The Age Of Love

One - The Sinking Boat

He really did care for Hye Jin-loved her, even-but if Se Ri had said the word, he'd have left his fiancée right then and there. Only Se Ri had said nothing, further solidifying the fact that their night was nothing more than the world's grandest goodbye.

Se Ri would never commit to him. He wasn't sure she could commit to anything. There was a reason she had stuck to freelancing and kept rejecting offers-and it wasn't because it was beneath her. There was a reason she gave up her place in Gangnam and started living out of cardboard boxes. There was a reason she'd strung safe, boring Cha Sang U along for three years (yes, he knew about Sang U). There was no bigger commitment-phobe than Yoon Se Ri.

Hye Jin could give him what Se Ri couldn't; stability, commitment, emotional intimacy. And he was getting better at giving her those things as well. It was still a work in progress. A person didn't get over love like his and Se Ri's overnight. But he was getting there. By the time their wedding came around, he would be a man worthy of marrying Han Hye Jin.

****

Jeong Hyeok stumbled back to the bar for another refill. It had been only a few hours since the party started yet he hadn't been able to get her off his mind without a good scotch. He knew how wrong it was to be thinking about another woman at his engagement party, but he was only human. He couldn't control all his thoughts. So instead of trying, he drowned them out with scotch.

"Don't you think you've had enough for the night?" Jeong Hyeok looked up at the sound of his father's voice. He'd successfully avoided him for too long. He should've known he couldn't make it through the party without having to face him. Their relationship had improved over the years, but it was hardly a relationship. "Besides, it's your engagement party. Shouldn't you be drunk in love?"

"Who says I am not?"

"Unless love is made from malted barley, I am quite sure it's the scotch."

"You're here to lecture me? I thought we were past that."

"You chose this, Jeong Hyeok. No one forced Hye Jin on you."

It was true. Sure his parents had introduced them. He had been prepared to be bored to tears but Hye Jin had actually been entertaining. She was incredibly smart, with a degree in biotechnology and MBA from Wharton, and she could more than hold her own in a conversation.

He had been surprised at the blatant set-up since he knew how his mother felt about 'working women', but apparently, Hye Jin came from a wealthy and influential enough family to more than make up for it. And maybe his mother had finally come to terms with the fact he would never be happy with someone who couldn't challenge him intellectually.

His father, on the other hand, had never much cared who he dated. As long as Jeong Hyeok's personal life stayed personal, he could do whatever he liked. Though he liked the idea of Jeong Hyeok settling down since the board would likely find the assurance.

Jeong Hyeok had nothing to lose by giving her a shot. She impressed him more with every date. Sure, they never had that intense chemistry, but what they lacked in passion, they made up for in companionship, understanding, and stability. Those were traits to lead long and healthy relationships

"I love Hye Jin." Jeong Hyeok stated emphatically.

Ri Chung Ryeol sighed. "Are you still seeing her?"

Jeong Hyeok narrowed his eyes in confusion. "I see her right now, she is at table four talking to her uncle."

"Don't play dumb with me, Jeong Hyeok. It's unbecoming." His father could always read him better than he liked. Of course, it had nothing to do with the fact that Jeong Hyeok was his son and everything to do with the fact that reading people was what Ri Chung Ryeol did best. He knew when people were keeping things from him.