Anyway, I'm dwelling on things because that's what I do when I am in limbo. Rehashing?
Zen's after stories still really bug me. They are by far the least satisfying to me from a closure standpoint or even from a romantic one. Two years later they have the MC working as his manager and they aren't married (apparently waiting on approval from his family that still doesn't talk to him) and can't even really show much affection in public as it might affect his career.
I find it weird in that they worked so hard to make Zen the one in every route that stands by you and supports you no matter what and the ending with him is the least happy. I wonder why they did that? Is it because he's supposed to be the entry point? The easy one? The one you don't have to work for so that when you've hit that end that is so unsatisfying that you're supposed to move on?
I'm pretty good at moving on, to be honest. It's more work to hang on.
Anywho...I already wrote up a replacement Valentine's Day after story. But I've been thinking of an alternative after end. Rather than the MC being his manager (which is problematic on a number of levels and just plain lazy), I think she's become a professional party planner. Why not? She's got job experience now...
Some things I would leave the same. Call it two years again and they aren't engaged but are still living together and happy-ish. Zen's manager (same as he had before, I suppose) and probably Jaehee too, to be fair...has pushed them to keep their relationship quiet so as not to interfere with Zen's popularity. And Zen's star has been rising. He's gone beyond musical theatre to television dramas and has had two movie roles. The first was small, but he got such good reviews that the next one was a nice supporting part. And he's up for the lead in another film (he'll get it) and he's excited about it because it isn't just a "pretty face" kind of role but something with some nice depth to it.
Relationship-wise, I think they fell into a bit of a pattern or a rut...they're happy but it's become second nature for ...
(oh my god, HAHAHA you know how Korean names are mostly two syllables/words? And I just had this thought of, oh, hey, what if I stuck those two names I just found together...and then I really stopped and looked at what that would sound like and HAHAHA oh oh OMG...that's terrible...let's just go with Hae...ahem. A case of bad serendipity that...it's literally so bad that you'd think I planned it.)
... Hae to distance herself physically from Zen whenever they are in public together. They hardly even go shopping together, which is just as well as Zen's job often runs late and sometimes hers does too. But they are happy. It's been six months since Hae even brought up marriage at all and even then it was in a very general sense. She's stopped thinking about it. It had consumed her, perhaps, when they had first gotten together, but now they're...comfortable. But that changes one night...
There's a big celebrity party full of A-listers and industry people and hangers on and rich people. And Hae was hired to plan it. It's the first party where Zen is attending that she's throwing (he probably has picked her up from a few of her early ones, but hasn't seen one lately and certainly never one where people from his industry are attending). Hae has been at the venue all day getting things ready. It's massive. It's some huge place that's been rented out. There are hundreds of attendees. High fashion. There's a ballroom with a band. There's a dining hall with waiters constantly circling with appetisers and champagne. There's an open bar in every room. There's an opulent movie room playing famous movie scenes from all over the world. There's an outdoor swimming pool with a fountain in the middle. Another band out there. A garden. Papparazzi and red carpet at the entrance.
So, Zen arrives. He's in a black tuxedo but with his signature silver-white present in a silk vest and cummerbund (isn't that a weird word? it's weird. who invented that?). I'm not gonna talk about his hair because, let's be totally truthful, his crazy rat-tail thing would look horrible on a real person. It only looks okay on Zen because he's like an anime dude and he's Zen and you can forgive him anything. Flashbulbs going off as he enters, a reporter calls out and asks him if he has a date for the night. Zen just smiles a well-practised serene smile that says nothing but inside he's wondering where Hae is. He'd seen the dress she was going to wear hanging on the closet door the night before -- she'd chosen something sleek and silver, perhaps subconsciously in order to match him -- and he couldn't wait to see her in it.
He walks through the doors...
****
Zen blinked and tried to keep the awe he felt off of his face. It wouldn't do to look too impressed. Hae had told him the party was going to be the biggest she had ever put on but this...this was amazing. The entry way was lined with so much greenery it was like an indoor jungle and contortionists, fire breathers, you name it...there was someone performing it. It was a cacophony of sounds and colours. It was vibrant. Crazy. And every attendee he saw was someone famous and if you didn't recognise their face right away, you had only to pay attention for a minute and listen for the whispers and figure out they were one of the power players behind the scenes. Everyone was there.
He walked through all of the rooms, saying hello to the people he knew, making small talk, smiling for the official cameraman (no paparazzi were allowed in), and always looking for Hae. He had to tell her how amazing it was. He finally found her in the ballroom giving instructions to one of the bartenders and some waiters. Something about some special drink that had to go around at exactly midnight.
She looked beautiful. Was she prettier every day? Her long hair was piled on top of her head and held in place with star-shaped hairpins. A few tendrils framed her face. The dress clung to her and sparkled like moonlight hitting water. The back was cut low. He wanted to put his hand against her skin, there at the small of her back.
She smiled at him as she saw him and gave him a quick nod, then back to business. He leaned against the bar a little way away and waited for her to finish up what she was doing and ordered a drink. A couple of handsome guys he vaguely recognised came up to the bar near him and ordered a drink from another bartender. Zen lost himself for a minute imagining the feel of her skin and he almost missed that the guys next to him were talking about her -- about his Hae.
"I'm going to make a run at that one tonight," said the dark haired guy. (Let's call him Chul-Moo -- it means the weapon of iron)
"At Hae?" The blonde shook his head (he'll be Jung--it means righteous). "Give it up. Trust me, I've tried."
"I'm feeling lucky," said Chul-Moo. He drained his drink and waved at the bartender for another.
Zen's back was stiff. He lowered his head and stared at them in the mirror behind the bar. His hand gripped his glass but he didn't drink.
"You can be as lucky as you want. She'll still turn you down. This is the fourth party I've been at that she's run and I've tried every time." Jung shook his head. "She says she has a boyfriend. Going on two years." Zen recognised him now. He'd seen him at parties before. He wasn't a bad guy -- a musician? Some pop band? -- but Zen wanted nothing more than to smash his glass over the man's head.
Chul-Moo leaned over and took a good long look at Hae. Up and down. Zen twitched but didn't move. He couldn't cause a scene at Hae's big party. "Two years? I don't see a ring," he said. "You sure she actually has a boyfriend? Two years and no ring? Looking like that? He's an idiot if he exists. I bet it's just an excuse. I bet she doesn't have one." Zen straightened up. What should he do? He couldn't sit here and listen to this. His fist itched. There was a beast inside him right now and it wasn't the one that Hae unleashed.
Jung shrugged.
"Maybe you just haven't asked the right way," said Chul-Moo. "I can be very persuasive."
"Don't be an ass."
Chul-Moo clapped Jung on the back. "I won't. I'm telling you, I've had my eye on her for a while. I met her back at that launch party a few months ago, that one for Gook's debut? Yeah? We talked." He took a slower sip of his drink. "I liked her."
"Yeah," said Jung. "Me too. She's...nice. I mean, it's probably just part of her job, right? But she just had a way about her. I don't think I've ever met another girl like her. And her voice..."
Zen bit his lip. That was his Hae they were talking about. They couldn't possibly be talking about anyone else. Her voice...yeah. He could never get tired of her voice. What had Jumin said when he was drunk that one time? That it was like liquid honey? He hadn't even gotten mad because Jumin was right.
He shook his head. What should he do? He wasn't about to let that guy go chat her up. No way. He looked over at her and half stood. She was finishing up with the bartender and turning in his direction.
"Hey, hey," said Chul-Moo, "here she comes. Do I look okay?" He slicked back his hair.
Zen glared at him, but the blonde didn't notice. Then Hae's phone rang. Zen would recognise it anywhere. It was a silly ringtone that Seven had made for her of all the members of the RFA going "Hey Hey Hey Hae! Pick up!" She answered it quickly, blushing. So adorable that he felt an answering flush on his cheeks. She must have forgotten to change it before the party like she normally did. She frowned as she listened to whoever was on the other end and caught his eye, wrinkling her nose. She hung up and turned away, texting something.
 |
| Would Hae actually use some weird My Little Pony looking thing as her avatar? No. But I couldn't use one of the other default avatars so...there you go. Spark-alay! |
The blonde one was standing, hesitating between following Hae and finishing his drink. He finally sighed and sat back down.
"She looks busy," he said. "I'll catch her later."
Not if I have anything to do with it, thought Zen. He sat there silently nursing his drink and thinking about what they had said. Had it really been two years? He counted up the months in his head. Almost two and a half! They'd gone on that short trip on their second anniversary. Had they been anywhere since then together? They'd both been so busy...how had it come to this?
The two guys finally stood up and moved on after they finished their drinks. Zen watched them go, wanting to trip them as they walked past but restraining himself. They were both attractive guys. How many guys like that were hitting on Hae at every party? One? Five? Ten? More? She'd never mentioned it, but she'd never worry him with something like that.
But now he was worried.
He tried texting Seven but got a weird message back that made no sense. Typical. He tried Yoosung, but he was playing LOLOL. He'd met a girl who gamed recently and had started teaming up with her. Zen wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not since now Yoosung was online more than ever. He almost called Jaehee but somehow he thought he knew what she'd say. He appreciated that she was such a fan but...weren't some things more important? That left Jumin. He'd be the voice of emotionless reason, wouldn't he?
God. Even Jumin. Zen put his head in his hands. Why, exactly were things this way...was his manager right? But...he looked around the room. There were tons of big stars here. Far bigger than him. There was Park Shin, Jang Dong, Won Bin...a lot of them were married or dating. The papers were full of stories about them and it didn't seem to hurt them at all. So..why? Why had he been going along with this? Hae had agreed to it for his sake, but surely she had to...want more? He wanted more.
 |
| Was it necessary to do this in the chat screen? No. But it's funnier that way. |
He was going to fix this. What should he do? He suddenly remembered a really old movie that he'd seen once. Something from the 1980's. Harry and someone? A standard romantic comedy but there had been one bit that had stuck with him. How had it gone? The guy, running across the city and arriving just in the nick of time. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. That was it. That was it exactly. He didn't want to wait anymore.
Maybe the trust fund kid could help him out after all...if anyone had the resources, it was Jumin. And he'd obviously been drinking some wine...perfect timing. He exited out of the chat and dialed Jumin's number. Who would ever have thought he'd be turning to robot man for help with romance...
*****
It took Hae over an hour to sort out the issue with the monkeys and by the end of it she was determined to never again have live animals at a party she was running no matter what the crazy people throwing the party wanted. Two words. Monkey poop. Thank goodness she'd been able to talk the man out of the elephant that he'd wanted to have roaming around.
She missed Zen even though she was so busy that she hadn't had time to sit down all day. The small glimpse she'd had of him had given her energy and she craved another fix. He was what kept her going. Should she ever admit to him that she sometimes went over to Jaehee's when he was on location and they watched his DVDs together? Jaehee had every single one he'd ever been in, even his first one that Zen didn't even think existed. Hae wasn't sure how Jaehee had come across it. It looked like someone had recorded it on a phone and then she'd had it converted to disc.
She slowly made her way back to where she'd seen Zen last. She actually hoped he wasn't still there because she'd hate for him to have waited all that time. The party was a perfect opportunity for him to be seen by important people in the industry. She was waylaid twice more on the way there and the replica Big Ben clock in the ballroom began chiming midnight as she finally made it back to the room. On cue, a platoon of servers began handing out the special cocktails that she'd arranged for. Blood and Sand cocktails from a 1920's Valentino movie, the kind of drink that was supposed to seduce you. She took the one handed to her as she scanned the room and sipped it as she walked, depositing the empty glass on the tray of a passing waiter. It was strong and it went right to her head. Where was Zen?
(And here's how my writer brain apparently works...the bit above where she was talking with the bartender was a complete throwaway detail that I hadn't planned on using for anything but then I thought about When Harry Met Sally and the whole thing of him rushing to her on New Year's Eve and boom, it kind of had a purpose...sort of.)
She slowly circled the room. All around her, people were toasting each other and kissing; some pretending it was New Year's Eve, others not needing any excuse other than their own desires or the prompting of the cocktail. Valentino had been right. Others were dancing to the music, something with an intense backbeat but the crooning voice of a sultry singer (maybe Kill of the Night by Gin Wigmore or something like Paula Cole's non-screamy stuff like Feelin' Love except, I suppose, whatever the Korean version of that would be). The lights were low and it was hard to see who was who. Bodies blurred together into a swirling, swaying mass.
It seemed like everyone had made their way to the ballroom. Where was Zen? Even with the lights low she'd thought she'd be able to spot him with his hair. He shone like a star, especially in the dark.
She had made it to the far corner of the room when she felt a warm hand trail all the way down her bare back and she let out a gasp as she turned to see who it was. Zen. She knew the look on his face, she recognised it; a look she had seen many times in the privacy of their home, at night, when they were all alone...but never out in public before. He pulled her against him, one hand against the small of her back, down against the already daringly low-cut line of the dress and the other took her right hand. He swayed with her on the dance floor in time with the music, holding her tight against him. A blonde guy that she vaguely recognised veered suddenly away from them and headed in another direction like a startled deer.
"Zen!" said Hae, "people will see--"
"I want them to see," said Zen. He kissed her forehead as she looked up at him and she shivered, not sure if she was too hot or too cold. But his lips -- they were warm.
(off to bed now...not entirely sure what's going to happen next...what did Zen have Jumin do? I dunno. hopefully I think of something tomorrow as it's probably my last chance to work on this for awhile)
(...back again, morning time and Zen's on my mind as I listen to the Femme Fatale list on Spotify...here we go...)
*****
Meanwhile...earlier that evening...
Jumin hung up his phone. So. Zen had actually asked him for help. For Hae, of course. Nothing else would have spurred him on. Still, it was nice that Zen was actually going to take his advice for once. He finished the last sip of his wine (a nice, full-bodied red from his last trip to France) and gave Elizabeth the 3rd a soft scratch under the chin. She purred and rolled over. He gave her a fond smile.
"I have to go out, Elizabeth the 3rd. Don't worry, I'll be home soon."
He called for Driver Kim and they left. The city was dark. It was late, definitely past time for the shop to be closed that Zen wanted him to go to. But Zen had been right to call on him. Money opened many doors. He'd even offered to go to Tiffany's, as he knew exactly who to call in that situation and the manager there owed him a favour, but Zen had insisted on this one particular shop not far from where he lived. It seemed there was a pair of rings there that he had noticed Hae looking at every time they walked by.
(Apparently, in Korean culture, you don't get an engagement ring --instead there are couple's rings and you'd normally get them after being together for 100 days. I was originally going to write this as a more traditional Western proposal but doesn't seem like that will work knowing this, so I'm thinking that Zen and Hae never had a set of rings because they were trying to be on the down low about their relationship. So, really, I guess it's more about Zen acknowledging they are a couple in front of everyone and officially saying, yo, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And this post on that same blog covers differences between Korean weddings and more Western ones...really interesting, actually. I'm not going to take this as far as the wedding though. No time for that! It's already gone on too long...)
Jumin made some phone calls as Driver Kim drove, including one to Assistant Kang. She had grumbled about the hour but had quickly found the information that he was looking for. The little shop was owned by an old man named Duck-Hwan and, as luck would have it, he lived right above it. Things could not have worked out better.
"If you don't mind me asking, Mr. Han, why did you need this information at this time of night?"
"Oh, it's not for me. It's for Zen."
"Zen?" asked Jaehee, perking up.
"Yes. It seems he needs a set of couple's rings for Hae and himself and it can't wait. Goodnight, Assistant Kang. I'll talk to you in the morning."
"A...couple... rings--?!" She was still talking, but Jumin hung up. They were almost to the store. Driver Kim parked and Jumin got out. The storefront, at least, looked clean and neat. He looked in the window and found the rings immediately that Zen had been talking about. He had described them very well. They were nice. Not what he would have picked, of course, but everyone was different.
He knocked and waited. And knocked again. Finally, he had Driver Kim knock. An old man finally opened the door, holding a baseball bat and querulously demanding to know what they wanted. Jumin patiently explained, offering to, of course, pay for the man's time. It took some convincing, but that's what he was good at. Twenty minutes later, he had the rings in hand and they were on their way to the party. It was almost midnight.
He was sure they would be there soon. Driver Kim really was excellent at his job.
*****
Zen could feel Hae's heartbeat like it was his own. He couldn't keep the hand against her back still. Her skin was as smooth as silk. Smoother. He trailed a finger up her spine and she shivered against him.
"Zen...isn't that your manager over there?"
Zen glanced over where Hae was pointing. "Yes," he said simply. His manager looked at him and Zen nodded, giving no other acknowledgement. His manager raised an eyebrow but then turned back to his date.
"Won't he be...upset?"
"It doesn't matter."
Hae looked up at him. "Of course it matters! Zen!" She stopped and he was forced to stop dancing. The crowd continued to sway around them, like they were an island in the middle of the sea.
"No, Hae, it doesn't. I realised something tonight." Zen cupped her face in his hands. "You're what matters to me, more than anything. I feel...I feel like we've kept this distance between us because of my career and...I don't want anything to be in-between us anymore. I want everyone to know that you're mine and I'm yours." He kissed her gently on the forehead again. He didn't trust himself to kiss her on the lips, not here, not when she was looking up at him like that. He joked with her sometimes about the beast that lived within him but it felt like a real thing right at this moment. Something quivering inside of him.
"You know I'm yours," she said. "I've been yours since the moment we met. I don't care what other people think, you know that..."
"I know," he said. He put a finger to her lips. If he let her, she'd somehow talk him into putting himself first again. He didn't want that. He wanted to put them first.
Hae noticed someone headed right for them before he did and she turned in surprise. "Jumin? What are you doing here?"
"I'm just a delivery boy tonight," said Jumin. He slipped something in Zen's pocket and had disappeared back into the crowd before Hae could say anything else.
"What was that--?"
But she stopped as Zen raised a hand in the air, waving at someone up on the stage. Then he went down on one knee, graceful as any knight bowing to a lady. A spotlight found them in the crowd and he glowed in the sudden light, a shining spot in the middle of the depths of the dance floor. The music lowered until it was just a hint of a beat, like listening to someone's heartbeat.
"What--"
"Hae, I love you more every day. I can't imagine my life without you. You're the shining star that keeps me going every day. Please...Hae, will you marry me?" He took the rings out of his pocket and folded them in her hand.
She looked at the rings in her palm and around at the crowd. Everyone was staring at them, open mouthed. And Zen--he looked up at her, eyes hopeful but uncertain, as if there was any possible way she could say no to him. How was it a question at all? She laughed and cried at the same time and wrapped her arms around him. A slow wave of applause grew around them accompanied by cheers and whispers.
She kissed him, not caring who saw. Zen kissed her back, at first tentatively and then harder, like something had broken loose inside him. He waved an arm in the air again, not even coming up for air, and whoever it was hastily switched the spotlight off. The music came up again and the crowd danced on around them, swallowing them up, but they didn't notice.
(And, yeah, that's enough. I need to get back to work. Let's say they finally come to their senses a few songs later, slightly the worse for wear and a bit out of breath, and slip on their matching rings. Zen is barely holding on to himself and he won't let go of Hae's hand. The party is almost over anyway and she makes her apologies and leaves, letting her staff take care of the final cleanup -- the guy she's putting the party on for doesn't mind; he almost thinks she must have planned it anyway and he loves a spectacle -- and they go home. Where, I'm sure, the wolf is loosed. And the next morning...)
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