Torn between Love and Hate

One

"I said...No! I cannot believe that my own parents will sell me out. I'm already twenty-seven years old and I have the right to choose whom I'm going to marry and when I should marry."

"Honey, we're not selling you out. We just want you to start settling down and give us little grandchildren. You are our only child. We are not getting any younger you know. We want to be able to enjoy our grandchildren as much as we can before when the time comes that we won't be able to anymore."

Jiyong covered his face with his palms. His mother always know how to win against him and she knows it too. He loves his parents so much that he is willing to do anything for them but not this. Definitely not about marriage.

"Fine I will only agree to marriage but it has to be on my terms. I get to choose the woman I'm going to marry and that's final."

His mother squealed and clasped her hands together. She then gave her son a big hug. His dad could only grinned at him as he shakes his head from side to side.

"Ok son but can you please hurry. Just so you know if you don't have anyone I do have someone whom I think you will definitely like. She's my best friend's daughter and you have met her already. Do you remember Sandara?" Jiyong quizzically looked at his mom.

"Wait. Are you talking about that nerdy looking girl. The four eyes one in America?" Jiyong started laughing heartily. He met her when he was eighteen and she was a sixteen skinny geeky looking girl. He felt disgusted about remembering that girl. He knows that she was trying so hard to be friends with him but he completely just ignored her. He couldn't stand the look of her and so he's been avoiding her all throughout the entire time.

"Oh...so you do remember her. Wasn't she pretty?" She noticed her son's unpleasant reaction. "Why? Do you have a girlfriend already is that why you are acting like this? We sure would like to meet her soon. We're giving you until the end of this year sweetheart otherwise it will be in our term of choosing your lovely bride to be. The year is already half way through."

Jiyong could only close his eyes to calm himself. Though he was marked as a womanizer for years little did anyone know that he's been exclusively dating for the past three years now. He's been head over heels in-love with his present girlfriend. Her name is Park Yu Na. She's the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and met. She's the daughter of one of the most influential family in the business industry. Her parents are divorced when she was two years old and her dad had won the custody over her. Her mom seemed to have moved out of the country and nobody knows where exactly.

==========================

"Ms. Park good morning!"

Kyle, Dara's personal assistant and secretary/bodyguard greeted her as soon as she arrived at her office floor which is the top floor.

"Good morning Kyle. What is on the menu for today?"

"You have a meeting at nine am sharp with the board of directors in regards to your proposal agreement to expand in Asia. Then at noon you have a lunch meeting with your best friend Bom. Two pm you have a doctors appointment for your annual examination.

Dara owns multiple businesses from corporate marketing consultants to corporate public relations to top technology security agencies and she's only twenty-five years old. She had managed to build her own company at the age of twenty by starting off with the public relations. She's a people person ever since she can remember. Her mom used to work for one of the largest entertainment business as a Marketing Director. She would often times go with her mom at work when she doesn't have a baby sitter. Then as she turned sixteen she applied to become a personal assistant to one of the popular celebrities that her mom's company handles. The CEO himself saw a potential in her and so he allowed her to shadow him every summer vacation. She started learning the ins and out of the business. By the age of twenty she was confident enough to ask her mom to open up her own PR agency.

She was featured as the number one most beautiful bachelorette, intelligent and most influential woman in her generation. It was just her and her mom all along. She was told by her mom that her parents were already divorced when she found out that she was pregnant with her. Her dad does not know of her existence and she really would like to meet him one day as well as her older sister.

The board meeting was a success as always. Dara is the type of CEO who's very down to earth and very approachable. Her employees and board members respect her though they know that when she means business it really means business. They know when it's time to play and when it's time to be serious for business. That maybe one of the reason of her success. She gives importance to her employees and that is why they're returning it to her by working together as a team one hundred ten percent.

"Everything okay Ms. Park?" Kyle asked.

"Yes. Thank you. I guess I better get going to my next meeting. You know how impatient this person is and doesn't like to wait so long."

Pulling over to the front of the restaurant and parked her car. Dara walked to the main entrance and was ushered by the concierge to where her best friend Bom is sitting at, waiting for her.

"Finally! I was just about to text you. What took you so long?"

"Well some of us does have a business to run you know."

Bom just rolled her eyes at her friend.

"So what are we having? Did you already ordered for us?"

"Yes. Would Bacon Shrimp Alfredo with the side of salad be okay with you?"

"Yes, that's fine. I'm not that picky you know."

"By the way, I will be going back to Korea next week to visit my family. Would you like to come with me? Don't worry, I will take good care of you."

Bom is the heir of Korean Airlines and had been going back and forth between Korea and America whenever she wants to. They met in elementary school and they have been best friend ever since.

"I know Bom that you will take care of me and I really do appreciate the invite but..."

"No buts! C'mon I've been trying to invite you since fifth grade but you keep giving me excuses. You haven't even visited your mother's home country, aren't you a bit curious as to what is there? Isn't it probably time for you to get to know your father and older sister?"

"How? He doesn't even know that I exist. He's probably not going to acknowledge me anyways. He might just think that I'm the crazy one who's after his money and all. Better yet, he'll think that I'm my mother's child from another man."

"Money wise? You are as rich as he is or maybe even more. You have managed to climbed up the ladder in a span of five years. Look. The main thing is that you have tried and will not regret it later on in your life. At least tell me that you will think about it?"

Dara could only nod.