I'm not very creative when it comes to names so I'm just going to keep using their Goryeo names instead of making up new ones. That way, we won't have so much to remember. lol
This fanfic will focus on how SoSoo adjusts their past relationship to fit into the 21st century. It'll be mostly fluffs, so just in case, I've changed the rating from K to T... maybe M later on lol you have been forewarned.
The car ride was awkward to say the least. With nothing else to distract them from each other, they were almost forced to confront the elephant in the room. Almost. Thankfully, Hajin had a load of questions on her mind that she wanted answered first. She was curious about this modern day version of her 10th century lover. What was his life like? His family? What were his interests and hobbies? His favorite food? His college major?
And... she didn't want to admit it, but she was also curious about his love life. How many girlfriends has he had? Does he currently have a girlfriend?
Not Yeonhwa, she prays fervently, Please don't let it be Yeonhwa. It's too much rotten luck to have to face that woman in two lifetimes.
She doesn't realize she has her eyes closed until she hears him chuckle. She looks at him, embarrassed, wondering if any of her thoughts had shown on her face.
"What are you thinking of so seriously?" he asks, coming to a stop at a red light. He turns to face her, studying her expression with a curious look on his face.
"Nothing," comes her automatic reply.
"I thought we'd once agreed not to lie to each other?"
"But I'm not lying," she objects. "I just... don't want to share some of my thoughts with you. Not right now, anyway," she adds hastily.
"Hm," he grunts, eyeing her seriously. "You don't trust me?"
"I do!" she says, horrified at the conclusion his thoughts have arrived at. "I do trust you. You know I do. I'm just... curious about you."
A corner of his lips curls up into a smile. "I'm curious about you too."
They look at each other in silence for a long time before the light flashes green again and he looks away. She exhales the breath she was holding and slumps back into her seat, clutching the seat belt he had fastened around her earlier. She eyes it evilly, wondering how many women have sat in this same seat before. Well, he was a rich, handsome, smart man. Of course he would have had girlfriends in the past. He probably still has an entire host of women lining up for him. She sighs inwardly, feeling dejected. She had rotten luck in that department. And worse, she feels she's turning into the jealous girlfriend type.
"And in case you're wondering..." he says suddenly, rounding a corner and flashing her a grin. "I don't have a girlfriend."
She straightens up, feeling at once better and lighter. But she doesn't want him to think she doubted him, so she forces back the smile that was itching to show itself and says in as cool a voice as she could manage, "Oh."
He chuckles in amusement, noticing some of the luster return to her eyes. He raps her forehead with his knuckles. "I'm not a player either."
She scowls, rubbing her forehead. "I know that."
"Of course you do."
"I do!" she insists, the world around her suddenly filling up with color again. "A thousand years is too short a time to change someone as stubborn as you, Pyeha."
He scoffs, returning his attention to the road. "Apparently, a thousand years was enough to make you cynical."
"I am not cynical!" she laughs, punching him.
He grins and grabs hold of her hand, holding it tightly. "You remind me of the Hae Soo I first met." He smiles warmly at her. "I wondered when I would meet her again."
She blinks, trying to figure out what he meant.
"You were fearless at Wookie's place. At the palace, you just seemed burned out," he explains. "I wanted to coax you back to life. For a time, I thought I was succeeding. But life didn't exactly turn out the way either of us wanted."
"Ah," she mumbles, looking away. They were really close now to the subject... she wondered if he knew... if he understood why she chose to make that decision. She wondered if he would ever forgive her for it.
"We're here," he says suddenly, reaching a tall building. The guard recognizes his car and waves them into the basement.
"Who are we here for anyway?" she asks, stepping out after he parks and walking over to his side. "You know I'm not dressed appropriately for this place."
He eyes her up and down and smiles. "I don't see anything wrong with what you're wearing."
She sighs. "I'll stick out like a sore thumb!"
He leans over her, "It's not like you'll be parading all over the building."
She grimaces unhappily, but makes no further objection as he takes her hand and leads her towards a set of elevators nearby.
"So what's the deal?" she asks once they were alone inside one. "Is this a family business?"
He nods. "Cousins and all. So it's complicated."
"Ah," she mouths, curious about who he meant by 'cousins'. Did he mean his brothers and half-brothers in the past life?
As though reading her mind again, he says, "You'll see."
She eyes him in surprise, wondering if he had developed the ability to read minds along with his memories. But he just smiles mysteriously and steps out of the lift, holding tightly onto her hand as he leads her past a busy hallway towards a large hall with glass windows. She eyes her surroundings in wonder, trying to ignore the many immaculately dressed people passing by.
"My friend's in this coffee shop," he informs her, eyeing her closely to see her reaction. "Are you ready?"
"For what?"
He grins but doesn't reply. Instead, he holds the door open for her and leads her towards a closed room at the back. People greet him as they pass but shoot her odd, curious looks. She tries her best to ignore them but she can feel her cheeks flaming up from all the attention.
"Hyung!" a voice suddenly calls, sounding exasperated but relieved.
Hajin freezes. She knows that voice. That deep, singsong voice... she looks up and her mind goes blank.
"You kept me waiting long enough. Do you know how many cups of coffee I've consumed waiting for you?"
"Is that why you're so irritable?" So teases, turning to a stunned Hajin.
She was staring at a reincarnation of Baek Ah. He must be. He had the same face, the same voice, the same honest eyes. Right now, he was glaring at his older brother. Or were they brothers? Did So actually mention they were brothers or just friends?
So clears his throat and closes her mouth helpfully for her, smiling at the look on her face. "This is my friend, Baek Ah."
"Baek... Ah..." she mumbles absentmindedly. He was just as tall as she remembers, but like So, his hair was short and cut in a modern style. He wasn't wearing a suit, though he was still looking handsome in a collared shirt. Even the smile on his face was just as she remembers... though it looked a little frozen at the moment. She realizes why a second later when she finally notices his outstretched hand. She snaps out of it and takes it, smiling warmly up at him and feeling at ease already.
"This is Hajin," So introduces, his lip twitching from suppressed mirth as he closes the door behind them and offers her a seat.
Baek Ah nods and flashes her a friendly smile. "It's nice to meet you, Hajin. I hope my friend has been good to you."
Hajin smiles back happily. "We've just met-"
"She's my fiance," So cuts in smoothly, grabbing a menu off the side table.
Hajin's voice dies in her throat.
"I wonder if their tea here is any good..." he mumbles to himself.
She glares at him and lands a nice, good kick on his shin under the table. He jumps up, startled.
"Your..." Baek Ah stutters, looking just as shocked as she was feeling. "But hyung... you never mentioned... why all of a sudden...?"
"We've been seeing each other in secret for the past thousand years," So says with such a serious face on, Hajin was sure she would find him tomorrow in an asylum.
Baek Ah scoffs, looking torn between disbelief and betrayal. "And what about that girl you've been asking me to draw for months? Do you know my sketchbook is full of her face now?"
So perks up. "Really? Show me."
Baek Ah deftly plucks it away from his reach, "Not before you explain to me what's going on."
So sighs. "She's the same one, alright? I've been testing your drawing skills. Now let me see."
"A test?" Baek Ah asks blankly.
"That's right," So says, leaning over and plucking it from his numb fingers. "Now let's see here..."
Why the smooth liar, Hajin thinks indignantly. "Fiance?" she mumbles through gritted teeth, casually leaning over to him.
"Any objections?" he teases under his voice, flipping the pages.
She glares at him. "You haven't even proposed, for one."
"I already did, if you remember," he reminds.
She rolls her eyes. "Yes, a thousand years ago. And I said no. So you have to do it again. Properly."
"No," he says, pinching her nose. "Now you owe me and you have to say yes no matter what. Or do you still not want to marry me after all this time?"
"I- that's- but of course I want to," she says, exasperated. "That's not the point! The point is-"
"Oh look, here we are," he says, ignoring her, a small, satisfied smile on his lips. "I think she kind of does look like you."
Despite her indignation at So, Hajin finds herself peeking curiously at the drawings herself. "Oh!" she gasps, her eyes brightening as she looks at Baek Ah. "These are really beautiful, Baek Ah-nim!"
Baek Ah laughs shyly, though he was looking pleased. "Please, just call me Baek Ah. If you're really my friend's fiance, there's no need to be so formal."
"Ah. Right," she mumbles, forgetting where she was. "Baek Ah, then. These are really good."
"Thank you," he flashes her a grin. "Now that he's mentioned it, I realize the drawings do look like you."
"That's right, they do," So agrees, returning the sketchbook. "You should have recognized her the moment she walked into the room."
"I had more pressing concerns on my mind," he says, exasperated. "I thought something had happened to you. You ought to check your messages more often. Also, it's a good thing you're here. They're holding an emergency meeting in half an hour, so we'd better get going."
"Another meeting?" So grimaces. "Whatever for? That's the fourth time this week."
"It's a big project, hyung, you know that," he replies, getting up. "We should get ready."
So looks at Hajin for a moment, as though considering his next move, then he gets up and offers her his hand. She takes it, feeling self-conscious.
"You go on ahead. I'll take care of her first," he tells Baek Ah, who nods.
"It was nice finally meeting you, Hajin-shi," he smiles, extending a hand out to her. "We should get together some time."
"I'd love that," she agrees earnestly, accepting his hand and watching him leave with a mixture of sadness and happiness. "Is Woohee here too? Are they friends? More than that?"
"Not that I'm aware of," So replies, leading her towards the elevators. "Or possibly, I've forgotten. Baek Ah hasn't shown much interest in women, as far as I know."
"Oh," she sighs, stepping into the elevator with him.
"Cheer up, you might come across her too, one of these days. If everyone's here, she's bound to be as well."
She looks expectantly up at him in surprise. "What do you mean? Who else is here?"
He eyes her wryly. "Everyone."