Finding You

CHAPTER 16

The groom watched as Ma Jae Kyung leave, then heaved out a long sigh of relief.

"I'm so sorry, man," he told Tae Pyung. "I didn't know he would be coming."

Tae Pyung closed his eyes to gain a bit of composure for a few seconds, his face twisting into a painful grimace, before regarding his friend cordially.

"No worries," Tae Pyung told the groom, giving him a gentle pat on the arm. "Anyhow, congratulations. I'm sorry that had to happen on your big day."

They exchanged a bit of pleasantries, then Tae Pyung excused himself soon after. He offered his apologies for not being able to personally give his best wishes to the bride as he wanted to avoid causing any more problems or scenes that would ruin the momentous occasion, to which his friend simply nodded in understanding.

He weaved through the crowd, searching for Eon Jin on his way out of the hall. He didn't need to look any further though as he saw her standing by the doors talking to a man that somehow looked familiar.

"Son Eon Jin."

She turned the moment she heard that baritone voice calling her and saw Tae Pyung walking towards her direction.

"Look who found me here," Eon Jin told him as soon as he stopped to stand closely beside her.

"By the way, CEO Kim is the bride's cousin," she added. "Officer Kim, on the other hand, is a friend of the groom."

"So this was your prior commitment. Am I right, CEO Son?" Nam Gil jested at Eon Jin, beaming as he mockingly raised an eyebrow at her. Eon Jin only snorted at his attempt at being cheeky.

Tae Pyung, clearly missing the joke, pressed his lips into a tight line to somehow resemble a polite smile, then told Nam Gil, "Please extend my best wishes to Kim Chae Ryong. There were quite a lot of guests inside, so I was not able to squeeze in and give my regards to her in person."

"Yes, they invited a lot of people," Nam Gil replied. "The room was already a bit crowded that even I had to step out to get some fresh air for a bit."

Tae Pyung automatically nodded in understanding, then turned to Eon Jin and whispered, "Would it be alright if we go now?"

"Now?" she asked, instantly sensing that something was off. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Tae Pyung denied. "Just a sudden migraine."

"Oh, okay," Eon Jin mumbled, then turned to Nam Gil who was looking at them with concern. "We'll go ahead, CEO Kim. It was nice seeing you again."

It was a quiet forty five-minute drive to Tae Pyung's place. Aside from the jazzy instrumentals that softly played in the background, none of them heard anything from the other until they reached the basement parking.

"Won't you tell me what happened back there?" Eon Jin asked a few moments after she turned off the engine.

"I told you it was just because my head hurt, that's all," he murmured, then reached down to unfasten his seat belt.

"Kim Tae Pyung."

Tae Pyung lifted his eyes to see that Eon Jin already shifted her body to fully face him, her face betraying the concern that she was trying to conceal by sticking her nose up in the air.

"From what I remember, we agreed not to keep any secrets from each other," she told him. "You surely don't expect honesty to be a one-way street, do you?"

He held her gaze for a few more seconds, then plastered a humorless smile on his face, both dimples showing on his cheeks in spite of the pretense.