Ever After

Shanghai

This time, Jeong-hyeok had everything lined up. This time, they were relying on themselves, not on the whimsies of fate.

He had her hotel address – one they had agreed on ahead of time in Zurich.

He had her room number, and she knew the date and time of his arrival – information that was passed through a private detective arranged through one of Seri's trusted contacts in Shanghai.

He even had flowers – a bunch of pretty pink carnations he was holding behind his back now as he stood in her hallway.

So... why wasn't it going the way he had imagined?

A big part of it was that another man was currently knocking on Seri's door. And Seri herself, as she opened the door, seemed to be expecting the man.

Jeong-hyeok lingered at the corner so he'd have time to observe, though it meant he couldn't quite hear what they were talking about.

She kept the man at the door instead of inviting him in. That was a good sign. Her smile – her sweet, radiant smile – was on display. Could be a bad sign. Her eyes weren't trained on him. Good sign. They strayed up to the ceiling as she thought, then wandered sideways, towards Jeong-hyeok... "Oh?" she had caught sight of him standing at the corner and was waving excitedly now. Good sign.

Jeong-hyeok approached slowly, not at all abashed that he had been caught watching.

"Would you mind if we met up later in the day to discuss this? Maybe in about an hour?" Seri was telling the man. Jeong-hyeok, too, looked at the man as if he was waiting for a reply.

"Of course," the man was saying. He looked vaguely familiar, though Jeong-hyeok had trouble placing him. The man turned and gave Jeong-hyeok a look which also revealed a flash of recognition. "I'll come to your room again in an hour, Yoon Seri ssi."

"Thank you, Agent Ko," Seri said. Agent Ko... one of the NIS agents? What was he doing here? Agent Ko shot him a carefully neutral glance as he walked away. Jeong-hyeok shot him an equally neutral glance back.

"I'll fill you in later," Seri whispered as she wrapped her arm around Jeong-hyeok's and led him into the room with her sun-bright smile.

"You don't have to," Jeong-hyeok said, features still schooled into a carefully blank expression. At least, he was 90% sure they were carefully blank. "...but just let me know if there's another man behind me in the queue." Aish. He couldn't resist adding the dig.

Seri only smiled sweetly up at him, the way a mother would smile at a child throwing a tantrum cutely. She also happened to catch sight of the flowers behind his back and reached for them herself. "Oh! Are those for me? Thank you, Ri Jeong-hyeok ssi! I wonder if I could fit in a cup..." she started bustling around, taking a cup out of the cutlery drawer, and heading into the bathroom. He heard running water, her saying something under her breath to herself.

No, this wasn't how he had imagined their reunion at all.

It wasn't that he was jealous, per se. His faith in Seri was deep and unshakeable. It was just his preference to be the only man in her vicinity. He had seen how easily she could make men light up, just by being herself – she had turned his Company Five troop from disciplined soldiers into a bunch of loyal puppies with simple jokes and food offerings. Just as an example.

Jeong-hyeok sat at the end of the bed with a sigh. He looked around the room. It was nicer than his (they were staying in different hotels this time), as expected of Yoon Seri's taste. Muted lights hidden under the headboard, nice painting on the wall, plush carpet. He brushed his hand on the bed. Silky bedsheets...