MS Extra 3 part 1

She was about to close her locker when it happened.

Her phone had been vibrating the whole time she had been working. After a pause, it started ringing again.

She should have just put it on silent mode.

Euncho thought angrily as she pulled her phone out.

She felt like she could hear her voice through the texts. She imagined it would sound firm as it pierced her ears. Just by the texts alone, she could see how frustrated the person was.

Euncho slammed the locker shut and let out a sigh.

With her phone in her hand, she began to think. She didn’t feel like she could put it off any longer and decided to call her back. The call connected before it rang three times. It seemed that the recipient was as frantic as her texts.

“What is it, Mom?”

— How can you ask me that? If you read my messages, why haven’t you replied? I can clearly see that you’ve read it.

Just as she expected, her mother’s shrill voice pierced her ears. But she had nothing in particular to say. Because her mother was correct. She had been avoiding her. Euncho moved her tongue over her teeth before clearing her throat.

“I was a bit busy today.”

— That excuse doesn’t work with me anymore.

“I’m serious. Do you think I play around all day? I’m busy during working hours.”

She was basically making something up because she didn’t know what to say. However, when Euncho said this so confidently, her mother couldn’t help but waver. She said, ‘Really?’ as her anger faded somewhat.

Feeling like this was her chance to quickly end the call, Euncho was just about to speak up. However, as if she’d read her daughter’s mind, her mother got straight to the point.

— You’re going to go, right?

“Go where?”

— Where do you think? I’m talking about the arranged meeting¹. You saw what I sent you.

Yes, she did see it.

His name and age, his job. She had even sent his selfies so that she could see what he looked like.

Euncho scowled as she banged her forehead against the locker. This was the reason why her mother had been calling and messaging her nonstop for the past few days.

“Mom, just… Why would I go out on an arranged meeting at my age?”

— Omo, really. At your age, you should slowly start going on blind dates and arranged meetings. And who gets married right after they meet these days? People just meet on the days they don’t have work, share their hobbies… things like that, hm? Don’t people need time to get to know each other? That’s why now is the perfect time to start.

She talked like she got a PhD in marriage.

In the end, Euncho wasn’t able to hold back the sigh from leaving her lips. She leaned her back against her locker.

“I don’t like things like that because it’s too awkward. And who goes to arranged meetings in this day and age? These days, most people meet naturally and get married. Everyone around me is doing it like that.”

— Yeah, I’m glad you brought that up. Have you ever introduced me to a boyfriend? No, we don’t even have to talk about introducing a boy to me. Are you even dating someone you met naturally right now?

She had been nervous while making these excuses, but her mother had hit the nail on the head. Euncho shut her mouth.

— Hm? What’s the point of giving birth to a pretty girl like you? That face of yours isn’t catching any guys.

“Is catching a guy my purpose in life…? Everything else in my life is fine. My career is good, and I have a lot of friends.”

— Yes, so that means everything will be perfect once you have a guy.

There was nothing in this world that divided a mother and daughter more than this topic.

After finding security through her marriage to Euncho’s stepfather, her mother wanted nothing more than for Euncho to lay the foundations for her own family. 

It wasn’t like Euncho didn’t understand where her mother was coming from.

Euncho also wanted nothing more than that peaceful, harmonious life for herself as well.

However, things did not go according to her hopes and dreams.

Euncho massaged her furrowed brow and remembered the events of that night.

‘Ki Taejuuu.’

‘What?’

‘Do you want to… meet my mom?’

The night Ki Taeju had returned from a business trip overseas.

She had cautiously brought this topic up to the man as he stuck his body against her back. In a way, it was her proposal to him. Even though it couldn’t be called a proper proposal, it was an important piece of a future proposal.

In other words, it was a way for her to express her certainty regarding their future together.

Ki Taeju reacted in two ways.

At first he chuckled.

He chuckled, and then…

‘No.’

And then he gave her this answer.

She thought he’d obediently say he would, but his piercing reply was completely unexpected. He was always blunt, but he could never hide the affection he had for her, so she didn’t know where this was coming from

Because they just finished having sex, she was exhausted to the bone, but his one word caused all the exhaustion to vanish.

Euncho burst up and turned around to look at him.

‘What?’

‘……’

‘No? Why? Why not?’

She stuttered in shock. Ki Taeju still looked calm as he gazed back at her, and it annoyed her to no end.

‘Because it’s embarrassing.’

But his face didn’t look embarrassed at all.

‘Ha…’

Euncho scoffed.

If he had given her any other reason, she would have reacted differently.

Embarrassed?

All because he was embarrassed?

‘How can you feel embarrassed at your age? And I’m not joking. I’m dead serious.’

‘I’m serious, too.’

‘Crazy…’

A curse almost burst out of her lips like her scoff.

‘What? Crazy?’

This time, Ki Taeju laughed. Then he dragged her back to bed and forced her to lie down, and they promptly fell asleep.

‘We need to have a proper talk.’

But after that, the hotel entered its peak season, and he was suddenly drowning in various work at the main office, so both of them were too busy to have a proper conversation.

But this might just have been an excuse for Euncho.

Because even in the midst of all this busy work, they still managed to eat meals and sleep together.

She had a feeling that Ki Taeju wanted to avoid this topic. She was afraid she would end up grilling him about this if she attempted it, so she found it difficult to bring it up.

She still trusted Ki Taeju. She wasn’t mistaken about him in that aspect at all.

She knew that there was a reason for this, and that the reason probably had something to do with her and her safety. He was a man who had hidden his presence in her life for seven years in fear of putting her in danger, so the probability of this being the reason was quite high.

That’s why she decided to patiently wait for him.

To be honest, she did want to get married, but it wasn’t that simple. It was something they needed to approach carefully.

That night, she had gotten angry for a brief moment because of the way he reacted so playfully to her question. Her anger wasn’t because he didn’t want to see her mother.

He had endured it all for seven years, and if she wanted to match his pace, she needed to be patient.

However, a week ago, her composure began to waver.

Her mother had begun to send her various messages about a marriage meeting.

Her mother still didn’t know about her hospitalization or the fact that it was related to Ki Taeju. No, she didn’t even know Ki Taeju existed.

She was also completely ignorant of the fact that Euncho had met him while they were still living in the villa.

If she were to come clean about him, she wouldn’t know where to begin. And Ki Taeju wasn’t ready to formally meet her mother, so Euncho felt that it would be best to hold her tongue. However, there was no place to run from all this pressure.

— Euncho, I know this is a big favor I’m asking of you. But what’s the problem? It’s not like you’re seeing anyone right now. And it’s not like this boy has any problems that deserves your immediate rejection.

“Mom…”

—  Remember when we lived in the villa?

Euncho, who had been picking at her fingernails, suddenly froze.

— Remember the factory I used to work at? Do you remember the boss from there? He spoke with you a few times. When he heard that we were in debt, he helped us out a lot, remember? If I couldn’t call you, he would call you in my stead a few times. The boy is that man’s son.

When she heard this, Euncho finally realized why her mother had been so persistent.

Although she was doing this for the sake of her own daughter, she was also doing this as a way to thank that man. It was a way of showing goodwill. But this made things even more difficult for Euncho.

Euncho knew better than anyone how difficult things had been for her mother back then. Even though things were a lot better now, the poverty they experienced was a stain that would not go away.

— He’s only two years older than you, and the more I hear about him, the more pleasant he sounds. You saw the photos I sent you, right? He takes after the boss, so he’s quite handsome. It’s difficult to find someone with his looks these days.

Her mother kept talking, but it went in one ear and out the other. To be perfectly honest, she didn’t care one bit. She was currently in a relationship, so this was to be expected.

— Just one time. Meet him just one time. If you don’t like him after that one meeting, I won’t pester you about this anymore.

You might as well force my hand.

How could she reject her mother when she was begging so earnestly like this.

It was even more difficult because Euncho knew how her mother felt. She wanted to repay the debt that she owed to someone who had helped her in her time of need, and, as a mother, she wanted to fill the empty space beside her daughter.

Therefore, Euncho was the most frustrated person in this situation.

She knew that this would all be over if she could just say, ‘Actually, I already have a boyfriend.’

However, she wasn’t exactly looking forward to the consequences of saying those words in a fit of anger. She didn’t want to force Ki Taeju to subject himself to a meeting he did not want to attend.

She wanted to respect his wishes just as much as he showed consideration for her.

Just one meeting.

It wouldn’t be difficult to just share a meal with the man and then come back and tell her mother that she didn’t like him. She could just think of it as having a meal with someone she was meeting for the very first time…

“Just one time. If I don’t like him, that’s the end. Alright? No more pestering. Promise me.”

— Alright, alright. I don’t expect more than that.

As soon as she made this sudden decision, regret quickly followed. But her mother’s voice was so full of joy that Euncho didn’t have the heart to go back on her word.

I’m so dead.

Euncho felt gloomy as she ended the call.

‘But is Ki Taeju really not considering marriage?’

Even though they’d known each other for a long time, they had only been dating for half a year. Therefore, she understood that talking about marriage was way too soon. 

‘But still…’

She didn’t think much of it before, but she suddenly felt a bit greedy.

If he brought it up first, she was more than ready to accept.

However, it didn’t seem like Ki Taeju was going to do that any time soon. D*mn it.

Hmm, Euncho tilted her head back.

Marriage.

The more she dwelled on this, the more difficult this problem seemed to be.

* * *

“Summer is over, but isn’t it still too hot?”

“I agree. Aah, now that I’m in an air conditioned room, I feel like I’m going to survive.”

“Before you know it, it’s autumn.”

“Seriously, time can be so fickle. Should I buy a trench coat this year or not?”

“Don’t buy it. You’ll only wear it a few times before it’s obsolete.”

After finishing their shift, a few of the staff had dinner together and came out for some shaved ice.

Euncho scooped some condensed milk shavings and a piece of mango onto her spoon. Hyunjin sat across from her and rummaged through her purse. She promptly changed the subject.

“Did you all receive this?”

Hyunji pulled something out and placed it on the table.

It was a white wedding invitation accentuated with floral lace embroidery. The same invitation was in Euncho’s own purse.

Earlier that day, when she received it, she couldn’t take her eyes off it. The same thing was happening now. It was an object that didn’t seem to exist in her world.

“Sehee-ssi’s wedding invitation?”

“I’m sure you’ve all received it. She was working hard to hand these out during our break.”

Euncho received it during her lunch break.

She must have been exhausted from all the wedding preparations because her face looked haggard. Instead of eating her lunch with colleagues, she was busy handing out small gifts along with the invitations.

“It sounds like she’s been dating her husband-to-be for a very long time. I think she said it was seven or eight years.”

“Wow, then that means they’re getting married pretty late.”

“That’s how things are like these days. Those who date for a long time end up getting married later. There are many instances where couples never get married and end up breaking up.”

“You know Kim SeongWoo from B/O, right? That was the case for him. He dated someone from college for six years, and in the end, they never married and broke up.”

The topic of marriage became the new subject of conversation. The conversation naturally flowed to the breaking news of another long-term couple’s wedding.

Was it really like that?

As she recalled all the things that had happened today, she didn’t think it was completely wrong. It used to feel like something that was far away from her life, but when she came to her senses, it was right in front of her.

“Euncho-ssi, why are you so quiet today?”

“Me? I was just thinking.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“Uh… I was just wondering if dating and marriage is really that different…?”

She didn’t know what to say, so she just said what came to mind. The topic of conversation at the table changed once again.

“I’m sure it’s different. Very different.”

“Isn’t that why there are so many couples who break up before they get married?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure if it makes a whole lot of difference other than being tied to that person legally.”

“That’s the whole point. It’s a relationship that is established by law.”

“But I feel like we’re seeing a lot of couples in common-law marriages these days, so I feel like people are doing whatever they want.”

Seeing as how they were all of similar age, it seemed that marriage was something that was not too far away.

That’s why they were discussing it like this.

Euncho was the one who had thrown the first stone in regards to this topic, but in the end, everyone but her seemed to be continuing this conversation.

Euncho’s head moved from side to side as she listened to them talk. She felt like each person was correct in their own way. It seemed she wasn’t the only one who found this problem to be very difficult.

“But I’m surprised Euncho-ssi is curious about something like this.”

“Really? Why?”

“You never really seemed interested whenever we talked about this before. Even though there are plenty of male employees who like you…”

“Aren’t you single right now? No, not just now. Haven’t you been single ever since you started working at this hotel? We’ve never heard you talk about a boyfriend, ever.”

‘That’s right, that’s right.’ Her other colleagues agreed. Euncho felt strange as she looked around the table.

Her colleagues didn’t know since she never acted any differently. She was already frustrated about her mother’s pestering, so having this happen now made her feel even more suffocated.

Maybe she couldn’t confide in her mother, but was there a need to hide this from her colleagues?

Ahem, Euncho cleared her throat.

It didn’t seem like such a big deal, but she still felt embarrassed as she scraped the ice in her cup. She spoke in a soft voice that was closer to a whisper.

“Um, actually, I am seeing someone right now.”

Saying it with her own mouth made her tongue feel ticklish.

But she also felt a surge of satisfaction burst up within her heart.

The thought that their long relationship had finally reached a point where she could officially say she was dating him made her feel a sense of fulfillment. 

…Of course, when the table exploded into an uproar, she ended up regretting her decision within one minute.