Landing in Your Inbox

13 - costume party pt ii

"Yes?" The woman with the crown and the shining dress blinked. "Do I know you?"

Seo Dan too was intrigued with Jeong-hyeok's inquiry and turned to see his answer.

Jeong-hyeok was transfixed, he had an image in his head: a round profile photo of a woman smiling so much that her eyes were squinted. Seo Dan's friend had those same eyes that disappeared. No dark eyeshadows or lash extensions could betray that.

"Oh," He broke off his gaze, "I just thought it's familiar..."

"She is Seri of Seri's Choice, that's why you might have found it familiar." Seo Dan surmised, "You see them in the airport boutiques."

Jeong-hyeok had not in fact recognized the company but simply nodded along.

Seri smirked, "They are not as prominently displayed as I like, something that I should rectify. You're a pilot, Jeong-hyeok?"

"Yes..."

She gazed at him so openly that he could not help but flinch a little.

"Which route?" Seri asked curiously.

Jeong-hyeok's eyes widened. When he didn't respond right away, Seo Dan opened her mouth, "Since last month he's assigned to..."

"Dan, shouldn't we say hello to your mother?" Jeong-hyeok blurted out.

"Oh yes, we should." Seo Dan scanned her surroundings, "There she is near the band. Seri can you please excuse us? We'll be back." But not after downing her drink in one gulp.

"Sure, go ahead." Seri said. There was that smile again.

Seo Dan's mother was entertaining a group of socialites and Jeong-hyeok's arrival only emboldened her to declare. "Ah here is Dani with my future son-in-law! Jeong-hyeok, so glad you could make it."

It was almost like entering a shark's maw yet he would rather deal with that than to be an unintended exposure.

From the corner of his eye, Jeong-hyeok spotted Seri being joined by a man with a fedora hat in the style of those film noir detectives. She was nodding vigorously to what he was saying and she responded animatedly, her hands in motion.

"Jeong-hyeok?"

Jeong-hyeok returned to his company, "Yes I just arrived today."

"He has such a busy schedule I've been asking him to take a domestic route. Why not fly Jeju instead? That way he'll be home more often." Myeong-eun was telling her friends.

"It is up to Jeong-hyeok of course." Was Seo Dan's attempt to defend him. "If this is what he wants for his career."

"Always career!" Myeong-eun sighed theatrically, "It's about time to settle down, you two are not getting younger. Stop sacrificing family over career, if it's money you need, Dani can take care of that."

"Mom." Seo Dan chided.

"What, did I lie?"

Seri was still talking to that man. Didn't he stand a little too close for comfort? She lazily stroked her hair to her back, she did not in fact wear a wig that would bring her closer to the character she was portraying. It was her own long brunette hair cascading down her back.

"How long are you staying then, Jeong-hyeok?"

"Until tomorrow. I fly again tomorrow evening."

"See the kind of schedule he takes? Impossible to raise a family this way."

His phone vibrated as Seo Dan was trying to explain how the people she knew were staying unmarried and how it was the trend of that generation.

"But no children??" Myeong-eun lamented, the socialites were nodding sympathetically in agreement with the party host.

Jeong-hyeok hazarded a glance at his screen. He had new messages.

And Seri was tapping away at her phone while leaning on her cocktail table. But not for long as a couple approached her. Her crown caught a glint of light when she turned to face them.

"Anyway we should discuss it at lunch tomorrow with Chung-ryeol and Yun-hui." Myeong-eun said, "Have you eaten, Jeong-hyeok? Please help yourselves."

15 minutes later

"You're here." Seri greeted, as Seo Dan and Jeong-hyeok took their seats at their dinner table. But it won't be long until Seo Dan would be summoned by her mother to say hello to another important guest.

"I'll be back." She excused herself.

There was one seat separating Jeong-hyeok from Seri. But from his side he could see she had some cheese slices and cold meats held by toothpicks on her plate, at a dinner where there was a variety of grilled meat.

"...Is that all you are eating?"

Seri didn't acknowledge it at first until she realized that he was probably speaking to her and she had to point to herself to confirm, "Me?"

Jeong-hyeok regretted it immediately and stared down at his plate, "Never mind."

Seri eyed him suspiciously, "Okay..."

They poked about their food in silence. Jeong-hyeok had mostly been moving his asparagus around, suddenly feeling claustrophobic as he weighed many instances in his mind.

"Dani's right about you."

Jeong-hyeok turned to her, "What?"

"You don't seem to like to talk a lot. How did you two meet?" Seri had her eyes on him.

"Her uncle and my dad knew each other from the Air Force." It was a simple factual answer, the kind he gives away in parties, such as that one.

"Oh, Air Force." Seri repeated, her lower lip jutted out. "But you fly commercial planes."

"Yes, it was my mother's request." He explained.

"I guess commercial flight is safer. So you two were childhood sweethearts?"

"No." Jeong-hyeok shook his head, "We were acquainted as adults."

Seri nodded and stabbed a piece of cheese.

"How did you...and Seo Dan meet?"

"MBA course in the US." Seri answered. "It happens when you're the only Koreans in class. Luckily, we got along well."

Jeong-hyeok nodded, his lips folding in.

She didn't appear interested with their conversation or even the food on her plate.

Furtively, Jeong-hyeok reached for his phone.

When Seri's phone lit up, so did she. When she opened her message, she brandished a smile so wide the line of her teeth was almost showing.

Jeong-hyeok puffed out some air from his mouth.

"Seri, I-"

"Hello, what did I miss?" Seo Dan reappeared, taking her seat between Seri and Jeong-hyeok.

"Not much. Jeong-hyeok was telling me how you both met." Seri was quick to turn the display screen off. "I think I want to get some soup." She pushed back her chair, Jeong-hyeok almost reached out as she had difficulty backing up with such a tight dress.

"Okay." Seo Dan nodded, then peered at Jeong-hyeok and his plate. "You haven't eaten?"

Jeong-hyeok looked at his full plate where a few things had shifted around.

"Let's eat." Seo Dan urged.

Jeong-hyeok assented, picking up his knife again.