Tiffany & Co Sogong-Dong, Chung Ku Seoul   Jisoo can’t believe himself now. Yes, he sis change a lot. But now, he has gotten so unbelievable he wanted to smack himself.   He was buying rings. Couple rings. He hated those.   Now, he’s buying them because he heard Jennie admire Joy and Yeri’s. . He cursed again. Unbelievable.   He scanned the glass displays inside Tiffany & Co.’s Seoul boutique with his favorite Ray-bans.   The sales persons at the boutique were trying to act as professional as possible, that is, trying too hard not to ask for an autograph, nor ask for a picture together with the handsome idol who was too obvious irked about buying a ring or rings (they were not sure). For about almost an hour now, he kept pacing back and forth, checking rings out without asking them for any assistance.   Until finally.   He approached one Tiffany & Co. staff, a senior one, and asked, “Ahjumma, can I please take a look at this?”   He pointed at a pair of rings, a channel-set band ring with full circle of baguette diamonds in platinum, 2.48 karats, worth USD24,000.   The staff took out the rings for a while, although he looked quite decided, he showed a bit of apprehension.   He sighed loudly and said, “I’ll get them. My girlfriend’s size is 5 and mine’s 8.”   The ahjumma staff finally couldn’t contain her emotions. She knows she shouldn’t mind his business but she couldn’t understand why he was buying the rings alone.   “Aren’t you and your fiancée supposed to buy the rings together?” she asked. At least the questions weren’t too blunt.   But Jisoo was still dumbfounded by the question. “I’m sorry?”   “I do not understand you kids nowadays.” She shook her head in dismay. She still hasn’t figured out why Jisoo was buying the rings without his fiancé.   Now Jisoo thought he got what she meant, “Oh, it’s a surprise.”   “What!?!” she exclaimed, “You’re going to surprise her? Son, if you’re going to surprise your girlfriend, give her an engagement ring, not a wedding ring!”   so those are wedding rings he selected, not just plain couple rings.   Way to go, Kang Jisoo.   Not only he does his disguise isn’t working, he just creates a scene for people to witness.   He smiled and said. “I’m still taking these. I think they’re the prettiest.”   “You want to marry her, don’t you?” the ahjumma smiled back. “Most people who made the same mistake would chose another set of rings.”   Jisoo paused. It was the first time someone asked him that question.   Would he like to marry Jennie? He discussed having kids with her. They came up with list of names of their future kids already, it’s both saved on their mobile phones. Revised so many times and they have argued about it as well.   Marriage? Yes, they have talked about it.  

 

Flashback   It all started when Jennie attended a friend’s wedding. Jisoo picked her up after the ceremony and she was telling him how the couple fought just right after they got married.   The reason for the fight? The wife wanted to use her husband’s last name. Koreans do not do that. The husband felt like they’re going against tradition, and that they’re being unusual.   Jennie was telling Jisoo the story of how her friends almost called it off in front of the guest because of that ‘last name’ issue during their wedding.   “We’re never going to have that kind of problems, right?” Jisoo told her, smiling. He couldn’t look at her because he was driving.   “And how are you so certain?” Jennie combed his hair with her fingers. (She loved doing that a lot).   “Aren’t you American?” Jisoo reminded her, “You’re going to be Jennie Kang, period.”   Damn. If he wasn’t just on the wheel, Jennie would’ve grabbed him and kissed him passionately right there and then.   Jennie was lost for words for a period of time so she couldn’t respond.   “Stop the car.” Jennie told him.   He looked at her, confused. “Why?”   “I said, stop the car.” She commanded.   Jisoo got scared so he did. He wasn’t sure what exactly went wrong, if something did go wrong why Jennie suddenly acted weird.   She unbuckled her seatbelt hastily, almost rose from the passenger seat and grabbed Jisoo’s face and kissed him passionately.   Jisoo was surprised, but he did respond with heated kisses of his own.   They were catching their breaths when he asked, “What was that?”   “Damn you…” Jennie said, panting. “I… I… I… was too touched…”   she was a bit shy to admit and because of that Jennie blushed red. Jisoo smiled at her and kissed her again.   “Yah, my mandu’s getting all shy and all red.” Jisoo teased. “We’re going out for almost two years already, Jennie. I think about those things. And when I think about those things, I think about you…”   “Jisoo…”   “Or rather…” Jisoo corrected himself, “When I think about you, I think about those things.”   Jennie couldn’t take that one any longer. That one was too much too handle. She got out of the car and walked away, with tears in her eyes and a big smile on her face.   Jennie Kang Mrs. Kang Jisoo. Damn .   She’d give up being Red velvet right here, right now.   “I’m walking home!? She waved at the laughing Jisoo behind her. Jisoo ran after her, “Your home’s on the opposite side.”   They both laughed and Jennie came back to the (still laughing Jisoo. Jennie and Jisoo both realized how crazy in love they have been with each other and how serious their relationship has become.   Almost two years and counting. Two pregnancy scares. Boombayah. Serious version.   Now he was mistaken in buying wedding rings instead of just couple rings.   And no, he’s not exchanging them for something else.     End of Flashback  

 

The ahjumma is waiting for him to answer.   “You want to marry her, son?” she repeated while wrapping the rings.   Jisoo smiled at the old lady and said, “I never thought I’d ever say yes, but I do. But not yet now.”   “She’s one lucky lady.” She said. “You’re a handsome boy.”   “Thank you, ajumma.” Jisoo thanked her, handing her his credit card.   Jisoo paid for the rings and left. He drove off to a studio where Jennie’s doing a photoshoot for Elle magazine.     Hanna Studio Apgujeong Seoul 3pm   Jisoo lied that he received a call from his manager to go to that studio for a photoshoot. When he arrived at Hanna Studio, he apologized that he probably misunderstood his manager’s instructions. And perhaps it was another studio he was supposed to go. His acting included calling up his manager to ask where exactly was the right place. The poor manager couldn’t comprehend what Jisoo was talking about. Jisoo just talked and talked.   Sun Mi, Jennie manager, was eyeing him, thinking that he has gotten smarter these days or maybe, bolder is the more correct term.   Jennie played along well. So when Jisoo bowed and apologized to her for his intrusion, she just said it’s fine. She hadn’t seen him for three days and seeing him exert effort, may it be a crazy thing such as this for them to see each other, she didn’t care.   A little later, food (chicken and different kinds of pasta) was delivered to the studio for the staff of Elle and for Jennie and her handlers. It was from Jisoo who supposedly still embarrassed for his little disturbance a while back.   Everyone found that so sweet of him. It wasn’t actually necessary. They were still reeling from his unannounced arrival – that alone was a pleasant surprise.   Jennie, who just finished changing into her own clothes asked, “Does anyone know Jisoo-ssi’s number? We have to thank him.”   She saw her manager suppressing her laugh. She might be stopping herself from saying “Jennie memorized Jisoo-ssi’s number! Don’t be fooled by her.”   “I’ll ask some friends.” Jennie lied flatly.   After a minute, she was calling Jisoo. He was still outside, a bit far from the studio, waiting for her.   “Ch--- Jisoo-ssi?” Jennie said. “Hello.”   “Hey.”   “Thank you for the food you sent us.” She told him in behalf of the people in the studio.   “I missed you.” He answered.   This man, Jennie thought. How many times can he make her go weak? Put her on the spot. Challenge her feelings?   “We appreciate it very much. But you didn’t have to really…” she continued.   “I love you, Jennie.” Jisoo said with his deep y voice. “Aren’t you done? I haven’t seen you for three days. Three long days…”   I miss you and I love you too, Chu. But there are at least twenty pairs of eyes watching and twenty pairs of ears listening to me right now. Save that for later.   Sun Mi decided to in, “Buy him coffee Jennie!”   “I’ll buy you coffee, Jisoo-ssi” she told him, as if just following what her manager told her to do. “Where are you?”   “I’m here waiting outside. Tell Sun Mi- Noona to drop you off at Apjugeong Sageori Station and I’ll be trailing you behind.”   Jennie and her manager left not soon later. She transferred to Jisoo’s car at Aphujeong Intersection and was so excited she left her bag at her manager’s car.   Jisoo endlessly the entire night.   “Where are we going?” Jennie asked.   “You want to drive around?” he asked her back, “I had no plans, and I just wanted to see you.”   “No, that’ll be tiring for you.” She told him. “Let’s do what normal couple do, Jisoo.”   “We do what they do.” Jisoo reminded her, then he got her hand and kissed it.   She smiled, “Not that. I meant that dates and all. Let’s hang out by the Han River. It’s already dark anyway. Let’s buy snacks on the way and let’s laze around there until we fall asleep. I heard couples do that a lot.   “Do they kiss there too?” he asked innocently.   “Jisoo!!”   “What?”   “I don’t know…” Jennie was actually clueless. “Maybe, we’ll find out.”   Jennie and Jisoo found a spot where there aren’t too many people. It’s true there are many coupes there. It didn’t hit them indeed they aren’t a normal couple and at the same time, it occurred to them that ‘longing’ to be one.   Jisoo lay down on the grass, his head on Jennie’s lap. They brought food but forgot to but mat.   “Hey, don’t fall asleep on me.” Jennie pinched his perfect nose.   He laughed. “Of course not.” He leaned in a little towards her to give a peck.   “I want to do this often.” He told her. “Be like them, be a normal couple like them.”   Jisoo was referring to the couple they saw: holding hands, hugging each other, kissing other in public. He was jealous of them.   He didn’t like the couple shirts or the matching accessories and stuff but the idea that they could tell the world of their relationship and love to each other, that alone made Jisoo envious.   He continued, “I wish we can do what they do.”   “Chu…” Jennie felt the same. “We’ll make do with what we have, alright? We can’t have it all. And I guess ‘hiding’ makes it more exciting… and besides you don’t like couple things… we don’t have anything match together.   He smiled, “Really? We don’t?”   “Yes we have none.” Jennie pouted. She remembered Joy and Yeri’s couple rings.