Dummy

Love And Be Free

'What the , what the , what the ,' Chae Min panics, her head is spinning. She's not sure whether its the constant swearing going on inside her head or the fact that she is now experiencing her first kiss!! Chae Min has always pictured her perfect first kiss since young. Romantic, slow and sweet. But right now, Choi Young Do has his lips on hers and its so different from what she imagined. She freezes, completely stunned. Young Do's lips are soft and warm, in control but tender. The kiss feels great but everything else is wrong. Wrong place, wrong timing, wrong person!

Young Do takes Chae Min's lack of respond as  a sign of approval. Well, because who can resist him, right? He parts his lips slightly and puckers her lower lip. He can feel the heat of her breath against his skin. He feels her hands tugging at the back of his neck and sees it as cue to deepen the kiss. Young Do swears she kisses him back for a second before pulling away, taking a whole good step back. 

Young Do observes Chae Min's expression. Its a mixture of disbelief, confusion and shock. Her eyes move franticly. 

"I err, I," she stammers, "I've got to go."

Chae Min turns to walk away, Young Do grabs her arm, stopping her. 

"But I -" Young Do begins.

Chae Min uses her other hand to push away Young Do's grip. She quickly walks on without turning back to look. She feels pairs and pairs of eyes on her again but this time they make her so uneasy she feels like throwing up. Chae Min notices that people are moving out of the way, forming a path for her. The awkward tension hanging in the air as she marches her way out of the ballroom. She needs to get to somewhere quiet, to clear the dizziness. She just keeps walking and walking and realizes that she in the garden again.

The night has fallen, the sky is dark and grey. The modern garden lamps lighting up the place give off a mystical feel. Chae Min sits down on a bench by a fountain. She buries her face in her palms. She is still taking it all in. Why is her life turning into a real life drama? An unexpected first kiss by a hot stranger in public! Nobody will believe her story. Chae Min actually liked the kiss and that's making things worse. She feels a lump forming in , she swallows hard. Tears begin to form and stream down her face. 

"Unnie!!" Hannah shouts, she lifts up her long gown and runs towards Chae Min. Chae Min quickly wipes away the tears on her face. Thank god for water proof makeup! 

"Oh dear, why are you crying?" Hannah pants, breathless. Chae Min stands up and throw her arms around Hannah for some comfort. She is not too sure why she is crying either. 

"I saw you running out so I came after you. Wow, that kiss was pretty romantic, huh? " Hannah continues, she pats Chae Min's back softly. She laughs. "You stole the spotlight, literally!"

Chae Min sobs, embarrassed. Everyone witnessed the kiss! That was quite a lame kiss, she did not even kiss him back, that's for one. And deep deep down, she is regretting that. She should have seized her chance and kiss the life out of that cocky Choi Young Do! Show him who's the boss. How hard is it to kiss anyway, the movies and dramas make it look so easy! 

"It was nothing." Chae Min says. "You should get back in there, its your birthday, you're the lead today!"

"Yeah, you should get back in." Young Do interrupts out of nowhere. "I'll take it from here."

Young Do mockingly opens his arms, as if inviting Chae Min for a hug. Hannah's mouth drops. Chae Min nods, assuring Hannah that she will be fine but avoiding eye contact with Young Do. Hannah leaves after another tight hug and a whisper in Chae Min's ear for her to be cautious. Hah.

"I don't understand this situation." Young Do says when its finally just him and Chae Min. "Please explain so  I can understand."

"What situation?" Chae Min still avoids looking at him, struggling to prevent from letting tears fall again.

"Well, let's put it this way, no girl has ever reacted the way you did when we kiss." 

"Looks like you have plenty of experience in kissing, huh?" she sounds scornful.

"No way," Young Do gasps. "That wasn't your first kiss, was it?"

Chae Min blushes so hard she can feel the blood rushing to her cheeks. Young Do chortles. She crosses her arms, tears threatening to fall again. He stops, taking a step closer to her, he bends downs to meet her eyes. He lifts a hand, wiping her tear stained face with his thumb. He absolutely hates it when women cry but somehow seeing Chae Min like this makes his heart pound fast.

"How can you look so desirably gorgeous even when you're crying?" he mutters. Young Do pulls her in for a hug. Chae Min allows herself to cry heartily, kicking his shin once or twice. 

"I was saving it for someone special!!" she wails.

"I'm sorry." he sounds sincere, embracing her tightly. 

"You're not someone special!!" she continues, ignoring his apology.

"Not yet but I will be." Young Do replies confidently.

Chae Min stops crying immediately and breaks away. She flashes him a judgmental look. She tries to hide it but the corners of her lips curl up secretly. Young Do leans down and plants a kiss on her forehead. 

"I really am sorry." Young Do apologizes, but also seizing the opportunity to ask her out. "How about I buy you dinner tomorrow to make up for this?"

"Wow, you're good at this." Chae Min snorts.

"So its on?" he asks. Not allowing her time to say no, he quickly adds, "Its warm out here but windy, you might catch a cold, lets get back inside." 

He removes his coat to offer her but Chae Min swats it away. Now that's another first for Young Do when it comes to women. Nobody has ever rejected this romantic gesture before.

"Are you crazy? I'm ing sweating." she says rudely.

"Okay just say no politely, can't you?" he retorts. They start to head back in the mansion.

"Besides, your presence is hot enough." she flirts shyly, followed by Young Do's mad cackle.

They make it back to the ballroom just in time for the birthday cake ceremony. The couple has eyes on them for the rest of the night and lots of whispering behind their backs. Most wondering who Choi Young Do's new love interest is. The man who rarely, almost never show up anywhere with his past girlfriends. Some even thought Young Do is gay but he has been spotted with many girls out of public's eyes. He has therefore been labeled as the Casanova heir of Korea. What makes this girl so unique that he loses control? So many questions with no answers.

Young Do and Chae Min decide that they have had enough of dancing for that night. They just talk and eat away. Half of their conversation includes judging and criticizing the people in the room. Giggling and chuckling at things that don't make much sense. It does not really count as getting-to-know-each-other since Young Do and Chae Min just went on and on about the silliest things.

Young Do has never felt so free and easy in a very long time. It feels unbelievably great to just be able to unleash his thoughts. Chae Min has not been able to talk or connect with anyone since she returned to Korea. Everything just feels right between the two of them. 

The party soon draws to an end, the crowd disperse, either heading home or to party further on in night clubs nearby. Chae Min's father drank a little too much and is unable to drive home. Mr Kim, the host, arranges a chauffeur to send them home.  

"Well then," Chae Min bids her farewell. "See you."

"Tomorrow." Young Do adds. "We have a date remember?"

"You can't contact me because I don't even have a phone in Korea yet." she raises an eyebrow. "You don't know where I live either."

"Don't worry about that." Young Do smiles. "Pick you up at 6?"

"Erm, yeah, sure." Chae Min waves as she turns helps her father because he is too tipsy to walk in a straight line.

"Can't wait." he murmurs under his breath, soft enough that only he can hear.

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Chae Min lays out an outfit for her supposedly date tonight. She highly doubts it will happen because she did not leave a number nor her address for Young Do. However, she's excited enough to prepare, just in case. She picks out a white midriff with long sleeves and a red skirt, a pair of flats and several tribal bracelets to add a twist. 

She patiently waited for a phone call the whole afternoon but none came. When she finally gives up, a limo honks outside her house. Choi Young Do gets out and manages to get inside her house pretty quickly. Her parents are easily convinced by Young Do as he promises to have her back home before twelve. They are probably too glad that she made friends in Korea so it does not really matter who it is.

Chae Min and Young Do arrive at a quiet cafe, much to her surprise. She was expecting an expensive place with over priced food. This place is like a paradise to her! The wooden furniture gives off a rustic feel, adding to the coziness of the cafe. Jazz music plays softly in the background. Business must be slow for them today, they are the only people inside.

"Not your style?" Young Do asks as they step into the cafe.

"You're kidding, this is totally my style!" she smiles.

"Great," he sighs a breath of relief. They find a seat and orders their meal. 

"Wait, you did not book the whole place tonight, did you?" Chae Min asks. Young Do scratches his eyebrows. "How predictable."

"Actually, I kind of own this place." he states.

"Still predictable." she replies, unimpressed. 

"Anyway, you look pretty tonight." he changes the topic. 

"Thanks. You too!" she compliments. He is all dressed up, tie and suit. She was worried that she might be underdressed in the limo when she saw his outfit.

"I just got back from work." he laughs as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"On a Sunday?" 

"I basically work at home so its not that bad."

"Oh right, you own some hotel or something."

"Yes, as the matter of fact, I do." he laughs. "Not like its a big deal though."

"So how old are you?" Chae Min questions.

"Turning 26 this year, so its safe for you to call me 'oppa'" he winks mischievously. Chae Min almost spits out the hot chocolate in . Not in disgust of his suggestion but in shock of his age.

"You're that old?!" she exclaims. "Oppa my , you fit the ahjusshi title more."

"I'm sure I'm only a few years older than you, missy." Young Do says.

"7 years isn't exactly a-few." she pouts. 

"You're 19?!" now its Young Do's turn to look surprised. "You look so much older than your age!"

"Excuse you." Chae Min snaps her fingers, offended. 

"No I meant that you have blossomed gracefully into your teens," Young Do tries to explain, relief that he can think of such a nice save. "You mean you're still in high school then?"

"Senior year this year." Chae Min says proudly. "Then I'm off to college!"

"That's great. Wonderful journey ahead of you." 

"Don't," she stops him from offering life advice. "You sound like a grandfather."

They both burst out laughing. The does not seem to bother them at all. They continue to talk about simple basic things and getting to know each other.

Young Do tells Chae Min about his daily life which revolves around his heritage, Zeus Hotel. The kind of clients and partners he deal with and their dirty little secrets. He leaves out details on his teenage years. Chae Min figures that he probably forgotten most.

Chae Min explains the reason why she went overseas at a young age was to accompany her brother who happens to be quite the genius as he was offered a scholarship in a famous high school. That also comes with a free pass into Yale University as soon as he turns 15. He was only 12 and she was 6 when they migrated. Their parents did not want the siblings to separate at such a young age. They could not join them because of their business in Korea. 

"Daddy told me about people trying to buy over our land." Chae Min says. "s won't stop bothering us."

"That land of yours is really precious though. The location is strategic and extremely profitable as well." Young Do says, adding some professional comments here and there. 

"I know, but that's our second home. We can't just sell it to anybody." Chae Min replies defensively.

"Your father is a fool for not utilizing the land to its max. If I can get hold of that piece of property, it will earn big bucks."

"What did you just say?" Chae Min stands up, scowling down and Young Do. "My dad is not a fool. you. You'll never get anywhere near my dad's land. And this date is officially over. Let's never see each other again."

She storms out of the cafe, furious. The nerves of that man, who does he think he is! How dare he called Chae Min's dad a fool! What a jerk. What makes her madder is that she thought so wrongly about him. She thought he can be a friend, or even more than a friend. But now she realizes that he might just be using her to get to her father's land.

Chae Min feels the slight drizzle of rain. She curses under her breath. She needs to hail a cab but none is in sight. She hears a car pulling up next to her. Its Young Do's limo. The driver winds down the window and tells Chae Min to hop on. Chae Min refuses, thinking that Young Do must be inside as well. Turns out, Young Do ordered his driver to fetch Chae Min home and left on his own. She does not want to owe him a favor but she has no better option. Chae Min finally gets into the limo after much hesitation.

 

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"Hey, its me." 

"Young Do?" Myung Soo answers. "What's up?"

"Where are you?" Young Do asks. "I need a drink."

The two friends meet up shortly afterwards at a pub. Young Do had 4 shots of tequila in the past half an hour. Myung Soo is worried looking at him. He found out about the date gone horribly wrong. He still cannot figure out why Young Do is over reacting. What is so special about this girl anyway, she's just another Cha Eun Sang look alike. Besides, she does not even resemble Eun Sang as much as the previous ones. 

'Oh, those were the bad times.' Myung Soo thinks, downing another shot. 

"I did not even mean what I said." Young Do says. "Damn the way my father speaks, now I'm talking like him as well, calling everyone fools and idiots when I'm the real dumb around here."

"Buy that chick some flowers, chocolate, clothes or anything expensive and she'll be over it." Myung Soo advices.

"No, you don't understand." he sounds slightly drunk. "I'm sure she isn't the materialistic kind."

"Whatever, all girls can be bought over with something."

"She thinks I'm on to her father's land." he sighs. 

"Well, its too late for you to get it anyway. Jeguk Empire already bought it over. " Myung Soo reveals. "I don't think they are using it for business purposes though."

"What?" Young Do widens his eyes. "They bought it already? As private land?"

"Yeah, Kim Won bought it to build a family villa."

"Really? But why out of a sudden?"

"You didn't know?" Myung Soo is surprised that Young Do seems clueless. "Kim Tan is back."

 

 

 

 


Sorry it took so long to update! My life is a mess lol thanks for subscribing, upvoting and also leaving comments. Really appreciate it, you guys. I promise to update faster next time! :) Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

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kurovillganee #1
Chapter 20: This is amazingggg <3 <3 hope you will finish itt
Mariposa99
#2
Chapter 20: I hope that you finish this story if you ever come back. I fell in love with it. It perfectly captures what went on in Young Do's life after the end of the series. <3
lcar19 #3
Chapter 20: What happen with this story!!? I miss it and anticipating for what’s next
Saarrah #4
Chapter 20: I love this story
Please update soon, please.
Angie_7251 #5
Chapter 20: Love this story! I hope you can update soon!
riwanritwo #6
Chapter 20: Oh nice story authornim,hope you will update soon!fighting!!!!
-yeonjungs
#7
Chapter 20: ooh can't wait to see what jongtae does..
KissMeFanny #8
Chapter 20: YAAAAAAAAAAAAY YOU'RE BAAAAACK!!!!
storys #9
Chapter 20: The update was marvelous, thank you very much <3
alexa29 #10
Chapter 20: Thank you for the update :)