14

A/N: Mcleen, thanks for reading and commenting!!

“Is he just dropping you off?” Sam Soon asked.

Mi Joo shook her head. “No, he’s coming with us.”

“How come?” she asked, frowning.

“Auntie, I need someone to pay for the dress -that’s why he had to come,” she said innocently.

“I could have paid for it.”

“Why? It’s not like we are related or anything,” she said, pouting. “Why should you buy me a dress? If you mar--”

“You could have brought cash,” Sam Soon interrupted. Mi Joo was really turning into something else.

“I didn’t know how much it would cost. And I already asked him to come. I couldn’t just uninvite him.” she said, pouting.

“But you told me that we were going alone.”

“I know,” she said, looking downward. “Sorry. I really wanted you to come.”

Sam Soon grimaced at Mi Joo then asked, “Do you have some paper and a pen?”

Mi Joo looked around and said, “I don’t think so.”

“Okay, get into the car – I’ll be right back.” Sam Soon ran back to the house and came back with a folded piece of paper. She slipped into the back seat with Mi Joo.

“Someone should come and sit up here – I’m not your driver, you know?” Jin Hun said from the driver’s seat.
Mi Joo didn’t budge. Instead, she stared at Sam Soon.

Sam Soon looked back at her. “What are you looking at? You’d better go up there.”

“Isn’t it unsafe for kids to sit in the front seat?” she asked.

“Are you kidding me? Don’t you normally fight to sit in front? And you’re not a kid. So go!”

Mi Joo grudgingly opened the car door and switched seats. Shortly after Jin Hun turned the engine on, Sam Soon tapped Mi Joo’s shoulder. “Hey, give that to your uncle.” She handed her the sheet of paper.

“If you want to give something to me, give it to me yourself,” Jin Hun said without looking back.

“You’re driving, Mister; I don’t want you to look back and get into an accident,” she said in the sweetest of voices.

Jin Hun took the piece of paper from Mi Joo. “What’s this?” he asked, waving it around.

“Could you please stop by that address before we go to the mall?” Sam Soon replied.

“Why?”

She sighed. “We need to pick someone up.”

“Who?”

Why did she feel like a witness at a murder trial? “Soo Hyun.”

“Who’s that?” he asked.

Sam Soon looked at the rear view mirror and saw Jin Hun’s eyes staring back at her. “Tae Young’s daughter.”

For a few moments, the only sounds that could be heard in the car were coming from the engine.

“But I didn’t know she was coming with us!” Mi Joo said.

“I guess the day is just filled with surprises,” Sam Soon countered.


***

“Tae Young didn’t seem happy,” Jin Hun said to Sam Soon as they walked behind the two preteens. “I guess he didn’t expect to see me,” he said with a smirk.

“Hello? I didn’t expect to see you either.”

“I guess you have some explaining to do,” he mocked.

Sam Soon ignored his tone. If he was going to be annoying, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that it was getting to her. “What is there to explain?”

“What do you think? If I were in his shoes and saw my fiancé going out with the guy she loves, I’d be pretty pissed.”

“G-G-Guy she what? What the hell are you saying?” she asked, turning to him.

He shrugged. “You’re the one that keeps going on and on about your age you’re the one delaying things. If you want to get married today, I’d go to the court with you.”

Sam Soon slowed her pace. “Why can’t you just shut up?” She glanced at Soo Hyun and continued in a lowered voice, “Why would I marry you? Are we engaged? Look at my finger- did you put this ring on it?”

“Of course not – I have better taste,” he said wryly.

“Is this what you have to say? Is that why you asked Mi Joo to lie to me?”

He groaned. “Sam Soon, this might be a huge surprise to you but the world doesn’t revolve around you. I didn’t tell Mi Joo anything –I’m simply here to buy a dress.”

“Even after I explicitly said I wasn’t going to come?”

“And you’re here anyway. You seem to be confused these days – can’t stick to a plan?”

“ARGH! Are you just trying to get on my nerves?”

“Why would I do that?”

Sam Soon scowled and just stared at him. One of these days she was going to have to stab him.

Chuckling to himself, Jin Hun grabbed her hand and pulled her. “Hurry up so that we can catch up with them.”


***

“Aunty,” Lee Soo Hyun said, pulling Sam Soon into a store, “do you like any of these?” she asked, pointing at some wedding gowns.

Sam Soon felt herself get red. She glanced at Jin Hun then started, “Uhm, actu--”

“We’re here to buy my dress,” Mi Joo rudely interrupted. “Why are we looking at those?”

“I love weddings, don’t you?” Soo Hyun said dreamily. “Aunty,” she said, clapping her hands, “let’s try some of these on!”

“Let’s find your dress first.” Sam Soon took her hand and tried to steer her out of the store.

But Soo Hyun resisted. “Aunty, just one! Okay two. Please! Please!”

“Soo Hyun, I’m sure your Aunty is already tired of trying on wedding gowns. Let’s get your dress first, okay?” Jin Hun offered.

Soo Hyun reluctantly complied.

About thirty minutes later, when the girls were trying on the dresses they’d picked, Jin Hun said to Sam Soon, “I bet this is your first time seeing a wedding gown since you got engaged. Right?”

“How is that your business?”

“You’re in such a rush to get married and now that you’re engaged, you haven’t even set a date? Haven’t tried on a dress? Haven’t sent out invitations? I thought that was all women dreamed about. Why is it different with you? Perhaps because it's the wrong man?”

“Will you be happy when you receive an invite?”

He laughed. “And when would that be? In the year 2024? It’s just odd that someone who was so obsessed with getting married hasn’t even started planning yet.”

“I haven’t met his parents yet. Have you forgotten that? Besides, life doesn’t always follow a certain path, Mr. Hyun Jin Hun. I dated you for over four years and never got engaged but in less than 6 months with Tae Young, I’m already engaged. See? Things don’t always happen a certain way. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” she said shoving him aside, “I am sure the girls would like me to see what they’ve tried on.


***

“Tae Young is here,” Yi Young said, awaking Sam Soon from her daydream. She stepped out from behind the counter and smiled at him as he walked through the door. She’d expected him to say something about her going shopping with Jin Hun, but he hadn’t said a word. From the expression on his face that day, she knew he was pretty annoyed but she wondered if he’d gotten over it or was just being passive aggressive.
She stood by the counter, waiting for him to approach her but instead, he sat on a table with who she guessed was a co-worker.

Sam Soon stared at him, hoping to catch his eye but he appeared to be purposely avoiding her.

Sam Soon gestured for her sister to join her in the kitchen. “Do you think he’s still angry about Sunday?”

A bored Yi Young shrugged.

“Should I go over and say something?”

Yi Young shrugged again.

Sam Soon lightly slapped her shoulder. “Unnie, you are being of no help at all.”

“Sorry, but what do you want me to say?”

Sam Soon frowned. “Come on, you’re the married one here -I'll like to be like you soon. I need your advice. Should I apologize?”

Yi Young raised her brow. “For?”

“I don’t know. He must be pretty mad to come in and not say anything to me.” She picked up her phone. “Should I call him?”

“I don’t know why you’re so bothered. This might be the perfect opportunity for you to escape.”

“Escape what?”

Yi Young rolled her eyes. “What do you think?”

Sam Soon wasn’t about to have this conversation with her again. Yi Young always seemed to prefer the opposite of whatever was going on in her life. At the tail end of her relationship with Jin Hun, she’d encouraged her to stand her ground. When she was depressed about their break-up, she’d encouraged her to date someone new. Now she was saying sh.it about Tae Young.

“But he must be particularly cruel to come in here and not say a word, though,” Yi Young said, thoughtfully. “If he is trying to avoid you, why bother coming to the shop at all? Instead, he’s making it pretty obvious that he’s ignoring you. Doesn’t seem very mature to me.” She shook her head sadly.

Sam Soon looked at her. Yi Young sure knew how to be a bi.tch at the worst times.

“Anyway, I’m going back. I’ll see you whenever,” Yi Young finished gleefully.

About 15 minutes later, Sam Soon heard Tae Young call her. She turned the corner to see him beaming at her.

“Good afternoon, Miss Kim Sam Soon,” his friend said, bowing to her.

She bowed back.

“My name is Mr. Hwang Woon-kyu. Mr. Lee has been boasting about the pastries at this shop for such a long time that when I came into town, I just had to try some.” He handed her a card. Yi Young ran over to them.

Both sisters looked at the card – it had the name of a popular packaged food company on it. They looked at each other and then back to the man.

“My company has just created a new frozen desserts and snacks department and I am very interested in working with you. Tae Young said that you also sell over the internet? In that case, could I order some samples to be delivered to the main branch?”


***

A week after meeting Mr. Hwang, Sam Soon hadn’t heard from his company so she'd come down from her high and it was back to business as usual. In the past few months, a few customers had come to her shop specifically asking for a particular pastry they’d bought in Siheung so Sam Soon was going there to see what all the fuss was about. She was walking to the bus stop when her phone rang. She picked it up and looked at the caller id.

“Hello Honey, we’re not supposed to meet today, are we?”

“No,” Mi Joo said from the other end.

“Is everything okay?” She saw her bus approach. “Hey, I’ll call you back in a minute.”

“Wait!” Mi Joo shouted.

“What?”

“It’s Uncle!”

“What about him?” Was that panic she felt?

“He’s at the hospital.”

“What?” Sam Soon felt her knees shake.

“Aunty, he’s at the hospital!”

As soon as Sam Soon found out which hospital she was talking about, she hailed a cab