CHAPTER 15

AMBER’S POV

Days passed by and Summer is finally approaching. I’ve been here in Seoul for more than a month now and I must say my stay has been very interesting and eye-opening for me.

There were things I have to learn, like navigating my way around the city and nearby provinces, the traffic rules, law, additional customs that I need to remember so that my stay will be hassle-free.

One thing I also have to consider is our safety and privacy whenever Soojung and I will go out. Seoul is not like Boston or Cambridge where we can go out and take a walk in the streets without being afraid of being seen by her fans or K-pop fans in general. Here in Seoul, it’s quite scary.

We do take a walk together, mostly in her favorite streets that tourists and fans don’t regularly visit. At the Han river park near her residential building too. I always remind Soojung to wear her face mask and sometimes a hat so that she will be unnoticeable when we go out.

Good thing it’s a normal scene in the streets of Seoul to see people passing by wearing face masks. No one really pays attention and stare at us because most of the time the people are busy with their own agendas. But of course, you’ll never know.

A couple of days ago, I discussed with Soojung about buying a car, an SUV in particular because I find it easy to drive and spacious too. She told me its fine with her, although she did offer her Range Rover for my daily use.  

I have my eyes on a Porsche Cayenne, classic red and very sleek. The price is within my budget too!

120,000,000 WON for a brand new Porsche Cayenne is quite fine.

I mean, I will buy it with my hard-earned money anyway. Nothing wrong with it.

At least I will use it, not like my Mercedes Benz GLE Coupe back home in LA that I rarely use.

Manager Hojoon arranged a private “meeting” for me and his friend who is a Sales Manager from Porsche Korea. He accompanied me to the car showroom to check out the new editions and also to play around for a while. We road-tested a couple of cars and at the end of our visit I was on the verge of buying the Cayenne, I was one signature away from taking it home!

But then I realized buying a car will be too much.

Soojung has her parking slots in the basement of the residential building but all 3 are occupied by her vehicles. One for her Range Rover, one for her Audi that I found out she is endorsing, and one for her Mercedes Benz convertible that she rarely uses because well… she can’t because of her endorsement.

Where will I park it?

So I went home without buying anything.

That night when Soojung came home from recording, she asked me if I already placed an order for the SUV. We were in the kitchen and I was getting her a bottle of water from the fridge when I told her I didn’t because I don’t know where to park it. She slapped my with a magazine I don’t know where she got upon hearing what I said.

“Awww! Hey! Stop slapping my !~”

“Tsss… as if you don’t like it~…”

“Soojung like it more~…”

“Amber~… why didn’t you buy the car? You said you want that model.”

“It’s too expensive,” I said while twisting the cap. I handed the water and stood behind her, my hands reaching for her shoulders and started giving her a light massage to ease the tension on her muscles.

“Amber! I can ask Dad to get the Benz and keep it in our house. There are still 2 parking spaces left in our garage back home. Go and call the Manager, tell him we are getting the Porsche.”

“I want it but it’s expensive. Let’s save money for now.”

“Duh. You’re talking about how expensive it is when you yourself set that budget. Babe, you’ve been raving about that car since last week when you saw it on the website.” I circled my thumb on a tense muscle eliciting a slight moan from her lips. “Oh~… that feels good~…”

“Babe, you don’t understand. Buying another car means additional vehicles on the road, personal vehicles which are one of the major causes of Global Warming. Imagine 24 pounds of Carbon dioxide and other global warming gases for every one gallon of gas times the number of vehicles that produce fumes on the road every day!?”

“Hmmm~~ there… there on the left… lower…”

“We need to be wise when it comes to how we can fight Global Warming because believe me, from what I have been studying all these years and my observations down there at the South Pole… give or take 50 years, a lot of cities near the coasts won’t be there anymore. Wildfires will destroy forests and our health will be endangered by unfiltered air coming from fumes in the horizon.”

“Hmmm~… okay…”

“You got what I mean?”

“Yep, I got it. It’s not because the car is expensive, it’s because of your advocacy. Am I right or am I right?”

“Haha! You are always right!”

“I know, right?~ And one of these days I’m going to be right again because I know you will buy that SUV.”

“What makes you think I will?”

“I just know you too well~…”

So yeah.

Instead of getting a car, I decided to get a bike. Hehe.

Soojung shook her head with a smile when I showed her the folding bike. Complete with accessories and two helmets in case she wants to join me. It’s lightweight and easy to transport in public transportation systems. It won’t take up too much space in the house too because I can hang it on the wall of the guest room that we converted into a mini-study.  

It’s a wise and convenient choice not just for me but also for the environment!

Plus I enjoy riding a bike, back at Harvard I also use my bike around the campus to get to the other side. It’s a good way to travel and at the same time a form of work out for me, plus seeing the scenery around is always pleasing to our eyes.

So yeah, I got a decent folding bike with help from Manager Hojoon who was a bike enthusiast, thank Heavens. He showed me what routes I can take, the biking path at the Han River park near Soojung’s residential building where I can peacefully go on with my biking without any interruptions.

Next was deciding if I should get my own apartment or not. I got a big and cold NO from Soojung. She said she knows I can get a decent apartment in the city and surely I can afford it BUT…

“So you mean to say, you’d rather live alone than live with me?”

“What? Nooo… it’s not that babe. I mean, this is your house! What if someone tips off the media and exposes you?!”

“Don’t worry, it’s a known fact that I live in this residential place. Not just me but also top celebrities… this is the most secured residence in Seoul, you know that. Non-residents can’t enter even in the basement parking.”

“I don’t wanna be a burden to you Soojung…”

“Silly! Stop saying that Amber! Look, what’s mine is yours. What’s yours is mine. Let’s just consider my house as our place in Seoul, while your house in LA will be our base in the US. Surely, you won’t let me stay in a hotel when we go home there for a visit… right?”

“Of course! I bought that house last year with you in my mind.”

In the end, we decided that I will not get another apartment. Instead, she asked me to be in charge of the utility expenses while she will be the one in charge of the groceries and other stuff.

I do the cooking, I do the laundry, I do the cleaning.

….

…...

Just kidding!

Hahahaha!

We take turns on doing the laundry and its not that hard since we have a washing machine. Cleaning is easy too and actually fun because we finish faster when we do it together. It creates a bond between us and happy memories too.

Cooking. Cooking is such a tricky talent that both of us lacks. I think the easiest dish I ever prepared for both of us is Kimchi Fried rice. Some scrambled eggs or boiled eggs. Hehe. Soojung can whip up a mean Fettucine Alfredo and Aglio Olio, her Kimbap tastes so good too. She’s good at baking which is what I truly admire about her because she makes the most yummiest Chocolate Chip cookie and Moist Chocolate cake ever!

I already told Soojung about my decision to teach at Yonsei and she was very happy about it. She was quite feeling sorry about me letting go of KAIST, but I told her it’s fine because Yonsei is the most practical choice due to its location. Plus its Yonsei, who would say no to a teaching position offered to you by one of the most prestigious universities in South Korea?

My teaching contract starts in September - Fall Term. If I make a good impression, they might extend it until Spring Term. I already forwarded all the necessary papers needed and have applied for an E - 1 Professor’s Visa that can be extended if the university will extend my contract.

Within this month we already had dinner thrice with her family. The first time was in their favorite steak house. Her Mom is still the same, warm and caring. Her Dad quiet but welcoming when he shook my hand eagerly as he welcomed us at the entrance of the restaurant. He was waiting for us to arrive!  

Her Dad, Uncle as what I have always called him even before, kept on tapping my back as if telling me I did a good job when I narrated to him the places I already visited and my job at the South Pole. He asked about my parents and told me he played a round of golf with Dad last month when they were in California. We talked about business and chess, then invited me for a golf game just the two of us hehe.

Auntie is like my Mom, asking me how I have been if I enjoyed traveling to places like Africa and the Middle East. Telling me to eat a lot because her daughter can’t cook and I look skinny hahaha! Soojung was whining at her Mom telling her it's not true, that I don’t even look skinny because she always makes sure we eat 4 times a day.

Here comes the funny part of the dinner:

Jessica’s Boyfriend/Business Partner - Tyler Kwon.

Tyler.

How do I describe him?

Young, rich, like socializing, good convincing skills.

He’s nice.

He likes talking about his friends and his connections with powerful people. It makes my eyebrows rise like a dough whenever he drops a name that is familiar to me. Strange, really strange guy.

There is something weird about him that I can’t explain.

But of course, that is my own view about him. Maybe Jessica sees something good in him that makes her adore him so much. With the way Jessica acts around him, he seems like a controller and Jessica fully depends on him like an obedient partner.

Tyler gives off that charming yet dominating vibe that probably attracted Jessica. Maybe in her eyes, Tyler is her hero, the man who will protect her from harm.

But for me, he seems arrogant. Manipulative even.

He also asked me about my family. I told him what I always tell everyone, my Dad working in the Finance industry and my Mom in the Church and mostly stay at home. I don’t really tell everyone about personal information unless they are trusted people like the Jungs because well, they are part of the family.

The moment he heard it, he didn’t talk to me again and mostly talked to Mr. Jung about Golf and business. LOL.

One time, he bragged about his sports car, a Porsche Carrera that he drives when he is in New York visiting his company. Soojung mentioned to me before that TK (as what she calls him) owns a financial company that is based in New York. He asked me what I drive, I jokingly told him I drive a snowmobile in Antarctica, a Toyota Hybrid when I’m in New York, a Mercedes Benz when I’m in Los Angeles and Soojung’s Rover here in Seoul when I need to go out and pick her up. He gave me a look as if he pities me because I don’t have my own car here! .

If he only knows.

If only.

~~~~~~~~~~

“So… have you decided who to adopt?”

I heave a deep sigh and shook my head at Taeyeon’s question. The two of us sitting cross-legged on a mat while watching the puppies play in a far corner.

We had been hanging out for quite some time now, actually, I think a week since we bumped into each other in the park. She was taking Zero for a walk while I was having my run.

The place where we hang out? The pet adoption house that Taeyeon recommended to me. I got introduced to the cute puppies running around wanting love and affection. All of them are too cute!

Some of them were street abandoned animals. I can’t believe people nowadays consider their pets as mere accessories, that they can just throw them away or abandon them when they don’t need them anymore. Pets like dogs, cats, etc are friends. When your world falls apart and everyone else abandons you, they will remain loyal to your side and will give you comfort and love that you deserve.

I clapped my hands to the direction of this very cute and so small Pomeranian puppy, his eyes round and looking at me with cuteness as if telling me ‘PICK ME! PICK ME! SOOJUNG WILL LOVE ME!’. He ran to me with so much energy and kept on jumping up and down, his tongue wagging. I took him from the floor and petted him, giving him the scratch he deserves.

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