Tuesday, 07 August 2007

• *Epilogue*

   
  

  <Epilogue>
  

  
  

  
  

  “And Sun Ki's too busy these days. I think we're going to have to hire some new people.”

  
  

  [Are you sure it's for real? Can the guy really sing?]

  
  

  En Chan was talking on the phone on her way to barista training.

  
  

  “Enough to make you fall in love. Even I would want to give him a recording deal.”

  
  

  [How could I trust your ear? All guys who live in karaoke bars know how to sing.]

  
  

  “He made the audition, so what else is there to say? You think the judges were all scarecrows? Why do you think they just gave him the contract fee on the spot like that? You always pick on only me. Psh.”

  
  

  [Hey, I gotta go. Conference.]

  
  

  “I gotta go too, I'm at the lecture hall. See ya.”

  
  

  [Wait. Where were we going to eat lunch again tomorrow? I'll come pick you up.]

  
  

  “You don't have to do that. It's just a few stops if I take the subway. I'll see you at the entrance.”

  
  

  [I'm just afraid you're going to be late like last time.]

  
  

  “Oh, don't complain about ten minutes.”

  
  

  [12.]

  
  

  
  

  En Chan had already arrived at the lecture hall and Han Kyul had to go into his meeting, but they couldn't hang up. They hid the passionate words they wanted to say to each other and acted mischeivously.

  
  

  [Ya, I don't want people thinking we're two men on a date, so dress accordingly.]

  
  

  “In that case you should come wearing a dress, ahjussi.”

  
  

  [Are you gonna keep on talking back to me? Girls are supposed to be soft-spoken and refined.]

  
  

  “Maybe I'll gather together all the un-soft-spoken and un-refined girls around and make an anti-cafe against you, ahjussi. Ha, you scared?”

  
  

  [Turning it into a fan cafe would probably be a piece of cake. I could probably make them turn to my side with a single picture. Hey, I really got to go now. Kissy kissy, Snookums.]

  
  

  “Hey, I'm still a part of that anti-cafe, all right, Mr. Kinky? I'm hanging up now.”

  
  

  The two of them giggled to themselves as they hung up and returned to their respective tasks. Han Kyul had risen to the position of head director, and had moved to the accounting department. To a next-generation proprietor, these promotions were actually meaningless; nevertheless, Han Kyul was learning the ropes step by step in preparation to take over the company. As long as he had made up his mind to compete with Han Sung for the top, he had no intention of losing. That there was a worthy adversary was beneficial for the company as well.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  The next day, En Chan rummaged around in her closet for some time before asking for En Se's help. All that En Chan had in her closet were t-shirts and jeans and oversized jumpers. Other than that, there was only the dress suit that she'd worn for her mother's wedding, but that was appropriate for an amusement park. En Se, having laid out her own clothes in front of her sister, continued to hassle her into choosing quickly. In the end, En Chan put on a flowered blouse and skirt and a feminine jacket. She'd decided to pull out all the stops because she wanted to look pretty for him and also because of what he'd said about two men on a date.

  
  

  On her one off day every two weeks, En Chan planned to eat dinner with her family. En Chan had been busy with the franchise project, barista training and working in the cafe, and having passed the audition, En Se was also practicing singing and dancing day and night, and wasn't often seen around. And so, they had set apart this day to come together to eat out.

  
  

  Mom and ahjussi were beginning to look more and more like a real wedded couple. What them care and provide for each other sometimes made her feel that all her work had been for nothing. It made her feel kind of lonely, but when she thought back to the way she felt when she was with Han Kyul, she could more that understand their feelings. For the first time since her father died, her family sat around at the dinner table, happy and cheerful. They were coming out of the restaurant when En Se said,

  
  

  “I'm gonna take off. I have an appointment.”

  
  

  “You're going to go meet Sun Ki? The two of your practice together everyday, and you still have to see him on your off day? You give birth to a daughter and you raise her with your own hand, and all this, for what?”

  
  

  En Se had provided an opening for En Chan to say,

  
  

  “M-me too....”

  
  

  If Mr. Ku hadn't been there, Mom would've had to walk the lonely way back to the house all by herself. She suddenly felt thankful for Mr. Ku.

  
  

  En Chan ran to the subway station so as not to be late, but she just missed the train. It was all because of this damned flapping skirt. She got on the next train and had three stops to go when it became their designated meeting time. It was obvious that he was going to give her hell for being late again. She took out her cell phone and tried to call him, but it acted up and wouldn't work. She pounded on it and shook it, holding it out in all different directions, but she couldn't get through. To make things even worse, the playground was a sea of people. She sweated up a storm trying to find him in the pulsing crowds.

  
  

  “Ya!”

  
  

  En Chan, exhausted, looked at the sneakers that came into view and lifted her head.

  
  

  “Oh! Finally!”

  
  

  En Chan took in deep breaths and smiled apologetically, but Han Kyul's angry face didn't loosen up.

  
  

  “Do you know what time it is?!”

  
  

  “I'm sorry. Really, I'm really sorry. I was on my way and I missed the train and.... I freakin' ran. Look at me, I'm sweating. My physical strength's not what it used to be. I haven't worked out in a while....”

  
  

  “Then you should've turned your phone on at least! How long were you going to make me wait in this crowd? You promised and promised that you wouldn't be late! Do you know how much I worried about you?”

  
  

  “Y-you worried about me? Why would you worry about me? You worried I was going to get into a subway accident or something? I'm fine. I'm fine and I'm here, so please don't be mad.”

  
  

  “Why'd you turn off your phone.”

  
  

  “Oh, this stupid phone. It hasn't been working since I was in the subway. This stupid piece of junk...”

  
  

  En Chan took out her phone from her pocket and was hitting it with the palm of her hand when Han Kyul snatched it away. He then chucked it on the floor.

  
  

  “What's the point of carrying around a phone that doesn't even work!”

  
  

  Still dissatisfied, he stomped on the broken phone and ground his heel into it. People walking by gathered 'round to watch him, amused. En Chan, surprised, gave up trying to stop him and simply watched on. She folded her arms across her chest and watched a seething Han Kyul for a while before saying,

  
  

  “Feel better?”

  
  

  Han Kyul breathed deeply and said,

  
  

  “Yea.”

  
  

  “Then look at me.”

  
  

  After all the trouble she'd gone through to dress up, running had mussed her up all over. En Chan quickly rearranged her clothes and hair and posed for him.

  
  

  “Mmmm. The lady has put on a skirt.”

  
  

  “You finally see me?”

  
  

  “Isn't it a bit small, though? We need to buy you some clothes.”

  
  

  En Chan glared at him and he smiled and said,

  
  

  “You're pretty. Very pretty.”

  
  

  “Prettier than Miss World?”

  
  

  “Miss World? Ohhh... Ya, that's been bothering you until now, huh? It's been on your mind for a while.”

  
  

  Han Kyul chuckled to himself as he poked En Chan's cheek with his finger.

  
  

  “Hey, I didn't have any fun that time. I don't even remember them.”

  
  

  “Psh. What do you take me for, an idiot? You were smiling like your lips were going to rip apart and you threw me out into the streets and sped off.”

  
  

  “I told you, I was already beginning to find you cute back then. Do you know how head-splitting it is to find a boy cute? If you're going to make up for how much you made me suffer, you have to do cute things for me at least 200 more times.”

  
  

  “Who made who suffer? It's news to me.”

  
  

  “I'm a master at the poker face. Never showing on our faces what's going on in our insides is our family specialty.”

  
  

  “Whatever you say, sir. Let's go eat.”

  
  

  En Chan turned around and headed toward the entrance. Han Kyul, who'd followed behind her, put his arm around her shoulder and pointed with his hand.

  
  

  “Let's ride that first. I've always wanted to ride it.”

  
  

  As if nothing had happened, the two of them went inside the amusement park. They mixed into the crowd and got on rides and ate ice cream and walked down flower paths. Sometimes they'd clasp hands, other times he'd have his arm around her, and other times they would simply look at each other....

  
  

  After exiting the amusement park, they ate dinner at a high observatory restaurant. They sat down side by side on yellow banana shaped leather sofas in the small balcony-like area that jutted out from the rest of the space. They ate dinner and drank wine, looking out at the magnificent scenery from the window.

  
  

  “Are you going to keep growing your hair out?” asked Han Kyul as he brought his lips to her hair and gave it a kiss. En Chan was resting her head on his shoulder.

  
  

  “Yea. Why? You don't want me to?”

  
  

  “It's not that I don't want you to. It's just that it doesn't fit with the Coffee Prince concept. That's a place where princes work.”

  
  

  “Then you want me to continue to look like a boy?” asked En Chan. Han Kyul nodded without a single moment's hesitation.

  
  

  “I want you to look like a boy to other men. So they don't move in on you.”

  
  

  “You worry about the strangest things. There's nothing but women all around me.”

  
  

  “Don't hang around too much with women either. By the way, you looked really out of shape back there. Let's start working out together starting tomorrow.”

  
  

  “And how am I supposed to find the time? These days, I wish here were ten of me to go around. You know Chief Bong from Dong Yi Foods? He's a total tightass. He wants to have conferences every single day. He's already changed the marketing plan several times....”

  
  

  “You meet Chief Bong every day? Hmm that geezer's got to go. I'll have to change him. Even I can't see you every day, it makes me jealous.”

  
  

  “Ahjussi, don't overreact.”

  
  

  “Cut down on the time you work at Coffee Prince. I've been thinking about this for a while now, but I think you should pick new employees and become the manager yourself. That way, you can pay closer attention to the franchise project.”

  
  

  “Hm..... I'll talk it over with Mr. Hong.”

  
  

  
  

  The two of them leaned against each other, looking at the night scenery. From time to time, Han Kyul would give En Chan's shoulders a tight squeeze. And from time to time, he would lay kisses on her head, her temples, and her cheeks, displaying his affection.

  
  

  
  

  “There's something I'm curious about. Before you found out at the hospital, you really never once suspected? You never wondered to yourself if I was a girl?”

  
  

  “What do you think?”

  
  

  “Hmm. Answer 1,” said En Chan, lifting up a finger. “Never. Not even once. Answer 2, maybe just once. Answer 3, maybe in your subconscious, but never thought about it consciously. Why? Because you're a coward. Answer 4, you would've liked for me to have been a girl. Now, which one is it?”

  
  

  “Hmm... the answer bank is pretty scanty. I especially don't like Answer 3. The answer is, Answer 5.”

  
  

  “Answer 5?”

  
  

  “I liked you, even if you were a boy.”

  
  

  “What? What is that? What the?! Then when you kissed me on Valentine's Day, that wasn't just a prank?”

  
  

  “I told you. There are some things men never want to let women to see.”

  
  

  “Oh, right, I've been meaning to ask you. What is that? You didn't want to let me see you kiss me? I didn't have my eyes open when you did.”

  
  

  “No, it's not that... it's just.... well, it's a type of...... the.....”

  
  

  “The what?”

  
  

  “Do you really have to hear the answer?”

  
  

  “I can't stand being curious.”

  
  

  “It's.... like sexual arousal.”

  
  

  En Chan whipped her head around to look at Han Kyul in shock. Han Kyul looked at her as if daring her to say anything and then reached out and put her head back on his shoulder.

  
  

  “You mean, you thought I was a boy and you felt that? That's why the tongue.....”

  
  

  “Yea.”

  
  

  “No way...... pervert cabbage slug!!”

  
  

  “Yea, I don't know what else to say. But you know, when I think about it, Answer 3 might be right as well. If you were a girl, I would have to kick you out of the store, and I would've had to doubt whether you'd come to like me or my money.”

  
  

  “You narcissist.”

  
  

  “Not a narcissist... maybe a coward, like you said?”

  
  

  “It's late. It's almost midnight.”

  
  

  “I'll give you an answer bank.”

  
  

  “Huh? You didn't ask a question, though.”

  
  

  Han Kyul lifted up a finger in front of En Chan's face and said,

  
  

  “Answer 1. You sleep with me tonight. Answer 2. You go to Dong Yi Hotel room S11 with me right now. Answer 3. We talk in my bed until the morning. Answer 4. You live with me for the rest of your life.”

  
  

  After the last sentence, En Chan couldn't say anything for the pounding in her chest. Her heart was racing like a frenzied maniac. She hadn't talked to him about it, but it wasn't as if she hadn't give their future some thought before. The conclusion was always a deep sigh. She'd comforted herself by telling herself to be thankful and satisfied with her present happiness with him. To treat each moment preciously and to love him to her fullest.

  
  

  “Now, what's your answer?”

  
  

  With that, Han Kyul held out his cheek.

  
  

  “What're you doing?”

  
  

  “Answer me with kisses.”

  
  

  “People are watching.”

  
  

  “Hurry up. Or I'm going to feel up your chest.”

  
  

  En Chan smacked his head with a cushion.

  
  

  “God, you kinky pervert!”

  
  

  Han Kyul shook his head and rearranged his mussed up hair before holding out his cheek again. En Chan scowled at him for a while before deciding there was nothing else that could be done. She leaned over slowly and smacked kisses on his cheek. When she stopped at the third kiss, he turned around.

  
  

  “Answer 3? What was Answer 3 again?” He asked her, looking disappointed.

  
  

  “Man, I don't know if I should really answer this lame proposal, but....”

  
  

  En Chan stretched out her arms and held Han Kyul's head in her hands.

  
  

  “I'm afraid if I'm not with you, you're going to die of boredom, so I'll do you the favor.”

  
  

  En Chan smiled as she kissed Han Kyul on his lips. When she pulled away, he abruptly tackled her and En Chan fell backwards onto the sofa. Han Kyul was smiling above the fallen En Chan. He stroked her cheek and said playfully,

  
  

  “You're awfully snuggly, snookums.”

  
  

  “Come on, get off! The waitress is watching.”

  
  

  Han Kyul pressed down on En Chan's shoulder as she tried to get up and lowered his lips.

  
  

  “Get used to it. I don't care what other people think.”

  
  

  Should she stop his kiss? But when she closed her eyes, she couldn't see anyone else either. There was nothing that could be done. She had to get used to it. He had said, after all, that it was for the rest of her life.....

  
  

  
  

  
  
  

  • 8:17 AM
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