In Another Life: Han Ji Pyeong's Happy Ending (Start Up)

Epilogue

The alarm clock rings shrilly. Dal mi shifts sleepily in Ji pyeong's arms. She protests to waking up as she hides her face deeper into Ji pyeong's chest. Automatically, Ji pyeong responds to her touch. He leans in closer towards her as a reflex.
"I'm so sleepy..." Dal mi complains.
"Mmhmm...Me too..." Ji Pyeong agrees sleepily. His hands close around her ears to cover the loud ring of the alarm clock.
"Yeong sil... What time is it?" Ji Pyeong asks in his morning voice.
"It is now 9am." Yeong sil says.
"What's the schedule today?" Ji pyeong asks, still keeping his eyes closed shut with drowsiness.
"You and Dal mi have a relay Start Up lecture today at 10am. The lecture is at Sandbox." Yeong sil says.
"Can we just skip it..." Dal mi asks Ji Pyeong as she sinks deep into the comfort of the sheets.
"Good idea..." Ji Pyeong nods along.
"You have an incoming call." Yeong sil announces after picking up on Dal mi and Ji pyeong's conversation.
"YAH! HAN DAL MI WAKE UP NOW!" In jae's voice suddenly tears through the room from Yeong sil's new phone call function.
"GET OVER TO SANDBOX NOW IF NOT I'LL COME OVER THERE AND CHANGE YOUR NAME TO SEO!" In Jae yells over the phone.
"Oh my!" Dal mi exclaims suddenly and shoots up into an upright position at the sound of her sister's voice.
"YEONG SIL!" Dal mi complains. "Did you rat me out to In Jae that I was still asleep?"
"Yes." Yeong sil says politely.
"Aish, why did I add the phone call function to you..." Dal mi complains and pretends to slap herself.
Beside Dal mi, Ji Pyeong sits up sleepily. He rubs his eyes and yawns.
"Change your name to Seo? What does In Jae mean?" Ji Pyeong laughs with adorable sleepy eyes.
"Oh my," Ji pyeong's eyes suddenly open wide. "Was she going to kill me?" He asks and laughs.
"Aigoo... She wouldn't dare." Dal mi laughs as she leans forward to kiss Ji Pyeong good morning.
"Good morning, my darling." Dal mi whispers as she brushes Ji pyeong's fringe away from his forehead.
"Good morning, my love." Ji Pyeong smiles as he kisses her forehead.
"Yeong sil, what is the traffic like today?" Ji Pyeong asks Yeong sil.
"You'll find that today the tides will be low and there will be gentle waves tumbling into the shore. It is a good day to surf or swim. The waters will be refreshing and you will feel rejuvenated." Yeong sil says.
"Aish, why did I invest so much money in you?" Ji Pyeong laughs softly.

~

"Okay, before we get started with the Start Up relay lecture for today. Let's meet our panel." Ms Yoon announces.

"Since this week also happens to coincide with Women Empowerment Week, I've invited three very impressive ladies in this field. They have built Start Ups from scratch and have expanded their companies to reach global status. These three ladies will not only be mentors during the 17th Sandbox Residency programme but are also looking for potential Start Ups to invest in." Ms Yoon says.

"Let's meet our speakers!" She says as the audience claps enthusiastically. "Joining us today is Mrs Han Dal Mi, Mrs Lee Sa ha and Ms Seo In jae." Ms Yoon says.

"Aigoo, aren't they so impressive." Chul san says. The Samsan boys and Ji pyeong watch the live broadcast of the Start Up relay lecture from Ji pyeong's office.

"They are." Yong san agrees.
"By the way, congratulations on your engagement." Ji pyeong grins at Yong san. Identical rings shine on Yong san and In jae's fingers.

"Thank you, thank you." Yong san pretends to bow. "It took me forever to chase her." He sighs. "But she's still not as hard to handle as compared to Sa ha." Yong san laughs.

"Yah! Don't talk about my wife like that!" Chul san shoots back.

"Who do you think is harder to handle: In jae or Sa ha?" Yong san asks Do san.

"Aigoo, I'm not sure. I think Dal mi is the hardest to please, now that she's pregnant." Do san shivers in fright.
"Yah!" Ji pyeong glares at him.

"Did you see her when she started crying because we ran out of orange juice?" Do san laughs. "I had no idea what to do." He says and shakes his head.

"Aigoo, she's worse at home." Ji pyeong laughs. "She has the strangest cravings. I woke up to her eating ramyeon mixed with pickles and sardines." Ji pyeong laughs.

"Imagine a tiny Ji pyeong running around." Do san says.

"He'll be telling the kids at his kindergarten that their drawings are unrealistic and that they need to come up with something practical and tangible." Yong san laughs, recalling the way Ji pyeong used to nitpick Samsan Tech's project proposals.

"Yah!" Ji pyeong protests.

"Shh! Stop bickering! Look at all the fresh faces." Chul san says as the camera pans over the Sandbox participants.
"They look so young and hopeful." Ji pyeong nods along.

"Oh! Isn't that!" Do san says as he points at three boys that appear on the screen. "Aren't those the three boys who rented out our old office space?"

"You're right!" Chul san says.

"Wah!" Yong san exclaims.

"Thank you for the sharing ladies. Before we move on to the next segment, I'll like to invite the other mentors of this year's Sandbox residency programme." Ms Yoon's voice resonates through the room.

"Mr Han Ji pyeong, Mr Nam Do san, Mr Lee Chul san and Mr Kim Yong san." She announces.

"That's our cue." Do san says as we get up to make our way towards the auditorium.