It's another bright sunshiny morning in the Lee family household.
Lee Chung Ho and Kim Ae Mi had their breakfast earlier and had both left to their respective office. Lee Chung Ho to Sang Kyu Hotel, Kim Ae Mi to the Lee Dong Ho Foundation.
By the time Myung Hwan appeared, the breakfast table was ready for him. Ga Eun greeted him as politely as usual and laid his omelettes and sausages on a big white plate in front of him.
"Orange juice, Doryeonnim?"
"Ne."
She helped him poured the juice to his glass, but she suddenly sneeze.
"Mianheyo," she apologized, before finishing the task.
She proceeded to put the toasts on his plate and put some salad on his bowl when she sneezed again.
Myung Hwan finished his juice before asking, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Doryeonnim."
He took one, two, three bites of his food. But apparently, he couldn't resist.
"I think that's what you get when you choose a park for a date at night. Though it's summer, there is always a big chance that you'll catch a cold."
She gasped and backed away, her elbow knocked the juice jug and it spilled on the table, wetting half of the table cloth. She had sense enough to lift his plate and the salad bowl.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" she quickly apologized, her voice shaking so much like she would cry.
She produced a wiping cloth and started to wipe the damage, but he chuckled and pulled her hand, setting back his chair at the same time.
"No. Let the others clean this up."
"But I—"
"You're not a mere maid, Ga Eun-ah. You're our butler. Call somebody else to clean this."
I prefer that than the teasing you're going to say, she thought.
She's not moving, so he got up and called the pantry. "Can I have a maid to clean the dining table? I knocked off the juice jug," he said smoothly.
He walked to sit back at his previous chair, while she fidgeted with her fingers, staring at the floor.
"So much clumsiness over one thing? That must be one hell of a kiss."
He was smiling at her like he knew a secret she wouldn't tell, his eyes and smile were full of teasing.
Her stomach churned like a growing storm.
"Y—you saw me, Doryeonnim?"
"You were not hiding, so yes, I saw you."
"Did you.....?"
"Did I.....? What, Ga Eun?"
"Did you see us....um...."
"Yes. I saw you."
"Oh my God," she exclaimed in embarrassment, before covering her face with her hands.
He laughed, "Wae, wae? Are you embarrassed?"
She was so ashamed. Myung Hwan seeing her kissing someone else was the last thing she wanted to happen. By feeling like that, she might be being unfair to Jin Yang, but she just couldn't fight the feelings rushing in her when it's related to her doryeonnim.
A maid then came and cleaned the table, as Ga Eun moved back to stand behind his chair.
When the maid was done and left the room, Myung Hwn motioned her to come closer.
"Don't hide. Come here."
He reached the salad bowl. She rushed to say, "Let me, Doryeonnim," and took the spoon from him.
They were silent and she thought he already let the matter passed when he chuckled again.
"Aigoo, your hands are shaking!"
She put the bowl down as gently as she could.
"Yesterday was a great day, apparently," he commented, not letting the moment passed.
"I—it was."
"It's rather obvious." He grinned at her and she couldn't take it anymore.
"Doryeonnim, please..."
"Please? Please what?"
She didn't answer.
"Please stop torturing you?"
She was deeply blushing by then, unable to face him for the life of her.
She looked so tortured Myung Hwan finally said, "Okay, okay. I won't torture you anymore. I won't say anything more about it."
Chuckling, he proceeded to eat his breakfast.
"You're all grown up. I realized that now."
She almost cried by then.He laughed again seeing her expression.
"Ahrasseo, I'll be quiet now."
And he finished his breakfast without anymore teasing comments.
Maybe he was only joking, but the conversation resulted in a sleepless night for Ga Eun. She tossed and turned, remembering everything he said, wondering what he was thinking of her by then. Did he even think of her at all? She ended up dreaming about him.
She dreamed she kissed a guy passionately at a park, between the trees, under the moonlight. But it wasn't Jin Yang who eagerly kissed her back. It was her doryeonnim.
She regretted the need to ever wake up.
************************************
His departure for New York this time was a more severe blow for Ga Eun. Maybe because they talked more in the past two months than they ever did for the last ten years.
He woke up earlier after the army, since he was helping his father at Sang Kyu hotel. He wasn't fully on his role yet, but he said it's like an internship. He was glad with the experience, learning how things ran and how his father and his team handled negotiations and crisis.
Her schedule was mostly like this: She would have her own breakfast, and then she accompanied the family for breakfast. Afterwards, she made sure of what to be done with the maids and chefs, giving instructions and her list of what they should do.
Next, she went to college with Jin Yang, had her morning classes, have lunch with her friends and him, the afternoon classes, and then she went home.
The evening was spent to check on the family's activity for the next day. She had to make sure Kim Ae Mi had the dress she wanted to wear with the right jewels, laying it down to make it easier for her. She would also print the usual weekly reports that was sent to Lee Chung Ho's e-mails from all the eight hotels they had.
If they had no appointments, she'd attend to them at dinner, listening to their chat about business and their days. At night, it's time to bring coffee for Myung Hwan.
It's her favorite time of the day, because he would usually ask her to sit and talk to her. The topics were random. Like "Have you paid attention to our shares increase and decrease?"
She would admit that, yes, she did. She always read the increase and decrease of Sang Kyu hotels shares online.
"It's quite balanced, thank God. Usually it goes down if there's financial crisis or some scandals erupt. Now, thankfully our country is currently quite stable, and nobody in the family is having any scandals, so there's not much problem here."
Or "Which one is better, the grey one or the blue one?"
Usually that's what he did when he's bored, shopping branded clothes online. Or "Tell me what you did today. You must be tired listening about myself."
She had come to enjoy their late night talks more and more. It usually ranged from half an hour to an hour. She'd sit on his couch and he at his desk, his hands would be playing with his pen and papers. When she thought about it, it's the closest thing they ever got in behaving like a brother and sister.
At least for him, maybe.
Because her ears absorbed everything he said, but her eyes were worshipping him. The way his lips moved, the way his eyes sparkled when he's excited. The way he elaborated his point with his hands, the way he frowned when he paused. The way he seriously listened whenever she's talking.
"You're smart," he commented one night, "I hope you know that."
She nervously laughed and says "Gamsahamnida" as her excitement bubbled up all over her veins. That always happened whenever he praised her.
She always excused herself near midnight. She had to wake up early the next day. He always sent her away with a warm smile.
Those moments he had with her probably happened because he had no one else to talk to. But for her, every conversation would forever be etched in her memory.
They kept talking like that everytime he was in the house at night. When he's not attending meetings or gala dinners with his father.
Consequently, she faced his departure to New York more emotionally than before. He gave her a lot of encouraging messages. Wishing her good health, good marks in university, and to graduate well. He also told her to have fun too, not to always just work in the house.
"Instead of accompanying Ommoni shopping, you better go with your friends and have a good time. You're young. Enjoy your life."
Sometimes, she wondered whether he knew, but chose not to say anything. Surely it showed in the way she looked at him, the way she talked to him, the way she listened to him. But he didn't, she concluded. He didn't know. Never would, maybe.
For these two months, she watched how he embraced his future role as the President Director of Lee Corporation, the owner of eight Sang Kyu hotels around the world. He read the reports Lee Chung Ho had, spent hours with the staff of the hotel and company, and he talked business a lot with his father.
The company and the Lee Family, would be more prosperous when he fully took his role. She knew that. It made her think that the gap between them would be wider.
She had a feeling that when he came back from New York, there would be a drastic change. She just knew it. He's at the age where people usually chose what they wanted in life. Or find true love. Maybe she would serve Mrs. Lee Myung Hwan soon.
And yet, leaving him was something she never even thought she would do.
With that thought in mind, she bowed deeply to Myung Hwan at the airport, wishing him a safe flight.
And he departed for New York to start his Master Degree.