III
Logical ProgressionWe temporarily leave behind the Lee household and peek into the stirrings happening in the Gong household located somewhere in another part of the bustling city of Seoul. In this particular family, the mother, father, sister and brother were all looking at the 'happy' *sarcasm* suddenly-engaged girl with trepidation, their feet at the ready to go running to whatever shelter they can find upon the full retaliation, that is sure to happen, when the blunt of the marriage-assignment-situation hits her.
The girl in observation is sitting in front of her parents, sitting perfectly still. Hands on her lap. Eyes, the color of pure chocolate fringed with long soft eyelashes, looking beyond the wall. Her lips pressed in a thin line, smiling. However, the brother, Yun-Ho, can make out the twitching of the corner of her eyes and the sister, Min-Ji, can see the throbbing vein in her temple.
If you still haven't got a clue, the girl, Gong Eun-Ji, was supposed to be Lee Byungun's bride-to-be and Lee Byung-hun was supposed to be Gong Eunji's groom-to-be. 'WAS' is the keyword, not 'IS', because in her mind, it is the suitable verb for the event that is not going to happen.
Biting her bottom lip, Mrs. Gong asked her daughter "Eunji~ah, are you okay with this?"
"Eomma, are you sure you're telling me the right news because for a moment I thought you said I'm supposed to meet my husband tomorrow. Not the next Saturday or the first Saturday of the next month, but on tomorrow's Saturday." Eunji looked at her mother while she spoke. She was just informed by her well-informed parents that they are going to meet her supposed-to-be-husband tomorrow. TOMORROW!
Her father cringed inwardly from the sound of her flat-toned voice and her blank stare; he can see the flash of lightning behind her eyes. His daughter is sweet and caring, obedient to a fault, but not when she is wronged or if she knows she's right. Don't cross the line or you'll find that hell is the new heaven.
"I'm sorry baby~girl. We've been trying to persuade your grandfather to abandon this nonsense but he wouldn't budge. Your grandmother even threatened to leave him but still..." Mr. Gong trailed off.
"But this is not right! Noona can't get married yet, she hasn't even started college and she...she...she just can't!" Yunho cried out. They can't make his precious noona do something she doesn't want. They have to go through him first.
"That's right!" Minji joined in. "We'll just have to tell harabeoji that we're not going to allow unnie to get married!"
Eunji's hard expression softened upon hearing her sibling's defense. If only it were that easy.
Biting her bottom lip, Mrs. Gong asked her daughter "Eunji~ah, are you okay with this?"
"Eomma, are you sure you're telling me the right news because for a moment I thought you said I'm supposed to meet my husband tomorrow. Not the next Saturday or the first Saturday of the next month, but on tomorrow's Saturday." Eunji looked at her mother while she spoke. She was just informed by her well-informed parents that they are going to meet her supposed-to-be-husband tomorrow. TOMORROW!
Her father cringed inwardly from the sound of her flat-toned voice and her blank stare; he can see the flash of lightning behind her eyes. His daughter is sweet and caring, obedient to a fault, but not when she is wronged or if she knows she's right. Don't cross the line or you'll find that hell is the new heaven.
"I'm sorry baby~girl. We've been trying to persuade your grandfather to abandon this nonsense but he wouldn't budge. Your grandmother even threatened to leave him but still..." Mr. Gong trailed off.
"But this is not right! Noona can't get married yet, she hasn't even started college and she...she...she just can't!" Yunho cried out. They can't make his precious noona do something she doesn't want. They have to go through him first.
"That's right!" Minji joined in. "We'll just have to tell harabeoji that we're not going to allow unnie to get married!"
Eunji's hard expression softened upon hearing her sibling's defense. If only it were that easy.
She loves her grandparents, they've been dotting on her ever since she came into the world. Even when her brother and sister were born, she always had some extra helping of love from her grandparents, especially her grandfather. But she also knows how stubborn he is and how he was the one that taught her the value of standing up for what you know is right.
And somehow, that old man believes that he IS right about this arrangement.
She also knows the story of her parents love. Her mother wed her father in secret and defied their parents, earning their wrath, but fortunately she came and all was right again...that was until the announcement of the 'marriage-arrangement-continuation' part for the grandchildren.
What makes her grandfather think that she's going to go along with this? In this day and age, things like that belong to the past and intoned in a cave for good measure. Arranged marriage? What do people gain from it? If statistics could be believed, more separation and domestic problem comes from husband and wife who doesn't get along well. Put together 2 complete strangers in an arranged marriage and you get the most delicious recipe for disaster.
Besides, she's bound not to be a traditional wife who cleans the house, prepares food, serves the husband, looks after the children...No, she's too restless and too ambitious for that. She wants to reach the moon, or discover the cure for cancer. She wants to see the bottom of the sea or go sightseeing atop the Himalayas. Or be a rock star ~babyyy~!
She made up her mind at that instant, "I'm not going!"
Her grandfather can believe all he wants that he is right but she will stand up for her rights as well.
Mr. and Mrs. Gong cannot argue with her when she takes that 'defy all the world' aura so they shook their heads in defeat. Even when she was little, they couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do.
...tomorrow is going to be one heck of a day.
~to be continued~
next chapter: "I will not go, I tell you! I'm definitely, absolutely, 100%, not going!"
And somehow, that old man believes that he IS right about this arrangement.
She also knows the story of her parents love. Her mother wed her father in secret and defied their parents, earning their wrath, but fortunately she came and all was right again...that was until the announcement of the 'marriage-arrangement-continuation' part for the grandchildren.
What makes her grandfather think that she's going to go along with this? In this day and age, things like that belong to the past and intoned in a cave for good measure. Arranged marriage? What do people gain from it? If statistics could be believed, more separation and domestic problem comes from husband and wife who doesn't get along well. Put together 2 complete strangers in an arranged marriage and you get the most delicious recipe for disaster.
Besides, she's bound not to be a traditional wife who cleans the house, prepares food, serves the husband, looks after the children...No, she's too restless and too ambitious for that. She wants to reach the moon, or discover the cure for cancer. She wants to see the bottom of the sea or go sightseeing atop the Himalayas. Or be a rock star ~babyyy~!
She made up her mind at that instant, "I'm not going!"
Her grandfather can believe all he wants that he is right but she will stand up for her rights as well.
Mr. and Mrs. Gong cannot argue with her when she takes that 'defy all the world' aura so they shook their heads in defeat. Even when she was little, they couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do.
...tomorrow is going to be one heck of a day.
~to be continued~
next chapter: "I will not go, I tell you! I'm definitely, absolutely, 100%, not going!"
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