Chapter 3: The Unexpected
"Trrrrrrring..."
Shin opens his eyes at the vigorous sound of the alarm clock. He sleepily turns OFF the alarm and turns to the other side of the bed. "Five minutes more," he says to himself and just as he is about to go into his five-minutes-more sleeping mode, he remembers something, something important. He sits up on the bed, removes the blanket covering him and steps down the bed. Today is the 'big day'. Chaegyung is coming to Paris, to Shin. Just the thought of seeing Chaegyung makes him smile. She is supposed to arrive at the airport at 6:45 in the evening.
After helping himself to a healthy bowl of cereals, Shin gets back to work on his laptop but he is unable to concentrate. He checks the time. It is nine. He makes a calculation in his mind. "Nine hours and forty-five minutes," he mumbles as he turns OFF the laptop. He feels it is getting difficult for him to wait for Chaegyung's arrival. Impatience is taking toll on him. "Maybe I should just go back to sleep?" he asks himself, "Or perhaps I should go to the airport in advance and wait?" The next moment he realizes that the latter was a stupid idea. His cell phone rings and he jumps up the couch in reflex action to pick up the call. Again, he is expecting it to be from Chaegyung. Unfortunately, it isn't from her. It is from a university buddy named Adrian. After a brief talk with the guy about a team project they are supposed to submit next week, Shin takes a heavy sigh. He decides to spend the time by watching some movie and goes through the stacks of his DVD collection.
It is five in the evening now. Shin is about to leave for the airport. It had taken him approximately thirty minutes to select the apparel. After all, he has to look his best in front of his wife! A tuxedo seems exaggerated. Then what? He remembered a French model posing on the cover page of some magazine and decided to follow his style! Now after a bit of experimentation, he comes up with this- he wears a black Reebok T-shirt, a pair of blue jeans and puts on a brown leather jacket. He looks at the model on the cover page of the magazine and gives a sort of I-look-better-than-you look at the twenty-eight years old guy. His cell phone makes a beeping sound. It is a text message from his friend Jang Kyung.
"b4 goin' 2 da airport, don't frgt 2 buy sum flowers n chocolates 4 HER
all da best, man!"
"He is right," Shin says to himself. "I didn't give a thought to this."
Shin picks up the keys of his car from the table, all set to leave for the airport to meet his dearest Chaegyung. He tosses the keys up and holds them in midair.
Shin stops his car in front of a flower shop. He enters the shop- almost empty except for a few customers at the counter. The florist is a man in his forties. He gives a brief smile at Shin and brings his right hand forward to shake hands with him, "Hello. Welcome to my shop." Shin smiles back and shakes hands with him.
"Red roses?" Shin asks the friendly man.
"Red roses, huh? For girlfriend?" the florist asks, still smiling.
"For wife," Shin replies and he doesn't know why he felt a little embarrassed at that moment.
"For wife? Holy Moly, you're married?" the florist looks surprised as if the God, at one point of time, had dictated that Shin is not supposed to marry.
"Apparently, yes," Shin answers, now a bit annoyed with the florist. Before the florist could say or ask anything more, Shin signals him to show the red roses he had asked for about a minute ago.
"Here," the florist brings forth a bucket full of red roses sprinkled with water to keep them fresh for a long time. Shin starts searching for the best ones among them.
The florist looks at him amusedly. "If you wish to buy the whole bucket, you may. Don't worry; I will give you 20 percent discount…"
"I would like you to make a bouquet of these," Shin interrupts, holding a bunch of fresh red roses.
"Okay, okay. Please wait a minute, young man. You may have a seat there," the florist says pointing at some steel stools.
"It's okay. I am fine. Thank you," Shin smiles at the florist.
"Here, young man. It is done," the florist places a beautifully decorated bouquet of red roses on the counter.
"Thank you. It is well decorated," Shin compliments.
A broad smile automatically appears on the lips of the florist on hearing the compliment. "You are welcome. I hope she will like it. By the way, do buy some chocolates as well. What could be a better present than a bouquet of fresh beautiful red roses and a box of delicious chocolates? I guess I have to open a confectionery shop as well…for people like you. Yes, that's it. I will open a confectionery shop. My profits will get doubled or perhaps tripled…"
"Err, sir, I need to go now," Shin interrupts him again and the next moment, he realizes it sounded a bit rude. He couldn't think of anything else to say at that moment. He pays the money for the bouquet.
"Oh, I am sorry. I grant you the permission to leave now," the florist says in an amused voice and waves him goodbye.
Shin is about to leave when the florist shouts from behind, "Young man! What is your name?"
Shin turns around and replies, "Lee Shin,"
"Lee Shane…Isn't there an American film by the name 'Shane'?" the florist says.
"It is Shin. Lee Shin. S-H-I-N" Shin doesn't like it if his name is wrongly pronounced. Well, no one does.
"Oh, S-H-I-N…I understand now," the florist says and bursts into a loud laughter.
"Is he laughing at my name?" Shin asks himself. "Well then, goodbye this time," he smiles at the florist and hurries out of the shop to reach his parked car. He checks the time in his watch. There is still enough time left for Chaegyung's jet to arrive. He gets into the car and keeps the bouquet on the seat beside him. He stares at the bouquet for some time, imagining Chaegyung's reaction on receiving it.
Next, Shin enters a confectionery shop. The aroma of coco and vanilla makes him a bit hungry. He asks the shopkeeper, a guy of around the same age as him or can be older by a year or two, to gift pack a box of Ferrero Rocher and hopes that he is not as talkative as the florist back there at the flower shop. Fortunately or maybe unfortunately, he is not. In fact, he is the opposite. He is grumpy and treats male customers as if they are all his foes from the previous birth. But when it comes to females customers, he turns into a gentleman, a completely different person. Shin waits for his box of Ferrero Rocher to be packed. A few college girls dash into the shop. The shopkeeper welcomes them and asks what they need. "Excuse me; my box of Ferrero Rocher," Shin reminds the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper glares at him and hurriedly passes the chocolate box to him. Shin gives an I-should-never-have-come-here look to the shopkeeper, pays the money and moves out of the shop.
He reaches his parked car. Just then he hears a woman speaking Korean and the voice seems familiar too but he is unable to recognize the voice. He looks around and then gets surprised at what he sees. "Hyorin?" Shin wonders if he is mistaken. Hyorin has been in Paris all this time to sharpen her ballet skills and be a pro ballerina and now Shin is in the same city so it would not be surprising if they came across each other someday. Hyorin gets over with her talk on her cell phone. She catches a young man staring at her from a distance and she immediately recognizes him, her ex-boyfriend. The two stand still looking at each other in bewilderment. How is Hyorin going to face him now?