It's a Long Story
Bastard“What do you mean 'you’re not going to go'? You’re expected to go!” Mei Lin practically yells. She snatches the chrome metal from the air mid-toss to get her boss’ attention.
Yi Fan doesn’t let the action get to him and simply looks up with a smug smile. “I’ve never gone to these sort of things, Mei. You should know by now that I don’t like those kind of parties.”
Mei Lin lets out a sigh and hands the boy back his little toy. It comes as no surprise to Mr. Wu and his two secretaries when Mei Lin regretfully delivers the news. Though, this leaves Mei Lin upset, because now, Mei Lin is expected to attend in her boss’ place. Luckily, Mei Lin practically planned the whole event, which allows her to be the stage manager of the evening. This allows Henry to take Mei Lin to go dress shopping, even though she insists that there’s something in her closet that would be fitting for such an event.
“Honestly, you don’t need to be here for this,” Mei Lin sighs as she fingers through the racks. “Does nobody trust my sense of fashion?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you,” Henry says, pulling out a dress before Mei Lin shakes her head.
“Then what is it then?” Mei Lin asks, acting insulted.
Henry gives Mei Lin a quick peck on the cheek when she isn’t looking, to which Mei Lin’s sliding arms stop for a moment before examining more dresses on the rack that an sale’s assistant had compiled. “I just wanted an excuse to see you.”
“You see me everyday at work,” Mei Lin says a bit quieter. She hopes that her softer voice would draw less attention to her blushing cheeks and her pounding heart.
“This is different,” Henry says, holding up a dark navy gown.
“How?” Mei Lin says, examining the fabric and cut of the long dress. “Is this a date?”
Henry holds the dress up against Mei Lin’s body, moving his head around to give himself a better idea of how it would look on her. Though, he is a bit biased because he thinks that just about anything would look good on Mei Lin. “It can be.” He motions for her to try it on and she doesn’t object because it’s actually to her liking. “Do you want it to be?” Henry asks while Mei Lin changes.
“That doesn’t matter right now,” Mei Lin says, slipping into the smooth dress. She steps out. “What matters right now is what you think.”
Henry’s lips pull together in a tight circle as “wow” tries to make its way to the airwaves but his jaw falls a bit before it can. Henry blinks a few times to make sure that this is not an illusion or dream and he finds himself gawking as he touches Mei Lin’s shoulder to turn her around a bit. While he’s doing that, Mei Lin checks the price tag and is now the one blinking in disbelief. She quickly returns to the dressing room and changes out of the dress very carefully much to the disappointment of Henry.
“You never answered my question,” Henry says when they’re walking back to the rack.
“That depends,” Mei Lin says, disappointed by the lack of anything else that looks appealing and to her style.
“On what?” Henry asks, watching Mei Lin’s face rather than her fingertips.
Mei Lin sighs at the realization that there’s nothing else that would satisfy Henry’s need for something to spoil her and her need for something classy. “Whether or not I want you to buy this for me.”
Henry’s eyebrows shoot up. “And?” Henry asks, hoping for the former.
“You know the answer to that,” Mei Lin says, heading for the register. “I don’t want you to spend any more money on me.”
“Does that mean that this isn’t a date then?” Henry asks with an exaggerated frown. “So wait, what’s keeping me from paying if I want it to be one then?”
Mei Lin stops and thinks about it for a moment. “Nothing.” Mei Lin opens her wallet.
“That’s a good chunk of your salary,” Henry comments.
“It’s worth it if it means that you aren’t paying,” Mei Lin says, receiving the dress in a protective bag.
Henry frowns dramatically again, “Don’t you want to date me?”
Mei Lin stops to give him a look of “really?” “That was rhetorical, right?”
“Well…”
“I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to go to your birthday party two months ago if I didn’t.”
“Why don’t you dress like that more often?” Henry asks, remembering that wonderful day (or should I say: night). “Why do you treat me this way if you want to date me?”
“Aren’t I already dating you?” Mei Lin asks. “Besides, you deserve it for all the times that you teased me for being too little to do things with you.”
“I did that so you would eat your vegetables!” Henry pleads.
Mei Lin turns her head up and away, pretending not to believe him. “You could’ve just told me you wanted to be alone with your guy friends instead of being such a jerk about it.”
Henry walks ahead of Mei Lin and steps in front of her. A semi-honest look of apology is placed on Henry’s face as his hand stops Mei Lin by holding her upper arm. “I’m sorry, alright?”
Henry searches Mei Lin’s playful eyes for any sign of forgiveness but she simply sighs and agrees. It’s enough to make Henry smile and drop his hand a bit. In the same motion, he turns back around and walks next to Mei Lin, which allows him to grab Mei Lin’s left hand. This causes Mei Lin to almost halt and drop the dress before she catches herself. The way that she looks down and away so that her hair acts as a curtain makes Henry smiles even bigger as they stroll down the streets of Tian He with laced fingers.
He tugs her into another store. “Why are we here?” Mei Lin whines.
“You need shoes,” Henry says.
“No, I don’t,” Mei Lin insists. She turns to leave but Henry still has her left hand.
Henry yanks Mei Lin back closer to him and Mei Lin decides to overreact playfully. He knows that she’s not really hurt at all from the intentional pull, but her fake look of pain is enough to make him leave the store. “At least let me pay you back for that dress; I am the one who made you come out here to buy it after all.”
“No,” Mei Lin says.
“You should be saving for a car, not—”
Mei Lin stops, “I swear to all that is decent in the world that if you—”
“What?” Henry smirks.
She glares at him with a pout but then continues to walk. Henry follows with his hand in front of him, letting Mei Lin lead him wherever she liked. After a while, Henry holds out his other hand, offering to carry the dress that Mei Lin is holding and there’s a silent debate in Mei Lin’s head before giving in. They walk like that for a while. Mei Lin is sure not to let her eyes fix on a window display for too long in fear that Henry might drag her in there and insist on something to be bought.
“It’s getting late,” she comments, feeling the low, crisp breeze bite at her. A shudder resonates from Mei Lin’s core and Henry lets go of Mei Lin’s hand. Mei Lin stops and turns around to see where Henry could’ve gone. “What on Earth are you doing?!” Mei Lin quickly closes Henry’s jacket. “You’re going to get sick that way!”
Henry smiles at how Mei Lin seems to be mothering him, much like how he use to towards her. He stops her fidgeting hands. “Maybe I want to get sick,” Henry says. “Then you’ll have to come over and take care of me.”
“You have maids for that,” Mei Lin says, zipping the jacket back up. “I’m fine; keep it on.”
“But I’m hot,” Henry teases.
“No, you’re not,” Mei Lin says sarcastically.
Henry gasps with wider eyes, acting shocked at the playful insult. He pretends to throw a small tantrum by pulling her towards the Yuan Village. He sits down abruptly on a bench and forces her to sit on his lap. Mei Lin is thrown off by the sudden jerk of her body but is quickly held secure by Henry’s arms.
“Henry, let go!” Mei Lin whines, still struggling to break free. It’s not like the bench isn’t big enough for two people.
“No,” Henry says. “This is punishment for calling me ugly.”
“I didn’t call you ugly,” Mei Lin retorts.
“You just did,” Henry says.
“Hin Wah, that hurts!” Mei Lin complains. Lucky for Henry, there aren’t many people at the park at this hour. “Let me go.”
“No,” Henry says again in spite of the use of his real name.
After a few more moments, Mei Lin gives up and stops moving, but is still gravely uncomfortable. “Hin Wah,” Mei Lin says, a bit quieter now so that it forces Henry to listen to her. “If you’re not going to let me go,” she pauses, “then at least let me get comfortable.”
Henry doesn’t move but contemplates while resting his chin on Mei Lin’s shoulder. “You promise not to try to get away?” Henry asks into her shoulder.
Mei Lin nods, “I promise.”
Henry loosens his grip just enough to allow Mei Lin to adjust. She shifts and presses her back against Henry’s chest. When she’s situated, Henry locks his arms possessively around Mei Lin’s waist again and buries his face against Mei Lin’s neck and shoulder. He moves his hands gently to create a bit of friction, careful not to tickle her. “You warming up yet?” he asks, sounding sleepy.
Mei Lin turns her head to her left and Henry lifts his head so that she can now rest on the small of his shoulder. “I thought I told you that I was fine,” Mei Lin says.
“Well I’m not,” Henry says.
“Why not?”
“I’m still hurt from your cruel words,” Henry teases.
“Shouldn’t you be happy that I’m dating you regardless of your looks?” Mei Lin chuckles.
“So you really do think I’m ugly,” Henry concludes with a smirk.
“You could be scarred and be completely overtaken by a flesh eating disease and I would still love you,” Mei Lin says casually. “So long as you are the Henry that I know.”
Henry’s heart pounds a little harder and Mei Lin could almost feel the rhythm against her back. He hugs her a little tighter at the words, curling his body against hers like a child would with his stuffed animal before craning his neck to give her a kiss on the cheek. Mei Lin feels the heat rise to her neck at the contact and ends up curling her body in as well.
“We—We really should get going,” Mei Lin says, but Henry doesn’t budge.
After a moment of stillness, Mei Lin throws her head up a bit to see if Henry had fallen asleep. His eyes are closed with his head resting on Mei Lin’s but he surely isn’t asleep. He moves his head a little bit, encouraging Mei Lin to go back to her former position so that Henry could enjoy this just a bit longer. With all the pressure and demands of their jobs, Henry simply wanted a few moments where he—they could relax in nothing but the soft sounds of flowing water and the few crickets that were telling them it’s time to leave.
Henry then sighs as if he had just woken up and shifts his arms a bit to let Mei Lin know that they could go. She stands up, giving her legs a moment to regain their strength, stretching. Henry does the same and brushes off his pants before grabbing the bag that held the dress. While the couple walks with Mei Lin holding on to Henry’s arm, Henry calls his driver so that they can be picked up. Once in the car, Mei Lin rests her head on Henry after he had put his arm around her protectively.
“You want to spend the night?” Henry offers. “I’ll cook for you.”
“Can’t,” Mei Lin sighs. “Final preparations have to be done for the Gala.”
“You can do that at my house,” Henry says, really wanting her company.
“I left my tablet and laptop at home,” Mei Lin says. “Besides, I won’t have anything to change into for work tomorrow and how would it look if we both showed up to work in the same car?”
“I don’t see why we’re keeping this a secret.”
“You know why,” Mei Lin says, referring to her boss. “He told you to stay away from me.”
“Does that even matter when you’re the one who didn’t stay away from me?” Henry teases.
“You could’ve said no,” Mei Lin points out.
“Only a fool would turn you down,” Henry flirts.
“Just drop me off,” Mei Lin says, not wanting this night to end. “I wonder if he’ll fire me for this,” Mei Lin wonders. Henry doesn’t say anything, which causes Mei Lin to look up at Henry’s forward and distant eyes. “Henry?”
“He might,” Henry says, biting his lower lip. “You see, the reason why Kevin hates me so much is because when we were in Canada studying, there was this girl that he had a crush on. He liked her a lot. So much so that the great Kevin himself made the first move, for once, and said something. She turned him down. Later, he found out it was because she had a crush on me. I found out about all this about a month and few pranks too late.”
“What did he do?” Mei Lin asks.
“Broke into my locker and took a few things,” Henry says, shrugging it off. “It wasn’t a big deal until he stole my music folder. threw all the sheets out a window.”
“What a child.” But then Mei Lin is reminded of who is being spoken of. “He must’ve been crushed…to let someone else see a weaker side of him like that, only to be…” Mei Lin sighs. “But he shouldn’t have blamed you. It wasn’t your fault who she liked.” Then it occurs to Mei Lin what Henry had just implied. “None of this applies to me though,” Mei Lin says. “If anything, he’ll just punish you for taking me from him but even that doesn’t matter because he sure as hell doesn’t like me.”
Henry glances at the naïve girl under his arm for a second. “He might not like you, but you’re still his secretary and his nonetheless; Kevin can get very protective of those whom he allows to get close to him.”
“I doubt that,” Mei Lin says, thinking that she isn’t all that close with her boss at all. If this is what he thinks is close, I’d hate to see what his “distant” is like.
“If it came down to it,” Henry says. “I’m sure he would defend you. I think we’ve gotten past the point where he’s trying to get you fired.”
“That’s just your way of trying to get me to keep dating you,” Mei Lin says.
“Maybe,” Henry says, not giving her the satisfaction of knowing. “Or maybe there’s finally hope for this company’s future.”
The car stops and the door opens. Mei Lin gets out and Henry follows until they reach her apartment door. “Goodnight,” Mei Lin says. You didn’t have to walk me to my door, dork.
“Goodnight,” Henry says regretfully, wanting to give Mei Lin a kiss, but she had already slipped through her front door before he could stop her.
Mei Lin waits behind the door until she hears Henry leave. She then pushes her back against it before letting her body slide down to hit the floor. As nice and relaxing as that was, Mei Lin is exhausted, but not enough to throw the dress carelessly on the couch. She hangs it up carefully and makes dinner for herself, regretting a bit at not taking up Henry on his offer of his home and cooking. With that in mind, Mei Lin goes into her room to grab her tablet and laptop.
She takes bites in between scrolling and clicking. Even after she’s done with all of her responsibilities as the planner of this event (which is actually suppose to be Yi Fan’s job), she still has to take care of all the paperwork for her own Department as well as prepare the rest of the week for Yi Fan as his secretary. She sighs to herself, feeling even more exhausted. The exhaustion rolls over to the next day much to Mei Lin’s dismay. She even reaches for a cup of coffee from cafeteria during lunch.
“Yo!” Mei Lin turns around and sees Gale making a beeline to the table in which she is sitting. “I’ve been trying to find you all morning and—” Gale notes the steaming cup of not-tea. “Long night?”
“Something like that,” Mei Lin yawns. “What’s up?”
“I need your opinion on something,” Gale says, taking a seat.
“Shoot,” Mei Lin says, sipping the disgusting liquid.
“So,” Gale starts, speaking slowly and in a quieter voice in case anyone around can also understand English. “The Gala is this Saturday, right?”
Don’t remind me. “Yeah.”
“So, Lu Han just asked me if I was going to the Gala this Saturday while I was on my way here,” Gale says. “I told him ‘yeah’ and he just nodded a bit with this weird distant look in his eyes and said, ‘okay.’ What the hell does that mean?” Boys are so confusing.
“Maybe that means that he’s going too,” Mei Lin says. “Maybe that was his indirect way of making sure that you’re going so that he can see you there or something.”
“I hate you indirect you Chinese people are,” Gale mutters. “Being honest and forward isn’t rude.”
“Well, it can be taken that way in this country,” Mei Lin chuckles.
“So what’s new with you?” Gale asks, stealing some of Mei Lin’s crackers and popping them into . “I haven’t talked to you in almost a week. Someone’s been busy.”
“Nothing much,” Mei Lin says.
“How’s Henry?” Gale asks.
“He’s Henry.” What more is there to it?
“How are you? Like, both of you…”
Mei Lin looks at Gale in the eyes to see what it is exactly that she’s trying to get at. “Gale,” Mei Lin says, after concluding her point. “This isn’t high school.”
“I’m just saying,” Gale says. “If another boy breaks your heart…”
“Junsu did not break my heart,” Mei Lin corrects her. “If anything, it was Victor—”
“Victor?”
Mei Lin scolds herself for letting herself slip into forgetting that Gale doesn’t know about Victor. This is what happens when you stop talking to people from high school because you’re too busy and they’re too busy. “It’s a long story,” Mei Lin sighs.
“Is that why you took so long before going out with Henry?” Gale asks, not wanting to push the topic. Mei Lin nods and gulps the rest of her coffee to distract herself. “So, would you care to explain to me why Lu Han is taking his sweet time into asking me when Henry’s been hitting on you since he realized that you were back in town?” Gale asks, bringing the conversation back to herself to avoid any further discomfort on Mei Lin’s part.
Mei Lin smiles at the gesture. “Henry spent quite a few number of years in the west,” Mei Lin says. “Maybe Lu Han’s just a bit more traditional in the sense of confrontation. Or maybe he’s shy.” Mei Lin thinks about the situation before her. “Why don’t you ask him first?” she asks, even though she already knows the answer.
Gale sighs and pokes at Mei Lin’s food with a fork. “I don’t want a repeat with Jinki.”
“That poor boy really scarred you,” Mei Lin sighs.
“He didn’t do it on purpose,” Gale says in Jinki’s defense. “If anything, that was probably the nicest rejection a girl could ask for.”
“And that was your only rejection,” Mei Lin comments. “Unless there were others that I don’t know of that occurred while in college.”
“I had a boyfriend for six months or so during college but he turned out to be a complete ,” Gale says in disgust. “There was a sweetheart I met about two years ago and he was real good to me.”
“Did you pull a Junsu on him?” Mei Lin asks, hoping for a negative.
“Not intentionally,” Gale says. “I came to this company on internship for about three months but then they offered me a very promising contract. I didn’t want to leave, but it was the best offer that I got and it’s not like there would be a language barrier or anything.” The two are now both eating Mei Lin’s lunch. “So here I am. And about a year later, here you are. Never thought I would be working for you, though.”
“Sorry about that,” Mei Lin says, even though Gale wasn’t being serious.
Gale brushes it off with a wave of her hand, “You were always better at that boring organization stuff anyways. Besides, you couldn’t pay me to have your job. Having to be in those meetings all the time,” Gale shakes her head. “And I don’t even know how the you have the patience to deal with an like Yi Fan.”
“The same way I can deal with my parents,” Mei Lin says.
“But you don’t talk to them anymore,” Gale says. “Why do you still send them money?”
“I’m their only child and it’s not like they spend it all,” Mei Lin shrugs. “They live off of their savings and retirement fund mostly so the joint account we have is like a side savings account.”
“When was the last time you saw them?” Gale asks.
“Graduation,” Mei Lin wrinkles her nose at the memory and the memories of that day. “How about you? You don’t talk to your folks either anymore, do you?”
“Are you kidding?” Gale scoffs. “I left the house the night of high school graduation.”
“And your cousin was okay with that?” Mei Lin asks, remembering how John cared and worried enough to compensate for Gale’s neglectful parents.
“It’s not like I gave him much of a choice,” Gale smiles at the thought of her beloved cousin. “He finally got married to Melissa.”
“That’s great,” Mei Lin says. “I got an invitation in the mail a few weeks ago to go to a wedding.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, Junsu’s girlfriend said yes.” Mei Lin’s mellow smile is bittersweet, much like her standing on all of this. “I’m not sure if I should go.”
“That shouldn’t be a question,” Gale says. “The question should be whether or not you’re bringing a plus one.”
Mei Lin rolls her wrist with her chopsticks at hand as she thinks about this. Part of her still loves Junsu and always will, so she’s not quite sure how she’ll react to seeing him dedicate the rest of his life to another woman. Though, this would be a great opportunity for Mei Lin to let go, get some more closure and move on. Now the question is whether or not she should go alone. If she were to go alone, the chances of her feeling more sad than happy for Junsu is a bigger possibility. However, if she does invite Henry, she might even have fun and will surely have emotional support.
“Who knows, he might even ask you to marry him in the near future once you plant the idea in his head,” Gale snickers, bringing Mei Lin back to this world.
“It’s only been two months,” Mei Lin says. “Not even. It’ll be years before I even consider marriage.” Especially in light of not too recent events.
“He seems like the kind who would wait for you,” Gale says. “He waited all those years and even those months when you came back. I’m sure another few years wouldn’t—”
“You’re assuming that he’s liked me since we were children,” Mei Lin laughs. “He’s like a brother to me.”
“I think there are laws against even in this country, so,” Gale pretends to shudder, “for all intensive purposes, let’s just say that you guys were best friends.”
Mei Lin laughs but is cut off by the sound of her phone. “Yes?” Mei Lin asks into the phone, already knowing who it is.
“Where are you?” Yi Fan asks, slightly annoyed by the fact that he doesn’t know where his own secretary is.
“Having lunch,” Mei Lin says, not feeling the need to disclose her exact location.
“Well cut it short because someone’s waiting for you in your office and he won’t leave.”
Mei Lin rolls her eyes because it was probably Henry. “Yes, sir.”
Gale rolls her eyes, knowing exactly who’s on the other line just by Mei Lin’s tone. She helps Mei Lin pack the rest of her lunch as the two make their way to the elevators. They pass by Lu Han who gives a smile to Mei Lin but looks away shyly when he realizes who’s standing beside her. Gale lets out a heavy sigh when they’re alone in the elevator. “That boy is causing me so much stress right now,” she sighs.
“Just go to the Gala and see what happens,” Mei Lin says. “You can wait a few more days, right?”
Gale mumbles something about how boys are more confusing than Greek oracles before they get off and Victoria stops Mei Lin just as she’s about to enter her own office. “I’m sorry, he insisted on seeing you in your office. He says that he’s an old friend and—”
“It’s okay,” Mei Lin says, reassuring her. She glances in the direction of her office and looks again when she didn’t believe her eyes. “Um, Victoria.”
“Yes?” Victoria asks, who is now feeling uneasy at the stiff look of something she can’t put her finger on that Mei Lin has.
“Don’t let anyone into my office,” Mei Lin says. “If they ask, I’m not here.”
Victoria is about to ask for clarification when Mei Lin whisks herself swiftly into her office and before the door closes, the glass walls turn pitch black. The young man smiles at his high school sweetheart but Mei Lin has a look of confusion for him and is very wary of the man before her.
“Annyeong,” he says out of habit. “You look good.” Mei Lin walks behind her desk but keeps her eyes on Junsu, still confused as to why he was in China, and why he’s in her office of all places. Junsu laughs a bit out of awkwardness and closes his hand on his mouth to wipe it. “Uh,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand while keeping the other in his pocket. He pulls out an envelope from that pocket and examines the ivory stationary a bit before handed it to Mei Lin. “In case it got lost in the mail.”
“You didn’t have to come all this way just to hand me an invitation,” Mei Lin says, not accepting the card, causing Junsu to awkwardly place it on her desk. “I’m flattered though.”
“Will you be coming?” he asks sincerely.
Mei Lin keeps her eyes on the envelope, “Yeah.”
“Mei—”
“Don’t,” Mei Lin says, finally looking into his eyes. Junsu lets out a small sigh through his nose and waits for Mei Lin to continue. “I’m happy for you, honestly. I just haven’t decided if I’m going to bring anyone or not.”
Junsu smiles sheepishly, still feeling a bit awkward. “I’d like you to meet her,” Junsu says with hopeful eyes.
“If she makes you happy, then that’s all I care about,” Mei Lin says, giving Junsu a soft smile.
Junsu mirrors Mei Lin’s smile as the two do their best to keep the mood light and relaxed. “What about Victor? Does he make you happy?” Mei Lin flinches at the name, remembering that she had yet to tell Junsu. Her last letter was almost seven months ago. “Did something happen?” Junsu asks, regretting his assumption.
Mei Lin looks down at her desk and leans on it a bit harder. “It’s a long story. I’m sorry that I haven’t written to you in a while, I’ve been kind of busy…”
Junsu smirks and looks at the title on the door, “I can see that.” The two laugh a bit at Junsu’s quiet congratulations. “He was a fool,” Junsu says to himself. “I was a fool…”
Mei Lin snaps out of her little trance. “You’re not regretting—”
“No,” Junsu says instantly. “It’s just…” Junsu looks down at his feet for a moment then looks off at some distant part of Mei Lin’s office. “Sometimes I wonder what could’ve been, you know?”
“Maybe in another lifetime,” Mei Lin says, understanding. The silence between them is gloomy, nostalgic and even a bit regretful but most of all, bittersweet. “Do you love her?”
Junsu nods a bit to himself before voicing himself. It’s quiet again as the two try to organize their thoughts and feelings. “I…” Junsu says, bringing them both back to reality. “…still love you too.”
Had it not been quieter than a church, Mei Lin would’ve not been able to hear him. Mei Lin looks up to examine Junsu’s eyes, but they’re down casted as if he’s ashamed of what he had just admitted. His expression is plain but there are wars underneath and his body language is inconclusive. When he finally finds the courage to look at the young lady in front of him, he’s greeted with glazed eyes and an angelic smile. As if he had just gotten approval or had just been accepted, he lights up a bit from the dim mood.
“I love you too,” Mei Lin says, the pain in her small voice trying to show. “Always have, probably always will.” Junsu can only nod as he feels his eyes starting to glass over as well. “Junsu,” Mei Lin says in a way that almost pushes them both to tears. She walks out from behind her desk until she’s standing a foot from him. She looks up into his downward gaze, forcing him to look at her even though they’re both going to be in need of tissues soon. “Saranghae.”
Junsu closes his eyes and a tear falls on Mei Lin shoulders. He leans down until he’s in her arms. They hold each other for a moment before they both step back, awkwardly brushing at their eyes and sniffing. “Bring him,” Junsu finally says. “I want to meet him.”
Even though Mei Lin can be content with just knowing that someone is making Junsu happy, Junsu can’t help but feel the need to act like a protector again, much like how he had done when they first met in middle school. Everyone always bullies and makes fun of the new kid, but Junsu wasn’t going to let the same thing that had happened to him, to happen to the innocent new girl.
The two stand there in the middle of the office smiling at each other when the door suddenly opens, letting in Victoria’s distressed voice, “You can’t go in there!”
Yi Fan storms in and glares at the man in Mei Lin’s office and then at Mei Lin but then quickly goes back to the man in the room. Junsu flinches at the cold stare down and awkwardly excuses himself. “I hope to see you then,” Junsu says. Mei Lin nods. “Annyeong.”
“Annyoeng.” Mei Lin then turns her attention to her boss. “I know you don’t listen to me but at the very least, could you respect my secretary?” Mei Lin flicks the walls back to transparent. “What is it?”
“Who was that?” Yi Fan demands.
“None of your business,” Mei Lin says, almost snapping back. She’s about to put away the ivory invitation when Yi Fan snatches it from her and rips it open unceremoniously. Mei Lin crosses her arms when she realizes that it’s best not to act like she’s hiding something. Yi Fan scans the invitation and looks at Mei Lin. “What?”
“This is in Seoul,” Yi Fan says.
“Your point?” Mei Lin asks, snatching the card back. “My personal life is none of your business.”
“There was just a strange man here in your office, who came all the way from Korea nonetheless, just to give you a wedding invitation that would’ve been much cheaper just to mail; and you’re grilling me about your personal life?” Yi Fan asks. “I never said anything about your personal life, Mei.”
“It all kind of falls under the same category,” Mei Lin says. “Anything that’s not related to you or this company is considered my personal life.”
“Well, Lau is related to this company so he shouldn’t be a part of your ‘personal life.’”
Yi Fan waits for a look for horror spread across Mei Lin’s face at the fact that he knows but he’s left waiting. Mei Lin is unfazed by it and is instead scrolling through her tablet. “So does that mean that you’ll take care of the rest of the preparations for the Gala and will be attending or should I get back to work to make sure that the guest list is free from those with allergies and ensure that they get a special meal?”
Yi Fan blinks at Mei Lin’s audacity. “You cocky little prick.”
Mei Lin looks around, “I’m sorry, were you talking to a mirror?” I’m not in the mood for this right now, Yi Fan. You have no idea what you just interrupted.
Instead of lashing out in complete anger like Mei Lin had expected him to, Yi Fan chuckles until it turns into a full-on laugh. “Go make sure no one’s throat closes Saturday night.” He turns to leave, “But don’t go to Seoul; you’re needed here.”
Mei Lin stares blankly at the closed glass. Because Yi Fan just admitted that he needed someone.
Translations/Author's Notes:
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Yuan Village is an area in the Tian He district where Tian He Park is located.
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Annyeong = Hello/Goodbye in Korean. Also romanized as Annyoung. This usage/form is very informal and casual.
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Saranghae = I love you in Korean (just in case you all didn't know that already :P) This is also very informal/casual.
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