Chapter 8: To Each Their Own

                Hee Sun sat in front of her mirror, combing through her curls. She sighed, setting down her brush and setting her face in her hands. Setting the Red Card on Heejun and his friends was one of the hardest things she had ever done, but she was done with that , and if Heejun wouldn’t believe her, that was his own loss.

                She crossed her arms, realizing that now, she had to give in to her mother’s whims and begin dating that other boy her mother had set up for her. From what she was told, this was the younger brother of her former fiancée, and that if she screwed this up she would be sent to a convent in Italy. She sighed, running her fingers through her curls. A knock came at the door.

                “Who is it?” she asked.

                “It’s Baek Hi, may I come in?” she asked. Hee Sun nodded, and then realized that she had to speak up since the door was closed.

                “Of course, Baek Hi, come in.” she said. Baek Hi carefully closed the door and came forward, a sad smile upon her face.

                “Is everything all right, Miss Kwon?” she asked. Hee Sun’s lip quivered. Her strong façade was fading fast. Everything around her was falling apart.

                “Alright? Alright? Everything around me has gone to . My boyfriend broke up with me after we fought so hard to be together, over some girl who was out to destroy our relationship, and now I’m back where I started. But now, I feel more alone than ever,” she said, tears rolling down her face. Baek Hi bent over, wiping away her tears.

                “Oh, dear child, don’t cry like this,” she said, taking out a kerchief and handing it to Hee Sun. Hee Sun shook her head.

                “I, c-can’t help it, B-Baek Hi,” she stammered out. “H-he broke up with m-m-me. After all w-we’ve b-b-been through.” She began to hiccup, wiping away her tears. “I f-feel so b-b-broken, Baek Hi, I d-don’t know what t-to do anym-m-more.” Baek Hi patted her back.

Back when she had first talked to Ji Yeon after she had quit and talked about Karma getting Hee Sun one day, she never thought she would feel so bad about it. It’s true, that to some degree she did have it coming, what with her temper and bad people skills. Now though, her happiness is all that she wanted.

Hee Sun propped her head up on her arms. Soon she would be married. Promised to yet another man she knew nothing about, she sat and awaited her fate with as much enthusiasm as one who is visiting the dentist with a mouthful of cavities.

*****

Lexy strolled through her cousins’ house, grabbing a tangerine off the kitchen table as she passed by. It was about 6:30 in the morning. No one was up yet as she peeled back the skin of the fruit with her neatly manicured fingernails. She went outside and sat on the back porch swing, taking a bite out of the juicy citrus.

This Heejun boy seemed pretty popular. If the most popular girls in school, not to mention her cousin and the new girl had something to do with him, he must have something special about him. She took another bite. He didn’t have a girlfriend now, and with her cousin always preoccupied about the smaller boy (she couldn’t blame her, he seemed pretty fragile), why shouldn’t she take a swing? She hadn’t dated for a while. It would give her something to preoccupy herself with, and besides, she was new. He could show her around town.

She looked back into the house. There he was. He was wearing gray sweatpants and a loose white tank top. She could see his obliques through the giant arm hole. He was quite fit for a grease monkey. She could see at least some reason all the girls seemed to be after him. His hair was down to his shoulders, gently caressing his shoulders. She stood up and quietly opened the door, standing nonchalantly against the wall.  She adjusted her night shirt and hiked up her shorts, placing her hands over her shoulders.

“Hey,” she called softly. Heejun spun around. He had been getting a glass of water from the sink. His eyes shied away from her honey thighs as he tentatively sipped his water. “What are you doing up so early, Hercules?” she asked. He blushed, remembering that nickname from the first time they met.

“Nothin’ much, you know, just thirsty.” He said, putting up his glass. She laughed softly.

“I see, so, how have you been?” she asked. He shrugged.

“It’s whatever, I guess. I’ll just have to watch my back from now on.” He said. Lexy shook her head.

“That doesn’t seem like the way to live, but that’s just me.” Heejun nodded. She looked back at him.

“I have a proposition for you,” she said. He looked up.

“And that is?” he asked. A playful smile lit up her face in the early morning sunlight.

*****

Hyorin adjusted her makeup and pulled down her shirt. Then, rethinking it, she pulled it back up. She threw the shirt off and went to pick out a new one. She decided on a form fitting red turtle neck with elbow length sleeves. She slipped on a black pair of dress pants and flats. She let down her hair and grabbed her purse.

Taking a deep breath she looked into the mirror. “You’re just going to dinner. You don’t even know what Alex has been up to, be cool,” she said. She turned to the door, and left her bedroom.

She went downstairs, spotting her husband Min Jun at the dining room table. She had given him the bills and his own mail to deal with. That should keep him busy.

“I’m off dear, I’ll see you later.” She said. He waved to her, too busy to look up. She nodded, and headed out the door. She really didn’t have to say anything; she doubted that he’d miss her anyway.

Hyorin drove through the streets, locating the restaurant that Alex had written down in the letter. After twenty minutes, she finally found it. She was lucky enough to find a parking space across the street, and walked inside.

She hoped that Alex hadn’t changed too much. She didn’t know if she would recognize- There was Alex, in the back. Alex’s hair was now bleach blonde. Alex waved to her as she entered. She walked over and sat down.

“It’s nice to see you again after so long. We have much to catch up on.” Hyorin nodded and smiled.

“We sure do.”

*****

Taeyeon stood there in her wedding dress. Her mother was fussing with the seamstress about the hem. She shook her head. She had better things to do with her weekend than sit here with her mother and discussing hemming and fabric. She just wanted this to be over with.

She and Jaejoong were going out later to meet his family. She was so excited and nervous at the same time that she wanted to throw up. She looked into the mirror. She would be married soon, and what would become of her? Would she still work at the noodle shop and café? Would her parents have to hire someone else? So many things were swimming through her head.

Her mother came over, shaking her head. “Finally, we agreed on a hemline. We’ll be done soon, thank God. My back is killing me.” Taeyeon smiled.

“Good, Jaejoong and I are having dinner with his brother and cousins.” Her mother smiled.

“Great, getting to know them. That’s a good idea.” She said. “The sooner the better. When you meet his mother, make sure to be polite, but don’t kiss her . That’s an awful idea.” Taeyeon laughed. I’ll be sure to remember that.” She said, getting down from the pedestal.

*****

Hee Sun sat with her hair in a low ponytail slung over her shoulder. She wore a cream silk dress with a black belt above her waist with black pumps. She sat upon her mother’s fine white sofa in the sitting room, waiting for her fiancée to show up.

“Make sure to be on your best behavior,” her mother reminded her as she straightened her hair.

“Yes Oma.” She responded. Her mother smiled.

“He’s a very nice boy, and our last chance for this merger to go through, so don’t be rude, be kind, and sweet. Laugh at his jokes, even if their awful.” She bent down and whispered. “Your father wasn’t that funny either, but he told me that he thought that was sweet. Really, I was laughing at the toilet paper that was stuck to his foot.” Hee Sun forced out a small chuckle.

Her mother adjusted her stray hairs. “There, there, Hee Sun. I know you’re mad at me now, but one day you’ll thank me. You’ll be completely secure. Have a good husband, a nice home, and lovely children. It all takes time.” She said, gently placing her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “Trust me.”

*****

“We should go out.” She suggested. Heejun raised an eyebrow. This sounded sketchy. What could she possibly want?

“Why?” he asked. Lexy smiled, walking over to him.

“Well, you’re single, I’m single, I assume that’s what single people do is, you know, go on dates, and such.” She said. He shrugged.

“I don’t know…” he had just broken up with Hee Sun, he didn’t really know if he was ready for another relationship.

“Come on. I know I seem like a lot to handle,” she said, shooting him a seductive smile. “But I guarantee that I don’t have lackeys and want to control your life.” He couldn’t help but smile. He wanted in some way to protect Hee Sun’s character, but he could really think of a reason to at that particular moment. He sighed.

“You want to date me?” he asked. He looked her up and down. He wasn’t necessarily checking her out or comparing her to Hee Sun, he was more skeptical of her agenda. What was she up to?

“Aw, come on, it’ll be fun~” she said in a sing-song voice, grabbing onto his arm playfully. He rolled his eyes. She stood up and put her hands on her hips. “Why not? Am I not good enough for you?” she asked, circling him.  He looked down, unsure of how to answer.

“Look, it’s not you, I just…” Lexy pressed her hands against her shoulders and pressed him against the fridge.

“Look here, Hercules,” she said, getting close to his face, practically whispering in his ear. “She didn’t deserve you, and you know it.” She said, “why not me? Why not try something new? I am an independent woman with no need for attention. All I want is a chance.” He sighed, looking over at her.

“Is that really what you want, Lexy?” he asked, she smiled.

“You know it, Hercules.” He smiled.

“One date.” He said. “One date, and we’ll see how it goes.” She smiled.

“Good. Tomorrow then.” She said, taking her hands off his shoulders and turning away from him, heading back to her room. ‘Good,’ she thought to herself. ‘Now that I have him, it’s time to start planning the perfect date.’

Heejun shook his head. What had he gotten himself into?

END OF CHAPTER 8

*Note to readers: Sorry, I'm a bit short of time and internet usage, I'll fix the indentation later! :)