章 38: I'm not going to run away just because of that.
"Soo-ah," Ji-Eun cradled the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she tried to get dressed. "Kindly let the overnight staff know to open the pool area for me. I'm meeting someone in a few minutes."
"Ms. Chung?" A timid, young girl's voice sounded through the line. "Alright, I will let the staff know right away."
"Thank you," Ji-Eun said tiredly. "Overnight staff's food is on me today. To make up for this silly request."
"No worries, Ms. Chung," the girl called Soo-ah answered smartly. "I'll arrange for it to be done."
She hung up her phone and finished dressing up while thanking the heavens for allowing her to have such competent people in her business. Without Oh Jaehyun's help this time, she picked out her most comfortable fleece shirt and some wide set pants that she found in her closet.
"This looks presentable, right?" She thought as she stood in front of her mirror, checking her reflection. Thankfully, she hasn't touched her face yet, or she would have to put on some powder again.
Her original plan of lounging for an hour before getting back to work was suddenly interrupted by Song Hyun-Shik's sudden invitation to go out. Not wanting to stray too far away, she in turn, suggested that they meet at the Pool Area of the hotel. The VIP Lounge at this time of night might have far too many guests for her liking, so the pool should be the next best thing.
Since it's nearly 11:00 pm on a weeknight, the area had already been closed off to guests.
Surprised though her staff may be, they've become accustomed to their Lady Boss' antics from time to time.
After about 10 minutes or so, the staff already had the area lighted and attendants were standing by.
Hyun-Shik arrived at the hotel a few minutes later and he was led to the Regal Hotel pool area immediately.
Ji-Eun's staff already knew about her upcoming wedding and all, but kept mum about it. They saw and knew everything via the news, but this may be the first time that their Lady Boss brought over her fiancé on her own.
So, to satisfy their curiosity, the most they could do was to sneak glances at the strikingly handsome Song heir as he passed the attending staff on his way to the pool.
"He's almost as handsome as Secretary Oh," a lady attendant whispered as he passed. "Ms. Chung sure is lucky to have handsome men around her all the time."
'Almost as handsome as Secretary Oh?' Hyun-Shik shook his head uncomfortably when he heard this.
Excited whispers surrounded him while he waited for Ji-Eun. He chose to sit at a lighted area, on one of the soft family couches surrounding the pool. An attendant already approached him to ask if there was anything he wanted, so he had ordered a beer for himself. Before the attendant could turn away, however, he asked, "What does your Boss usually order when she's here?"
The attendant blinked at him before realizing that he had been asking about Chung Ji-Eun.
"The Lady usually orders Sangria at night," the attendant smiled, acknowledging Hyun-Shik's curiosity. "Some iced coffee in the mornings."
Hyun-Shik nodded thoughtfully.
"Sangria for the lady please," Hyun-Shik said.
The attendant bowed and walked away, coming face to face with his actual Boss as she breezed through the pool area entrance.
"Oh, he's already here?" She noticed the attendant on his way to the bar.
"Yes, Ms. Chung," he bowed.
"Thanks," she said and continued to walk towards Song Hyun-Shik.
"You're here already," Ji-Eun greeted him lightly.
Hyun-Shik shot up to his feet upon hearing her voice. When he saw her dressed in casual clothes, he suddenly remembered the time they spent at the family's mansion. Her carefree aura, took him by surprise again.
"I..." he didn't know how to greet her with her staff watching, so he settled on a quick bow. "Yeah, thanks for agreeing to see me."
Status-wise, she has the upper hand, so it would make sense for him to greet her accordingly. When it came to age though... 'I don't even want to think about it.' He thought to himself.
"You haven't gone home yet?" Ji-Eun nodded to him as she gestured for him to sit down. "You're wearing the same clothes as earlier."
Her observation caught him off guard and he proceeded to smile sheepishly at her. "I should be asking you the same thing. Do you ever go home, Ji-Eun?"
She grinned at his question as she sat down after him. "Busy," she answered simply.
"Well, I drove Mother home and was supposed to go straight to our family villa," he explained. "But something's nagging at me, so I had to see you."
"So, tell me," Ji-Eun sat down on the couch beside him and studied him intently.
Hyun-Shik cleared his throat.
"It's about the wedding day..."
Ji-Eun's eyes narrowed slightly as she listened.
"I've tried negotiating with the elders about the guest list," he started. "Though it's been greatly reduced, I wanted to ask if you're comfortable with it."
Ji-Eun sighed audibly.
"I've seen it," Ji-Eun said. "I really don't think four hundred people are needed to fill seats at a wedding, but what do I know?"
Hyun-Shik watched her expression like a hawk, seeing the defeat in her eyes.
"Right..." he said, thinking about what to tell her next.
Ji-Eun suddenly gave him a surprised look. "Wait," she sat up straight. "Are you actually worried about me?"
Hyun-Shik could only look back at her blankly. Of course, it should go without saying that he should worry about his bride-to-be, right? He's not really that much of a monster... So, he stifled an exasperated sigh at her realization.
"Yeah," he said. "I was wondering if-"
"Don't worry too much," Ji-Eun said. "I'm not going to run away just because of that."
She saw him visibly relax as she said those words.
"Thanks," Hyun-Shik kind of knew some things about Ji-Eun's personality when it came to business. He knew that if she was not comfortable about something, she would walk away faster than anyone could say, 'Wait!'
Their drinks arrived and they stopped their conversation, letting the attendant move around them comfortably.
"Ji-Eun," Hyun-Shik said after the attendant left. "It may have been a small thing, but it sounded like a big deal when your father requested this of my parents."
Ji-Eun smiled ruefully as she sipped her wine. "Yeah, I know. But I can't go around being a diva when everyone's working hard. Just maybe, you know... Let's try and communicate more or something?"
Hyun-Shik's eyes grew wide as she said those words.
"After all," she said as she downed the Sangria in one go. "In place of Jaehyun, you're the one who's going to have to keep me from running off when the wedding time comes."
Hyun-Shik realized far too late that her words held weight he didn't know they had then. For now, he quietly sipped his beer as he pulled something from his breast pocket.
"Ji-Eun," he pushed a small rectangular card towards her. "Make some time for me tomorrow, will you? There's something we need to do."
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