January 2013

Junhee closed the door behind her and got shocked as she turned her body. She saw about ten to twelve workers were cleaning her house. She was shocked because her parents rarely asked their workers from his father’s office to come and clean their house. She guessed that there would definitely be something very important in that house.

“Mom?” she called as she spotted her mother standing near the stairs. Her mother smiled then approached her beloved daughter. “What’s happening?”

“Your father just asked them to help me clean this house. Your father invited his business partner for dinner tomorrow” her mother explained. “Wanna have some pudding? I just made strawberry pudding you love”

“Yes, please” Junhee smiled sweetly at her mother and pecked her right cheek. “Let me change my clothes then I’ll join you”

…

Yifan just came out of shower when his apartment’s bell rang. Snatching a robe, he wore it while walking to the door. He peeked at the intercome monitor then pressed a green button as he saw her mother’s face.

“Hello, mother” he greeted then kiss both of her cheeks. She patted her son’s back as shifted her body, letting her husband come into the apartment. “Good evening, father. I’m sorry for not coming for dinner two days ago”

“Next time don’t forget to tell me if you unable to come. Your father had waited for hours for you” her mother nagged. “Did you just come home from work?”

“Yes, there were some problematic documents,” then Yifan ran to dining room, snatching the documents that scattered there. “but they are fine now”

“I told you not to bring your work home but now what are you doing? You did it on your dining table, didn’t you?”

“Honey, let him be” his father spoke. “He has his own way”

“You resemble your father a lot. And why do those resemblences have to be things that I don’t like? I just don’t get it” she walked back to his husband who was sitting on the couch in the living room.

Yifan just smiled seeing how happy her mother. He still remembered how sad her mother when his father was hospitalized three months ago. He was relieve that his father had been much better these days.

“Oh, son. This is for you. I am invited on a dinner by a collague, you will come with me” His father said again. Yifan’s forehead wrinkled as he saw how happy his father was. “Don’t worry it is a private one”

Yifan took a look into the box his father handed him. “But I have many decent suit, father”

“Just wear it. Your father chose it by himself”

“Okay, okay. I will wear it tomorrow”

His father laughed, looked very pleased that his son accepted his gift. They talked for a while before his parents stood up, going home to let Yifan have his sleep. She hugged his mother then his father. He escorted them until the front door despite his father’s  protest, saying he could walk fine.

“Take care, my son. Don’t dare to come late tomorrow, you little punk”

…

“Baek, no more, please” Junhee pleaded as she felt Baekhee applied something on her upper lip. “It’s way too much”

“No no no, Miss Kim Junhee,” Junhee rolled her eyes at Baekhee’s tone. “it’s exactly the right amount”

“All over my face?”

“Yup. That’s the idea” Baekhee said as she put a tube contained colored lip-gloss. “Wow, Miss Kim Junhee, you’re beautiful”

Junhee scoffed and looked at the mirror. Her dress was soft pink with tiny bows aroud her waist, her pump shoes felt too high. She looked at Baekhee’s reflection, she wore a black dress with pattern of pink flowers at the end. “Call me like that again and I won’t accompany you to that make-up brand launching tomorrow”

“Good threat, dear. I won’t do that again” Baekhee made a peace sign. “Are you sure your family’s guests won’t mind if-“

“They won’t. I just feel that something will come up and I need you there”

…

Junhee took a deep breath and straightend her body. She smiled to a man looking at her father’s age, then looked at Baekhee who sat right in front of her, getting a wink from her. “Well, I don’t know my little punk will be this late. I’m sorry” the man said.

“Well, I don’t think that’s a big problem. It’s good to see a young man works passionately” her father replied and they laughed.

Junhee bit her lip as she peeked at the only empty chair there. Whom the chair is for? She was really curious but something banned her for asking. She played with her fingers on her lap, shook her head slightly as a picture of certain handsome, clean, young Chinese. A hot as hell and smells nice one, she added.

“Are you alright, sweety?” a woman who she assumed younger than her father but slightly older than her mother asked as Junhee felt a hand caressed her hand with care. She looked up and saw her sweet smile. “You havent’t broken cold sweat, have you?” she joked, made everyone at the table bursted out laughing.

Junhee smiled nervously. Was she always that obvious?

“No, Ma’am. I’m just-“

“I’m sorry for coming late” she heard a deep voice, a familiar one. She shifted her sight swiftly and she gasped hard. But then she heard Byun Baekhee gasped even harder.

“My God!”

…

“Honey, how old are you?” Junhee moved her gaze from her plate to her mother, one of her eyebrows raised. How come her mother forget her age?!

“Mom,” she said slowly but she stopped as she realized everyone was being too silent. “Will be twenty-three this spring” Her eyes caught Wu Yifan drank his water.

“Which month?” the lady, who turned out as Wu Yifan’s mother, asked brightly.

Junhee smiled. “May”

“Yes, my dear, Junhee, I want you to listen to what I’m going to say and please never interrupt me” her father said rather strictly. “Let’s say you’re twenty-three. You see, we, parents sitting here, aren’t getting younger. I, myself, am not going to stronger than before to protect you, so don’t you think..”

Junhee gulped. “I think I understand what you’re implying, Dad” She was getting more nervous as her bad feeling about this dinner became bigger.

“And I trust Yifan can do that for me-“

“WHAT?!” Junhee heard herself shouted in disbelief. “Don’t continue, Dad!”

“Junhee, don’t shout at your daddy like that”.

“But, Mom, how can everyone of you expect me to marry that young man,” she pointed at Yifan. “as we only met about three days ago?! I looked up in the internet this afternoon and found out that he is nine years older than me. I can’t believe this.” Junhee stood up angrily. “Then, excuse me”

“Junhee! Stop there!”

“NO! NO WAY! NOT IN THE MILLION GALAXY WAYS!” she shouted. She walked back as fast as she could to the dining room then looked and pointed at Yifan angrily. “I’M SOOO NOT GOING TO MARRY HIM!”