Chapter 1

If there was a day of the week that I hated the most, it had to be Monday. Nothing ever went right for me whenever it was Monday. I was waiting to get on a flight back to South Korea, but the flight had delayed about two times even though the weather seemed to be okay. The wait was dreading me. If I didn’t get on that plane soon, I was sure I was going to hit the next person who told me the flight would be delayed again. I sat back in my chair and readjusted my sunglasses on my face before I crossed my arms and leaned my head back to sleep. I’ve been up since five in the morning and it’s almost eleven o’clock; I still haven’t had a proper lunch yet, not to mention.

“If you don’t stop tapping your foot, people are going to think you have a problem.” I heard a voice say beside me.

I turned my head and pulled my sunglasses down until my eyes were visible. Beside me was my fiancé, Kim Jin Hyuk, who had a fondness of joking with my habits. “We were supposed to leave more than three hours ago.”

“I know you’re impatient, but don’t worry. We’ll get on soon.” He reached over and pinched my cheek lightly. “You’re always like this, you know that?”

“I know. I know. I’m sorry.” I sat straight up and sighed. “I just want to go home and see my parents…”

“Don’t worry. They’ll see your beautiful face soon.” Jin Hyuk leaned over and kissed my cheek lightly with his lips.

I smiled upon feeling his warmth against my skin. I reached over and grabbed his hand and squeezed it happily. “Thank you for always being so patient with me.”

“I’d do anything to make you happy.”

**

It took another hour or so until we got onto our plane. At one point, I was really happy to finally be heading back to Korea, but now that we were finally on board, I felt like bursting out into tears. I’ve been living in Canada for the past five years of my life and to be leaving a place that I made my second home made me feel as if there was a part of me I was leaving behind. I didn’t want to leave. I was honestly afraid to go back, but I couldn’t say why… And Jin Hyuk didn’t know that I felt this way. I didn’t want to bother him with these kinds of feelings because I knew he was feeling almost the same way and yet, he was probably more than happy to leave and go back to our native country.

Throughout the long ride back home, I mainly slept and waited until we arrived. Jin Hyuk managed to stay on his computer the whole time, probably chatting and working with business that he was keeping up with in Japan.

Jin Hyuk worked for a large corporation in Japan and had resided in Canada to do some business. His business was slowly extending their business to different branches, and he was one of their best businessmen, as he made a lot of good compromises with other companies that they couldn’t get in the past.  

We met through a mutual friend of ours when he went out for a business outing, which I was invited to too. It was complicated at first because the first impression of him was horrible; he was so drunk to the point where I had to take him home because the rest of his colleagues ended up leaving him and I couldn’t leave him alone.

I honestly didn’t want anything to do with him though. I thought he was just someone who couldn’t take care of himself and someone who wanted to just play around with me, but he talked his way into my heart somehow. He wasn’t just someone who wanted to be physical with me. He actually got to know me and how annoying I could be. I guess I just liked how he was so patient with me.

I looked over at him as he typed something into his computer and admired how passionate he was about his job. Who would have thought that I’d end up with someone like him when I was the total opposite?

Jin Hyuk reached over and grabbed my hand, making me turn to him. “I’m nervous.”

“Why?” I asked as I adjusted myself to look at him.

“This is the first time I’ll be meeting your parents.” He chuckled at the thought of it. “Can you believe that after we’ve been dating for almost three years and they’ll never meet me as your boyfriend but as your fiancé?”

I smiled as I squeezed his hands. “My parents are going to love you just as much as I love you, Jin Hyuk. Actually…” I bit my lip. “I hope they won’t love you as much as I love you…”

“Oh stop it.” Jin Hyuk nudged my forehead playfully. “You’re making me even more nervous.”

“Oh come on, Jin Hyuk. I don’t even remember the last time you’ve been nervous.” I squinted my eyes at him. “Besides, don’t be so nervous. My parents are so easy-going and I’ve talked about you to them for those past few years we’ve been dating. I know they’ll love you because they’ve been dying to meet you.” I leaned forward and kissed his cheek lightly. “And because I love you, they’ll love you.”

“I wish I could just kiss you right here.” He looked me in the eye and smiled. “But these ladies around here might be a little too jealous.”

I let go of his hand and rolled my eyes. “You’re so full of yourself.”

“I was kidding.” He grabbed my hand again and kissed it. “You know I was only playing around.”

“I know.” I said before closing my eyes.

**

The moment we arrived in Korea, I felt every part of my body go numb. I couldn’t tell if it was because I was nervous or because of the memories that suddenly flashed into my mind. Jin Hyuk held my hand the whole time we walked out of the airport, but just being back here felt so different and weird. I guess it was because I wasn’t used to being in Korea anymore and hearing the familiar language was making my mind go crazy.

“Are you okay?” Jin Hyuk looked over at me as we waited by the entrance of the airport. “You look like you’re sick.”

“No,” I shook my head. “I’m just… I’m just tired.”

“You’re parents should be here waiting for us, right?” He turned his head a few times to look for them.

I pulled out my phone and dialed their number. “I’ll call them.”

“Over here!!!”

Both Jin Hyuk and I turned around to see my mother wave happily at us with her hands in the air. I looked to her side only to see my father carry a bunch of balloons and flowers in his hands as he began to run to us with an excited smile.

“Dad! Mom!” I ran up to them and hugged them happily before I burst into tears of joy. It’s been over five years since I’ve last gone home and to see them again made me feel relieved to be in their arms again.

“My daughter has grown up to be such a pretty girl.” My father pulled back and stared at me. “Wow… You’ve changed a lot... In a good way, of course.”

“She’s still our little girl.” My mother wiped a tear away from my cheek before she turned to look over at Jin Hyuk. “You must be Kim Jin Hyuk.”

“It's good to finally met you, Kim Jin Hyuk.” My father reached over and shook Jin Hyuk’s hand. “We’ve been waiting forever to meet you.”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t come sooner.” Jin Hyuk bowed his head in apology. “We’ve both been so busy with work and studies.”

“It’s okay. We understand that at this age, everyone will be busy with their lives.” My mother patted Jin Hyuk’s arm before pushing us out the doors of the building. “Come on you two. I’ve made dinner for the four of us.”

**

The house that I was so used to living in looked the same as it did when I last left this place. I quickly made my way into the house, not caring to help my father bring in my own belongings, and took in the familiar scent that it gave off. I felt at home. I felt relieved. I felt happy, as if the of being home had been gone for too long.

“You could have helped us.” My mother said as she trailed in behind me with a few of our suitcases. She left them by the stair case and stood beside me. “You must be really happy being back home, huh?”

I looked over at her and pressed my lips together. “It’s been too long.”

“I’m glad you met someone when you left.” My mother patted down the back of my hair as she scoffed. “It’s good to see my daughter happy again.”

“I’ve been happy.” I wrapped my arms around her and rested my head onto her shoulders.

“Alright, you two!” My father let go some of our luggage and stood back up with a loud sigh. “I’m hungry, so please make sure dinner is ready soon, honey!”

“Oh stop it.” My mother rolled her eyes at him before walking into the kitchen.

I couldn’t help but laugh. I missed seeing how my parents would bicker with each other playfully like kids. I decided to grab our luggage and bring them up to my room. I was just about half way up the staircase when my father grabbed my arm and stopped me. I looked at him confused to why he would do so.

“I think marriage will be best if the two of you don’t sleep in the same room.” My father said with a small smile. “We’ll have Jin Hyuk stay in the guest room downstairs.”

I nodded my head. “That sounds like a good idea. I actually wanted to sleep in my own bed… You know… Cos’ it’s been awhile.”

My father laughed. “I knew you’d say that too.”

**

Dinner was filled with laughter and good conversations about what Jin Hyuk and I have been doing back in Canada. I told my parents about how we met and how we didn’t really get along at first because of how we encountered each other. We talked about Jin Hyuk’s business with Japan and how well it was going with their new branches developing. My mother talked about how annoying my father was when I left because he wouldn’t stop talking about how much he missed me; it made my mother jealous that he was thinking about another woman other than herself.

“What made the two of you decide to get married?” My father asked as he set his chopsticks down onto the table, showing that he was done eating dinner. “I would have never thought that my daughter would even think about marriage.”

“Yah, honey, you can’t say that about her. You know she’s always full of surprises.” My mother narrowed her eyes at me and let out a laugh. “Besides, who knows? She might just say that they’re not what we think they are and then boom! They are what we’ve been thinking!”

“Oh my god.” I rolled my eyes at my mother, knowing what she was referring to even though Jin Hyuk was clueless about it all. “Stop it. Things have changed and I’m different.”

“Eh, I still think you’re our daughter.” My mother shrugged nonchalantly.

“Our daughter who doesn’t get hurt anymore…” My father added with scoff.

“Hurt?” Jin Hyuk looked over at me.

“I got hurt a lot in high school.” I laughed thinking back about my past. “But it’s not like that anymore.”

“It’s because she had a knight in shining armor.” My mother winked at me, making me feel uncomfortable that she could bring up this topic so easily.

“Oh? You never told me about this.” Jin Hyuk raised an eyebrow at me, making my face flush. “Who is this knight in shining armor that I don’t know of?”

“Oh, well his name is –“

“I dare you.” I hissed as I looked at my father dead in the eye.

“Knight in shining armor…” My father burst out into laughter along with my mother. “Ugh, our daughter is still trying to keep us from saying his name.”

“His name?” I knew Jin Hyuk wasn’t going to drop this.

“Never mind about his name...” I said shaking my head out of frustration. “He’s not important anymore.” I looked back at my parents, who finally stopped laughing. “Can we please get back on topic?”

“Right…” My mother coughed, as if she was choking on something. “So… Marriage, right?”

**

I was more than happy to get dinner over with after my parents trying to throw me under the bus about things I didn’t want to mention to Jin Hyuk, who knows nothing of it since I really never said anything; I didn’t think I really need to. I was up in my room hanging up my clothes back into my empty closet while Jin Hyuk was in his doing the same as me. My parents ended up washing the dishes together in the kitchen to give us some time alone.

After I finished hanging up every single shirt and folding every single pair of jeans and shorts I had with me, I sat on my bed and looked at my phone. There were a few missed messages, but I didn’t want to bother with anyone today. I was exhausted from the flight and I just wanted to rest before doing anything here in Korea.

“Knock knock.”

I looked up from my phone and saw my mother standing there with a smirk on her face. “I’m glad you’re not just barging into my room anymore.”

“I thought that since you’re at this age, it’d be inappropriate for me to do such a thing.” She walked over and sat on the bed with me. “I’m glad to have you back in Korea.”

“I’m glad to be back too.” I replied.

“I’m sorry about the conversation we had during dinner.” My mother let out a laugh through her nose. “You know, your father and I was just teasing you, right?”

I nodded my head. “Nothing new, right?”

“From the way you reacted though, it seems like he knows nothing about the person we were talking about…”

I froze on my bed.

“But I guess it’s really hard for you to just bring something up like that, huh?”

“And being back here makes it even harder…” I whispered as I felt my body moving again. “But I guess I’m living well so I don’t have to think too much about it, right?”

“Of course.” My mother reached over and patted my back. “Let’s just think about how happy things will be in a few months with your wedding coming up.” She got up from my bed and walked to my door but stopped in tracks.

“What?” I raised an eyebrow at her.

“Welcome back home, Ahn Soo Jin.” She said before closing my door behind her.

Author's Note: I cannot promise you that this will be updated almost every day. Please be patient with me. Enjoy and thank you for those who had already upvoted this story when there wasn't even one chapter up and those who had subscribed and are reading. Happy reading~!