CHAPTER 10

            “He Ra, what are you doing here?  Hyun Joong asked.  He couldn’t believe his eyes.

            “I’m here to visit our Seoul Office,” said He Ra while sipping her drink.

            “You didn’t tell me you were coming.”

            “Why, Hyun Joong?  Do I need to ask your permission for everything?  Remember, you might be the President of the company, but we do have the same equal rights when it comes to the company’s ownership,” said He Ra giving Hyun Joong a mean look.

            He Ra then shifted her attention to So Min.

            “So, this is your fiancée.  Finally we’ve met.  Did Hyun Joong tell you about me?”

            So Min was very confused.  She never met the woman before but she seemed to know so much about her.

            “I’m afraid I don’t know you,” So Min replied.  She could sense the woman didn’t like her at all.

            “No, we’ve never met but I heard so much about you.  So you are the woman Hyun Joong is going to marry to benefit the expansion of our company here in South Korea.”

            So Min didn’t appreciate the tone of the woman’s voice and the look she was giving her. So Min was tempted to snap back at her but she knew that it would be inappropriate for her to do that especially when the media people were around.

            Hyun Joong finally stepped in and introduced He Ra to So Min.

            “So Min, this is Yoon He Ra. She is the Vice President of Kim Investment Bank.  We started the company together in New York.”

            “I was wondering if he also told you that we were once engaged,” He Ra said closely watching So Min’s reaction.

            So Min was stunned!  Hyun Joong had never mentioned He Ra.  She could tell Hyun Joong was getting extremely uncomfortable.  So Min knew this was exactly what He Ra would like to see and So Min was determined not to give her the satisfaction. 

            “Actually no.  Hyun Joong and I have been so busy preparing for the wedding that we didn’t have time to talk about insignificant things,” So Min replied smiling.

            “Maybe not as insignificant as you think.  Hyun Joong and I lived together for five years before we got engaged.  Far from merely a business arrangement to save your father’s company,” He Ra said very satisfied with her comeback.

            “Stop it He Ra.  You are way out of line!” said Hyun Joong.

            “It’s okay Hyun Joong.  Don’t worry I will not dignify her comment with a response.  I think it will be a waste of our precious time.  How about we leave this place now, Sweetheart?”  So Min asked Hyun Joong and held his hand.

            So Min was trembling inside but she managed to walk steadily as she and Hyun Joong were leaving the theatre.  She knew He Ra was fuming mad and was following them with her angry eyes.

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            They drove in silence for ten minutes.  So Min didn’t know what to say.  She hadn’t quite absorbed yet what just happened.  She hadn’t completely recovered from her unpleasant encounter with He Ra.  She couldn’t even look at Hyun Joong.

            “I’m sorry So Min.  I didn’t expect He Ra to be there.  I’m sorry that she said hurtful things to you.”  Finally Hyun Joong broke the silence.

            So Min didn’t respond.  She just kept looking at the window. Hyun Joong had enough and abruptly pulled over and parked the car by the curb.

            “C’mon So Min, yell at me if you want.  Just say something. I can’t stand the silence!”

            “What am I supposed to say, Hyun Joong? He Ra was right, this marriage is all about saving my Dad’s company, and nothing else.  She just stated a fact.”

            “I should have told you about her.”

            “Look, what we have is a business arrangement.  You don’t have to tell me anything.  We will be getting married in the next few days and it’s better that we remind ourselves what we actually have here.”

            “But didn’t we agree we can make this work?” Hyun Joong asked.

            “Yes, we did and I’m sure we will.” So Min needed to hear those words herself.  She needed to convince herself that Hyun Joong’s relationship with He Ra would not somehow affect theirs.

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            So Min couldn’t sleep that night.  She kept tossing and turning in her bed.  Meeting He Ra made her feel uneasy.  So Min thought there was something peculiar about He Ra that she could not pin point.  She had to admit she didn’t like the fact that He Ra and Hyun Joong were once engaged.  She also didn’t like the fact that their lives were so intertwined both personally and professionally.  I’m not going to get any sleep tonight, she thought.

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            “What happened to you?” Seung Ah asked So Min as soon as she walked in her office.

            “I know I have the raccoon eyes.  I barely slept last night.” So Min replied.

            “Really?  So tell me why.”

            So Min told Seung Ah about what happened the previous night at the theatre and her meeting He Ra.

            “What?  Hyun Joong was engaged before?  Did you know about that?”

            “No.  Hyun Joong never mentioned He Ra to me before. So I was also surprised just like you.”

            “Are you jealous?”

            “Why would I be jealous?  You know why we are getting married.”

            “Even then.  I would be crazy jealous if I were you.”

“Oh, well I’m not in a position to be.”

            “I don’t know So Min. You look so good together and I can sense there’s more to you guys than just an arranged marriage.  You seem very comfortable with each other.  I say more comfortable than most couple I know.”

            “Oh, the ever hopeless romantic Seung Ah.  That’s just your imagination working overtime.  By the way, I will try to catch some sleep before my classes.  I need a power nap to get me through today.  Can you please just take messages for me?”

            “No problem. Go get some rest.”

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            So Min felt much better after her nap.  She looked at her schedule for the rest of the day.  She was scheduled to teach three classes including a session with the little ones.  Being the owner of the studio she didn’t have to teach but she like being in the classroom and she actually enjoy teaching especially the children.

            Her last class for the day was with the little ones.  She entered the room and it was unusually quiet.  Normally the girls were too excited that they made lots of noise.  As she walked in the room she saw the girls all lined up in one corner.  Each girl was carrying a long stem of red rose.   One by one the girls approached So Min and handed her the roses.  Each rose has a note attached to it.  The whole message was:  “I’m so sorry.  Please marry me still.  Have dinner with me tonight.”  At the end of the line was Hyun Joong with a bouquet of red roses. 

            “So what’s your answer, Teacher So Min?” one of the girls asked.

            So Min was speechless.  She was overwhelmed by the sweet gesture. 

            “Yes, what’s your answer Teacher So Min?  We are waiting,” Hyun Joong said jokingly.

            So Min took a couple of deep breaths and said, “Of course, I will marry you.  You’re lucky I haven’t changed my mind yet.  And yes, dinner sounds great!”

            The girls all cheered and Hyun Joong gave So Min a hug.  The girls begged for Hyun Joong to stay and teach them to dance.  Hyun Joong agreed to the girls’ delight.  So Min felt bad that Hyun Joong didn’t have the proper attire for a work out but he was such a trooper.  He removed his suit jacket and his tie and worked with the girls.  She had never seen the girls this excited in class and they were having a ball.  After the class Hyun Joong was sweating profusely.  So Min handed him a towel.

            “Do you mind if we stop at my apartment first so I can shower and change before dinner?”  Hyun Joong asked.

            “Of course not.  By the way how did you manage to get the girls involved in this?”

            “Seung Ah coordinated it for me.  She was great.”

            “You guys are crazy.  So she already knew what happened last night?”

“Something like that.  You have no idea how much I’d like to kiss you right now but I’m all sweaty.  Maybe when we get to my apartment,” Hyun Joong teased So Min.

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            “That felt good,” Hyun Joong said as he came out of the shower.  “I have an idea.  Instead of going out how about I make dinner for us tonight?”

            “Really?  That sounds good,” So Min agreed.

            “Let’s see what I have in the fridge.  How about I make you a pasta dish, my specialty?”

            “That sounds yummy!”

            “Pasta dish it is.  Make yourself comfortable while I make our dinner.”

            “Do you need help?”

            “Nope, I got it covered.”

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            Half an hour later Hyun Joong announced dinner is served.

            “We have Penne with Shrimp and Spicy Tomato Sauce, Chianti for wine, and fresh cut up fruits for dessert.” Hyun Joong said with pride.

            “Wow, this looks great.  Where did you learn to cook like this?”

            “Living in New York I’ve learned to be independent and learned to cook for myself.”       

            “This is really great!  Thank you.”

            “Enjoy and bon appétit.”

            For the rest of the dinner, So Min and Hyun Joong talked about the wedding and the last minute things they still need to do.  They couldn’t believe the wedding was only three days away.  After dinner, they moved from the dining room to the living room to finish their coffee and dessert. 

            “So Min, I’m not sure if you want to talk about it but I just wanted to clear the air.  My relationship with He Ra has ended two years ago.  Sorry again for not telling you, especially when we work together and will be seeing each other a lot.  I’ll admit that she was not thrilled when she found out that we were getting married.  I guess she was upset both for personal and business reasons.  She is very much against the partnership between your father’s company and our company.  I have a feeling she might make things difficult for us and I just want you to be prepared. ”

            “Don’t worry.  I’m a big girl. I’m sure I can handle her.”

            “Are you sure?” Hyun Joong asked while holding So Min’s hand.

            “Yes, I’m pretty sure.” So Min smiled.

            Hyun Joong couldn’t restrain himself.  He moved closer toward So Min and started kissing her.  His kisses became more and more demanding and before he knew it So Min was on her back on the couch and he was on top of her.  So Min held Hyun Joong even closer.  Hyun Joong touched So Min’s smooth legs.  He lifted her skirt and started to explore her body with his hands. 

            “I can’t get enough of you,” Hyun Joong moaned.  “Stay here with me tonight.”

TO BE CONTINUED