Because of the exhaustion evident on his face that night, Se-Ri refused to let him go home. "Stay here. I don't think you're in any shape to drive."
She was right. After he took a shower and changed, he was asleep. He didn't even make it under the covers. Max was by the guest bed trying to push Jeong Hyeok's legs up.
"Go to sleep, buddy!" Se-Ri urged the puppy. "I'll take care of him." Once Max was on his bed, she turned to Jeong Hyeok and tried to move his six foot one frame under the comforter. When that was done, after much effort from her, she stared at his face.
Smoothing the frown on his face with her fingers, she kissed his nose and whispered, "I missed you."
Jeong Hyeok grunted, took her hand and kissed it. Then, whispered in his sleep, "I love you, Se-Ri-ah. Good night."
The following morning, Se-Ri woke up early to prepare them breakfast. She called Manager Hong to tell him she will be working from home for the day. "I have important personal matters to attend to but you can reach me on the phone if there's something urgent, understood?"
Jeong Hyeok strode in the dining room with messy hair, that was further standing up because he was scratching his head, one eye open and a missing shirt.
"Omo! Jeong Hyeok, I gave you a shirt last night, didn't I?" Se-Ri asked, averting her gaze before she started drooling. From the suits he wore, she could tell that his body was much more beefed up than when they were in University and when they were engaged previously. Seeing it quite literally in the flesh was something else.
"Yes. Are these my clothes?"
Se-Ri blushed. "Yes. Those you left behind from before."
"You kept them?" He asked, grinning like a child given candy.
"Not all. In a fit of rage, I made some of your shirts rags for the floor," she admitted, which made Jeong Hyeok laugh. "But I kept some. I'd have thrown everything away if I had known you no longer wear shirts at home."
Se-Ri wasn't really annoyed but she felt like she had to pretend to not like seeing him without clothes. She meant what she said that he needed to do some work to make amends and her jumping him at once would be counterproductive.
"Sorry, the shirt was a little too tight. Let me get the sweatshirt," he said, heading back to the room, giving her a wonderful view of his back.
No, don't cover it up! She thought but said nothing. Se-Ri-ah! Behave!
Getting a sweatshirt was the correct move for the moment because it allowed her to focus at the task at hand. "I was thinking," she started, while Jeong Hyeok ate his food. "Do you think you could take a few days off? I'd really like for us to talk and I worry that if we don't do so now we'd keep deferring until we forget to discuss the important things."
He agreed. "May I check my schedule?" When she nodded, he took his phone and scrolled through his calendar. "I have meetings but I can move those to video conferences. Do you have a place in mind?"
"There's one that I go to when I need some time alone but I want to check if they allow pets. We are not leaving our babies," Se-Ri declared and it thrilled Jeong Hyeok to no end. He was immensely happy that they would bring the dogs and that she keeps referring to them as "our" babies.
"Let me know if that doesn't work out. I have a vacation home we can stay in," Jeong Hyeok informed her.
"You have a vacation home?!" Se-Ri repeated.
"Yes," he replied, nonchalant. "I started paying for it years ago. I thought that my superstar fiancee would need a place to retreat to where paparazzi won't bother her, so I searched for a property that accorded that privacy. We'd already broken up when I fully paid it and I considered selling but I decided to refurbish the house instead. Let me warn you, it's spacious but very basic. It doesn't even have photos in the place."
Because they were able to arrange their meetings, they decided to drive up to Jeong Hyeok's vacation home that afternoon only stopping by his house to pick up his clothes. His home was very modern, mostly white and grey interiors with chrome and steel accents. It had a similar feel to how Seo Dan described Jeong Hyeok's New York apartment, except that the one in the US was made of mostly wood.
"Jeong Hyeok, may I use your computer? I just need to email Manager Hong some things," Se-Ri called out from the living room.
He appeared at the door to his bedroom. "Sure. I left my laptop in the car but you can use the one in here. I just need to pack some food."
"Hang on. I don't know your password," Se-Ri said.
"Your birthday."
"Oh, Hyeoky."
"What?"
Crossing her arms, she said, "You really need stronger passwords. You're an information security nightmare."
Jeong Hyeok laughed. "Understood. You can log in but you won't be able to access any of my files. They're all protected and encrypted. So, go ahead. I'll see you in a bit."
On his desk, like Seo Dan told her of his New York apartment, were photos. However, instead of just one, there were three. One of her from their University days. Another from when they met each other again and she was with their grandfathers. Finally, one of the two of them.
They were at a random restaurant where he visited her shoot and Jeong Hyeok asked the owner to take a photo of them. She was grinning happily at the camera because they already decided to marry but had not told anyone yet. Se-Ri couldn't stop giggling at something and Jeong Hyeok couldn't keep his eyes off her. That was the moment captured.
"Are you done with your emails?" Jeong Hyeok asked.
"Oh, no. Not yet. Sorry," she said, turning away from the pictures. As she typed, she told him, "Can I have a copy of this picture?"
When they arrived at his vacation home, Se-Ri immediately knew he understated the property. He said it was basic but the house was completely furnished, sure it did not have food that's why he took so much stuff from his pantry to bring, but it had all the amenities one would need on a vacation.
They shared the cooking duties, alternating preparing the dishes and attending meetings. When they were finally settled for the night, Se-Ri found Jeong Hyeok sitting by the pool, dipping his legs and staring up at the sky.
"Can I join you?" she asked. He patted the space beside him where she sat. She observed his profile with the water and light shining some light on his face. "What are you thinking?"
He turned to her and smiled. "I feel... relieved."
"Relieved? Why?"
"We still have a lot of challenges to work through but... you're here. I can't help but feel grateful that you're a bigger person than I am and you're giving me another chance," he answered. "Go, ask me. I promised you we'd talk, so ask away."
Se-Ri considered whether she should defer the topic for another day. However, if they were to move forward, they needed to deal the toughest parts first. "I'd like you to tell me why you left."
Jeong Hyeok checked her expression to see if this was truly what she wanted to discuss first.
"We were so happy making plans, then you just told me that you were leaving and unsure when you'd be back. I was blindsided... I'd like to understand," she added. Of course, she knew parts of the story which she would share later but for the time being, she needed to hear his side.
Carefully, he told her about the day he went to meet her father to ask his permission, how things went downhill from there. "I tried to talk to my dad as well, broker some kind of deal between them but no one would budge. I was already at a loss on what to do. I knew your father's blessing was important to you and I didn't have it."
Se-Ri felt sad hearing about it from Jeong Hyeok. She knew of the business troubles and suspected that Jeong Hyeok may have been on the receiving end of the animosity but she did not know that it was to this extent.
"When the topic about your colleague came up with her getting married and losing projects... I took it as a sign that it was not the time for us," he finished.
"That's why you left. You made me think you were a jerk instead of getting mad at my father and being guilty about reaching for my dreams," she concluded, tearfully.
"Don't make it sound like I'm such a good person. I still hurt you. There's nothing great about that," he replied, wryly. Playing with her hair, he kissed her forehead. "Please don't cry. If there's one thing I'm perfectly happy about is that you made it! I was so proud of you whenever you won those awards. Don't ever be guilty about that."
Se-Ri sniffled as Jeong Hyeok took her in his arms so she could snuggle in. Finding her favorite spot in the crook of his neck, she sighed happily.
"All I ask is to be let in again and maybe take up a little space in your life," he said.
"But what about your dreams, Jeong Hyeok? Were you able to reach them while we were apart?" Se-Ri asked.
"Well, I made steps toward it but my goal has not yet been achieved."
Se-Ri pulled back. "From what I could tell you already have vast amounts of money. Some financial magazines even say you're one of those people who won't need to work again for the rest of your life. How much more do you need?!"
"Are you stalking me, Ms. Yoon?" he teased.
She copied his expression. "You were the one who taught me to do due diligence. I was just doing mine to make sure you weren't investing illegal money into my company."
Jeong Hyeok laughed but gave a proud gaze. "Good."
"So?! How much money does one need? Have you gotten greedy?!" she asked, incredulously. Se-Ri would be the last person to judge someone who wants the finer things in life, especially if that person worked hard for their money like Jeong Hyeok, but from what she found out he would live as a millionaire simply by the interest earnings of his investments.
"Living comfortably is something I like and I wish to continue doing well in my firm but those are not my goals," he clarified. When she asked again, he said, "When I was away, it reinforced what I really wanted in life. I want to be a dad."
The answer stunned Se-Ri yet somehow made sense after all these years of knowing him. "A dad?"
"Yes. Being stable financially means that I can stay home with the children when you're away on shoots. It also gives me the freedom on my work schedule so I could go to parent-teacher conferences and other school activities. AND I could work from home! I won't have to miss a first smile or a first step," Jeong Hyeok said, wistfully. "It's unusual I know but --"
She cut him off. "Don't apologise. It's perfect."
~~~
Well, here we are again
I guess it must be fate
We've tried it on our own
But deep inside we've known
We'd be back to set things straight
(Song Lyrics - Peter Cetera, Cher)
~~~
(Past - University)
It was a sunny weekend and Se-Ri and Jeong Hyeok decided to go around the mall with their other friends from the University. As couples broke off in different directions, Se-Ri found Jeong Hyeok staring at the apparel for babies.
"Se-Ri, look! Those shoes are adorable," Jeong Hyeok commented on a small pair of rubber shoes in a light shade of blue.
"It looks like one of yours!" she said. "Hey, Jeong Hyeok-ah. We're too young... I don't want you to be getting any ideas."
Jeong Hyeok smiled at her. "I will wait until you're ready, of course!"
Se-Ri grinned at him. "Good. But I want you to make sure you're ready, too. Okay? "
Jeong Hyeok nodded.
"You're going to be a good father someday," Se-Ri told him, loyally.
"Someday," he agreed. "With you."