A red taxi stopped at the front doors of Grandoise Hotel, and a young woman, who appeared to be in her early twenties, stepped out from the vehicle. She was in a simple white cotton dress, and her long black hair was flowing on her back. Her beauty was unique and breathtaking. Her features were like a fresh breeze in a hot summer day. Her makeup was applied lightly, not like she needed any, and she clutched a white handbag in her hand. This, paired with a pair of plain black heels, made her look like a goddess from a secluded and peaceful oasis.
Her beauty was the type to awe the masses. She gave others the feeling of being caressed by a gentle spring wind but her aura overpowered her beauty in many ways. She had a very strong presence and aura which made her more attractive and there were only few women who possessed such traits. Being beautiful and charismatic was not everyone's cup of tea and it just so happened that Lisa was one of those few women, who could captivate those around her with her unique presence.
"Oh my, Lisa, you're here! Hurry upstairs to the Peony Room on the second floor. Everyone's waiting there. If they knew you came, they'd all be overjoyed!" At the door, old classmates who were in charge of welcoming guests gave her directions with warm smiles.
Lisa nodded, returning the smile as she made her way slowly towards the second floor. She didn't know why, but she felt an unplaceable sense of unease bubbling up inside of her. This was a feeling that she hadn't had in a very long time.
Truth be told, she rarely attended these high-school reunions. It wasn't that Lisa was unsociable, or that she thought she was too good for them. Only that, during those three years of high school, someone left such a deep mark in her heart and soul that she had subconsciously avoided all of these events.
This time, she only chose to attend because her high school homeroom teacher personally called and invited her. Ms. Shin was over sixty years old and had retired a long time ago. From what Lisa heard, she immigrated to New Zealand with her daughter some time ago. But now, not only did she suddenly return to the country, she also organized this reunion. Lisa really had no reason to refuse and she was as fond of Ms. Shin as her old classmates were.
Besides, that person's been missing for seven years. There is no way he will show up for this reunion, right? Reassuring herself, Lisa struggled to suppress her unease.
When she finally pushed through the door, there were already twenty or so people inside. Hearing the door open, they all looked over at the entrance and saw Lisa smiling timidly.
"Hi, everyone. It's been a while," she greeted.
"Hey, if it isn't the beautiful Miss Oh Lee sa (Lisa's formal Korean name), what a surprise that you actually came to a reunion! Hell must be freezing over," one of her female classmates said in a mocking tone.
Lisa smiled awkwardly and didn't reply. Just then, the Class President, Seungmin, stood up and walked over with a warm greeting, "Lisa, it's been a while, everyone missed you! How're you doing these days?"
"Oh, I'm doing well, Class President," Lisa looked around the room. When she didn't see the homeroom teacher, she couldn't stop herself from asking, "Where's Ms. Shin?"
"Ah, Ms. Shin just called and said that she's stuck in traffic. She'll be here soon. Come on, take a seat first."
Lisa nodded. Finding a quiet corner, she sat down and listened to the loud banter of the classmates around her.
It had been many years since they graduated from high school, and everyone had changed. Some were now famous entrepreneurs, some were working for the government, and some others had gone to study abroad. All in all, compared to these people, the girl who'd once been touted as a genius with an IQ of 130 could not appear any more ordinary right now.
After graduating high school, she rejected many popular universities such as Seoul national university, to name one and surprised everyone when she applied to the nursing school at a local medical academy. After graduation, she went directly into the provincial hospital to become a nursing intern, signing a 3-year contract.
Now, she had a stable relationship with an intern in the ophthalmology department of the hospital where she worked. Although his family background was fairly average, he had a decent future ahead of him. Lisa felt that she could ask nothing more from this life. She didn't wish for wealth and fortune, only stability and security.
Then, someone suddenly patted her back. Startled, Lisa turned around
Lisa sighed in relief when she saw who it was.
"Chae, are you trying to scare me to death?"
"Hey, I thought we agreed that you'd wait for me by the doors first so we can come in together. I can't believe you ran in before me," chaeyoung said as she pulled up a chair and sat next to Lisa.
"I was going to wait for you, but I saw an old classmate by the door. He said that everyone was upstairs, so I came up." Liaa smiled gently.
The one that greeted her was Park Chaeyoung, her best friend since high school, who was now a flight attendant for an international airline. She was a pretty girl and was Lisa's only close girlfriend. Like Lisa, she too was amiable and exceptionally kindhearted.
"Chae, I thought you've been busy recently."
"How can I not be busy? I'm super busy! We were supposed to fly to another city today, but I didn't want to miss our reunion so I asked a colleague to cover my shift. Oh hey, where's your doctor? Why didn't you bring him?"
"He had a surgery scheduled today so he couldn't make it."
"Not bad, not bad. I see a bright and promising future for him. By the way, how's your house-hunting going?"
"We're getting there. Out of the three apartments that we went to see, there was one that we both liked. We're going to talk to his parents about it before making a final decision."
"Wow, that's fast. Where is it located? Buying a new place is a big deal, so you'd better think it through first," Chaeyoung said.
"It's in Songpa-gu so it takes a little over 20 minutes to get to work by bus. It's pretty convenient," Lisa replied as she smiled faintly.
"Nice, I heard that apartments in Songpa-gu are worth are worth a fortune. Your boyfriend must have some savings then!" Chaeyoung exclaimed in admiration.
"It's not going to be a one-time payment. We're just placing a down payment for now, and the two of us will slowly pay off the rest of the mortgage. We're still young, and have plenty of time."
"So… after buying the apartment, are you guys going to get married?" Chaeyoung asked as she reached out to hold Lisa's hand.
"Yes, it seems so, if nothing unexpected happens." Lisa nodded.
"Lis."
"Yeah?"
"Are you sure that you're willing to … get married, just like this?" Chaeyoung suddenly asked, with a serious expression on her face.
"Well, at this point, does it matter if I'm willing or not?"
"lis, you know why I'm asking. Have you really forgotten about him?" Chaeyoung lowered her voice down to a whisper, but Lisa still heard every word clearly. A trace of sadness appeared in her eyes, with a hint of almost undetectable heartache.
"What's the point? So what if I'm not willing? This is how my life is supposed to be, and I've surrendered to it. I surrendered 7 years ago," Lisa said as she smiled bitterly.
Just as Chaeyoung was about to say something else, the doors of the private room opened, prompting everyone to stand up immediately. Lisa and Chaeyoung followed and looked towards the entrance. To her satisfaction, she saw their old homeroom teacher, Ms. Shin, whose hair was now greying…and, standing beside their teacher was…him?
The man who disappeared 7 years ago, the man who used to be the most important person in Lisa's life…it was like a dream for him to appear in front of her like this, giving her no time to prepare herself at all.
Lisa's entire body went numb, and her brain blanked out…
YOU ARE READING
SET IN STONE• (part-1)
Fanfiction*THIS IS A LISKOOK ADAPTATION* PART-1 They were known as childhood sweethearts. They say, first love is difficult to forget. He was her first but she strongly believed last love was THAT love. The type of love, which was set in stone. Absolutely I...
