"It's absolutely scrumptious, babe!" Hye Jin cried as she savoured a mouthful of cake. "You must try the banana fosters."
Jeong Hyeok smiled at her excitement as she indulged herself in a second bite. He playfully took the fork from her hand and scooped up a mouthful of the confection.
"Hey! Get your own fork, mister." she scolded lightheartedly, snatching the utensil back, glaring at him.
"Whatever happened to what's yours is mine?" he teased.
"That doesn't apply to patisserie."
"But you love me anyway," he grinned forward flirtatiously for just a moment before relaxing back into his seat. "And the cake is delicious," he told her. "But are you sure you don't want to go with something more traditional?"
"Traditional is boring," she pooh-poohed, waving her hand dismissively. "I am one of a kind and my wedding will be as well."
"Valid point," he chuckled. "No one can accuse you of being a follower. And I definitely like the cake."
"Plus, bananas are yellow and gold is one of our colours so the decoration will fit. I think we should add it to the shortlist along with the chocolate truffle champagne cake."
"Well then, it's on the list," he capitulated easily.
A French pop song interrupted their banter. Hye Jin looked down at her phone with a groan. "A girl's work is never done," she said with an annoyed shake of her head. "It's my father. He needs me in a meeting with some drones from the NHS. There's some sort of problem with the paperwork on our new anti-neoplastic. If they hold up the UK release of this drug it will cost us millions. I've got to get things over."
"When you gotta go, you gotta go."
"You're not disappointed that I've got to cut our tasting short," she asked? A hint of worry crossed her usually self-assured façade.
"I'm always disappointed when you leave me," he replied smoothly, "But that's just the price I've got to pay for being engaged to such an important person."
"Such a charmer," she flashed a broad smile, showcasing her blindingly white teeth. "You'll be home for supper?" she inquired.
"Will you?" he laughed.
Hye Jin rolled her eyes. "I guess that's up to the nice men at the National Health Service."
"I'll have my speciality waiting for you, whenever you get home," he offered.
"Take out from PeraBell's?" she inquired.
"Only the best for my girl." Hye Jin giggled merrily as she got up from the table.
"See you tonight, my love.!" She gathered up her things, leaning down to give him a peck on the cheek.
He watched with a smile as she rushed out of the bakery, leaning back with a contented sigh. Things were good. His life was finally back on track. It had been almost six months since he realized he needed to move on from Yoon Se Ri.
He had thrown himself completely into his relationship with Hye Jin and things were moving along nicely. Wedding plans were finally moving forward, with the wedding date set for New Year's Eve-a mere seven months away. A drop in the bucket compared to the year and a half they had already been engaged.
Se Ri had asked him if he was really going to marry Hye Jin, that night at the tango club. That's the dynastic plan, he told her. Only it wasn't entirely true. He had always downplayed his relationship with Hye Jin on the rare occasions that it came up with Se Ri. And so, when Se Ri asked him, he'd framed his answer as such, partly in an attempt not to hurt her, and partly in a desperate hope that Se Ri would tell him not to do it.
He really did care for Hye Jin-loved her, even-but if Se Ri had said the word, he'd have left his fiancée right then and there. Only Se Ri had said nothing, further solidifying the fact that their night was nothing more than the world's grandest goodbye.
Se Ri would never commit to him. He wasn't sure she could commit to anything. There was a reason she had stuck to freelancing and kept rejecting offers-and it wasn't because it was beneath her. There was a reason she gave up her place in Gangnam and started living out of cardboard boxes. There was a reason she'd strung safe, boring Cha Sang U along for three years (yes, he knew about Sang U). There was no bigger commitment-phobe than Yoon Se Ri.
Hye Jin could give him what Se Ri couldn't; stability, commitment, emotional intimacy. And he was getting better at giving her those things as well. It was still a work in progress. A person didn't get over love like his and Se Ri's overnight. But he was getting there. By the time their wedding came around, he would be a man worthy of marrying Han Hye Jin.
****
Jeong Hyeok stumbled back to the bar for another refill. It had been only a few hours since the party started yet he hadn't been able to get her off his mind without a good scotch. He knew how wrong it was to be thinking about another woman at his engagement party, but he was only human. He couldn't control all his thoughts. So instead of trying, he drowned them out with scotch.
"Don't you think you've had enough for the night?" Jeong Hyeok looked up at the sound of his father's voice. He'd successfully avoided him for too long. He should've known he couldn't make it through the party without having to face him. Their relationship had improved over the years, but it was hardly a relationship. "Besides, it's your engagement party. Shouldn't you be drunk in love?"
"Who says I am not?"
"Unless love is made from malted barley, I am quite sure it's the scotch."
"You're here to lecture me? I thought we were past that."
"You chose this, Jeong Hyeok. No one forced Hye Jin on you."
It was true. Sure his parents had introduced them. He had been prepared to be bored to tears but Hye Jin had actually been entertaining. She was incredibly smart, with a degree in biotechnology and MBA from Wharton, and she could more than hold her own in a conversation.
He had been surprised at the blatant set-up since he knew how his mother felt about 'working women', but apparently, Hye Jin came from a wealthy and influential enough family to more than make up for it. And maybe his mother had finally come to terms with the fact he would never be happy with someone who couldn't challenge him intellectually.
His father, on the other hand, had never much cared who he dated. As long as Jeong Hyeok's personal life stayed personal, he could do whatever he liked. Though he liked the idea of Jeong Hyeok settling down since the board would likely find the assurance.
Jeong Hyeok had nothing to lose by giving her a shot. She impressed him more with every date. Sure, they never had that intense chemistry, but what they lacked in passion, they made up for in companionship, understanding, and stability. Those were traits to lead long and healthy relationships
"I love Hye Jin." Jeong Hyeok stated emphatically.
Ri Chung Ryeol sighed. "Are you still seeing her?"
Jeong Hyeok narrowed his eyes in confusion. "I see her right now, she is at table four talking to her uncle."
"Don't play dumb with me, Jeong Hyeok. It's unbecoming." His father could always read him better than he liked. Of course, it had nothing to do with the fact that Jeong Hyeok was his son and everything to do with the fact that reading people was what Ri Chung Ryeol did best. He knew when people were keeping things from him.
Jeong Hyeok raised his gaze to meet his father. "That ended a long time ago."
"And you're regretting your decision?"
Well, first, it wasn't Jeong Hyeok's decision, but it was the right one. He'd get over it eventually. Se Ri was his kryptonite, he just needed a little more time in the sun to heal.
"No." Jeong Hyeok replied.
"Good, your mother would have a coronary if you called off the wedding."
"Well, no risk of that on my part. Though I can't promise Hye Jin won't come to her senses."
"There you are, darling! I haven't seen you in hours," A familiar voice lifted into their conversation. Jeong Hyeok winced, knowing that, had she arrived a few seconds earlier, she could have heard some very incriminating intimations.
"Hey, babe." He turned to her with a smile. "Sorry. It seems everyone wants a piece of you at your engagement party. The boys practically held me hostage."
Hye Jin cocked her head, looking at him appraisingly. "Oh, Jeong Hyeok, you promised."
"Promised what?"
"You're slurring your words and flailing your arms about like a maniac. And your breath reeks of alcohol. You promised you wouldn't drink too much."
Jeong Hyeok groaned, hating himself more than a little. He had promised. And he broke his promise to his fiance because he was thinking about another woman, at their engagement party. He was a scumbag. Not that he hadn't known that about himself for years, as he slept with the said other woman behind Hye Jin's back.
"Ah, cut the boy a break," Ri Chung Ryeol piped in. "He is celebrating, dear. And for a very good cause."
"Is he now?" She asked sceptically. Silence engulfed them for a few beats. "Do you mind if I steal him away?" she finally asked her soon to be father-in-law.
"He's all yours."
Jeong Hyeok followed Hye Jin out onto the dance floor, taking her in his arms. She leaned her head against his chest as they danced to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova singing Falling Slowly. "I thought we were past this," she said softly.
Jeong Hyeok tensed uncomfortably but kept dancing. Did she know more than she let on? Had she heard more of his conversation with his father than he realized? "Past what?"
"The drinking, the avoidance, the mood swings."
"I wasn't avoiding you."
Hye Jin sighed. "She made you miserable, you know."
"What?" Jeong Hyeok took a step back, eyes wide.
Hye Jin chuckled sardonically. "I am not stupid Jeong Hyeok. You had boxes of her things in your closet for Christ's sake."
"You never said anything..."
"We were apart, living in different countries. Then I moved in and not long after her boxes disappeared, and you seemed more focused, less distracted. I knew it was over."
"So... you're just okay with it?" He had no right to be hurt here. He was the guilty party. But if it had been the other way around, he would be furious, green-eyed with envy. Didn't she love him enough to be jealous?
"Infidelity is practically a cultural norm, Jeong Hyeok. Everyone does it. Though that doesn't mean I am okay with it."
"Everyone?" he asked pointedly.
"Oh please." Hye Jin scoffed. "I barely have time to sleep with you. I am a 33-year-old woman heading up the entire R&D division of South Korea's biggest pharmaceutical company while planning a wedding. I barely have time to sleep at all."
"I am sorry, I know I have no right..."
"Are you seeing her again?"
"No!" Jeong Hyeok answered emphatically.
"Do you want to see her again?"
Jeong Hyeok sighed. He loved Se Ri. He always would. And a part of his heart would never want to stop seeing her. But Hye Jin was right. He was miserable with her. Being with Se Ri was a perpetual string of highs and lows. A constant undercurrent of the feeling of inadequacy. He never felt good enough with her. She wasn't good for him. "No," he answered.
"Then is it me? Are you having second thoughts about getting married?"
"No!"
"Good. Because love is a choice you make every day, Jeong Hyeok. It's not fate or destiny. It's not 'meant' to be. It's hard work. It's compromise and commitment. It's not perfect and we'll make mistakes. But I'll forgive you, as long as you keep trying. As long as you keep wanting this."
Jeong Hyeok took her back into his arms, leaning down to press his lips to hers. "I want this," he promised her, leaning his forehead to hers. "I choose you."
****
I know, there is so much going on between Jeong Hyeok and Seri. What the hell happened between these two? Would love to read your theories about this 💛
Comments and votes are deeply appreciated. I got chapter two ready, so, see you soon!