PROMPTS

Economics and Mr. Ri (2)

His face broke out in a wide smile and his dimples deepened. Retrieving his books and rucksack, he transferred seats and sat beside Seri. "Let's be seatmates for the rest of this class, okay?" he declared.

She nodded. "Okay."

Seri sighed. How different that first meeting was to that last time when he was under the rain, desperately begging her to choose him.

"We can do this. Go with me. Please, Seri! Please?"

She sighed again. 

Ten years. Ten years and she still felt the pain, dulled by time but painful nonetheless. Does one ever get over the hurt?

She loved her life and career she built. She would never regret choosing her family and her sister. But, at the same time, she will always rue the day she left her beloved.

Ping!

Her alarm sounded. 

Enough musings, time for her to pick up her baby sister Yoon Jisoo.

Jisoo was a surprise addition to their family. Being the youngest for a long time, Seri thought that she would always have to fight her brothers for her place in the family firm. When her parents had Jisoo late in life, Seri was already a teenager but the new baby thrilled her to no end. She stopped hanging around school for long hours with friends and headed home as soon as class was done so that she could spend Jisoo's waking hours playing with her.

Jisoo's arrival also brought her close to her mother, whom she had a contentious relationship with. But their mutual love for the little baby bonded them.

Now, her little baby sister was in college and they rarely spent time together because Jisoo lived in a dormitory on campus, with a few of her friends. Still, when time permitted, Seri and Jisoo met up to have coffee or dinner.

Today was one of those days. As an alumni of the university, she was allowed to enter the premises and she headed to the classroom Jisoo said she would be in at that hour.

Seri chuckled at the call she received from Jisoo the other night. "Seri! Please help me. I really don't understand this inflation deflation thingy!"

Seri did fine with economics but it wasn't her strongest subject. Still, because she had a good student tutor then, she was able to pass the subject with flying colors. "Aish, that's simple. It's like this..."

They spent the night talking about the topic, injecting catching up in between.

"Are you dating someone new?" Jisoo asked.

Seri narrowed her eyes. "You know that I stopped seriously dating a few years ago. There's nothing that works. I guess I'm those eternally single-types."

Jisoo grinned. "Good. Then, you can stay with me forever!"

"Oh you. I'll be the annoying old lady in your home. You'll never get married if I hang around," Seri teased, quietly thrilled that her little sister still felt possessive with her.

"Nope. Any man I marry will have to accept that it's you and me, Sister!" Jisoo declared.

"Like your professor?" Seri teased. Jisoo's best friend, Lisa,  dropped hints that  Jisoo was so infatuated with their Economics teacher and, to Seri's mind, if he looked anything like Jeong Hyeok, she would understand.

Jisoo chuckled. "I have a giant ass crush on him, sure. I won't marry the guy." Jisoo suddenly turned to Seri with wide eyes. "Maybe I should set you up with my professor!"

"No! The last time I agreed for you to find me a date, you hooked me up with a man you knew I would never like!" Seri shot back. 

"Hey! He was nice. I didn't know he wanted a wife that didn't have a career! Which is fine... it's just not you," Jisoo replied, defensively. Changing her tone, she looked at her beautiful sister, who hasn't seemed to age. "Do you think you'll ever forget about your Mr. Hawk?"