Chapter 3 – Drive Home Truce

The four of them are saying their goodbyes when Mo Yeon noticed that her cousin and Dae Young are heading towards the same direction to exit the hotel.

“Myeong Ju wait I need to catch a ride home with you. I didn’t bring my car.”

Dae Young and Myeong Ju looked at each other and her cousin replied sheepishly, “Sorry cuz, I also didn’t bring my car plus I’m living at Dae Young’s place already.”

“I see. Is that so? Wait, is Uncle Gil Joon okay with that?” she asked. Mo Yeon even remembered that her uncle is not that accepting of Dae Young initially.

“Yes he is.” Myeong Ju said with a big smile on her. “But we could still drop you off. I think Dae Young’s okay with that,” Myeong Ju said who turned to Dae Young and the man gave a nod with a smile on his face as well.

She refused the offer politely, “No it’s okay. Dae Young lives at the other side of the city. It will be farther away for both of you. I’ll just take a cab.”

S Jin suddenly spoke up and said, “I could give you a ride home.”

She quickly looked at Si Jin, shook her head and forcefully said, “Like no. As in N-O, no.”

“Mo Yeon stop being so stubborn and take up his offer. Dae Young and I would have peace of mind knowing that you got home safely” Myeong Ju insisted.

She’s thought things through. The last thing she wants to do is spend more time with Si Jin however she doesn’t want to worry her cousin. With a sigh she gave in, “Alright then.”

“Okay I’ll see you tomorrow at the hospital then” Myeong Ju said. Then she and Dae Young waved at them and walked off to exit the building.

She then turned to Si Jin who apparently has been looking at her intently for quite some time.

“What?” she asked him.

“What do you mean?” he answered.

“I mean why are you looking at me like that?”

He gave a sigh and said, “Do you hate me that much that you even thought twice about accepting an offer from me to give you a ride home?”

“No I don’t hate you. It’s what I call “preserving the peace.” The less interaction we have the better. It just means that we have fewer opportunities to argue.”

Si Jin mumbled, “You’re the only one who’s arguing with me.”

“Are you saying something?” she said her eyes turning into slits.

“I said we should go now” Si Jin replied with a small smile on his face.

They then walked over to the lobby where they waited for his car to be driven by the valet parking attendant. She has to admit he has good taste, the Mercedes Benz GLC300 is the latest model and it has been getting good reviews. She herself was able to test drive one since she had to write a review on the vehicle and so far it exceeded her expectations. She watched as the attendant handed the keys over to Si Jin who is standing beside her. Si Jin then thanked the valet attendant, gave a tip and walked over to the passenger side to open the door for her. She mumbled some thanks and got inside the car while Si Jin went to the driver side to get in.

Si Jin has been driving for a few minutes already while she is busy looking out the window, both of them not uttering a single word. He then broke the silence.

“So, how’s it going at Lightning Race Magazine?” he asked.

“It’s doing okay. Actually, sales have been going up steadily” she replied.

“That’s good. By the way, I read the review you wrote for this vehicle and it convinced me to purchase this” he told her good naturedly.

“Oh really?” she gave him a brief glance. “Glad to know I was of help.”

There was silence again. He then said, “Look I know I’m not your favorite person in the world. But I think we should try to get along or at least be civil with each for the sake of Dae Young and Myeong Ju. I mean whether we like it or not we would have to deal with each other not just because I am the best man and you are the maid of honor but they are our cousins.”

She gave a sigh and would have to admit that he has a point. She loves her cousin like a sister and the last thing she wants to do is to be the cause of her stress by bickering with the best man.

She then turned to him and said, “Okay, I see your point. I will be civil but don’t expect me to be friendly with you alright?”

Si Jin chuckled at that. “Okay, noted. So truce?” he then held his hand out for a handshake.

“Truce” she shook his hand.

She glanced at the window and noticed that they are already nearing the building where her condominium unit is. She then noticed that Si Jin is entering the building’s driveway leading to the parking area. She was about to say that he doesn’t need to do that and he may just let her alight here and she will just take a walk when she noticed that Mr. Nam, the parking attendant opened the barriers to let Si Jin’s vehicle in. Si Jin then rolled down his window to greet Mr. Nam.

“Good evening Mr. Nam” Si Jin said.

“Oh, good evening Atty. Yoo. Just to let you know we were able to register this vehicle’s plate number at the office so you won’t have any problems anymore with regards to your parking slot.” Mr. Nam said kindly.

“Thank you so much” Si Jin responded with a smile.

Mr. Nam then noticed her, “Dr. Kang, good evening. I’m sorry I didn’t see you immediately. By the way, I didn’t see your car today.”

She smiled at the old man and said, “Yes. I left it in the office since I had to go to the hospital this afternoon and parking can be hard to get at that time of the day.”

The old man laughed, “I see. Plus your boyfriend’s car is more than enough for the both of you so I don’t think you still need to bring a car everyday”.

“Uh Mr. Nam, Atty. Yoo’s not my…..” she started saying but Si Jin didn’t let her finish her sentence because he interrupted her by saying, “Goodnight Mr. Nam, see you tomorrow” then pressed the button for the car’s window to roll up.

She gave Si Jin a sideways dagger look which the guy noticed. He chuckled and said, “Hey remember we have a truce. Be civil.”

As soon as the car is parked she opened the door and got off. She hurriedly went to the elevator while Si Jin then took long strides to catch up with her.

She took a deep breath, “So I guess you’re also living in this building.”

“Yes. Just transferred 2 days ago” he replied.

“I bet you’re the one who is staying at the penthouse.”

“How did you know? Are you stalking me?” he .

“Sheesh why will I stalk you?” she rolled her eyes at him then continued, “I heard the receptionists talking about a new tenant just this morning.”

He nodded his head, “So I guess news travels fast” he remarked

“Yeah you could say that” she replied. The elevator then made a sound and she made a move to alight the lift. She then turned to look at Si Jin, “By the way, thanks for bringing me home.”

“You’re welcome neighbor” Si Jin said with a smile.

 With a small smile on her face she got off the lift and headed to her unit.

 

As soon as she opened the door, memories of the past came flooding back. Si Jin Yoo, she thought to herself. The name brought back happy and sad memories of her high school years.

During that time, she dreamt of becoming a journalist, particularly a sports writer which she was close to fulfilling as she was the sports editor for their school