Again

Chapter 9 - Let's Give A Little More This Time

"How did you find out about me?"

Seo Dan stared at Se-Ri, as she tentatively got the question out. Dan smiled at Se-Ri. "I will tell you but promise not to tell Jeong Hyeok because he will probably torture me in the most vile ways."

Se-Ri chuckled and agreed. "Alright. I promise. Unless he asks me."

Seo Dan gave her a look like she was betrayed. "Traitor."

Se-Ri laughed. "I could never lie to Jeong Hyeok. I promise I'll plead your case and make sure he doesn't hunt you down."

The women shared a laugh and whatever reservations Se-Ri had about Seo Dan vanished in that moment. Dan shrugged, "Oh well. I'll just tell my Love to whisk me away from here then."

"Hey, quit stalling. You owe me a story."

Dan giggled. "Oh, right. So, anyway, like I told you it was our dads that set this up. They're business partners and I don't know what happened but one day I get a call saying I'm arranged to marry someone."

Se-Ri remained silent. She knew the unpleasant feeling that came with such a news. It was shock, confusion, anger and then resignation. Lucky for her, her grandfather made it clear that she had a choice. She was unsure how Seo Dan's conversation with her father went.

Seo Dan continue. "As a sign of how much we wanted this," she said, emphasizing the word wanted to show her sarcasm. "Jeong Hyeok never initiated contact, while I didn't reach out until over a month later and only because I took pity on my mother who pleaded for me to at least talk to Jeong Hyeok. I talked to my boyfriend about it and when I was sure he was okay with it, I sent an email to Jeong Hyeok."

"An email?!" Se-ri asked, unsure that it was real.

"Yes! From my business email address to his," Seo Dan said proudly. "Actually, I don't have his personal email address even now. I just know his private phone number. Anyway, after another two weeks he replied saying that he agreed for us to talk but he didn't have upcoming trips back home so it might take another three months."

Se-Ri was shocked. "Oh my goodness. Why's he being a jerk?"

"That was my first reaction, too!" Seo Dan agreed. "But I found out later it was that he already had a packed schedule and the issue we found ourselves in was just not important enough to adjust things for."

Se-Ri was silent.

"It was important for me, though, because as I said I was with someone and we were already discussing getting married. So I offered to come to New York," Dan continued.

"That seems unfair to you."

Dan shook her head. "No, not at all. Because I didn't pay. My father came up with this so I told him to pay for my trip. I even took my boyfriend with me."

Se-Ri laughed. "You did?"

"Sure did! And we didn't spend one dollar. Smart, huh?"

"Very."

"And there, I finally met Jeong Hyeok. He arranged lunch for us. Do you know how I found out the details of our meeting?" Dan asked.