Lee Sung-hwan + Jung Eun-chae (Part 2)
“I won’t be in Korea for long. I’ll go back to the US after I finish my business. And I promise you can get your engagement dissolved smoothly when I leave.” After saying that, Jung Eun-chae turned to look at the hall.
Inside, people dressed in expensive formal attire were chatting and laughing with acquaintances and strangers alike, and no one paid any attention to the small corner where they were.
The professional band had already started playing, and the music, clinking glasses, and compliments mingled together, drowning out her conversation with Li Shenghuan in the still air.
After scanning the area, Jung Eun-chae's gaze fell on the beverage counter in the center of the hall.
"I'd like a glass of juice," she said, turning to look at Lee Sung-hwan.
The two sat at the round table, their eyes meeting, and remained silent for a long time.
In the end, Lee Sung-hwan conceded defeat. He stood up as the waiter carried the tray past the glass door of the terrace, strode over, took a glass of orange juice from the tray, and turned back to place it in front of Jung Eun-chae.
Jung Eun-chae immediately smiled. Her dark eyes curved into crescent moons, and pretty dimples appeared at the corners of her lips.
She took a sip of orange juice, then looked up at Li Shenghuan, whose legs were crossed, and turned to gaze at the night sky, saying slowly:
"Jung Eun-chae, the youngest daughter of the Jung family, secretly returned to Korea to surprise her father on his birthday. As fate would have it, she met Mr. Lee Sung-hwan of the ST Group at the airport. The two met when their luggage bumped into each other and fell in love at first sight. To celebrate the love between the two, their parents held a grand engagement ceremony for them with their heartfelt blessings."
Lee Sung-hwan's gaze returned to Jung Eun-chae, and after she finished speaking, he asked without any emotion, "What will you gain by doing this?"
"I can get Mr. Li Shenghuan's freedom."
Jung Eun-chae's smile vanished; she was no longer the naive little girl she once was. She looked into Lee Sung-hwan's eyes with a firmness and depth that seemed utterly incongruous with her appearance and age.
"Contact me when you've made up your mind. This is my number." Jung Eun-chae peeled the blue sticker with her phone number off the back of her phone and gently stuck it on the back of Lee Sung-hwan's hand.
After that, she stood up to return to the reception hall. She had only taken two steps when she turned back, her dimpled smile returning.
Thank you for the juice. I hope I'll have the chance to buy it for you next time.
As she entered the hall again, she smiled and bowed to the guests who came towards her, then went up the stairs to the second floor.
She needed to find a place to rest and recharge. She had a tough battle to fight that night.
*
Lee Sung-hwan contacted Jung Eun-chae a day later. "I agree with your proposal. What's the next step?"
Jung Eun-chae stood by the window in the room, watching Jung Eun-ah walk towards the garage in high heels.
"Next, I will tell your father that you do not want to be engaged to Jung Eun-ah and that you want to change your engagement to Jung Eun-chae, the second daughter of the Jung family."
"good."
Just before Li Shenghuan was about to hang up, he heard Zheng Encai's sweet, girlish voice come from the other end of the phone: "Brother Shenghuan, good luck."
"Hmm." He uttered a single syllable almost imperceptibly, then hung up the phone first.
Although it took some effort for Chairman Li to change his fiancée, it wasn't as difficult as canceling the engagement with the Zheng family.
Everyone knew perfectly well that Jung Chang-ho needed the support of chaebols to run for councilor. And ST Group, on the other hand, needed an even stronger backer.
Therefore, a marriage alliance between the Li and Zheng families became inevitable.
Lee Sung-hwan firmly stated that if his fiancée was Jung Eun-chae, whom he liked, he could fulfill his father's wish for a marriage alliance with the Jung family; however, if his father insisted that he marry Jung Eun-ah, he would not attend the engagement ceremony.
Businessmen are never short of the ability to weigh the pros and cons. Although Chairman Lee knew in his heart that Jung Eun-chae's story might not be as simple and sentimental as Jung Chang-ho made it out to be, she was, after all, the youngest daughter acknowledged by the Jung family.
All that's needed for a marriage alliance is a bond that binds the two families together. If that bond happens to be something that Li Shenghuan loves, then he won't be too much of a victim.
The engagement date has been set, but the two lovers, who are said to have fallen in love at first sight, are in no hurry to meet.
However, Lee Sung-hwan has been seeing Jung Eun-chae quite often lately. She's everywhere – on television, in newspapers, online.
People across the country seemed to know her as well, recognizing her as the youngest and most beloved daughter of candidate councilor Jung Chang-ho. Jung Eun-chae was a frequent sight at every campaign event attended by Jung Chang-ho.
With the sweetest and happiest smile of a young girl, she participated in charity events with her father, standing beside him to cheer him on, or sitting under his podium asking the public to support him.
Lee Sung-hwan also learned about Jung Eun-chae, his fiancée, through various media channels: Although she had lived in the United States for many years, her favorite food was her mother's kimchi soup; she studied cello in the United States and even gave a concert; she applied for a study abroad program at Seoul Arts University and would exchange music with Korean students...
*
After deciding to get engaged, Lee Sung-hwan and Jung Eun-chae only met once, when ST Group's publicity department arranged for them to take promotional photos together.
Our second meeting is now, at Jung Eun-chae's school.
The night before, when Lee Sung-hwan called her to say that they needed to go to try on dresses together, Jung Eun-chae cheerfully told him, "Brother Sung-hwan, come to school to find me tomorrow. We're having a concert in the school auditorium."
Lee Sung-hwan arrived at the time Jung Eun-chae had indicated and was led into the auditorium by the people who came to greet him.
A performance was underway on stage. He had just taken his seat in the last row of the auditorium when he saw someone move a cello and place it in the center of the stage. Following him onto the stage was Jung Eun-chae, dressed in a flowing gold dress. After bowing deeply to the audience, she sat down in the chair behind the cello.
A melodious tune began to play. Li Shenghuan didn't know the name of the piece, but he could almost hear the emotions flowing from her fingers, and feel the warm and touching light that, though not fiery, pierced through the gloom and shone upon him.
Immersed in the music, Li Shenghuan suddenly recalled the day he and Song Yunxi reunited. Song Yunxi had learned to smile; she stood in the hotel garden, her sun-drenched smile radiating towards him.
When the music stopped, Li Shenghuan finally snapped out of his reverie and thoughts. He looked at Zheng Encai on the stage; her smile seemed to radiate light as well.
After bowing again to the audience, she told everyone in a shy and innocent tone, "This song is dedicated to Brother Li Shenghuan. I hope that from now on, there will be no storms in Brother Shenghuan's world, only warm sunshine. Brother Shenghuan, I love you."
After she finished speaking, she made a heart shape with her hands towards him in the distance, which seemed quite out of place with her long dress.
A burst of applause and cheers erupted from the audience. Li Shenghuan was stunned for a moment, and as others cast glances at him, he loosely clenched his fist to his lips and chuckled softly.
Lee Sung-hwan stood in the small square in front of the school auditorium, waiting for Jung Eun-chae to go backstage to change clothes.
When students pass by him, they always turn their heads to take a second look, and some will huddle together and whisper a few words.
However, whether they were discussing his tall and handsome appearance or Jung Eun-chae's sudden confession on stage, Lee Sung-hwan didn't want to pay attention.
He put his hands behind his back and turned to face away from the auditorium. This way, the students leaving the auditorium would only see his back, which probably reduced the amount of attention he received.
“Brother Shenghuan.”
When Li Shenghuan heard the shout and turned around, Zheng Encai had already run up to him.
She suddenly leaped up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and coiled her legs around his waist. Li Shenghuan quickly supported her legs with his hands.
It wasn't that I wanted to hug her, it was just a reflexive fear that she would fall.
"What are you doing?" Li Shenghuan asked.
"If you're going to act, you have to go all the way. We're a couple who're about to get engaged, so of course we want others to witness some sweet moments."
Jung Eun-chae wasn't worried about falling because Lee Sung-hwan was supporting her legs. She leaned back slightly and looked into his eyes with a smile.
"Get down." As Li Shenghuan said this, his hand loosened a little.
"I won't get off." Jung Eun-chae quickly hugged Lee Sung-hwan's neck even tighter and rested her head on his shoulder. "A boy wants to pursue me, and I want to make him give up."
"Anyway, we'll break off our engagement later, so you can consider pursuing someone else."
"I'm not considering it. I'll go back to the US after I finish my business, and I won't fall in love with anyone else in Korea."
Li Shenghuan remained silent. Their relationship was only temporary, and he had no reason or standing to persuade her to make any decisions. However, he still tightened his grip on her legs, still afraid she might accidentally fall.
About a minute later, Jung Eun-chae lifted her head off Lee Sung-hwan's shoulder.
"Brother Shenghuan, am I heavy?"
"Not heavy."
That's the truth. The eighteen-year-old girl was thin and petite; she only reached his shoulder when standing next to him, and her arms and legs were slender, seemingly without an ounce of excess fat.
However, Lee Sung-hwan regretted saying that as soon as he finished speaking, because he heard Jung Eun-chae say, "Then let's hug a little longer."
The next second, Jung Eun-chae's eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled and told him, "I was just teasing you. Put me down, let's go try on our dresses."
Lee Sung-hwan released his grip, and Jung Eun-chae jumped back to the ground.
Li Shenghuan glanced at his watch and said, "It's noon, let's go eat first."
Originally, he planned to help Jung Eun-chae try on her dress in the morning and then take her home; he hadn't intended to have lunch together. However, her concert had delayed them, and no matter how cold their working relationship was, he shouldn't let the girl go hungry.
"Let's try on the dress first. I'm sure I'll have a good appetite while eating in front of Shenghuan. If I eat too much, I won't look pretty in the dress."
Jung Eun-chae's engagement dress was a pink off-the-shoulder floor-length tulle gown, with countless blooming flowers embroidered on the hem. Both the color and the style suited her perfectly as a girl with a warm and lovely smile.
The shop assistant picked up a few strands of her hair from beside her left ear and braided them together. Then, she braided horizontally to the right, picking up strands of hair from each section and continuing to braid them into the braid. This continued until the braid that started beside her left ear met the hair beside her right ear. Only then did the shop assistant use a pink rose-shaped hair clip to secure the end of the braid to her right ear.
The shop assistant complimented, "Miss Zheng is so beautiful."
"Thank you," Jung Eun-chae said, then lifted her skirt with both hands and strode out of the dressing room.
Outside, Lee Sung-hwan had changed into a suit and was standing in front of the mirror, looking at himself. He saw Jung Eun-chae walking towards him in the mirror, and when they were just a few meters apart, she started running.
She was barefoot, her feet gliding on the smooth marble floor of the store. He was a little afraid that she would run over and jump on him like she had done at school, so he quickly reached out to stop her.
Then, the shop assistant who had followed behind carrying the high heels saw Lee Sung-hwan reach out his hand to Jung Eun-chae from afar, and Jung Eun-chae rushed into his arms without hesitation. The two embraced tightly.
Rumors are circulating that Lee Sung-hwan and Jung Eun-chae's marriage is a business arrangement. But they are clearly two people who love each other.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
