AAE -- For Better For Worse

Chapter 01

by LoveCR2

edited by All-About-AAE

 

 

Jin Sun-Mi approaches the MBS Yeouido broadcasting complex with a spring in her step and a smile on her face.

 

... Life is so wonderful ... everything is so beautiful ... she marvels to herself as she strolls along, enjoying the pleasant late summer weather. The blue sky, dotted with cotton white clouds, filters a warm morning glow over the purplish brick veneer of the imposing office building towering overhead.

 

Coming to the street corner, Sun-Mi stops and twirls in sheer exuberance.

 

Nearby pedestrians, waiting for the WALK light, watch with amusement as the attractive young woman, outfitted in a light blue Gucci skirt suit and heels, twirls again. Several are surprised to recognize her as the celebrity whose brilliant smile also graces a gigantic advertisement for the popular cultural TV program, Art Club, sheathing an entire wall of the MBS building.

 

Caught up in her euphoria, Sun-Mi is unaware she is the subject of curiosity, and trots off for the main entrance gate, picking up her pace a little as she turns her thoughts towards the upcoming workday.

 

 

A few minutes later, after pushing through the revolving doors into the main lobby, Sun-Mi pauses first to check the morning news on the large TV monitor, then joins the queue waiting for the lift cars.

 

"Jin Sun-Mi!" A voice from behind calls to her.

 

She turns to look, waving as she sees voice actress Jo Cho-Jeh, her best friend since University, approaching.

 

"My, you're all smiles this morning," Cho-Jeh remarks flippantly. "What did you do? Win the lottery?"

 

"Even better!" Sun-Mi lowers her voice to a private whisper. "Last night, Senior and I celebrated a special 5-year anniversary!"

 

"Okay, but there's more, right? You're holding out on me, aren't you?" Cho-Jeh speculates excitedly.

 

Sun-Mi's expression confirms her friend's suspicions, but she stays mum until they can speak more privately.

 

 

 

Taking the lift to 3F, the pair immediately head to the sunlit atrium -- first stopping at the adjacent canteen for two cups of steaming black vending coffee -- to talk further.

 

After they find seats in a quiet corner, away from eavesdropping ears, Cho-Jeh can't contain herself any longer. "Don't leave a detail out," she gushes enthusiastically, expecting a juicy report. "Exactly what were you celebrating?"

 

"You can't tell anyone, okay?" Sun-Mi first sets her demand, "I don't want to read it in the newspapers again!"

 

Cho-Jeh hangs her head guiltily. "You'll never let me forget that, will you?" she complains. "I promise I'll be discreet."

 

 

"All right," Sun-Mi readily accepts Cho-Jeh's promise, as she is bursting anyway to share the news with someone.

 

"It was five years ago that Senior and I met for the first time," she recalls the incident as if it had happened just yesterday. "I was crossing the street without paying attention, when he knocked me down with his car!"

 

"What's so exciting about that?" Cho-Jeh is puzzled, her imaginations dashed.

 

"Because it was fate," Sun-Mi sighs wistfully. "Nothing happens by chance. Senior and I, we were destined to be together!"

 

"Okaaayy ..." Cho-Jeh is dubious, then returns to the original line. "How did you celebrate? Invite him in for a little 'couch cuddling'?"

 

 

Blushing at the thought, Sun-Mi is emphatic. "No way! What would the neighbors think if I invited just any man in, especially at night?"

 

"You're so old-fashioned, Sun-Mi," Cho-Jeh shakes her head, incredulous at her friend's mindset. "Besides, Director Yoon is not just any man, he's Prince Charming! ... So then, did you make out in his car instead?"

 

"Make out? I'll only let a man kiss me after I accept his proposal!" Sun-Mi is firm. "I won't give myself to a man so lightly."

 

"A kiss is just a kiss," Cho-Jeh scoffs incredulously at her friend's naivete. "Where do you get these ideas, Sun-Mi? From those romance comics you're always reading?"

 

Sun-Mi seems surprised. "You don't believe in True Love?"

 

"True Love is just a fantasy; the reality is people have to settle for what they can get," Cho-Jeh answers with a tone of bitterness in her voice. "If you keep such high expectations, you'll only be disappointed in the end, like I was ..."

 

"You're wrong, Cho-Jeh," Sun-Mi differs. "True Love is real, and True Hearts -- two people meant for each other for eternity -- really exist. I'm willing to devote everything to that."

 

 

Cho-Jeh realizes she isn't going to persuade Sun-Mi to change, so she tries again to pry out something gossip-worthy. "Then if you didn't kiss, what did you two do?"

 

"We hugged," Sun-Mi answers with stars in her eyes, "for a full five minutes! Can you believe it?!"

 

"Just hugged? You've got to be kidding!" Cho-Jeh sighs her disappointment. "You've never hugged him before?"

 

"Of course I have, silly! He even kissed me once ... right here," Sun-Mi taps the exact spot on her forehead.

 

 

"Sun-Mi, it's time we had a real girl-to-girl talk," Cho-Jeh speaks gravely. "Are you sure Director Yoon is serious? When a man truly loves a woman, he doesn't stop with just a friendly hug ... or even a peck on the forehead ..." She leans closer. "You know what I mean?"

 

"No. What do you mean? Say it clearly," Sun-Mi insists.

 

"Okay," Cho-Jeh consents. "I'll spell it out: S - E - X, got it?"

 

Sun-Mi's eyes open wide. "You're saying ... you ... and Jin-Soo?"

 

"How do you think I got this ring?" Cho-Jeh confirms, showing off the diamond on her hand. "Without a push, who knows how long he'd have dithered before committing."

 

"Maybe that worked for you, but not me," Sun-Mi vows. "I'm not going to pressure Senior to propose. Maybe it's old-fashioned as you say, but he patiently waited for me for so long. How can I not be just as patient with him?"