Someone to Love

Eight

"Ara, wake up." I woke up to sound of Lucas frantically patting my arms and repeating Ara, wake up like it's some mantra on handling panic attacks.
We slept next to each other last night, Lucas found it awkward because he just told me that he liked me and then we'd sleep next to each other. It was just sleeping, and I'm not really a fan of having sex with him in a room that he doesn't really like. But don't get me wrong, Lucas is one fine man, and I would probably give in the moment he asks me to do it or when the moment permits it.
"What?" I said, his face close to mine. Not just close, real close, as if he's ready to pounce on me or something. Or maybe I'm just imagining thing because I am hormonal.
I pushed his face away.
"You're too close. I may have morning breath or you do. And you're breathing in my air." I said
"Sorry, it's just that you're a really heavy sleeper."
"Am not. You just didn't wake me up really good, I'm not a heavy sleeper. You were just staring at me, you creep." I said
He frowned, obviously offended by my comment. But then I hugged him.
"I'm kidding." I said
"What?"
"Stare at me for all I care." I said
"Ara, you're not making sense."
"You haven't been making sense ever since we came here."
"Oh, I tell you I like you and I'm not making sense?"
"Well, I don't really know if you were drunk."
"Even if I was, if drunk people tell things, it's usually the truth."
"So you do like me?"
"I like you a lot, I like you enough to take you to my home country, show you around, introduce you to my parents, have you sleep on my bed-"
I smiled.
"So, you really like me a lot?"
"Yeah. Can you please let me go, I can't breathe." He said, and I did.
"I just needed you to wake up because you have to get ready and I think I want you to look a whole lot better than the bride." He said
I laughed.
"Why? Isn't it the point of the wedding, you know, for the guests to look at the lovely couple?" I said
"Not in this wedding, because I have an American leggy blonde for a girlfriend, that alone sure is a head turner. But I want to turn heads some more."
"What, a little PDA on the side?"
He shook his head.
"No, well, a little hand holding would do."
I sighed.
"Ah, so this would be your rebellion?" I said
"Huh?" His expression, I obviously caught him.
He nodded.
"Why?" I said
"Because when we get there, everybody would look at us, and my very presence there would stir up the crowd. That alone would make my father hate me, apparently, Jae Kyung is his new favorite son. Well, technically, he calls him his only son."
"I'll think about it."
I stood up and noticed some folded clothes on the couch.
"What are these?" I asked
"Oh, hanboks. Jae Kyung's gonna have a traditional ceremony first and then we have to change out of these for the reception." He said
I looked at him.
"Well, I do hope you look better in a hanbok."
"What?"
"You in a white doctor's coat is good, but Korean traditional clothes? Let's see what you got, Lee Kyung."
"I'd like to see you in one too."
"I'm not Korean and I'm not a member of the family, and it would be improper for me to wear it."
"But you're my girlfriend."
"Fake."
"Well, I plan on changing that in the near future."
"Work for it."
We took turns in taking a shower and then we proceeded on getting ready.
"No briefing today?" I asked as I put on some foundation.
"What do you mean?" Lucas said as he started on fixing up his hair.
"Well, you've been telling me what to expect for days. Might as well tell me what to expect when we get down there." I said
"Ah! Right. Well, expect that you won't understand what the hell is going on downstairs." He said
"Because everything would be in Korean."
"Yeah, sorry about that. When we get married, we'd have two ceremonies, one in English and one in Korean. But you're gonna have to take Korean lessons." He said
I rolled my eyes.
"Well then, I'm not gonna marry you. I think I'm good being in the fake-girlfriend phase." I said
"I'm not."
"Plus, you're more vain than I am. Considering that you practically live inside the hospital." I said
"I am so not vain." He said as he fixed his hair.
"Would you stop fixing your hair?"
"I can't. I have to fix it in such a way that it would fit to the head piece."
I frowned.
"Huh, you do have a headful of hair."
"Yeah. It's a curse at the same time a blessing."
The wedding proper I think was very intimate, it only had the family members and a few friends. I didn't think that I belonged, honestly. Not only because I look different, but I also could not understand the word they are saying.
"Hello." One wedding guest said to me as the ceremony went on.
"Oh, hi." I said.
"You here for the groom or the bride?" He asked me
"Um, I'm not sure. I think the groom and mostly the best man." I said
He smiled.
"Ah, I'm Choi Si Wan." He said, offering me his hand.
"I'm Ara Hayden." I said, shaking his hand.
"You're here mostly because of Lee Kyung?" He said
"Yeah, you?" I replied
"Jae Kyung. Well, they're both my friends." He said
I nodded.
"So, how are you sitting here? I mean, this is for family and friends only." He asked
"I'm with Lu-I mean, Lee Kyung. I'm his girlfriend." I said
"Ah. You understand Korean?"
"No."
"Then you must be bored then?"
"A little but it's fine. I'm here for support." I said
I think the ceremony ended because Lucas approached me.
"Come with me." He whispered
And I did, apparently they're having a photo op.
"Lucas-"
"Just take a photo with us." He said
"I'm not family."
"You are to me."
I sighed.
We sure did turn heads and had whispers when Lucas and I smiled and posed for the family photo. I really wish I learned Korean before going here, I mean, how wonderful would it be for me to understand what the hell they're whispering about me and Lucas. And what the hell is the reason that Lucas' father is glaring at me, and I think I also need to understand if Lucas' mother actually likes me, she just kept looking at me as if I'm the best thing that's ever held Lucas' arm in the whole world. Jae Kyung and Ji Hyun looked happy, but I think they're so happy that they decided to conceal it or something.
"Why was Si Wan talking to you?" Lucas asked as he changed out of his outfit. He was in his closet and I sat down near the bed, and I could hear him perfectly.
"Who?" I asked
"Si Wan, the guy who talked to you during the ceremony? Korean?" He said
"Oh, him. I really don't know. He just asked me if which side of the wedding did I come from."
"And what did you answer?"
"That I came for mainly the best man."
"What?"
"Well, I didn't think that I would be here if it wasn't to support you. I mean, don't get me wrong, Jae is a nice guy and I lived with him for two weeks thanks to you, but I kinda felt that you will back out and hide in the US away from me until the New Year, so I came with you."
"But I invited you."
"You did, I said yes, but I still felt that you would back out so I came."
"You don't really want to come?"
"I'm here aren't I? Plus, we both needed a vacation."
He went out of the closet, wearing a suit.
"You didn't answer my question." He said
"I did-"
"No, answer it straight."
"I wanted to come okay!"
He just nodded.
"So, what's wrong with this Si Wan guy? Why are you asking about him?" I asked
He went to the mirror and tied his tie.
"Well, there is nothing wrong per se, but-"
"Ah, has he stolen a girlfriend or two from you?"
He frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
"I mean, you're obviously protecting something from him, in this case, me from him. You're worried that I might leave you for him, or take me away from you." I said
He blinked and looked at me as if I was blabbering nonsense and at the same time, blabbering sensical things. It is either I made sense or he is really a good actor in hiding that I made sense that he isn't gonna give me the glory of winning.
"He hasn't stolen any girl from me and he hasn't stolen anything from me." He said.
I guess I was wrong, I did make sense but I was just plain wrong.
"Oh."
"It's just that he has a thing for foreign girls." He said
"What? You're kidding, right?"
"Yeah, I'm not kidding. He had a Korean girlfriend once, and I think he didn't like the experience, thus his endless crusade on travelling and looking for a girl that would satisfy a certain hole in his heart or something."
"So, stay away from Si Wan?"
"No, I don't think you're his type though."
"What, a leggy blonde American is not his type? I guess, he fucks stereotypes."
He frowned.
"Ara, I don't think he's gonna want-"
"And I don't want either. Not my type." I said
"Are you generally okay with the atmosphere of the wedding?" He asked me
"What do you mean?"
"You know, with the excessive unnecessary amounts of glares and whispers that you and I have been receiving?" He said
"Oh, that! I barely even notice."
"What do you mean, you don't notice that?!" He exclaimed
I smiled.
"I do, I just choose not to. Because I don't understand a thing that they're saying." I said
"Well, I do." He said
"Oh yeah, what do they say about us?" I asked, really interested with this.
He shrugged.
"Well, okay. Let's see, there's my aunt,who thinks that I'm back here just to ruin the wedding-"
"You didn't ruin it. You did nothing but stand there."
"-there's the friend of my mother's who thinks that you're here because I got you pregnant. And totally blames you for it, you and your liberated culture-"
"I don't think the culture that I have been brought up in is the issue here, and if ever I get pregnant it would be your fault because we're in this relationship in a weird way and you might want to have a plan to produce an heir or something."
He just frowned at me.
"And there's this weird one, that you're just in it for the money."
I gasped.
"Oh my god!" I said
"Yeah, I actually laughed at that because if they knew how we got bumped from coach to first class for free because of your connections, they'd freak. But then they'd think that why the hell are we flying commercial. Or maybe the fact that you're driving a Maserati would make their heart skip a beat. Not all of these people are rich."
"Huh?"
"Some of them could only afford BMW's."
"You're actually rich."
"No, I'm not. My family is,but they disowned me. And I'm not a glamorous doctor."
"You're in it for the service."
He nodded.
"I don't care about money, I'm more of a character and attitude kinda gal." I said, finally deciding to touch up my make up in the bathroom.
"This is really a guy's room and it doesn't have appropriate lightings for that." He said, following me in.
"Are you really following me here?" I said
"Right, because we're still talking."
"Oh, I didn't think you'd reply to what I said a short while ago."
And then he hugged me.
"Oh, we're doing this again." I said
"I just wanted to thank you, for coming here with me."
"Okay, Lucas, you're very welcome."
"You don't know how satisfying it is for me that they are finally gossiping about me."
I frowned, he finds it satisfying that most of the guests here at the wedding is exchanging whispers and gossips about him? About us?
"I am so confused."
"They stopped talking to me, talking about me, looking at me or even blink at me ever since I turned 18."
"Oh. And now that you're back, you're kinda having a good comeback by being the talk of the town."
"Yeah." He said, letting go.
"Then, let's give them more to talk about."
"Let's go down."
Compared to the intimate wedding ceremony a while ago, this reception had what I think is the whole village or the whole town attending. And true to his word, people are actually staring at us as we entered, as if we were the couple who got married a short while ago. God, I feel so bad for Ji Hyun and Jae Kyung, they're supposed to have this attention, not us.
Lucas held my hand as we worked our way to our table, I guess the family table. I also noticed that the wedding has a small media coverage, only a few reporters and cameras, so I guess the Seo family has the reputation and is quite known for the people watching the television to actually care.
"We'd only be here a few hours." Lucas whispered to me.
"Um, okay?"
"I'm not telling you, I'm reassuring myself that-"
I frowned.
"You're not from the countryside." I said
"What are you talking about, Ara?" He said
"When you told me about our little arrangement, you told me you're from the countryside. This set up isn't the countryside."
"Oh, um, maybe not what your idea of a countryside is, but this is the countryside."
"What, no horses and pigs? And a barn?" I said
He smiled.
"No, sorry to disappoint you."
Oh my god, I think this is the first time he ever smiled. And ever smiled at me.
"Too bad. I would have loved to visit a big red barn."
"Ara?" Somebody called me, I turned around and saw an old colleague of mine, back before I worked at Hayden Industries. Well, not colleague.
"Ryan, oh my god! Hi!" I said as I stood up and he pecked my cheek.
"What are you doing here?" He said
"Oh right, uh-" I placed a hand on Lucas' shoulder,
"Ryan, this is Lucas, and Lucas, this is Ryan." I said
"Ryan Marcus." Ryan said as he offered Lucas his hand.
"Lucas Seo." Lucas said
"Oh, you're Jae Kyung's brother." Ryan said
"Yeah." Lucas said
"I didn't know HI would be invited." Ryan said
"Oh, no. I'm not here as a representative, I'm here for my boyfriend." I said
"Boyfriend?" Ryan said
I nodded.
"You, no date?" I asked
"No, I'm actually here as a representative." Ryan said
"Ah." I said
"Well, it was nice seeing you again, Ara." Ryan said
"Yeah, yeah. We should catch up sometime." I said
He smiled.
"Yeah, I'd like that. It was also nice seeing you Mr. Seo." Ryan said
"It's Doctor Seo. But who cares." Lucas said as Ryan walked away.
"I do, Dr. Seo." I said as I held his hand.
"I couldn't care less if you called me that. But my heart would stop if you called me by my real name."
"Mine would literally stop if you called me by my real name. I mean, just stop, I'd die of a heart attack."
"What's the deal with that Ryan dude?" Lucas said
"What deal?"
"I don't know, you tell me." Lucas said
"Stop acting like-"
"You tell me what's the deal with you guys and I'll tell you something about me."
"What? You're using your personal information as leverage for my personal information."
"Come on, it's gonna be a boring party anyway."
I nodded.
"Ryan and I had a fling a few years back." I whispered
"Say what now?"
"Yeah, it's just a short fling. About two months."
He nodded.
"Or less, we had conflicting interests. Plus, he's engaged to be married to some girl."
"Good, because I don't want him pining for what's mine."
I scoffed.
"What's yours?"
"Uh-huh. I claimed you a few days back, nobody knows that but me."
"No, you can't put a claim on someone without that someone knowing it. It's just weird. And stalkerish."
"Stalkerish or weird or what doesn't make my claim cancelled, I want what I want and I'm getting it."
"You might like the thrill of getting it, but once you get it, you might get bored of it."
"Bored of a leggy, blonde American? Haven't dreamt of it."