Round Eighty-Three

“Konnichiwa Im san!” chirped a pretty girl with big, round eyes. “I’m Miho Miyazaki! Your new personal assistant in Japan.”

Yoong smiled at the cute girl who had her hair in a ponytail. “It’s alright. You can call me Yoong.”

“Yoong san!” Miho smiled and her eyes twinkled. “Let show me you to your car.”

“Thank you.”

~~~~~

The day was a busy one from the get go. He barely had time to put his bags down and get changed before he had to attend a meeting with the heads of the Japan company branch. Miho was with him every step of the way, tending to all his needs.

“Yoong san, I bought you a bottle of water.” She handed it to him when they were in the car, heading towards the office. “Are you hungry? Do you want me to order a bento set or something light for you?”

Yoong rubbed his tummy. He did feel a little hungry now that she asked. “I’d like to have temaki sushi. Salmon or tuna would be great.”

Miho made a short phone call and made the order immediately. “It’ll arrive at the office soon.”

“Thank you.”

~~~~~

The meeting was long. It was also a difficult one. The Japanese heads had wanted to speak to his grandfather and were not pleased when he announced that he was to take over his grandfather’s sovereign in Japan.

“If you respect my grandfather as you say you do, then you will respect his decision to hand things over to me. I may be young and have a lot to learn but I assure you that my grandfather will be guiding me closely. He will be watching over me. And I will work harder to learn the ropes quickly. I will also need your co-operation if things are to go well. I believe that the betterment of our company’s future is what we all want.”

The table of elderly men looked at each other discussed among themselves briefly. Finally, one of them spoke.

“The other heads and I agree that you seem to have matured since the last time we saw you. Perhaps, we should give you a chance to prove yourself. But we will be watching you. These two months will be a test. Whether you gain our respect and compliance will depend on these two months.”

“Thank you for giving me this chance to prove myself. I will show you that I have the attitude and aptitude for this.”

“We shall see.”

~~~~~

That night, he flopped onto his bed and set up his laptop, eager to see Sunny again.

Yoong 22:38

Bunny I’m waiting for you.

He sent the message through his phone and put it back on his bedside table before lying on his tummy to wait for her come on. She appeared shortly after that and his spirits lifted instantly.

“Bunny, I miss you.” He pouted at his laptop’s built-in webcam.

“I miss you too.”

“Really? You didn’t return my messages this afternoon.”

“Yoongie, I had two important meetings back to back today. I barely had time to eat.”

He was worried at once. “Have you eaten? Are you still hungry?”

“I had dinner with our client. Our meeting went on for such a long time that we adjourned to have dinner and to discuss details over food and drinks.”

“You had dinner with our client? Which one?”

“Im Seulong ssi.”

Yoong pouted. “Well, you could have just sneaked a peek at your phone or something. I was waiting for your reply.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll check my phone more often tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay. Did you have a good dinner?”

“I don’t really know. I was focused on the discussion more than anything else.”

“If I were there, I would bring you out for supper right now to make up for the lousy dinner you had.”

“And where would you bring me to?”

“Belly Happy.”

Sunny laughed. “So predictable.”

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing.”

“Am I being boring? I bring you to Belly Happy all the time because you get to see your Kyuhyun oppa there.”

“Yoongie. I didn’t mean anything when I said that. Why are you so sensitive tonight?”

Yoong sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just…bogged down. The elders in the Japanese branch aren’t giving me an easy time.”

Sunny leaned forward and planted her lips on the webcam. “Muack! A kiss to make you feel better.”

“It’d be better if it were real.”

“Yoongie, don’t let them get you down. You’re such a capable boss. You work so hard. I’m sure they’ll see your worth.”

“They need to see my worth in two months though. The time limit is pressurizing.”

“Two months is sixty days. I’m sure you can show them what you can do in that time.”

Yoong smiled. And shook his head. His dear bunny was always so good with her words. She had the ability to make him feel better just by talking. If only she were around for him to hug and hold. He’d be cured of his moodiness. Yet, he didn’t want to worry her too much. Yeah. He shouldn’t bog her down with his problems.

“Let’s talk about something else. All that talk about work isn’t good for us both.”

“Don’t worry about it, Yoongie. I want to share your troubles with you. That’s what girlfriends are for.”

Yoong shook his head. “No, girlfriends are for kissing and loving.” His grin was cheeky when he added, “Not to mention…” he trailed off and winked at her impishly.

“Yoong! Is that all you can think about?” Sunny puffed her cheeks and put her hands on her hips in mock anger.

Yoong laughed and nodded. “That’s all I want to think about.”

Sunny stuck her tongue out at him and said, “I was considering giving you a treat but I’ve decided not to now.”

Yoong pricked his ears and sat up straight at once. “Treat? What treat?”

Sunny grinned slyly and shook her head. “You be a good boy and I’ll give you the treat tomorrow night.”

“No! I want it now!” Yoong whined. “I had a bad day and I want my bunny treat.”

Sunny merely winked and blew a kiss at him before saying, “Tomorrow night, lover boy. Keep your pants on till tomorrow night. You should go to sleep now. You need all the energy you can get for work tomorrow.”

“Sunny…please…” he begged.

“Goodnight, Yoongie. Sleep tight!” She smiled brightly and waved.

“Goodnight…” he sighed.

~~~~~

The next day came and Yoong stared in the mirror long and hard. It was going to be another tough day at work. There were times when he wished he could just be Yoong. Not Im Yoong. It wasn’t easy to be Im Yoong. The demands on him were harsh and he had a lot of responsibility to carry. But he’d spent his years in youth preparing for this. Yes. His grandfather had entrusted the job to him. Sunny had faith in him too. He could do it. He’d be good. And ask for his treat tonight.

~~~~~

Jessica was feeling nauseous yet again. Fortunately for her, it didn’t last for a long time. Just for a while in the mornings. And Yul made it that much easier to bear. He had skipped his morning jog a few times now so that he could stay in with her and rub her tummy to make her feel better.

“Feeling better yet?” he asked.

Her eyes were closed and her head was resting against his shoulder. She didn’t answer him.

“Baby?” he asked again.

Then he chuckled. Her breathing was nice and even. She had fallen asleep in his arms. But she had to run the office for Tiffany for another day. Her best friend had called her yesterday and literally begged her to run the office for another day. She had reluctantly agreed, owing to the fact that she owed Tiffany big time for all the work done for her wedding. So now, she had to wake up and get ready for work.

“Sica.” He shook her gently and she was aroused from her sleep.

“Mmm?” she looked at him groggily and he chuckled again. She was too adorable for words.

“You promised to help Tiffany today.”

Jessica groaned long and loud. “It must have been the hormones. I wasn’t in my right mind when I agreed to help.”

“You’re a good friend. You agreed to help because you know that Tiffany needs the time with Taeng. And I love you for that. I love that you’re such a good friend.”

“Right now, there’s nothing I want more than to go back to sleep. I don’t want to be a good friend,” she grumbled.

Yul chuckled. “Well, are you still nauseous?”

Jessica shook her head.

“Good. Then I can finally stop rubbing your tummy.”

Jessica smiled, tilted her head and pecked his cheek suddenly. “Thank you.”

Her smile was so simple but her happiness was in such abundance that he had to ask, “Where did that come from?”

Jessica turned around and faced him. “Someone at the office was complaining that her husband has no time for her and hasn’t shown her much care even though she’s pregnant. She had to go to the doctor’s by herself. Every single time. And…” she trailed off, looking extra horrified about something which pricked his curiosity at once.

“And…?”

“And he hasn’t had with her for three months now,” Jessica finished, sounding distraught.

Yul guffawed suddenly and it gave her a shock so she smacked his arm and pouted.

“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked in between laughs.

“You scared me when you laughed so loudly.”

Yul laughed some more as he tried to apologize, “I’m sorry.” Then he finally stopped laughing and said, “So you’re thanking me for having with you?” The grin on his face was unrestrained.

Jessica nodded daintily. “And for being so nice to me,” she added almost as an afterthought.

Yul looked deep into her warm brown eyes and smiled most charmingly. “It’s my pleasure, baby.”

~~~~~

Jessica eventually got up and dressed up for work. When she got to the breakfast table, her breakfast was all laid out for her.

“Samchon, you’re the best!” she chirped. “I like the cute smiley face you made on my toast!”

The samchon chef grinned. “I’d love to claim credit for that but it’s not my masterpiece.”

“Oh? Then…who?”

The samchon chef nodded towards Yul who was wolfing down the last piece of toast on his plate.

“Yul?” Jessica shrieked in delight.

Yul grinned the best he could with his mouth full of toast and nodded.

“Yul, you’re always so full of surprises for me. I love you!” Jessica planted a kiss on his cheek before settling down to eat her breakfast.

“I love you too, baby,” said Yul after swallowing his toast.

The samchon chef made a funny sound and they turned to look at him inquisitively.

“I’m going to get diabetes just by watching the two of you. Honestly. And I thought your father and mother were mushy enough. The two of you are much worse,” the samchon chef laughed.

“Mummy and Daddy?” Jessica was in disbelief.

“I’ve never said this before but let me tell you, they were so mushy when they were newlyweds.”

“Really?” Jessica was both enthralled and disgusted at the same time.

“Yes,” the samchon chef laughed. “You take after him in this aspect.”

Jessica scrunched her face up in disgust. “That’d better not be true. I don’t want to be mushy like him.”

To which, both Yul and her samchon chef burst into unbridled laughter at that while all she could do was pout.

~~~~~

Tiffany was enjoying her time with Taeng. The office was running well with Jessica in-charge and she was in no hurry to go back to work—surprisingly. She had in mind some things to do with Taeng. Things like movies, a walk in the park…things that they didn’t get to do much because they were so busy all the time. It was one of the down sides of running her own company—the lack of time for herself.

“What movie would you like to watch?” she asked Taeng as they checked the internet for movie timings.

“I heard that there’s a new horror movie out this week,” he said excitedly.

“Horror?” Tiffany was horrified. Horror movies were scary.

He looked at her briefly before turning back to the computer screen. “Maybe we can watch something else.”

Tiffany didn’t want him to give up his horror movie because of her. “No. Let’s watch the horror movie since you are so excited about it.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’ll hug me when I’m scared. I’ll be fine,” said Tiffany, sounding a lot more confident that she felt.

Taeng grinned. “Okay.”

~~~~~

They entered the cinema after dinner and found their seats. Tiffany held on to the box of popcorn while Taeng held her hand and a huge cup of iced lemon tea. He put the drink in the cup holder and stuck just one straw into it. He looked so pleased with himself that she couldn’t help giggling at him. Was he that happy at the thought of sharing a straw with her? They’d already gone all the way with each other and here he was, happy about something like that. Too cute. Way too cute.

The movie started after a series of advertisements and Tiffany began to grip the box of popcorn a little more tightly. She was getting nervous. The background music was eerie and creepy and it felt as though something terrible was going to appear on the screen at any moment now.

And it did.

RAWR! A bloody, gory zombie dropped onto the actress. The actress screamed as she was mauled by the zombie and Tiffany screamed and buried her face in Taeng’s chest. His arms wrapped reassuringly around her and he patted her head gently. She refused to open her eyes again until he told her that it was alright. Even then, she was too afraid to watch the movie anymore.

At this point in time, she had decided that hugging Taeng was more enjoyable than watching the horror movie so she snuggled closer to him and stuck her nose into the nook of his shoulder.

Mmm…

“Fany? Are you alright?”

She nodded. “Don’t worry about me. I’m good. Go ahead and watch the movie.”

“Okay.”

She decided that another fun thing to do would be to feed him popcorn so she popped one into his mouth. And another. And another. Thank goodness for couple seats. It made for easy access and comfortable snuggles. She reached for the drink and took a sip of it before settling back in his arms. It was so nice. They ought to do this every week.

She made a mental note to work a little less to spend a little more time with him like this. He may not have requested much of her time to be with him but she realised just how much she had taken him for granted. No. From now on, she would commit more of her time for him.

Maybe it was his scent that intoxicated her. Maybe it was being in his arms. Maybe it was simply being with him. Whatever the reason was, the movie seemed to end too quickly for her. The audience stopped screaming and the lights gradually came back on. People were standing up and making their way out.

“Let’s go, Fany.”

She lifted her head off his shoulder and took the hand he offered her. Together, they made their way out of the cinema and to their car. Once inside, Taeng turned to her and said, “We won’t watch horror movies next time.”

Tiffany shook her head and smiled. His clueless expression was cute. “I have my own way of entertaining myself during the movie,” she explained quickly, “so I’ll accompany you to as many horror movies as you want.”

“Entertaining yourself?”

“Mmmhmm.”

“But you didn’t do anything for the entire movie. You didn’t watch it either. Weren’t you bored?”

“I was with you. You had your arms around me. I fed you popcorn. I did many things.”

Taeng blinked and blinked. “But…we don’t have to go to the movies for you to do that…”

Tiffany laughed. “Silly, I’m your girlfriend, so I’ll accompany you to do things you like. Just like you will do things that I like for me.”

The smile on Taeng’s face was bright as day and he hugged her tight.

“I love you, Fany ah. So much.”

Tiffany patted his back and gave him a peck on his cheek. “I love you too. And I promise to be a better girlfriend to you in future. And…” she flashed her engagement ring at him and beamed, “…one day in the near future, your awesome wife.”

Taeng’s eyes began to glisten and his voice was thick with emotion when he said, “Fany ah, you’re the best girlfriend in the world.”

Tiffany blushed. That title was too grand for her. “I’m not the best. But I’ll improve and be the best I can for you. So you must tell me if I do anything wrong. You must tell me if you’re not happy with what I do or say. Okay?”

Taeng shook his head. “You are the best. You are.”

“You’re saying that I’m the best because I’m your first and only girlfriend. I’m sure there’re other girls out there who are much better girlfriends than I am.” Tiffany caressed his cheek tenderly as she continued, “I made you so upset. I didn’t consider your feelings enough. There are things that I need to learn.”

Taeng shook his head again. “Even if you’re my first and only girlfriend, I don’t need to know anybody else to know that you’re the best girlfriend for me. Every time you say you love me, I feel like I’m a champion. I only want you, Fany ah.”

Tiffany’s eyes brimmed with tears as she listened to his heartfelt declaration of love for her. What had she done to deserve such a pure heart of gold? Hearts didn’t get much purer than this in the world today where people lied, fought, bore malice and harboured hatred. No. Taeng was like a class of his own. Indeed, his heart was so big that he could forgive and still love her after what she had done to him. She was holding such a gem in her arms and she was glad that she learnt how valuable he was to her before it was too late.

She was never going to let him go again.

~~~~~

They’d just about parked the car when Tiffany had the sudden urge to grab some coffee from the café nearby.

“Let’s go for a cup of coffee.”

“Okay.”

They held hands and walked to the café. It was a short walk but it began to rain when they were about halfway there. Taeng took his jacket off and sheltered her immediately. She plastered herself to him and hugged him tight so that they could share his jacket as they walked briskly to the café.

The rain was a heavy drizzle and they were getting wet but for some odd reason, Tiffany felt a bubble of happiness arising out of nowhere. She was happy. So happy. Blissfully happy. And it didn’t matter that the rain was falling on them. It didn’t matter that they were getting wet and would run the risk of falling ill.

In that random moment, she felt more loved than she ever had been and she had to express it somehow. So she stopped. And because she was hugging him, he was forced to stop too. He looked at her inquisitively, his hands still holding his jacket over their heads—hers mainly. She held his gaze with a gentle smile teasing her lips for just a moment before she joined their lips wordlessly.

Taeng seemed surprised. She could feel him tensing up in her arms when she nuzzled his lips. But that did not stop her. Her lips had a mind of their own and were trying to express the love that she felt inside. It didn’t matter that they were standing in the middle of the path. It didn’t matter that they were probably putting on a show for the drivers on the road. The whole world could’ve been watching and she wouldn’t have known. Her senses sensed nothing else but him.

So they stood in the middle of the street, kissing in the rain, getting drenched, without a care in the world. She could taste the raindrops on his lips as rivulets of rainwater made their way down their faces and seeped through their clothes, cooling them as they heated up from within. A tiny part of her brain wondered what had become of her and the larger part of her brain simply said that she’d never been happier in her life than now. And the kiss celebrated just that.

Moments later, their lips finally parted and they breathed heavily as they pressed their foreheads together.

“Fany—”

She stopped him with her finger on his lips. She smiled and shook her head. She took his hand in hers and tugged.

“Coffee,” she mouthed.

She dropped her finger from his lips. He stayed silent. And they walked the rest of the way leisurely.

It was the perfect end to a perfect day with a perfect man.

~~~~~

Yul stopped his car and looked. The flower shop was open! He’d been looking out for the shop but it had been closed each time he checked. It was strange. Given that there were so many other flower shops out there, he could’ve gone to any other shop to buy Jessica flowers. But something about the woman and little girl drew him back. Something told him to get the flowers from this shop.

He got out of his car and walked to the shop eagerly. A part of him was eager to buy flowers for Jessica. Another part of him was eager to see that little girl again. He couldn’t explain why his heartbeat quickened as he pulled the door open. He couldn’t explain why he had on his most charming smile at the thought of finally seeing the little girl again. Hyegyo was her name. He was all ready to say hi to her.

He stepped into the shop and raised his hand to greet them but both his hand and smile froze when he found himself staring into the eyes of a man who looked exactly like him. The alikeness they shared was uncanny. There was no way anyone could look so much like him. Those eyes were hauntingly familiar. And he found himself being transported to a different dimension. A different time where nothing made sense.

It appeared that the other man seemed to be as shocked as he was. The other man was as frozen stiff as he was. Neither of them moved. They didn’t even blink. They stared unwaveringly at each other as the hands of the wall clock ticked on and on.

~~~~~