"I apologize for arriving late," Ji-Eun started. "Some VIPs arrived at The Regal and I had to check in with the staff."
"Ji-Eun," Hyun-Shik leaned towards her. "Maybe it's time you drop the honorifics? After all, we are going to be married soon. We should try and be more familiar with each other."
"I thought I was already being a bit more friendly," she said thoughtfully.
"You shift from being one to the other from time to time," he teased. "You're not used to being friendly with other guys, are you?"
Ji-Eun looked straight at him and said, "We're not the same age, Mr. Song."
"What...?" His eyes widened at her words.
At his reaction, Ji-Eun started laughing. "I'm sorry, but that reaction was everything."
He continued to stare at her for a few more seconds. This girl...
"That's fine," Hyun-Shik smiled at her, relaxing on the sofa. "You were able to finish work, yes?"
"Yes, I got off earlier than expected."
"Good," he quieted down for a few seconds, glancing at the bare vanity.
"I'm curious about that," he pointed at her vanity.
"Hmm? What about it?" Ji-Eun followed his trail of sight. "Father gave me that as a gift I think about three years ago when I joined the Chung Group."
"Has it been like that... for three years?"
Ji-Eun tilted her head and glanced at the vanity. "I'm not following. Does it look ugly? I mean, it doesn't, right? I actually find it kind of pretty..."
Hyun-Shik shook his head disbelievingly. "I meant to ask if it's been bare for three years."
"Ah..." Ji-Eun's realization couldn't be more adorable.
"Its being bare and untouched is nothing like I haven't seen before," he said. "You know, most girls would have some actual stuff on it. Cosmetics, jewelry, whatever. But your vanity looked like it was just for display."
Ji-Eun had been looking at the vanity as Hyun-Shik was speaking. There was a flash in her eyes, but it was so subtle that her companion did not notice it.
"I... don't have much to put on there, honestly," she said.
What? Hyun-Shik was surprised but did not say anything as he waited for her to continue.
"Most of my stuff is in my bag," she explained, taking a sip of her coffee. "Just some powder and stuff. I avoid putting on makeup for no reason, especially at home because I like to just eat and lounge most of the time. When I really need to, I can just go to the Hotel Salon and have them help me. You know, just let professionals help me with something I can't do on my own."
He was floored by her answer. Well, thinking about it, he remembered when they first met at The Regal's VIP Lounge. He had noticed it then and was mildly surprised at her pretty, lightly made-up face. Unlike most girls nowadays, who wore their makeup to the nines, he felt like he found a rare one then. It was a marriage meeting, but she was just her relaxed self at that time.
"Well...," Hyun-Shik nodded at her. "You really are a laid-back one, aren't you?"
She nodded. "I hear that a lot, so..." she shrugged and continued to sip at her coffee.
"You mentioned earlier that you don't stay here often," Hyun-Shik continued. "Why is that?"
"I try to come home as much as I can for Father," she answered. "But I can't always do so since The Regal is about an hour and a half away from here. Besides the hotel, I had some other matters that I needed to attend to for the Group and sites that needed to be visited from time to time. So, it's not really that I don't want to go home, but rather it's because I don't have enough time."
Ji-Eun shook her head, noting his expression at that moment. "It's a shameless excuse, I know," she added.
Hyun-Shik listened and grew concerned. "You can always ask Secretary Oh to drive you home, right?"
"And he does. He would always offer to drive me home too," she answered, sighing. "But it's hard for him too. Maybe harder since he always has to be the one who wakes up earlier, eats earlier, and does extra tasks for me."
Hyun-Shik inwardly sighed. If that's the case, we're going to have to look for a place in Main City that's close enough to both of our workplaces, he thought to himself as he listened to her. He understood that he was going to have to take care of them both if they wanted to reach the end of their two years in peace.
"You really..." he sighed. "You're going to have to take it easy, alright? Otherwise, we can't catch up to you."
Her smile grew wide at his remark. "You've asked me some questions. Can I ask you something too?"
"Yes, of course."
There was a pause and then Ji-Eun asked him something that made him choke on his soda, "How long have you been going out with Bae Yuri?"
The sting Hyun-Shik felt up his nose was a clear indication that the dark liquid he had been drinking had found its way up there.
"Ji-Eun," he said, as he reached out to receive the wad of tissues the girl handed over. "You really don't like to waste time, huh?"
"I was just curious," she said apologetically. "I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay," he said. "After all, I was expecting you'd ask, really."
Ji-Eun waited patiently as he righted himself. They had touched the surface of his and Yuri's relationship last time, but he didn't really tell her anything else besides the fact that Yuri found out about their marriage meeting and their agreement to wait for each other after two years.
Ji-Eun was mildly surprised at first, but with Oh Jaehyun's words in her head, "Maybe they really love each other enough for them to wait...", all she could do was to ask the person involved, so she could sate her curiosity.
"We..." he started. "We've been going out for a year or so... We met at a gala."
Ji-Eun listened carefully as he described his girlfriend and their relationship, all the while her gentle smile did not leave her face. How they met, what they usually liked to do, and which places they've visited. At times during his narrative, Ji-Eun would offer her comments, laugh at their experiences, and tease him about something.
At that moment, Hyun-Shik couldn't decide whether she was just curious or was asking to get emotionally hurt... Was she really just curious? He observed her as she continued to ask him questions. In all honesty, during their conversation, Hyun-Shik felt Ji-Eun's confidence shining even though he was talking about his current relationship with another woman. She seemed as if she felt very sure of herself that she could talk to him about it comfortably, without restraint.
Hyun-Shik, on the other hand, was so confused and disgruntled that he felt he was wavering, though he did try his best to not let her see it. He understood full well that they didn't have the same kind of relationship as normal couples do because everything had been arranged between them.
But, really? Asking about his girlfriend? And she did mention before that she couldn't care less if they continued their relationship.
"Ji-Eun," Hyun-Shik couldn't contain it anymore. "Are you really okay talking about this?"
"What do you mean?" She stood up to throw away her empty coffee can. "You and Yuri?"
Her back was facing away from him, so he couldn't see her expression, but he heard her voice clearly, "Why should I be uncomfortable? I understand that I have to be aware of these things, so I can be more careful in the future. Just think of it as... gathering information."
"Well," Hyun-Shik pinched the bridge of his nose. "My relationship with Yuri... I don't know how to say it. Are you not really affected by it?"
Ji-Eun paused and turned around to look at him. She was smiling at him gently as if giving him some kind of reassurance.
"I have my two years, Hyun-Shik," she said. "I shouldn't really be affected by anything outside of that time."