It was the sixth hour of their long flight when Seri fell into deep slumber. Her head would sway towards the aisle where passengers would pass by, making Jeong Hyeok feel uneasy at her sleeping state. One second didn't passed yet when he found his hands, lifting themselves on their own, gently cradling her head and guiding it to the comfort of his broad shoulders.
She held her white-knuckled hands together as her eyes shut tight, indicating she was indeed in her deep sleep. As if it wasnt enough for him to tilt his shoulder to a lower angle to accommodate her head more, Jeong Hyeok smoothly removed his jacket, and spread the fabric over her. It was his jacket that brought warmth to Seri.
Seeing her peaceful image and the overwhelming feeling of providing comfort to her was enough for Jeong Hyeok to finally close his eyes and give in to his own sleep.
Thank Director Ri and some of the values he taught while raising young Jeong Hyeok.
"What?" was the only word Seri's mind could form after waking up from what she would say, the best sleep she ever had in all her histories of travelling. She lifted her head upon realizing where it has been the whole time and evaded eye contact. She quickly returned the jacket and felt the slap of cold air as her skin started to crave warmth once again. Seri gave the jacket to Jeong Hyeok, who was now propping himself to stand up.
"That wasn't necessary but thank you," Seri muttered under her breath as she stood up with Jeong Hyeok, enough for him to hear those words at their close proximity. She quickly fixed herself and went for the aisle to exit the plane.
The airport of Zürich was busy on an eight o'clock evening. Announcements overlapped the whole wide room as passengers from different countries were going about their own ways.
Seri and Jeong Hyeok were walking side by side, with her pulling the luggage swiftly, maintaining her poise while Jeong Hyeok held his duffle bag on one shoulder."Are you heading straight to Sigriswil?" Seri finally managed to ask in the middle of their walking, not turning to look at him.
"No, I figured out I can go there by train tomorrow. " His eyes were fixed to the direction in front of him. "For now..." he pondered, as if trying to put some pieces together in his head.
Then finally, he decided to check.
"Wait," Jeong Hyeok firmly said and paused, making Seri oblige and stop in her tracks as well. She glanced at him, pulling his phone from the pocket and proceeded to text on someone.
Man Bok-ssi, I'm at the airport right now. Can you still pick me up? - Jeong Hyeok
Oh, right, Jeong Hyeok-ah. I have so much work in the studio today. I'm sorry I couldn't be there. - Man Bok
That's fine. It's the same unit right? I'm leaving for tomorrow morning anyway. Just for the night today. - Jeong Hyeok
Seri's eyes were scanning the venue from the third floor to the first then to the second. There were so many food stalls and mini stores that she was tempted to take herself in. She went back to Jeong Hyeok who was still typing.
Why did she stopped with him? She could've just went on. It's not like they even agreed to go together in the first place. That Duty-Free store is literally calling for me. Should I just leave him here? she contemplated to herself.
Just then a call went in, and Jeong Hyeok responded immediately, growing conscious at the certain person in front of him. This waiting game must've killed them inside by now.
"You called?"
"Shoot. My seniors decided to use that room until tomorrow. They're recording something separate for the film's audio files. They just told me today."
Jeong Hyeok was silent. The moment those words hit him, he didnt have the time to talk back and instead, his mind scrambled all the memories he could think of that would give him a name of a, say, hotel or just any place he can stay for the night.
"Do you have any place to go? You've always headed straight to my extra unit whenever you'd visit here."
"I don't know much about Zürich. You know that. Sigriswil is the only place I am familiar here"
"I'm really sorry Jeong Hyeok-ah, you kno- Man Bok-ssi! The recording is about to start!"
The phone ended, leaving him hanging. He lowered his phone and stared at the airport's white tiles in front of him. Seri noticed.
After a few seconds, Jeong Hyeok brought his attention back to his phone again and typed something in urgency.
Seri couldn't help but walk towards him, her curiosity getting the best of her, again. "Is there a problem?" she asked, her eyes fixated on the screen of his phone, not realizing she just invaded his personal space.
Jeong Hyeok felt the temple of her head brush his shoulder and remembered how those felt rested back at the plane. He froze long enough for Seri to read the screen.
"You don't have a place to stay? I'm telling you Ri Jeong Hyeok-ssi, you would not want to trust those fishy sites."
"Well, I have no choice. My friend's unit I've always gone to, is unavailable tonight. This one looks decent enough," he replied, tapping the screen.
"Well, if it pleases you then. I have a suite with two rooms in
Baur au Lac. I'm not exactly inviting you but it would eat my guilt out knowing I could've helped but never tried. Your choice, I already offered." Seri suggested.
She always tried to help others in as many ways as she can even though she was the type who wouldn't just give you a smile and say, "you're welcome".
Some of the people she helped, mostly her employees, could not even get the chance to say thank you and just saw her disappear or pretended it never happened. It's like, give and leave. She can't just face a person thanking her from the bottom of their hearts or else, those walls might crumble and worse, she'll even join them cry.
No.
Jeong Hyeok was sure. He had a straight-face. The problem had just been solved, if his expression could translate it in words.
"I understand. But no, thanks. I can handle this. "
---
"5000," the man across the desk, firmly replied.
"What? 5000?" Jeong Hyeok clarified, holding out five fingers in the air. He was clearly a clueless foreigner in Zürich.
"Yes. Take it or leave it," he added. Jeong Hyeok paused and calculated the cost, converting it to Korean won in his head. Is Switzerland really this, expensive?
"Can I check the room?"
Jeong Hyeok followed the swiss man who was fiddling with the keys in his hands as they travelled the stairs. It was the only place that had a vacant slot for the night apart from the other four he went through which was actually way worse already. The city was awfully, heavily packed.
As soon as the door opened, the room was unrecognizable from the one he saw on the internet. It went from a 5 star royalty to a 1 star nightmare.
Does it even get to have one star?
The air was obviously awkward with Jeong Hyeok scanning the room with dismayed eyes as the man fixated his gaze on him, waiting for that sweet confirmation.
"I'm sorry but I think this isn't the one you posted on your site," to which the man just gave him an agitating look.
"Take it or leave it," he repeated, clearly not open for some petty negotiation.
Jeong Hyeok fought the stare he threw, indirectly telling him he's not just someone he could fool for 5000 francs. He took out his phone, scanned the contact list to the bottom and finally pressed the caller ID.
He placed the phone on his ear and waited for the person to answer. At this point, the swiss man was already thinking of just snatching that device away from him, fearing that he might've contacted the police.
"Seri-ssi..." he once called her again, making extra-sure he had that tone of authority in front of the man.
"I know. Let's have dinner first. I gave you the hotel's name right? I already ordered a set of Bouillabaisse here," Seri replied. It really wasn't that much but for Ri Jeong Hyeok who had spent the last two hours scouring the entire city for a place to stay, the feeling of relief was a hundred-fold.
No response from the other line.
1...
2...
"Ri Jeong Hyeok-ssi?"
3...
"Okay," his voice softly replied.
Jeong Hyeok ended the call and faced the man with his deadly-serious aura. "Thank you but I'm not taking it," and excused himself, leaving the swiss alone in the room wondering if he did called the authorities or the bureau or what. Shady hotels that tend to feed off from tourist's pockets by charging them triple the price was the worst and Zürich was no stranger to this.
He couldn't even get a hold of his father. Director Ri must've been drowned in his sanity from those business seminars in Sigriswil right now.
The Pavillon in Baur au Lac glowed differently under the night sky. Warm chandeliers and lilac sheets with lavender bouquets resting in cream-porcelain vases completed the Michelin 3-star restaurant's ambience.
"I told you."
Seri stifled a giggle as she tried to make out the words she had been aching to tell him ever since he arrived. The aroma of the delicate seafood towered with glossy mollusks of which Seri would call as the bouillabaisse, filled the air as they finally savoured their first dinner after the eleven-hour flight.
"I couldn't even explain how awful the room was. And he really expected I'd pay for that one night," Jeong Hyeok added, gesturing the waiter for a thank you as the man poured Sauvignon blanc to their wine glass.
"At least you dodged a bullet right there. My sister-in-law fell for that a year ago. That girl, I clearly reminded her." she added.
Jeong Hyeok chuckled as he reached for his wine glass and took a sip. There wasn't much sounds, apart from the faint clang of spoons clattering on plates, and the calm jazz music that decorated the air.
"Did you gave your bag to the staff?" Seri asked, making sure he said the right room number.
"Yes, 302 Penthouse Suite. Thank you for that, Seri-ssi."
Seri smiled, suddenly not getting conscious on holding back her emotions for the moment. With him, Seri strangely became comfortable enough to express what she felt at his remark.
"You're welcome," she finally said.
Oh how that felt so alive to say for the first time.
Jeong Hyeok took a mental picture of how those eyes formed into crescents again as he watched Seri smiled to him for a moment before immediately going back to her plate.
To compare them both, Seri was more attentive to the dish, consuming the mediterranean varieties piece by piece. As for Jeong Hyeok, he had a fair share of the contents and decided to go for the wine more.
Comfortable silence once again filled the atmosphere as his eyes wandered the place from the arcs of the windows, to the beads of warm incandescent powering the chandelier. His attention would then go back in front, to Seri who was texting someone on her phone, her free hand pausing to slice the food from her plate.
Jeong Hyeok lifted the glass again to his lips. He then felt the vibration of the phone from his pocket. Excusing himself, he directed to the garden outside. The walls of the dining place were mostly windows and just earlier, when he observed the vicinity, the outside caught his attention because of how the moonlight immaculately gave the garden its own kind of spotlight.
"Yes, Director Ri," he initiated.
"Have you arrived Jeong Hyeok-ah?" a deep, exhausted voice asked on the other side of the line, emphasizing that this was a personal matter now by how he addressed his name.
"Yes, still in Zurich right now."
Although Director Ri talked to him as his father, Jeong Hyeok still had the habit of reporting the situation of the hospital at the start of their call, like the patient he has been assigned to, or the issues the ER have been encountering from time to time. Director Ri would then listen and ask for some elaboration on other parts.
"Okay. Be here for tomorrow"
"Of course. Have a good night then, father..."
Before Jeong Hyeok could say something more, Director Ri ended the call. He put the phone back in his pocket and stood there in the grass, inhaling the cold air breeze filled with the scent of hyacinth flowers from the garden.
After a moment, Jeong Hyeok decided to glance to one of the windows inside to check on Seri, only to see the empty table with their wine glasses left unfinished.
"Who was that?" a soft, feminine voice asked him from behind.
Now that she was in front of him, he could finally see her entire outfit. She was wearing an all black formal dress with padded shoulders that highlighted her posture, somehow matching his. He still has that black shirt inside while his brown jacket was changed into a black suit already.
"You know, I noticed you've been sticking your nose in my business for a while now," Jeong Hyeok told Seri, who was standing in front of him with something on her hand. "And because of that, you're not sleeping in the streets by now," Seri retorted, lifting her phone. Jeong Hyeok then caught a glimpse of the screen, realizing she was still on call with someone.
"Seung Jun-ah, ah, yes, how is it going there?" Seri asked, dazed for some reason.
"For the sixth time Seri, the company is fine. We're not going bankrupt!" Seung Jun said over the phone, his annoyed voice was loud enough for Jeong Hyeok's hearing to reach. "Now, if you don't have any concerns other than this, I'm hanging up. Ah yes, just put it there...thanks. Seri, I'm hanging up."
Jeong Hyeok narrowed his eyes to the woman who just pouted in front of her phone after the call ended.
"The signal is so bad here...wait," Seri said and attempted to redial Seung Jun again. This was the seventh time already. The first time she tried checking up on their company was the text she has been at since Jeong Hyeok haven't left the table yet. The next were then the follow up calls, to which Seung Jun reported to her in detail,
... not knowing she has been downing the Sauvignon blanc hard, from overthinking.
Second Glass. "Yes, the finance department submitted it to me an hour ago."
Third Glass. "No, there weren't problems with the contract."
Fourth Glass. "No. How could you even think that. Of course we're still doing well with Dan and her agency for the endorsement."
Fifth Glass. "Seri, I think you should rest. If you're keeping this up then we might as well get bankrupt. I can't sign the proposals because of your calls."
The number you dialed is not accessible at the moment
"That's enough," Jeong Hyeok stepped in, his hand hovering over hers, holding the phone down. Seri looked up to him, their distance a little bit closer. He can finally see those faint crimson shades on her cheeks and get a whiff of the wine she had been drinking. His eyes subconsciously travelled to her wine-stained lips, still pouting from her failed attempts. He wasn't sure if it was the alcohol that made his heart race out of the blue or not.
"Get some sleep," he finally said and proceeded to stick out his arm to check the time. "It's nearly midnight. Let's go back," Seri could just nod. She wasn't in her right mind to even argue anymore.
"If I'm finally screwed for real, I'll open a flower shop, Ri Jeong Hyeok-ssi," Seri said as she was struggling to walk straight with Jeong Hyeok through the hallway to their suite. No, 'her' suite. He could only just lift his arm behind her back from time to time just in case she'd fall.
"Yes, yes you will," he replied, deciding to go with her drunk talks.
"Ever heard of peonies? I've always wanted to hold a bouquet of those...oh!" She tripped on her heels once more, about to lose balance. There it is again, his arm awkwardly behind her back, not even touching it.
"Ah...For my wedding," she finished. Jeong Hyeok paused, making her pause as well. Their eyes finally meet properly, the space separating them in between was barely a meter. One was with unexpectedly wistful eyes, the other was obviously drunken ones.
"But I guess I'm not that like-able. Anyway, peonies will be my first collection. Buy one." Seri added as she shrugged off her own judgement and started to walk again, lifting a finger before turning her head to Jeong Hyeok, who didn't took a step yet. "That's an order."
The moment they arrived at the suite, Jeong Hyeok was already holding Seri by the arm to keep her straight while she kept talking about flowers. The drunk girl even picked out a spot at Myeongdong.
"The walls will be pink. But not too much--" Seri stopped halfway her speech as she left Jeong Hyeok and brought herself straight to the door of her room. Seri stopped and turned to face him once more, standing at the kitchen's counter.
"Make yourself comfortable, Ri Jeong Hyeok-ssi," she announced confidently before eventually barging in and plopping herself to the bed.
To be honest, the words were too incoherent. To him, it was more like "Make self-- you...comfort.."
Jeong Hyeok proceeded to the outside of her room and reached to closed the door, his eyes fixated on the couch of the living room. No one knew, even Jeong Hyeok himself if Seri did reached the bed. Check? No. That would already be invading one's privacy. She'll be fine, his reserved self thought so.
He grabbed his duffle bag placed at the table and went inside his own room, beside Seri's. Jeong Hyeok wondered if the hospital was doing okay at this time. After washing up, he stood in front of the hotel's luxurious mirror. His hair was all wet, some strands were in his forehead as droplets of water would fall occasionally.
His last resort would be going straight to Sigriswil and face his uptight father in absolute mess, definitely unprepared and completely exhausted. It dawned on him once again that if it wasn't for her, he would've still been outside, searching for a place to stay.
Jeong Hyeok switched the lights off and embraced that wonderful feeling as sleep started to take over.
Sunlight kissed the blankets of Seri's as she fluttered her eyes open to the warm glow of morning. In contrast, she felt waves of pounding in her head, the aching relentlessly numbing her senses. Her eyes finally adjusted and recognized the familiar white ceiling when suddenly she could smell...
"Coffee?"
----
A/N
Hello! Ah I'm glad they are finally having interactions here ^^
Thank you for the votes and comments on the previous chapters! Illyyy I had fun reading. Hope you like this and leave one too. And as always, take care and stay safe!