Round Sixty-Seven

She had never been happier to wake up before. Before this, it’d always been about getting something done or looking forward to getting one step closer to her dreams and aspirations. Then there were some days when she simply didn’t want to get out of bed. And once upon a time, she’d gotten up with swollen eyes, red from crying and excessive rubbing. Those were days that she’d prefer to put behind her.

Today. Today was different. Today was a whole new ball game. A whole new world…a new fantastic point of view…oh dear. What was up with her. Spouting Disney song lyrics in her head. Just how blissful was she? Unbelievable sights…indescribably feeling…stop it! STAHP! What was with that song! Sure, she had opened her eyes and Taeng had been right beside her but surely there was no need to be as ditzy as she was? Gawd. She was losing it. She’d be dreaming about magic flying carpets at the rate she was going.

Giggle. What? Magic flying carpets? How about magic Taeng-in-a-box?

Giggle. Magic Kim Taengoo fingers.

Giggle.

What was this? Some foreign object was on her hand. She looked. And grinned uncontrollably. How much bliss could her heart take before it went kaput? How much happiness could a girl possibly have before it all ran out? She had used it all up, hadn’t she. All the happiness that had been allocated to her. Used up in one moment. But no matter if that was the case. No matter at all. She had her ring on her finger and her man by her side. What more could a girl ask for? What more?

“Hello! I’m Kim Taengoo!”

Tiffany looked at Taeng, startled. What in the world…?

“Welcome to Dukong Dugeun!”

Oh. He wasn’t awake. He was sleep talking. No. Scratch that. He was sleep deejaying. Cute. “I love Fany!”

Giggle. I love you too.

“She said yes!”

Strangely, she found tears in her eyes upon hearing that. This adorable man was just too much for her to take. He had wanted to marry her that badly, huh. Yes. He was pretty devastated the first time she said no. So she hadn’t expected him to try again for a long time. But she was very glad that he did. For some reason, she’d been ready for it this time. What had changed?

She looked at Taeng’s peaceful sleeping expression. Okay. Not that peaceful. His mouth was slightly open and his face flattened against the pillows sideways.

Giggle.

Cute, nonetheless. How very adorable. How very lovable. Yet, beyond that simplicity was a love that was steadfast like none other. Beyond that pureness was a totally unadulterated passion that was for her and her only. And most importantly, she had come to learn one incredible thing about Taeng. She had come to realize that behind his young, kiddy, boyish exterior was a core of steel and therein laid the ability to display incredible strength, bravery and courage in his quest to love and protect his loved ones.

Taeng was a man she could trust. He was a man she could love without restraint. A man she could see herself having kids with, growing old with till the day…

Oh. She didn’t want to think about it. No.

They were young and had many years ahead of them. She’d focus on the ring for now. The ring that was his eager request. The ring that he had staked everything on—even his assets and possessions. And that was the ring that she now wore with love snuggling deep in her heart.

Smile.

She’d get up and make breakfast for him. It was her way of thanking him for all his love and devotion. Breakfast for her man. So she planted a gentle kiss on his cheek before leaving the bed carefully, lest she woke him up. He barely moved. He was such a sleepyhead.

Giggle. What a lovely morning. A whole new world. With new horizons to pursue.

~~~~~

Her phone was beeping like crazy and he could hear it in the peripheral of his consciousness. He might have mistaken it for a lucid dream—teetering on the edge of sleep and reality as he was—if not for the sound of her even breathing and warm breath hitting his chest, bringing him back to the real world.

He opened his eyes. Mmm.

There were irregular beeps coming from her phone but even that couldn’t disturb his peace. No. He was happy. He had her in his arms, sleeping peacefully and it felt better than anything in the whole wide world. His woman was so beautiful even without makeup. She was a little paler than with, but her features were ever so perfect. He wouldn’t change anything for the world. She was perfect the way she was. Her nose, it was so cute. So small and dainty. Much like her hands, one of which was currently raised. Again.

Chuckle.

She looked very much like a little girl without makeup. Less mature. Less aggressive. But her glare could still shoot icicles right through meter thick walls of steel, that he was sure of. She had some serious firepower, this girl. And trying to wake her up to check her messages at this time would be a certain kind of suicide but he’d try anyway.

“Sica, wake up.”

He shook her gently but it was to no avail. She simply turned away from him and continued to sleep.

“Wake up, baby, your phone is beeping to its death.”

She merely frowned and pouted with her eyes closed. He sighed. He wasn’t about to try tickling her again. She’d scream like a dolphin and he’d end up with a ringing in his ears. Neither was he about to shake her and pull her up because the last time he tried that, he ended up with a bruised thigh after being kicked by her.

If people were to ever ask him what her flaw was, he’d have to say that it was this. Waking up. Or rather, the difficulty of waking her up. How he’d wish that waking her up once would be like waking her up five times. That’d be the day.

What was he to do when she refused to wake up? Desperate times called for desperate measures.

He yanked the covers right off and smacked her as hard as he could. Yes. Her bare, . She yelped in shock and covered her cheeks with her hands while glaring at him through fierce sleepy eyes. Now, if there was anyone who could have fierce sleepy eyes, it’d be her. And he knew that her icy cold aura—lurking just below her drowsy expression—was only going to be more lethal when she was fully awake.

“Someone is desperate to get you. Your phone has been beeping and buzzing and doing everything it can to get your attention, Sica.”

Much to his surprise, she blushed suddenly and buried her face under the pillows. Why was she blushing? What—

He looked down at himself and grinned. Surely, she wasn’t? It wouldn’t be the first time. Well, perhaps it was the first time she’s seen him in broad daylight. Surely not? How could she still feel shy about seeing him in his birthday suit?

“What are you doing Sica? Get your head out from under the pillows and answer your phone.”

Masking his grin under a solemn expression, he brought the phone to her and put it in her hand. “Please answer it so that I can get some peace.”

She finally came out from under her pillows and took the phone from him. Her eyes sneaked a peek down south of him before looking away quickly and he was most amused by that. She and her unexplainable episodes of bashful shyness. Just another page in the book of Jessica Jung’s Unexplainable Phenomena.

Yes. A book. He could probably write a book about her idiosyncrasies. The introductory chapter could talk about her koala-like lifestyle pattern—sleep, sleep, sleep, eat, play, sleep. And a chapter devoted to her violent tendencies whereby she’d slap you here, there and everywhere if you were unfortunate enough to be near her when she laughed. A sub-section for when she kicked out of fear (he discovered that during Halloween). And perhaps a chapter on her incredibly late reactions to topics that people were talking about. Another chapter could talk about her fear of cucumbers and yet another chapter focusing on her incredulous inability to cook. He could also throw in a chapter on her love for fashion. And that would lead to another chapter on her astonishing lack of money sense.

Speaking of which, he was extremely pleased with himself for negotiating that deal with her. Yes. He’d managed to get her to do some kind of work (although it didn’t really seem like much). Now, to get her to live a little less extravagantly.

“Okay, I’ll see you soon!” Jessica ended the call with a huge smile on her face.

“Who was that, baby? You seem happy.”

“It was Tif. We’re going shopping today! She has something important to tell me and she sounds really happy so I can’t wait to hear about it.”

“Shopping? With Tiffany?”

“Yes!”

“Remember our agreement, okay?”

“Agreement?” She looked blankly at him. “What agreement?”

“I hope you haven’t forgotten about our seven for one deal.”

“Oh! That. Yes, I remember. Does it start with immediate effect?”

“Yes.”

“Can’t we begin tomorrow?”

“No.”

“Yul…” she whined and pouted.

He frowned. He didn’t like it when she tried to get out of a promise. “A deal is a deal. It’s a promise. And we don’t break promises.”

Her shoulders sagged and she sighed. “Okay.”

“Baby,” he held her chin up with his fingers and smiled, “you can do it. You can keep a promise. Seal it with a kiss.”

He tilted his head and his lips found hers like a homing missile. He made sure that she felt the gentle pressure of his lips on hers before parting and smiling again. “Let’s get some breakfast before you meet Tiffany.”

~~~~~

“Tif!” Jessica waved merrily at her best friend as she approached the attractive woman who was attracting the eyes of men and women who walked past her. She giggled to herself at the sight of a girl nudging her boyfriend unhappily. Her boyfriend had his head turned almost 180 degrees just to take another look at Tiffany. Woe to the girlfriends of the world when she walked the streets with Tiffany. Both were incredibly attractive when alone but together, they were out-of-the-world formidable.

“Jessi!” Tiffany waved right back at her.

She noticed something sparkling on Tiffany’s hand as the younger girl waved. No way. Nothing could sparkle like that unless it was a…diamond. A diamond? On her finger? No way. “Hold your hand up,” she commanded.

Tiffany giggled and held it up as asked.

Jessica gasped. “The Tiffany Setting! No way!”

Tiffany’s crescent moon eyes made a spectacular appearance and she grinned blissfully from ear to ear. “Yes way. He asked again and I said yes.”

“Wow. It’s a Tiffany…for…a Tiffany…Taeng sure knows how to pick his rings. This is the best one. The most classic. It’s perfect for you.”

“I know right? I think the ring was part of the reason why I said yes. Like seriously, it’s so beautiful! How could I have said no after seeing this ring?”

Jessica giggled in agreement. Indeed. It was a ring that would most certainly guarantee a man the answer he wanted. Some rings had the power to do that. This was one such ring. Princess of the rings. It was a marriage proposal clincher. “Oh Tif, I’m surprised that you said yes so soon but I’m really happy for you because you look happier than you ever had in your life.”

Jessica threw her arms around Tiffany and gave her a big, warm hug. She was happy that her best friend had finally found the man who could make his way into her career-oriented heart. She’d always thought that Tiffany would be one of those girls who would work their way to the top and end up marrying some really rich business man in her late thirties or early forties. Well. She was wrong. And she was glad that she was wrong.

“Oh, Jessi…I love Taeng so much. I don’t even know what to do. All I have to do is to look at him and I’ll smile. One look from him is all it takes to melt my heart. What have I become, Jessi? I used to tell you that I’ll get married only after my career is at its peak. Why in the world am I getting married when my career has just lifted off?!”

“You’re in love. Blissfully in love. Just like I am. Let’s face it, Tif. We’re both whipped.”

“Whipped. Totally whipped. One after another. We’re best friends who are whipped.”

“We’re definitely best friends. Even our rings are from the same maker.”

“Yours is the princess cut, right?”

Jessica smiled and nodded. “Yul told me that he had to get it after they told him that it was called the princess cut. He said that there is no better ring for a princess than a princess cut.”

“Yours is pretty romantic too. Yul is cute to come up with a reason like that.”

“He has his weird ways of explaining things. Speaking of which, he made me agree to another deal last night.”

“Last night?”

“Yeah, last night. After we…you know.”

“After???” Tiffany laughed. “Yul is way too smart for you, Jessi.”

Jessica pouted. “He is, isn’t he. He’s always teasing me. Bullying me.”

“Aww, Jessi, he doesn’t bully you. He’s just having fun with you.”

“By making me shy and embarrassed.”

“You know, you do look pretty adorable when you’re shy.”

“I do?”

Tiffany nodded. “Uh huh.”

“Why hadn’t you told me this before?”

Tiffany rolled her eyes. “And why would I ever tell you that you’re adorable when you’re shy? I’m your best friend, not your lover.”

Jessica pouted again. “Well, even if I do look adorable…I don’t think that’s a good reason for him to tease me so often.”

“Well, is it bothering you a lot? If you really don’t like it, tell him.”

Jessica stopped to ponder Tiffany’s question. Did she dislike it? Was it bothering her? “Well, I wouldn’t say that I don’t like it…”

Tiffany giggled. “Girl, you’re whipped.”

Jessica gave up and giggled too. “I guess so. I should be resigned to my fate then.”

“It’s a good fate. Yul is a good man. But you haven’t told me what the deal is yet.”

“He wants me to limit my shopping to what I earn.”

“Wow. Good move. Well played, Yul.”

Jessica smacked Tiffany’s arm in protest. “You’re supposed to be on my side. Not his.”

Tiffany laughed as she rubbed her arm. “Yul’s got a point there. You do spend quite a lot for someone who doesn’t make any.”

“I have a salary now.”

“Not before you met Yul and made that deal with him.”

“Which I totally regret making.”

“But you’ve no choice because you’re totally whipped.” Tiffany laughed out loud and wrapped her arm over Jessica’s shoulder. “Jessi, Yul is doing you a lot of good. You just don’t realize it yet. One day, you’ll thank him.”

“One day? Right now I’m not. We’re about to go shopping and I have this cap on my shopping. It totally dampens my mood!”

“Don’t worry, Jessi. You can always watch while I shop.”

~~~~~

On the other side of happy were three women who were having a showdown.

“You betrayed us, you !”

“You betrayed me first, !”

“When did I do that? I didn’t!”

“Have you forgotten about the things you said to me at the TV station? You promised me a role but what did you say in the end? That it was my own fault that I didn’t get the role? You’re the freaking daughter of the boss for crying out loud. That certainly wasn’t the best you could do, was it?”

“I may be the daughter but I’m not making unwise business decisions because of you! If you couldn’t pass the audition, you wouldn’t have played the role well enough. I certainly am not about to risk the reputation of our TV station just so that you can show off your less than mediocre acting skills to the world!”

“Less than medioc—YOU ! You selfish !”

“I may be selfish but I didn’t betray you. You are the traitor amongst us.”

“I am only finding a way out for myself, since the two of you don’t seem to care if I live or die. Mr. Jung was kind enough to offer me a modelling project and if I do well in it, he’ll have more for me. A girl needs to live. You can’t blame me for this. I’m not like the two of you with rich fathers. I actually need to make my own money, unlike you two spoilt brats.”

“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!! SHUT UP!!!”

“Hara, what is up with you?”

“Jieun, you’re a good-for-nothing selfish leech!” Hara screeched.

Jieun could only gape as Hara turned to the other woman.

“And Malina, you’re a totally selfish traitor!” she hollered. “My life is ruined! Ruined by the two of you! Ruined by the Jung es! Ruined! RUINED!!!”

Jieun merely shrugged. “I told you not to pull a crazy stunt like that, didn’t I? You were the one who insisted that you had the game in your bag.”

“Oh, so now it’s my fault,” sneered Hara. “And you had no part to play in this?”

“You know, this whole thing was your idea in the first place. You were the one who roped us in.”

“Well, you’re not in anymore. You’re out! Get out of my sight!”

“Gladly,” chorused Jieun and Malina. They looked at each other with derision and shot one last hateful glare at each other before going their separate ways.

Hara found herself standing alone. With no one on her side. Her father had thrown her out of the house for repaying the Jungs’ kindness with evil. Her father was so appalled by her actions that he claimed that he didn’t have an evil daughter like her. He didn’t even want to listen to her side of the story. So Jessica had the right to be mean to her but she didn’t. And it was all because Mr. Jung had lent her father some money?

Sure, Mr. Jung had lent her father some money but that was her father. Not her. She didn’t see why she had to bear the brunt of Jessica’s haughty unpleasantness while her father kowtowed to the Jungs for a few hundred thousand dollars. It didn’t make any sense to her. it wasn’t fair.

Her boyfriend had been so heartbroken when he heard the news that he had gone back to Japan without even saying goodbye. And now her so-called partners were split up. And whose fault was it?

It was all Jessica Jung’s fault.

~~~~~