Hate At First Sight

*7*

Tae looked in the mirror at her bare head and face. She had just done her skin routine; mask, wash, moisturise and her skin looked beautiful. There were a few pimples here and there but overall, her caramel skin was smooth and radiant.

Grabbing a brush, she gelled her natural hair and started brushing it into a tightly coiled pineapple, taking care to brush a few coils into curls closer to her ears. After laying her edges, she filled in her brows and then put some petroleum jelly on her light brown lips. She grabbed some high waist leggings and a cropped baggy shirt, putting them on before rushing to the door where she put on her training shoes and walked out.

It was Saturday today, her 28th birthday and yesterday, her mom and dad had video called her to sing her a happy birthday.

However, today, she was not about to have a lot of fun because she still had to work on the proposal with Choi Hyun. He was probably not celebrating like her hence him agreeing to the meeting.

Right now, she was going to walk the one hour to his apartment because she just felt like walking instead of taking a ride. It was a cool day so she wouldn't have to worry about sweating a lot and thus she set off, following the navigator on her phone.

A few cars either honked their horns at her or stopped to ask her if she needed a ride but she politely declined before walking on until she got to Choi's gate, keys and phone with some money in the case in her hand.

She called Choi.

"Yes?"

"I'm at the gate."

"Um... I'm at my family home," he said. "I'll send you the location and you can take a cab. I'll pay the driver. As you already know, it's my birthday and I thought that maybe you would like to join us seeing as we share a birth date?"

Tae faintly heard someone exclaim in the background. Jang. "You're bringing my queen over here?!" he loudly yelled. "But I look so terrible! Tell her to wait-"

Choi abruptly ended the call.

A moment later the location pinged and Tae got into a cab, glad to actually be doing something for her birthday. She hoped that Choi's family was not like him because if they were, she wasn't going to bother to stay.

As the car dropped her off, she stared in surprise at the laundromat she came face to face with. Maybe this was a glitch and the driver dropped her off in the wrong place? Considering how much of a snob Choi was, Tae didn't expect him to come from such a humble background.

He acted like a rich boy. Well, now he was a kind of rich man if he came from such a place.

Jang came rushing out of the laundromat, a wide grin on his face. "Ms. Tae!" he said, ignoring the stares of the people that were passing by or watched from where they sat under shades of trees or canopies.

Tae smiled at him. "Hey, Jang Ki Hyun."

"I wish you had told me earlier that it was your birthday too. Choi is usually selfish on his birthday, wanting everything to be about-"

Choi shut him up with a slap to the back of the head. Jang looked affronted as he grumbled to himself, walking back into the laundromat. Choi stared at Tae's makeup free face in surprise.

"You look your age," he said.

"Mr. Hyun," she said with sass, the smile she had for Jang leaving her face at the sight of Choi. "Thank you for inviting me."

He nodded and led her into the laundromat and upstairs where they took off their shoes just as an older woman with a kind smile came rushing over to them.

"Tae," she said like she had known Tae all her life. She hugged her. "Americans like hugs, yes?"

"She's not American," Choi said, walking over to the couches where a grumpy Jang and his dad sat. He beckoned for Tae to take a seat and she did so after greeting the older man. "Tae, that is my mom, Suzy Park Hyun and my dad, Kim-Joo Hyun."

"Pleased to meet you," Tae said with a smile at Choi's parents.

"Pleasure too, black woman with Korean name," Choi's dad said in Korean.

Tae laughed and he froze.

Choi couldn't help the embarrassment. "Abeoje (father), she understands."

His father perked up, grinning. "Really?" Then he started going off in Korean, entertained as Tae replied back. Jang and Suzy joined the conversation.

The food was served and after everything had been cleaned up, the cake was brought out and everyone sang happy birthday with silly hats on Tae and Choi's heads. For the first time, Tae saw Choi genuinely smiling like he had no care in the world, enjoying himself to the fullest as he sang at the top of his lungs. Horribly, might she add.

She laughed to herself and looked around at the happy family that reminded her so much of her parents. This was how her birthdays would usually be and then she'd get wasted with her bestie in the evening at some club.

"How old are you now?!" Suzy sang at Choi who grinned like a kid.

"Thirty!!" he happily sang, shaking his head to the rythm of the song.

"How old are you now?!" It was Tae's turn.

"Twenty eight!!" she happily sang back, clapping her hands with excitement.

Choi glanced at her excited self, glad that he could give her a little something for her birthday. After all the help she was giving him and the talk with his mother, he finally understood. He didn't have to like Tae but he could be civil with her.

"I'm glad you're having fun," he whispered in her ear.

For the first time, she openly smiled at him as if all his past sins against her had been instantly forgiven. "Thank you for inviting me."

He nodded then turned as his mother gave him and Tae knives to cut the cake she had baked.

"Vanilla with chocolate ganache," Suzy gushed proudly. "Choi's favorite."

"Beautiful," Tae said truthfully. She turned to Choi. "I thought you didn't like chocolate," she said, waiting to see if Choi would get it.

But he was blank. "I love chocolate. I never told you that I didn't like chocolate," he defended himself.

Suzy burst out laughing, getting the joke while Jang, Mr. Kim-Joo and Choi stood there in confusion, wondering what in the world the joke was.

After she had stopped laughing, Suzy looked at her family. "You are a bunch of idiots with no humor," she dryly said. "Cut the cake."

"Now, that we can understand," Choi said as his knife glided through the soft and moist cake, just like Tae's.

"Smile for the camera!" Jang said, grinning from ear to ear as he took pictures, his family and Tae posing.

Tae grabbed a scoop of some icing from the cake and just as the shutter clicked, she smashed Choi in the face with the scoop, the flying bits catching Suzy, Mr Kim-Joo and Jang in the face.

Jang, yelling, scooped some icing and began chasing everyone around. The cake was forgotten for a while as everyone scooped some icing and began smearing it in the other's faces.

In the evening, after eating what was left to the cake and cleaning up, Choi said goodbye to his family while Tae thanked them.

They all walked out to Choi's car that was parked in the street and after another round of goodbyes, Choi got into the car, opening the door for Tae who was busy giving a round of hugs.

He rolled his eyes when Tae got to his brother who was already waiting with his arms open. Getting out of the car, he pulled Tae back before she could hug Jang who had been waiting with a huge grin.

And a boner.

Choi took Tae's hand and opened the door for her before closing it as soon as she was settled then getting into the driver's side before driving off.

He dropped her off at her house and she politely thanked him before going in.

He waited until the light in her house came on before driving away.