FATE, WRITTEN BY US - CHAPTER 2
20 September 2009Jo Kwon could not sleep the whole night. He kept imagining their first meeting. He could not hide his excitement. When the sun finally signaled the arrival of 20 September, he had never been more willing to get out of bed. He had a list of things to do before he went to the meeting place.
He looked at the clock, it was 7 in the morning. Would it be too early to call? Oh nevermind, I really need to know. He took out his trusty phone and dialed.
“Hyung!! Good Morning!!”
“YA! Do you know what time it is?! Why did you call so early?”
The annoyed voice on the other end brought a smile to Kwon’s face. His hyung was never a morning person.
“Hyung, sorry, but I’m really excited and I really need to ask you something. What kind of gift should I buy for a girl who’s older than me?”
That got the attention of the grumpy man on the other end of the line.
“Wait, you? Jo Kwon? You have someone in mind? I thought you are just all about your music career?”
“Hyung! Don’t tease me! Oh yes! I forgot to tell you! I’m getting married today!! Are you happy for me?”
The man thought to himself, “Silly boy, of course I know you are getting married today. I got a part to play in bringing the two of you together.”
But his reply to Jo Kwon was, “Who’s the unlucky girl?”
“YA! Hyung! What do you mean by unlucky? I’m not entirely sure but from what I heard, it should be Ga-In noona.”
Please, God, let it be her.The man shook his head and smiled. “This silly boy could hardly contain his excitement. This is going to be interesting.”
“Son Ga-In? The ice queen? You are going to be married to her? I take back my words. You are the unlucky one! Good luck with that.”
“Aish~ Don’t be a spoilsport. What’s wrong with Ga-In noona? I think she’s so cool! So, tell me what would a girl like her like?”
“It’s just a show. Do you really have to take it so seriously?”
“I believe in treating everything I do seriously. So, give me some suggestions on what to buy for her!”
“Get flowers, all girls like flowers.”
Heehee~ She hates all kinds of flowers. Except… Oh I definitely have to be there tonight for their first meeting.“You sure? Ok, I’d get her flowers. What else should I get for her?”
“It’s only the first meeting. Don’t spoil her. Just get her flowers.”
“Alright, thank you hyung! See you soon!”
With that, he hung up and went about getting ready to run various errands including getting flowers and a birthday gift for his wife.
The man was really amused by Kwon’s phone call. “I’ll see you very soon indeed.” He typed a quick message and sent it out.
“My dear Ice Queen, Happy Birthday! Have fun with your young husband tonight!”
The reply was immediate.
“Ya! Don’t call me Ice Queen! You know I hate that nickname! Oppa~ Where’s my birthday present? Meet me tonight after my recording?”
“We’ll see. Do you know what time the recording will end?”
“I don’t know. I really hope it won’t drag on forever.”
“Well, behave yourself. Don’t scare the poor boy.”
“As long as he doesn’t get on my nerves, we should get along fine.”
You will get along fine. You just do not know how well you would just yet. The man thought back to the first time the three of them met. Has it really been that long? 18 years seemed like a long time but time has a way of flying right past without them noticing.
Ga-In and him had spent the last 18 years pretty much only having each other as support. You can even call them family if you want to. Even if they are not related by blood, their bond is unbreakable. He was 2 years older than Ga-In so very naturally he took on the elder brother role.
The phone ringing broke into his thoughts and his walk down memory lane. It was a timely pull. The past is past, they have to live in the present now.
“Yes, Miss Hong, I would be there in about an hour. Don’t worry, I won’t be late.”
“Alright, sir, I’ll see you at the meeting later then.”
He threw his phone onto his bed and walked into the shower to start his day.
Ga-In was preparing for her public performance for that day. She knew that the WGM production team would be at the performance venue to tell her where to meet her husband. Thinking about her to-be make-believe husband brought a smile to her face.
Jo Kwon, would you remember me? I’m curious… What would your earliest memory of me be?The next moment, her smile was wiped off her face as her eyes fell on the photograph on her dressing table. She took it up and looked at the three happy faces staring at the camera.
One moment in time. That moment had been a happy one.That photograph was taken 18 years ago on her birthday. After that day, she never celebrated her birthday again. She may pester her oppa for a present but they never celebrate it the conventional way, with a birthday cake and all.
The photograph was taken against a sea of beautiful and exotic flowers. When she was young, she had always like flowers. But after that fateful day, she grew to hate the sight of flowers.
Except for one – The deep purple tulip
That was the only one flower she regained some kind of liking for.
Because of one person.Before she could fall deeper into the pit of her memory, the alarm on her phone rang to remind her that she had to leave the house soon to go for her appointment at the salon. After all, it was her birthday and she deserved to look good on this day. Not to mention, she was getting married that day.
With that thought in her head, she picked up her bag and walked out of the house.
Jo Kwon was down to the last errand for the day before heading to the venue for the meeting. He walked into the florist at the end of the street he was on. In his hands were 3 packages, one from Tiffany & Co, the second one from Godiva and the third from Kim Young Mo (famous bakery in Seoul).
“Excuse me, can I get a dozen red roses? Please wrap it up nicely.”
Jo Kwon threw his thousand-watt smile at the florist. As she was preparing the bouquet, he started walking around the shop. He was about to turn back to the front when his eyes were drawn to the deep purple tulip at the corner of the shop.
“Noona, this is for you.”A memory flashed across in his head. He couldn’t remember ever giving such a strange flower to anyone but he was instinctively drawn to it.
“Sorry. Can I change my order? I want a dozen of these deep purple tulip instead. I apologise for my indecisiveness.”
The florist looked at him and smiled.
“Looking at all the packages you are holding, you must be celebrating something special with someone you really care about. Are you going to propose? Since tulips are usually used as a declaration of love. This deep purple also hints at royalty. This girl must be the princess of your life.”
Jo Kwon grinned broadly. He didn’t expect the tulip to mean so much and it was so apt for this occasion too.
Ga-In noona is not my princess. She’s more like my queen. And she would be treated like one.After the flowers were nicely wrapped up, he walked towards his car and put everything in place. Looking at all the packages and the bouquet of flowers, he finally felt ready for his wedding tonight.
The suit he was going to wear was already in his car. He really wondered what would Ga-In’s reaction to all his preparations be. With that in mind, he dialed a number.
“Jung PD-nim, it’s Jo Kwon. Do you have a moment to talk? I want to speak to you about tonight’s recording…”