Kim walked out of the room with Ariel by his side. He could not explain his terrible mood that morning. He woke up with a usual morning boner, but this time there was a woman there but he could not fuck her. She was out of bounds. It did not help that Ariel was behaving like a brat since that morning. It seemed like she switched from being quiet to being snarky. He was not so sure which of them he preferred. The quiet her or the snarky her.
Kim would have said he would prefer anything to her cold silence, but her talks were driving him crazy.
She was wearing some unattractive green gown that he was not sure where Mrs. Choi bought it. It looked big on her and from another generation. She seemed to be comfortable in the dress though.
They both sat down at the dining table as Mrs. Choi served breakfast. He remembered when he found her in the kitchen wearing an oversized bathrobe. He was scared that she would burn down the whole place at first, but on getting inside. He realized that, she actually knew what she was doing. It was quite surprising. She did not like the fact that he was questioning her though.
Kim used his fork to cut a piece of pancake that almost melted in his mouth. It was very good.
"The food is very nice Mrs. Choi," he said. The older woman blushed at the compliment.
"Thank you Sir, your wife is a very good cook," Mrs. Choi said. Kim raised his eyebrow at that.
"Hmm, Ariel can you make cookies?" Kim asked his wife who was focusing on her food. There might be an upside to the marriage.
"I can," she said shyly. Kim wondered where the snarky teenager went.
"That's nice. I love cookies," he said, and she smiled.
"I love baking them," she said, and Kim looked into her beautiful eyes. His mind went back to the vision he masturbated to, and Kim shook his head, and frowned. He forked more pancakes into his mouth, thinking about it will do him more harm than good.
"We are going to the company today do give an official statement about our wedding. That's why you need to be there. After that, you can come home," Kim told Ariel and she nodded.
"That's fine," Ariel said. They had completed her breakfast and they were about to go to work.
They walked together out of the house and into their car.
"Good morning, Ernest," Kim said to his driver who had already opened the door to the car for both him and his wife. They both entered into the car. Ariel brought out her phone and was wore her ear pods, and started watching a movie. Kim ignored her and brought his phone and started replying to some of his emails.
They arrived at Jang Enterprises in about thirty minutes. Before then, Ariel had dropped her phone and was looking out the window like a little child.
The press gathered in front of their car before they could even come out. Kim could see Ariel's eyes widen in freight.
"Relax. No one is going to eat you," he said jokingly, but seriously wondered what was wrong with her, why she was so scared of crowds.
"I will be fine," she replied, and straightened her back in the car. That back, Kim's mind went back to the vision of her bare back, it was ecstasy. He was already getting hard as he remembered what happened the previous night. Kim arranged himself in his trousers before he told Ernest to come down and help ward the crowd.
Ernest came down, and opened his wife's side of the door first. Ariel seemed scared to come out, so Kim nudged her a bit, she looked afraid, but came outside, and Kim followed suit. Instinctively, Kim put his arm around her and walked into the building ignoring the flashes of the cameras and the numerous questions the press were asking.
They got into the building that was almost his home in one piece. Kim all but grew up in Jang enterprises. The place had grown over the years. It was certainly more beautiful than it was when he was a child, but all the same, it was Jang Enterprises.
Kim barely remembered his mother, his father however, was always with him. Every other day was take your child to work day. Kim would sit at his father's lap at board meetings. His mother was a nice woman and she made the best cookies. She was the reason why he loved sweets. While he was partial to his father from a young age, his mother was not exactly bad to him. He figured maybe they would have been closer. She had died when he was just ten years old and Jessica was just born.
She loved the company, but Kim remembered she complained that Jang Se Ha should have married the company instead. When she died, his father never got married again. He placed all his energy in the company and left love alone.
"Kim, come here will you. You need to get ready for the press conference," his father said as he entered the company.
"Good morning, Sir," Ariel greeted him and bowed her head.
"Good morning, my daughter," his father said turning his attention Ariel and pulling her into a hug. Kim raised and eyebrow at him. That was weird. Someone liked his new daughter.
"Aren't you supposed to be working Dad?" Kim asked.
"I am retired Jang Kim, have some respect," his father said, clearly joking and Kim laughed.
"Now you are retired," he said. There had been this tug of war in begging his father to retire and look after himself. Kim was already thirty and his father refused to retire, he claimed that he was still needed in the company. He stepped down from the President position but he kept on coming to the company, even if he was no longer the President, Jang Se Ha still acted the part.
"Yes of course. My son is married now," his father said and Kim frowned. Really? It was that easy. He just wanted him to get married.
"Wow!" Kim said sarcastically.
"Okay, let's get to the press conference. You already know what you are saying right?" His father asked.
"Yes, father I do," he replied.
"And you, daughter in-law, you just have to stand with him and look beautiful," his father said and Kim shook his head again. Wonders will never end.
They all entered into the room, the reporters were all seated, with cameras, voice recorders and what not. As he entered, they stood up. Kim walked to the stage with Ariel by his side. Because he was holding on to her hand he could tell that she was shaking.
"Relax," he muttered, and rubbed circles at the back of her palm. He seriously wondered how she would survive being his wife, he was always in front of the camera.
The questions started flying the moment he started talking, it was easy for him, managing a crowd, it did not occur to him that people would find difficulty in the same thing, that was why Ariel's case shocked him so much.
The questions were easy and straight forward, they already had the story they wanted the public to know. He got married, he was in love with her, and her name is Ariel. It was as simple as that. People asked how they met and he mentioned a charity gala, that kind of thing appealed to the public. If his wife was another woman, she could have requested for a press conference of her own, maybe something for the magazines. She would have talked more about their love life, how he proposed, but there was no way he was letting Ariel do that. Best case she would faint on live TV. He didn't want to think of worse case.
"That's all the questions we are taking, thank you," Kim said and started to come down the podium.
"Mrs. Jang, can you tell us how he proposed?" One reporter asked, and Kim could feel Ariel freeze. Kim moved Ariel from their sight and walked with her out of the press conference. She was shaking in his arms as he held her and led her to his office.
"Thank you," she said, while covering herself with her hands. She seemed like a small frail child.
"You're welcome," Kim said. He wanted to ask why she was like that but he figured it was still very much early days and he should mind his business.
Kim's father stormed in the office a few minutes later when Ariel was still sitting in the chair, she was not yet back to herself.
"The press conference was okay, but why didn't you let her answer the last question? It was just one thing, I am sure she could have figured it out. People will begin to speculate you see," Jang Se Ha said, and Kim sighed.
"Your daughter in-law is scared of crowds. She can not speak on front of many people," Kim said. He knew that his voice sounded clipped and his speech forced, but that was how he wanted it. He wanted his father to hear the unsaid, you made a mistake asking me to marry her.
"Oh, that's okay. There are classes for these kind of things. She will have to avoid the public for the mean time though," his father said. He sounded resigned a bit. Kim remembered then that his father did not have much of a choice in his bride. It just happened. Kim wondered what plans Ariel and her father had for the second time. It hit him that he was already letting his guard down for her, and so easily too.
"Also, Kim, daughter in-law," his father said, getting the attention of Ariel who turned to look at them.
"You guys are going on a honeymoon for two weeks. I have a private island, that's where you guys will go," his father said.
"What?" Kim shouted. He was getting pissed by all the terms and conditions by this entire marriage.
"Father I bargained a wedding, a reception, and a change in my house! I certainly did not bargain a honeymoon. I have too much to do here. I cannot disappear to another country for two weeks. The company will be in shambles," Kim shouted.
He was so pissed. His father was damned too controlling.
"I will run the company just like I have been running it for the past forty years. You should relax, take a vacation. You need it," his father said. Kim glared at the older version of himself. He was making it seem like Kim was overreacting and just travelling would not just be easy.
"The private jet is already ready. You both have to leave today. That's how honeymoons work," Jang Se Ha said. Kim thought that he could not be more angry but his father seemed to prove him wrong time and time over.
"Today?" Kim asked.
"The earlier you go, the earlier you yet back," Jang Se Ha said and shrugged. Kim felt like strangling his father.
"I don't have any clothes," Ariel piped up and Kim turned his glare at her.
"Are you in support of this?" Kim asked. Ariel just shrugged.
"Do I have a choice?" She asked. To be fair, she actually did not have a choice. Kim thought.
"Of course you do daughter in-law. This honeymoon is a time for you to relax, calm down and get to know your new husband better. Just think of all the new possibilities. You can meet new people too. If you don't want to go the private island, it's fine, you can go anywhere in the world you want," his father said. Kim could see that his father was convincing his wife already. He literally had no choice in the matter.
"Okay, Ariel. Let's go shopping," Kim said. Might as well go with the flow.