Golden Magnolia

hope

As usual, Chae Young left for home after breakfast, silently promising that she'd see him again. She knew he watched as she walked down the driveway. She walked slowly because she didn't always get to be self-indulgent. Being leered at while dancing in skimpy two-pieces was not the same as being watched by Jung Kook as you left his place. To be honest, she was starting to enjoy her time with him so much that it felt less like work. If she could, she wouldn't leave at all. But it went against their work ethics to get entangled personally. Besides, she did have commitments. She had recently begun to learn English during her free time. She was not sure what she was going to do after, but she was still young; she would figure it out along the way.

It was only in the evening when Chae Young received information that she had been asked to not report to Jung Kook's place.

"Has the appointment been cancelled?" she asked over the phone to the representative from Madam Geomy.

"Not really," the young girl on the other end replied. "Your fourteen days appointment has been paid for. The requester simply stated that you need not report to him and that you may do whatever else you like."

Chae Young was bemused. Sometimes, with these rich people, their works took them away suddenly. But most times, the appointments were cancelled, not paid for.

"For the next eleven days?"

"Yes, Ma'am, for the next eleven days," the rep replied.

She was confused as well as hurt. "Thank you," she told the young girl and hung up. Was it intentional? Was it because she kissed him? But he had kissed her back too. Was it because she opened up too much? But he had opened up just the same. She thought they had been on the same wavelength. If she had been honest about certain things, his eyes had revealed just as much.

On the bright side, she forced herself to think, I'd now have ample of time to study.

But studying was the last thing on her mind that day. She wanted to run over to his house and demand why he was not seeing her. He didn't even have to pay her. She'd be happy to sit on his balcony, sipping his strong coffee and talk. And she'd be willing to fool herself into thinking that she was not falling for him. When the fourteen days was up, she'd go back to her life, pretending that he never happened and he could go back to his life with no strings attached. But cutting her off like this was too abrupt.

Putting on some acoustic music, she tried to study but fell asleep. She dreamt that Jung Kook called for her and she had forgiven him completely and she put on her best black dress and she would do anything as long as he would let her stay beside him. Then the doorbell rang. Shrilly, startling her awake. It rang again. She pulled herself up and opened it.

"Delivery," announced the man, pushing a brown rectangular frame towards her.

"Uh I didn't order anything," she tried to explain.

"Park Chae Young?" The delivery man read off his clipboard.

She nodded, trying to peer into his notepad to cross check.

"Unless there is another Park Chae Young who lives in 52/3 in Byul Apartment," said the delivery man, "I think I got the right person."

Chae Young had to agree that the details matched up.

"Where is it from?" she asked, scanning the package for a return address.

"There is no return address. It was dropped off at a local stationery store." he explained.

Chae Young signed his clipboard and shuffled the frame in. Fingers itching with curiosity, she tore the brown wrappers off. It was a canvas with a painting of flowers. She immediately noticed the purple roses in the centre of the picture and then the magnolias surrounding it. Golden ones. Not yellow, but golden.