September Peony (12 Months Series - Part 2)

Chapter 03

Joon Gi wakes up by the dawn and he has a miserable mood. He stays in bed and stares to the ceiling. He wonders if it's caused by the fact he is in different continent. Could it affected his dream? Is it the reason why he couldn't meet his woman? If so, he's not sure he wants to stay here for long. But... Joon Gi sighs. Maybe it's better this way. Maybe it will be a good thing to stop seeing her. Even though Joon Gi tries to see it in a positive way, his heart is aching. He misses her. His life is empty enough the way it is and he doesn't need to lose even his dream. Why is the faith so cruel to him? It gave him a perfect vision, a fantasy to cling to and now it took it away from him. Joon Gi feels betrayed. He hates self-pity but he can't help it. This isn't fair! He doesn't want to be alone. He wants a good wife, couple of kids and a timid humble life. Is it too much to ask? Maybe he doesn't deserve life like that. Maybe he's destined to spend the life in loneliness. Are his demands too high? Maybe his mother and Jong Hyun are right. He should stop fantasizing about a woman beyond his reach. It's time to wake up and get back to reality. He has to accept the fact, that a perfect life companion doesn't exist. Every woman will have some flaws, some annoying features. He simply have to reconcile and take it as it is.
Joon Gi gets up from the bed determined to enjoy this vacation and come back to Seoul with more realistic expectations. He showers, shaves and brush his teeth to get to the breakfast. Jong Hyun is already by the table, he's showing off his dazzling smile to a short and chubby ginger head maid. He is trying hard with his heavy accent and apparently it works. The girl is covering her mouth and her face is all red with golden freckles on her nose. She is giggling and waving with her eyelashes. Jong Hyun is showing his pearly white teeth in cute boyish smile like a wolf watching an unaware lamb. Joon Gi puts some boiled eggs, ham, cheese and bread on a plate, he takes a bowl of a water melon pieces and a cup of coffee and sits to a table by the window. He slowly eats and focuses on the view. The cliffs are steep, the sky is blue with white cotton clouds, the sea is sparkling and wavy. The window is slightly open so he can hear the seagulls and the roaring of the waves crushing against the shore. The air is filled with the smell of sea salt, wild flowers and freshly washed cotton. It's very calming and pleasant scent. As Joon Gi is eating, his mood is slowly improving. Yes, he can do it. He can find a good woman to share the life with. She won't be perfect but... Well, no woman is perfect. And he himself has some flaws. He tends to be vain sometimes, he needs someone to keep him on the ground. He is a dreamer and workaholic. He needs someone who will show him what's really important, someone he can rely on. He would prefer someone pleasing to the eye but it should not be a main condition for his future search. The beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say. And no matter how beautiful someone is, the time will always erase that beauty. Whereas the inner beauty remains. Joon Gi should focus on finding someone easy-going and cheerful. God knows he needs to smile more often.
"It's 9 AM and I have a date for tonight!" Announces Jong Hyun and crumbles on a chair by Joon Gi's table. He has a wide confident smile on his face. "How are you doing? Any more monk dreams?" Asks Jong Hyun with a simper.
"She left my dreams..." Confesses Joon Gi. "I think the peck was a good bye. I went back to that house but it was empty tonight."
"I feel for you, mate." Says Jong Hyun and pats Joon Gi's shoulder.
"No, I think it's a good thing, you know. I decided to return to Seoul with more down to Earth demands. I don't need a perfect woman. I just need someone to share my life with. Someone to eat dinner with, watch TV, play domino, shopping groceries, laugh and talk about every day matters. That's all."
Jong Hyun squints and gives a careful look to him. "Joon Gi, my friend, if you intend to tell this to your mother, better use some of your acting skills. Because if you say it the same way you described it to me, it will sound like a last confession of a convict before execution. You are making a face like a slapped ass. Try to cheer up a little bit, okay?"
Joon Gi growls and mumbles some curses. "I'm perfectly cheerful, can't you see?!"
Jong Hyun laughs. "Yeah, you are the picture of happiness."
Joon Gi sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose with eyes closed to maintain calm.
The bright and sunny morning turned quickly into a rainy noon and afternoon. Jong Hyun spent the day with his crew filming and testing the car on a nearby disused airport. Joon Gi spent the day in his room, in the bed with laptop and browsing the web. He made a list of local interesting places and sights. He regretted the fact, that the weather is so bad he can't go for a beach stroll. He would love to take off the shoes and let his feet to sink into warm sand, his ankles being washed by the gentle waves, breathing the crystal clear breeze and feeling the sun on his face. It was such a lazy day that Joon Gi kept falling asleep.

It's a supper time and Joon Gi is sitting in a seaside restaurant with Jong Hyun.
"The engine is little bit weak, to be frank. I would appreciate something sharper. However the acceleration is good and it sticks to the road even in this weather." Jong Hyun is describing his impressions from the car and Joon Gi is listening just to the half of it. "Matt LeBlanc suggested we could try a rally race. One of the tracks is nearby. It leads through the forest. I'd like to walk that part tomorrow. I want to make sure there are no large branches fallen on the road. Will you have a walk with me?"
"Isn't that a job for your staff?"
"You know nothing about racing, right? The best thing you can do with more difficult sections is to walk it to see the road from different perspective. You can judge the terrain better that way. Laura said it's a nice stroll and some of the oak trees are more than a hundred years old. She also mentioned some old Celtic burial place. I marked the position, we should be able to find it with GPS."
"What if it rains like today?"
"We will wear a raincoat." Laughs Jong Hyun. "Are you made of sugar or what? Are you afraid of melting in the rain? And Laura says it's not going to rain tomorrow because the seagulls flew to the east at the sunset."
Joon Gi frowns. "I don't follow."
"It's some local superstition. If the seagull flies to the west at the sunset, the next day will be rainy, if it flies to the east, the day will be sunny. I don't believe a little bit but you should saw her pouting her lips when she was saying it. They were like two full-blown strawberries, just ready for pick up." Laughed Jong Hyun.
Joon Gi agrees to accompany Jong Hyun on his track walk. He would prefer to spend the day on the beach, but he will have the chance to do so some other day. And even though Jong Hyun can be very sharp and sarcastic, he is a merry man with pleasing nature. Everyone feels better with him, that's also the reason why he is so popular with women.