“I do care. I think about Korea all the time. How can I not? You’re always there to remind me of the wonderful time I spent with you. You deserved an explanation, but just like you, I thought you didn’t care. You were so professional and cold. I just thought it would be better to spare you and not open the subject.” Hyung was struggling to find the right words. “That day, I was on my way to see you, but my mom got into an accident and I had to come back right away. I went by the river first, I thought I would be lucky enough and see you there earlier. Of course, I wasn’t.” Hyung chuckled dryly. “I didn’t have your number. I didn’t know what hotel you were staying in. So, I left.”
Talia was breathless. She’d thought of him as a villain for so long. She’d thought of so many reasons for him to stand her up. But, she’d never expected him to be a victim too.
“I was excited to see you. I had so much fun with you.” Hyung’s confession made her heart skip a beat.
“Why did you lie about your job?” Talia asked. They were finally telling the truth. She wanted to have her questions answered once and for all.
“Because I liked how you saw me as plain Hyung. Not the businessman, not the rich Asian guy,” Hyung said in a low voice. “You were so open around me. I want us to be like that again. I love working with you. But I’d love it even more if you stopped being so cold. I know that’s not you.”
“You can’t blame me for acting like that.” Talia breathed out.
“I can’t. But you know the truth now. Can’t you forgive me?”
Talia wasn’t sure what to say. She was even more confused now. She felt bad, too. Hyung hadn’t been as bad as she thought. He’d had a pretty valid reason for standing her up. But still, was she able to be who she was again?
“I’ll try.” It was all she could say at the moment. However, deep in her heart, she knew that that conversation put an end to the cold war that had been going on.
Chapter 5
Talia held onto the strap of her bag tightly, her lips forming a pout as she glanced through the crystal clear window. She looked at the displayed items, wondering if she should even bother to go inside. People swarmed through the racks, trying on stuff, taking pictures of the exposed items, hoping that someone could give them a fair opinion of it. It was indeed a frenzy, one she knew all too well—the holiday frenzy. She went through it every year when she did her last minute gift shopping. And each year she would promise herself to do things earlier—spare herself of that frenzy. And each year, she did the exact opposite. Of course, no one could blame her. She was living a busy life and her new job only made things more complicated. She didn’t have too many gifts to buy, one for her mom and one for her dad. Her mother had been easy, she’d pretty much hinted as to what she wanted all month long. Her dad, on the other hand, was a tough decision. She’d already visited two shopping centers and was now going through the third, and although there were plenty of things from which to choose, she couldn’t exactly choose.
Through the window, she watched as a man tried on a scarf and wondered if her dad would like something like that. She immediately shook her head. A scarf wasn’t a gift for her dad. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair and then lowered it to her hip.
“Are we following someone?” She recognized that thick accent anywhere. Still, she jumped, startled by the sudden presence.
Hyung was standing beside her. He wasn’t looking at her, but rather mimicking her. His back was slouched, his eyes squinted and firmly set on the people inside. Talia rolled her eyes and chuckled.
“My inspiration.” Talia scoffed as she turned to face him, eager to get away from the intoxicating smell of his familiar cologne.
Hyung chuckled and raised a brow. “Your inspiration?” he asked, as he wrapped both hands over his chest.
“Well, I was very uninspired, and decided to shop last-minute for gifts.” She trailed off. “Much like all these people.” She pointed subtly at all the people passing by them.
“Well, New York has some busy citizens.” He shrugged. “Who are the gifts for?”
“My parents. I bought something for my mom, but my dad,” Talia said as she exhaled loudly, “He’s a hard one. What about you? Are you here shopping or with someone?” Of course, by ‘someone’, she meant his lovely girlfriend.
“I was supposed to meet Kristel. But she can’t make it anymore.” It wasn’t hard to notice the sudden change in his expression. Talia could only guess that she'd once again ditched him for one of her superficial and unimportant reasons. Talia pursed her lips, unsure of what to say. Yes, she might have thought a million bad things about her boss's girlfriend, but she would be damned before she said them out loud. “Since I’m free, and you are laking inspiration, how about I help you?”
Talia meant to say no, in fact she should have said no. But Hyung didn’t leave too much room for objection. He’d already turned on his heel and started walking towards the shop she’d been gazing into. It wasn’t until he’d noticed she wasn’t following that he stopped and looked over his shoulder.
“Aren’t you coming?”
Unsure, Talia followed him inside. At first, it felt awkward to be with him in such a public place, away from the office and the endless documents and unopened emails. Following him through the groups of gathered people reminded her of Korea, how he’d lead her through those unknown streets, showing her things she’d only seen in movies and magazines.
“So, what does your dad like?” he asked as he ran a hand over a shelf, his fingers touching the exposed sweaters.
“He doesn’t have many hobbies,” she said as she bit her lower lip.
“How about gloves?”
“He got some last week.”
“How about a new tie?”
“Dad’s more of a T-shirt kind of guy.”
Hyung pursed his lips and sighed. His eyes roamed through the room, the excitement didn’t leave his eyes but for a second. On the contrary, he seemed even more determined to help her. He tapped a finger against his elbow, his eyes narrowed, reflecting the deep thinking into which he’d sunken.
“Does he ever complain about not finding his things?” Hyung asked as they walked out of the clothing store. The question was totally random and she wasn’t entirely sure where he was going with it. Still, she nodded, waiting for him to continue. “I saw this holder in one of the stores. If you don’t like it, there are a lot of other things there. I think he would like them.” She still wasn’t sure what Hyung meant but she still followed him.
They didn’t hurry to the store, they both walked slowly by the hasty shoppers, their steps falling in sync. Hyung and Talia were silent for a while. Saying that the silence hadn’t been awkward would have been a lie. It was dripping with tension, but not because they didn’t know what to say, but rather because they had too much. They were both filled with words, with ideas, but they just couldn’t bring themselves to say anything. Partially because they both knew how easy it was to speak to one another. They’d fallen under the trance of their long and meaningful conversations before—back in Korea, in their office and during their all-nighters. Talia was aware of the pull she felt when they spoke and she was afraid to fall under the pull again. Still, one could rarely go against the deep desire of their hearts, and soon, she found herself speaking.
“When I was six, I carried some lady's groceries. I don’t remember her well, I just know she was our neighbor,” she began, her mind was now in the past, playing the fading memories of her childhood. “Anyway, after I carried them she gave me a ten dollar bill. Of course, back then, I though it was a huge amount of money!”
“Didn’t we all.”
“It was my mother’s birthday, so I decided to go buy her something. We lived beside this huge flower shop. I walked inside and picked up the biggest bouquet, it had roses and lilies and I don’t even remember what else.”
“You wanted to buy that with ten dollars?” He chuckled. He’d now stopped walking and turned to face her, his eyes looke
d into hers, filled with amusement and curiosity. “That must’ve been a fun experience.”
“Well the woman was quite shocked. But she sold it to me. That was the first gift I ever got for one of my parents.” She smiled fondly at the memory.
“Wow. You rarely find people like her.”
“I know. Back then, it didn’t seem like such a big deal, but now, I can’t help but wish the woman well. If I remember correctly she was Asian too. I just can’t remember where from.”
“Did your mom like it?”
“She turned out to be allergic to lilies. But she still kept the bouquet until it withered away,” Talia confessed with a low laugh.
“Well, I hope your dad won’t be allergic to his gift,” he joked. “We’re here, by the way.” He pointed towards the store behind her. Swiftly, she turned on her heel and nodded with pursed lips. She didn’t have to look behind her to know that he’d followed her inside. The store definitely looked fancy. None of the exposed items were typical things one would find in a store. They were all unique, some funny, others meaningful. She’d never seen it before, so she guessed it had opened recently.
The objects were arranged according to the material out of which they were made. The wood was on one wall, the glass on another, and the textiles were scattered along the tables made out of thick wood planks. The place immediately caught her attention, giving her hope of finding something in there.
“Okay, so here’s the thing I told you about,” she heard Hyung say. From the corner of her eyes she saw him move towards the shelves to her right, his hand already extended, ready to grab the so called holder.
Her lips formed a large ‘O’ when he realized what he was talking about. The thing was a piece of carved wood that had different compartments for his phone, charger, keys and other whatnots. ‘DAD’S THINGS’ was carved on the top in bold letters.
“So, do you think he’ll like it?” Hyung asked.
Talia inspected it, her hands tracing the different details carved onto the wood. She tried imagining gifting it to her dad, and what his reaction would be. It was then that she realized Hyung had been right. It was perfect. Smiling, she nodded. Hyung sighed in relief, his lips curling in a bright smile that flashed his teeth. Then, his smile dropped, his eyes moving to look at something behind her. Talia turned to see what he was looking at, and while she did that he walked past her and towards one of the tables not too far away. She frowned and followed him, slowly walking behind him.
“I haven’t seen this in years,” Hyung exclaimed as he picked up one of the leather diaries. His eyes were wide, inspecting the diary as he flipped it over. “My dad had one of these when I was young. He got it during one of his trips. He used to write in it every night by the fire. He was so sad when he couldn’t find another one like it.”
The excitement crossing his face was so real, it had been so long since Talia had seen someone so genuinely happy. She understood why, though. Childhood memories were so precious, especially if they were about someone that was lost to us. Hyung flipped through the empty pages, his eyes glistening beneath the artificial light of the store. However, his nostalgic moment was interrupted once his phone started ringing. With a sigh, he put the diary down and reached for the phone that was in his back pocket.
“Sorry, I have to take this.” He pointed at it before walking away.
“I’ll buy the gift and come.” Talia watched as he exited the store, his free hand gesturing as he spoke to the person on the other end of the call. Once he was outside, she looked at the gift she held in her hand then at the diary Hyung had set down.
She contemplated on the thought that had just crossed her mind. She wondered if it was too out of line, if it would give the wrong impression. Yes, she was over-thinking it, she often did so when it came to Hyung and how she should act around him. And she knew why too. But, just like every time, she damned all those thoughts and just reached for it. What consequences could buying a diary have?
When she’d finished, Hyung was still outside. He'd just hung up the call. He'd been oblivious to her until she came to stand right next to him, the rustle of the paper bag the first thing that caught his attention. Once he’d noticed her he lifted up his gaze and smiled.
“Did you get it?”
“Wrapped it too!” She lifted up the bag and shook it.
“What else did you buy?” he asked with a raised brow. For a second Talia hesitated, although she’d already made up a lie for the second wrapped box. However, she recovered fast.
“Something else for my mom.” Hyung might have noticed something was off, she’d blurted out the words way too fast to be normal, but he let it go and nodded. “So, are we done?” she asked.
“I guess so,” he said. “What are your plans for the rest of the night?”
Talia pursed her lips and thought. She’d already packed up her bags and prepared for her trip back home. Everyone she knew was either busy or out of town, so there weren’t much plans in her agenda.
“Pizza and a show?” She shrugged, her lips curled in amusement.
Hyung seemed to think about her answer for a bit. He pondered on her words, his head nodded, looking from side to side.
“It sounds good,” he said quietly, “Can I join?”
The request came out of nowhere. Talia was left breathless, chocking on thin air. Hyung noticed her reaction, but he didn’t seem bothered by it. On the contrary, he waited for her answer patiently, busying his hands with the phone he still held.
“I—” Talia barely managed to say.
“Come on. It'll be my treat.” Her rational part urged her to shake her head, mutter a no, anything to keep him away. However, when did she ever act rationally around Hyung?
“Okay,” she finally said. “But I choose what we watch!”
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Talia stood in the middle of her bathroom, her fingers knitted in her hair, her eyes glued to the mirrored image of herself. She stared herself dead in the eyes, her lips moving, constantly asking what she’d done. She hadn’t been in there for too long, but she would be glad if she bought herself a couple more minutes. She’d left Hyung in the kitchen, ordering some pizza from one of the restaurants that had left a flayer hanging by her door. Why was she so nervous? She’d been alone with him more times than she could count. They’d pulled all nighters too, spent a full night together, going through all those files that needed immediate revision. Why was she so nervous about having him over? How different could it be from being in the same office as him? Sighing, she ran a hand over her shirt. “Stop acting so stupid!” she scolded herself. “You’re going to eat and watch a movie together. It’s not like you’re sleeping with the guy!” She shook her head, banishing that last thought out of her mind, then she reached for the handle with newly found courage.
Hyung was no longer in the kitchen, he was now in the living room, sitting on her couch, his eyes roaming over the room. His gaze lingered a bit longer on the pictures she had on the small shelf across the room. She hadn’t even had the time to dust them off. A thin film of dust was now laying on the exposed items.
“Who's the girl beside you?” Talia didn’t even know he’d noticed her. He hadn’t spared her a single second, his eyes kept staring at the pictures at all times. Talia didn’t need to look at the frame to know who he was talking about. It was surely the girl with the same hazel eyes as hers and the wild curly hair that always looked like it had been sun-kissed.
“My sister.” She smiled sadly
as she walked towards the couch.
“I didn’t know you had a sister.”
“I used to. She passed away a year after we took that picture.” Talia smiled sadly, the memories of her sister pouring over her.
“I’m sorry.” Talia shook her head.
“She got into a car accident when she was coming back from a party. I like to believe she was at least happy during that moment. She died on the spot, so the euphoria of the party might have still been there.” Talia had never told anyone that thought before. She'd feared that someone would misunderstand her. Saying she believed her sister died happily was a rather insensitive thing to say. That was why she didn’t dare look at Hyung when she said it. She played with her hands, her eyes glued to them, busying themselves with the details of her red nails.
“At least she passed away after a night full of smiles.” Hearing him say that meant more than she could actually express. Hearing someone agree with her on a subject that had been bothering her for as long as she could remember was like having someone remove a stone from her heavy heart.
She turned to look at him with a smile. Some strands of hair had fallen, they framed her face. For a couple of seconds they gazed at one another, the tension growing. Her living room wasn’t small, but it suddenly felt stuffy in there, the four walls seemed to be closing in on them. She saw him gulp, his eyes twinkling with a darker emotion, something she hadn’t seen before. She felt danger looming in the darkness, slowly crawling towards them, the heat between them being the clear omen.
Then, came the doorbell. The sound made them jump further apart. Talia closed her eyes and exhaled loudly, realizing for the first time that she'd been holding her breath.
“They did say it was a fifteen-minute pizza,” Hyung said as he stood up, his voice was a bit deeper.
The Asian One: BWAM, Asian Man, Billionaire Romance (Relatives From Money Book 5) Page 5
