The End.

“Thank you so much,” Jin Hun said into the phone then hung up. In the hour he’d spent waiting for his flight, he’d spoken to a private investigator a friend in New York had recommended and even he had questioned his sanity for flying to a city of 8 million people to find one. But once Jin Hun had explained to him that he would spare no expense in finding Sam Soon, the investigator quickly came around.

“Korean Airlines Flight number 203 is ready for boarding. Could the First Class passengers please approach the gate?”

Jin Hun got off his seat and pulled his hand luggage. How odd was it the last non-business trip he’d taken to New York was to say good bye to a girlfriend and now he was taking the same flight to find another?

***

“I wish you didn’t have to leave so soon,” Tae Young’s mother said, hugging Sam Soon. “Make sure you plan the next one better.” She caressed Sam Soon’s upper arm.

Sam Soon smiled and nodded, hoping that her guilt wasn’t seeping from her skin. “Goodbye, Mother and feel better,” she said. When she turned around, she shot an angry glance at her so-called fiancé and slid into the waiting cab.

It wasn’t that she thought she was entirely blameless. In fact, she knew she was very much at fault. Because if she’d never accepted his proposal in the first place, none of this would had happened. If she hadn’t been foolish enough to get on the plane and meet his parents, she wouldn’t have put him in such a difficult position. Which was why she hadn’t stormed out of his house that fateful evening. She knew that his parents deserved some respect so she agreed to spend two more days so he could come up with a reasonable explanation for why she was cutting their trip short.

Although it wasn’t her first time of pretending to be in love with someone for show, it was so different that she kept comparing it to the previous 'contract' and that kept Jin Hun constantly in her mind. Not that she'd have forgotten him otherwise. She’d picked up the phone a few times to call him and even gotten through once but it had gone straight to voicemail. Since then, she’d found herself regretting not saying anything after hearing that click but what she had to say was better said in person. Surely, it’s not that easy to wring someone’s neck for proposing to someone else over the phone now, is it?

“Call us when you set a date,” his mother said as the driver started the engine.

“We will,” Tae Young promised cheerfully.

Back in the moment, Sam Soon frowned at him in disgust and the moment the car sped away, she slid so far from him that was touching the door.

“Is it that difficult to be around me?” he asked with a pained voice.

Oh, not again. “What do you mean?”

“You can’t wait to get away from me? You’re acting like I have a disease. Did I ever mean anything to you?

Sam Soon groaned. She was getting really sick of the madness. For the last two days, he’d been sending her on a long guilt trip trying to make her feel bad about what she’d done, like she wasn’t feeling bad enough as it was.

“I wish you hadn’t led me on," he continued. "You know, maybe I would have found someone else, someone who’d have been happy to become part of my family. You know, someone I wouldn't have wasted an engagement ring on.”

“Haven’t I already returned it to you?”

“I really regret meeting you, Sam Soon,” he continued, ignoring her question. “What will I tell Soo Hyun? She’s already lived through the death of her mother, how will she live through this?”

“Sir,” Sam Soon said to the cab driver, “could you please increase the volume of the radio?”


***
Sam Soon dropped her phone in her purse. For the fourth time since she’d arrived back in Seoul, her call to Jin Hun had gone straight to voicemail. Surely, he wasn’t avoiding her calls, was he?

Feeling Tae Young’s eyes boring into her back, she moved closer to the conveyor belt and looked out for her luggage. After sitting next to him for what seemed like a million hours on the plane, she’d hoped he’d have taken the hint and left her once they arrived back in Korea but apparently, he hadn’t.

“Will you at least come and see Soo Hyun?” Tae Young asked from behind her.

Sam Soon turned around. “What?”

“You owe her an explanation. She loves you like a mother. Do you think it’s fair for you to just leave her like that?”

She stretched out her arm to him. “Okay, take it. Is this what you want? Grab a knife and cut it off.” She gritted her teeth. In fact, she was ready to cut off her own damn arm if it meant she wouldn’t have to listen to his lectures anymore. “I know what I did was wrong. I’ve already apologized. What more do you want?”

He shrugged and shook his head then walked to the other side of the conveyor belt.

Sam Soon watched him and wondered how she’d been blind the whole time they were together. Why did she ever think that he was so mature? One thing this whole mess had made her realize was that all men were the same: they wanted what they wanted when they wanted it and if they didn’t get, they threw a tantrum. Perhaps her theory that men only grew up after having children was flawed. Maybe they only got better at putting up a facade.

She was still lost in her thoughts when he returned with her luggage and dropped it in front of her. He looked at her through sad eyes and started to walk back for his bags.

Sam Soon grabbed his arm. “I really am sorry about all this. I hope you know that.”

“But not sorry enough to come back to me, right?” he asked, not turning around.

Sam Soon let go of him. “I’m sorry.”

***

Jin Hun leaned against the railing and he let his head hang down for a minute. How stupid was he? Her flight wasn’t arriving for another fifty or so minutes and factoring in Customs, he knew he wouldn’t see her in at least an hour and a half but he’d been standing there for hours like a fool. A loud growl escaped his belly and he reflexively touched it. He’d tried to have breakfast but he’d barely tasted it because all he could think about was the unavoidable public confrontation he was about to partake in.

He looked up at the new arrivals as they strolled past him. He’d seen so many people in the past day that their faces were beginning to blend into one another. He’d even begun to put them into categories. There were those who had no one to pick them up so they headed straight for the taxi stands. There were those who weren’t expecting to be picked up and broke a smile filled with joy when a loved one surprised them. There were those who walked up, down and all around waiting for someone who’d obviously disappointed them. Then there were those who searched for a familiar face then smiled on seeing them. He looked at all those faces as they moved past him when his eyes unexpectedly fell on a familiar one in the fourth category.

He glanced at his watch then back at her. Then he wiped his eyes and peered at her again – he really wasn’t imagining things. As he couldn’t go past the barricade, he walked to the receiving area, took a deep breath and waved as she walked towards him.

Sam Soon stopped in her tracks when she spotted him. He saw the barrage of emotions cross her face; from shock, to anger and to confusion before she resumed walking, but this time, with calculated steps.

“Did Unnie have a sex change?” she asked when he was within ear shot.

He jogged the few yards between them. “What?”

She looked around the airport. “Where’s my sister?”

She looked beautiful even though he could tell that she was tired. He wanted to reach out and touch her face but instead, reached for her luggage. She slapped his hand away.

“What are you doing here?”

He looked at her and pursed his lips. “I’m here to get you.”

“What?”

He grabbed her hand. “This has gone on long enough. I’m taking you home with me tonight.”

She pulled back from him but his grip was ironclad. “Are you crazy?”

He stepped closer to her so that they were only inches apart. “You’re coming back with me. Do you understand that? I’m not letting you go.”

She scrunched her nose and pushed him away. “Did you forget to shower this morning? You stink!”

He stepped away but didn’t let go of her. “Well, you are going to have to get used to that smell because I am not leaving you.”

“Really? And what does your fiancé think about this?”

Huh? He was about to ask what the hell she was talking about when he saw Tae Young’s face amongst the sea of new arrivals. He released Sam Soon then walked to him so that he was blocking his path. Tae Young tried to walk past him but Jin Hun wouldn’t let him so instead, Tae Young stood and glared at him.

“What do you want?” he snarled.

“Look, I think we need to talk,” Jin Hun said.

Tae Young glanced at Sam Soon who was a few feet to the side of them then looked back at the man standing in front of him. “I’m sure there’s absolutely nothing for us to talk about.”

“Listen, I have nothing against you but I can’t let you marry Sam Soon.”

Tae Young released his grip on his bag so that it fell to the floor in a loud thud. “You can’t let me? Who do you think you are?”

“I’m sure you’re a nice guy but you need to go and find someone else. I won’t tolerate you interfering with us anymore. So just go and find someone else and leave her alone.”

Tae Young laughed sarcastically. “Are you some kind of comedian? What makes you think you can tell me what to do? You won’t tolerate?” Then the smile disappeared. “Do yourself a favor and get the fu.ck out of my face.”

“Hey, buddy, I’m not looking for a fight, okay?”

“Don’t ‘buddy’ me. What the hell? Just get the fu.ck out of my face. You’re the last person I want to see at this moment.”

But Jin Hun didn’t oblige, he just couldn’t. Things were better for everyone this way. “I will leave as soon as I can see that we are all on the same page.”

Tae Young’s demeanor changed as he became more agitated. “Look, Mister. Just go away. Trust me; you don’t want me to repeat myself – just step aside.”

As if on cue, Sam Soon jumped in between them so that her back was to Tae Young. She put her hand on Jin Hun’s chest and pushed him back. “Hey, what the hell do you think you are doing? You have no right to talk to him like that.”

Jin Hun tore his eyes away from Tae Young’s reddening face and trained them on Sam Soon’s hand. Surprised, he studied it then quickly looked at the other one and then on to her face and searched it. “Where’s your ring?”

Sam Soon struggled to free herself from his grip and this time he let her. Then she folded her arms and looked away.

His mind was racing at a million miles per hour. What had happened in America? He was still waiting for a reply to his question when Tae Young picked up his bag and said, “Are you coming?”

“I thought I already told you that I wasn’t,” Sam Soon said without looking at him.

Jin Hun looked at both of them and said nothing.

“What about Soo Hyun?” He glanced at his watch. “We are a little early so they should be arriving in a few minutes. Don’t you think you owe her an explanation?”

Sam Soon looked at Jin Hun then slowly turned to Tae Young. “I’ll come over and talk to her tomorrow.”

“If you don’t do it now, don't bother,” he said. With that, he walked away.


***

Sam Soon picked up her bag and moved to a less crowded area so that they weren’t blocking any of the other passengers. She dropped it then waited for Jin Hun to join her.

Looking far more relaxed than he had when she found him waiting for her, he repeated, “Where’s your ring?”

Sam Soon shook her head and rolled her eyes. She figured that the airport was as good a place as any. “Where’s your fiancé?” She waited for the question to sink in then looked back at him.

“What are you talking about?”

She told him what she’d overheard at the restaurant. “What do you have to say to that?”

Exasperated, he folded his arms and slowly paced around the space in front of her. He nodded. “It’s official – I’m in love with a crazy woman.”

“Just answer the question.”

“Are you kidding me? Why would I get engaged to someone else when there’s only one person I want to marry? Do you think I am you?”

Was this where she was supposed to say, “Touché”? She frowned. “Whatever, Sam Shik.”

“That was Eunsoo. I don’t think she’s going to get much from her father’s company so she decided to find a new one. That’s was it. If you’d even bothered to ask me, I would have told you.”

“Yeah, right. So why have you been avoiding my calls?”

“You—You’ve been calling me? Since when?”

“Yes, I’ve been calling you! I called you at least ten times today.”

He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone and handed it to her. “Look at it,” he said, pointing to it. “My batteries are dead.”

“What kind of grown man doesn’t carry his charger around?”

“I forgot it yesterday.”

“Yesterday?”

“Yeah. I was about to get on a flight to New York--”

She felt a lump in her throat. “New York?” she interjected.

“Yes,” he said matter-of-factly. “As I was saying, I was about to get on the plane when your sister called me to say that you’ll be returning today. So I waited for you.”

She felt her eyes sting. Wow. She smiled. “So this is why you stink.” She remembered how much of a clean freak he was and that made her smile even harder.

Jin Hun lifted his arm and sniffed himself. “It’s not that bad.”

She laughed. She hadn’t felt so happy in months. “Trust me, it is. Why didn’t you just go home or at least go to a hotel?”

“I didn’t want to take the risk of missing you. Look, didn’t you guys arrive early? What if you’d decided to go straight to get a marriage license or something like that? I couldn’t let that happen. Besides, it was urgent – I had to tell you immediately.”

“Tell me what?”

“That regardless of what you say, I refuse to let you marry someone else.”

Sam Soon quickly looked away to hide a smile then they stood in uncomfortable silence for a few moments.

Jin Hun moved so close to her that she could feel his breath on her nose. “So where is the ring?” he whispered.

Sam Soon stepped back from him. “Why do you keep asking that? It should be obvious by now that I’m not marrying Tae Young.” Dummy.

He breathed a sigh of relief. “So, what about us?”

“What about us?”

Once again, Jin Hun shortened the distance between their faces to a few inches. Sam Soon pushed him away. “Which part of, “you smell,” don’t you understand?” she asked, scowling.

“You’re going to have to get used to this smell if you become my wife.”

“I don’t think so. If this ever happens again, I’ll drag you into the bathroom and pour ice cold water on you – that’ll teach you.”

He took her waist and pulled her close to him again. “So you’ve finally agreed that you can’t live without me?” he whispered.

“I can live without you, but I don’t want to.” She put her arms around his waist. “I missed you so much that it literally hurt.”

He cracked a smile. “So you know what it’s been like for me this past year, except I really don’t think I can live without you.”

Yeah, Yeah. She looked at her reflection inside his eyes. “What about your mom?”

“What about her? She approves and she should be getting here any minute from now.”

Sam Soon tried to break away from his embrace but he wouldn’t let her. She didn’t mind that much because she’d missed the feel of his body around hers. So she just moved her head back and looked at him curiously. “Here?”

He nodded. “Yes. I’m fighting for this relationship too. I made her understand that if she had to kneel and beg you to come back to us, she’d have to.”

She let out a boisterous laugh of disbelief. “Yeah, right.”

“Okay, okay, maybe not kneel. But she’s here to show you that she approves.”

Sam Soon put her head back on his shoulder. “I wonder what you had to do to make her agree to that.”

“You’ll never know. Just know that your husband can be very persuasive.”

Her husband. She loved the sound of that. She separated from him and said, “You can’t put me through this hell again. Do you understand that? If something happens in the future, you have to know that we’re both in this together. I can try to do it for the both of us, but it's better if we both take action.”

He nodded. “I know and I’m sorry. And the same goes for you. You just can’t run away whenever you get scared. Or when you’re disappointed in me.”

It was her time to nod. “I know and I’m sorry too. Just try not to make me disappointed.”

He smiled. “I’ll try my best. And if I’m bad, you can always punish me,” he said seductively.

She shook her head. “You’re such a pervert.”

Laughing, he picked up her bag and held her with his other arm. They walked in silence for a few minutes when she stopped and looked at him. “So to sum it up, what we’re saying is; I love you…”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“… and you love me…”

“Of course.”

“… and we’re getting married?!”

“Definitely.”

Suddenly elated, she jumped into his arms, causing him to drop her bag. “We’re getting married!”

“Oof. How come you gained all that weight back?” he asked, still holding her up.

“Don’t spoil the moment,” she warned, looking down to him.

“Aunty!” a voice screamed from the exit.

Sam Soon looked at the direction of the voice to see Mi Joo standing next to her grandmother. Smiling, Sam Soon got off her Sam Shik and spread her arms apart to let the young girl run into them.



The END.




Epilogue

“ See? I told you I’d fit into my wedding dress,” Sam Soon said, rubbing the bodice of her white silk gown.

“Yeah, I’m quite surprised. But you look beautiful.” He was sitting next to her in the moving car with his jacket lying next to him.

“Didn’t the hall look beautiful? Yep, the perfect place for a wedding. I’m going to have all my weddings there,” she said dreamily.

“All your weddings?” He frowned. “How many do you plan on having?”

“At least one every year. Surely, there has to be some benefit to marrying a rich hotelier.”

Jin Hun nodded knowingly. “I see how it is. Besides, if you had let me in on this plan sooner, I would have insisted on my location.”

Sam Soon rolled her eyes. “Not again. I am sick of hearing about the men’s bathroom, okay?”

“You keep saying that I am not sentimental enough but think about it. That was the place we first met…”

“… and that was where you first admitted to liking me. Yes. Yes. As funny as it would have been to see President Na in the men’s bathroom, please shut up.”

Jin Hun laughed. He really loved teasing her like that. He sighed then cleared his throat. “Aren’t you going to start calling her ‘mother’ again?”

She sighed. “I will, I will. I just forget sometimes, okay? Mama’s boy.”

He laughed again then looked at the nape of her dress. “A mama’s boy wouldn’t have the kind of thoughts I’m having right now.”

“Pervert.”

“I’m not a pervert but you did insist that we wait till our wedding night to make it more 'special'. Time’s up, honey.”

Sam Soon looked through the tinted window. “Does this look like nighttime to you?”

He looked around the limo. “Since it’s dark in here, I’m going to say yes.” He leaned over and kissed his wife deeply.

When he came up for air, he opened his eyes to see her looking impish at him. “What?”

“We're married now.”

“So?” he asked, leaning in for another kiss.

“Guess what the next step is.”

“What?”

She laughed. “Baby!”