Chapter 22 The Surprise
Disclaimer: The F4 is not mine, no matter how much I beg them to be mine ;)
I know that this story is supposed to be about JanPyo, but I kinda want to write about the others in between. Honestly, JanPyo don't have a major problem to work on. They already get their happy ending and I hate to ruin that. But, my main focus is still them and I kinda use them as the red string for the story plot.
Anyway, I'm still sorry I didn't write about Jan Di and Joon Pyo's moment for the last chapters. I'm making up to you with this chapter. This chapter is all about them with special cherry on top.
Thanks to ladyofthedragons1 for betaing this chapter. Here it is. Enjoy :)
Jan Di had been remembering about the next day since a couple of weeks before. She had tried to think over and over again what she should do for it, but she couldn't find anything. She decided to do something spontaneous since she and Joon Pyo seldom did things like that. She finished her assignments as fast as she could and started her preparation for the next day.
First, she made cookies and a small cake. Her mother looked at her with strange expression when she saw how Jan Di decorated the cake. Jan Di didn't say a word. She just continued her task. She had prepared the gift a few weeks earlier, so she was not worried about that. Next, she placed the gift and the cake in one box, so it wouldn't be too hard to bring it to her classes the next day. She still would need to attend her classes after all before heading to Joon Pyo's office to surprise him. The next day was his birthday.
Eun Jae looked at Jan Di with confusion in her eyes when she saw Jan Di carrying the box. Since she officially became Ji Hoo's girlfriend, they had become closer. She was meeting Jan Di for lunch.
"What's in the box?" she asked curiously as Jan Di placed it on the table. Jan Di took her seat across from Eun Jae.
"Just something," she said to Eun Jae mysteriously. Although there was a grin on her face. Eun Jae pouted.
"Come on. You know I can keep secret. Is it a present for Joon Pyo-oppa?" she asked. She still felt a little strange calling the three members of F4 'oppa'. That was even stranger than calling Ji Hoo by his name. She still needed to practice that.
"Something like that," she said simply, shrugging.
"Jan Di.. come on. Tell me. Is it his birthday or something?" Eun Jae asked again. She wouldn't give up until she got the whole story. Jan Di sighed.
"Yes. It's his birthday. I want to surprise him at his office later," she finally admitted. "And don't tell anyone about this!" she added with firm tone. She even pointed her index finger to Eun Jae. Eun Jae chuckled.
"Fine.. fine," she agreed readily.
"Not even to Ji Hoo-sun..oppa," Jan Di said. It seemed like calling the F4 members 'oppa' was strange to her too. Woo Bin had asked Ga Eul, Jan Di, and Eun Jae to call the other members beside their own boyfriends 'oppa' after Ji Hoo had announced his official relationship with Eun Jae. It was hard for Eun Jae to make herself use that name. However, it was even harder for Jan Di and Ga Eul because they had to change habits they had, had for years. Eun Jae chuckled loudly.
"It's strange, huh? To call them oppa," she commented when she caught Jan Di's slip earlier. Jan Di shook her head.
"You have no idea. I have called them sunbae for years. But, now I have to change it because of their stupid decision," she grumbled. Eun Jae laughed.
"But, I still think it's kinda sweet that Woo Bin-oppa wants us to call them 'oppa'. It feels like he wants us to be closer to them, so we can think them as our own brothers," she confessed. Jan Di shrugged.
"Well, yeah. But, it still feels strange," she replied before glancing at her watch. She suddenly looked panicked. She stood up immediately from her seat. "I have to go," she said regretfully to Eun Jae while picking up her bag and the box. Eun Jae looked at her with confused expression.
"You've got a class?" she asked curiously.
"No. I have to go to the lab now if I want to finish on time before going to Joon Pyo's office," Jan Di explained. "Bye, Eun Jae," she called out before walking away from that table.
"Bye," Eun Jae replied and watched her friend walking away. She sighed. She felt a little lonely with Jan Di gone and Ji Hoo not here. She brightened a little. Maybe she should surprise Ji Hoo as well at the clinic.
Jan Di got out of the cab after she paid the driver. She had decided not to ask her bodyguards before because she didn't want them to know about her plan. No one knew that she was there, not even Secretary Jung. However, it seemed like her bodyguard must have known nonetheless because they must have followed her cab here. However, she still didn't see any of them and walked into the building alone.
Jan Di walked into the lobby without being stopped by the security guard. Then, she walked towards the receptionist's desk to ask where Joon Pyo's office was. The receptionist noticed her presence when she walked closer to the desk. The woman, who was sitting behind the receptionist's desk, looked at Jan Di with demeaning stare. Suddenly, Jan Di realized that she should have gone home and changed her clothes first before coming to Shinhwa Headquarters. However, she didn't have the time for that.
"Can I help you?" The receptionist asked without even slight politeness in her voice. She even had annoyed expression on her face while she waited for Jan Di to answer the question. Jan Di frowned when she heard the tone in the receptionist's voice. She hadn't expected some groveling like she usually received from the bodyguards, but she hadn't reckoned the obnoxious attitude from the receptionist either.
"Yes, I want to meet Goo Joon Pyo. Can you show me where his office is?" she asked, trying to be as polite as she could afford. The receptionist raised her eyebrows.
"Do you have appointment?" she asked challengingly. Jan Di swallowed her annoyance being treated that way. Even before becoming Joon Pyo's fiancée, she hadn't like to be treated like that.
"No," Jan Di retorted simply. The receptionist scoffed.
"Then you can't meet him. As the CEO, I think he's too busy to meet random people without appointment," she quipped arrogantly. Jan Di's frown deepened.
"Can't you just inform Secretary Jung that Geum Jan Di is here?" she asked hesitantly. She wanted to keep things a surprise for Joon Pyo, so she was reluctant to ask Secretary Jung. However, it seemed like she didn't have any other choice. The receptionist scowled at Jan Di.
"I don't think Secretary Jung will appreciate me bothering him just because some random person is asking to meet Goo Joon Pyo-sajangnim," she sneered.
This time, it was Jan Di who raised her eyebrows. She was hoping that her knowledge about Secretary Jung and her name could be counted for something. She didn't expect to be recognized as Joon Pyo's fiancée, but she had hoped that at least the receptionist would have considered her as his friend. After all, her name had been mentioned when they dealt with the media. She was contemplating to call Secretary Jung's cell phone when the receptionist talked again.
"I'm busy. You should try making an appointment before trying to meet Goo Joon Pyo-sajangnim," the receptionist sneered arrogantly with sarcastic tone in her voice. Suddenly, her demeanor changed when she saw something behind Jan Di. She even looked nervous and bowed down to someone behind Jan Di.
Jan Di turned her head to see why the receptionist was behaving like that. She gasped when she saw Kang Hee Soo was walking towards her. Kang Hee Soo's attitude to Jan Di had never been respectful, but she did treat Jan Di civilly. However, Jan Di was still nervous that she had to face Kang Hee Soo alone like this. Jan Di bowed down to Kang Hee Soo immediately.
"Geum Jan Di? What are you doing here?" Kang Hee Soo asked softly. There was no harsh and accusation tone in her voice. Just pure curiosity and confusion. Jan Di didn't reply immediately.
"I'm trying to meet Joon Pyo. I want to surprise him for his birthday," she finally admitted shyly.
"You want to surprise him?" Kang Hee Soo looked surprised herself. "Then what are you doing here? Why didn't you just go to his office?" she advised. Jan Di grimaced sheepishly.
"I didn't even inform Secretary Jung before. The receptionist said that Joon Pyo is too busy to meet me, so maybe I should just wait until he's done with his work," she replied nevously. Kang Hee Soo frowned.
"That's nonsense. Joon Pyo is just reading some reports, I think. You should just go to his office," she advised again. "Maybe he deserved a surprise for once in a while," she added to Jan Di before turning to the receptionist. She suddenly looked mean. "How dare you saying that Joon Pyo is too busy without even confirming to Secretary Jung?" she scolded the receptionist.
The receptionist gapped when she heard Kang Hee Soo's voice. She had been stunned since Kang Hee Soo had started talking to Jan Di. She didn't think that Jan Di would be recognized by the mistress herself.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. I just didn't want to disturb Secretary Jung about this matter," the receptionist said to Kang Hee Soo.
"About this matter?" Kang Hee Soo asked. "Don't you know who she is?" she asked again which was answered with a shaking head by the receptionist. "She's Joon Pyo's fiancée," Kang Hee Soo continued.
Jan Di's jaw hit the floor when she heard Kang Hee Soo's sentence. It felt like Kang Hee Soo finally approved of her by publicly accepting her as Joon Pyo's fiancée. She had not been sure that Kang Hee Soo had approved of her before.
The receptionist, on the other hand, looked pale. She never thought that Jan Di was Joon Pyo's fiancée by seeing Jan Di's appearance. She bowed down to Kang Hee Soo.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am," she said to Kang Hee Soo before turning to Jan Di. "I'm sorry for not recognizing you, Miss," she added to Jan Di. The receptionist continued bowing and apologizing.
"Being the receptionist is not about greeting your employers politely, but also their acquaintances. You're not fit to be a receptionist. You're fired!" Kang Hee Soo said angrily.
The receptionist looked like she wanted to cry. Jan Di gapped, hearing Kang Hee Soo's words. She felt really bad for the receptionist.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. She was treating me just fine. She doesn't need to be fired," Jan Di said half-lying. Despite of the bad attitude from the receptionist, Jan Di didn't want to cause her trouble. Kang Hee Soo looked over to Jan Di. She raised her eyebrows.
"Really?" she asked with slight disbelief tone in her voice.
"Yes, Ma'am," Jan Di replied softly.
"Fine, then," Kang Hee Soo said simply. She turned to the receptionist. "You should learn more about your employers' acquaintances," she commanded harshly. She looked at Jan Di again. "Where are your bodyguards?" she asked with confusion. Jan Di looked sheepish.
"I got here by a cab. But, I think that they're here somewhere," she admitted shyly. Kang Hee Soo frowned.
"Is that safe? Shouldn't they go anywhere you go?" she commented disapprovingly. Jan Di gulped. She didn't want her team got into trouble because of her.
"They go wherever I go. I just asked them to stay invisible." Kang Hee Soo shook her head.
"You should go together with them. That way people will recognize you as Joon Pyo's fiancée," she commented.
"That's kinda the point," Jan Di mumbled, but Kang Hee Soo heard her nonetheless.
"You should act more lady-like. You should improve your behavior and appearance, so people will respect you," Kang Hee Soo advised firmly. Jan Di grimaced. She didn't like being told like this, but she didn't want to provoke an argument.
"I'll try," she finally muttered. Kang Hee Soo sighed.
"Good, then. I think the receptionist can take you to Joon Pyo's office. I have to go first," she said before turning and leaving the receptionist's desk. The bodyguards who had stood behind her bowed down to Jan Di before they followed the mistress.
Jan Di nodded her head to the bodyguards before turning to watch Kang Hee Soo walking away. Jan Di turned back to the receptionist desk when Kang Hee Soo had left the building. She was surprised when she saw the receptionist standing beside her. She looked nervous and frightened. She bowed down in front of Jan Di a few times before looking up to Jan Di.
"I'm really sorry, Miss. I didn't recognize you earlier," she apologized over and over again. Jan Di shook her head.
"That's fine," she said simply. "Can you show me to Joon Pyo's office?" she asked again.
"Of course, Miss. I can take you there," the receptionist agreed readily.
She asked Jan Di to follow her to the elevator lobby. They took the VIP elevator that only stopped at the floor for the managers' and CEO's offices. The receptionist pushed the top floor button. They were silent for a few seconds at first before suddenly the receptionist talked again.
"Thank you so much for helping me earlier, Miss Geum Jan Di. I was so scared about being fired," she said weakly.
"You're welcome," Jan Di replied. "Look, I don't want to try to be arrogant, but I want to ask you to do something," she added to the receptionist.
"Certainly, Miss. Anything," the receptionist replied instantly.
"I think you need to improve your behavior when you face people. Even if I'm not Joon Pyo's fiancée, I still think that I shouldn't be treated like that. If I was just some random person and I didn't have any right to meet Goo Joon Pyo, I still didn't deserve your attitude earlier. I know that you can't just let people meet Joon Pyo or even bother Secretary Jung. I understand that part. However, you still should let the people know that with respect," Jan Di said, criticizing the receptionist and giving her advice. The receptionist looked down.
"Yes, Miss. I'm sorry," she answered weakly.
"Okay then," Jan Di replied as the elevator door opened.
The receptionist asked her to get out first. She showed Jan Di the way to the CEO office. Secretary Jung, who was sitting at his desk, looked up when he heard the footsteps. He stood up immediately when he saw Jan Di entered the area of the CEO office. He bowed down immediately.
"Miss Geum Jan Di," he greeted respectfully. "I'm surprised seeing you here. Did something happen?" he asked politely. Jan Di smiled kindly.
"Secretary Jung," she greeted. "I want to surprise Joon Pyo. Today's his birthday. Is he busy?" she asked back. Secretary Jung smiled immediately.
"Yes, I do remember that today's Young Master's birthday. He'll be so happy seeing you here, Miss," he commented nicely. "However, right now he is meeting with a couple of the managers. But, they should be done in a few minutes, I think. I'm afraid you have to wait," he informed Jan Di.
"That's fine," Jan Di replied instantly. "Besides, I do need to prepare something before meeting him," she said.
"Then, please wait here, Miss Jan Di," Secretary Jung said, showing Jan Di to the waiting room.
Jan Di walked toward one of the couches. She turned to the receptionist.
"Thank you for bringing me here. You can go back now," she said to the receptionist politely.
"Certainly, Miss. Thank you again for earlier," the receptionist replied before bowing down again. Then she walked out of the room.
Jan Di sat down at the couch and put the box on the table in front of her. She opened the box slowly. She checked the cake first before taking it out of the box. She pulled out a few candles from the box and put them on the cake. She lit the candles with the lighter that she had brought from home. Secretary Jung was watching her with kind smile on his face. He found the cake to be funny. Jan Di looked up and saw the smile.
"Why are you smiling?" she asked Secretary Jung suspiciously. Secretary Jung's smile widened.
"Nothing, Miss. I just think that Young Master will be so happy getting this surprise," he replied. Jan Di narrowed her eyes.
"Liar. I'm sure that you're laughing at the cake," she said, pouting. Secretary Jung had been so kind to her from the beginning. And now that her relationship with Joon Pyo was so great and official, she got closer to Secretary Jung too. It felt like having an uncle or something.
"I wouldn't dare, Miss Jan Di," he replied instantly. He knew that Jan Di was only kidding. "The cake really looks special," he added.
Jan Di just grinned. She knew that the cake looked funny, so she didn't actually feel offended. The cake was just a small round cake with diameter around eight inches. On the top of the cake, Jan Di had decorated with words "HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY" in English. Then below those words, Jan Di had written Joon Pyo's name with Hangeul. However, the special part was the decoration on the side of the cake. Jan Di had put eight cookies with various expression of Goo Joon Pyo on the side. Joon Pyo liked her cookies so much. That was why she made the cake like that. And Secretary Jung must have been laughing at her unusual decorating choices.
True to Secretary Jung's statement, a few minutes later Joon Pyo's office door opened. Two middle aged men walked out of the office. They were followed by Joon Pyo. The three men turned their heads when Jan Di walked toward them with the cake on her hands. Secretary Jung walked behind her with smile on his face. Joon Pyo's jaw hit the floor when he saw Jan Di and the cake. Then, he grinned widely and walked toward her. He wanted to pull her into his arms, but the cake was on the way. He looked at the cake and laughed happily. Jan Di started singing when they were face to face.
Saengil chukhahammnida
Saengil chukhahammnida
Saranghaneun uri Joon Pyo
Saengil chukhahamnida
Joon Pyo's laugh got louder. The managers were watching the scene with shocked expression. They never thought that Joon Pyo could laugh like that.
"Blow out the candles," Jan Di ordered Joon Pyo. Joon Pyo did what he was asked to. He blew out the candles. He took the cake from Jan Di's hands with his right hand before pulling Jan Di closer to him with his left hand.
"Thank you so much," he said before kissing her forehead. Jan Di just grinned while looking up to him.
"Saengil chukhahae," she said gently.
"Thanks," Joon Pyo replied while letting Jan Di go. He used both of his hands to bring the cake closer to his face. He was observing the cookies while turning the cake around to look at the cookies one by one.
"Happy birthday, Young Master," Secretary Jung congratulated him quietly. Joon Pyo looked up from the cake to see Secretary Jung.
"Thank you, Secretary Jung," he replied while transferring the cake to his left hand. He used his right hand to shake the hand that Secretary Jung had offered.
"Happy birthday, Goo Joon Pyo-sajangnim," the managers congratulated him too. Joon Pyo shook the managers' hands one by one.
After the managers had left, Joon Pyo took Jan Di's hand and pulled her into his office. He put the cake on the table that was situated between the couches. Then, he pulled Jan Di into a tight hug.
"Thank you so much. It's really the best birthday ever," he said while nuzzling Jan Di's neck. Jan Di grinned.
"You're welcome. You don't want a birthday party, so I thought that you deserve celebration at least," she explained. Joon Pyo grinned.
"Thank you," he said again. He tried to inspect the cake again. "I love the cake," he said before taking a cookie. He smiled looking at the cookie that looked like a smiley face of him.
Jan Di just observed her fiancé while he was acting like a child with the cake. He didn't even notice the box that was still on Jan Di's hands. Jan Di just chuckled and shook her head.
"Here, your present," she said, thrusting the present to Joon Pyo's face. She was standing in front of Joon Pyo's seat. Joon Pyo's eyes lighted up immediately.
"You don't have to!" he exclaimed, but still taking the box as soon as possible. That made Jan Di laughed. He eagerly looked inside the box and took the wrapped present out of it. He looked so giddy. Just like a small child.
He opened the wrap paper impatiently. In the wrapping paper, there was a triangle prism photo frame. Jan Di had gotten help from Kang San to make that. The photo frame was made from wood. Kang San was the one who had cut the wood and glued it together. Then, Jan Di decorated it by herself. The three sides of the photo frame were filled with the photos that Jan Di had chosen.
The first side was both of them, laughing at the camera. It had been taken at his last birthday when Jan Di made a surprise visit to New York. Joon Pyo smiled looking at the photo. The second side was the F4, standing side by side and making funny faces at the camera. That one had been taken in the summer last year when Joon Pyo and Yi Jeong had come back to visit. And the last one was all of them together. The F4 and the girls were smiling to the camera. That one had been taken on the getaway by one of the ship's maids. On the top side, where the side was shaped as a triangle, there was a photo that had been cut to be a triangle. The photo was of Jan Di, Joon Pyo, and Kang San when they had the night out a few weeks ago. Joon Pyo smiled, looking at all of the photos. Jan Di smiled when she saw Joon Pyo's smile.
"Do you like it? Kang San helped me with the wood," she said, informing Joon Pyo. Joon Pyo chuckled and looked up to Jan Di.
"No wonder, that his photograph is on top," he said, jokingly. That made Jan Di laughed. Joon Pyo stood up from his seat and walked toward the cabinet which was located behind his desk. He put the photo frame on it, adjusting its position a few times. After that, he looked satisfied with his work. Jan Di looked aghast.
"You're not putting it there!" she said firmly. Joon Pyo turned his head toward her.
"Why not?" he asked challengingly.
"Joon Pyo, that's not suitable to be placed there!" Jan Di said, looking at the cabinet generally. The cabinet had been filled with a few awards that Shinhwa had got and also a few that Joon Pyo himself had achieved. The photo frame looked really unfit to be there.
"It's just perfect," Joon Pyo replied firmly.
"No, it's not. It looks weird and funny and embarrassing," Jan Di replied, feeling embarrassed herself.
"No, it doesn't," Joon Pyo argued. "If you don't want me to put it there, where do you want me to put it?" he asked.
"In your bedroom," Jan Di answered readily. She had imagined that Joon Pyo would have put the frame on his bedside table. Joon Pyo looked like he was deep in thought for a moment.
"Come with me," he said, pulling Jan Di with him. He grabbed the cake box before walking out of the room. He stopped a moment in front of Secretary Jung's desk. "Secretary Jung, cancel my appointment for the rest of the day," he instructed. Secretary Jung smiled simply.
"I already have, Young Master," he replied easily. He had known that Joon Pyo would want to spent the rest of the day with Jan Di. Besides, it was Joon Pyo's birthday after all. He deserved a day off at least. Joon Pyo looked a little surprised.
"Good, then. I'll leave first," he said, before leaving with Jan Di behind him. After they got into the elevator, Joon Pyo pulled out his phone.
"Soo Kyun, prepare a car at the front now," he instructed before ending the call and putting his phone back into his pocket.
"Where are we going?" Jan Di asked, feeling slightly annoyed with Joon Pyo. Joon Pyo grinned.
"You'll see," he said mysteriously.
"You don't bring the gift," Jan Di pointed out, pouting.
"I fully intend to keep the frame in the cabinet," he answered firmly.
"Joon Pyo, that's embarrassing," Jan Di replied, half-pleading.
"No, it's not. I love it and I want to show it off to anyone that comes to my office," Joon Pyo said seriously. Then, he pulled Jan Di closer to him before putting his left hand around her. His right hand was still holding the cake box. "I'm proud about us. I'm proud of our friends and Kang San. And I want people know about that. Besides, the photo frame will be the reminder of the real life I have outside the office," he said truthfully. "It'll help me through the stress and the frustration of work."
Jan Di couldn't reply to that. She couldn't really demand he not put the frame there after hearing his reasons.
Joon Pyo was driving the black Cadillac that he had taken from his bodyguards earlier. Jan Di was watching him with confused expression from the passenger seat. She had the box that contained the cake on her lap. Joon Pyo had put the cake back inside the box after he had eaten one cookie. Then, he had pulled her out of his office to the car.
"Joon Pyo, where are we going?" Jan Di asked her fiancé for the second time since they had gotten into the car. Joon Pyo smirked.
"You'll see," he replied mysteriously without even giving Jan Di a hint. Then, he grinned giddily.
Looking at Joon Pyo's expression, Jan Di got even more suspicious. It was never good when Joon Pyo behaved giddily and mysteriously like that. That meant that he had done something that he thought was a good idea. His good idea usually involved outrageous things, like naming a ship after Jan Di for example.
"Joon Pyo, seriously you're scaring me," Jan Di finally said, making Joon Pyo chuckled instead of worried.
"Relax. How can I scare you? With what?" he retorted back. He didn't notice Jan Di's anxious tone.
"You usually acted like this when you did something extravagant. And you know I hate those kind of things," Jan Di pointed out. Joon Pyo rolled his eyes.
"I didn't do anything for you. I just want to show you something. And it's not extravagant at all. I promise!" he answered, trying to assure her.
Jan Di still watched him suspiciously. She didn't believe his statements, because his idea of extravagant things was different than Jan Di's. However, she decided to not comment any further. She would just see what Joon Pyo had done this time.
A few minutes later, Joon Pyo drove the car into a building's entry way. Jan Di looked at the sign of the building in confusion.
"An apartment building? Why are we here?" she finally asked.
"Just wait. Be patient, okay?" Joon Pyo asked. "You're not usually this impatient," he added teasingly.
Jan Di frowned while she was observing her fiancé parked the car in the basement of the building. Joon Pyo got out of the car and walked toward the passenger door to open the door for her. Joon Pyo took the box, so Jan Di could get out of the car easily. Then, he escorted her to the elevator lobby.
"Seriously, what exactly are we doing here?" Jan Di asked again as she stared at Joon Pyo who was pushing the number five button on the elevator buttons. "You want to show me an apartment?" she said again, trying to guess.
Joon Pyo just grinned mysteriously while trying to open the box that he was holding. He was trying to pick another cookie. He turned the cake around to choose one of cookies. He finally chose the cookie that looked like Goo Joon Pyo's angry expression. He frowned when he saw the cookie before eating it. Jan Di just shook her head seeing her fiancé's strange behavior.
When the elevator door finally opened, Joon Pyo took Jan Di's hand and led her to one of the two doors that were in the corridor. Joon Pyo pushed the security code at the door handle. He turned to Jan Di when he was about to open the door.
"Remember the code, okay? So it'll be easy for you to come," he said to Jan Di. Jan Di, who hadn't been paying attention to the code when Joon Pyo entered it, looked confused.
"Huh?" she muttered to Joon Pyo. Joon Pyo sighed.
"It's zero eight three zero one two. Our engagement date. Don't forget that!" he informed Jan Di, saying the numbers carefully. He opened the door and let Jan Di to enter the apartment first before stepping inside too.
Jan Di finally let out a smile after her back was facing Joon Pyo, so he didn't see the smile. That fiancé of hers could be so sweet sometimes. Jan Di looked around the entry area where the shoes cabinet and some plants were located. They changed their shoes to the home sandals that had been already prepared there.
"Did you buy this place?" Jan Di asked while she watched Joon Pyo putting their shoes on the cabinet.
"Yup," Joon Pyo answered, popping tha 'p'. Jan Di gapped seeing her fiancé's nonchalant behavior. Joon Pyo acted as if he just bought a new pair of shoes, not an apartment.
"Why?" she asked again. Joon Pyo shrugged while showing Jan Di the living room.
"It just started to feel strange that I'm still living in my parents' house," he reasoned. Jan Di shook her head hearing his reason.
"Joon Pyo, you live in a mansion. You don't have to share space with your parents. Besides, you're barely even there," she pointed out. "You spend more time at your office or even at the base camp than at your house," she added.
"But, I still want to have my own place. Besides, it's just a two bedroom apartment. Not too big," Joon Pyo argued back. "Come on, I'll give you the tour," he added, taking her hand and led her to another room. He showed Jan Di the master bedroom and the walk-in-closet.
"It's still empty," Jan Di commented, seeing the empty closet.
"Yeah. I just finalized the papers yesterday," Joon Pyo explained. "Besides, I want to show it to you first before starting to move in," he added. "Come on, I'll show you the other rooms." He took Jan Di to the kitchen and the dining area.
"Goo Joon Pyo, you can't cook!" Jan Di pointed out mockingly.
"I can cook ramen and eggs," Joon Pyo said, defending himself.
"And you're gonna eat ramen and eggs every day?" Jan Di questioned again, challenging him. Joon Pyo shrugged.
"Well, I can just order some food," he replied easily. "Or you can come and cook for both of us," he suggested with innocent wide grin on his face. Jan Di rolled her eyes.
"Fine.. fine.. But what about other tasks, like laundry or cleaning the apartment?" she asked again.
"That's easy. There is additional service in this apartment building for those kinds of tasks. There is a laundry and maintenance service, including cleaning the rooms. Something like room service for hotels," Joon Pyo explained.
Jan Di sighed. She had to admit that Joon Pyo had thought about the solutions for all those problems. It seemed like his plan to move to the apartment was completely thought of.
"Oh yeah, one more place," Joon Pyo suddenly said. He asked Jan Di to follow him. He opened the door that was located between the kitchen area and the living room. The door led them outside. "It has balcony that overlooks to the city," he explained giddily.
Jan Di's jaw hit the floor when she saw the balcony. She was really shocked seeing the condition of the balcony.
"You have a garden for your balcony," she pointed out warily. The place that Joon Pyo had called balcony was almost as big as the bedroom and the walk-in-closet merged together. Half of the area was covered with grass. There were also some plants in the pots here and there. A set of garden benches and table were located in the middle of the grass area.
Joon Pyo's grin widened.
"Yup. Isn't it great?" he asked while looking around the place excitedly. Jan Di grimaced.
"Yeah, sure," she replied weakly. Joon Pyo turned his body to face Jan Di when he heard her voice. He frowned seeing Jan Di's expression.
"Why? You don't like the apartment?" he asked, feeling down. Jan Di sighed, seeing her fiancé's disappointed expression.
"The apartment is really great. You really chose it well. I'm just still shocked with your decision to move," she explained.
"But, you do like the apartment, right?" Joon Pyo asked again.
"Sure," Jan Di replied nonchalantly while turning her eyes around the place. Joon Pyo frowned seeing her attitude. He placed his hands on Jan Di's shoulders and turned her too face him.
"I'm serious. You like the apartment or not?" he asked again firmly. This time, it was Jan Di's turn to frown.
"Why is it so important to you whether I like the apartment or not?" she asked, feeling confused. Joon Pyo shrugged.
"Well, you're my fiancée. I'm hoping that you're gonna spend a lot of time here with me," he explained.
"That doesn't really matter, you know? I like spending time with you, so it doesn't really matter where we are," Jan Di answered back, squeezing his hands that were still holding hers. Joon Pyo pulled her closer to him. He stared at Jan Di's eyes with serious expression.
"I also want us to live here. That's why it matters to me whether you like this place or not," he admitted carefully. Jan Di's eyes widened in shock.
"You're not asking me to move in with you," she said. She wasn't asking that statement, but she wasn't sure when Joon Pyo didn't deny that immediately. "Are you?" she finally added with grimace on her face. Joon Pyo shrugged.
"Well, not now. I was talking about after we're married," he clarified. Jan Di let out of the breath that she didn't realize she had been holding.
"Joon Pyo, we haven't even had our engagement party. We haven't talked about a wedding at all. And now you're talking about after the wedding. Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?"
"Well, we are getting married anyway, so it's not exactly off topic, right?" Joon Pyo defended himself. "I just started to think about our future. With my birthday and the engagement, I just want to start to plan our future together," he added, giving Jan Di the puppy dog eyes, so she wouldn't be angry to him. Jan Di scowled when she heard his reason.
"You're talking about our future together, but you just bought an apartment, the place you want us to live in, without talking to me," she said half-angrily. Joon Pyo grimaced when he heard her tone.
"I'm sorry, alright? I admit I didn't think it through. I was just thinking to find a place for me. After I saw this place, I started to think that this place is good for us too. That's why I'm hoping that you agree," he explained. Jan Di didn't reply immediately. She was still frowning.
"What if I don't like this place?" she asked again. Joon Pyo shrugged.
"Then, we can find another place together," he answered easily.
"Goo Joon Pyo! You're talking about an apartment, not just a new couch or something. You can't just buy it, then change your mind because I say no," Jan Di scolded him.
"Why not?" Joon Pyo retorted back. "It's not like I will destroy the apartment or set it on fire just because I change my mind. I can just sell it again or rent it. Buying an apartment or a house is a good investment, you know?" he argued.
"But you can't just buy an apartment and leave it just like that," Jan Di said again, still scowling.
"Wait a minute, do you really dislike this place? Is that why we're arguing now?" Joon Pyo asked, finally realizing that they were getting off the topic. Jan Di was silent for a minute.
"Well, I didn't say that. I did tell you that this place is good," she answered.
"Then why are we arguing?" Joon Pyo asked in confusion. Jan Di sighed.
"Fine.. Fine.. let's just stop then," she finally gave in.
"Let's just sit here and enjoy the cake," Joon Pyo suggested. "I'll get the cake and the champagne. I got Secretary Jung to prepare a bottle of champagne for us," he said to Jan Di happily.
"Okay," Jan Di replied when taking a seat on the bench.
Joon Pyo went inside the apartment to get the box that he had left on the living room table. He went to the kitchen and took a bottle of champagne from the fridge. Then he walked toward the balcony and put the box and the champagne on the table in front of Jan Di. When he wanted to sit, he suddenly remembered the glasses. He went back to the kitchen to get two glasses for them. After that, he finally took his seat beside Jan Di.
"Why did you ask Secretary Jung to prepare the champagne?" Jan Di asked when Joon Pyo finally sat down beside her.
"Well, I planned to bring you here today or tomorrow. And I was hoping that you'd like this place, so we can celebrate this place together," Joon Pyo explained while pouring the champagne into both glasses. "By the way, we really need to start organizing the engagement party. At least, the guest list," he added, out of the blue. Jan Di sighed and leaned her head to the back of the bench.
"Do we have to do this now?" she moaned. Joon Pyo chuckled.
"Well, not really. Maybe tomorrow or the weekend?" he suggested.
"Fine.. fine.. I just don't want to see or hear another bombshell dropped on me. I need to adjust to the apartment first before starting another heavy duty," she mumbled. She started to feel uncomfortable with the back of the bench. She leaned closer to Joon Pyo and put her head on his shoulder. "This place is pretty," she commented. Joon Pyo put his arm around her body with smile on his face.
"I know, right? At least, you know that my taste isn't that bad," he said before kissing her head. Jan Di chuckled.
"Your taste isn't bad, but sometimes it's just too much," she pointed out.
"Yeah.. yeah.. whatever," he replied.
After a few minutes of silence, Jan Di talked again.
"I met your mother earlier," Jan Di said out of the blue. Joon Pyo tensed.
"What? Where?" he asked immediately.
"At the lobby before I went to your office," Jan Di informed Joon Pyo.
"She didn't do anything that upset you, did she?" he asked half-curious half-suspicious. Jan Di chuckled a little.
"No. Actually she helped me. I didn't know how to get to your office and she helped me by asking the receptionist to take me there," she told him. She tried not to tell him about her encounter with the receptionist. She didn't want anyone to get in trouble.
"And she really didn't say anything weird?" Joon Pyo asked again, still not believing that his mother could behave well to Jan Di.
"Nope," Jan Di said, popping the 'p'. "She even introduced me to the receptionist as your fiancée, you know?" she added with smile on her face.
"Really?" Joon Pyo asked with disbelief was clear in his voice. "I can't believe it," he muttered.
"Yeah. I was shocked too. It feels like that she finally can accept me as your choice. Besides, she approved of my plan to surprise you. She said that you deserved it. She really cares about you, you know?" Joon Pyo smiled.
"I'm glad that she finally can act as a mother," he said. "A good mother," he added.
"She did advise me to improve my attitude and appearance, though," Jan Di said.
"What's wrong with your attitude and appearance? There's nothing wrong with them," Joon Pyo replied quickly, frowning.
"I look like a college girl," Jan Di quipped.
"You are a college girl," Joon Pyo pointed out.
"Yeah, but I'm also your fiancée. I think your mother expect me to act and dress more lady-like," Jan Di said. Joon Pyo stared at her eyes seriously.
"I don't want you to be uncomfortable. Just act and dress whatever way you like. When you need to look more lady-like for public, I will inform you. Just like how I asked you to appear as my date at the wedding party last week. Otherwise, just stay the way you are. I like however you look," he said seriously. Jan Di smiled hearing his words.
"Okay," she replied, smiling softly. Her fiancé really could be so sweet sometimes.
A/N: So, what do you think? Hope you like it ;) I have to admit something. I don't know when Joon Pyo's birthday exactly. So, this is just my version about it to make it fit to the time frame. This chapter should be around the third or fourth week of September. And to help you to picture the balcony, when I wrote this chapter I imagined the balcony at the apartment of the main characters in Prosecutor Princess.
Special thanks for the people who had reviewed the last chapter. Camy, Male1248, ntcmiller, ritz2012, ladyofthedragons1, lorafairy, jp10, iamsunshine18, carmenbethania, missshay16, and Melazul zafiro. Thank you so much for taking your time to comment for the last chapter..
Thank you for your time. Please don't forget to write comments and reviews for this chapter, so I can find out what you think about this. Next is The Discovery. See ya..