Someone to Love

Forty

Lucas
I'm Korean and believe it or not, I haven't been to this place. My parents were never this get in touch with your heritage kinda people, we didn't visit Gyeongbokgyung Palace but they have this old timey Korean house where heads of the company meet like ancient noble people. I've been to those meetings before, and they were the most boring meetings I have ever been to.
Jin Shil was talking about the history of the place and Ara seemed so interested.
"I can't believe you have never been here." Ara said
"Maybe I was saving it so that I could experience it with someone I love."
"Oh, you and your words." She said
"We won't just have some photos taken here but we would also have you answer some questions and film the TV promo where you would invite everyone to watch the live stream." Jin Shil said
"Ye? Livestream?" I said
"Are we really big here in Korea?"
"The biggest since the SongSong Couple got married."
"And yet we still are not celebrities." Ara said
"But seriously? Livestream?" I said
"Yeah, we're not royalty." Ara said
"And still people are highly interested in your wedding."
"This is even bigger a fuss than Jae Kyung's."
We were then split up because they had to prepare us to look very Joseon era-y. The last time I woke a hanbok was Jae Kyung's wedding, and well, I never thought I would get a chance to wear it again. And yet, here I am, wearing a wedding hanbok.
I was with Joo Young, a make up artist / costume person, so it was slightly good that I could speak Korean. I kinda feel like my tongue has been missing it.
"It looks like you belong here in this palace." She said as I sat down on the make up chair.
"I do look pretty historical, right?" I said
After an hour, we walked out and I saw Ara wearing a hanbok too.
"Hi!" She said, walking towards me. I couldn't react, all I could do was look at her.
"Doesn't it look weird that I'm blonde?" She said
I blinked.
"Babe?" I heard her say but I was just looking at her.
"Lucas?" She said again.
"Ya! Seo Lee Kyung-ah!" She shouted
"De?" I said, obviously snapping out of it.
But then Jin Shil was just smiling at us, and Ara was looking at me so disturbed.
"You okay?" She said
And all I could do was hug her.
"More than." I whispered
"I look that good?" She said
"You would have turned heads in the Joseon era at the same time be an abomination, but you're my abomination, so-"
"Abomination?"
"Or probably people will treat you like a deity." I said
We took some shots, well posed for some of it. I kinda felt like they wanted to catch us candidly or something. But then it started to rain, so we decided to have the interview.
"So, how did you two meet?" Jin Shil asked
Ara and I looked at each other, and I motioned for her to answer.
"Well, we met because of my brother actually." She said
Oh, she's going with that story. That's actually better than renting my apartment as a roommate.
"Yeah, I was a medical resident at the hospital I am currently working in right now and she came bursting in on a rainy day."
"Of course, not to mess up with the ethics board, we didn't actually hit it of back then. I was 17, months away from turning 18. It started tragically actually, my twin brother died due to an aneurysm and he was the resident on duty that time. But we didn't mind each other, my brother was dying and Lu-Lee Kyung was busy studying how to save lives."
"It was a good thing that we met each other about six to seven years later. We got off on a clean slate as we forgot about each other, it was only recently that we discovered that we met way back." I said
And then we were asked how our first date went, Ara and I both internalized how it actually went. I can't even remember the first meal we ever shared together, I think it was pasta and she cooked it.
"Oh my god, our memories suck. You know how you two are always together and some details are just deemed as irrelevant." She said
"Actually, our first date was quite simple. So simple that I don't think it actually counts as a date but that was the first meal we ever shared was homecooked pasta." I said
"Who did the cooking?" Jin Shil asked
"I did. We honestly could not remember how we ended up having pasta in hi-my house but we're glad we did." Ara said
We have decided that we were not gonna mention that Ara lived with me during the well-known issue that she was "suspended" from Hayden Industries and cut off from the family fortunes as it would raise some eyebrows in this country.
"How did he propose?" Jin Shil asked Ara.
Ara smiled.
"Okay, so a few months before he proposed to me, I gave him this watch, a Rolex Daytona, and I said that if I see him wear the watch, it would suggest that he wanted to get married or at least propose.  I was in Shanghai for a week and met an accident when came home in the US. And I was rushed to MGH, you know, the hospital where he works. My face was pretty beat up, and he took care of me for 2 weeks, and then, on my birthday, I noticed that he wasn't wearing the Rolex that his mother gave him. He was wearing the one that I gave him-" she said as she touched my arm.
"-we were having breakfast that time, he just got on one knee and-"
"-I decided I couldn't live without her and it took me a freak accident to realize that I should hold on to her." I finished.
The interview went well, I think. We were able to answer all the questions they needed for the article and what's left now is the coverage for the engagement dinner and of course, the wedding.
Before all of those preparations, Ara and I still got to meet my parents. And now we are on our way to my parents' house.
"Whatever happens, we're still getting married. With or without them." I said to Ara.
"Of course, they don't have anything to do with our relationship. And it won't change anything, they still hate me and the idea of our relationship." She said
"Well, eomma loves you. She's actually excited to see her grandkids with us."
She laughed.
"It's a good thing that she's having one with Jae Kyung."
"Yeah, don't mention the two-year adjustment period that we decided on."
"She'll freak?"
"Yup. So much."
"To be fair, I can't wait to have kids with you, but we still have a lot to do." She said
"We don't even have a house yet."
"Oh, regarding that, why don't we rent out your place?"
"What?"
"Rent it out, not sell it, it's good money. It's not that we're getting broke, it's just that-"
"Consider it done."
"Huh?"
"I was gonna ask you if I could move in. Even if it's a good 30 to 45 to 60 minutes away from work, but the showers are cooler and I get to spend every night and every waking moment with you, so-"
"You're really not gonna ask for a discussion?"
I shook my head.
"Yeah, but don't get used to it." I said
"I was ready for a slight argument."
"You do know I'm always ready to agree with you."
"I know."
"But can we minimize the pink interiors."
"Please, I don't know why the hell did it have that much pink."
She rested her head on my shoulder.
"I know I shouldn't be but I'm quite anxious with what the hell would happen with this dinner." She said
"You're just anxious because you think my father hates you-"
"-he hates the very idea of me. I am American, well British-American and most importantly, a Hayden."
"Can we agree on something?" He said
"What?"
"Our kids would be called Hayden-Seo."
She sat up.
"Really?"
"It wouldn't be fair to remove Hayden plus, it would be messy with both our families."
"That would be fun."
We reached the gates of the Seo manor, and naturally, a guard stopped us.
"Name and purpose." The guard asked in Korean.
Charles looked at me.
"Just say Seo Lee Kyung." And then Charles said my name to the guard. He was quite new though, I don't recognize him, however I haven't been here for a while so, I barely know anyone anymore.
My old nanny was waiting out the front door.
"Who's that?" Ara said
"My nanny, she was the one who raised me." I said as I opened the car door.
"Lee Kyung!" She said as she hugged me.
"Hello, nanny." I said in Korean again.
"I can't believe I missed you when you came here a few months ago!" And then she hit me.
"Aigoo, you should have at least dropped by out back!" She said
"Well, Father was a bit in a hurry of getting rid of us." I said
And then nanny looked behind me and Ara was exiting the car.
"Oh! I want you to meet someone." I said as I held Ara's hand.
"Nanny, this is Ara Hayden, the love of my life who also happens to be my fiancée." I said
Ara just looked at me and Nanny, of course she could not understand anything because I spoke in Korean.
And then Nanny just hugged me so hard, "Aigoo, my baby."
Ara just looked at us, obviously not understanding what is going on.
"Babe, say hello to my nanny, Nanny Park." I said
Ara smiled and said, "Hello, I'm Ara Hayden-" and then naturally, Nanny hugged her.
"Aigoo, we don't want to keep Lady Choi waiting." Nanny said as she let go of Ara.
"Is Father here?" I said
"Ah-" but before she could finish the statement, my mother was looking at us.
"Welcome home, son." She said as she hugged me.
"Eomma." I said
"Ara!" She said, I got confused for a moment because I thought my mother was just screaming yes randomly but I realized later that she was calling Ara.
"Annyeonghaseyo, eomma." Ara said as my mother hugged her.
"Let me see the ring." My mother said in English and as she looked at Ara's perfectly manicured hand.
My mother gasped as she said-"Harry Winston?"
"Yeah, your son has good taste."
"Well, he proposed to you, right?" Mom said as she linked arms with me and Ara, and we moved to enter the house.
"I was not surprised that you chose to be in a hotel rather than to stay here for quite some time." Mom said
"Eomma, we have to live there because it's much nearer to with what we have to do." I said
"I still prepared your room just in case you decide to stay the night. I don't think there is a point with letting Ara stay in a guest room because you lived together before so, you should share." She said
"Thank you, Eomma." Ara said
"Well, you two are getting married in literally a few days, are your parents flying in?" Mom asked Ara.
"Yes, my mother is flying in in two days. My father, well he is still in the process of clearing his schedule." Ara replied.
"Well, I do hope that he could be there on your wedding day. It's a family event, both of them should be there. Plus, the pictures won't look great if we don't look like a complete family." Mom said as we arrived at the dining room.
But then Ara and I stopped as soon as we saw my father sitting down at the head of the table.
"Appa-" I said