Loveless in Seoul

Chapter 1

It had been some time since I've traveled to a foreign country. But never had I gone alone, nor was it a place I was so unfamiliar with. France, England, Italy; those were my favorite. But Korea? While there is a certain beauty to it, but I certainly felt far from home.

It was hard to believe it was only three weeks ago since my parents dropped the bomb on me. I finally felt like I was starting up my life, and making a name for myself. For once, my life could be normal. Of course, my parents just couldn't have that for me.

It was no big surprise that my father had recklessly expanded the business. He was always bit of a gambler. However, betting with his own daughter was something I truly never saw coming. When he saw the opportunity to marry into a business partners company, he snatched it right up. Even though marriage was something I was not even thinking about, I had a hard time saying no when my mother was crying and Mr. Ryu was staring right at me as he waited for an answer. Saying "I guess so" was good enough for them.

Granted, I did have three weeks to back out. Everyday I woke up and told myself that it was going to be the day I call up my father and tell him the marriage was off. But every time he told me how proud of me he was for saving not only his business but our lives, it only made it harder.

Now I was in Seoul, Korean. Sitting in a luxury car, unsure if I felt queasy from motion sickness or the fact that I was about to meet the man I was suppose to marry tomorrow. It didn't help that I got a text from my mother saying their plane delayed and may miss this dinner. It was even worse that they were suppose to be here with me when we picked up my fiancé to this engagement party.

The car pulled up to a massive penthouse, and through the tinted windows I saw a young man walk over to the car. The driver opened the door, and the stranger I was to marry stepped in and sat across from me. Jihoon Ryu. The twenty seven year old son of millionaire CEO, Hyunwoo Ryu.

I felt my heart going mad in my chest, my stomach doing summersaults. I've had my fair share of blind dates, but this took the cake. He looked similar to the pictures I was shown of him, perhaps even better looking in person. He was just a bit paler, his dark hair messier.

"Ah...hello." I said softly to him. Despite rehearsing what I would say to him over and over in my head the last few days, that was all I could really think of.

Jihoon looked me right in the eyes, his doe brown eyes trailing down my body, examining every bit of me. The driver got back up front and began to drive. Without a word, Jihoon then turned his attention to the window. I sat there, stiff as a board and my nails digging into the leather of the seats. As relieved as I was that he stopped analyzing every inch of me, I also didn't understand why he did not even utter a word to me.

"You...do you speak English?" I asked carefully. He was too busy staring out the window to give any heed. However, he did finally break his gaze and locked eyes with me. A few moments of silence followed as his eyes scanned me from head to two once again before speaking.

"...Yes." he said simply.

"Oh! Well, that's good." I said with a bit of relief, then disappointment. At least his lack of the English language would excuse his cold greeting. "I'm still learning Korean myself. I've found it to be a rather difficult language to grasp, but I've managed to memorize a few greetings and phrases." I continued, trying to ignite some sort of conversation.

He nodded in approval, but there was no excitement or enthusiasm in his voice. It was very flat, and almost seemed forced. "....Good."

Another awkward silence hung heavy in the air, the sun outside setting over the skyscrapers. "So, please, tell me about yourself." I pushed on with a friendly smile "I suppose we should take this time to get to know one another, before our families bombard us with their own excitement."

Jihoon rolled his eyes. Clearly, he was not thrilled by this suggestion. His eyes wandered to the window again, speaking in a short and low voice "No. I'd rather not."

Now the silence was deathly uncomfortable, and all I could do was accept his answer as my smile melted off my lips fast. "Ah...okay then." I mumbled, wanting to just open the car door and roll out into oncoming traffic.

We arrived at the restaurant, pulling up in front of it. It was stunning, clearly a restaurant where only the best of the best go. The city surrounding it only added more flair and beauty. The driver opened the car door and I stepped out first, smoothing out my dusty-pink tulle skirts on my dress. I pushed back my long, red curls, revealing my bare shoulders. I gazed around the city, still in awe of it. I had never been to a place as this before. As much as I wanted to visit Japan more before this, I was quickly realizing I had underestimated South Korea.

"Come on..." Jihoon muttered to me when I was taking to long to follow. His voice still held the same stoic and monotone tone, no hint of any sort of emotions in his voice.

"Oh, yes." I snapped out of it and hurried over to him, my heels clicking against the sidewalk. He stuck his elbow out to me, and I simply blinked at it in confusion. He looked just as confused as I did for just standing there.

"Come on then, take it." he ordered.

"Oh! Okay." I nodded, feeling my cheeks go hot with some embarrassment. He let out a small sigh, rolling his eyes as I held onto his arm. We went inside, the interior even more beautiful than outside. Black and gold walls, with the biggest crystal chandelier I had ever seen. Right underneath it was a massive round table where the majority of Jihoon family sat waiting for us. A middle aged woman, who I could only assume was his mother, came right up to us as we entered. She was dressed smartly in a cream colored dress suit, her black hair in a sleek bob. She held a smile over her face, stepping over patting his arm fondly. When she looked at me, I smiled warmly and said in my best Korean: "Hello! Its nice to finally meet you!"

Her eyes widened in pleasant surprise, chuckling and shaking my hand. She began speaking to me in Korean, her mouth moving at rapid speed. A level of embarrassment I had never felt before flooded inside of me, and all I could do was let out a nervous laugh.

"I...uh...I have no idea what she just said..." I whispered to Jihoon. Jihoon rolled his eyes and spoke to his mother in Korean. She retaliated, her words a bit sharper this time. My anxiety grew as I watched the two exchange the foreign words, Jihoon at one point clicking his tongue and rolling his eyes. His mother gave me a tight smile and nodded towards the two empty chairs at the table. Jihoon pulled me over to it, sitting down next to me.

"What did she say?" I whispered to him. Jihoon paused a moment, this time looking unsure if he should answer.

"She said you have a very pretty and round face, but your breast makes you look like an unmilked cow." he said coolly as he sipped his water from his crystal clear glass. I felt all the color in my face drain, a small a pitiful sound escaping my lips. Jihoon remained unphased, turning to a family member and began chatting with him. I grabbed my phone from my purse, and began to spam my mother with text messages, begging for an answer on when they'd be here. And perhaps when the next flight back out to New York would be.