A Toast to the Queen

“Congratulations!!!” Chaerin greeted her as soon as she and Jay entered the house. They had just come from a walk on the beach and were about to wash off their feet to leave for dinner when her cousin surprised them with such an announcement.

Dara looked curiously at Jay. “What did you tell her?”

The lawyer cocked an eyebrow in complete innocence “I didn’t tell her anything.”

Chaerin looked stupefied “Is he supposed to tell me anything?”

“No” Dara answered.

“Yes” Jay answered at the same time.

“Hold on! Hold on! I’m confused” her cousin told them just as Seungri popped up from right behind her.

“Seungri!” Dara greeted – completely forgetting what they were discussing about at the sight of the couple.

“Noona!” Seungri smiled down at her and nodded at Jay “Hyung.”

“Are you visiting?” Dara asked “Why didn’t you tell me beforehand? I could have cooked.”

“Don’t worry about it” Chaerin’s mother answered from the inside of the house “I’m onto it.”

“Auntie!” Dara reprimanded the old woman - leading the way to the kitchen where she knew she’d find the Lee matriarch as the rest of them followed “Let me do that. You should be resting.”

“Has anything happened?” Chaerin asked both women.

“It’s nothing” her Aunt answered.

“Auntie sprained her ankle last night trying to change the curtains in her bedroom” Dara quipped.

“I most certainly did not young lady” the old woman denied with her “Principal” voice – as she and Chaerin called it.

“Omma!” Chaerin exclaimed “You told me you just hit a stool when you were on your way down that’s why you were limping!”

“I said that because I didn’t want you making such a big fuss as you are now.”

Seungri immediately supported his mother-in-law and guided her towards a chair that Jay propped up.  

“How many times have I told you Omma?” Chaerin chastised “You shouldn’t be moving around too much. Seungri told you that the operation you had last year isn’t going to make things easier. It’s a miracle you’re almost back to like you were before but don’t stretch it out too much ok?”

“I was just trying to change the curtains” her Aunt replied “The next time I do something like that… I’ll make sure not to ever let the both of you know because the whole house explodes like World War II’s going on outside.”

“I thought you were used to it already Omma” Seungri whispered but both Dara and Chaerin turned towards him with lifted eyebrows.He cowered at their stares and bowed his head.

“That was a brave thing to do man” Jay told him jokingly and felt both eyes land on him too.

He raised a hand – as though in surrender as the voice of Chaerin’s mother broke the tension. 

“Stop scaring these men the both of you” she scolded the younger women “They’re only being kind to me. And don’t think I’m backing out just because you both have advantage at this point. When I get back to my feet, you both won’t be able to stop me.”

“Omma… why are you so difficult?!?” her cousin groaned as they continued with the scallops the older woman was preparing.

Mrs. Lee just shrugged her shoulders and asked both Jay and Seungri to bring her to the veranda where she can feel the cool breeze of the sea.

“Omma’s so stubborn” Chaerin complained for the nth time. Ever since her Aunt had undergone the operation to re-route one of the main arteries in her heart, they both had been consistently worried about her in spite of the speed with which she recovered.

It went without saying that the woman was their only anchor now that their Grandfather has been lost to them too. Cherin also lost her Dad at a young age that’s why they bonded. “You know she’s only like that when it comes to her own health” Dara responded “She doesn’t mind everything else except for that particular topic.”

“And it’s the most important one!” Chaerin muttered in frustration as she the stove to begin simmering the soup for the scallops.

“She doesn’t like looking like she’s weak” Dara told her, turning on the oven to pre-heat it so she can roast the chicken she had marinated last night “Sounds familiar to me.”

Chaerin raised an eyebrow at her and answered defensively “I don’t mind people telling me I’m weak!” Dara gave her a sideways glance “As long as it’s in their mind.”

Her cousin laughed “Anyway… what is it I should be knowing?”

“She agreed to give me a chance” Jay answered, popping up from the kitchen door. 

Dara looked at him wide-eyed “So much for keeping it a secret first.”

Jay smiled down at her. “I’m sorry… I’m just really happy to call you my girlfriend again.”

Chaerin rushed towards them and hugged them both. “Oh My God! SEUNGRI!!!!!!”

Her husband rushed back to the kitchen with a perplexed look “What’s going on?!?”

“They’re together!!!” Chaerin announced to him and once again hugged the new couple.

“Wow” Seungri reacted “Uhmmmm… congratulations hyung, noona. This is unbelievable.”

“Thank you both of you” Dara answered as Jay rested his chin on top of her head “Now… why were you congratulating us?”

“Actually, I was just congratulating you. We just heard news that you won as the clinic’s Queen of Fire for this year!” her cousin told her.

“Congratulations noona!” Seungri told her.

Her jaw dropped. “Oh my… but I – I can’t do it.”

Chaerin turned to her wide-eyed. “Why can’t you?”

She looked at Jay helplessly and the lawyer responded neutrally “I’ve asked her to move to New York with me.”

“You agreed?!?” Seungri reacted, looking absolutely astounded.

Dara nodded. “The festival’s a few months from now and I might not be there at all. It wouldn’t be fair. They should give it to another one.”

“This is sudden” Seungri said.

“I think it’s great” Jay countered “And I’m glad you won Queen of Fire. Wasn’t Chaerin last year’s representative?”

Chaerin nodded. “I was really happy because I’ll be passing on the crown to you. The clinic’s had two years of luck in the Island competition so far so I was looking forward to this. It slipped my mind you guys might be this serious in so fast a time.”

“Hey!” Jay reacted “I’ve been waiting for her for a long time you know. Don’t keep telling her it’s too sudden… she might change her mind and make me wait more.”

Dara laughed “Now that you say it…”

“No way Ms. Park” Jay replied “You can’t take it back now.”

“Well… what should we do about the festival?” she asked everyone “I think there should be a re-election.”

“Can’t you make it instead?” Chaerin pleaded.

“Maybe we can go back here just for that…” Jay told her.

“But… wouldn’t I be disqualified? When the feast happens… I technically won’t be an employee in the clinic anymore.”

“Let’s ask Teddy-hyung about that” Seungri replied “He’s part of this year’s committee.”

“I hope it’s alright” Chaerin commented “I’m excited for this year’s battle of the Kings.”

“Battle of the Kings?” Jay asked.

“It’s a tradition in the clinic” the youngest doctor of the clinic explained “All male employees and male family members or relatives (unless they work with another employer in the island) of female employees can join. All establishments choose their representative for the King of Fire contest by a challenge.”

“Competitors must battle it out in different levels of physical activity” Dara continued for him “There’s the biking challenge at the dirt road, the marathon, and the beach swim.”

“It’s like an Iron Man challenge” Jay concluded.

“Right” Chaerin confirmed “It’s also like a prelude to the ultimate Battle of the Kings because that’s harder physical activity.”

“I won that last year” Seungri muttered proudly, earning a jab at the rib from his wife.

“What do the winners get?” Jay asked.

“There are various special prizes but mostly this is serious for everyone in Jeju because it’s a sort of competition for familial honor” Dara answered “And they say the winners bring luck with them everywhere.”

“Can I join?” Jay inquired.

Dara looked at him “Why would you want to join?”

“If they allow you to be Queen, of course I have to be the King” he answered cheekily.

“Let’s see about that” Seungri informed them as the oven chimed in. The ladies were reminded of their cooking and for a while, Dara basked in the feeling of being acknowledged and proudly owned by a man she cared for. It was refreshing how Jay was almost shouting to the world they were together. She knew she should be happy… why was that so difficult to do?