deals

So, here he was again, wearing a rather dark blue suit with his new hair cut, sitting inside one of the A-list Italian restaurants of the country–which unsurprisingly, again, was his step mother’s repetitive but lame choice. Although he seemed enjoying the after meal and having a tender smile lingered the whole time on his lips, nobody could tell what a fake it was.

It’s amusing, his step mother, Kim Junmyeon would never consider that person as a woman with brain. Well, he actually wasn’t the type who liked budging someone’s business, including his own father’s, but he had to admit that his father might have damaged his brain when he fell for that woman. Unlike his mother, she wasn’t graduated from any prestigious college, not even finishing her study perhaps, she loved jewels, bags, and nails, like almost all her friends. He didn’t know her background, not that he cared though, but she’s okay, at least she looked like she truly loved his father.

Thankfully, ever since she married his father, this woman never tried to be a mother for him, she’s just not that kind of person. However though, after the peaceful seven years, this woman suddenly volunteered herself to act like one and her first volunteering work was … to look for his fiancée candidates, what a surprise.

People had been worried because Kim Junmyeon, the only son of Kim Jinsung–the founder and the owner of K&K enterprise–had never brought a woman to his house, which of course sounded strange. Then rumor spread quickly and began its ugly charm, which believed or not, doubted as a straight guy when you’re the heir of one prestigious IT company had strongly affected the up and down of the market. And it’s not only concerned the Big Boss but also the whole company. And this was what his step mother claimed as the reason behind her humble volunteering act.

Oh no, he didn’t oppose the idea. He’s thankful, actually. And no, he’s not a gay, it’s just he didn’t put marriage as one big deal in life. He was born to hold such heavy expectation on his shoulder, so, he’s better not messing around and focusing his life in it.

And he found a lot of amusing stuff happened. First, he didn’t expect his step mother was fond with such thing, she made plans, she wrote notes, she even had proposal. When he read her plans, he had trouble with holding his laugh. Surely, this woman had been watching too many soap opera that she began having herself diligently playing one of its popular roles, the step mother.  Second, today was the eighth meeting, but believed it or not, he was rejected for six times already. He found it’s truly excellent. If it’s not because of the proposal, or to be precise the slave slash wedding proposal, he would consider himself to have no charm at all. Oh, he rejected once, if you wonder, the girl was too dumb and he couldn’t understand the whole thing she talked that day, nope, he couldn’t live with the kind of his step mother.

“I’ll marry you,” said a pretty lady, sitting in front of him.

Oh, this seems interesting!

His attention’s back to the eighth candidate. She’s pretty, beautiful even. From that look only, he could imagine how media would compliment him, and the company, of course.

His smile grew thinner, wasn’t expecting such bold determination was her first sentence after their silence dinner.

This was Jung Eunji, the youngest daughter of well-known Prof Jung Dongil of Seoul University.  Her father had been both teaching at the university and also working–sometimes–as the lead of researcher team of K&K. Jung family had a less big company, their main domain was doing many researches mostly in IT sector and had been having good relationship with K&K for over a decade.

Unlike both her brothers who graduated from her father’s alma mater and now working at the same field, Jung Eunji was graduated from music and art performance. She owned a small theater at the town and had been keeping it run by herself.

Being his eighth, she had the proposal on her table, eyes locked on it and it hadn’t been long actually. Most of them needed at least half an hour to finish the reading and confirming this and that before they declined it politely, but this certain pretty lady didn’t seem their kinds. It drew his attention, certainly.

“It would be my pleasure,” Junmyeon humbly muttered.

She finally lifted her chin, looking at him in the eye before she closed the proposal.

“But, let’s make a deal,” she bravely proposed.

Sure. He silently replied with an amused smile.

It wasn’t new. Most of the ladies tried to bargain too, which wasn’t as easy as it seemed to be. Junmyeon was not easy, certainly, but he wasn’t difficult also, he believed.

“Before your mother–

“Step mother,” he corrected her.

“My mistake,” she admitted immediately, “before your step mother sent this proposal to my office, she threatened my family.” It explained already, the reason behind her cold expression. She hated him, she hated this engagement. Perfect, he’s impressed already.

“So, I want you to guarantee that K&K will never stop working with our company.”

Interesting. Junmyeon nodded lightly as if he’s considering. He didn’t know his step mother would go this far, as if she had such power. And it’s pretty amusing that a lady whom he believed was smart enough yet got fooled that easily by his brainless step mother. A minus.

“Well, honestly, I cannot guarantee that,” he replied matter-of-factly.

Wasn’t expecting his bluntness, Eunji frowned, pretty disappointed.

“I honestly have no idea what your step mother told my father, but trust me, he’s terrified,” she continued.

Junmyeon smiled thinly, pretending to feel her worry.

“Right, family is always a priority, right?” he said while leaning his back on his chair.

Eunji didn’t immediately reply. Rather than that, she looked at him in eye instead, studying this guy. Fake smile, fake attitude, fake politeness. She now realized, what kind of guy Kim Junmyeon was. Working with actors, script and lies, she could tell he’s fake. This all wasn’t mattered for him, everything. And it was when she finally lifted her lips, showing a glimpse of smirk.

“Well, not really, honestly,” she spilled.

Feeling relaxed already, she copied his motion, leaning back to her chair and she earned a frown.

“Excuse me?”

“To be honest, I’m not doing this for my family. I don’t care if my father’s small company will be ruined by your step mother, if she can. It’s just that, like I said, my father is truly terrified. And that’s what affected me the most.”

He couldn’t grasp, yet.

“Because you love your father so much?” he guessed.

“Um,” she bit the right tip of her lips while trying to manage her following sentence, and Junmyeon had a thing he hated from her already. She suddenly looked cute yet y at the same time, that’s not fair. “I woul