ChapterNine

In-Young sat back on the couch, her champagne glass nestled comfortably in her hand. Absentmindedly swirling the glass, she watched the liquid within bubble and catch the light. Laughter echoed to her left, and smiling, she lifted her gaze to the sound.

Jung-su, Hyukjae and Dr. Shim were laughing over a joke at Shindong had made, and she was glad that the boys were enjoying themselves. She had been a little worried that the new guests would feel out of place, and if she cared to admit, she had wondered if they would turn up at all.

She knew she had given them no other alternative with her manipulation of the invitation, but Kang Dae and Soo-Kyung could not be expected to understand they had been all but forced to attend. In all honesty, when the clock had marked them as an hour late, she had all but accepted the fact that the pair would not show up.

So she had been pleasantly surprised when they proved her wrong, making their entrance two hours late. Their apologies had been fervent; Kang Dae had been called to an emergency surgery that went over time, and In-Young understood that Soo-Kyung had waited for him. If given the choice, no one would wander into a chaebol lair on their own.

Beyond greeting them, she had left Jung-su to do the introductory rounds of their friends. Although she knew each guest very well, she was always willing to step aside and let the younger ones mingle by themselves. After all, it was easier to observe the participants when she was removed from the action.

And she definitely wanted to observe.

Siwon’s behavior towards the beautiful medical social worker baffled her; he usually did not pay such close attention to a woman, preferring instead to let the woman chase him. And Soo-Kyung’s response bewildered her too; most women would fall over themselves if Siwon paid them less attention, yet Soo-Kyung was friendly and not too overly concerned about Siwon’s interest.

She had noticed that Siwon’s gaze never left Soo-Kyung as Jung-su introduced her to the other guests. An almost possessive look had come into his eyes whenever a male guest started flirting with her, but for the most part, he was, like her, content just to observe from a distance.

Her guard had gone up when Jung-su introduced Soo-Kyung to Jin Ah. She had never liked the younger girl, and couldn’t understand why the boys put up with her. She knew Jin Ah’s claws would be out, but what had surprised her was how protective of Soo-Kyung Siwon seemed to be. He probably wasn’t even aware of it, but his body language gave him away.  

In-Young wondered if Siwon even knew he was attracted to Soo-Kyung. The boy was a smart businessman, but when it came to the love aspect of his life, he was just like any another typical male – clueless! She didn’t know if she should encourage or dissuade him; Soo-Kyung, after all, was not a member of their class and In-Young knew that any romance would instantly be opposed to by Siwon’s parents.

But more importantly, In-Young wasn’t sure if Soo-Kyung even felt the same way about Siwon. The other lady seemed to hold Siwon at an arm’s length, only demonstrating mild affection for him. She was unfailingly polite, but In-Young detected no sign that Soo-Kyung felt more than friendly attraction to Siwon.

In-Young continued watching the couple as Siwon poured Soo-Kyung a glass of wine. Her eagle eyes noticed the way Soo-Kyung accepted the glass, and the way she sipped her drink. In-Young narrowed her eyes; Soo-Kyung had obviously been schooled in the art of drinking wine.

Soo-Kyung didn’t grasp the base of the glass, which was frowned upon by wine connoisseurs because the warmth from a person’s hand could alter the temperature – and hence, taste – of the wine. Instead, she held the glass correctly, by the thin stem. When she sipped, In-Young noticed that she swirled the wine in before swallowing – exactly the way a connoisseur would savor the wine before finally drinking it.

In-Young doubted that Siwon noticed, focused as he was on Soo-Kyung’s face, and she wondered why the other woman didn’t make a comment on the wine, which In-Young knew to be of excellent quality. Soo-Kyung definitely had been taught to appreciate fine wine, but it left In-Young wondering why she didn’t highlight this particular skill to Siwon.

The younger lady was definitely an enigma, and In-Young was determined to solve the mystery.

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From her position near the kitchen, Oh Jin Ah watched as Hyukjae teased Soo-Kyung, and the whole group burst into laughter.

Resentment bubbled in , and she forced herself to take deep breaths. She didn’t get why Jung-su and In-Young had allowed this outsider into their group. Didn’t they understand that people of their class were exclusive, and didn’t mix with the masses?

The medical social worker didn’t even bother dressing up, Jin Ah noticed with a scoff. Her hair looked like it had seen better days, and Jin Ah was appalled that Soo-Kyung hadn’t bothered to change out of her suit. None of her friends would ever consider attending a party in their work clothes.

She cast a critical eye over Soo-Kyung’s clothes. The design and cut was similar to a suit she herself owned, but she was sure that Soo-Kyung’s outfit was of a far inferior quality to hers. No doubt she had picked it up at one of those bargain bins downtown that prided themselves on copying the latest runway fashions and making it affordable to the masses.

Plebian, she reminded herself. Jin Ah attempted to abate the jealousy she was feeling by consoling herself that Soo-Kyung probably fascinated everyone else because she didn’t know the strictures and social codes of their world, and no doubt they were just curious. Her friends were prominent businessmen and women, some of them even politicians; they would never stoop so low as to associate themselves with a mere social worker.

She wondered just how Soo-Kyung had managed to wrestle an invitation out of In-Young. Jung-su had mentioned that she and Dr. Shim were his father’s guests, but everyone knew that In-Young, as hostess, had the final say in the guest list. This meant that either Soo-Kyung was terribly smart, or In-Young had granted the invitation.

Jin Ah narrowed her eyes as she considered the second option. It simply wasn’t possible. Surely In-Young knew how rude Soo-Kyung could be? Recalling her earlier conversation with the other woman and how Soo-Kyung had insulted her, Jin Ah felt her temper rise.

She couldn’t believe that In-Young and Jung-su would tolerate a guest who had been so obviously unpleasant to her. It was definitely an offense that Jin Ah was not going to take lightly; mentioning it to her father in the morning would ensure that the Park siblings would be properly chastised by their parents.  

Something about Soo-Kyung rubbed Jin Ah the wrong way, from the way she walked to the way she dressed and the way she sipped from her wine glass. Jin Ah couldn’t help but feel that Soo-Kyung was a pretender, trying to become a member of the upper class when she so obviously was not.

And Jin Ah hated people like that more than anyone else; she knew she was born of a privileged class and she was determined to guard that status fiercely. It wasn’t an open society where membership was offered to just anybody; you had to be born into membership.

Gritting her teeth as Siwon and Soo-Kyung exchanged a smile, Jin Ah was determined to ensure that Park Soo-Kyung, the pretentious wannabe, would learn the hard way, that entering high society, was not a task for just anyone.

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