“So Min, So Min. Are you awake?” she could hear her mother’s voice from the hallway.

So Min finally woke up.  It was Sunday morning and she over slept.   Her brain was still in a fog.   

“Yes, Mom.  I’m up,” So Min said while yawning.

“Get ready, your father and I would like to see you in the study.”  So Min could hear the urgency in her mother’s voice.

“Okay, Mom.  I will be out soon,” So Min replied.

Barely awake, So Min washed her face and brushed her teeth quickly and proceeded to the study to meet her parents.

When she entered the room, she saw her father holding a newspaper.  Then it all came back to her.  The photographer from last night!

“What is the meaning of this, So Min?” her father asked with a puzzled look on his face.

So Min took the newspaper from her father and there it was a huge picture of her kissing Hyun Joong.  The caption said:  “Is Merger in the Works?”

“You have no idea what’s the impact of this to our business, So Min.  Our phones have been ringing off the hook.  The board members, investors, clients, the media, including our family and friends.  They’re all calling!  I had to ask people to come to work today to answer all the calls in the office,” her father said trying to restrain his anger.

“Dad, Mom, I’m so sorry.  I only met Hyun Joong twice.  I was meaning to talk to you about him next week.”  So Min’s hands were shaking while holding the newspaper.

            “Do you love him?” Her mother asked. 

            Before So Min could answer, the phone rang.  Her father picked up the phone and it was Hyun Joong.

            Her father immediately put Hyun Joong on hold and instructed her and her mom to leave the room and close the door behind them.

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            So Min spent the rest of the morning in her bedroom.  She was stunned and felt so betrayed.  She couldn’t help but cry.  She couldn’t believe that Hyun Joong would resort to this kind of dirty trick.  She felt so stupid and naïve for falling for it. 

            She needed to talk to someone and dialed Seung Ah’s number. 

            “So Min, I’m glad you called.  I’ve been trying to call you all morning.  I saw the newspapers and I’ve seen your picture on TV too.”

            So Min told Seung Ah everything that has happened and how Hyun Joong has betrayed her.

            “Oh, I’m sorry, So Min?  What you are going to do?”

            “I don’t know right now.  I can’t even think straight.  But one thing for sure, I don’t want to see or hear from that guy ever again!”

            “So Min, So Min,” it was her mother calling her again.

            “I have to go Seung Ah, my mother is calling me.”

            “Okay, just call me if you need anything.  You know I’ll always be here for you.”

            “Thanks Seung Ah.  I really appreciate it,” So Min said and hang up the phone.

            “So Min, you need to get ready.  Your father has called a press conference at four o’clock this afternoon and we need to be there to support him.”

            Great.  The last thing she would like to do today is to meet the press.  Press conferences are nothing new to her.  Growing up she has attended a million of them.  She also held a couple of them on her own for her dance studio.  But this time it is different.  This is a “damage control” press conference to fix the mess that she created. 

            She dragged herself out of bed and got dressed.  She had to put extra make up on to cover her puffy eyes from crying.

            So Min went with her mother.  Her father left hours ago to work out the details of the press conference with his staff.  So Min and her mother went straight to her father’s office and waited.

            So Min was thankful that her mother was busy answering phone calls from their relatives.  She knew her mother had a ton of questions for her which she was not quite sure how to answer herself.

As four o’clock was getting closer So Min couldn’t help but feel nervous.  Given the choice, she would rather be somewhere else.  But this was the least she could do for her parents after creating this commotion.

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            As soon as So Min and her mother walked in the auditorium, the photographers started taking pictures non-stop.  This only made So Min’s anxiety even worse.

            So Min and her mother took their seats and waited for the conference to begin.

            To So Min’s surprise, she saw her father and Hyun Joong approached the podium.  Her father spoke first.

            “Mr. Kim Hyun Joong and I would like to thank you for coming today to this press conference on short notice.  We called this conference to clarify that Jung Capital Investment and Kim Investment Bank are not merging.  However, our companies have agreed to form a partnership that would strengthen both companies’ presence not just in South Korea but all over the world.”  Her father continued on and explained further the specifics of the partnership.

            While her father was speaking, So Min could see Hyun Joong looking toward her direction but she made every effort to avoid eye contact with him.

            Then it was Hyun Joong’s turn to speak.

            “There is also another good news we would like to share with you.  Although our companies will not be merging, our families are.  I would like to announce that Mr. and Mrs. Jung’s daughter, Ms. Jung So Min, and I are engaged and we will be married next month.”

            “What?  What is he talking about?  I didn’t agree to a marriage!  What is he doing?” So Min asked herself in disbelief.

            Then all cameras were pointed toward So Min.  She managed to put on a fake smile to hide her anger.  She was not sure what Hyun Joong told her parents but he obviously succeeded in getting what he wanted.  An arranged marriage to benefit the expansion of his business.

            So Min was then invited by her father to come up on stage and stand next to Hyun Joong.  Despite her resentment, So Min followed her father’s request.  As soon as she got up on stage, Hyun Joong put his arm around her shoulders and winked at her.  For her parents’ sake, So Min played along and acted as the happy and excited bride-to-be.  

            “Ladies and gentlemen…introducing the future Mr. and Mrs. Kim Hyun Joong!” announced her father.

            So Min heard a loud cheer from the crowd and the press people were relentless as ever in taking pictures.

            And to seal the deal, Hyun Joong cupped So Min’s face and gave her a tender kiss.

TO BE CONTINUED