Hate At First Sight

17

Choi had no choice but to drive Tae home because Suzy wanted to spend the night. Tae seemed a bit relieved that she didn't have to be in Suzy's presence because damn, Suzy was a mother hen. An intimidating mother hen.

As Choi drove, Tae stared at him. He looked frustrated.

"It's ok," she said, caressing his cheek. He leaned into her touch, relaxing a bit. "Our parents are rather cock-blockers, aren't they?"

Choi slightly chuckled. "I had plans with you."

"And I had plans with you too."

He glanced at her, looking sexy in his pyjamas. "When will I see you again?"

"I'll call and tell you when my father is not at the house. You can come by. I feel like such a teenager, sneaking around with my forbidden boyfriend."

"Am I your boyfriend?" Choi laughed.

"Close enough," Tae whispered with a smile. "I had a good time tonight. Thank you." 

"Thank you for coming with me. And I'm sorry about the MC. I had a good time with you too. And some day before you leave, I want to take you out on a proper date if you'll let me, please."

Tae shyly smiled. She nodded. She hadn't been on a date in a while and it would probably be fun.

A while later, Choi dropped her off then went back to his apartment.

.

As soon as he walked in, Suzy was already on his case.

"You are sleeping with Tae," she stated. "And dont even dare to deny it."

He stared at her. "I'm 30, for crying out loud, Eomma (mother). I support myself and am an independent man that might want to get married soon. Do you think a little bit of adult business will kill me?"

"It's not like you're going to marry Tae!"

"I know that. I understand the situation and so does she. We are two grown ups and we can make sound decisions. Look, I'm not going to get her pregnant or anything because she is leaving in a few days and I'll probably never even see her again if I get rejected by her company."

"Don't say that," Suzy calmly said. "They won't reject you."

"Anything is possible."

"They are going to take you and thats that. Just stop sleeping with the boss! Do you even like her?"

"Yes."

"But last time...you hated her. What changed?"

"After our talk, I started seeing her in a different light-"

"I didnt mean go and sleep with her when I said see past your prejudicial ways!" Suzy snapped.

"Eomma (mother), with all due respect, please...stay out of this. It's a temporary thing that will be over by the end of this week. You don't have to worry about anything. You'll get your Korean wife and grandchildren. Tae and I just have a temporary arrangement."

"I should report her," Suzy mumbled. "Sleeping with a junior."

That could get Tae in trouble and also put Choi's business proposal at risk. "If you do that, I will never speak to you again."

Suzy stared at him in shock. "What?!" she spat.

Choi quietly stared at her.

She grabbed her bag. "I'm going back home. I will not stand for this disrespect-"

"Eomma (mother), look, you don't have to go. And I thought you liked Tae."

"As an individual, yes. Not as someone who's going to be the potential wife," Suzy truthfully said. "I know it is a bit hypocritic of me but I have always pictured you with a fully Korean family."

"I've also pictured myself the same way. But I like Tae. I really really like Tae. She's different...she's amazing...she makes me happy and even if it's for the next few days, I want to exploit that happiness to the fullest."

"Why put yourself through all that if you know that you're going to be heartbroken at the end?"

Suzy was genuinely concerned. She did not support this relationship or whatever it was, even more so now that she knew that neither Choi nor Tae had any future intentions. She did not understand how someone could be with another person without any intentions to pursue something in the future. Even with Jang's father, she had been with him for years before having Jang even though the man left before Jang was born. She had had a relationship with the man at least and as for sex, she still believed that it had to be reserved for married people even though she knew that the generation today cared only about the aesthetics of sex.

Here was Choi, setting himself up for failure by being a friend or in his case, a potential employee with benefits. Yet she knew just how loving he could be when he really liked someone. He gave his all, always. Tae was just going to dump him like his ex. Yet somehow he seemed ok with that.

"You're a little puzzling human, aren't you?" Suzy said as she sat down. "You know exactly what is going to happen come the end of the week and yet you're still going for it. Why?"

Choi was quiet.

Suzy scoffed slightly. "I can't believe this... you're in love with Tae. You don't just like her."

Choi wiped his face with his hand, biting his lower lip in contemplation.

"Does she know? Who even proposed this ludicrous idea of friends with benefits?"

Choi knew that even though it was hard to understand, Suzy got him. And even though she was very expressive and judgemental, she understood him in a way, like a mother would. He could confide in her.

"I haven't told Tae anything yet. And nobody proposed this idea. We just started something randomly and it turned out to be really amazing but a relationship is not on the table because she's leaving and going back to her home country. Even if I do get to work with her company, she's rarely hands on and it is against company policy for her to even be with me in the first place. It's really complicated, Eomma (mother)."

Suzy could see that Choi was frustrated.

"A vacation romance, huh?" she said.

Choi nodded. "I want more than that and I can't even confess that to Tae because, honestly, who falls in love within a few days? Choi, that's who. Yet I know that she's leaving. How stupid can one be?"

"Frankly, I'm glad she's leaving. But as your mother, it saddens me that my baby has to go through this. And you're not stupid, Choi. I met your father the same way. I fell in love with him the moment I laid eyes on him. We do fall in love on the first day, trust me. Now, what's the plan?"

"Enjoy being with Tae while she's still here. Eomma (mother), she is really amazing. And she's not meek. She has this sassy character and she doesn't take crap from anyone and..." Choi smiled. "She has this little cute dance she does when she sees food...I thought I wouldn't want a woman that eats too much but Tae...I like that she eats too much because it makes her happy and when she's happy, I'm happy."

"Oh my. You're whipped," Suzy teased him, chuckling.

She understood that Choi knew what he was doing. This thing with Tae was temporary but at the same time, she prepared herself to be there for when Tae leaves. Choi was going to need her because even though he didn't see it, Suzy saw that this was one of those rare moments when Choi was prepared to sell his soul for someone.

And the heartbreak that came with those moments...

She had to be there for him. Because like a real mother, she was prepared to sell her soul for him, her eldest son. Just like she would do for Jang.