Chapter 24 The Couple
Disclaimer: Don't own the story. Don't own the couple. Don't own anything.
I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. My computer was broken, so I couldn't access my files. I couldn't even contact my beta, ladyofthedragons1. I'm updating without being betaed, so I hope you can understand if there are so many grammar mistakes. Once again, I'm really sorry for not updating for weeks. Hope you can understand. And please answer the vote in my end note. Thanks.
This is just a chapter about our favorite couple, JanPyo, do some couply stuffs. Here is the chapter. Enjoy ;)
Jan Di was sitting with her books at Joon Pyo's living room at his apartment. Joon Pyo had picked her up from her house first thing in the morning. That week, Joon Pyo had moved his clothes and his everyday things to the apartment that he had showed to Jan Di. He had spent a few nights there since then. He had said that it was for the test whether he really could live there or not. So far, he hadn't complained yet.
Joon Pyo put the soda cans with some chips on the table besides Jan Di's books. Jan Di looked up from the book that she had been reading and smiled. Joon Pyo took seat beside Jan Di who had been sitting in the space between the couch and the table on the floor. He opened the soda cans for both of them. Then he pulled the papers that had been put on the table closer to them.
"So, I got this list from my mother yesterday," he started the discussion conversationally. He shoved the papers closer to Jan Di. Jan Di closed her books and took a look at the papers.
"What is the list for?" she said, looking at the list that contained names that she didn't know. Some of them did sound familiar.
"It's for the guests that we should invite to the party. I haven't read the whole thing yet. We still have to choose which ones that we will invite and which that we won't," Joon Pyo replied, taking a sip of his soda.
Jan Di scanned the first paper. It contained fifty names and their contact information, such as their address, phone numbers, and email address. She looked to the other papers and they contained the same. She frowned.
"Joon Pyo, there are six papers here. And each paper contained fifty names. Do we really have to invite three hundred people?" she asked, looking aghast.
"Well, if we do invite all of that, it will be six hundred guests. Don't forget that they will bring their dates," Joon Pyo pointed out. He watched Jan Di's jaw dropped. "That's why I said that we still had to choose between the names," he added.
"I don't even know who they are. Shouldn't you choose this with your mother or Secretary Jung?" she suggested.
"This is our engagement party. I want us to be the ones who invite whoever we want to invite. Besides, if I do this with mother or Secretary Jung, it will be all business-like. And I don't want that," Joon Pyo explained seriously. Jan Di couldn't find any fault in that logic. She had to admit that Joon Pyo was right.
"But I still don't know them at all," she argued again.
"Well, I'm sure you will know some of them. But let's forget about the list for now," Joon Pyo said, taking the papers from Jan Di's hand. "Now, let's start with who we want to invite to the party," he added, picking an empty paper and a pen. "Who is it?" he asked, prepared to write them. Jan Di thought for a moment.
"Well, our friends of course. The F4, Ga Eul, Jae Kyung-unni, and Eun Jae," she finally answered. Joon Pyo nodded his head.
"Naturally," he commented before writing his friends' names. "But, we don't have to invite them officially, you know. We just have to tell them and ask them to come," he pointed out later. "Besides, they will come nonetheless, either we gave them the invitations or not," he added. Jan Di looked sheepish.
"Well, yeah. I think," she admitted that. Joon Pyo sighed, scratching the names that he had written.
"Is there anyone that you want to invite among your friends?" he asked again.
Jan Di thought again. In the university, she didn't have any close friends that she would want to invite. They were just acquaintances for the educational purpose, not personally. There was just Eun Jae, but like Joon Pyo had said, Eun Jae would naturally be invited. Jan Di tried to think about her friends outside the university. She really didn't go out much, so there were only people from her part-time work.
"Hmm.. Grandpa? Ji Hoo-oppa's grandpa," she finally said. Joon Pyo nodded.
"There's his name too, I suppose, in the list from my mother," he said, writing Yoon Seok Young's name on the paper. "Who else?"
"My boss from porridge shop," Jan Di replied. Joon Pyo wrote the name dutifully. "What about Ga Eul's parents?" she asked.
"Sure, no problem," Joon Pyo answered, writing the names again. "Who else?" he asked again, looking up from the paper. Jan Di started shaking her head.
"I don't know. There's no one else, I think," she said, frowning. She never thought that she was anti-social person, but apparently she didn't have many friends.
"What about uncles or cousins or neighbors?" Joon Pyo suggested.
"My uncles or aunts are all at the village. I don't think they will come for an engagement party. They don't really have much money for vacation," Jan Di answered truthfully. Joon Pyo thought for a moment.
"Well, we can just send some cars to the village and prepared some rooms at the hotel for their accommodation," he offered.
"Really? You'd do that?" Jan Di asked, looking surprised. Joon Pyo nodded readily.
"Sure. That's not a problem." Jan Di thought for a moment.
"I'll ask my mother first," she said, standing up and pulling out her phone from her jeans pocket. She walked toward the balcony door and stood in front of the window, talking to her mother.
Joon Pyo watched her for a minute before turning his gaze back to the paper. He picked the guests list from his mother, starting to read it. He marked the business partners that the company currently connected with. They should be invited to this party. After all, one of the reasons they create this party was to introduce Jan Di as his fiancée to his business world. He skipped the names that he was not sure about.
A few minutes later, Jan Di sat back beside Joon Pyo. He looked up from the papers and raised his eyebrows.
"So?" he asked.
"My mother said that we don't have to invite them for this one," Jan Di answered. "But, maybe for the wedding," she added. Joon Pyo nodded his head.
"Okay. Can you think of anyone else you want to invite?" he asked again. Jan Di shook her head.
"Not really, I think," she said, feeling slightly unsure.
"Then, let's start with this list. Just let me know if you can think of anyone else, okay?" Joon Pyo said, putting the guests list from his mother between them. "I've marked some names that we have to invite because they are Shinhwa's current business partners. These ones are the family friends." He showed Jan Di the names that he had marked. "These are our friends' family. Look, this is Woo Bin's dad. Then, Yi Jeong's parents. And this is Ji Hoo's grandpa. I told you, his name should be in this list too," he continued. Jan Di just nodded her head. "I'm not sure about the others. Those are the people that we should screen," he added.
"I don't even know who they are," Jan Di pointed out again.
"I'll tell you who they are and we can decide together whether to invite them or not," Joon Pyo responded. He started with the ones on the first paper. He told Jan Di the brief story about each names and they decided together. "Kwon Go Tae," Joon Pyo reached one name. "I don't think we should invite him," he added.
"Who's he?" Jan Di asked, like she had done earlier. "The name sounds familiar," she pointed out. Joon Pyo sighed and grimaced.
"Of course. We had read about him many times these past couple of weeks," he said. "He's Kwon Dae Gyu's father," he informed Jan Di. Jan Di's mouth formed an 'o' shape.
"Yeah, we shouldn't invite them. I don't think that the party will end peacefully if we put them and Woo Bin-oppa in the same room," Jan Di said. "Besides, it feels like we betray Woo Bin-oppa and Jae Kyung-unni if we invite them, doesn't it?" she added. Joon Pyo sighed again before nodding.
"Yup, definitely," he replied, scratching the name. Then, they continued with the list. On the fifth paper, Joon Pyo stopped for a minute before mentioning the next name. "Min Seo Hyun," he said, frowning. Jan Di didn't respond immediately. She gulped and grimaced. Joon Pyo turned his head to look at her. "Should we invite her?" he asked.
"I don't know. She treated me as a good friend back then. But, it will feel awkward with Ji Hoo-oppa and Eun Jae there," she answered. "On the other hand, it's not fair to Seo Hyun-unni if we don't invite her. I'm confused." Joon Pyo thought for a minute.
"Personally, I don't like her," he said before stopping for a second. "Anymore," he added after a consideration. "Should we talk to Ji Hoo and Eun Jae first before inviting her?" he suggested. Jan Di nodded her head.
"That's a good idea," she agreed easily.
Then, they continued with the list until they reached the last name there. Joon Pyo counted the names that they had marked as their guests.
"One hundred and seventy eight. Should we added a few names or get rid of some?" he asked Jan Di after he was done counting. Jan Di grimaced.
"How many guests that we should invite do you suggest?" she asked back. The number was still too many from Jan Di's point of view. However, she wasn't sure about Joon Pyo's thought.
"Well, we can invite one hundred and seventy five or adding a few, so we can invite one hundred and eighty or even two hundred," he answered easily. "What do you think?" he asked again.
"I don't know," Jan Di answered honestly. "What about your family? Like aunts or uncles or cousins?"
"Well, there is my father's sister. My parents will contact her. She doesn't have any children. Then, there's my mother's sister. My mother will invite her too. Maybe she will come with her daughter," Joon Pyo informed Jan Di.
"So, there will be two more. That should make it to one hundred and eighty, right?" Jan Di asked. Joon Pyo nodded his head.
"I suppose," he agreed. He put the list on the table. "I'll have Secretary Jung send the invitations to these people on Monday." Suddenly, he groaned. "I'm hungry," he moaned and glanced at his watch. "It's already one pm. We haven't had our lunch," he gasped. Jan Di chuckled before standing up.
"Fine.. fine. I'll cook something for our lunch," she said walking to the kitchen.
Joon Pyo's eyes widened suddenly after he heard Jan Di's words. He remembered something and that made him watched Jan Di with horror. True to his prediction, a couple of minutes later, Jan Di started to yell.
"Joon Pyo, your fridge is empty," she yelled.
Joon Pyo grimaced. He knew that there were no suitable ingredients there for a meal. There were just a few soda cans, beers, juice, milk, and some eggs. He had ramen in the cabinet, but he didn't even have rice. He couldn't cook beside ramen, so he didn't think to prepare others. He stood up and walked toward the kitchen.
Jan Di was already waiting for him with her hands on her waist. She glared at him.
"Don't you go grocery shopping?" she demanded explanation.
"Of course, I do. Where do you think the milk, the eggs, and the ramens come from?" he replied innocently.
"And you don't buy any vegetables, chicken, or meat?" she asked again. "Or even rice?"
"Jan Di, I can't cook. What should I do with them? Let them get rotten? Besides, I don't even understand how to choose them," he pointed out.
"Then, what did you eat these past few days?" Joon Pyo shrugged.
"Ramen. Or I order some delivery. Or if I had mood, I went to the restaurant down the street," he answered easily. Jan Di groaned.
"We have to go grocery shopping, then? Come on, let's go," she said pulling Joon Pyo's hand. "After that, I'll teach you how to make simple meal."
"But, I'm starving," he whined.
"That's your fault. Who told you not to buy the proper stuff for meals," Jan Di retorted back.
"But, we can eat ramen," he argued back.
"No way. You eat ramen too much," Jan Di said, pulling him to the front door.
Joon Pyo parked his red Lotus at the parking lot of the closest supermarket from his apartment. He was still pouting since they left the basement parking lot of his apartment. His protests had been ignored by Jan Di, so he distorted into pouting. After he parked the car, he didn't get out immediately.
"Come on! If you want to eat faster, move faster," Jan Di ordered him loudly. She opened his driver side door and pulled his hand to make him got out of the car. "You're such a spoiled brat!" she scolded him. Joon Pyo scowled at her.
"Yah! I'm not a spoiled brat!" he protested.
"Then stop pouting, you big baby!" Jan Di exclaimed teasingly. "Come on," she said, pulling his hand with her.
Joon Pyo groaned, but he still followed her into the store. Jan Di got one of the trolleys and instructed Joon Pyo to push it. That made Joon Pyo pouted more. Jan Di led them to one of the alley.
"Here. This is the easiest meal that you can get beside ramen. You don't even have to cook," Jan Di said, explaining to Joon Pyo. She put a few packs of bread into the trolley. "Don't forget to check the expiration date before buying it," she added, showing to him where the date was. Then, she pulled him to another alley. "Here, choose whatever taste that you like," she instructed him when they stood in front of jam section.
Joon Pyo chose the peanut butter and chocolate jam. He put them into the trolley.
"What else?" he asked. He realized that everything Jan Di said was important and she said them for his own good.
"Come on," Jan Di said, pulling him to another place. "This is something that is easy to cook beside ramen. You just have to boil some water and put the spaghetti in it. Let it cook for a few minutes. Here is the sauce. You just have to boil it in the pan and then pour it to the spaghetti that has been taken out of the water," she explained, putting the spaghetti and the sauce with the rest of the food. Joon Pyo just nodded his head through the explanation. He was trying to remember everything she said. "But, don't eat it too much either. You have to eat rice more often," Jan Di warned him. "Come on. Let's find some vegetables."
They walked through the vegetables alley. Jan Di kept putting a few of them into the trolley while explaining to him what they were for. Suddenly, Joon Pyo exclaimed out of the blue.
"Hey, that's beef section. Let's go there," he said excitedly to Jan Di. He pulled her with him to the direction of the beef stand.
One of the store attendances was standing there, cooking the beef for the visitors to taste them. Joon Pyo stood in front of him, waiting to get the beef. The attendance gave him some, then he turned to Jan Di who was standing behind Joon Pyo.
"What about the bride?" the attendance asked.
Joon Pyo turned to Jan Di with grin on his face. He liked it very much when the attendance called her.
"Yeah, come try some, wifey," Joon Pyo said to Jan Di, giving her the beef that was in his hand. Jan Di received the beef, but she still sent him glares.
"It's good," Jan Di said kindly to the attendance. Joon Pyo nodded his head.
"Yeah, it's really good," he said excitedly. "Can I get more?" he asked the attendance. Jan Di hit the back of his head when she heard the shameless act her fiancé had showed. "Yah! What is that for?" Joon Pyo protested, stroking the place where Jan Di had hit him.
Jan Di turned to the attendance who had been watching them with amused smile on his face.
"I'm sorry, he was never in a supermarket before," Jan Di said to the attendance.
"Yah.." Joon Pyo started to protest, but he couldn't really deny Jan Di's accusation. He was really never in a supermarket before. Everything he needed had always been prepared by Secretary Jung or the maids.
Jan Di ignored him.
"Just give us half kilogram of this," Jan Di asked the attendance. After she got the beef, she pulled Joon Pyo's hand to another place. She got some chickens and fish. "You can keep them in the fridge for a week. Just fry some if you want to eat them," she explained to him about the chicken and fish. "Come on, you need some kitchen utensils," she added, pulling him behind her again.
Joon Pyo just followed her wherever she wanted him to go. They were at the utensils alley where Jan Di was choosing some pans and spatula when Joon Pyo suddenly exclaimed.
"Hey! Let's look at the mugs!" he said excitedly, leading Jan Di to the mugs section. "Here!" Joon Pyo said, showing the mugs to Jan Di. Jan Di was smiling, looking happy choosing the mugs as well.
"Here are the couple mugs," she pointed out. They had fun choosing a few couple mugs when someone talked from behind them.
"Oooww.. young newlyweds. How adorable!" someone exclaimed, making Jan Di and Joon Pyo turned their heads. They found two old women stared at them with smile on their faces.
"They look so cute," one of them said, making Jan Di and Joon Pyo smiled awkwardly at them.
"Yeah, such a handsome couple," another one replied, reaching to pat Joon Pyo's cheek. That made Joon Pyo looked stunned while Jan Di was trying hard not to burst out laughing.
"Oohh. Sorry we're disturbing you, just continue your activity," one of the old women said before asking her friend to walk away from them.
Jan Di and Joon Pyo kept looking at the direction of the old women before they finally snapped out of it.
"What was that?" Joon Pyo exclaimed. Jan Di just chuckled and shook her head.
"It seems like you just got two more fans," she said, teasing him. She put some mugs into the trolley. Joon Pyo glared at her, but he put his arm around her shoulder.
"Come on, wifey! Let's buy other things," he said mockingly. That made Jan Di chuckled more.
After they got back to the apartment, Jan Di taught Joon Pyo where to store the things that they had bought. She instructed Joon Pyo to put the kitchen utensils where he wanted to put them, so he would know where to find them. She taught him how to put the chicken and fish into the fridge. And then, she showed him how to cook something. Joon Pyo just watched and observed everything that she had said and done, trying to remember them. Jan Di let him practice washing the rice and cooked it. Then, she cooked some mix vegetables with the beef that they had bought earlier.
Joon Pyo washed the kitchen utensils that they needed to use that night. After he dried them, he organized the small dining table just like what Jan Di had instructed him too. Jan Di brought the meal to the table and put the dishes on the middle of the table. Joon Pyo put the water for them to drink. After everything was ready, they sat down on the chairs.
Joon Pyo tried the meal first while Jan Di waited for him to comment. He moaned after he ate the mix vegetables.
"It's really good. You're the best cook, wifey," he complimented half-teasingly. Jan Di snorted.
"You're just too hungry," she replied, getting some meals for herself.
They ate in silence for a couple of minutes, when Joon Pyo suddenly remembered something.
"My parents want to invite your parents for dinner, by the way," he said out of the blue. Hearing those words, Jan Di stopped mid-chew.
"What?" she asked, looking surprised. Joon Pyo shrugged.
"With the engagement party coming up, my parents want to get to know your parents personally. They will have to act as the hosts for the party together, you know," he elaborated. "It will be awkward if the first time they officially meet each other is to be at the engagement party," he added.
Jan Di was silent fo a minute while Joon Pyo just stared at her, waiting for her reaction. Then, Jan Di shrugged.
"Fine, I'll ask my parents. Let me tell you later what they decide, okay?" she finally talked. Joon Pyo just nodded his head.
"Okay," he agreed before continuing to eat his meal.
A/N: So, what do you think? Hope you like it :D By the way, I won't write about the dinner. Let's just imagine that it went okay without any hitch, so there won't be any problem on that part for the engagement party.
IMPORTANT! I'll give a spoiler for you about the next chapter. I want to input one of these two men: Won Bin (The actor) or TOP (BigBang). Which one do you prefer? Please help me to decide.. which one get the most votes, I'll include him in the next chapter..
Thank you for your time to read this. Please don't forget to comment for this chapter/story to let me know what you think about it. And don't forget to input your vote in the reviews! Thanks. Next is The Engagement Party. See ya..