Chapter 1 : Six is Us

If only their story had been a fairytale, he will be the prince charming who sweeps her off her feet and she will be the shy bride who eagerly waits on her husband. Or maybe if their story had been a scripted drama, he will be the jerk and she will be the damsel in distress. It would have made both their life easier. It would have made the whole arrangement easier. She wouldn’t have felt a sickening sinking feeling in the pits of her stomach while seating among the rest of the law faculty members during one of their dinner gathering.

 “So is he picking you up after this?” Ji Soo took a bite out of the lettuce wrap she made.

“No. His flight is touching down at two thirty in the morning.” Chae Young was absentmindedly flipping the pork on the grill over and over again.

“Husband of the year, that Jung Jin Young. Kiss the bride and then leave her alone for six months.” Jennie poked her chopstick through the kimchi. Her grip on her chopstick never loosen.

“Couldn’t ask better from a husband who is six years older than you.” Lisa nodded in agreement; the sarcasm in her remark was obvious despite her lips curling into a smile.

Ji Soo promptly swiped her hands at both of them. At times she wished they were more sensitive and tactful. Considering the fact that they were surrounded by the seniors and juniors—all complete strangers, she was desperate to change the subject for Chae Young’s sake. “Let’s drink!”

Chae Young took another absentminded swig at the concoction made of beer mixed with soju drink. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the wall clock read thirty minutes past ten. Calculating the time he would need to collect his luggage and travel back home, she would probably be seeing him in six hours’ time.

Shivering, she took a bigger chug from her glass, effectively emptying it of any liquid. It was her fourth glass for the night. She had been partially glad when he took leave right after their last invited wedding guest had left in order to fly out of the country for a business trip which lasted for six months. This means she doesn’t have any wife duties for ninety three days. They didn’t share half the autumn together. Their hundredth day was spent with him being stuck in a back-to-back business meeting and her with back-to-back assignment discussions. Winter went by with Christmas and New Year celebrations conveniently forgotten. They were apart during the Lunar New Year whilst Valentine’s Day meant burning midnight oil for their work and education respectively instead of flowers, chocolate and champagne.

In short, for six months, Chae Young had not need to be worried about sleeping at night because apart from the ring on their finger, they have not shared a single thing together, let alone a bed.

With his homecoming, things will be changing. She was sure of that.

With that thought, she emptied her fifth glass.

She promised to stop at her sixth glass tonight—and stop at six she did.

---

Six hours into the flight, Jin Young stretched his back while his gaze still fixed on his laptop screen. Now that the expansion plan back in Sydney is on track, he could focus his attention back to Seoul for a little while. He clasped his hands together and paused. He was reminded of the ring on his finger. Out of habit, he began toying with his ring and every single time he fidgeted with it, his thoughts would stray to her without fail.

He had insisted firmly that they had their wedding back in autumn last year as six months would be too long a wait. Too long for what, you might ask. It will be long enough for her to change her mind.

You see, for twenty eight years he had remained single. He had skipped a grade or two in school, had perfect grades and was athletic. He became the director of the company at the age of twenty six-- one more step away from chairing the seat during meetings. Coupled with the fact that he was very much a gentleman and could carry a conversation extremely well, one couldn’t think of why he never dated—except for the probability that he might be batting for the other team. 

So when he had insisted on making her his wife, many were befuddled and his parents were no exception. He had told them that his insistence wasn’t the result of love at first sight and he was speaking the honest truth. Goodness, he had not met her, so how could it be love at first sight. Coincidently, he had unintentionally sewn seedlings of thoughts in his parents' mind that he might be a secret physchopath.

But he wasn't a physcopath. He was a pro-convenience. He had enough of his parents’ constant nagging on getting a girlfriend and settling down and so he opted to jump the gun. Why date when he can get married instead? If you think that that is absurb, you may need to brace yourself. He had proposed a condition to him ending his bachelorhood. He do not want to meet any of the girls his mum tried to set him up with.

He has cited ‘Excitement’ as a sorry excuse for denying first dates with his potential partner.

“I’ll leave it to fate. I’ll meet her at the altar.” That was his second favourite phrase.

His third was, “Mum, I trust you.”

All in all, Chae Young was the sixty-sixth candidate his mum chose, albeit a little unwillingly considering the six years and her still receiving her education. Surprisingly, Chae Young had not scoffed at his absurd request. In fact she was accomodating enough to agree to his preposition. You know the six lovey-dovey wedding pictures they took for the use of their wedding invitations and ceremony? They had it shot separately and merged with something magical called photoshop.

With that, he figured out that she might probably not be in her right mind for agreeing to them being an ‘us’ without even a proper exchange of greetings in person. So he locked her in with a wedding date, ninety six days from the day she told her mother she agreed to the arrangement—the time honoured arrangement. Simply because it is convenient.

Six months in to being man and wife, they thought they were always apart and never together.

But there are times when what you think you know is never really what you know.

‘I wonder if she had her meal yet. It should be thirty minutes past ten there.’

At 10.30 p.m. Seoul time, both of them thought of each other. 

And that— is not really apart.