Chapter 2: Veritable Strangers – June 8, 2019
“Auntie Eunji!” Jungju jumped out of Yoongi’s arms and ran to Eunji the second he saw her.
“Jungju! I’ve missed you!” Eunji balanced on her heels awkwardly as she knelt down to his height and hugged him.
“Seeing you dressed like that, I’d assume you just came from a party.”
Eunji looked up to see Yoongi standing above her. She stood up. In heels, she was now almost the same height as her brother.
“I might not have come from a party, but I did just come from a meeting with my fiancé.”
“Your fiancé? Do I know him?”
“Mmhmm, I think so. His name is Namjoon.” Her lips quirked as she gazed at her brother.
“Oh,” Yoongi looked over at their father, who was completely oblivious to their conversation. “Arranged, I suppose?”
“Yep. Hadn’t seen him since your wedding. He’s actually…half decent.”
A memory surfaced. Of that indefinable understanding that seemed to simmer in the air between her and Namjoon as they’d stood on the deck together half an hour ago.
“You still like Tae, don’t you?”
“How’d you know that?”
Yoongi shrugged. “I’m your brother; I know things.”
“Yoongi, do you have all the bags?” a sweet voice called. His wife, Nari, came running up to them.
“Yep.” Yoongi looked at his watch. “We should probably go, right?”
Eunji nodded. “Let’s head to the limo. Appa’s waiting for us.”
—
“Auntie Eunji! You like me?”
The next morning, Eunji looked up to see Jungju wearing a pair of her heels and one of Yoongi’s hats. He made quite the picture. She couldn’t suppress the giggle that burst forth as she watched him try to balance on her shoes. She laughed.
“I adore you, Jungju!”
She glanced at the clock. She wondered how much longer she would be babysitting him. Yoongi and Nari had gone with her father to a business meeting. On a Saturday. She shook her head. It seemed the corporate world never stopped to rest. That was just one more thing she disliked about it.
Just then, her phone chimed. She looked down to see a text from Namjoon.
“Would you like to go out somewhere with me? I figured we should get to know each other a bit better.”
She picked up her phone and quickly texted him back. “I’m babysitting my nephew right now. I can’t go out.”
“You can bring him with. I love Jungju.”
Eunji looked over at the little boy. She should have realized that Namjoon most likely knew her nephew very well. Namjoon had just returned to Busan this week. He’d spent the last four years studying at the university in Seoul. Where her brother and his family had lived for the past two years. Of course, the best friends would get together as often as possible. Jungju had possibly spent more time with Namjoon than he ever had with her.
“All right. Can you come pick us up?”
Namjoon replied a moment later. “I’m already here.”
Eunji shook her head. He was already here? He was putting a lot of faith in her readiness to go on a date with him at the drop of a hat.
“Jungju! Let’s get you dressed in something more…appropriate. We’re getting ready to leave the house.”
“Where we going?”
“Uncle Namjoon is taking us out with him.”
“Unca Juju!” the little boy twirled in a circle. And fell down from his high platforms. Yoongi’s hat went rolling across the carpet as Eunji’s shoes fell off his feet. Jungju giggled. “I love Unca Juju! I go get dressed.” He ran off to his room.
She followed him and helped him change out of his pajamas.
“Auntie, ready go.”
Eunji glanced down at her sweatshirt and shorts. He might be ready to go, but she wasn’t. There was no way she’d be seen outside the house wearing this. She definitely needed to change before Namjoon saw her.
“I’m not, Jungju. It’s auntie’s turn to change.”
Her nephew in tow, she rushed off to her room to dress in something elegant. She looked through her closet hurriedly. She had to make a decision quickly; she couldn’t leave Namjoon waiting for long. She finally decided on a pink dress, sliding it over her slender frame before examining herself in the mirror.
Perfect.
At least this dress didn’t require the help of her maid. Or Namjoon.
She applied a bit of lipstick to her plump lips and pulled a matching pair of heels from her closet. She quickly slid her feet into them and led Jungju carefully down the stairs. Once at the bottom, she released his hand to stride across the room and grab her purse off the table. Then, she motioned for Jungju to hold her hand again.
“Let’s go, Jungju. Uncle Namjoon is waiting.”
He ran quickly over to her and grabbed her hand. She picked his car seat up before heading for Namjoon’s vehicle. As soon as she stepped out the door, Namjoon waved to her from his car.
She let out a heavy sigh. This would be so much more enjoyable if Tae were the one picking her up. She shook her head. She needed to stop indulging in such thoughts. She wasn’t marrying Tae. She was marrying Namjoon.
She supposed she could find a way to make this day fun. Or, maybe, she would discover just how boring Namjoon found her. Would he spend their whole date playing with her nephew instead of attending to her?
She shook her head again, trying to chase the thoughts away. But the truth was that she longed to be adored. She wanted a guy who loved her. The real her. The one she didn’t show anybody. Except Tae.
Why couldn’t she marry him instead? Her brother had been able to marry the woman of his dreams, the girl he loved with all his heart. Despite their father’s machinations. Was it too much to ask that Eunji be given the same freedom? Why was her appa pressing her into this engagement?
Through the car window, she could see Namjoon’s dimpled smile. It made him appear younger than his twenty-three years. Tae had somehow inherited less noticeable dimples. She sighed. Would she always mentally compare them? She had to stop! She was marrying Namjoon. Not Tae.
She hauled her nephew’s car seat up into the backseat and began to strap it in.
Namjoon was watching her in his rearview mirror. “Do you need any help, Eunji?”
She glanced up at him and smiled. “No, thanks. I’ve almost got it.”
Once the seat was properly situated, she helped Jungju get buckled in before she slid into the front seat.
“Unca Juju!” Jungju exclaimed the second he saw Namjoon. “I miss you!”
Namjoon laughed. “I’ve missed you too, little man. Have you been good for your auntie?”
“Yes, I be good.” Jungju grinned, his chubby cheeks puffing up more.
“That’s good,” Namjoon looked at Eunji. “So, where should we go?”
Eunji gave some thought to this. “Where’s somewhere an almost three-year-old would like?”
Namjoon scratched his head. “Do you think he’d like the mall?”
“Maybe.” She shrugged her shoulders. “We could try.”
—
“Unca Juju, can I has a stuffed animal?” Jungju pointed to the claw machine a few feet ahead of them.
Namjoon smiled. “Sure, buddy. I can try to win one for you.”
Jungju ran up to the machine, his big brown eyes staring at it in wonder.
“You better win one now that you’ve told him you would.” Eunji glared at Namjoon. “I’m in no mood to deal with a temper tantrum today.”
Namjoon smiled and walked over to the machine, slipping a five hundred won coin into it. “Let’s give this a try.”
He moved the claw around, attempting to grab the specific toy Jungju had asked for, but he failed. He tried again. To no avail. He tried once more.
“Unca Juju! You got it!”
Namjoon looked up to see the toy Jungju had asked for caught in the claw. Beaming with joy, the dimpled man quickly yet carefully maneuvered it over to the drop slot. Jungju grinned from ear to ear as he pulled the stuffed animal from the slot.
“Tank you, Unca Juju!” Still grinning, the little boy hugged Namjoon’s leg.
Namjoon returned his hug, slipping his arm around the lad’s shoulders and squeezing lightly. “You’re welcome.”
“Wow, I’m surprised you actually got it,” Eunji commented.
Namjoon was about to respond, but Eunji’s phone chimed before he could. She pulled it out of her handbag and answered it. A moment later, she covered the mouthpiece with her hand and whispered to Namjoon.
“It’s Yoongi. He’s asking where we are.”
“Ah, do I need to take you home?”
“I think you might. It appears my appa wants to go out for lunch.”
“All right, let’s go.”
Namjoon picked up Jungju, and they headed for the car. He put Jungju in his seat and buckled him in before climbing in behind the wheel. Then he turned to Eunji.
“Did you have any fun at all today? I know playing at the mall with a couple of boys probably isn’t your cup of tea.”
“Well, it was funny to watch you fail at the claw machine multiple times.”
“Oh, it was?”
“Yep.” She glanced out the window. “Can we go? My dad is expecting us back in ten minutes.”
“Uh, yeah, sorry.”
Namjoon frowned as he started the car and drove off. She was barely tolerating him. His heart sank.
Truthfully, this morning had been awkward for her. Namjoon was nice enough, but she’d realized that she didn’t really know him anymore. Four years had separated them from each other. He’d left for college and forgotten her. He hadn’t communicated with her in any form since he’d headed to Seoul. How was she supposed to build a lasting marriage with a veritable stranger?
She was also becoming more sensitive to that indefinable something that sizzled between her and Namjoon when they were together, but she wasn’t sure he was even aware of it. It made her decidedly uncomfortable. What if he couldn’t feel what she felt?
They rode mostly in silence to her home. Occasionally, an exclamation from Jungju punctuated the air between them.
When they arrived at her house, Eunji opened her car door and began to step out of the vehicle, but Namjoon stopped her with his gentle voice, “Eunji, Tae and I are throwing a pool party tomorrow afternoon. Would you like to come?”
“Oh. Yeah. Tae invited me a few days ago. I almost forgot! Thanks for reminding me.” She flashed a grin at him before departing his car. “See you tomorrow.”
Namjoon nodded, watching as she freed Jungju from his car seat.
“Can I carry that monstrosity into the house for you?” Namjoon asked her as he prepared to get out of the car.
She glanced up at him in surprise. “No. That’s okay. It doesn’t weigh that much. I’ve got it.” She released the seatbelt and tugged on the car seat. But then, she suddenly looked back up into his eyes again. “Thanks, though.”
Then, she was gone, hauling that car seat in one hand while her fingers engaged the hand of a certain little boy they both adored. Namjoon’s eyes followed her all the way back up to her house. Then, after she and her nephew disappeared into the house, Namjoon finally pulled his car out into traffic.
He reflected on the events of the day as he drove home. He had thought they were getting along well until he’d tried to talk to her in the car. But she’d just brushed him off. In a hurry to get home. To leave his presence. One thought was crushing him now. He was beginning to think this marriage wasn’t such a good idea after all.
