“What took you guys so long? Seohyun and I were starving…” Tiffany pretended to be impatient as she and Seohyun settled themselves at the table just as the couple arrived.

“We were just talking about the engagement and all…” Jessica replied as she and Taeyeon seated themselves at the table.

“What about it?” Tiffany’s curiosity was instantly tingled as soon as she heard the word ‘engagement’. ‘Please call it off so I can make my move on you, Jessi…’

“We decided to keep it a secret from everyone until our parents decide on the right time to spill it out to the public…” Taeyeon replied.

Tiffany smiled deep inside. She could now buy some time to keep Taeyeon from having Jessica. After all, Tiffany is an agent of HQ. She had just been promoted to a higher tier after she salvaged the special weapons that a terrorist organization had been developing within American soil. It was no simple feat to execute alone but the bubbly Hwang managed to deliver it as HQ had commanded although Tiffany was unaware that a code and an agent were sitting with her at the moment. Tiffany didn’t know that her cousin is a higher ranked agent and that her younger friend happens to be her elusive mission handler.

The meal was fulfilling to the stomach although Seohyun had to point out that the meat was processed to which Jessica had to order a special vegetarian meal to be cooked for her guest much to Taeyeon’s surprise.

“I’m sorry, Taeyeon-oppa…” Seohyun apologized as they all ate to their heart’s content with Jessica sneaking some more of the bacon into her own plate which didn’t escape Taeyeon’s keen vision although the young man feigned ignorance at her secretive appreciation for his cooking.

The young man turned to smile at the young lawyer. “It’s fine Seohyun-ah. I’ll make sure to cook some organic food for you whenever you come by.”

Seo Juhyun nodded in appreciation for the young man that was to be married to her very own boss. Seeing the player Hallyu Star that is Kim Taeyeon on TV was different from the Taeyeon that is now eating with her.
 

***

Everyone moved indoors after finishing their brunch. The four people found themselves lounging at the plush living room in comfortable silence until Taeyeon’s mobile phone rang.

The young Kim excused himself from the group and walked a few steps away before answering his call. The girls enjoyed their light discussions while Taeyeon pressed his phone to his ear.

“KIM TAEYEON!” the voice from the other line yelled causing the young man to draw the phone away from his ear.

He decided to set his phone on speaker mode as the caller spoke. “Why didn’t you pick me up at the airport?! I’m in our parents’ house right now with your manager!”

“Tae Hee-noona, I-“

“Don’t try to sweet talk your way out of this, Taeyeon! Where the hell are you right now?! Soo said you weren’t in your own house!”

“Er… I’m at a café on an important appointment with some important people…” Taeyeon lied as he stole a glance at the three ladies chattering idly on the couches littering the huge room.

“You’re lying!”

“I’m not, noona…”

“TAEYEON! Our appa and umma just told me where you’re at when I arrived at our home…”

After hearing his sister’s words, all the blood seemed to drain from Taeyeon’s face. He knew what his sister meant. It meant that their parents told Tae Hee and Sooyoung about the engagement. It meant more people knowing about the engagement and it will be bad news for his fiancée who wasn’t ready to accept the reality of such circumstance.

“Dongsaeng, you still there?”

“Yes, I’m still here noona…”

“You don’t seem to be listening..”

“I’m all ears for you noona…”

“Then, hear me out. Appa wants you and your fiancée to get your butts here at the Kim ancestral home within the span of 10 minutes. 10 minutes, Tae and it starts NOW!”

Then the line went dead. Taeyeon was dazed. He knew what that meant. He needed to comply or else there would be ugly consequences not only for him, but they might also drag Jessica into this.

When Taeyeon got back to where the girls were seated, he looked much paler than before catching the girls’ attention in the process.

“Tae, you all right?” Tiffany was the first to ask, her face filled with concern. Jessica just stared at him blankly while Seohyun eyed him in observation.

“I- I’m fine.” Taeyeon replied while his eyes fell on Jessica. “Jessica, my father wants to see us at the Kim ancestral home within 10 minutes…”

“What’s with the time limit?”

“Please, let’s just go! We don’t have much time!” Taeyeon insisted as he grabbed the blonde’s wrist and dragged her out of the room leaving the two remaining girls confused.

“What’s with him?” Tiffany asked as she gave a questioning glance at her dongsaeng.

“I have no idea, unnie… It seems urgent though…” Seohyun replied.
 

***

Jessica stared in confusion at the person gripping the steering wheel. She had never seen Taeyeon so tensed like what he looked like right now. The meeting with his father seemed urgent and the anxiety that was eating the Hallyu star had somehow begun to infect Jessica as her mind began pondering on the purpose of the sudden meeting with the Kims.

“Kim Taeyeon…What’s with the rush?” Jessica asked the man with the blonde hair tips who was driving the vehicle.

“When father decides to meet up in 10 minutes, this means we have to be there in exactly 10 minutes or else he’ll give us a certain punishment… It’s a game our family has played ever since I was a child…” Taeyeon responded as he shifted gears.

“So, what are your punishments should you arrive late?”

“Well, they vary. Sometimes, it involves others who were supposed to be with me… I was once made to do 50 push-ups with my very own manager because we were late for a meeting with my father. Imagine how hard it was for my manager…” Taeyeon said referring to what happened when he and Sooyoung arrived late at his father’s office. “Punctuality is very much upheld in the family. Time is of the essence in the Kim household.”

“Oh…I get it now…So, how many minutes more do we have?” Jessica asked her fiancé while revealing an adorable questioning stare at him.

Taeyeon momentarily caught a glimpse of her before refocusing his eyes on the road. He found his fiancée’s expression kind of cute. Glancing at his watch, he gasped before speeding his car.

“We don’t have much time…We barely have a minute to spare!” He said as they reached the huge gates to the Kim mansion.

Jessica’s heartbeat raced as Taeyeon swerved the car through the long road that lead towards the Kim’s ancestral home. Taeyeon’s speed driving seemed to have gotten scarier than her own driving skills as the car roared through the concrete road and made a mad dash towards the huge edifice that was the Kim family’s main house.

She was barely breathing when they pulled to a halt and without much ado Taeyeon yanked her and pulled her through the driver’s side of the car’s door.

“Hey…Slow down, Tae! You’re hurting me!” Jessica struggled to keep up with Taeyeon as they ran towards the front doors of the mansion and dashed through the great hall where the Kim family sat leisurely on the couches. In truth, Jessica also feared that her wound might open up and bleed but she kept herself from grimacing and tried to suppress the feeling of pain to the back of her brain. 

The young couple panted for air as they held their knees for support. They were both flushed from the adrenaline rush. Mr. Kim looked amused at his son and his fiancée.

“It seems that you’re late by a minute, Taeyeon…” Mr. Kim pointed out in a teasing manner. Mrs. Kim sat idly beside him while Tae Hee and Sooyoung occupied a different couch.

“I’m sorry we’re late, Appa…” Taeyeon managed to apologize as he bowed before his parents.

“It’s my fault, Appa. I have been resisting his request that’s why we arrived late…” Jessica explained as she too bowed her head in apology.

Taeyeon’s father simply chuckled at the troubled couple. “I thought a Jung never bows before anyone… I thought you were a stubborn daughter as your father had told me…”

Jessica straightened up and beamed a genuine smile towards her future in-laws. Her wound was aching but her pride as a Jung kept her upright. “You were not misinformed, Appa. Jungs only bow to apologize. They never bow in greetings. They only nod because a Jung’s pride can never be equaled…”

“You really are fit to become my daughter-in-law.” Mr. Kim smiled at the young heiress before he turned to his daughter who was seated beside Taeyeon’s manager.

“Tae Hee, what do you think of Jessica?”

Tae Hee flashed a smile towards her future sister-in-law. “Well, if I were a son… I wouldn’t have had second thoughts of marrying her, father.”

“So, you also approve of the engagement?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Wait…Appa…What’s the meaning of this?” Taeyeon suddenly asked as he momentarily eyed Jessica whose confidence wavered upon the discussion of her untimely engagement.

Taeyeon saw his father smile at him. “We are planning on announcing your engagement soon… And your parents have already agreed, Jessica. We only need your consent as well as Sooyoung’s since he’s Taeyeon’s manager, a representative of the entertainment company. The media has caught wind of you two dating, Taeyeon…”

The young couple gave him a look of disbelief upon his sudden declaration.

“Us? Dating? But we aren’t!” Taeyeon tried to defend himself and Jessica.

“We haven’t gone out together, Appa…” Jessica tried to back her fiancé on the matter.

“Well, you two seemed to have been living under a rock…” Mr. Kim simply mused as he took a TV remote from the coffee table and the huge flat screen behind the two people standing before them. “Please do take your seats, Taeyeon and Jessica.”

The two young adults obliged and sat down on an adjacent couch and to their surprise watched a news buzz about them.

“It was currently reported that Hallyu star Kim Taeyeon, also known as KTY among his fans, is now back in Seoul after his long stay in Japan. Paparazzi pictures have been taken of him at the airport last week despite his attempts to remain inconspicuous by sporting a new hairstyle. The reason for his return remains unknown since our local reporters could not contact his agency for some insights. 

On another entertainment report, KTY was last seen at his own club, Club Generation, together with a young lady who seemed to be the Jung Empire heiress and business icon, Jung Jessica. A few pictures have been taken of them inside the VIP-famous club by some patrons who happened to spot the pair holding hands and heading towards a VIP-reserved bar. 

Witnesses of the couple dating were sure that it was the business icon herself as the accounts told of the young lady being blonde and fashionable which was a distinctive characteristic of the youngest most successful businesswoman in Korea. Here are some shots taken of the rumored couple dating. You be the judge if this was really KTY and Jung Jessica themselves…”

Taeyeon and Jessica stared wide eyed upon seeing pictures of themselves holding hands and heading towards the secret VIP room where their parents had been. The photos were apparently taken by phone from a certain distance hence the poor resolution and lighting since the lasers and dance floor lights were obscuring the camera’s focus on their intended subjects.

Jessica face palmed herself for allowing this rumor of her dating her fiancé to spread. The couple had no one to blame since they made the obvious mistake themselves. “Omo…” Jessica sighed as she dragged her palm down her face in distress. 

Taeyeon saw Jessica’s frustrated expression. He, too, couldn’t believe his eyes. This was quite getting out of hand. He turned to see his own father give him a contented look before Taeyeon shifted his gaze to his manager who seemed quiet at the moment.

“Sooyoung, did the company know about this?” Taeyeon asked his manager who seemed to have grasped the situation that his artist was currently in.

“No. I haven’t received a call from them yet but you should know that the company would deny those allegations, Taeyeon. The problem would be the media. They will go through all means to get a scoop of the rumor. You know what I mean.” Sooyoung replied as he gave his friend a knowing look.

A sigh escaped Taeyeon’s lips. He leaned back on the couch and pressed his face with his hands before recomposing himself. “I trust that you will help me through this, Soo? I mean, we’ve been friends for a long time now and you’re like a brother to me.”
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