Meeting the INLAWS
Siwon's Wife
Jamie tapped her foot on the shiny marble floor of Inchon’s airport quite annoyed. Her flight from New York had arrived nearly and hour ago but her parents had not arrived yet. They know what time she was going to arrive and had assured her that she will be picked up from the airport. Yet there she was, waiting for nearly an hour like an idiot.
She had tried calling her father, at home and at the office, but her secretary told her she was out and the answering machine kept picking her calls at home. She assumed that he was on his way but really, one hour is already too long! Her mom and her brother are not answering either! And she ran out of change, she couldn’t just shove a dollar bill into a payphone now, could she?
She sighed, her foot stopping abruptly. All around her, people are picking up people who had arrived from their flights and it seemed that she was the only one being ignored. She’s so frustrated she wanted to cry. If not for her parent’s sudden and rash decision for her ‘future’, she would have still been in Brooklyn, applying for numerous music teaching jobs, and planning the next course of her life as a Music teacher. But thanks to her parents, her she was back in South Korea, with an impending marriage to someone she had never seen before, even in pictures. And guess what, the wedding is in a week! How kind for her parents to just plan her wedding without even informing her!
Another sigh and she closed her eyes, trying to contain her rage at the thoughts that kept on replaying on her mind since her last conversation with her father five days prior.
A body came in contact with her, sending her falling to the ground on her . Well, almost. That was before said body had s a strong arm around her waist and immediately stopping her from falling.
And oh! What is that smell? It’s so…good!
“I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to bump into you.” a rich deep voice said, momentarily taking Jamie’s attention.
She straightened up and looked up to the guy who had bump into her. She had to strain her neck because he was a bit tall, quite very tall for someone her height. She frowned a bit. It’s summer but this guy’s wearing a blue hooded jacket, with the hood up over a cap, large dark sunglasses, and he seemed to be comfortable even with his jacket’s zipped up to his neck. He must have been dying to get out of the outfit!
“It’s fine. Though you might see better if you’re not wearing those.” Jamie gestured towards the big sunglasses cheekily.
The guy just grinned, twin dimples showing out, and scratched his head a bit. He bowed and apologized once again before leaving. Jamie just shook her head at the retrieving back of the stranger.
The stranger had been a good distraction for Jamie, at least she forgot about how irritated she was from waiting even for just a couple of minutes. But then a few minutes after that, she was back to tapping her sneakers onto the marble floor. She was contemplating with the thought of buying a ticket back to New York and letting her parents face the consequences with the wedding they had planned on their own without her consent. But then if she doesn’t want to be disowned, then she had to wait patiently for someone to pick her up. Even if it means waiting for yet another hour.
She was about to go to the phones again to call her parents when the sight of the stranger who bumped into her had caught her eye. Who would miss someone who starkly contrasted with all the people walking to and fro around the airport? He was the only one wearing something other people would wear during late autumn and not in the middle of the summer.
But then the piece of paper he was holding in front of him got her eyes. He was bit far from him but she could clearly see what was written on it. Of course, how could she not when she was sure that it was her name written on it. It might have been years since she had read something written in Hangeul but she still can read her own name.
She walked over to the guy who had proceeded in to looking here and there for someone on just one spot, clearly using he advantage of being tall. She tapped his shoulder to get his attention.
“Neh?” he asked, before recognizing Jaime from earlier. “Oh, aghassi! What is it?” he frowned a bit.
“Are you looking for Song Jae Mi?” Jamie asked, eyeing the piece of paper the guy was holding.
“Err, yes.” the guy answered. He gave a confused look towards Jamie. “Why?”
Jamie sighed. “I am Song Jae Mi. Unless you are looking for another Song Jae Mi which you’re familiar with.”
The guy frowned even more, confused. He took a picture from the pocket of his jacket and looked at it. Jaime almost giggled at the sight of his brows twitching visibly under his sunglasses. She had almost lost it when it raised so high it almost disappeared to the top of his forehead just right about the hairline.
“But you look so different from this photo!” he exclaimed indignantly.
“What photo?” Hannah raised a brow and held up a hand to look at the said picture. She resisted the urge to slap herself and whoever it was that had given this guy the photo of her wearing a bright blue sundress with her hair falling freely down her back reaching just below her shoulders. It was taken a few months back when she had to do a play and Allie had forced her to pose for a picture, reasoning out that it could be the first and last time she would ever wear something as girly as that. “That is me.” she confirmed. Curse Allie for sending the picture home.
The guy gave her a disbelieving look, which she easily countered with a raised brow. She’s not always this snarky or prissy, but a pissed Song Jamie could might as well be the devil’s spawn.
“Fine, if you don believe me then don’t.” she grumbled.
“It’s not that.” the guy hurriedly retorted. “What do you expect when you look so different from the picture? And I haven’t seen you before so…” he shrugged.
“Look, dude, I don’t really care about that now. But if you’re here and looking for me, that would mean that my parents would have had sent you to fetch me, and that’s all that counts.” she stated. “What is your name by the way?”
It took a moment for the guy to answer. “I’m… Siwon. Choi Siwon.” he said before taking off his sunglasses and smiling sheepishly.
Jamie stared for a moment. Sure, it must be because the guy, this Siwon guy, looks so dazzlingly handsome, with flawless white skin, thick brows and cute dimples. But mostly because of the fact that there was only one information her parents had imparted with her about her soon to be husband.
His name was Choi Siwon.
. . . . .
Jamie and Siwon silently walked into the restaurant their parents were supposed to meet them, the ride from the airport had been quiet, neither of the two having anything to say to each other. It would have been easier if they had actually met at least once before, but then Jamie had left for America at a young age when she was accepted to a prestigious music school in America and decided to stay and finish her college there instead of coming back to Korea. Their parents had been friends and colleagues for years, have businesses closely tied with each other, practically family. The only thing that was missing was them being bound by marriage on one of their generations, so it was decided that the Song’s eldest daughter will be married to the Choi’s eldest son. Neither of them had thought that they’d be facing this situation at young age, Siwon being at the peak of his stardom at only twenty five, and Jamie having just graduated from college at twenty one. Clearly, marriage was far from their minds at the moment.
Siwon opened the door to the private room where their parents were, letting a dark-faced Jamie go in first. He silently gulped when he saw the expression on her face. After the two of them had settled down on their seats, Jamie didn’t wait any longer to confront her parents, jet lag be damned.
“How could you?” she hissed. She had grew up being taught to respect elders and such, but her anger was flaring at the moment. She proceeded when her parents, who were sitting across from her, didn’t answer. “What in heaven’s name have made you do this?”
Siwon, and his father, gave a surprised look at Jamie. Which the girl had promptly ignored, including the look of horror on her parents’ faces.
“Song Jae Mi!” her mother reprimanded.
“What!? You expect me to just accept this without a fight? I’m not a kid! I’m barely 22 and I still have lots of dreams I want to fulfill and here you are, matchmaking and preparing a wedding for me! What’s with the rush with the marriage? You didn’t even ask for my opinion! What? Is the world about to end tomorrow?” Jamie didn’t even hide the venom on her voice. Which had taken her parents aback. She wasn’t the same girl that had left years ago, that sweet innocent girl who would do her parents’ bidding without question.
“Jae Mi, we know it’s sudden. And we are sorry.” her father stated sincerely. “But we are only concerned about your future. In the long run, this would turn out for the best. You will see.”
“Well, right now I’m blind to it and I don’t like it a bit!” Jamie retorted, which earned a chuckle from her brother, Eunsuk. “It’s not funny, Eun.” she hissed, glaring at Eunsuk who was just about to turn 20 in a few months.
“Yeah, sorry.” Eunsuk tried hard to contain his mirth and managed to compose his face after a moment.
“It’s about business politics again, isn’t it?” Jamie stated bluntly, earning wide eyes from her parents and shocked expressions from Siwon’s parents. “Well, to be honest I am not against that. But couldn’t you have waited at least for a few more years? At least five years?” she frowned. “Or maybe ten?” she added in a lower voice.
“Honey…” her mother said in a pleading voice. “Please, we just want what is best for you.”
“Mom, I know that. But didn’t you think that maybe I have my own wants too for myself?” Jamie asked.
There was no answer. Everybody at the table was silent. Jamie sighed. This was going nowhere, she thought.
“But I know how important to you guys this wedding is. And I certainly know that there‘s no way you‘re going to let me back out in this and if I do, you might just end up disowning me. And even if I do manage to get out of this, there would just be countless other matchmaking that will happen in the future.” she dreaded what she has to say. “So I’ll do it to save us all from the pain it‘s going to cause.”
Her parents had sighed in relief. Eunsuk gaped at her unbelievingly, the message was clear to her as daylight. ‘You gave up this easy?’. Her brother knows her oh too much.
“Thank you, dear.” Her mother had said.
“But on one condition.” Jamie had added which earned frowns. “You guys will leave me alone to whatever I want to do. That, or you better start informing people that there’ll be no wedding and I’ll be booking a flight back to New York in an hour.”
Eunsuk chortled silently. Jamie glared at Siwon who was situated next to her.
“Don’t tell me that you had agreed to this easily too.” she asked, frowning hard.
“What? Of course I didn’t!” Siwon answered indignantly. “But they’re still our parents!” he added with a look of forlorn on his face.
“What if I was actually some Satanist cult leader who would hang you by the neck the moment the wedding is over and feed you to he sharks so no one will ever find you?” Jamie huffed unbelievingly.
Siwon’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hair at the statement.
“Darn it, I can’t believe you didn’t put up a fight. They’re not the ones that would be bound to a marriage where two people barely know each other!” Jamie scolded.
“But as I said, they are still our parents and we ought to respect their wishes.” Siwon retorted.
“If they tell you to go kill somebody, would you do it?” Jamie glared.
“No!” Siwon answered hotly. “But they’re not going to tell me that! So there’s no reason for me to.”
“Still the same!” Jamie answered back.
“Enough!” Jamie’s father had raised his voice. “Jae Mi, fine. As long as proceeded with the wedding without any other problems, then you can do whatever you want. As long as it will not violate the marriage or Siwon or our family and theirs in any way.” he stated firmly.
Jamie held a minute of fierce eye contact with her father.
“If I marry him, does that mean we are going to live in one house?” Jamie asked, still holding her father’s gaze.
“Does your mom and I live in separate houses?” her father deadpanned.
“Fine!” Jamie exclaimed exasperatedly. “I want a separate bedroom from him!” she pointed at the tall guy sitting beside her.
Jamie’s parents shook their heads simultaneously while Siwon’s sister and Eunsuk grinned. Siwon’s parents were still in shock at their future daughter in law’s behavior.
“I’m not vain, but believe me if I say that I wouldn’t want to be in the same bed as you since we’re both not in agreement of this wedding.” Siwon added seriously.
“Good. At least now I know that you’re also able to stand on your own!” Jamie answered but still looking at her father.
“Congratulations, oppa. Looks like you’re going to be married in 3 days.” Siwon’s sister grinned.
“Three days?” Jamie blurted out. “I thought it was still next week!”
There was silence in the room.
“Uh, nuna. It is Thursday today, so technically this coming Sunday is next week.” Eunsuk beamed but cringed at the death glare sent his way. “Sorry.” he pursed his lips tightly and suddenly found the plate of food in front of him interesting.
“Is there anything else you care to tell me before I’m bombarded with surprises again?” Jamie huffed and crossed her arms on her chest.
“Err…” her mother stalled. “You’ll be going straight to Siwon’s apartment to settle in?” she smiled nervously.
“Say what now?” Jamie shrieked.
She had tried calling her father, at home and at the office, but her secretary told her she was out and the answering machine kept picking her calls at home. She assumed that he was on his way but really, one hour is already too long! Her mom and her brother are not answering either! And she ran out of change, she couldn’t just shove a dollar bill into a payphone now, could she?
She sighed, her foot stopping abruptly. All around her, people are picking up people who had arrived from their flights and it seemed that she was the only one being ignored. She’s so frustrated she wanted to cry. If not for her parent’s sudden and rash decision for her ‘future’, she would have still been in Brooklyn, applying for numerous music teaching jobs, and planning the next course of her life as a Music teacher. But thanks to her parents, her she was back in South Korea, with an impending marriage to someone she had never seen before, even in pictures. And guess what, the wedding is in a week! How kind for her parents to just plan her wedding without even informing her!
Another sigh and she closed her eyes, trying to contain her rage at the thoughts that kept on replaying on her mind since her last conversation with her father five days prior.
A body came in contact with her, sending her falling to the ground on her . Well, almost. That was before said body had s a strong arm around her waist and immediately stopping her from falling.
And oh! What is that smell? It’s so…good!
“I’m really sorry! I didn’t mean to bump into you.” a rich deep voice said, momentarily taking Jamie’s attention.
She straightened up and looked up to the guy who had bump into her. She had to strain her neck because he was a bit tall, quite very tall for someone her height. She frowned a bit. It’s summer but this guy’s wearing a blue hooded jacket, with the hood up over a cap, large dark sunglasses, and he seemed to be comfortable even with his jacket’s zipped up to his neck. He must have been dying to get out of the outfit!
“It’s fine. Though you might see better if you’re not wearing those.” Jamie gestured towards the big sunglasses cheekily.
The guy just grinned, twin dimples showing out, and scratched his head a bit. He bowed and apologized once again before leaving. Jamie just shook her head at the retrieving back of the stranger.
The stranger had been a good distraction for Jamie, at least she forgot about how irritated she was from waiting even for just a couple of minutes. But then a few minutes after that, she was back to tapping her sneakers onto the marble floor. She was contemplating with the thought of buying a ticket back to New York and letting her parents face the consequences with the wedding they had planned on their own without her consent. But then if she doesn’t want to be disowned, then she had to wait patiently for someone to pick her up. Even if it means waiting for yet another hour.
She was about to go to the phones again to call her parents when the sight of the stranger who bumped into her had caught her eye. Who would miss someone who starkly contrasted with all the people walking to and fro around the airport? He was the only one wearing something other people would wear during late autumn and not in the middle of the summer.
But then the piece of paper he was holding in front of him got her eyes. He was bit far from him but she could clearly see what was written on it. Of course, how could she not when she was sure that it was her name written on it. It might have been years since she had read something written in Hangeul but she still can read her own name.
She walked over to the guy who had proceeded in to looking here and there for someone on just one spot, clearly using he advantage of being tall. She tapped his shoulder to get his attention.
“Neh?” he asked, before recognizing Jaime from earlier. “Oh, aghassi! What is it?” he frowned a bit.
“Are you looking for Song Jae Mi?” Jamie asked, eyeing the piece of paper the guy was holding.
“Err, yes.” the guy answered. He gave a confused look towards Jamie. “Why?”
Jamie sighed. “I am Song Jae Mi. Unless you are looking for another Song Jae Mi which you’re familiar with.”
The guy frowned even more, confused. He took a picture from the pocket of his jacket and looked at it. Jaime almost giggled at the sight of his brows twitching visibly under his sunglasses. She had almost lost it when it raised so high it almost disappeared to the top of his forehead just right about the hairline.
“But you look so different from this photo!” he exclaimed indignantly.
“What photo?” Hannah raised a brow and held up a hand to look at the said picture. She resisted the urge to slap herself and whoever it was that had given this guy the photo of her wearing a bright blue sundress with her hair falling freely down her back reaching just below her shoulders. It was taken a few months back when she had to do a play and Allie had forced her to pose for a picture, reasoning out that it could be the first and last time she would ever wear something as girly as that. “That is me.” she confirmed. Curse Allie for sending the picture home.
The guy gave her a disbelieving look, which she easily countered with a raised brow. She’s not always this snarky or prissy, but a pissed Song Jamie could might as well be the devil’s spawn.
“Fine, if you don believe me then don’t.” she grumbled.
“It’s not that.” the guy hurriedly retorted. “What do you expect when you look so different from the picture? And I haven’t seen you before so…” he shrugged.
“Look, dude, I don’t really care about that now. But if you’re here and looking for me, that would mean that my parents would have had sent you to fetch me, and that’s all that counts.” she stated. “What is your name by the way?”
It took a moment for the guy to answer. “I’m… Siwon. Choi Siwon.” he said before taking off his sunglasses and smiling sheepishly.
Jamie stared for a moment. Sure, it must be because the guy, this Siwon guy, looks so dazzlingly handsome, with flawless white skin, thick brows and cute dimples. But mostly because of the fact that there was only one information her parents had imparted with her about her soon to be husband.
His name was Choi Siwon.
. . . . .
Jamie and Siwon silently walked into the restaurant their parents were supposed to meet them, the ride from the airport had been quiet, neither of the two having anything to say to each other. It would have been easier if they had actually met at least once before, but then Jamie had left for America at a young age when she was accepted to a prestigious music school in America and decided to stay and finish her college there instead of coming back to Korea. Their parents had been friends and colleagues for years, have businesses closely tied with each other, practically family. The only thing that was missing was them being bound by marriage on one of their generations, so it was decided that the Song’s eldest daughter will be married to the Choi’s eldest son. Neither of them had thought that they’d be facing this situation at young age, Siwon being at the peak of his stardom at only twenty five, and Jamie having just graduated from college at twenty one. Clearly, marriage was far from their minds at the moment.
Siwon opened the door to the private room where their parents were, letting a dark-faced Jamie go in first. He silently gulped when he saw the expression on her face. After the two of them had settled down on their seats, Jamie didn’t wait any longer to confront her parents, jet lag be damned.
“How could you?” she hissed. She had grew up being taught to respect elders and such, but her anger was flaring at the moment. She proceeded when her parents, who were sitting across from her, didn’t answer. “What in heaven’s name have made you do this?”
Siwon, and his father, gave a surprised look at Jamie. Which the girl had promptly ignored, including the look of horror on her parents’ faces.
“Song Jae Mi!” her mother reprimanded.
“What!? You expect me to just accept this without a fight? I’m not a kid! I’m barely 22 and I still have lots of dreams I want to fulfill and here you are, matchmaking and preparing a wedding for me! What’s with the rush with the marriage? You didn’t even ask for my opinion! What? Is the world about to end tomorrow?” Jamie didn’t even hide the venom on her voice. Which had taken her parents aback. She wasn’t the same girl that had left years ago, that sweet innocent girl who would do her parents’ bidding without question.
“Jae Mi, we know it’s sudden. And we are sorry.” her father stated sincerely. “But we are only concerned about your future. In the long run, this would turn out for the best. You will see.”
“Well, right now I’m blind to it and I don’t like it a bit!” Jamie retorted, which earned a chuckle from her brother, Eunsuk. “It’s not funny, Eun.” she hissed, glaring at Eunsuk who was just about to turn 20 in a few months.
“Yeah, sorry.” Eunsuk tried hard to contain his mirth and managed to compose his face after a moment.
“It’s about business politics again, isn’t it?” Jamie stated bluntly, earning wide eyes from her parents and shocked expressions from Siwon’s parents. “Well, to be honest I am not against that. But couldn’t you have waited at least for a few more years? At least five years?” she frowned. “Or maybe ten?” she added in a lower voice.
“Honey…” her mother said in a pleading voice. “Please, we just want what is best for you.”
“Mom, I know that. But didn’t you think that maybe I have my own wants too for myself?” Jamie asked.
There was no answer. Everybody at the table was silent. Jamie sighed. This was going nowhere, she thought.
“But I know how important to you guys this wedding is. And I certainly know that there‘s no way you‘re going to let me back out in this and if I do, you might just end up disowning me. And even if I do manage to get out of this, there would just be countless other matchmaking that will happen in the future.” she dreaded what she has to say. “So I’ll do it to save us all from the pain it‘s going to cause.”
Her parents had sighed in relief. Eunsuk gaped at her unbelievingly, the message was clear to her as daylight. ‘You gave up this easy?’. Her brother knows her oh too much.
“Thank you, dear.” Her mother had said.
“But on one condition.” Jamie had added which earned frowns. “You guys will leave me alone to whatever I want to do. That, or you better start informing people that there’ll be no wedding and I’ll be booking a flight back to New York in an hour.”
Eunsuk chortled silently. Jamie glared at Siwon who was situated next to her.
“Don’t tell me that you had agreed to this easily too.” she asked, frowning hard.
“What? Of course I didn’t!” Siwon answered indignantly. “But they’re still our parents!” he added with a look of forlorn on his face.
“What if I was actually some Satanist cult leader who would hang you by the neck the moment the wedding is over and feed you to he sharks so no one will ever find you?” Jamie huffed unbelievingly.
Siwon’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hair at the statement.
“Darn it, I can’t believe you didn’t put up a fight. They’re not the ones that would be bound to a marriage where two people barely know each other!” Jamie scolded.
“But as I said, they are still our parents and we ought to respect their wishes.” Siwon retorted.
“If they tell you to go kill somebody, would you do it?” Jamie glared.
“No!” Siwon answered hotly. “But they’re not going to tell me that! So there’s no reason for me to.”
“Still the same!” Jamie answered back.
“Enough!” Jamie’s father had raised his voice. “Jae Mi, fine. As long as proceeded with the wedding without any other problems, then you can do whatever you want. As long as it will not violate the marriage or Siwon or our family and theirs in any way.” he stated firmly.
Jamie held a minute of fierce eye contact with her father.
“If I marry him, does that mean we are going to live in one house?” Jamie asked, still holding her father’s gaze.
“Does your mom and I live in separate houses?” her father deadpanned.
“Fine!” Jamie exclaimed exasperatedly. “I want a separate bedroom from him!” she pointed at the tall guy sitting beside her.
Jamie’s parents shook their heads simultaneously while Siwon’s sister and Eunsuk grinned. Siwon’s parents were still in shock at their future daughter in law’s behavior.
“I’m not vain, but believe me if I say that I wouldn’t want to be in the same bed as you since we’re both not in agreement of this wedding.” Siwon added seriously.
“Good. At least now I know that you’re also able to stand on your own!” Jamie answered but still looking at her father.
“Congratulations, oppa. Looks like you’re going to be married in 3 days.” Siwon’s sister grinned.
“Three days?” Jamie blurted out. “I thought it was still next week!”
There was silence in the room.
“Uh, nuna. It is Thursday today, so technically this coming Sunday is next week.” Eunsuk beamed but cringed at the death glare sent his way. “Sorry.” he pursed his lips tightly and suddenly found the plate of food in front of him interesting.
“Is there anything else you care to tell me before I’m bombarded with surprises again?” Jamie huffed and crossed her arms on her chest.
“Err…” her mother stalled. “You’ll be going straight to Siwon’s apartment to settle in?” she smiled nervously.
“Say what now?” Jamie shrieked.
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