Two days later…

The Park and the Jung families were having dinner at the Park Mansion. The parents of So Min and Si Hoo were discussing the upcoming plans for the wedding while the two were thinking of how to break the truth from their parents…

“I was hoping that we can have the wedding set five months from now”, Mrs. Park opened up the discussion.

“I agree. Anyway there is no point in waiting for these two to decide. They aren’t getting any younger and we are already eager to start taking care of our future grandchildren, right, So Min?” Mrs. Jung looked at So Min trying to get confirmation from her.

So Min avoided her mother’s eyes as she continued to play with her pasta. The foods laid on the table were sumptuous but they all tasted like sawdust in .

“Are you okay, So Min?” Mr. Jung asked.

So Min just nodded as she still avoided looking straight to his father’s inquiring gaze; only Si Hoo knew how So Min wished to be in another place…in another time…with another person and how he wished the same.

“We can start listing the names of the sponsors for the wedding. It should be the wedding of the year set in the most elegant venue in the largest hotel. I can already imagine the reporters writing about the elegance…the majestic uniqueness of this wedding…I can’t wait!” Mrs. Jung said excitedly as her eyes sparkled at the thought of her family being the center of attention among the polite world among their fellow rich families with whom they could show off.

“I agree…it would be magnificence incarnate!” Mrs. Park seconded as the two toasted in happiness not even paying attention to their children…with So Min trying to control herself from bursting into tears and Si Hoo trying not to shout in too much frustration.

“This time our families will be united in influence and wealth in the society”, Mr. Jung said as he was thinking of gaining more money and connection by marrying his only daughter to another rich family.

“We’re willing to pay to acquire such a beautiful wife who also came from the highest rung of the society for our son”, Mr. Park said with a laugh as he tried to make it sound that So Min was just like a thing…a parcel that her parents bartered to gain additional power and money.

“Unlike the poor man whom she loved a long time ago…I can’t remember that miserable man’s name….ah…Kim…Hyun Joong…that’s the miserable man whom So Min here believed she loved….hehehe….I had that poor man thrown out of the mansion…” Mr. Jung callously commented as he sarcastically laughed.

“I also remember my Si Hoo here falling in love with that miserable orphan…what’s the name of that good for nothing woman…Moon…Chae Won…yeah…that’s the name of that gold digger! I’m just so relieved when she went out of my son’s life”, Mr. Park said with a smirk and a sarcastic laugh.

“Mom, dad, please stop it”, Si Hoo said in controlled anger.

“What? What are you saying, Si Hoo?” Mrs. Park asked as she looked at her son whose knuckles were turning white from being clenched too tightly on the table.

“I said stop it!” Si Hoo said as his voice suddenly rose in controlled anger.

“Si Hoo, why do you keep being affected by anything about Moon Chae Won? Don’t you have any concern for So Min? My daughter is your future wife so you should try your best to respect her”, Mrs. Jung admonished Si Hoo.

So Min let go of her fork and it clanged loudly on the plate and the sudden loud sound drew their parents’ attentions towards her.

“So Min, dearest, please be patient with Si Hoo here he…”Mrs. Park was not able to finish her words because So Min spoke and as she raised her face…her eyes for the first time reflected the pain and the hatred she felt towards the situation she was in.

“Si Hoo is right…you have no right to speak like that to Chae Won…in the same way my parents do not have the right to speak like that to Hyun Joong. Chae Won is already a respected interior designer and Hyun Joong is already an excellent doctor. They are already wealthy by their own rights not because they are born to wealth like me and Si Hoo”, So Min said…steel ringing in her voice.

“An interior designer? A doctor?” Mr. Jung asked.

“Yes, hard to believe? That orphan who owns my heart and soul…that orphan…Moon Chae Won whom my heart worships is already an interior designer she survived and she made something out of herself”, Si Hoo said angrily as he looked at his parents.

“The one person whom I want to spend the rest of my life with…the only man I ever loved is already a doctor. You tried to destroy him but you never did! You never did!” So Min emotionally said.

“Stop it both of you! Stop it!” Mr. Park angrily shouted to stop Si Hoo and So Min. The two stopped but their eyes were defiant and fearless.

“Why should we stop now, dad?” Si Hoo asked.

“Because I said so”, Mr. Park retorted.

“You tried to destroy your son for such a long time, Mr. Park, why should he shut up now?” So Min sarcastically piped in.

“So Min, you ungrateful child, shut the hell up!” Mr. Jung angrily shouted to control So Min.

“You tried all my life to shut me up and now that I found the reason to speak up you’re trying to shut me up?” So Min retorted angrily.

“We’re going home. I’m sorry for how my daughter acted”, Mrs. Jung said as she stood and bowed as a sign of apology.

“We would also like to apologize for the way Si Hoo acted”, Mrs. Park said as she also stood and offered her own apologies.

“I guess it’s about them being tired from their jobs”, Mr. Jung said as he roughly pulled So Min and dragged her towards the main door of the mansion.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After 20 minutes, So Min and her family reached the Jung Mansion. Mr. Jung angrily dragged So Min towards the library. They were followed by Mrs. Jung.

“What was that scene all about, So Min?!” Mr. Jung angrily said as he roughly let go of So Min’s arm. So Min tried not to grimace at the pain she felt and the imprints of her father’s fingers on her arm.

“Explain, So Min, how could you humiliate us like that?” Mrs. Jung asked.

“I don’t want to marry Si Hoo anymore. I want to break the engagement”, So Min bravely replied.

“You what?!” Mr. Jung turned around and looked at her daughter.

“I said I don’t want to marry Si Hoo not now not ever”, So Min repeated.

“Why? Because you wanted to marry that Kim Hyun Joong? Is that it?” Mrs. Jung asked.

“Yes…because I love him. All my life I followed you but I don’t want to live like that anymore”, So Min said.

“How dare you!” Mr. Jung shouted.

“Why? Are you angry because you can’t sell me anymore to the Park family like a parcel of meat? Are you angry because you can’t use me to gain connection to another rich family? You never loved me…you just wanted to use me!” So Min angrily said.

“How dare you!” Mr. Jung said as he walked towards his daughter and slapped So Min so hard she fell on the floor. Her face turned as red as a tomato with her father’s hand imprinted on her left cheek and her lips bled because it hit her teeth. She raised her face and looked venomously to her father.

“Please, stop it…heavens…why did you hit So Min? So Min, dearest…” Mrs. Jung crouched to where So Min was lying on the carpeted floor and tried to comfort her daughter but So Min avoided her mother’s touch as she tried to stand on her own.

“I regretted the time when I believed you and went to France and left Hyun Joong. I regretted all those years”, So Min said as tears fell from her eyes and she turned her back from her parents and went out of the library. She directly went to the front door of the mansion and she rode her dark blue BMW out of the mansion’s gate with no fix destination in mind.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At the same time that night, Si Hoo also confronted his parents at the mansion’s library…

“How dare you shame us like that?” Mr. Park angrily said.

“I just told them the truth. I just wanted them to know the truth”, Si Hoo replied.

“The truth? There’s no other truth here except that you’ll married the woman our family’s money and influence bought for you”, Mr. Park angrily said.

“Heavens, dad, can’t you hear yourself! So Min is not a parcel of meat to be bought…she’s a living and breathing person with feelings”, Si Hoo said.

“Talking about some feelings! Who do you want to marry, huh? That social climber and gold digger, Chae Won?” Mrs. Jung angrily commented.

“Chae Won. Is. Not. A. Gold digger. She’s a decent person who left me because you harassed her. She left me and I had been so miserable all these years without her”, Si Hoo angrily replied as he sunk on the coached and clutched his head painfully in his hands and pulled his hair.

“I don’t care what you say. An orphan like her could never be a member of this family. Not now not ever!” Mr. Jung said with finality as he drained his brandy.

Si Hoo stood as he faced his father. “And I tell you this, dad, I’m officially breaking my engagement to So Min…you can’t force me to do things that I don’t want to do. I run the construction company and I’ll continue to do so but not to the extent of marrying the person that I don’t love. I know that So Min feels the same”.

“You stubborn, !” Mr. Park said as he threw his brandy snifter at Si Hoo’s direction. It hit the brass foot of the chair near him. Some of the shards of the glass caused shallow cuts to Si Hoo’s face…he was lucky he managed to close his eyes or else he might have been blinded.

“Si Hoo, Si Hoo…” Mrs. Park said as she saw shallow cuts bleeding on Si Hoo’s face.

Si Hoo did not say anything…he went out of the library…directly to the garage and rode his red Volvo out of the Park mansion. He wanted to get drunk…he wanted to at least forget because even though his face hurt…her heart hurt more.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So Min found herself at Han River…she was looking at the flowing water…she wanted to end everything…she just wanted to die and to forget all and unknowingly in her grief she managed to dial a familiar number…

“Hello”, it was Hyun Joong. He was at the parking lot of the hospital maneuvering his car out of the parking lot.

“Hello, Hyun Joong…Hyun Joong…” So Min was crying as though her whole heart was being ripped out of her chest…

“Hello, So Min, are you crying? Are you okay?” Hyun Joong worriedly asked as his heart beat faster.

“I want to end it all, Hyun Joong. I want to die…I want to end it all”, So Min cried on the phone.

“No…So Min, where are you? I’ll pick you up. Don’t do anything so rash, okay. Please, darling, please…tell me where you are”, Hyun Joong worriedly asked as he went out of the parking lot.

“Hyun Joong, I love you and only you but you’re marrying another and I want to die so the pain will just die”, So Min replied.

“Where are you, So Min? Please…tell me”, Hyun Joong asked as he listened on the possible clues as to where So Min was. He then heard a gentle lapping of the waters and suddenly he gained an idea where So Min was.

“I love you, Hyun Joong, please tell me that you still love me even though it won’t be true anymore. Please…please”, So Min said.

“Yes, So Min, I still love you and only you. Please don’t leave me, okay?” Hyun Joong said as he accelerated and reached the place near Han River and saw So Min looking at the waters.

Hyun Joong went out of his car and ran as fast as he could.

“So Min, I’m here. I’m here now”, Hyun Joong said as he was trying to catch his breath and as So Min turned to face him, he went towards her and embraced her.

“Hyun Joong, I’m glad that you came here. I want to die…I want to end everything but I can’t do it…I can’t do it”, So Min cried as she clutched Hyun Joong to her in a tight embrace.

“Please…don’t do anything like this, okay?” Hyun Joong said as he embraced So Min who nodded.

“I love you, Hyun Joong. I love you”, So Min whispered.

“I love you, too”, Hyun Joong replied.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chae Won was already lying on her bed…reading a romance novel when her cellphone rang…

“Hello”, she answered.

“Hello, Chae Won”, it was Si Hoo and from the slurred in his voice it was evident that he had been drinking.

“Si Hoo, what is it? It’s already 11:00 in the evening”, Chae Won said.

“Yeah…sorry didn’t notice…I called because I’m terribly sad…I feel so alone and hurt…my heart is bleeding”, Si Hoo said as his slurred voice reflected not only that he was drunk but he was also crying.

“Where are you, Si Hoo?” Chae Won asked as she tried to keep her voice calm.

“I’m here at the Happy Hour Bar”, Si Hoo replied.

“Go home, Si Hoo”, Chae Won said.

“I don’t want to go home to any place without you”, Si Hoo replied.

Chae Won did not reply instead she ended the call. She tried to lie on her bed and continued to read but her thoughts were not on the book…

“! I’ll kill you, Park Si Hoo, once I get my hands on you!” Chae Won said as she went out of the bed and changed to her jeans and green t-shirt. She grabbed her white sweater and wore her flip flops. She went to the parking lot and entered the driver’s seat of her maroon Ferrari and drove towards the bar where Si Hoo was.

“Si Hoo, I’m here…let’s go”, Chae Won said as she arrived at the bar and saw Si Hoo at the counter.

“Chae Won, sweetheart, you came”, Si Hoo raised his face and Chae Won saw the shallow cuts on his handsome face.

“Of course…I came…c’mon let’s go”, Chae Won said as she paid the bill at the bar and helped Si Hoo out of the bar to the passenger seat of her car before she entered the driver’s seat.

“I’ll bring you to the mansion”, Chae Won said as she was starting the engine when Si Hoo stopped her. As she looked at him…

“Take me with you, Chae Won, baby…please”, Si Hoo said as his left hand pulled Chae Won towards him as he brought his lips on her. He kissed her like a man dying…like a man who looked at her as his salvation. Chae Won finally admitted to herself…she missed Si Hoo’s kisses and as she opened to kiss him back…her hands moved and pulled him closer as she tasted the brandy he drank.

“I love you, baby”, Si Hoo whispered after their kiss.

“I…I love you, too, Si Hoo”, Chae Won replied and they both smiled and started to kiss again.

Hi everyone...a long update to make up for all those times i was not able to update. Thank you so much for subscribing, reading and commenting on my story.