Foreign Skies

Soulmate Founded

"My trip is cut short. I'm going back home one week earlier."

Cling. The glass of martini in Jeong Hyeok's hand fell back onto the bar, liquid splashing out in all directions.

"Why?" Jeong Hyeok sputtered.

"I should be staying for about two weeks, but my secretary called today and told me that the partnership with Swarovski will end if I don't meet with their CEO next week." Seri had never been seen crying to a stranger, but here she was, on the verge of breaking down. She told him all about what Secretary Kim had said, and being a good listener, Ri Jeong Hyeok sat there quietly and patiently, listening to her rants without once interrupting.

Deep down, Ri Jeong Hyeok was disappointed.

For thirty four years, he had never been someone who'd pay attention on women. Sure, he had dated before, but he would admit it was just something he had done to appease his family. His father had set him up with the daughter of a colonel in Pyongyang, and there was no reason for Jeong Hyeok to reject her. She has a small, pretty face and dark hair that ended on her shoulders. They had a few dates and when the daughter ran to her father complaining that "this guy is so boring. I'd rather date an old man in his eighties," Ri Jeong Hyeok was back to being single.

Of course, no matter how hard he tried to control his relationship status, there were always women who wanted to impress him, to be the special one. Yes, he is relatively boring, but his runway-worthy looks... It was hard not to resist.

It was the same routine for him every day - wake up, brush his teeth, get dressed, have breakfast, pack his piano sheets, go to work, and come home. Nothing and no one could be able to catch his attention.

Until he stumbled upon a lost woman on the streets in London.

When she turned around, he didn't recognize her at first. She seems familiar, he had thought. It's like I've seen her before.

Then, when she tells him she owns Seri's Choice, the lightbulb in his mind immediately goes off. Even in North Korea, he had seen gigantic advertisements of Seri's Choice and her face plastered on the walls, on the sides of the bus, and even in the limited search engines, Seri holding a bottle of Seri's Choice Skin Serum was never unrecognizable.

He had expected her to be problematic, probably because of what he'd encounterd before with rich and powerful women (though he'd never admit it, just like the colonel's daughter), and he was wrong. She was polite, he could see from the road trip; a bit chatty, as if there was no one she could talk to back at home, and exactly his type. He wanted to know more about her, to know her thoughts and eventually, maybe, just maybe... be able to taste those soft, pink lips.

"...So I have to go back to Seoul a week earlier to meet the CEO." Seri finished, gulping down the remaining beer. She was already feeling tipsy from the beer and, of course, the dashing man beside her.

Jeong Hyeok nodded thoughtfully, hiding his disappointment. I was planning to get to know you better and spending more time with you. "How many more days are you staying here?"

Seri counted, ticking off days with her fingers. "Today is my second day. The launching of Seri's Choice is five days away. I'll go home in the afternoon on that day." She chuckled mindlessly, cheeks red and eyes half closed due to the beer.

That's less than a week, Jeong Hyeok thought. He was about to respond when he felt a sudden weight on his shoulder.

He turned left, expecting to see Seri beside him. But instead, her head was planted lightly on top of his shoulder, eyes closed.

"I've got a lot on my mind, Jeong Hyeok. I don't know what I'd do if this partnership is over. My parents would be disappointed in me, my brothers would have a higher chance to run the family business in the future... It would be humiliating."