"Therefore, what God has joined, let not man separate."
Matthew 19:6
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SAUL
I walk out of the bakery to see a child walking by, his hands full of paper bags filled with newspaper. He is looking down at the pavement and almost bumped into the cooking end of a corn dog cart. I was ready to rush towards him, but a girl beat me to it.
She's dark-haired and dark-eyed with straight brows that make her look kind. Ahh, right, Jessicha or Siccha, a famous runner from the other school. She's popular in her field and all over our area. I didn't think I'd actually get to see her in person.
But, hey, you know what? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it isn't Siccha, but the boy was safe now so I didn't really care.
I turn away and set my music, and then I run as fast as I could to school-- can't be late, you know? But I bump into someone on a bike and we crash, and when I got up, the world started to turn dark and a crowd of just clothes stalked towards me. I shouldn't have been scared, but I was because it was so overwhelming, and strangely enough leading it all was a dress. I tried to approach instead to try to figure it all out rather than get cornered, but the more that I moved forward, the farther the whole crowd went and the higher rusted metal rods and rails I didn't notice earlier became, forming a gate.
I frown and run faster, but I fall into a hole and suddenly feel a jolt.
The next thing I knew, I was awake.
"Mom!" I called out as I got out of bed, alert in general, but still groggy in the back of my mind.
Why would I dream of Jessicha?
"Mom?" I heard a soft voice and mirth-filled laughter. Jessicha was beside me, eating cereal from a plastic bowl.
"Get up, Dude. Unless you don't wanna join me on my jog."
I stretched and groaned. "Wait for me."
"Mmkay," she said, her mouth full of food, before leaving me again.
I never expected that Jessicha and I would get married so soon. It was weird to have to get married because of our families when we were already a couple. It's like they made our wedding contractual just so we would do it sooner than intended for other reasons.
I feel like it strained our relationship in some way.
Taking a bath, brushing my teeth, and putting on some office clothes took me about half an hour, and I quickly went down to greet Jessiccha properly.
"Hey," I said, kissing her cheek and grabbing a tupperware of breakfast I know she made for me from the counter. "Let's go?"
She smiled and grabbed her duffel bag. "Let's go!"
We went out back to our garage and I drove us out to the park. That's where I eat while she does her morning jog. She eventually ends up running anyway. Like I wouldn't notice.
She knows I'd prefer if she doesn't run here since there's no definite track or a suitable path for her, but she does it anyway. So I have to keep my eyes on her to make sure she stays safe.
"I'll go now," she prompted so briefly that I almost didn't notice, and jogged off out of my sight.
I settled at a place facing the most dangerous area she'll pass and quietly opened my tupperware to eat. Thankfully, the wind wasn't strong enough to guide some leaves to land on my food. Today, I have fried hot dogs, square fluffy pancakes, ham, a tiny block of butter, and four thin strips of crunchy bacon.
Cute.
She eventually started running and this lasted for about half an hour before she caught sight of an ice cream truck nearby. She wanted one so I gave her some money to treat her.
"Thanks," she grinned excitedly and went ahead to buy.
She disappears so quickly sometimes I get scared. Must come from being a former trackstar, her moving quick. Her smile is always worth seeing, so I try to do things that make her happy, of course within reason and, well, nothing bad. In the years I've known her, Siccha was never hard to please, and that makes me want to do even more for her. Little things like spending the mornings with her seem to be more rewarding than I thought it would be.
"Thanks, Saul," Siccha gushed, as she wiped the stickiness off her hands with wet wipes.
I chuckled lightly and grabbed our things. "Come on, Siccha."
We stopped by home for Siccha to munch on a granola bar, take a bath, and prepare to go to her office. Her building is closer so I drop her off every morning.
"Thank youuuu," she said before leaving and quickly getting in the building. I watched her go in before driving to my office. My office is on the top floor so that people don't have to wait an extra floor before dropping off where they have to be. It's also to give me extra privacy.
I thought about Jessicha as I walked into my office. She was never the same ever since we got married. Her eyes weren't as expressive, and she seemed...not relaxed, but resigned. She wouldn't complain, of course, because it's not like she didn't love me, but it's a different thing to be married when we wanted to, and it's another thing to get married because our elders set it up to be so.
"Sir," my personal assistant, Song Kwan Min, greeted me outside my door. He, Jane, my other assistant, and my family were the only ones allowed to appear without scheduling an appointment. He handed me a clipboard with a bunch of papers and left me alone.
I browsed through the papers and decided that I was going to have to work overtime. I texted Jessicha and got to work. Right now, my problem is getting the hotel's amenities to be top-tier. I want to have them upgraded, but I want to upgrade a lot rather than focus on one part. It's twenty-fifth anniversary is coming up, so I thought it would be a great time to announce renovations to begin, like a gift. I didn't have a problem with the money, so right now, my problem is just looking for designs or stores and checking which ones will be worth buying.
My office was quiet and comfortable, so I didn't want to make changes to it anymore, so the most important thing right now is asking my employees what devices or changes they may need for their comfort and convenience.
I don't have that much to do today on the business side, but I do have a late meeting later on, so for now, I do things myself instead to keep myself occupied.
I created a form and emailed each department head and my PAs to have it filled out within the week. I then listed the shops I knew and went out to scout for more shops. We had a number of good ones close by, but the best ones were the ones close to the highways, where they're situated there in this huge lot like warehouses.
I stopped by a diner for some lunch and just drove back to the office. Took me about two hours. I didn't even realize that I went that far.
The meeting later on was with the board of directors on the project with a similarly renowned entertainment industry. They wanted our help to host and house their artists for an event.
It was like a showcase where the artists have specific days assigned to show their talents and entertain crowds. The events include fashion modeling, theater acting, a concert, a play for kids, and a variety show. Afterwards they will host a gala and a private afterparty. These will require a lot of work and manpower for sure, as well as heightened security. I think that's the hardest part. The rooms had to be quickly reserved on those days as well.
I quickly scheduled emails to be sent to the respective departments for meetings and details for planning. I trust they'll do well, but I wanted to make sure they have guidance, especially since everything has to be quite in synch.
I think Jessicha would be thrilled.
Our meeting started at four in the afternoon and ended by eight. Too late, so I truly hope Jessicha's not bored. SHe does get bored quite easily, and it's hard for her to just invite her friends because they're all scattered already, so they can't just hang out anytime they want.
I get home by eight thirty and go straight to the kitchen. "Jessicha?" I called. She was asleep by the dining table, her head resting in the comfort of her crossed arms.
Ahh... never mind. She must be tired.
I ate quietly beside her and carry her up to our room after I finish eating, change, and then I do my dishes and drink up. When I had finished, I almost jumped at the figure leaning against the counter. Her eyes were droopy and squinting, but she was sitting up straight, like she was in class. "Why are you home so late?"
I tilted my head a bit. "I texted you, though."
Her eyebrows went weird. I don't get how she does that. It's like her eyebrows are more expressive than her eyes. "You didn't."
"I did," I insisted and showed her my phone quickly
She gave me a deadpan face, and crossed her arms.
"What?" I turned my phone screen towards myself, and saw that...
I didn't send my message.