A week had passed for Jongin in peace, the initial reaction to his engagement had ruffled a few feathers of the young office assistants that would hang around him as he walked from office to office for meetings. But, the news had died down and Jongin almost forgot about it until the last meeting on Friday afternoon. His father was wrapping up the meeting with the major share holders when one of the older gentlemen asked to raise a new topic.
"We hear the young Mister Kim is engaged." The man said and instantly Jongin felt every pair of eyes burning into him, especially his fathers. After all this time of being forced into the spot light,he still hated being the centre of attention.
"Yes sir, that is true. To a very accomplished doctor and an old family friend." His father forced a laugh that sounded light sandpaper against a chalk board. It had been so long since he enjoyed himself that the man seemed for forget how to laugh all together.
"Then she should be brought to the charity gala we are holding tomorrow. It will give her a good chance to interact with the other wives." The older man joked and the other men nodded in agreement.
"A man is only as strong as the woman at his side." Again the men agreed and under the table Jongin was clenching his fists so tightly that his fingernails were digging into the palm of his hand. His father stood up and walked behind Jongin's chair. Two large hands clapped down onto Jongin's shoulders and squeezed them tightly which at first seemed friendly but the tightness soon grew uncomfortable.
"Of course he will bring her. He already told me that he planned to do so." His father finally let go and headed to the boardroom doors and two assistants opened it. This, as with every other meeting, meant it was over. So the other men packed up with papers and left talking about how they were excited for the gala and the delicious food they served every year. Jongin stood up and tried to sneak out with the rest of them but his father grabbed his wrist and stopped him. With a smile on his face, he glared at his son.
"My assistant will bring you her phone number, invite her tomorrow. And try to get to know her so it's not awkward." He then walked off leaving Jongin alone in the boardroom. A middle-aged woman in all black with short hair, came walking over and handed him a small piece of paper. On it was Jinhee's cellphone number, work number and home address. He charged back into his office and dropped into his chair with a heavy sigh.
Sitting on his desk was his personal phone that only had a handful of numbers on it, in case of emergencies. For a split second he thought about contacting her through his work phone but figured if they were going to be married he might as well save it. He couldn't work up the courage to talk to her on the phone so he sent her a message instead. "She's probably busy...with work..." Jongin muttered to himself to make himself feel better about not calling.
To: Jinhee(Fiancee)
This is Kim Jongin, your fiance. There is a work party tomorrow at eight PM that you are to come to. Maybe we can grab dinner tonight and get to know each other before the event.
He hit send and slumped back into his chair. Figuring that she was busy, he started to pack up his briefcase and was shocked when he heard it vibrate on his desk. He opened it and saw that she had responded.
From: Jinhee(Fiancee)
Sure. I finished work an hour ago so I'll text you my address when I get home.
Jongin didn't want to tell her that he already knew where she lived because he didn't want to seem creepy. Although he was hungry, he was dreading the dinner he had suggested. All he wanted was to go home and listen to some music but now he had to eat with this boring woman and waste an evening. Attached to his office was a small closet where he had a few suit jackets, shirts and a change of pants for when he spends all day long at the office. He took off his jacket, slipped off his tie and ed the top of his dress shirt. He quickly glanced at himself in the reflection of his phone as he headed to the elevator. He groaned at his appearance and then got mad at himself for trying to look nice for Jinhee. As he walked through the underground parking garage, Jinhee texted him the address and he headed there. The drive there was a blur as he thought of all the other stuff he could be doing instead of this. Jongin noticed Jinhee standing outside of her apartment building and pulled up in front of her. He rolled down the window and gave her a look over. She looked so different compared to the first time he saw her in that black dress. Jinhee was wearing a sleeveless navy blouse with flowers on it and a white skirt that made her waist look tiny.
"Get in," he barked and he saw Jinhee roll her eyes before getting into the passenger seat.
"Where are we going?" She asked but Jongin grunted and nodded towards his phone that had the address of an Italian restaurant punched into the map. She nodded her head and awkwardly fidgeted in her seat while they drove there. So many times the two of them tried to start a conversation but they would end up talking over each other, apologizing and then sitting in the silence once again. He parked his car and before Jinhee could open her door, he ran over and opened it up for her.
"Oh, how nice of you." Jinhee commented and Jongin scoffed.
"I'm not an animal." He jabbed back before they walked in and took their table. The waitress handed them the menus and then walked away. Jinhee was thrown through a loop for a moment as all of the menu was in English. Jongin saw he struggling and felt a pang of guilt. "I thought you knew how to speak English, since you worked abroad."
"I had a translator. The only English I really know is medical terms." Jinhee hated that she seemed stupid but Jongin didn't mention it for the rest of the night. He casually started talking about what he thought looked good on the menu and she realized that he was translating it for her so she knew what she wanted. The waitress came back and Jinhee confidentially ordered a chicken dish while Jongin got a shellfish pasta. The night had only started but it seemed that the two of them were able to work with each other on a basic level.
Comments