Substitute Soulmate

In for it

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A reservation for two had been made at a quiet restaurant flourishing with couples. In the building with too bright yellow shades for walls Namjoo felt blinded. Seated closest to the window the sun rays landed directly in her eyes, but that was not the most painful part of this lunch. She just felt no ounce of attraction for Ko Dokeun. She did not feel sorry. She felt completely nothing.

Her mother was down the road in a tea shop after abandoning her daughter. The date meant well, but Namjoo was not interested. Their food arrived too soon. Namjoo lacked appetite. Instead, she thought about the home cooked meal Sehun brought today. Gone to waste. He was probably eating by himself.

"Is the food not good?" Dokeun wondered. "We ordered the same number. Should I order something else?"

"No, I'm fine." Leaning forward she grabbed her fork and spoon and dove into her food just to look occupied.

Ko Dokeun was a brat when they were younger. He had played with her because his sisters were much too sassy to get along with young Namjoo. Though he did not steal her Barbie dolls, he did lobby her for money plenty of times. He disappeared from her circle when she started high school. Then she met Yeol in college and they married shortly after. Now he was back in her life.

A fine man with aged lines peeping to the fore. His hair was thinning and pores growing deeper. He needed collagen. Handsome but not very. A lot of women must not pine after him if his mother wanted her for him.

By god, who would think of a married woman as pure?

She was the last resort.

That meant they wanted her to marry him. Things were supposed to go well for them, because like rich moguls the rest of her life had suddenly been mapped out by her mother. Namjoo wondered if Madam Ko first approached her mother or if her mother had suggested it.

Namjoo did not want to remarry. She just wanted Park Chanyeol back.

"We don't need to rush," Dokeun assured. "Eat slow. Your mother will probably do some shopping before going back home. She intends for us to spend a wide variation of the afternoon getting together. But I think that since we're adults, we can skip the small things. There's no need to lie to each other, don't you agree?"

Namjoo glanced at him. His suit, shiny black oxfords, too black hair, which was mostly the result from heavily dyed formula, said he made good money. Worked in an office, was high class at work, and was involved in plenty of business affairs. Spent hours with the young and old alike, was probably treated like a CEO at work. Maybe he was the CEO. Namjoo was still not impressed.

Setting her utensils down she leaned back so her spine was straight with the chair. "I have no plans to get married again."

He didn't even look at her. Wiping his mouth with a napkin which he gently set down he looked her in the eyes, "I'm sorry that's going to happen."

She set her lips into a straight line.

"My parents have already decided," Dokeun explained, "and I suppose I don't mind. You are a woman now. Since you've been married before you'd have experience with how things work in that aspect. I can just learn from you. Our wedding won't be extravagant. I think we can agree on that. Small family, close relatives. Sound all right? The first thing we'll do is go on a honeymoon. My parents are desperate to see their eldest have a family. My mother would especially love to hold a baby."

A fire rose inside her but she shouldn't lash out. It would make her mom look bad for coming this far. Whatever they had planned for her just wouldn't happen. Never.