puzzle piece | jeong jaehyun

15

"Your boss seems like an ass" Jaehyun said with a light chuckle as the sat on the park bench, coffee in hand while the kids sat by the grass playing rock paper scissors for no reason in particular

"Yeah he is...and he's been making my life a living hell ever since I had to leave work that day for the emergency meeting. God, I still can't believe that Mrs. Kang said that about single parents—like sorry, as if your husband isn't out playing golf and flirting with the caddies every chance he gets" Yunhui ranted, rolling her eyes at the woman no one particularly liked in the school

"Oh she seems intolerable...isn't she on the parent committee or something? She's the one that sends out those weekly newsletters right?" Jaehyun asked, trying to brush up on his knowledge of the people in the new school that he had to start getting used to

"Yes—oh my god please tell me you don't read those things" she said, sending him a pleading expression and he chuckled

"I'm a single dad, do you think I even have the time to read my own emails?" He reasoned and she smiled, loosening up around him again as they had way too much in common already

"Well she has one column hidden in there about how to reignite the spark in the bedroom—I've wanted to bleach my eyeballs ever since" she said, catching him off guard

"What the hell is that column doing in a newsletter about school kids?" He asked and she let out an exasperated sigh

"As if I would know...I just know people only read those newsletters specifically for those columns. Seems like every marriage loses it's spark at some point" she said and he smirked

"Seems like you read that column a lot" he teased and she rolled her eyes

"I do not!" She exclaimed, taken back

"Oh yeah? Then why are you getting defensive?" He challenged playfully and she rolled her eyes

"I'm just saying, it's not uncommon for women to not be...sexually attracted to their husband after a while. Men kind of...like lose it at some point" she said and Jaehyun squinted his eyes as if he didn't know what she was insinuating

"Oh come on, you know what I'm talking about" she said and he did infact know, but he found it a little enjoyable to let her overshare until he figures out why she was in the first place

"Nope, I don't" he shrugged, bringing his coffee cup up to his lips

"Okay well...men—especially straight men—just like...don't know how to keep things romantic after a while. Like a year or two after dating it just ends up being...bleh" she explained and he had to stop himself from being too smart incase she catches on too fast

"Bleh?" He asked, repeating her choice of wording and she nodded

"Like...no flavour, nothing special. It's just bleh." She said with a simple shrug and he hummed, biting back a smirk

"A year or two into the relationship though...that's not a good sign. Maybe you've been getting with the wrong men" he said, turning to face her again when he was able to compose himself

"I mean...I haven't ever gotten any complaints like that after a year or two of being with someone" he said with a playful smirk and she sighed

"Maybe it's different for the gays—and if it is then I'm so jealous. Maybe I should just turn gay?" She said, fully conversing with herself at this point

"Yeah maybe...I wouldn't know" Jaehyun said, tying the loose ends together and realising exactly why he was getting all these juicy details about her sex life

"What do you mean?" She asked with a chuckle, turning to him

"I mean.. I wouldn't know because I'm not gay" he said, his eyebrows raised with his teeth grazing his bottom lips to stop himself from bursting into a fit of laughter

"Yes...you are" she said, dumbfounded by his statement

"Ah...maybe I should've mentioned that to my ex-wife" he said, leaning back against the park bench as she tried to think of words

"B-but you knew...you knew those heels were last season Prada!" She said, eyes widening as she realised she had just said the unspeakable to the neighbour she had only known for about two weeks now

"Maybe because I work for Prada" he said, scrunching his nose slightly as he watched the realisation slowly hit her

"I'm a fashion editor at Vogue and I do all the style features for Prada—that's how I knew. The gays and the fashion people to overlap, I'm not offended don't worry. It's an honest mistake" he said with a shrug, not reacting like most men with their fragile masculinity

"Okay...as if that's not the most gayest job out there!" She exclaimed, trying to defend her assumptions

"And you work in finance. As if that's not the most alpha male job out there, like what are you? Patrick Bateman?" He asked with a laugh and she scoffed

"Are you saying women can't work in male dominated fields?" She scoffed with attitude

"Are you saying straight people can't work in gay dominated fields?" He challenged with a smirk and she blinked twice before deciding that she had ultimately lost this fight

"I'm sorry" she said quickly and he chuckled

"Like I said, I'm not offended" he said with a casual shrug, letting the silence take over them both before he turned back to her

"So listen...this whole issue with men not being able to satisfy y—" he got cut off as she stood up abruptly and he bit his lower lip again to stop himself from poking fun at her even more

"I have to go—I have this thing at this place and I—Minhyuk let's go!" She called quickly and Jaehyun let out a deep chuckle

"Why don't you head off? I'll bring him back when they're done playing" Jaehyun offered and although it meant she would have to see the face of the man who she spilled all her secrets out to, she knew this would be her quickest escape. Without another word, she sent him a firm nod before heading away, practically speed walking as he watched her with an amused smile on his face.

She mumbled a few curse words under her breath as her feet treaded towards an old gas station, deciding to fact check his statement and make sure he wasn't just saying that to embarrass her to continue their oddly playful banter. She picked up the most recent version of Vogue Korea, a very handsome picture of Song Kang on the cover wearing, you guessed it, a Prada blazer.

Style feature on Page 21

Prada's New Statement Blazer

This season's detailing sets the blazer apart: sharp lapels with a matte finish, discreet inner pockets for functionality, and a singular, brushed silver button that stands as a statement on its own. It's a look that holds confidence without need for flash, perfect for the modern man who understands that elegance lies in the details.

Vogue feature written and edited by Jeong Jaehyun
Chief Editor of Men's Fashion at Vogue Korea for Prada

"Oh fuck me."