Dreaming /#FebruaryJamFestival/

15. And I bet you right now; it probably still does

Jin kissed the back of Kwang's neck as he prepared breakfast, then pulled her phone out of her purse. As soon as she turned it on, it beeped with several texts and messages. Kwang turned to the sound and raised his eyebrow. The time had come to return to her reality.

"Can they wait until after breakfast?" he asked, "Or should I keep it on the warmer?"

"It can all wait. Is it ready?" Jin put her phone on the counter and walked to Kwang. He handed her a plate, and they walked to the table together.

"I will be in surgery all day. Do you want to plan for dinner on our own tonight?" Kwang asked after finishing his meal. He stood to bring both plates to the sink when Jin pushed hers to him as well.

"That will be fine. I'm sure work has piled up since I have been gone." Jin looked at her phone and frowned. "Is it okay if I stay here a bit to go through my messages? I'll call Nila first to send a car."

"Stay as long as you want. You know the code." Kwang slipped on his shoes and jacket. "I will call tonight when I'm done."

"Okay," Jin approached him slowly and smiled. "Have a good day, honey!"

Kwang laughed and kissed her. "Watch out, I could get used to that," he teased. "Talk to you later."

"Later," Jin agreed. Kwang left the apartment in a hurry. Jin knew he was already a little later than he liked to be. She settled back at the table. Jin had showered and changed and could go straight to the office if she needed to, though the clothes she had were more causal than she usually wore. Nila should be her first call, so she can determine what order her day should go in.

"Jin, did you turn off your phone?" Nila accused instead of saying hello.

"Yes, I was busy," Jin answered unapologetically.

"Good girl, I hope you enjoyed yourself." Nila's praise didn't surprise Jin, but her voice was off.

"Yes, immensely. That hotel was great. You should keep it on your list."

"Will do," Nila answered, then paused. "Jin, did you listen to your messages yet?"

"No, I called you first. I haven't read or listened to anything yet."

"Perfect, you can delete the messages from me. We can talk about that all now. I have myself more sorted, and I'm embarrassed by the disorganization in my earlier messages."

"Deleting now," Jin promised as she went through and deleted the voice messages from Nila, four in total. She saw one from her father and was tempted to delete that as well, but didn't. "So, what is up?"

"The Li family is coming to meet with you."

"What? I didn't agree to that."

"No, your father did. He arrived in Seoul last night. They set up a meeting for this afternoon at two. I have a hair and nail appointment scheduled for you this morning and have picked a suit for you. I figured you could do your makeup."

"Wait, why am I getting so made up?"

"You are going to need your armor for this one," Nila advised. "I think your father has interfered. You are going to be flanked."

"Shit," Jin put her head in her free hand. Jin looked around the Kwang's condo and felt her eyes tearing. She had been afraid of this, her father didn't like to lose, and the most obvious tactic was negotiating with the Li family. But Jin knew what the Li family wanted and didn't agree to it. These last three days had been so perfect, but somehow she knew it was going to end up this way.

"Yes, and Ms. Lancaster," Nila began gently, alerting Jin, "Yang Li is here as well as his father."

"Shit!" Yang Li, the young heir of the Li family, had come to Korea, and Jin could only think of one reason. He ran the family's company in Thailand and did a great job from what she had gathered. Jin would be happy to get to know Yang in any other situation. The negotiations would have been much smoother if she had met him four months ago. But Jin hadn't realized then what the Li family wanted. She thought it was all just about acquiring a small company in Korea to expand the Li family's Asian footprint. Little by little, it became clear that the Li family wanted more, but by then, she had already fallen for Kwang.