I like someone else

The next morning, Mrs. Choi is busy serving breakfast for her family while her husband is already seated and reading the newspaper. As she is finished with her work, she can hear the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. It's Minho. She smiles and motions him to join for breakfast.

"Come and have breakfast, Minho-ah" she takes a seat while motioning her hand, calling for him

"Morning, mom!" he rushes behind her and wraps his arms around her shoulders. He gives her a morning kiss on the cheek

"Aigoo... Come and sit down. I made toast for you" she his hair lovingly

"Okay! Thanks, mom!" he releases her and takes a seat opposite Mr. Choi

"Yah Choi Minho, what about me?" Mr. Choi glances at him and pouts. He looks back at the newspaper, acting all sulky. Mrs. Choi can only shake her head with her husband's playful behavior. Aigoo, like father like son...

"Good morning, dad! Did you sleep well?" Minho greets him with a giggle

"Yes, I did. How about you? You look rather cheerful today" Mr. Choi focuses his attention back to Minho and smiles. He wonders why his son is feeling brighter than usual

"I slept really well! Ahhhh, isn't it a good morning indeed??"

There is a reason why, though. Last night, he dreamt about his pretty angel, again. It's been two nights that she kept appearing into his dreams, and he likes it. After seeing her face throughout the night makes him feel really bright and energetic when he wakes up the next morning. He starts to grab a slice of toast that his mother made and spreads jam onto it. Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Choi silently glance at each other. It seems like they have something important to say to Minho. Mrs. Choi clears and decides to carefully start the conversation.

"Minho-yah, do you still remember your dad's best friend, Mr. Kwon?" Mr. and Mrs. Choi stare at him. Minho puts the jam away and takes a bite of his toast while thinking about the person his mother mentioned a second ago

"Oh, you mean Uncle Kwon? Yeah, of course! The last time I met him was when I was seven years old. How is he?" his eyes sparkle a little, interested to know how he is doing right now. When Minho was little, Mr. Kwon often played with him whenever Mr. Choi was visiting his office. Minho and him became close, but soon never met each other again for a very long time

"He's doing fine. In fact, he really wants to meet you, Minho-yah. He's inviting us for dinner tonight" Mr. Choi answers while folding the newspaper and places it onto the table. Minho takes another bite and puts his unfinished toast back onto the plate, getting even more curious

"Tonight? But why so sudden?" his smile slowly disappears and he raises his eyebrow. He just feels suspicious how Mr. Kwon suddenly wants to meet him after all these years. To think of it, it's been 11 years! Plus there's just something not right about it since his parents only informed him this morning about tonight's event

"Actually, he wants to introduce you to his daughter. That's what this dinner is all about, Minho-ah" his mother informs him carefully. She doesn't want to hide the fact from Minho and seeing him not knowing anything when he attends the dinner. They think that it is best if they tell him in advance

"His daughter? I didn't know that Uncle Kwon has a daughter" he says confusedly. During the times when he went to Mr. Kwon's office, he never recalled seeing even one girl with him

"Yes, he does. She's his only child, and she's also the same age as you" his father says

"But by introducing, you mean... Uncle Kwon wants to set me up with his daughter?" Minho stutters. He's getting afraid to where this conversation is going

"You do remember that he's the chairman of Castle Hotel, right Minho? Castle Hotel is the top hotel in all of Korea. His daughter is the only heiress and surely she will replace her father in the future. He wants to make sure that his daughter ends up with the right man, and he thinks that you are fit enough for her" Mr. Choi calmly explains to him. He can understand that Minho is surprised with all of this through his widened eyes. He knew that Minho's going to react like this. It's a good thing that they had told him earlier

"Dad, I know how he's been treating me as his own son ever since I was little, and I never ever want to disappoint him. But... I'm sorry. I can't" he bows his head in guilt. If he could, he doesn't want to disappoint Mr. Kwon and especially his parents, knowing that his decision itself can affect them and their friendship in a bad way

"Mind to tell me why, son?" Mr. and Mrs. Choi keep their stares at him. Minho gazes away to the other side, wondering whether or not he should tell them his reason. But he really doesn't want to end up being with his daughter. Well, here goes nothing. He slowly lifts up his head to face them

"It's because... because I... I like someone else" he stutters. There! I said it! Mr. and Mrs. Choi glance at each other in surprise

"Why didn't you tell us? Who is she? Why haven't you introduced her to us?" Mrs. Choi questions him. For the first time in their life, Minho has a girl? Because all this time, he never dated anyone nor had a crush on any girl. This would be the first time Minho has ever mentioned one to his parents

"Well... it-it's not that she-she's my girlfriend. I just like her in secret. It's... It's just complicated, mom" Minho stutters while rubbing the back of his neck. He keeps blinking his eyes, feeling nervous

"Right now I'm just planning to get closer to her and get to know her better. But I really like her, mom, dad. I'm sorry..." he bows his head again. He does feel bad about it, but at the same time he also doesn't want to regret anything. All his life, his parents have been very supportive and understanding in every decision that he made, but looks like this time, he hardly thinks they will. However, he still wants to try his best to persuade them. Mrs. Choi glances at her husband, wanting to know his reaction. His serious expression starts to disappear and his lips slowly curled up. Mrs. Choi smiles and she turns back to Minho

"Minho-ah, it's okay. You don't have to" Mrs. Choi his hair softly. Minho is surprised and he raises his head up to face her. She smiles warmly to him. So, she's not mad?

"If you like someone else, then it's okay. You don't have to agree with Mr. Kwon's request. Your dad and I will try to talk to him about it, okay?" she says softly. She continues to smile to assure Minho that they are really okay with his decision. Minho is still surprised with their response. He glances back at her and his father

"But... you guys are not mad?" he asks in hesitation. He really thought that they would be disappointed in him

"No. You know your dad and I always want what's best for you, right? I want you to be happy, my son. By doing that, I shouldn't force you to be with someone that you don't love. I don't want you to regret anything" Mrs. Choi stares right into his eyes to show her sincerity. She his cheek softly. Minho is really that important to her

"That's right, son. About this girl you like... Don't take too long. Keep her close to you and show her that you love her. If you really are sincere, that way you will have her" Mr. Choi nods his head to him. He's also amazed how Minho finally has a crush on someone for the first time, which is why he and his wife have no reason to forbid him from meeting this mysterious girl that has stolen his heart

"Now eat up. Your toast is getting cold" Mrs. Choi ruffles his hair and she's back to eating breakfast. Minho can only gaze at his mother. Soon he turns to look at his father. Mr. Choi just smiles and starts eating his breakfast. Minho is speechless. He slowly picks his toast back up from the plate and bitterly takes a bite, still busy with his thoughts.

***

Meanwhile at the Kwon residence, Mr. and Mrs. Kwon are silently having breakfast until their daughter comes down the stairs and approaches them at the dining table.

"Morning everyone" Yuri stands at the side of the table and reaches her hand out for a slice of bread while her other hand is carrying her Louis Vuitton handbag

"Where are you going?" Mrs. Kwon glances at her daughter who is fully dressed in gorgeous clothes

"I'm meeting a friend. I'll be going now" Yuri takes one bite and she's about to leave the dining room until her father speaks out

"Sit down for a moment. We have something to tell you". Yuri stops her tracks and turns around to look at her parents

"Umm... Okay..." she slowly goes back to the table and takes a seat beside her father who's sitting in the middle of the table

"What is it?" Yuri gazes at them, taking this chance to continue eating her bread while being seated

"We're having dinner tonight at the Castle Hotel, 15th floor. Don't be late" her father simply informs her. He turns his attention back to the plate and continues eating breakfast

"Dinner tonight at the hotel? What's the occasion?" she raises her eyebrow. It's kind of rare how her parents suddenly want to have dinner at their own hotel. Are they expecting guests?"

"Nothing, just us having dinner together. Just don't be late for tonight, okay?" Mr. Kwon says to her with a straight face. He doesn't want her to ask him any further questions. Yuri is getting suspicious of her parents' behavior and how they barely make any eye contact with her. She continues to gaze silently at her parents who are just busy eating their breakfast. Are they hiding something from me? But she soon throws away her thoughts when her phone suddenly buzzes with a loud vibration

"Okay, I have to go. My friend is waiting for me. I'll see you tonight".

Yuri takes the last bite of her bread and she leaves the dining room, rushing for the door. When they are sure that she's already out of the house, Mrs. Kwon breaks out the silent atmosphere between her and her husband.

"Honey, are you sure we shouldn't tell her about tonight? She'll become clueless when she sees the Choi family having dinner with us" Mrs. Kwon holds his hand, expressing her worries to her husband. She is really afraid of how her daughter would react to tonight's occasion

"We have to. You know our daughter very well. If she knows what tonight is all about, she'll throw a fit and she definitely won't come tonight. Trust me, it's better for her not to know anything" Mr. Kwon says to his wife assuringly while holding her hand back tightly.

Mr. Kwon knows his daughter very well. All her life, Yuri never listened to her parents and she always does whatever she wants. Being the only successor of the Castle Hotel and the only daughter of the Kwon family, Yuri is full of pride and she's very stubborn. She also has a cold personality, explaining why she barely has any friends. But even though Yuri is that sort of person, Mr. Kwon still loves his daughter no matter what, and that includes finding the right man for his precious daughter. A man who will accept her flaws and most importantly, someone who will love her for her and not because of their wealth or because she is the successor of Castle Hotel.

= = = = =

I've learned a very important lesson today. I rarely shop but when I do, I get really excited and I felt as though I'd buy anything pretty to my eyes. But then I got really cranky because for one huge shopping mall, I was only given 30 minutes to shop at that one whole building. I seriously thought I was on Running Man. So the lesson here, never bring a man to accompany you for shopping. The stereotype was real. But at one point you have to agree with me, that shopping must never be rushed, man. Heol... Anyway, subscribeee my lovely readers! <3