Dara’s POV

It would serve Kwon Kwon Jiyong right if she recommended a B&B in Skegness as the perfect honeymoon destination for sensible people! Not that she could do that to the unknown Chaerin, who obviously had a lot to put up with from her finacee. Dara was beginning to really feel for the poor woman.

“I did read about a lovely place the other day” she told Jiyong.

Flashbacks

            It had been a fairly typical evening in the flat; Dara lay on the sofa, flicking through magazines while Bom painted her nails, both of them be their lack of a glamorous social life while secretly relieved that neither of them had to miss the latest episode of CITY HUNTER. Dara had seen the piece about the ultimate romantic getaways and showed it to Bom, who has sighed enviously and nearly, passed out when she saw how much it cost.

“It was terribly expensive though,” Dara felt she should warn Jiyong.

            He waves a dismissive hand, as if nothing were too much to pay to save him from having to think about a romantic destination for himself.

            It probably wasn’t, thought Dara. She didn’t deal with his personal finances, but it was common knowledge that Kwon Jiyong was worth millions. It wasn’t as if he ever spent any of them, either. All he seemed to do was work. She never booked fancy restaurants or theatre tickets or arrange for him to fly in private jets or cruise in luxury yachts.

            He went to Japan occasionally, but Dara had always assumed that was for work. She had obviously been wrong about that. Perhaps Jiyong lavished jewels and expensive gifts of Chaerin? Dara couldn’t imagine it, but she might be wrong about that too.

            “If money is no object, Blue Island was described as the ultimate place for romantic getaways.” She said “it’s tiny with just one incredibly stylish house and jetty, and you can hire the whole island just for yourself. Here’s a luxury hotel on a bigger island nearby, and they send someone over on a boat everyday to service the house and stock the fridge with fabulous food. They’ll stay and cook for you if you want, but most people there are honeymooners, and they just want to be on their own.”

            “I saw a picture of it in a magazine,” Dara went on, remembering. “It looked absolutely fabulous! There was this perfect turquoise lagoon with a white sand beach and a hammock under the coconut palms….

Clutching the pile of papers she still held to her chest, she sighed dreamily at the memory of that picture. “Honestly, it was paradise! I’d love to go somewhere like that, where there’s nothing to do all day but laze and swim and read and…”

About to say make love, she trailed off awkwardly wondering if that might be getting a bit intimate, given that her exchanges with Jiyong had so far been entirely to business matters. He wasn’t the kind of boss you could chat to about .

“…and…er…well, you know…”she finished uncomfortably.

Jiyong lifted an eyebrow at Dara’s blush. “I know,” he agreed in a dry voice and, for the first time ever, she could swear she caught a glint of amusement in the cool grey eyes. It changed his expressions in a quite startling way, and Dara felt her pulse give an odd little kick.

It was amazing what difference a glimpse of humor made, she reflected. If she had seen that look before, her fantasies might have been a lot dangerous! Just as well he was safely engaged now.

The next moment, though, he had reverted to type, “it sounds fine,” he said briskly. “Book it for me.”

Dara hesitated. This was his honeymoon they were talking about. “Wouldn’t you rather do it yourself?”

“No,” said Jiyong with emphasis, “I’d rather get on with some work.

“But a honeymoon is such a personal thing,” she protested.

“Yes, and you’re my personal Secretary,” he pointed out. “That means you assist me personally, so I suggest that’s what you do. Now, the wedding is on…”

To Dara’s amazement, he actually consulted his computer about a date that ought to be engraved on his heart. “Ah, yes, twenty seventh of February. “

“Chaerin is talking about having it at some Beach in Philippines, but we can get to Taiwan easily from there, so book a flight for that night.

“I don’t want to know about how much everything cost,” he added as Dara opened . “I can’t be bothered with the details. Just book whatever you think and charge it to my account.”

“Very well,” said Dara, the perfect personal secretary once more. “If that’s what you want,”

“What I want,” Said Jiyong grouchily, “Is not to be distracted. We’ve got an important contract to negotiate before I can get married, so let’s get on with that.”

“And I’ve booked the honeymoon for you,” Dara finished after handing Jiyong the last message. He had been out of the office in meetings all day, and the phone had been ringing constantly.

“Good, good,” said Jiyong absently, flicking through the messages. He was still wearing his overcoat, and his shoulders still glistened with raindrops in the harsh overhead light.

“Don’t you want details?”

He frowned. : I suppose I’d better have them,” he decided. “Chaerin might ask what I’ve arranged. Can you put it all in a file for me?”

“I’ve got it here.” Dara handed the file over the desk. “I do hope you’ll enjoy it,” she said. “I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be, especially the weather the way it is at the moment,” she added, nodding to where the January rain was still splattering against the window.

Jiyong only grunted as he opened the file and scanned the arrangements that she had typed up. His ferocious brows rose at the cost, Dara noticed, but to her relief he made no comment. What would it be like to barely blink at spending a hefty five-figure sum on a holiday?

He turned to the next page. “Leaving on the Twenty-seventh…” his voice sharpened”. back on the nineteenth of March?

“You told me to book whatever I thought would be most appropriate,” she reminded him.

“I can’t believe you thought it would be appropriate for me to be away from the office for three weeks!”

Dara refused to quail. “It’s your honeymoon.” She said. “It’s a special time. “It’s important to get your marriage off to the right start if you can afford it, as you obviously can.”

“I am not talking about money,” he said impatiently. “It’s time I can’t afford.”

“I’m not talking about money either,” said Dara. “GD International isn’t going to fall apart if you’re not here for three weeks, so you can afford the time. It’s question of priorities. What matters more GD INT or your marriage?”

Jiyong’s POV

Jiyong eyes his secretary with something close to dislike. He knew how he was supposed to reply to that!

He thought wistfully of the days when he and Chaerin had had a successful long-distance relationship. Their weekends in Japan had been mutually satisfying. Chaerin had her own busy life, and respected his space. He hadn’t been expected then to think about all this emotional stuff, or to reassess his priorities.

He hadn’t counted all these changes. If he’d known, would he ever have thought about marriage? Jiyong wondered with inward sigh.

It would be fine, he reassured himself. Chaerin was an incredible woman, and he was lucky to have met her. She would understand about the honeymoon.

“I’ll talk to Chaerin about it,” he told Dara, closing the file with a snap. “then you can rearrange the flights.”

But Chaerin was thrilled when he told her about Blue Island. “Thank You for choosing somewhere romantic, honey,” she enthused. “And three weeks alone! I can’t wait! Won’t it be wonderful to spend that time together and get to know each other properly?

Jiyong thought they did know each other. Why else would they get married?

He had been hoping that Chaerin would want to cut the honeymoon short. A drive for success was something they had in common—or, at least, it had been until Chaerin had gone wedding crazy. Now it appeared she would rather loll around on a beach for three weeks than get back to her work! Wouldn’t she want to know what was happening in her absence? Wouldn’t she be concerned about shows being performed without her, or the challenges and opportunities she would miss while she was sitting under some coconut palm?

This was Dara’s fault, Jiyong thought darkly. If she hadn’t booked such a long stay, Chaerin would have been perfectly happy to return to normal after a week.

When Dara asked him if he wanted her to re-arrange the flights, he snapped at her but had to concede that the dates should stay as she had booked.

“Leave it as it is,” he snarled.

“oh-kay…good.” said Dara, eyeing him warily. Being engaged didn’t seem to be suiting him at all.

Jiyong’s foul mood continued for the next couple of days. He was so grouchy that Dara began to wonder if Chaerin had called the engagement off. If Jiyong was like this with her, Dara wouldn’t have blamed her.

Not that she has any intentions of asking him If everything is alright. She valued her head too much. The only thing to do when Jiyong is like this was to keep her head down and be glad that she was only a very temporary secretary.

Think of the money. Dara told herself. She was earning good money here and her travel fund was looking positively healthy. As soon as Jiyong got round to appointing a new secretary she would be off to Macau and someone else could deal with him. Good luck to her!

3 days before the wedding. Dara has been very busy for the preparations. She even had the chance to talk to Chaerin on the phone when the later called at the office.

“You’re so sweet to help me out like this,” she told Dara. “It’s difficult to sort out details like this from Japan, and I’m just so busy at the moment, what with sorting out everything here before I come over to Korea. I had no idea how much work organizing a wedding would be on top of it all.

“It’s a lot to do in such short notice,” Dara agreed, reflecting that Chaerin wasn’t the only busy one. Sadly, they didn’t all have fiancées with secretaries they could fob off with all the time-consuming jobs!

“I know, it’s crazy isn’t it?” Chaerin laugh sounded a little wild to Dara “but Shangrilah Castle suddenly had a cancellation and it just seemed meant somehow. As I said to Jiyong, when you know you’ve found the right person, why wait?”

Dara murmured something noncommittal. It seemed to her that if you wanted a spontaneous wedding, it made sense to keep things simple and let the rose petals and the string quarters go. Still, it wasn’t her wedding, and Chaerin and Jiyong had a plenty of money to throw at the problem, which always helped.

“How is Jiyong?” Chaerin was asking.

“Er, he’s fine,” said Dara, wondering if she was expected to report that her boss was working himself into a frenzy of excitement about the wedding. “Working hard, you know what he’s like.”

Chaerin laughed. “I know, isn’t he a darling? He’s so Chinese sometimes!

“Absolutely,” Dara agreed, boggling at the phone. Kwon Jiyong, a darling? Chaerin must be in love!

“Is he there?”

“Of course, I’ll put you through.”

Putting Chaerin on hold, Dara buzzed Jiyong. I’ve got Chaerin on the line.”

“Chaerin” he snapped.

“Your fiancée,” she reminded him.

“What does she want?”

“She didn’t say. I imagine she wants to talk to you.”

“I can’t talk right now,” he said irritably. “Can’t it wait? Tell her I’m in a meeting.”

“I’ve already said that I would put her through.” He made an exasperated sound. “oh, very well.” Dara grimaced as she put down the phone. Some darling!

She felt sorry for Chaerin. There had been feverishness to the other woman’s voice that boded ill for measured conversation with her fiancé. A few minutes’ conversation had been enough to show Dara that Chaerin was a control freak, and already stressed by having to organize the perfect wedding at long distance. Right now, Chaerin needed calm reassurance, but Dara was afraid she was unlikely to get it from Jiyong in his current mood.

Five minutes later, Jiyong banged out of his office, his mood clearly even worse than she had feared.

“This wedding business is getting out of control,” he snarled. “I haven’t got time to talk about invitations and vows and rehearsal dinners! And you’re spending far too much time on it, too!” he added accusingly.

“I don’t mind.” She said quickly. “It’ll be easier when Chaerin is here.”

“I hope to God you’re right.”

Jiyong stopped pacing and imagined a time when he and Chaerin were safely married. Everything would be calm again, and he would go home every night to a beautiful, accomplished wife who understood what made a successful relationship and who would support him professionally and personally. He could rely on Chaerin to always say the right thing, and do the right thing. She was neat and orderly and sensible---except when it came to weddings, it seemed.

Perhaps Dara was right, and it was just the stress of arranging a wedding at short notice that was making Chaerin so uncharacteristically emotional. Once this damned wedding was over, surely she would go back to the way she had been before?

It had taken Jiyong a long time to find just the right wife. Chaerin wouldn’t normally expect him to be all lovey-dovey. They had come to a very clear agreement, so if it didn’t work with her, it was never going to work with anyone.

No, Chaerin was perfect. He didn’t want to lose her now.

He would just have to be more patient, Jiyong decided. He would try harder to show interest in the wedding if that was what Chaerin wanted.

He could feel Dara’s stern eye on him and remembered her question.  It will be worth it, wont it?

Of course it will,” he said.

Jiyong’s fiancée was very lovely, as slender as predicted, and beautifully dressed. There was a glossiness and sheen to her that made Dara feel gauche and faintly shabby in comparison. In spite the difference between them, Chaerin was determined to treat Dara as her new best friend when they’d finally met in the office one day. She was warm and friendly, embarrassingly so at times, but Dara sensed a tension to her and a frenetic undercurrent to her obsession with wedding arrangements, as if she were wound up light a tightly coiled spring.

Chaerin had brought Dara a beautiful scarf to thank her for all her work. “I’d do hope you’ll come to the wedding, Dara,” she said, kissing her on both cheeks when she first met her. “It would mean the world to Jiyong and me if you were there. Wouldn’t it Jiyong?”

It had clearly never crossed Jiyong’s mind to care one way or another, but he nodded. “Of course” he agreed. “I know how hard Dara has worked to make sure it all happens.” Dara just smiled at them.

----------------------A/N---------------------

Aigooo no DARAGON moments yet!! Sorry Guys…I know this a boring chapter but I hope you’ll enjoy reading thins though. J