"MinYoung, there's someone waiting for you in meeting room five,"
There is a tight knot forming in the deepest gut of her stomach. MinYoung slowly turns around, her heart pounding erratically against her frail chest. Her eyes slowly widen.
"Meeting room five? Do they want to see me? Am I going to get fired?" she blurts out.
MinYoung narrows her eyes to her neighbor, Eunha. A woman, so diligent and attentive that she can multitask without breaking a sweat.
She continues typing on the keyboard and without missing a beat, responds, "Actually, no. He's someone from one of the biggest corporate. I believe he's part of the Kim family business. He didn't specify why he's here, but that he seeks for your audience,"
There were definitely hundreds of family businesses that included the Kim lineage.
She doesn't know which one specifically Eunha is referring to, and neither is she telling MinYoung.
Before she could stand up, she tries to remember anyone she's offended in her past years. Perhaps it was an old colleague that left before she could know their names. It may be that they used to attend the same university as she did.
MinYoung is unsure whether she's secretly getting promoted, demoted or fired.
It could be one of the three, although she's only been working in this company for almost a year.
"I suggest you get moving. The boss is also there,"
Her heart almost drops at the remark.
She could not come up with any other reason aside from those three options. MinYoung stands up from her desk and pushes the chair under. She combs through her hair with her fingers and lets out a deep exhale.
'I really can't afford to get fired now. Have I been underperforming? But I've been on time almost every day!'
She ambles around the desks of fellow colleagues. There were two other male colleagues, aside from Eunha, with whom she was quite close. NamJoon, a timid yet bulky man with round glasses naively glances up at her from his monitor. Hoseok, Eunha's engaged partner, gives MinYoung the same confused expression.
It seems that neither of them knows what's up.
MinYoung makes a beeline towards meeting room five, whilst patting off non-existent dust off of her uniform. Although she's clean from head to toe, she still made the effort to appear presentable.
The meeting room is comprised of blurry glass walls. She could barely make out the figures inside the room. There were muffled voices that couldn't be recognized.
She swallows the nervous lump in her throat before gently knocking on the door.
"Come in,"
With shaking hands, she twists the doorknob open.
A gust of cold wind emitting from the air conditioner slaps her head and shoulder. She ignores the chills crawling around her skin and notices the people inside the meeting room. She knew she should've worn a blazer instead of just a grey blouse.
Present inside is her boss and the man who wanted to see her. He has two guards standing on both sides. She didn't have enough time to observe him.
Oddly, he stood up quickly, as if anticipating her presence.
Her boss turns around, a wide smile appeared on his face.
"Ah! Here she is," he remarks with a hint of enthusiasm.
He is a handsome man, as she'd admit so. He is clean-cut and smells of a pleasant musky fragrance that is neither strong nor weak. She clasps both hands on top of each other and takes one step forward.
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Song," the man said.
Her boss is all smiles and glee, which is something MinYoung has rarely seen. She's always witnessed him as a grumpy old man who snaps easily.
"Can I please request privacy with her?" he announces.
"Ah, oh yes, of course," Mr. Song stutters.
He side-glances at MinYoung, one that screams to not mess the situation up, although she doesn't know what she's in here in the first place. The guards have also left the meeting room and closed the door behind them.
MinYoung narrows her attention from the door to the floor.
Unbelievably, if looks could kill a person, his stone-cold gaze yet alluring eyes would have already taken her out. MinYoung lifts her head up and sighs.
"Hello," she said.
The man rests both fists under his chin supporting his head. He remains consistent eye contact with the lass, inducing her stomach to twist at the ungodly sensation.
"Do you not remember me?" he asks.
Astounded, she tilts her head to the side. Her brows are drawn together in scrutiny. She can't recall who this man is, let alone remember most of her years in university. There were so many people she met during her years of studying, including lecturers, assistants, and security guards.
A low chuckle escapes his lips and he makes his way around the table.
The man pulls out a chair for her and gestures for the young lady to sit down. She thanks him in return and clears her throat.
"Am I getting fired or something?" she blurts out.
He pleasantly laughs at her question. He shakes his head and takes the seat next to her. She unconsciously shifts further from him, yet hinders it from plain sight as much as possible. He noticed the motion from his peripheral vision and kept his distance too.
MinYoung slightly angles her chair so that she could talk to him face to face instead of the wall.
"Nothing of the sort. You must be confused as to why you're called in here to meet a stranger like me, am I correct?"
"Yes," she answers.
The man chuckles again and it's a burst of quiet laughter that stems from the innermost of his lungs.
"I would like to formally introduce myself as Kim SeokJin. Does that ring a bell to you?"
MinYoung crosses her arms and closed her eyes.
'Kim SeokJin ... Kim SeokJin, where have I heard that name before? Have we met before? Were we college classmates? Did we stumble upon each other somewhere?'
It takes a moment of silence to register, only for MinYoung to shake her head.
"Ah, then, does worldwide handsome ring a bell?"
She didn't know whether to take Eunha's and Mr. Song's words seriously. She is in disbelief at the nickname and starts wondering again.
Was this man, Kim SeokJin, really part of the biggest corporates in the country?
It takes her a while again to remember that nickname. Her mind is blurry from the past couple of days of working and traveling home. She barely pays attention to her surroundings.
"Which university did you go to?"
"Why, Hanyang University, of course. I used to study economics before changing to business. It suited me better. However, I was kept out of classes due to home reasons,"
'Other universities have similar courses too. He could probably just be bluffing me,'
"You got homesick?" she inquires.
SeokJin shakes his head with tugged lips.
"Family problems," he replied.
MinYoung nods her head and glimpses from the projector to the empty chairs, before looking back at him straight in the eyes. She did remember that a certain student was absent most of the time. He wasn't expelled due to poor attendance and was in fact, excused for an arbitrary reason.
Now she understands why.
"Were we, by any chance in the same class?"
"Yes. I always sat in the middle row,"
"There were more than fifty students in that hall. I doubt I recognized you out of everyone,"
"NamJoon can vouch for me,"
Her brows were raised. The situation was sounding more surprising with each passing second. She pondered again why she was called by SeokJin, even though NamJoon was an old classmate of his.
NamJoon, on the other hand, didn't open up too much about his college life. He did mention studying at the same university but didn't specify which course. Perhaps he knew about it and chose to be innocent. It didn't matter to MinYoung that much whether he was being secretive or not.
"So, if you're not here for him, then why did you want to come to look for me?"
He leans forward, with both arms resting on his thighs. There is a shadow that obscures a part of his face, which intensifies the concern rooting in her guts. His eyes are wide yet slanted in the end. They are sharp and soft merged into the embodiment of his charm. Thick brows obscure the upper part of his eyes, accentuating the maturity and sharpness of his youth.
"I am here to kidnap you from this company,"
"Huh?" she blurts out.
MinYoung pushes the chair backward, almost landing the back against the wall.
SeokJin grins at her naïve expression before brushing the statement aside.
"I'm just kidding, although partially,"
MinYoung glances at the time. Despite being an important figure, SeokJin seems to find it easy to go with the flow. On the other hand, MinYoung couldn't find anything light-hearted and almost took everything seriously.
Would Mr. Song be okay with her wasting work hours like this? Is SeokJin an important client to the company? There are only two hours left before clocking out.
She is hesitant about whether to scram out of the meeting room.
"I won't take much of your time. I just want to request you something,"
She relaxes at the gentleness of his tone. She brings herself back to the table, yet kept a relative distance between them.
"What is that?"
"It will be shocking to you, as it also did to me, but just hear me out,"
MinYoung nods her head, whilst SeokJin takes in a big exhale. She didn't look at his bulging chest on purpose, yet her eyes swiftly found their way looking at his suit before glancing up at his black tie.
"Years ago, our fathers tied the knot that their children would be sent off to an arranged marriage. The reason was for it being a formal business, until I confronted deeper into the proposal earlier on. It was more of a friendly exchange for an incident that happened years ago,"
Her eyes widened again and so did her mouth gape open.
Was she hearing this right? Was this a whole new level of scam work?
"Excuse me? I've never received any of this from my father, let alone my whole life," she explains.
SeokJin leans back on the chair and it creaks under his weight.
"I understand. Even I was surprised when I heard it a couple of months ago. You can check out the documents that I have brought today if you're uncertain,"
She held her palm up and considered asking her boss to kick SeokJin out. She wanted to confront the situation with her father before doing irrational actions. Earlier on, Mr. Song seemed quite infatuated with the idea of SeokJin being here.
Just how much power does a young man like him hold?
"An arranged marriage? Why would they want to propose that?" she inquires.
After having read multiple novels and dramas from one genre to another, she knew what the sole reason for an arranged marriage was. She knew the answer like it was in the back of her head. Sometimes it was obvious and cliché. However, she keeps quiet and waits for his reply.
"It is a little bit complicated. I can't explain the summary in a day. I would love to tell you about it as well, but as I said, it seems we're pressed for time. Perhaps we can have a discussion of it over with some coffee?"
Dumbfounded again, she scrutinizes his statement.
Was he asking her out on a date?
"But, being your wife? I ... I don't think I am suitable for that role, especially of your profound status,"
Truth be told, she did not like blending in with the notoriously wealthy people. Some of them are known to be arrogant. Others put on a façade. Some are genuinely nice, but the remaining are just doing it for their reputation.
At least, that was what she had watched in romance dramas.
"I am flattered to be recognized, but I don't want to be seen as the wealthy man who messes around with his wealth. Actually, I want to achieve a goal in this world," he elucidates.
MinYoung noticed a glimmer of inspiration in his eyes, as if he held hundreds of stars in them.
She closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath.
This was all too much to take in.
It was unknown whether they shared the same goals or not. She did not want to follow the same boring routine, regardless of weekends being present.
"If you are available this weekend, we can meet up in a café somewhere nearby your accommodation. You can ask your father about it, if you'd like, but I swear on my heart that all I said today is the truth,"
Weekends were usually the days where she'd slouch on her bed for almost the whole day. If it weren't for her mother asking her to come back home, she'd just stay in her own accommodation and rest her soul.
If MinYoung felt like it, she'd ask Eunha to hang out for lunch.
Initially, she didn't want to hurt his feelings. She wanted to turn his offer down and suggest that there were other elites and well-educated women he could find. Being involved in an arranged marriage at this young age of adulthood was too much of a burden on her shoulders.
"Can you give me some time to think about it?"
SeokJin had anticipated that to be her answer, regardless of her opinions. He nods his head and takes out his business card from his wallet and offers it to MinYoung.
"You can call me at this number. I will let you know where we can meet up, or if there's anything you prefer," he said.
She reciprocates the black card. Gold and white letters, as well as the company's logo, were engraved on the surface. It's as if he's freely given her his black credit card without hesitation. The quality of the card is immaculate, matte, and slightly thicker than the common types.
"Thank you," she mutters.
This time, she needed to head home to her parents.
As MinYoung excuses herself from the room, SeokJin hasn't left his gaze off of her back. The ends of his lips were curved up into a smile this whole time and unknowingly, he felt a resonating warmth flutter in his chest.
He held admiration towards the lass ever since the beginning of the semester.
SeokJin just didn't have the chance to ask her. He was also occupied with personal reasons and didn't want to add fuel to the fire.
He supports his cheek with his palm. He starts daydreaming and appreciated the way she softly spoke.
It took him back to his days in university. He could only attend on certain days. Sometimes, he'd be lucky to attend a whole month, if it weren't for the dire situation with his whole family branch. His presence alone left the professors and fellow lecturers stunned.
His status contributed a huge impact on the university, which induced more investors and elite students to attend. That particular year was a competition between one exclusive student to another, yet the courses and studies felt like a breeze for SeokJin.
Some of the female students, on the other hand, were swooning over the lad. They came from other classes to see him and it would sometimes cause a ruckus during lessons.
SeokJin could merely wave and smile at them.
MinYoung, however, didn't bother looking at him. She was too distracted by cramming her studies and balancing with her part-time job as a librarian. It wasn't much to do in the library and she'd stay there to work on her assignments.
"Young master, shall we be on our way?" said the bodyguard.
SeokJin stands up from the chair and fixes his jacket.
"Yes, N. Let us pay a visit to daddy dearest,"
That night, when the clock strikes seven for dinner, MinYoung storms down in heavy steps.
She hasn't called SeokJin directly and was, in fact, snoozing for an hour in her room. She wanted to grab a glass of water, only to remember about the black business card.
Upon finding her father in the kitchen, she huffs out a sigh.
"Father, what is the meaning of this?"
Mr. Jang turns around with steamed buns in his mouth and wide eyes.
"Hm?" he asks.
The old man in his white coat chews the buns tenderly before swallowing the soft contents.
MinYoung slaps the business card on the kitchen table and points at it. Mrs. Jang is occupied with picking out fresh herbs and plants from the garden. Her sister should be arriving home in a couple of minutes by now.
"What deal did you make with Kim SeokJin's father?"
Mr. Jang picks up the business card and examines the crisp surface of the card. It instantly reminded him of an old friend, who he hasn't seen in a long time.
"Oh, that, we agreed to the arranged marriage on a whim," he remarks.
MinYoung's eyes widened and she sucks in a deep breath.
"What?" she squeals.
Her faint scream, which she didn't put much anger into it, can barely be heard from outdoors. He washes his hands under the running sink before wiping them off on the kitchen towel.
"When did he come by to see you?"
"Just two hours before clocking out, but rather, at least explain yourself!"
Mr. Jang covers her mouth with his palm and ambles toward the living room. She follows from behind and Mrs. Jang returns home with a basket of freshly grown vegetables.
Her father plops down on the couch with a light huff and MinYoung occupies the space next to him. She leans her weight on her father as if beckoning for him to start talking already.
"I'm not letting you rest until you tell me," she scowls.
Mr. Jang chuckles and places his arm around her shoulder.
"You can turn down his offer if you want to,"
She pulled a face, more to disbelief than liberation.
"Did you set me up with him just for fun or what? You know, an arranged marriage is not to be messed with! It's literally sending your daughter, with your permission, to someone else's son,"
He releases a big sigh and shakes his head.
"No, I was actually serious about that. I wanted someone who can take care of my daughter when I'm no longer here. I have known his son for a while before having your sister and you,"
"Papa," she whines.
He stands up from the couch and heads to one of the wooden cabinets. Mr. Jang takes out an old album from the shelf, layered in timeless years of collected dust. He wipes it off in one clean slate, causing the dust particles to fly off into the direction of the kitchen.
"Honey, I'm cooking here," his wife groans.
"I'm sorry, my dear,"
He returns back to the couch and opens up the album. There were several pages containing memories of the sisters as toddlers. One picture was of MinYoung eating chocolate, which was smeared all over her mouth. She giggled at the sight of it.
Mr. Jang becomes nostalgic looking through the pictures. Time passed so swiftly, that he didn't feel it flee.
Now, both of his daughters are working stable jobs.
He stops almost at the end of the album and points at the picture in the top left corner.
When MinYoung looks at it carefully, a light gasp escapes her lips. The similar features of round eyes and cheeks, as well as heart-shaped thick lips, resemble precisely the man she met earlier today.
"No way! Father, we knew each other as kids?" she inquired in disbelief.
Was this her childhood friends to lovers' moment?
"Yes. Our families went out together. Your mother was the one who took this picture. Your sister wouldn't stop fussing around when she saw you and SeokJin holding hands together," he explains with a wide grin.
MinYoung glimpses at her younger self again and at SeokJin.
'Man, I was a really chubby kid back then,'
'Does SeokJin want this marriage for the sake of his father's request? Does he truly have feelings for me?'
"Then how come you've never told me this? Why did you keep it a secret? Does mother know?"
Mr. Jang bops his head left and right.
"I was hoping to break the news to you one day, but seeing yourself be free in the world made me say nothing. I did not want to bind you to a marriage that you did not seek in the first place. Your mother wasn't keen on the idea, even though she's met the family a couple of times. However, I proposed that marriage in the sense of uniting our families together,"
Knowing how sensitive and nostalgic her father can get when it came to family moments, she could only nod her head. She wants to make her father happy and proud.
Marriage, however, wasn't on the plan at all.
He closes the book slowly, afraid that more dust will spread around the house. He sets it aside on the coffee table and leans back on the couch.
"Now, I will not force you to agree with him. I just want you to think about it. Declining won't make me mad, I will support your decision no matter what. If you accept the offer, your father will support you no matter what. This is your life to choose and I know it's an unexpected situation. It just seems that SeokJin has made up his mind, after all these years,"
"How did you and his father meet?"
Before Mr. Jang could reply to her question, he fakes a headache and quickly holds his head.
"Oh, I think I ate too many buns. My head is spinning. Maybe, you can ask SeokJin to answer that,"
She grabs his arm and pushes him back and forth.
"Father," she whines.
He ends up laughing at her sulking expression, which it ended when Mrs. Jang calls the family for dinner.
Minutes later, her sister returns home.
. . .
a/n: 17.11.2022 - revised