After Dark (Prompts)

One Night - 19

A/N: Update tomorrow will be for the other prompt titled "Of Mergers and Marriages" in the other book. For those who are not familiar, that's the crossover of Kim Joo Won and Yoon Se-Ri.

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Im Soo-ah fidgeted in her seat and felt like she wanted to vomit.

She was with her mother at a nearby restaurant seated across their neighbors, Ahn So-young and her son. Soo-ah told Hyun Jin-heon about this dinner but no second was it comfortable. It felt like she was cheating on Jin-heon and was just so wrong.

"Woo-jin?" Soo-ah looked at her co-worker, who she apparently was arranged to marry.

"Good evening, Im Soo-ah," Woo-jin greeted. "It must be a shock but I've known your mother for quite sometime."

"Why didn't you say anything? We've been working together for years now," Im Soo-ah pointed out, the whole thing making her feel more and more uncomfortable.

Woo-jin seemed to be sputtering a response but before he could blurt something out, Kim Yun-hui interrupted her and said, "Let's not be rude."

Im Soo-ah could not help but feel bad since she was now being forced to be polite, when such courtesy was not even extended to Hyun Jin-heon.

"Shall we order?" Woo-jin's mother offered to diffuse the tension.

As they browsed the menu, there was a slight commotion at the front of the restaurant. "Madam! We didn't expect you to be here!"

"I needed to make an unexpected trip. I'm so sorry to put you out but we really just need a small table," the woman was saying. "I thought it would be a nice time to check if the building is still up to standards. No issues with my property, I hope?"

"No, Ma'am. We are well taken cared of here," said the man, who Soo-ah now suspected was the manager or owner of the restaurant.

"Come on, little one," the woman motioned the little boy with her, who sat facing Soo-ah.

She gasped.

"Hey, Buddy!" a familiar voice called. The only voice in the world that made her heart skip a beat.

Ji-ho ran and then leapt into the tall man's arms. "UUUUNNNNCCCLLLLEEEEEEE! I missed you!"

"I missed you, too, Bud. Why are you here?" Jin-heon asked.

"Soo-ah, anything you want?" Kim Yun-hui nudged her, motioning to the open menu in front of her.

"The strawberries and cream," Soo-ah said, eyes landing on the dessert section since she had no appetite for anything else.

"Get that later," Kim Yun-hui said. "Do you want some samgyupsal?"

"Sure," Soo-ah replied, craning her neck trying to see where Jin-heon and his party sat.

Bang Eun-Jin seemed to have her arm around Jin-heon stroking him, making Soo-ah wonder if he wasn't feeling well, while Ji-ho seemed to be chatting away, telling stories at the adults.

"So, maybe we should discuss the wedding," Woo-jin started once the orders were placed.

"TEEEEAAACCCCCCHHHHHEEEERRRRRR!!!!" a shrill voice called from across the room, and soon Ji-ho was running toward her. Miraculously, he did not hit anyone or anything and just jumped in her arms.

"Hi, you!" Soo-ah said. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Grandma took me to this trip!" Ji-ho shared.

Aware that the rest of her table was staring, Soo-ah introduced Ji-ho to them. "This is my student, Ji-ho. Well, he was before but he's big now so he's moving to a new teacher next year."