Chapter X – You will be mine
Another Time, Another Place
“Miss, there’s a package for you,” one of their maids informed her as she sat to have her breakfast in their big dining room. Her Mom looked at her in a weird way, waiting for her reaction to the maid’s announcement. “What is it?” “Here, Miss, I think it’s a box of calming tea,” the maid announced as she placed the huge box on the table, near So Min. “Who is it from?” So Min asked. “It doesn’t say but there’s a message written on the box,” the maid replied.
So Min eyed the box – it’s a very expensive brand of calming organic tea. She knows this because it is her Grandpa’s favorite tea brand. Then she saw the message written on the box using a silver sharpie, the kind celebrities use to sign autographs:
“Here’s a year’s supply of really expensive organic calming tea. Please drink this three times a day. Hopefully, this will have such a calming effect on you that you will no longer be mad at me when we see each other again. Signed-Really Handsome God of the Universe.”
She stared at the box for a while, as her mother eyed her curiously. ‘This guy’s unbelievable,’ she sighed, shaking her head. Normal guys would send flowers or chocolates to apologize but this guy’s obviously abnormal. A few minutes later she received an SMS from Hyun Joong: “Good Morning, Honey. I hope you liked the tea. That came from me, in case you are not aware of my nickname. Have a great day.”
“Aissshh!” So Min couldn’t hide her annoyance. “What’s wrong, dear?” her mother asked. “Nothing, Mom. In case you need me, I’ll just be in my room,” So Min said as she stood up from her seat.
“Miss, what will I do with this?” the maid asked pointing to the box of tea. “Drink all of it if you want, I don’t care what you do with it, just make sure I don’t see that ever again!” she snapped.
For lunch, her Mom cooked her favorite dish which So Min thoroughly enjoyed. As she was finishing off the last morsels of food on her plate, the maid came in with a slice of yummy-looking chocolate cake wrapped in a see-through plastic take-out container. “Here’s your dessert, Miss.” “Wow, that looks heavenly,” So Min squealed in delight. It only took her a few minutes to devour the entire slice. “Can I have another slice, please?” she asked. “I’m sorry, Miss, but the shop sent you only one slice,” the maid explained. “The shop?” So Min asked. At that moment her phone rang, it was another message from Hyun Joong:
“Hi Honey, I hope you’re enjoying the chocolate cake I sent. I sent only one slice because I don't want you to get fat. You might end up blaming me and getting mad again. This is just a preview of the sweetness you'll experience once you agree to be my girlfriend."
She wanted to barf at the cheesiness of the message but she stopped herself when she noticed that her Mom and all their maids were looking at her intently, intrigued at the different emotions that played on her face.
By mid-afternoon she received a huge 4-cheese pizza from her favorite pizza store. The delivery guy said it was a gift for Honey, from a guy named Seung Jo. Upon opening the box she saw that there was a message exquisitely written on it--in hot sauce:
"I like staring at your round face because it reminds me of my favorite pizza. My favorite pizza, which always warms my heart."
"WHAT?! How dare you KIM HYUN JOONG!" So Min stomped off and locked herself in her room. She looked at herself in the mirror, twisting her face this way and that and checking how round it was. She was already in tears as she reached for her phone to call her stylist. "Unnie, is my face round like a pizza?" She asked her surprised stylist, sobbing like a spolied brat.
So Min refused to have dinner that night. She was still so pissed off at Hyun Joong. She was just in her room sulking when her younger brother knocked on her bedroom door. "Noona, can I come in?" Her brother then handed her an old Adidas shoe box. "Somebody left this for you." Inside the shoe box was a small tiger stuff toy. As if on cue, she received another message from Hyun Joong soon after opening the box. It said:
"I think you're still mad at me. You haven't acknowledged any of my messages and gifts :( I know it's hard to sleep when you're angry. I'm lending you this toy to help you sleep tonight. But it's only for one night, tomorrow someone will pick her up. Don't worry about me, I'll be working through the night. Good night, Honey. Don't forget to dream about me."
So Min started crying after reading his message, which surprised her. She tried to calm and convince herself that her tears were triggered by extreme annoyance at Hyun Joong's antics, ignoring the nagging feeling that it was caused by something else.
The next morning one of the maids woke So Min up. "Miss, a messenger's here asking for the Adidas shoe box that was lent to you last night. He said your time with it is up, the owner now wants it back. I'm sorry I can't understand what he means but he said you would know and understand."
So Min looked at the tiger stuff toy she was hugging the whole night and grudgingly placed it inside the shoe box before handing it to the maid. She was sad to let it go.
Outside So Min's house Hyun Joong was sitting in his van, waiting for his staff to return with the tiger toy. As soon as his staff handed him the box he took out the toy and sniffed it. He smiled happily as he smelled So Min's sweet scent on the toy. All the way home he hugged the toy while grinning like a giddy school kid.
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