AAE -- Wishes Of The Heart
Chapter 238
written by LoveCR2 -- 2005
edited by All-About-AAE -- 2019
"It's best for Ha-Eun that Young-Mi is with you, Senior. A child should be with the mother who loves her." -- Jin Sun-Mi
TOP WEDDING GALLERY, GANGNAM-GU, SEOUL ...
"Sun-Mi, you have all the luck..."
Cho-Jeh grumbles as she accompanies her friend to the door of the wedding hall...
"You're a bouquet magnet! You don't even have to try, and it drops right in your hands!"
"If it's that important, you have it," Sun-Mi offers the flowers. "I don't get why it's such a big deal. It's just a superstition."
"Is it? It's been three years since you caught Joo-Hee's bouquet, and none of the girls at that wedding have gotten married yet, including me!" Cho-Jeh complains. "And now you've done it again..."
She sighs...
"Until you marry, I'm doomed to be a bridesmaid, and never a bride, too!"
"I don't believe that," Sun-Mi disputes her assumption. "Here, take it anyway," she urges the bouquet on her friend.
"But it's not the same," Cho-Jeh glumly claims, accepting the flowers reluctantly. "Jin-Soo will be so disappointed. He was hoping for a auspicious sign to convince our mothers we should marry as soon as possible."
"Think of it as an 'auspicious' transfer of good luck from the Goddess of Luck," Sun-Mi suggests. "No one will know the difference."
"It's not that simple," Cho-Jeh sighs. "Everything is a battle between our mothers, and Jin-Soo won't take a stand. It's driving me nuts..."
Then she sees Jon-Soo standing by the doors, waiting...
"Speaking of nuts..."
"Cho-Jeh! Over here!" Jin-Soo calls out to his fianc�e, waving to get her attention. "I was looking all over for you!"
Approaching, he notices the bouquet, and a wide smile beaks out...
"You caught it?" he exclaims. "Great!"
"But I..." Cho-Jeh begins, then stops and decides Sun-Mi is right, a little shading of the truth won't hurt...
"I snatched it right out of Sun-Mi's hand," she states proudly.
"I knew it was our lucky day!" Jin-Soo exclaims enthusiastically. "With this good omen, our mothers are certain to stop their bickering!"
"We're finally going to set a date!" Cho-Jeh adds hopefully.
"Excuse us Sun-Mi, Cho-Jeh and I will go first. We have some celebrating to do," Jin-Woo declares happily.
"Oh..." Sun-Mi replies, giving Cho-Jeh a surreptitious wink, "Sure..."
Jin-Woo grabs Cho-Jeh's hand...
"Come on," he insists, pulling her along. "Rooftop..."
MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE THE VENUE ...
Hyung-Chul buttonholes Min-Cho at the first opportunity the two men are alone...
"Did you get the test results?"
Min-Cho opens his suit jacket and flashes the envelope in his inner pocket.
"Right here."
"What are the conclusions?"
"Don't know. I haven't looked."
"Why not?"
"Because it's not necessary. Sun-Mi is coming along better than expected with the therapy," Min-Cho reports. "Why rock the boat now, when it appears to be clear sailing?"
Hyung-Chul sees his last chance slipping away...
"What happened to dealing this 'fair and square' between us?" he argues. "We had an agreement ... If you're backing out now, then I'll tell Sun-Mi myself..."
"Tell her what?" Min-Cho counters with a victorious smirk. "I've spent the last week 'intimately' with Sun-Mi, so I think I know where her heart is better than you. The way it looks, whatever you do is pointless now, there's only one way this will end."
"You may have won this round, Atwater, but until Sun-Mi marries, I not giving up," Hyung-Chul blusters his resolve, "I'll find a way to win her heart back!"
"Humph -- If you'd displayed half of this attitude before, you wouldn't be in this spot -- hoping for a miracle," Min-Cho pointedly disparages his rival's intentions as futile.
Hyung-Chul's eyes flash at the putdown. "This fight isn't over yet. We'll see who wins in the end!" he raises a renewed challenge. "The decision is Sun-Mi's to make, not you."
"Perhaps. Let's discuss this later," Min-Cho speaks cautiously when he sees Sun-Mi approaching.
She steps up to join the men, asking, "What are you two discussing so seriously, that involves my name?"
Min-Cho thinks quickly. "I was just telling Chairman Yoon about your therapy activities this past week, and our plans to leave for Santorini tonight, to continue therapy there."
"Oh, that..." she looks at Hyung-Chul awkwardly. "Er..."
Embarrassed, she struggles for decide what to say next.
"Well..." Hyung-Chul breaks the silence. "We should go back now."
"Sorry, but I won't be joining you," Min-Cho announces a change of plans. "I was just called to a business meeting, so I'll leave first. I'll go directly to the airport and meet you there, Sun-Mi."
"Okay," she confirms.
"Til next time," Min-Cho extends his hand to Hyung-Chul, and they shake.
After Min-Cho heads for the curb to hail a cab, Hyung-Chul remarks, stating the obvious, "That leaves you and me. Shall we go then?"
They start walking toward her Lexus SUV...
"It's not like it sounded..." Sun-Mi wants to clarify what she worried was implied.
"No need to explain," Hyung-Chul replies stiffly. "What you do with Atwater is between you and him."
But Sun-Mi persists...
"About Santorini ... Actually, it wasn't for sure until this morning."
"It's good to go away for a while, and get a new perspective," he remarks coolly. "Clears the mind when you have important decisions to make."
"Do you really feel that way, Senior?"
Hyung-Chul forces a thin smile. "What I think isn't important. You need to do what's best for yourself, Sun-Mi..."
"Yes," she replies despondently, brooding...
... does he really care, if he can so easily send her off with another man?... he has a child, and her mother, to consider first now ...
"I'm off to London in a few days, myself, with Ha-Eun," he shares his own plans, as if confirming her thoughts. "I have a three-year contract to take over from John White as head of GNN."
"Oh..." Sun-Mi replies, "is Young-Mi going, too?"
"Young-Mi has something to do first, It's possible she may join us next year," he answers ambiguously about the future.
"It's best for Ha-Eun that Young-Mi is with you, Senior," Sun-Mi states affirmatively, holding her feelings in check, "A child should be with the mother who loves her."
"Yes..." Hyung-Chul has to agree...
... does she really care, if she can so easily send him off to another woman? .. perhaps he is not first in her heart now ...
They arrive at Sun-Mi's SUV in the car park. She climbs in behind the wheel, while Hyung-Chul settles into the front passenger seat.
Before starting the engine, Sun-Mi looks over at him...
"It could be a long time before we see each other again," she reflects on the possibility.
"Want to stop someplace and have a drink?" he suggests. "For old times sake."
"Old times?" Sun-Mi smiles wistfully...
Why not?"