What's Next?

Chapter 3 Swiss Part 2

She pulled herself together and turned her attention to the student from Indonesia who was speaking.

"Miss Yoon, thank you for the Scholarship. I would never have been able to get such an opportunity, it means a great deal to me and my family. I will study hard and learn as much as I can from the Scholarship classes." Se-ri smiled

"Thank you. Take advantage of everything that is offered and study hard. I want the best for you and all the students here. This is for you. But have some fun too." She turned to Hans and asked who is next.

He stopped and said, "There is a surprise. Ri Jeong hyeok is here. He is a concert pianist from North Korea and will be performing. Let's go meet him."

Se-ri took a deep breath, schooled her expressionless face, but with a smile. She had no idea what to expect. They were facing the Ris, and Jeong hyeok and the young woman were still arm in arm.

"Miss Yoon, this is Jeong hyeok the concert pianist from North Korea. This is his father Ri Choong-ryeol, his mother Kim Yun-hui. And who is this lovely young lady?"

"I am Mi-hye, Jeong hyeok fiancée, I am happy to be here." She said with a big smile.

Seri could see that she was happy and thought, What is with this man and fiancées? She looked at the family and spoke in Korean,

"Welcome, it is a pleasure to meet you. Enjoy the Queens and Seris Choice Music Scholarship."

"You speak Korean," said a surprised Mi-hye

"Yes, I am from South Korea. Seris Choice is my company and Queens is my family's."

"Why did you start the Scholarship" Mi-hye asked.

Se-ri looked at her with a soft smile and eyes that showed tenderness.

"Because of love. Love of music and the people who helped me when I needed it. The Scholarship is my way of saying thank you."

Jeong hyeok was looking at her and understood the pain she was experiencing.

She turned to Hans, "Is Mr. Ri the surprise pianist who will be performing at the concert?"

"Yes, we got his response at the last minute."

She looked at Jeong hyeok with no expression and with dead eyes. She could not let him see her pain. It was the best she could do. "Thank you for coming all this way to perform at our event. I am sure we will enjoy the concert." She gave the family a slight bow and left.

"Hans, who's next?"

"We have met all the students and their teachers. The Ris were the last. That's it for the day."

"Thank you, Hans, I will see you tomorrow." The ordeal was over.

Se-ri left the event feeling numb. She walked to her hotel, she did not want to be in a confined space, she needed to breathe. She could not understand what happened. He was engaged? When? Why was she here? Why were his parents here? Why did he not contact her to tell her that he was engaged? There were so many questions swirling around in her head, she could a feel headache coming on. She kept walking and it was when she stopped, she realized that it was dark. She looked around trying to get her bearings and saw the hotel a block away.

She entered her suite in a daze. She did not know how long or how far she walked, she just knew she wanted to take a hot shower and get ready for bed. When she finally got into bed that night, she could not grasp what happened. She felt stunned, the tears did not come. She had not seen him in three years and maybe it was all one sided. She was holding on, but it seemed he had let go. Why were his parents here? To show her their approval of his engagement? Did they want to be the barrier between them, so he could stay engaged? She laid there and sleep would not come. She heard the alarm and she got out of bed to get ready for another day.