Sorry?
Have We Met?It wasn’t easy at first, he had to admit that.
At times when Mark is not in class, just walking around town with a camera slung to his side, even the smallest thing triggered him.
Passing by the fruits stand, he saw how bright the yellow of the lemon attracted him to grab onto one and took a good, long sniff of it. He regretted it at once, when he remembered how Jinyoung smelled of fresh lemon after shower.
And that other time, when he was at a bakery, and his tears started rolling when he tasted the cinnamon bread, because Jinyoung, always, always smelled like sugary cinnamon to him. Mark stopped eating cinnamon-related thing from that point on.
Another time, a few friends caught Mark staring at a padlock for a second too long, fingers tracing whatever it was he was mumbling. There are times, when he felt numb, empty. Like a void that could be replaced by nothing but a certain face, or voice, or touch.
There are times, when he had to ignore the calls, leave the messages unread. He knew, he knew it in his heart and mind and soul, that at a single plead, a single ‘please’ would crush his will and ruin the promise he made to Jinyoung’s parents, Jinyoung and himself.
Mark dared not to go onto any gossip websites, skipping the business section of the newspapers, because seeing Jinyoung by then would only hurt so much. He was thinking about Jinyoung, how cute he was, trying to cook for what would probably be the first time in his life. How Mark didn’t realize he sliced through the skin of his forefinger, how the blood trickled and there was no pain whatsoever. The only pain he felt was in his heart, constricting his focus, choking him in a misery.
He decided that one year would be enough for him to bear with the pain, but he went through 2 years of torture. Never have Mark loved anyone as much as he loved Jinyoung. Every day, without failure, he prays that Jinyoung would be successful and that he wouldn’t be in as much pain as he was. If he did, then Mark prayed hard that all the pain be given to him, all obstacles sent to him because he was the one who decided to hurt Jinyoung.
Mark stared long and hard at his Macbook from his worktable, mind wondering over to somewhere in Asia, somewhere more specific would be —
“Your article is not going to magically type on its own no matter how hard you stare at it,” housemate of a year, Bernard, commented from across the room.
“Never underestimate my abilities, young one.”
“Yeah, right,” the younger guy snorted, “I forgot how you won that award last month for a memorable photograph.”
“I’ve corrected you about a hundred times, but I guess music is the only thing in your head. You annoy me, go play somewhere else, Bernard.”
“Music is, in my blood and heart and soul, bro. Anyways, when are you going to Portugal?”
“They’re posting me there next month, so yeah, I’m praying hard that my article would start typing on its own, magically.”
“Portugal, and then where else?”
“Mozambique, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.”
“Man, you’re going away for a long time. I’m gonna miss you, Mark.”
“You should start posting up ads for a new housemate.”
“No, man, we’ve all agreed that we’ll wait for you to come back.”
“Well, aren’t you sweet? Come here, let big bro give you a kiss.”
“Ew, I’m not your boyfriend, bro. Get away!” And Bernard started running.
Mark knew that the article was going nowhere and it only started with a ‘by Yi-En Park’.
“General Manager, you should at least eat, please.”
Jimin only received a grunt in reply.
“Boss, I even got you your favourite food. Even got these dumplings from that shop we frequented.”
Jinyoung stared at the wall in front of him, his Rubik’s cubes on display, the newscaster drawling nonsense on the television that Jinyoung didn’t switch off since a day ago.
“You’ll fall sick. We still have a lot of projects underway. Nothing is working without you there.”
The General Manager didn’t even flinch.
“Your parents are worried sick. Your mother, Madam Park, has caught a cold.”
Mother.
At the mention of her name, it at least moved Jinyoung by a fraction but it was gone as soon as it came.
But it didn’t affect Jinyoung after that. His mother is the root cause. If and only if they didn’t meet, Mark wouldn’t have gone somewhere far and everything would be fine. If only Mark told him before they meet, Jinyoung could have straightened things with his Mother. He knew what his Mother did, he was fine with it, in fact he agreed to the money-treatment to see someone’s true colour; if they were in the relationship for the money or if the person really loved Jinyoung.
The letter crinkled under his touch, no one was allowed to be anywhere near it, despite it being a mere piece of paper. Jinyoung did turn to private investigators once he read through the letter. But every move they made, every step they took, his father halted all progress.
He met his father. Demanding the old man to give him answers.
“I thought you and Mom are fine with Mark. I thought you like him?!” Jinyoung stormed into his father’s office while he was having his tea. The Chairman spilled some black tea on his pants and hissed from the heat.
“'Goodness sake, son, that was some expensive tea wasted.”
“Here I am, asking you what’s wrong with my boyfriend when all you’re worrying is about your tea.”
“Mark? What’s wrong with Mark?”
“ 'What’s wrong with Mark?' ” Jinyoung imitated his father, impressively similar if his father could add, “he’s gone, father, for good. I’m trying so hard to find him and all I know is that Chairman Park has stopped all progress. What’s the meaning of all this, father?”
“It means I’m stopping your effort, son.”
“Why? I want to know why.”
“Mark requested it upon us, your mother and I. So, to answer your question, we do like him, your mother is very fond of him that we decided to go with his wish.”
“His wish? His wish?! What about mine? What about your own son’s happiness?”
“Your happiness is everything to us, Jinyoung. Son, if you really believe in him and if you believe in your love for him, I don’t think waiting is a problem. I don’t think a distance is too far. I don’t think an obstacle is too difficult. You speak of your dream to make this business a success, you work your way to the top, you don’t even take care of yourself properlyjust to achieve this dream of taking over and making us proud, where do you think that puts Mark?
How do you think he would feel? I had my doubt in the boy at first, but it’s proven that money is nothing to him. Jinyoung, you have to realize that Mark has his dreams and troubles too. For now, supporting him is the best thing we could do. You with your investigators, you with your whining and temper, imagine what’s it like for Mark, wherever he is at, alone with no one to talk about the same thing you’re probably talking about now. Mark is such a matured young man. You owe him to at least agree with the one small thing that he requested on.”
Jinyoung slumped onto the plush sofa of his father’s office; the words of the Chairman seeping into his brain, trying to fit logic into the situation when fatigue took over him and he out.
“Oh my God, son!”
Fingers twisting knots onto his cutoff shirt, Mark stared at his tanned arm. He was in Malaysia for the longest time, and he’s finally back. He would be graduating soon, still taking classes in between his job, no matter how busy he was. But it was all done and dusted; just one more semester to focus on and he would be out there, working as a foreign correspondence.
Mark has a list he would like to tick off before his return.
Return.
Getting a scroll for journalism is already on its way, with a job already reserved for him.
He wanted to travel around, now his room is filled with souvenirs from different parts of the world, and a tan to go by despite it was still winter in the States.
Lastly, he was going to meet someone he hasn’t met for a long time.
Files were placed in front of him, the person opposite of him sitting down with a huff.
“So…” Mark started.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Tuan. I have the details you need. It was not that easy, but I would never fail my clients.”
“Yes, I understand. I didn’t have much information for you to start from but a picture.”
“But all is well; it would be a shame with the kind of reputation we have. All right, enough of the talk. I’m sure you want to know what's in this file. Here you go, take your time. I’ll be at the pantry if you need me.”
“Thank you, Ms. Schumacher.”
“Sure thing,” the private investigator left her office, before handing Mark the crisp brown file.
He received it and took three deep breaths before his fingers flipped it open. There it was, on the very first page, the picture was clipped on the very top left corner of the file. His finger traced the picture, he smiled a little, and he sniffed a little, as he looked at the picture.
Despite everything, she was still his beautiful mother. Her features seem to just mature, wrinkles spotted at the corners of her eyes, on her temple.
“You got thinner, Mom.”
He went on to check on her details. It surprised him that she only lived a few hours away from him. Skimming through the information, Mark was satisfied with the work presented to him. Ann Schumacher made her appearance at the right time when Mark was done with the file.
“I don’t know where to begin, Annie. I’m so grateful that I turned to you. This means so much to me.”
“Hey, no problem, Mark. This is what I do for a living. I promised you that I would find her, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, and you did.” They sat there in silence after that, the only noise coming from the heater somewhere close by the table they were seating at.
“Are you going to find her?” She inquired.
“Probably. I don’t know. I mean I didn’t even think about finding her. Let alone hire a PI to do it.”
“Well, you did. There must be a reason to it. You don’t just do these kinds of things on an impulse.”
“True. Well, now that I’m on break, might as well do it now or never.”
“Yeah, you go do that.”
With the push from Annie and Bernard’s nagging, not to forget how Jinyoung always trying to talk him into doing it, the silver Honda Accord Mark owned was parked right on the street of his mother’s place.
He had a basket filled with all sorts of cookies, only the best chocolates and some flowers. He was singing to Tove Lo’s and rapping to Eminem with some of Beyoncé’s Halo and Gangnam Style. But Mark was still sweating and he even recorded how fast his heart was beating under a minute.
With one final exhale, he was finally ready, and Mark was out of his car before he could decide to sit his back down.
One knock, two knocks, three knocks, no reply came. Mark waited for a few more minutes, kicking imaginary pebbles. He was about to give up when another man walked up to the front door, with flowers in his hand.
“Well hello there, young man. It’s rare to see any more visits to Jen’s place anymore. Did she do something bad?”
It caught Mark off guard. First things first, who is this man? And why is he asking about something like that? Is Mom still like how she used to be?
“Uh, no. I’m here for a different reason.”
“I honestly think I’ve seen you somewhere before. But I can’t quite place it. Hang on, you’ve got to knock harder. Jen’s probably in her backyard, or upstairs doing some sewing.”
The older man knocked on the door fairly harder than Mark did.
A few seconds later, there were footsteps approaching with a loud, “coming!”
Mark’s heart was beating a mile a minute again, doing that thing as if it wants people to hear that it’s beating so loud it’s almost deafening to himself. But the elderly next to him made no indication that he could hear it.
The bells jingled and the white door opens to reveal the one woman who made Mark happy, sad, disappointed, proud altogether at the same time.
“Hello, Jennifer, you have a visitor.”
“Hi, Tyler. Visitor, you say?” She didn’t see him yet, but Mark could see her hair, that used to be short, now longer, with no traces of grey, yet. She pushed the door wider, to finally see Mark.
Her eyes widened, mouth slightly opened, as she’s clad in a comfortable turquoise turtleneck top and black sweatpants.
“M-Mark?” The lady stuttered.
“Mom,” he replied.
“Oh my God, Tyler. It’s Mark. It’s Mark, Tyler,” and she claimed her son in a hug, the hug that both had longed for so, so much. Mark finally relaxed in her arms, smiling a little, and sniffling a little.
“It’s cold out here; let’s get cozy inside, everyone.”
Mark was introduced to Tyler Anderson, an ex-marine who owns a flower shop and is currently his Mother’s good friend for 4 years. He was originally her sober companion, but she got better sooner than expected, and they still kept in touch. They had lunch, his Mother miraculously made all of them, and cookies and chocolates for dessert. Indeed, Mark could see that his Mother has changed.
“I shall make a move now, seems like you mother and son have a lot to catch up on,” Tyler got up to make his leave, giving Mark’s mother a hug and a squeeze of support. He got Mark into a hug too, patting the lad on his shoulder with a smile.
When the florist left, Mark let his mother speak first.
“Mark, how have you been?”
“Good, never been better.”
“That’s good to know. Are you working now?”
“I’m graduating soon. But, yeah, I already have a job waiting for me.”
“That’s great! Well, what kind of work are you doing?”
“What kind of work? What, you’re expecting a work with good pay?”
“I hope it does if you work hard for it.”
“Do you even know what I like to do? What I wanted to do?”
“Mark, dear…”
“Yeah, you never really bothered back then,” Mark couldn’t hold it in much longer, “you never even tried to find me. You never cared for me in the beginning. I had to feed myself, survive on my own. Where were you, Mom?”
“I’m sorry, baby.”
“No, you don’t get to call me names. Where were you when I needed you the most, Mom? Where were you during my Parents-Teacher day? Where were you when I won my first cheerleading competition? Where were you when the sharks came to raid our house? Where were you during everything?!”
He didn’t know he was weeping by the time he asked what he wanted to know. He didn’t realize how his hands were wiping the waterworks. But he realized that his mother was crying too, begging for forgiveness, begging for reconciliation, and begging for almost everything.
“I’m so sorry, dear. I was so caught up with myself. I always wondered if I could be a good mother. I was a teen mom, I was living up to the stereotype that teen mom wouldn’t be able to survive. I had to fight through my alcohol and drug problems, Mark. I received counseling, I received therapies. I was even suicidal at one point. I did go back to our home. I went back to our old place, to find you, but you weren’t there. I thought they took you away. And chances of finding you would be impossible. Because it’s them, I have no power over them or even myself. I’m so sorry, Mark. I’m sorry that I left you, I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to cheer for you, I’m sorry I couldn’t make you proud of me. I’m sorry that I disappoint you so much, darling. I decided, after I recovered, I would volunteer to help teen mothers, I would help them, and I would try to make sure that they don’t end up like me.”
“But, you’re better now aren’t you? You’re better now, and it’s the only important thing now.”
“Yes, yes, I am. I’m doing it for myself and for you, son. I thought that if I get better, where ever you are, you’d be proud of whom I am now. I disappointed you, but I won’t anymore. I want to make it up to you. I want to do everything with you, son. I missed you so much, and I love you so, so much.”
“I love you too, Mom,” Mark whispered back, “I love you, too.”
“Come and live with me. I want to make things right again.”
“No.”
The lady looked taken aback, “what do you mean, Mark?”
“I mean, I still am not, you know, I can’t just say yes, it’s been years, Mom.”
“True, that’s true. Anything you want, son, I’ll wait. I’ll wait no matter how long.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
“No, thank you, Mark,” and the mother and son hugged again, after so many years.
“I’ve missed you so much, Mommy.”
“Mark, dear, I’m sorry.”
“Anyways, about Mr. Anderson,” Mark added, and his mother giggled in between her sobs.
“What about him, silly?”
“Boss, here are the files to the south wing upgrade,” Jimin handed a blue file, adding to the already mountain-high files pile.
“Okay,” the curt reply came.
“You have a meeting with Ryokan Electronics at 3 for the Kids’ Room upgrade, YeeLi Co. at 4 for the ballrooms issue.”
“Right.”
“And, boss,” Jimin had to thread carefully from that point on.
“What?”
“There’s a blind date at 8, with Ms. Bang Yejin at Manhattan Grill.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?! Uh, I mean, okay, boss.”
“Why at the Renaissance Hotel, though? Pick somewhere else.”
“Uh, oh, yes, boss.”
Then Jinyoung’s assistant left, leaving him to his work, the work that has drowned him, distracting him from the real world that has no Mark in it. Jimin was probably questioning why and, oh well, why would Jinyoung even agree to go on blind dates when he has said no for 3 continuous years, but at the mark of the 4th year, the General Manager has finally said yes.
But, who said I was going to do it the right way?
He let himself be drowned with work, working from the moment he wakes up until just before he falls asleep. And at that moment, only thoughts of Haru could distract him.
He finally got around to apologizing to his parents, saying how sorry he was, because he remembered how hard it was for Mark who grew up without anyone to look after him, and how much his friend/lover/ex? appreciated Jinyoung mother’s affection, and Jinyoung father’s care.
He finally cried his eyes out, with his mother sobbing together with him, and he told her over and over again how much he’s missing Mark and how he loves Mark like he has no other. His mother looked so heartbroken, like she was about to say something, but stopped herself short.
“There’s always a reason for something, love. Mark didn’t just leave you for the fun of it. He’s probably doing something that you could be so proud of.”
“I think so, Mother, I think so too.”
“Why don’t I set you up with the food chain store owner’s daughter?”
“Too soon, Mother, too soon.”
Blind date #1: Ms. Bang Yejin
“Jinyoung, I heard you were gay, are you biual instead?”
That really ticked him off, “the society is trying so hard to fight on equality, when they go and put labels on people just because they’re in love. Doesn’t mean I don’t date women, I am gay. Doesn’t mean I don’t date men, I am straight. Doesn’t mean I date both, I am biual. I am what I am, I like what I like. But, Ms. Bang…”
“Just Yejin, please.”
“Ah, Yejin, alright. Apparently, you’ve just turned me aual.”
“Excuse me?!”
Blind date #9: Ms. Jun Jirin
“And my mommy tucks me to bed every night.”
“Wow, that’s nice of your mother, Mr. Park.”
“And reads me bedtime stories.”
“Oh, okay.”
“And kiss my oos away.”
“Uh…”
“And pats my bum until I sleep.”
“Okay…”
“And when I get nightmares, my mommy would make me milk and feed me cookies.”
“Uh, Mr. Park Jinyoung, I don’t think I could make it for the next meeting.”
“Okay, well too bad, but mommy’s going to buy me ice cream because I behaved.”
Blind date #15: Ms. Yoo Hana
“Ugh, girl, what’s with that outfit combo?”
“Sorry?”
“Like, seriously, brown and black?”
“I’m sorry, Jinyoung?”
“And those cocktail earrings? Did you beg the lady for a cheaper price? Uh, guuuuurrrllll.”
“Jinyoung, these are Gucci.”
“Well then, Gucci just tricked you into seeing them as pretty.”
“What?!”
“Really, honey, I think that bang should go, and I’m all in for side shave chicks.”
“What is it with all these comments, Jinyoung?”
“Don’t you get it? I’m as gay as a unicorn could be!”
Blind date #21: Ms. Oh Rijin
To: Secretary Park
Get here, now. Make sure it’s good.
“Jinyoung, are you listening? Please, put the phone down and listen to me.”
“Ah, yes, Sorry, Ms. Oh. That was my secretary, reminding me of my next meeting.”
“Well, anyways, moving on, I’ve also been to New Zealand, and it’s amazing there! The scenery —”
“Jinyoung, how could you do this to me?!” That was Jimin, ‘dolled up’ in ill-fitting leather pants, combat booths with spikes, red sleeveless biker jacket and to top it off, eyeliner and spiked up hair. Jinyoung questioned his assistant’s choice of outfit.
“Jinyoung, she, she ain’t real. She ain’t gonna be able to love you like I will. She is a stranger, you and I have history, or don’t you remember?”
“Jinyoung?”
“Sure, she’s got it all, but, baby, is that really what you want?”
“Who is this?”
“Bless your soul; you’ve got your head in the clouds. She made a fool out of you and boy she’s bringing you down. She made your heart melt, yet you’re cold to the core. Now rumour has it, she ain’t got your love anymore.”
“Jinyoung what’s happening? Should I call security?!”
“No, Ms. Oh, I don’t think we’ll be seeing each other anymore.”
The 21st date was probably the most epic one, and Jinyoung doubled over when they were on the road with Jimin on the driver seat.
“What is your theme tonight, pray tell. I cannot grasp this concept of yours, Jimin.”
“That was my alter ego dressing up, boss.”
“But Adele?”
“Well, I was listening to her while I was driving over.”
“Not a bad choice, really.”
“You seem livelier these days, boss. Maybe going on blind dates is a good idea after all.”
“No.”
“It’s been 4 years, boss.”
“I won’t settle, even after 40 years, if it’s not Mark Tuan, Jimin.”
Jinyoung got so angry a few months after that when a scandal of him and Jinsung Foods heiress went viral that he pressed on his legal team to lash out any suits possible and get the article down. It was true that they met on Jinyoung’s 29th blind date, and he got tired of it.
For the first time ever, Jinyoung was being nice to one of his blind dates, and he really, genuinely thought of her as a friend instead of a quote, potential lover after 4 years of silence, unquote. He tried so hard not to have any of these rumours, there was the possibility that Mark would come across it and he would think that Jinyoung has moved on. Jinyoung was far from moving on, he promised that at the end of the year, if Mark doesn’t come back, if Mark never comes back, then…
Then I’ll just shave my head bald, and be a monk at a faraway hidden temple.
Yup, there is always that.
“You’ve packed quite a lot, Mark,” his mother commented when he came over to pick her and Tyler up.
“They’re posting me there for about a year, but, there’s a possibility that I’ll be staying there longer.”
“Ah, I see,” she nodded and they got into the car, Tyler upfront with his mother, and Mark seated at the back.
“I would miss the two of you.”
“Trust me, Tyler, you’re only going to miss me. Mom would probably be back more frequent than you know it.”
“That’s a pity, Jennifer. You should go out and travel other places too. I mean, how often you would get to travel around.”
“But my son would always be busy with work, Tyler.”
Mark had to in, he loved teasing his mother, “well, Tyler could come and visit us, and take you to backpacking trips, Mom.”
“Good idea, Mark. I’ll let you know when I do come over.”
“Great!”
Fingers knotting the hem of the grey hoodie, Mark was tap tapping his foot to Rihanna’s Better Have My Money when they landed, the voice of the stewardess announcing their arrival. Mark and his mother were ushered out of the plane first as they flew in first class.
His mother was excited, taking the view in, seeing the country for the very first time. As for Mark, he can’t help but feel sweat forming on his philtrum, underarms and temple. Everything was like a blur to him, save for his mother who was – God bless her – guiding him around despite not knowing anything, for she has never travelled before.
“Baby, it’s going to be fine. You’re going to be okay. I’m here for you,” she grabbed his hand, held on it when they’re finally settled in a taxi.
“Thanks, Mom,” he smiled at her, but she knew, he was trembling with fear.
They arrived at the hotel at about half an hour after that, checking in on the 16th floor as have the other reporters who came for the same event.
The wedding preparations was well underway, the athlete couple came over to the hotel for final inspections when, really, they should be relaxing and stop fussing about ‘what if something goes wrong?’
“Mr. Lee, everything will be fine, things would go as planned. Please, don’t worry yourself about unnecessary things,” Jimin tried to calm the Olympic gold medalist swimmer.
“Well, what if something still goes wrong?”
“Taemin, I can assure you, that it’s going to be all right. You doubt me too much, and it’s hurting my pride.”
“But, Jinyoung, really.”
“Taemin, dear, I think we ought to go out for some drinks.”
“Excellent choice, Minho, I can’t stress over how much your spouse-to-be needs some alcohol in his system.”
“No! Anything, but that. I need to be perfect on my day.”
“Well, then, let Jimin lead you to our best spa packages and you can shine and glitter on your big day, Taemin.”
“Yes, babe, you, need a massage.”
“You’re coming with him too, Minho. Don’t go to the field today, I’ll talk to your coach if I have to. You both need to release some of those stresses. It’s on the house, by the way; a token of appreciation on winning that gold medal, kiddo.”
The wedding hall was opened at exactly 11 in the morning, when the first guests started arriving. Parents on both sides of the families were there, dressed in their best to receive their guests. Jinyoung was still over at his place, taking his time to get ready and leave just about right for the couples to walk down the aisle. Jimin was there, he can handle almost anything now. At least, that was what Jinyoung wanted to believe since he still hasn’t received any weird calls from his assistant.
Jinyoung greeted nation’s swimmer first, the little bride or groom or whichever looking as cute as ever. But he wasn’t going to tell the swimmer that, he probably hated being called cute.
“You good, Taemin?”
“Yeah, who said anything about wedding jitters, I mean, I’m not having any, like, as if I would have anything.”
“Of course you don’t, Taemin,” but Jinyoung could see the guy styling his hair about a dozen times a minute.
“Who am I even lying to, I am scared less, hyung, help me, what if —”
“Shh, child, that’s enough. Calm down, take my hand, and chant with me,” he took hold of the swimmer’s hands, “I, Lee Taemin, would ace this wedding, just like I ace my gold on the 100m butterfly event.”
The other man repeated after the General Manager, palms sweating buckets, but Jinyoung wasn’t grossed out by it.
“And I, shall butterfly my way down the aisle until Choi Minho falls deeper in love with me.”
The swimmer laughed then, and repeated after Jinyoung again.
“Thanks, Jinyoung, I feel so much better now.”
“No problem. I’ll just check on Minho and let him know to anticipate a beautiful butterfly.”
“Oh, you go do that, Jinyoung.”
He visited the footballer, who was calm and still meditating when Jinyoung came and left the room, reminding Minho’s manager that he can come out any time when they both are ready.
Jinyoung made his way to the ballroom; the wedding hall was in full swing of continuous flow of Cristal, healthy buffet meals, and guests of all kinds. He didn’t stay in the hall for long, and made his exit, just to check around and make sure that everything was flowing like how it’s supposed to be.
He got around the hotel, keeping his phone in his hand just in case, while he check for any problems. Jimin was giving him an update every 15 minutes: how Taemin walked beautifully down the aisle, just like a butterfly, Minho’s eyes bulging out like it was even possible to go wider; how they exchanged vows and rings; how Jimin was crying in the background when they kissed; everyone praised the food and drinks prepared by Chef Kyungsoo.
Jinyoung finally made it to the ballroom when the married couple opened the floor to the reporters.
One from Hankook Ilbo asked the couple about their future plans, one from Seoul Shinmun asked them about their next games, and one from Sports Chosun asked them about their point of view on each other’s busy schedules.
Another reporter raised his hand, the couple receiving them with a smile and a nod.
“Hello. Congratulations to such a beautiful marriage. I am Yi Ern Park from Korean Herald. I’d like to know: why the couple has decided to choose Haru out of all the hotels in South Korea?”
Jinyoung wasn’t paying that much of an attention, but he knew that name from somewhere. His head turned so fast that he could almost see nothing but the reporter questioning. Similar voice, similar tone, a little taller, with a more confident air around him, and that similar, impossible to miss smile; it was none other than –
“One name: Park Jinyoung. The General Manager has made a name of his own to Haru. Yes, we could have opted for somewhere else, but Park Jinyoung has shown how he can never go down with mere obstacles when it comes to handling events, when it comes to Haru. The pride he has in Haru is something we are very confident of.”
Jinyoung has to go on tip toe just to get a better view of the reporter; his hair now a mix of platinum blonde with streaks of blue visible now, now that he took notice of that individual. He kept an eye on that one person alone.
But it was Jimin’s voice that bothered his focus, “General Manager, I’m sorry, but there seems to be a problem at the restaurant. A customer just complained Chef Kyungsoo’s cooking, apparently, there’s a strand of hair in her shrimp soup.”
Jinyoung didn’t want to leave, he wanted to tell Jimin to buzz off and that Kyungsoo can handle himself, no problem. But it would be bad if the customer started going crazy with all these reporters present.
“Let’s go,” so he had to leave the hall, the reporter he has been watching, and made their way to the restaurant.
“I don’t care! I want to see the General Manager, or else I will sue all of you for hygienic carelessness!”
The girl had her back towards Jinyoung, as the General Manager made his way towards her and all the staff around them bowed.
The girls turned around, settling her eyes on Jinyoung's golden nameplate, “finally, someone right. Mr. Park Jinyoung, your Head Chef has served my soup with a strand of hair and I don’t think that’s a good thing for your hotel’s reputation.”
Jinyoung bowed his head deep towards the customer, “if I may, let’s take a seat first and solve this matter with calm, miss.”
They sat down, albeit the girl being fairly reluctant. Jinyoung took the bowl of soup away from her, sloshing and swirling the spoon around until he finally caught the hair. He dipped his fingers into the soup, and the hair was not even as short as Kyungsoo’s or perhaps any of the kitchen helper’s.
Jinyoung looked at the girl then, how her hair was long, and loose, and he looked a little longer, until he found another trace of hair on her dress. He reached over to take it, and then compared them.
“You see, miss, there’s quite a resemblance in the length of these strands; the dye, the feel of it against my fingers. We would gladly compensate you by escourting you out of the hotel with pride, or be shamed by the group of reporters who are roaming around the hotel. If I’m not mistaken, you’re a relative of Jinsung Foods. Tell Gongjin to take care of herself and be a proper friend if she wants to stay in touch.”
Kyungsoo was bowing non-stop when the customer left, with the staff clapping and cheering for their General Manager.
“Uh, boss, I’m sorry. But there seem to be another problem. A shareholder from the States has called from your office. You’re needed to call back as soon as possible,” Jimin said, fidgeting on his spot.
Jinyoung gave no response, but started walking towards the elevator with Jimin in tow. They made it to his office, Jimin slowing down to receive a call from the wedded couple as Jinyoung overheard his assistant. He entered the office alone.
The radio was , loud. The blinds were rolled up, revealing the view of Seoul and its glittering night life. His chair was turned the other way, wait, why was it the other way?
“What the is going on? Who the are you?”
“Uh-oh, I’m sorry, sweetheart, but that’s the wrong question.”
In the end, Jinyoung was the one who was royally ed by a y reporter (literally).
Ta-dah. Well, some might see it's just a mehh chapter not worth waiting. But, yeah, I was suffering along with the characers as I typed this up. It's an open ended story, I know. But I'd like to keep options open. Who knows, they might be in a malepregnancy!au or family!au or whatever floats your boat, shippers! Thank you to those who supported me (subbed, commented, rec-ed, etc etc) and stayed as I finish the fic. I lahvv you guys. Here's to the final chapter of Have We Met? *cheers*
Comments