THE LOVE CHASE BEGAN…
THE TALE OF TWO SISTERSChae Won felt the heat of Joong Ki’s kisses to her veins…he was kissing her with passion but with it she felt suddenly cold and numb as she opened her eyes in the middle of their passionate kisses and she gazed from the distance. Their need for air caused them to part or for Chae Won caused Joong Ki to stop.
“I miss you so much…I miss you so much”, Joong Ki whispered to her ear as he embraced her tightly as though never letting her go.
“I’ll never marry again…I’ll never let any man get the better off me again…I’ll never let any man to have me again…no...no more…once was enough”, Chae Won recited in her mind.
“Let go of me, Detective Song”, Chae Won said.
Joong Ki felt the ice in her voice…and when he looked at her…he almost staggered because her beautiful eyes were devoid of emotion.
“Chae Won, darling”, Joong Ki called softly as he was searching her face for any emotion…because at that moment she seemed like a statue…cold…extremely cold and far from him.
“I better go, Detective Song”, Chae Won said.
“It’s Joong Ki, right? I always want to hear my name from your lips even during the first time that I saved you from that horrible woman at the diner where you worked in before your father found you”, Joong Ki reminded Chae Won.
“That was eons ago…I forgot about that incident already and you better forget it, too, in the same way that this kiss today should be forgotten”, Chae Won replied.
“Don’t feel something for me, too?” Joong Ki asked refusing to believe that Chae Won did not feel anything towards him.
“It’s not a matter of emotion or feeling because I lost those two years ago. I lost my heart and my soul two years ago”, Chae Won said as she picked her wide brimmed black hat from the ground where it had fallen when they kissed.
“I don’t believe you to be this cold, Chae Won”, Joong Ki said.
“Believe what you want, Detective Song. I don’t care. Anyway, aren’t you afraid of me? Many said that I killed my husband. Aren’t you afraid that I might do you, too?” Chae Won said as she took a step forward with her back to Joong Ki.
“I don’t really believe that you killed him and if you did I’m sure that you had sufficient reasons to kill him. Chae Won, darling, if death awaits me in your arms…I’d make sure that I’ll hand you the knife personally so you can stab me all you want”, Joong Ki replied bravely.
“Stay away from me”, Chae Won said as she was about to take another step forward when Joong Ki turned around and gave her a back hug.
“Don’t run away from me, Chae Won, don’t ever run away because YOU. ARE. MINE.” Joong Ki whispered to her before he let her go.
Chae Won felt herself trembled and she immediately walked towards her Porsche while Joong Ki just stared at her…smiling.
“I’ll make you fall for me, Chae Won, I’ll make you my wife”, Joong Ki promised to himself as he watched Chae Won’s car left the cemetery.
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“Good morning, class!” Shinhye happily greeted her students in Kindergarten II.
“Good morning, teacher!” the pupils replied energetically.
“Today…we’re going to welcome your new classmate. Say hello to Jung Ga In”, Shinhye said as she motioned for Ga In to come in front.
“Hello! My name’s Jung Ga In, I’m new here in this school so please be friends with me. Thank you”, Ga In said with a cute smile.
Shinhye looked at Ga In…she was wearing the cute checkered pink uniform prescribed by the school for young girls. She was wearing her slightly wavy hair in pigtails and her smile was so adorable…Shinhye could not help but smile. Ga In got most of her looks from Yonghwa.
“Okay, Ga In, you may take your seat”, Shinhye said with a smile.
“Thank you, teacher”, Ga In cutely bowed before walking and sitting to her small chair.
“Pupils, today we’re going to draw a family picture. So please bring out your crayons and your drawing books”, Shinhye said as the pupils happily and a bit noisily brought out their crayons and drawing books.
“After you draw your family picture…you’re going in front one by one and tell something about it, okay?” Shinhye said.
“Yes, teacher”, the pupils replied as everyone started to work on their drawings.
Shinhye looked at the window of her classroom and she saw Yonghwa standing outside…watching her with a smile on his face. She decided to go outside.
“Detective Jung”, Shinhye said.
“Yonghwa would be better, Shinhye”, Yonghwa said with a grin.
“What are you doing here?” Shinhye asked.
“Calm down, Shinhye, the way you’re asking questions is like we’re having lover’s quarrel”, Yonghwa said as his attempt at humor.
“It’s not funny, Detective Jung”, Shinhye retorted.
“Okay, I’m here because I brought Ga In. I told myself that I’ll leave afterwards but you look so adorable with those kids…so patient…so beautiful that I decided to stick and watch you”, Yonghwa explained with his boyish charm that Shinhye nearly forgot why she should stay away from him.
“I…I told you to stay away from me”, Shinhye said
“Yes, you did but I never promised that I would do your request”, Yonghwa replied.
“I don’t know what to do with you anymore”, Shinhye said as she rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“Allow me into your life and allow yourself in mine and Ga In’s lives”, Yonghwa replied to her rhetorical question.
“What? You’re joking, right?” Shinhye asked.
“I’m not…never been this serious before in my life”, Yonghwa replied.
“Urrrghhh”, Shinhye said with a cute pout like a child on the verge of tantrums as she turned her back and decided to walk in her classroom.
“Joong Ki and your sister saw each other this morning at the cemetery. I guess their meeting did not turn up as happy as it should be because today is mine and Joong Ki’s day off from work and Joong Ki wanted to spend his day wallowing in self-pity and drinking alone in his mansion”, Yonghwa informed Shinhye in a suddenly serious voice.
“Chae Won has a lot of scars…and if Joong Ki loves her…he should learn to wait for her heart and her soul to heal”, Shinhye replied without looking at Yonghwa.
“Do you have the same scars, Shinhye? Would you let me heal them, too?” Yonghwa asked in a soft voice.
Shinhye did not answer as she just entered the door of her classroom…leaving Yonghwa puzzled by her behavior.
“You’re a mystery, Shinhye…a mystery I’d like to solve”, Yonghwa said to himself.
“Pupils, are you done with your drawing?” Shinhye revived her happy self when she was already in front of her students.
“Yes, teacher”, the pupils replied.
Everyone started their presentation…the last one called to present was Ga In. Yonghwa decided to silently open the door and listen as to what his daughter was about to say.
“This is my family picture…this is my father…he works for the police”, Ga In said as she pointed on a tall stick figure drawn in blue.
“This is me”, Ga In pointed at a small stick figure drawn in pink.
“I don’t have my mother with me…she left me a long time ago. She said that she didn’t want me so I decided to draw someone else. I decided to draw Teacher Shinhye as my mother because she’s so beautiful like an angel”, Ga In said as she pointed on the stick figure drawn in green.
“V…very good, Ga In”, Shinhye said as she was lost for words and from where she was standing she saw Yonghwa near the door with s gentle smile on his face which made her heart beat faster.
Shinhye gave stars for the pupils’ drawing before she ushered them outside the classroom for play time at the school grounds. She sang and played with her pupils who were happily giggling and chasing each other while they were singing nursery rhymes.
“Pupils, tomorrow we’re going to have another fun activity tomorrow…we’re going to do origami so make sure to bring colored papers tomorrow”, Shinhye told her students.
“Yes, teacher”, the pupils replied.
“Bye, pupils”, Shinhye said with a sweet smile.
“Bye, teacher”, the pupils said as they scampered away towards the waiting area where their parents were sitting.
“Ga In, sweety, aren’t you going to your dad now?” Shinhye asked.
“Bye, teacher”, Ga In said as she moved and embraced Shinhye. Her small height reached up near Shinhye’s hips.
“Bye, Ga In, take care”, Shinhye said as she smiled and waved at Ga In who waved back and gave her a flying kiss before she ran towards Yonghwa’s direction. The father and daughter left the school premises together.
“Bye, Yonghwa”, Shinhye said silently.
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The next day, Chae Won and Shinhye were having breakfast together by the poolside.
“She is a good girl, Chae Won”, Shinhye said before she popped in a piece of toast to .
“Really! She must be beautiful, too, knowing how handsome Jung Yonghwa is”, Chae Won said with a wink to her sister which caused Shinhye to blush.
“She is of course…but it doesn’t mean to say that I like Yonghwa”, Shinhye said her blush deepen.
“Of course…you don’t like him…you love him”, Chae Won teasingly said.
“I heard from Yonghwa that Joong Ki was wallowing in self-pity after you met with him yesterday”, Shinhye sister back.
“It’s just that I told him to stay away from me…after he…he…kissed me…” Chae Won said but she was not able to finish her sentence because Shinhye squeled like a fan girl.
“He kissed you…wow…that was fast!” Shinhye said giddily.
“Ohhh…cut it out, Shinhye, it was just a kiss. It doesn’t mean anything”, Chae Won said before she sipped her iced tea.
“Okay…if you said so but still I find it cute”, Shinhye said with a teasing smile.
“Let’s hurry up…I need to be at the bank as early as possible and you need to be early at the pre-school, too”, Chae Won said as she sipped the last of her iced tea.
“I’m so happy…I’ll see Ga In today”, Shinhye said with a smile before she sipped the last of her orange juice.
“I bet you’re more than happy to see Yonghwa, too”, Chae Won commented happily.
“Not that much, Chae Won, not that much…I’m more for Ga In”, Shinhye continuously denied but her blush gave her up.
Chae Won just laughed which caused Shinhye to laugh to as the two went inside to prepare for their work the day.
Chae Won arrived at the Moon Bank at exactly 8:30. She was wearing another black pencil cut dress with its length below her knees. The wide white belt accentuated her small waist. The black wide brimmed hat a top her chignon and black three-inch heels completed her attire. She wore her emerald drop earrings, her wedding ring and her silver watch as her accessories.
“Good morning, madam”, her assistant of two years Hong Soo Hyun greeted her.
“Good morning, Soo Hyun”, Chae Won smiled. She met Soo Hyun after the death of her husband and they became friends. Aside from Shinhye, Soo Hyun knew about her secret…her dark secret.
“Madam, someone’s waiting at your office”, Soo Hyun said as Chae Won started towards her office.
“Someone? Investors? Clients?” Chae Won asked.
“I don’t know how to classify him but he arrived here around 7:30 this morning”, Soo Hyun said as she sat on his desk.
“Maybe it’s a new client or someone who wants to have a loan”, Chae Won said as she smiled again before she went to her office.
Chae Won opened her office and was surprised at what she saw. There were red and white roses with lavender on every corner of the room which gave the most pleasant smell… three balloons with the words I LOVE YOU tied at one of the heavy vases and standing beside her swivel chair was Song Joong Ki.
“Good morning, darling! Did you like them?” Joong Ki asked with his charming smile.
“What are you doing here?” Chae Won asked in a gentle voice as she was looking at the spectacle around her.
“I wanted to surprise you. Do you like them?” Joong Ki said like cute boy waiting for her approval.
“Yes…yes…they are beautiful”, Chae Won said as she could not help but smile as she smelled the flowers.
“I brought you coffee and strawberry cakes…your favorites”, Joong Ki said.
“T…This is too much; you shouldn’t have bothered with this”, Chae Won said.
“I intend to spoil you so much you’d want to spend the rest of your life with me”, Joong Ki said.
“Joong Ki, please, I don’t have plans of marrying again”, Chae Won said with a sigh.
“I intend to change your mind”, Joong Ki said as he approached her.
“I like to see you in any colors other than black…then I want you to wear my ring instead and when you’re mine already…I won’t allow you to wear this stupid wide brimmed hat and I’ll make sure I’ll ruin your perfect chignon everytime I get the chance”, Joong Ki said as he pulled Chae Won in his arms and pulled her wide brimmed hat and deftly took the pins dropping them to the carpeted floor. Chae Won’s hair fell around her in a disarray as she felt Joong Ki cupped her face and kissed her slowly savoring the feel of with his.
“I better go now, Chae Won, darling”, Joong Ki said after their slow passionate kiss as he went to the door and went out of Chae Won’s office.
Chae Won suddenly felt her knees weaken and she bit her lips to prevent her smile from coming out.
Shinhye was already at the classroom fixing her materials when one of her pupils came.
“Hi, you’re early”, Shinhye said.
“Teacher, for you”, the young boy said as he handed Shinhye a pink rose.
“Thank you”, Shinhye said.
Another girl came and handed her a red rose.
“Thank you”, Shinhye said as she was slowly getting puzzled.
Another pupil came with a white tulip.
“Is there an occasion pupils?” Shinhye asked as one by one her pupils handed flowers to her. Her hands were soon filled with 14 flowers like roses, tulips and daisies.
The pupils just smiled and giggled at her. After awhile, Ga In entered with three heart-shaped balloons and a white rose and handed them to her.
“For you, teacher”, Ga In said.
“Thank you”, Shinhye replied as her eyes saw Yonghwa outside her classroom and she knew to whom the flowers came from. She left the flowers and the balloons and went outside.
“What are those all about?” Shinhye asked but she could not help but feel her heart somersaulting in happiness inside her chest…as though butterflies were flying to and fro in her stomach.
“For you, teacher”, Yonghwa said as he handed her two cups of strawberry yougurt.
“T…Thank you”, Shinhye said as smile crept from her lips.
“Read the card”, Yonghwa said as he motioned for the small cards attach at the cups of yougurt.
“To the most beautiful you”, the first card said. “Your smile brightens up my day”, the second card said.
“I’d be going, teacher Shinhye”, Yonghwa said as he gave Shinhye a kiss on her cheek near her lips before he went on his way happily waving at Shinhye.
Shinhye felt her smile widen as she touched the spot where Yonghwa kissed her. What would she and Chae Won do if Yonghwa and Joong Ki were making staying away difficult for them to do?
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