Chapter 9

Jae Hyun and I went to a secluded area away from the other customers that had come in to eat since we both didn’t want to bother anyone with our conversation. The last time I saw Jae Hyun, he was the one who actually set me off to the airport with Jung Ah. He had become a close friend after that stupid bet that we made. He was a good guy – a good guy who was always willing to lend me his shoulders whenever I needed it.

 “It’s a shame you didn’t call me to let me know that you’re back in town, Ahn Soo Jin.” Jae Hyun had a glass of wine in front of him, so he grabbed it and pressed his lips on the rim of the glass with a smile instead of actually taking a sip of the beverage. “But I mean, I guess you can’t really let me come see you now that you’re…” He tapped the glass with his finger, pretending to make it seem like he was thinking hard about something. “Hmmm? Getting married?”

My face turned pale, but I smiled anyway. “It seems like everyone’s on my for that, huh?”

“Who keeps it a secret from their friends especially when it’s something we should all celebrate?” He tilted his head before finally sipping onto his wine. “You’ve changed a lot, Soo Jin.”

“What do you mean?” I raised an eyebrow. I felt like the same person.

“Your hair…?” He pointed at my bangs that I didn’t have before. “I mean, you’ve gotten a lot prettier. Maybe this guy’s love towards you had made you beautiful.”

I scoffed.

“Oh wait. I’m sorry, Soo Jin.” He shook his head. “His love isn’t even as strong as –“

“You're purposely doing this, aren't you?” I asked rolling my eyes at him. It’s been awhile since we’ve talked like this to each other and even though I kind of missed it, I didn’t like where he was trying to take this conversation.

“Sorry. How about we talk about something else then?” When Jae Hyun used to smirked like this during the time of our bet, it irritated me because he knew it was annoying and as of right now, it made me want to pull my hair out because he wasn't sorry. “When are you planning to do your ceremony?”

I shrugged, trying to ignore the way he was looking at me. “I haven’t found a place.”

“I could help you.”

I shook my head. “It’s okay. I think it’d be better if I did this on my own.”

“You were always stubborn when it came to help.” I watched as his fingers grazed his glass elegantly and it made me wonder what made him seem so different today. “You know, Soo Jin,” And he’s never said my name so much before either… “I’d like to meet this fiancé of yours before my father’s party that we’re having later this week.”

“You can meet him today.” I said simply because I was supposed to meet Jin Hyuk here at the restaurant, but it’s been nearly almost an hour since he said for us to meet and not to mention, he still hasn’t answered any of my calls or text messages. I don’t know what he was doing, but he was going to have to pay for it. “He’s supposed to be here soon.”

“Soo Jin.”

“Stop saying my name!” I snapped at him even though I ended up laughing because he broke into a smile. “Oh my god, Jae Hyun... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you like that...”

“It’s irritating, isn’t it?” He chuckled. “Sorry, Soo Jin, I just missed saying your name.”

“How did I ever deal with you?” I shook my head and sighed. “Explain to me how you ended up owning a restaurant?”

“You know me. I knew every restaurant in town, in case you had forgotten.” He waved a finger at me.

I didn’t forget because Kai always bothered him to find a place to eat with a good deal and Jae Hyun was always the guy who brought him.

“But you went to school for criminal justice.” I couldn’t help but see how different these two fields were.

Jae Hyun shrugged as he took a big gulp of his wine. “Over time, you realize what you want and what makes you happy, I guess. Of course I wanted to go and help people, but I would rather see people smile because of something they’ve wanted not because of something that somehow unexpectedly happened and they had to force them self to be happy.”

There was something about the way Jae Hyun said those words that made me feel like I couldn’t breathe for a second. I lowered my head and could hear my heart beating rapidly against my chest, making me wonder why I was feeling this way. Were these words really his honest thoughts or were they pointing towards me because it felt like he was pretty much pushing them directly me.

“Are you okay, Soo Jin?” Jae Hyun reached over and touched my hand, which was slightly over the table. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I shook my head before looking back up at him with a forced smile. “B-but what were we talking about?”

Jae Hyun leaned back in his chair while staring right into my eyes. I didn’t know if I should look away or not but for the first time, he looked very intimidating.

“Do you miss him?” He suddenly asked, breaking the short silence between us.

“W-what?” My mouth felt like it went dry.

“I know you already ran into him so we don’t have to keep his name away from our mouths or make it seem like it’s awkward.” Jae Hyun blew a raspberry and was about to run his hand through his hair, but he quickly placed it back onto his lap. I almost forgot how much he cherished his damn hair. “Look, Soo Jin, you’re marrying this guy that even Jung Ah hasn’t met yet and might I not mention – the rest of us – and you’re forgetting all about Se Hun who –“

“What does he have to do with anything especially when it comes to my marriage?” I interrupted Jae Hyun who pursed his lips when he saw the way I looked. “I don’t get why no matter who I talk to or what’s going on around me, someone has to mention his name and revolve the situation around him. Why can’t I just be happy with the way things are?”

“Are you happy?” The way Jae Hyun’s tone sounded was sincere and I hated it because I couldn’t look at him in the eye. “Ahn Soo Jin…”

It . It that we couldn’t even get in a real good conversation because I could feel my tears on the brim on my eyes and I knew that if I blinked or tilted my head, Jae Hyun would know. I was a lose-lose situation and it . I just wanted to get up and run away, but I knew Jae Hyun was only trying to be a good friend to me and yet, I couldn’t accept it.

For once, just for once, was there anyone out there who was happy that I was getting married to someone other than him?

“Did you just make my fiancé cry?”

Both Jae Hyun and I looked to the side to see that Jin Hyuk was standing there with a stern look on his face. His focus was on Jae Hyun though and not me. I quickly wiped my eyes without having them notice and stood up from my seat before grabbing Jin Hyuk’s wrist to calm him down before he could even get the chance to yell at Jae Hyun.

“Jin Hyuk…” It felt like I had been holding my breath.

“Did he make you cry?” Jin Hyuk asked looking over at me with softened eyes.

“Oh no. We were just talking about a joke.” I forced a laugh and I heard Jae Hyun scoff, knowing that I was lying. “It’s nothing, really.”

“I’m Choi Jae Hyun.” Jae Hyun stood up and held his hand out towards Jin Hyuk, who only stared at it. “I’m one of her old high school boy friends.”

I bit my lip until it bled. I knew Jae Hyun was trying to make matters worse by emphasizing his words, but I didn’t say anything only because Jin Hyuk was still standing with us.

“Boyfriend?” Jin Hyuk slowly reached over and finally shook Jae Hyun’s hand. “Kim Jin Hyuk.”

“He’s just a friend…” I whispered to Jin Hyuk, who nodded his head like he understood.

“I’m guessing you’re Soo Jin’s fiancé then?” Jae Hyun placed both his hands into his trouser pockets before pursing his lips like this wasn’t new to him at all. “It’s nice to finally meet the man that’s marrying my friend here.”

I looked over at Jae Hyun and glared at him, but the only thing I got in response was a smirk – that stupid one that I wish I could slap off. I could tell he was enjoying the awkward situation he was putting me through.

“I’ll leave the two of you alone.” Jae Hyun said as he started walking backwards from us. “It was nice talking to you again, Soo Jin. We’ll talk more next time. As for you, Jin Hyuk,” He stopped in his tracks and smiled. “I’ll see you at my father’s party.”

Jin Hyuk and I stood there and watched as Jae Hyun walked past the bar, tapping it on his way, and made his way out to the back. Before I could even focus, Jin Hyuk turned back to me and cupped my face lightly with both of his hands.

“Are you okay? You’re sure he didn't make you purposely cry?” Jin Hyuk’s voice was filled with worry, but I could only smile. “Why are you smiling?”

“Cos’ I missed you.” I reached up and lightly pecked him on the lips.

“I’m so sorry I left you out here alone for so long.” He lowered his head and sighed. “I had a meeting with –“

“I was going to be mad at you.” I pressed my finger to his lips and chuckled. “But I decided that as long as you would show up, I wouldn’t be mad.”

“I’m glad I’m going to marry someone as patient as you.” Jin Hyuk reached down and grabbed my hands and squeezed them. “I love you, Ahn Soo Jin.”

“Me too…” I replied as I squeezed his hands back.

**

Jin Hyuk and I talked about his work and how his negotiations were going among other companies he’s been meeting up with. It’s been hard not having to see him for so long because he’s been so busy with work, but I wanted to be patient. If anything big ever came up, I wanted him to take the opportunity because maybe in the future, it’d help us both out and we wouldn’t have to worry too much about it later on.

“So what are your plans for next week?” Jin Hyuk asked after swallowing his food.

“The wedding planning…” I sighed as I placed my fork down onto the table. “You’ll be free to come with, right?”

Jin Hyuk nodded with a child-like smile. “Of course. There’s no way I’d miss that! There’s so much for us two to do for this wedding of ours.”

“I’m glad that I’ll have you around.” I leaned back in my chair and sipped my cup of water before looking back at him. “Jung Ah will be with us too so you can get to know her!”

“That’s quite exciting. Will I be seeing her this coming weekend for the celebration party of Mr. Choi?” He asked raising his eyebrows.

“I didn’t ask yet, but I’ll make sure to ask by tonight.” I pursed my lips.

“Well, I’m glad she’ll be there to support you through the wedding process.” He leaned forward on the table and sighed. “It’s going to be stressful for you.”

“I know, but as long as I have you by my side, I know it’ll be perfectly fine.” I reached over and grabbed his hand across the table. “You know, I think that –“

I couldn’t even finish my sentence because Jin Hyuk’s phone went off. He looked down and from the way his eyes widened, I knew it had to be business. His eyes looked apologetic when they reached mine and no matter how much I didn’t want him to walk off and talk on the phone, I smiled and assured him I’d be alright. Just like earlier how I said I wanted him to get every opportunity possible, I meant it.

Jin Hyuk scooted out from his chair before he walked out of the restaurant with his phone pressed to his ear. I leaned back in my chair and let out a frustrated sigh. I guess even though I was happy that he was getting so many negotiations for him, I was kind of sad that we couldn’t get in our time together because he was just so busy… Maybe later when things are better, we’ll get the time…

“Did the food not taste good or was it the company that made everything here taste bland?”

I didn’t realize that there was someone standing next to me until I heard them speak. I looked up and was met by Kyung Soo’s big eyes, surprising me. He chuckled when he saw how I realized it was him.

“Hi, I can sit here, right?” He asked before pulling Jin Hyuk’s chair out to sit in. “Are you alone?”

“I wasn’t until now…” I smiled. “Do you work here?”

Kyung Soo pointed at my plate cutely. “I made that.”

“Oh!” I pointed at him. “Are you a chef here?”

He nodded his head. “Why do you think we’re so successful?”

I couldn’t help but laugh and it felt like forever since I’ve had a much eased laugh. “Well, let’s just say that it tasted delicious like your breakfast.”

“Why thank you, Ms. Ahn Soo Jin.” He chuckled cutely. “What are you doing here, by the way?”

“Oh… I w-was here with my fiancé, but he had to take a phone call.” I pointed back behind me where the entrance was.

“Ah, I see.” Kyung Soo nodded his head slowly in understanding.

“So I’m guessing you know Choi Jae Hyun then?”

Kyung Soo smiled. “We’ve been friends for awhile now. Jae Hyun’s the reason why I got this job.”

“I’m surprised I never met you.” I motioned.

“I met him through Se Hun.”

My smile suddenly turned down. “Ah…”

“Oh… Sorry… The guys told me not to mention Se Hun’s name, I mean his name in front of you so casually.” Kyung Soo’s eyes widened even more, if that was even possible… “Soo Jin, I –“

“Whose name aren’t you supposed to say?” I heard a different voice speak this time and I knew who it belonged to. I looked up only to see Jin Hyuk staring at both Kyung Soo and I with his eyes furrowed.

Author's Note: Hello, Hello! I'm sorry that it took me over two weeks to update and it wasn't even as exciting, but that was only because I had an issue with the prequel, which will now be posted back up slowly since I'll be editing it from time to time. Now that everything is settled and good, I'll be updating again, but I can't promise every day updates, even though I wish I could! I'm busy with real-life, so it's stressful and I don't have much time to write. But thank you for being so patient and leaving me lovely comments to read^^ Also, happy belated 1800+ subscribers since I couldn't say it earlier. Thank you for subscribing and upvoting <3 Much love~ Enjoy.