

Mr. Jung sat in his luxurious leathery swivel chair, looking out at the view of the city below. His office was on the highest floor of his building and had a beautiful view of the city. The view did nothing to sooth his anger however.

 

Unbeknownst to Jessica and Krystal, he had hired investigators to investigate Malina the very day the scandal was published and it didn’t take him long to track down the person who had interviewed Malina as well as the TV station officials who were responsible for airing the interview. And upon investigation, the name Lee Jieun popped up as one of the main masterminds behind the whole episode. His jaw had sagged in disbelief when the reports were submitted to him. Hadn’t he given Mr. Lee a severe warning about his daughter before? Were his words treated lightly? Did Mr. Lee think that he wasn’t capable of getting more than even with people who hurt his family?

 

On top of that, it was just yesterday evening that Jessica had told him all about what Hara had done to her in the past as well as what she suspected Hara was up to this time and boy, was it a jaw dropping story. He couldn’t believe that the daughter of Mr. Goo, a long-time friend whom he had helped a lot in the past could do such horrible things to his daughters. Didn’t she have a conscience?

 

His paternal instincts fired up and there was nothing more he wanted to do than to crush every single soul who was out to hurt his daughters. No one. No one was going to do such horrible things to his daughters can get away with it. No one.

 

“Yes, Mr. Jung? Is there anything you need?”

 

“About that press conference that I wanted delayed,” he began.

 

“Mmmhmm,” acknowledged his personal assistant.

 

“I want it to happen. As soon as possible. I don’t want the scandal to drag on anymore.”

 

“As soon as tomorrow?”

 

“Yes. Tomorrow evening.”

 

“Consider it done, Mr. Jung.”

 

“Good.”

 

~~~~~
 

“I’m looking for Miss Goo Hara.”

 

“May I know who is speaking please?”

 

“Tell her that Lee Jieun wants to speak to her.”

 

“Alright, please hold.”

 

Jieun tapped her foot impatiently as a musical ringing tone ‘entertained’ her while that somebody get Hara to the phone.

 

“Hello, Jieun.” Hara’s voice jerked her back to attention.

 

“Hara, we’re in trouble.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“The Jungs have arranged for a press conference tomorrow evening.”

 

She could hear Hara scoffing at the other end and it irked her. Hara obviously did not understand the severity of the situation. “Hara, my informant told me that the reporters are promised a very juicy story to report on. If the Jungs really do know something, I’m in deep trouble.”

 

“And how does this concern me?”

 

“I will make sure that it concerns you.”

 

“Are you threatening me right now?”

 

“I’m just saying that we’re all in this together. I’ve already cut off Malina. That was asking for more and more from me.”

 

“You cut her off?! What if she turns against us?!”

 

“Don’t you worry about that. I’ve already got her ex-manager to defend us. If she wants to bad mouth us, he’s going to put everything on her. We will be in the clear.”

 

“It sounds like you’ve got it all planned out. So what are you so afraid of?”

 

Jieun almost screamed from the frustration. “Were you even listening? I’m not afraid of Malina! I’m afraid of what the Jungs might know about us!!!”

 

Hara’s evil laughter sailed into her ears as she breathed heavily through her flaring nostrils.

 

“What?! Why are you laughing? This is no laughing matter, Hara!”

 

“Relax, Jieun. You’ve got Malina but I’ve got the Jungs. If they throw dirt at us, I have tons of dirt to throw right back at them. I’ve got enough dirt on Jessica to shame the girl inside out.”

 

“You do?” Jieun was in disbelief. Hara didn’t seem that resourceful to her.

 

“Uh huh. Jessica was cheated on by her five boyfriends.”

 

“So?”

 

“They all cheated on her with me.”

 

“So?!” Jieun didn’t see how this was going to help them at all.

 

“But of course, I can turn it around and say that she was the one who stole five of my boyfriends and her sister is just like her.”

 

“Oh…”

 

“Yes, oh…”

 

“You’re brilliant!”

 

“Of course I am. I’ve gone up against Jessica countless times. I know how to play against her.”

 

“But it sounds like you’ve lost every single time.”

 

“Hmph. I may have lost to her in the past but I’m not going to lose this time.”

 

“You better not.”

 

“Trust me. I’ve got it in the bag.”

 

~~~~~
 

“My dad is holding a press conference tomorrow evening.” Jessica crinkled her nose as she wiped her desk clean of debris.

 

Tiffany saw her expression of disgust and had to stifle her giggle. She had never seen Jessica lifting a finger to do chores before but this was different. It was their new office and she had no choice but to clean her own desk if she wanted to use it.

 

“A press con? Why?”

 

“He wants to squash that scandal.”

 

“But won’t it just make things worse?”

 

“I think he knows something. He must have dug up some dirt on Hara and Malina.”

 

“Well, it’s your father we’re talking about so he probably knows what he’s doing.”

 

“Yeah, I’d trust Daddy when it comes to things like that.”

 

“So, it’s tomorrow evening, huh.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I will be there for you.”

 

“You’d better. I was going to ask you to come along. Give me support.”

 

Tiffany laughed. “Isn’t Yul more than enough support for you?”

 

“You’re my girlfriend. It’s not the same.”

 

“I know. Just kidding.”

 

“If you don’t turn up, I’m going to turn up for work only at noon.”

 

“No, you won’t. You have to be here at nine.”

 

Jessica’s groan was heartfelt and for a second, Tiffany genuinely felt sorry for her friend. It wasn’t easy on Jessica and she knew it. It wasn’t easy to go from zero to full steam ahead but she didn’t have a choice. She couldn’t make exceptions for friends when it came to work. It wouldn’t be professional of her.

 

“I’m sorry but that’s how it is at work.”

 

“I know...it’s not your fault. It’s Yul’s fault. He’d better make it up to me for my suffering.”

 

Tiffany laughed again. “One of these days, Yul is going to scream when he sees you.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because he has a crazed girlfriend.”

 

“What?! No I’m not!,” Jessica protested vehemently but Tiffany was laughing too hard to listen. “And it’s not like you’re much of a saint yourself.” She pouted.

 

“I’m not even half as active as you are.”

 

“I’m not the one going out on a hot date with her boyfriend tonight.”

 

“Going out on a date doesn’t mean we’re going to end up in bed together.”

 

“Oh come on. I’m not three years old.”

 

“I’m serious! Taeng is very innocent.” Tiffany couldn’t resist a giggle as she thought of his various stunned reactions to her advances on him. Boy, was he fun to tease.

 

“He’s innocent but you’re the devil incarnate.”

 

“I’m not.”

 

“Yes, you are. I saw that look. I know that look.”

 

“My look isn’t anywhere as naughty as yours.”

 

“Tiffany!”

 

~~~~~
 

Tiffany slumped onto her new swivel chair and twirled herself around. Moving into a new office was no mean feat. She had to get the premises repaired, repainted, and refurnished. Even though it wasn’t exceedingly large in area, being particular about the little details made it no less hectic. But now as she looked around the space that she had worked so hard to set up for business, she felt a sense of pride and satisfaction. This was everything she had dreamed of from the beginning—her very own company.

 

She was thankful for many of the things that had been given to her. She had a good family—albeit, with differing opinions with regards to marriage and career—that cared for her. She had no lack of friends all throughout her life and was fortunate enough to even meet a friend like Jessica whom she could trust and confide in.

 

She also considered herself lucky to have had a boyfriend like Siwon despite not being about to stay together forever. Siwon was a good and loving boyfriend and she was glad that she could remain friends with him. Yet, her greatest joy of all came rather unexpectedly.

 

Taeng was anything but expected. Firstly, he was not her idea of an ideal boyfriend. Siwon had been her ideal boyfriend type but then Taeng came along unassumingly and won over her heart before she even realized what was happening.

 

Secondly, she certainly did not expect herself to meet someone like Taeng in her line of work. She had been looking for a self-motivated, on-the-go kind of personal assistant when he had popped out of nowhere and surprised her with his refreshing answers. It was as though fate had a hand in this—he was the very last applicant she had shortlisted. His days of being her personal assistant were not smooth sailing either. He had messed up, causing her great inconvenience but again, fate had him protected from being fired by her.

 

He amused her, cheered her up, showered sincere care and concern on her , supported her, worked hard for her, and over time, became a source of strength and comfort for her. She found herself looking forward to seeing him, wanting to see him and eventually, needing to see him.

 

And by a twist of fate, he had the chance to save her from Sunhae, Siwon’s secret admirer gone mad. That was the single greatest act of heroics she had ever seen and because of that, she knew that she could trust in him completely. She knew that he would give her his all. He wasn’t holding back. And so, she would return the favour.

 

“Are you ready to go, Fany ah?” Taeng walked into the office, carrying a box of office supplies.

 

“I’m ready when you are, Taetae.” She treated him to a generous serving of smiling eyes and stood up. “Where are we going?”

 

Taeng merely grinned like a dork. “It’s a surprise.”

 

She giggled. He was so cute when he grinned!

 

“Well, at least let me know how I should dress.”

 

“How you should dress?” He cocked his head to a side and blinked. “But you always look so good, no matter what you’re wearing so just wear what you want to.”

 

Oh boy, was it even possible for anyone to make her giggle as much as Taeng did? He never failed to make her happier with the things he said and did.

 

“I meant the dress code, Taetae. Since I don’t know where we’re going, I don’t know how to dress for it.”

 

“Oh.” Taeng’s eyebrows rose a notch before they fell and furrowed. “I suppose a dress and heels would be suitable for where we’re going.”

 

“Oh…it sounds good already.” She giggled again. “Alright, I’ll wear a dress and heels. What time are you going to pick up me up?”

 

“Well, the reservation is for six o’clock.”

 

“Mmm, I’ll need an hour to be ready. Pick me up at a quarter past five?”

 

“Okay.”

 

“I’ll see you later then.”

 

~~~~~
 

Taeng couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe because Tiffany looked too stunning for him to handle. Her long, straight hair was as smooth as silk and her fair complexion was a wonderful contrast against the purplish maroon coloured, figure hugging dress that she wore. The dress was lower than usual and seemingly held up by two incredibly thin straps that looked like they were going to give way any minute now. And the most eye-catching part of it all was her cleavage. She had certainly decided to be a little more generous with her cleavage this time and he could not take his eyes off her.

 

“Taetae, are you okay?”

 

“Wha—?”

 

“You’re turning blue, Taetae.”

 

He gasped a mouthful of air and spluttered as he tried not to embarrass himself too much in front of the goddess that stood before him.

 

“I-I’m okay. Er…would you like to hold my hand?”

 

She giggled and slipped her hand into his. “Do you even need to ask?”

 

He swallowed the lump in his throat and said in a slightly trembling voice, “You’re very, very beautiful.”

 

She giggled again and said, “Thank you.”

 

He finally came back to his senses when she planted a peck on his cheek and he was more determined than ever to make the night as romantic as possible.

 

~~~~~
 

They arrived at a bridge that spanned over the river that flowed through the city. Tiffany was curious to see where he would bring her and a bridge certainly had not been a place she’d expected to end up at. Taeng parked the car and hurried over to the other side to open the door for her. She smiled when she was offered his hand. She accepted it and was helped out of the car by him.

 

“Thanks Taetae.”

 

He said nothing in return but there was a silly grin on his face.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“I reserved places for us in the café on this bridge.”

 

“A café on this bridge?”

 

“Mmmhmm. It just opened and it’s already high up on the list of places to go for dates.”

 

“There’s a list?”

 

“Mmmhmm. I did some research online.”

 

“You did research online?”

 

She could feel her heart melting into a kind of molten goo as he hunched shyly and said, “I asked Yul for ideas but apparently he doesn’t really know about these places either so I had to look for ideas online.”

 

“Taetae…”

 

She couldn’t resist kissing him passionately on the lips. He was the cutest boyfriend ever and her insides had turned into fluff.

 

~~~~~
 

The exterior of the café looked very chic and futuristic. Shaped like an airport control tower, it had full length glass windows with flashing lights that made it look very exciting. The interior was no less impressive and while it wasn’t a fine dining setting, it was nice, friendly and cosy. Just like Taeng.

 

She followed him up to the observation deck and was awed when she got there. Clearly, Taeng had done his homework well. The view was splendid. They had a full view of the majestic Han river and the bridge that spanned over it. And their timing was just right. The sun was setting and a warm orange glow coloured everything, making it seem even cosier than before.

 

“Taetae…” His name was all she could mutter as all the words she had learnt in the past twenty odd years of her life flew out the window, abandoning her for that marvellous view of the sun setting over the river. This was as good a view of nature as one could get without leaving the city. It amazed her that he could find a place like that. Mmm…he had more up his sleeves than she’d thought.

 

“Do you like it?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

 

“Are you kidding? How can anyone not like this? This is just beautiful. Thank you for bringing me here.”

 

“Thank you, Fany ah.”

 

She leaned back and tilted her head to see him. “What are you thanking me for?”

 

“Every time I look at you…it’s like looking at this sunset over this river.”

 

Again, she was struck speechless by his simple love for her. He probably had no idea how sweet his words were. He simply said them as he felt them. And that was the beauty of it all. He meant every single word he said. That’s what made it count.

 

~~~~~
 

Dinner was in the café just below the observation deck and they were led to a nice corner that Taeng had reserved. Their hands refused to let go of each other, separating only for a short while to get seated before grasping each other again.

 

“What would you like to eat?”

 

“I don’t know what’s good here.”

 

“I heard that the steak is really good here.”

 

“Let’s try that then.”

 

~~~~~
 

They chatted happily as they chewed on the juicy steaks and sipped on their wine. It was a thoroughly enjoyable meal that tasted pretty good as far as they were concerned. It certainly helped that they were both in a really good mood.

 

“Tae, where did you get your peas from? Did you buy them yourself?”

 

Tiffany took a sip of her wine and savoured the exotic flavour as it washed over her tongue.

 

“Yul gave them to me. It was a Christmas present. He said that they would make me feel happy whenever I look at them. And it’s true! They make me smile all the time.”

 

“Aww…that’s nice of him to give you something so cute for Christmas.”

 

“He’s good at choosing presents. I’m not that good at it though.”

 

“You? You’re good too. I love the pink pen you bought me last week. It’s so cute! And that little fluffy ball on top? I adore it.”

 

She squeezed his hand gently and he smiled shyly.

 

“I’m happy when you’re happy. So you’re the best gift to me from you.”

 

“Taetae…” Tiffany leaned forward and their lips met over the table. Taeng turned red and cleared his throat awkwardly as she tried not to laugh at how shy he was. He never failed to tickle her pink in love.

 

“Shall we go? We’ve got a movie to catch.”

 

She nodded and smiled.

 

“Check please,” he said to the nearest waiter.

 

~~~~~