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Han Tae-oh watched the people walking along the side of the road, and he couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh when he started to feel festive himself.
Seoul, South Korea has felt much more alive these past few weeks due to the Christmas holidays. Today is Christmas Eve.
He's not sure if he's the only one feeling this way, but somehow Christmas seemed different this year. He's feeling this intense excitement that just came out of nowhere. He has had so much energy these past few days that he can't stop fidgeting. He needed to work more hours just to ride it out.
Tae-oh just came back from Japan, fresh from a business trip. He instructed his driver to drive him to Bisunjae; he'd be having his supper there with the Kang family.
Speaking of the Kang family, he and Seong-ju have been working closely together for the past five years since he was appointed as the CEO of Kangoh Group, and they eventually developed a good rapport. They respect each other, and sometimes Tae-oh thinks that they could have been good friends.
Tae-oh's relationship with Kang Jung-mo became closer. Surprisingly, they formed an unlikely friendship due to over a hundred suppers with the Kang family at Bisunjae and their private business meetings. Aside from talking about business, they became each other's favourite opponents in chess and the game of Baduk.
The last, but not least, is his relationship with Kang Hui-ju. Tae-oh can never put a label on their relationship, no matter how long he thinks about it, because they know too much about each other to be strangers or mere acquaintances. He also can't consider it a friendship, even though their relationship has formed enough of a foundation to call it that, but no—he refuses to call her a friend. It also doesn't help the fact that he hadn't seen the woman since she left South Korea to travel the world. Their relationship is too complicated and profound to call it just that. What Tae-oh is absolutely certain about their relationship is that they will always be there for each other. They'll always answer each other's calls. He's completely certain that he'll always come running if Hui-ju calls for him, and he knows she'll do the same for him if he's the one who calls for her. Tae-oh can't figure out how their bond can be sure but also vague at the same time. His bond with Hui-ju is like a raging river; he has no control over it and he has to navigate it in order to keep himself steady on the surface of the water.
Speaking of Kang Hui-ju, the woman hadn't given him any updates on her whereabouts for the past five days. Hui-ju has never missed a week of updating him since she started travelling the world almost five years ago. Sending him her proof of life. She always sends updates to him, almost on a daily basis, and if she is too busy or tired, Tae-oh is rest assured since she always makes sure that she has her location accessible for him. Now, not only has she not given him any updates these past five days, but her location is turned off as well.
Tae-oh would be lying if he said this does not worry him immensely. He's almost at his breaking point. He feels that his patience is about to snap, and that's saying something since Tae-oh is known for displaying tremendous patience, and of course, it's only Kang Hui-ju who has the ability to make him lose his patience.
The only person who knew about this other than him was Kang Jung-mo. Tae-oh addressed the situation during their private business meeting two days ago, and the old man only laughed at him.
Tae-oh felt his jaw clenching when he heard the chortle of the man, the sound reverberating around the room. "This is no laughing matter, Chairman Kang. Did you hear me? Hui-ju hasn't given me any updates for the last three days, and what's all the more worrisome about this situation is that her location cannot be accessible. Something must have happened, Chairman Kang, we have to do something!" he added, which seemed to only further stoke the old man's mirth because soon enough the old man was letting out a boisterous laugh, sitting hunched over his seat while his hands are clasped to his stomach as he gasped for air between his fits of laughter.
Kang Jung-mo wiped the tears from his eyes as he looked back at Tae-oh, only to find a worried frown on the young lad's face. Jung-mo cleared his throat as he regained his composure. "I'm sure Hui-ju's fine, Tae-oh. She must be having so much fun that she has forgotten to give you an update, or maybe she's unable to send you messages since she can't get a signal from where she's staying."
Silence filled the room as they returned to their game of Baduk. Tae-oh was soon playing a losing game since his mind was mostly consumed by Hui-ju. The second scenario Jung-mo presented is plausible, but it only made him worry for her even more instead of giving Tae-oh any sense of respite. Furthermore, Tae-oh's mind refused to acknowledge the plausibility of the first scenario the old man presented. He can not imagine Hui-ju forgetting to update him because she's having too much fun. She had always made time for him, even when they were oceans away, so why would she stop now? "That doesn't explain why her location is inaccessible," he said when he finally admitted defeat, making Kang Jung-mo cry out in delight since he won this time around.
Jung-mo tried to stifle his smirk, but to no avail when he saw that Tae-oh was close to pouting. "Oh, hush..."
Tae-oh sat on the lavish chair, his hands flicking the fabric anxiously. His resolve only strengthens with every second that ticks by. "12 hours," he announced.
"What happens in 12 hours?" Jung-mo asked him as he made the first move to start another round of Baduk.
Tae-oh placed his stone on the Baduk table with so much force that it made a booming sound that reverberated around the room and it made Jung-mo's stone shake.
"I'll have someone find her and bring her back here if she fails to give an update in 12 hours."
Kang Jung-mo shook his head as he let out a chuckle. He has never seen Han Tae-oh like this and he never thought he'd live long enough to witness it, but here he is.
A fool in love.
"Do as you wish, boy."
"We're half an hour away from Bisunjae, sir."
Tae-oh thanked his driver for notifying him. He took his phone to check if Hui-ju had finally sent a message or if he had finally received a new update from the man he had hired to find Hui-ju. He got no messages from either of them.
He heaved an exasperated sigh as he opened his chat messages with Huiju. He looked at the photos and read the messages she had sent for the hundredth time today. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the picture where she was covered with paint from head to toe, with a huge freshly painted canvas behind her, and there were also torn plastic balloons with paint residue strewn all over the floor. Her beaming smile was enough to overshadow the vast array of colours in the picture.
He read her message below it.
Hiu-ju:
'Things got messy. The bath that I immediately took after this was a NIGHTMARE.'
He sent her a photo of him in the office; he was holding a stack of papers he was reading before she sent Tae-oh her proof of life.
Tae-oh:
'I'm reading report papers right now. The mess and the bath seemed worth it if this was the result.'
Hiu-ju:
'B-O-R-I-N-G! I really don't know how you do it. I'm glad you loved the painting. Want me to send it over to you? Let's just say it's a souvenir.'
Tae-oh:
'I wasn't talking about the painting. I still want that painting, though. I'll place it on the wall of my bedroom.'
He skimmed past the picture that he sent, where he was with Hye-won. Tae-oh shook his head when he remembered that Hui-ju only replied with the "like" emoji upon seeing that picture, and she only replied with emojis for quite some time after that. He remembers having to endure it for two weeks. Tae-oh learned to no longer send a picture of him with Hye-won after that.
Tae-oh then let out a laugh when he played the short video Hui-ju sent a few months ago. This time, she's in Florence, Italy. Her background was the majestic Gothic architecture of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. She was spinning around on her cherry-red Valentino high stilettos; the skirt of her white summer dress twirling. The short video ended with Hui-ju almost stumbling to the ground, but she caught herself by bracing a nearby pillar and she heaved a sigh in relief.
Hiu-ju:
'God, can you see how beautiful the architectural details of the cathedral are, Tae-oh? I feel like I was sent back in time!'
Tae-oh sent her a photo of him with her father playing chess.
Tae-oh:
'I'm glad you're enjoying yourself! Please drink responsibly. Oh, I just won a game against your father. You must have inherited your stubbornness from him. He wouldn't accept defeat and immediately offered a replay.'
Hiu-ju:
'I won't drink too much, I promise! Please... I bet you won because you cheated!'
Tae-oh:
' No, I didn't. I won the game fair and square.'
Hiu-ju:
'Yes, you did!'
Tae-oh:
'Then, be prepared to be proven wrong, Kang Hui-ju.'
He sent her a 30-minute, uncut video of him playing chess with Kang Jung-mo.
Hui-ju:
'Did you really think I'd watch all that? This doesn't prove anything because, one, I do not know how to play chess, and two, you're a sore loser, which means you're prone to resorting to cheating.'
Hui-ju lied. She did watch all that, but it wasn't the game she was watching; it was Han Tae-oh.
These were only a few of the many messages exchanged between him and Hui-ju through the years. She had never forgotten to send him a message, even if it was just her sending him a simple: "hi ;)" That's why he was so worried about not hearing anything from her. He had half a mind to join the man he hired to find Kang Hui-ju.
"We're here, sir."
Tae-oh stepped out of the car, and a few staff greeted him near the entrance of Bisunjae.
He was in the lounge area, strutting towards the dining room, when a maid approached him, stopping him in his tracks.
"What is it?" he asked the maid with a cold voice and a standoffish demeanour that made the woman cower under his gaze.
"There's a man outside requesting to see you, sir. He calls himself Raven."
Tae-oh's eyes widened in shock when he heard the name that the woman uttered. "Send him to the garden. I'll meet him there," he ordered the maid, to which the woman immediately complied after performing a bow to his retreating figure.
"Where is she?" That was the first thing that escaped Tae-oh's lips when he heard the man's approach.
"The last time I tracked her she was in Sydney, Australia. I lost her again after that," the man said in front of him. His shoulders were hunched over in fear, his eyes lowered in shame, his body stiff as a rock, and he stood sideways while his feet were firmly rooted in the ground as if he was prepared to make a run for it.
Tae-oh clicked his tongue in a scolding manner. "Why are you here, then? You are just wasting time for being here. You should be trying your best to find her again." Tae-oh stood impossibly closer to the man. His jaw clenched as he bridled at the sight of the man. If Tae-oh intended to make the man feel uncomfortable then he's succeeding. "Didn't I tell you to never come back to this fucking country unless she's coming back with you?"
"B-but—"
Tae-oh poked the man's chest in anger as he said his next words: "Get the fuck out of here and find her," he grunted while he was gritting his teeth.
He cursed when the man immediately sprinted out of the garden. He was about to turn back to head inside when he heard the sound of the notification from his phone. He heaved an exasperated sigh as he put his hand inside his breast pocket in order to retrieve it.
His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped when he saw that the notification came from Hui-ju. He immediately opened the message and he saw that she sent him a picture, but what took him aback was that it was a picture of him that had just been taken a few seconds ago.
Hiu-ju:
'What did you do to that poor man, oppa? :('
Tae-oh spun on his heels as he scouted the vast garden in search of the girl. As he expected, she was nowhere in sight. He was about to send a reply when he heard the familiar sound of Huiju's giggle. A giggle that Tae-oh hasn't heard for months.
He spun on his heels again to search for her and got what he wanted this time. He saw her leaning against the door that leads to the sitting area of Bisunjae, but he only saw a glimpse of her since Hui-ju didn't stay there for more than a second; she moved fast as she went inside the house.
Tae-oh's feet were moving way before his mind could register it. His feet moved fast, his legs stretched, and he would even skip a few steps. He was inside the house in no time.
Hui-ju wasn't in the sitting area when he went there, so he immediately went to the dining room next. He figured that she'd be there since it's where the rest of the Kang family are supposed to gather for supper, and he was right.
Sitting next to his chair was Kang Hui-ju and her lovely self. She had a wide smile plastered on her face, and there was a smugness completely laced in her eyes that made Tae-oh let out a chuckle, completely dumbfounded. She had gotten to him. His reaction must be priceless.
One point for Kang Hui-ju.
Tae-oh noticed that the rest of the family wasn't in the dining room yet. Aside from the staff huddled together out of their eyesight, it's just the two of them.
As he walked towards her, Tae-oh studied her appearance. Her lips were painted red. She let her hair down in soft waves. She's wearing a cocktail dress in the colour periwinkle. It has a halter strap, and now that he's closer to her, he had to suppress a groan when he realized that the dress was backless and skintight, accentuating her every curve and showing the tan on her skin that she got from spending her days in the sun and all the beaches that she visited across the world.
He sat beside her and he moved as if he didn't want to scare her off. "Finally," he sighed as he graced her with a smirk. "You're back."
Hui-ju bit the inside of her cheeks as she felt the overwhelming feelings that swarmed through her like a raging river. Feelings that she immediately felt at the sight of him. Feelings that he could only make her feel.
Hui-ju studied his face. Not that she hadn't seen it before; he had sent pictures of himself—it's just that no picture will do his beauty any justice, and nothing truly beats the real thing.
Her hands were shaking with nerves, and she had to gather all her courage to be able to pull off what she was planning to do.
It has almost been five years since you saw him face-to-face, Kang Hui-ju! You are not getting any younger! It is now or never!
She reached for his hand which was resting on top of the table. She was even watching every minuscule part of his face to ensure that she wouldn't do anything that would offend him.
"No, Tae-oh, I'm home."
Tae-oh let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding when he felt her fingers softly rhythmically grazing his. Their fingers were merely touching, never holding, and the thought of it did not sit right with him. Now that he had a taste of how she felt with a simple touch, he realized that touching wasn't enough. He needs to know how she feels against his skin when he holds her.
Tae-oh watched her face as he slowly held her hand and interlocked their fingers until he felt her palm pressing softly on his. He revelled at the sight of her cheeks and ears suddenly turning red.
"Welcome home then, princess."
Their eyes stayed glued to each other as they spent a long time sitting there and squeezing each other's hands now and then.
Their stares only stopped when they both heard the approach of Hui-ju's family.
"Hui-ju, my sweet girl! You're finally home!" Kang Jung-mo cheered as he carefully and slowly walked closer with the help of his cane.
Hui-ju stood up to cross the distance between her and her father, but she was stopped mid-stride with a hand firmly holding hers, not letting her go.
"This is an interesting development," Seong-ju said behind his father, a teasing smirk on his lips as he looked at their interlocked fingers.
If Hui-ju's face wasn't completely red before, well... It is now. She tried to pull her hand from Tae-oh's firm hold out of embarrassment but to no avail. He kept his hold on her hand and he had no plans of letting it go anytime soon.
Kang Jung-mo let out a chuckle as he eyed Tae-oh and Hui-ju's interlocked fingers once he had become comfortable in his chair at the head of the dining table. "Well, I'm not going to say that I hadn't expected this, especially given how much you seemed extremely bothered when she stopped updating you about her whereabouts these past few days." He clicked his tongue. "What did I tell you? I told you she'd be fine, boy, but you were so worried and bothered that you even hired someone to find her."
"What?!" Hui-ju and Seong-ju exclaimed simultaneously and the latter almost snorted the wine he was drinking out of his nose.
It was Tae-oh's turn to be flustered, his cheeks and ears turning the brightest shade of red. "Oh, hush," he said, taking his glass of wine with his other hand and gulping it down with one go.
Kang Jung-mo let out a boisterous laugh when he saw the flustered face of Tae-oh. He never thought that he'd see the boy in such a state!
"Let's eat! Eat!" he said between his fits of laughter as he ignored the piercing glares that Tae-oh was throwing his way.
Tae-oh and the Kang family spent the whole duration of the supper with pleasant conversations, warm smiles, boisterous laughter, and sometimes, there was comfortable silence.
When Kang Jung-mo chose to retire for the night, Hui-ju, Tae-oh, and Seong-ju stood up to bid him their goodbyes and goodnights, but Seong-ju soon enough went to follow him, leaving Hui-ju and Tae-oh alone in the dining room.
When they're finally left alone, Hui-ju graced Tae-oh with a teasing smile, "Oh, don't you even think I have already forgotten that you hired someone to find me, Han Tae-oh!" She playfully poked his chest, "You're lucky that I find you absolutely handsome and that this is the first time we have seen each other again since I left the country almost five years ago."
Tae-oh let out a chuckle as he put both of his hands on Hui-ju's waist and softly pulled her against his chest. He leaned his head against hers, his warm breath tickling her ear. "Oh, and don't you even think I have already forgotten that you suddenly just stopped sending me messages, Kang Hui-ju. You made me wait for days." He lightly bit on her ear before leaving a tender kiss. "You're lucky that I have missed you, princess."