Ta Ein

 

*Prologue*

 

The gallant Eun JiWon walked into a café.  He stood at the entrance for a moment as he smelled the arousing aroma of sweet coffee.  JiWon looked around the cozy lil café.  This café was nothing like the busy Starbuck’s across the street.  It was a beautiful June day in Seoul, and the warm yellow sun was reflecting its light through the windows.  JiWon picked a table in the corner next to a window.  He looked out and smiled at the ppL that were walking by.  JiWon’s attention seemed to be far off in his own little world because he didn’t even notice the waitress who had asked him a question.  The waitress, luckily wasn’t an impatient one.  JiWon finally noticed her when he turned around.

 

“What would you like to drink sir?” asked the waitress.

 

“Oh…I’m so terribly sorrie.  Um…water will be fine, thank you,” said JiWon as if he were stumbling over something.

 

The waitress giggled and left to go get JiWon’s water.

 

JiWon looked at his huge, silver Rolex watch and sighed.  He was waiting on his friends—to be exact it was his ex-girlfriend, Quinn.  He hadn’t seen her for about a year and a half.  JiWon knew Quinn from college.  They both attended the University of Southern California and ended up moving back to Korea when they were still going out.  But after their breakup, all he had heard about Quinn was just a couple of things his friends told him when they heard news of her every now and then.  He was curious about the reason why she wanted to she him after not seeing each other for some time.  After thinking over his question in his mind, he tried to picture Quinn as he once remembered.  Once again, JiWon got carried away in his thoughts and didn’t notice Quinn until she basically crashed onto the chair in front of him.

 

“Sorrie I’m late,” said Quinn.  JiWon looked up surprisingly and got out of his thoughts.

 

“Oh…hi.  Didn’t knoe you where here,” said JiWon nervously.

 

“What were you thinking so seriously about Matthew?” asked Quinn in a sarcastic tone.  JiWon smiled.  Quinn was the only Korean who called him by his American name.  JiWon paused and stared at Quinn.  She looked as if she grew up into a different person over the past year or so.  Quinn looked more sophisticated and mature.  There was something significantly different about Quinn that JiWon couldn’t get a grasp on.

 

“Is there something on my face?” asked Quinn looking a bit uncomfortable.

 

“Huh?  What?  Oh no.  It’s not that…you just look really different.  There’s something about you that has changed and I don’t know what it is.”

 

“Hmmm…well…I try to dress more professionally since I’m a sa-jang (president) of my own interior designing company now…”

 

“Oh yes!  I heard that from…I think I heard that from SungHoon…or at least one of the guys.  Anywayz, congratulations.  How long has it been now?”

 

“I’ve been the sa-jang for about 6 months now,” said Quinn with a bright smile.  JiWon noticed that Quinn was extremely happy with her life now.  Although he was happy for her, he was a little bothered by the fact that she had changed so drastically.

 

“There’s something else.  Makeup?  Business attire? No…”

 

“Is it my hair?  I did get the magic perm done, so it’s straight as a ruler now,” said Quinn.

 

“Yes, it’s the hair! Wasn’t it kinda curly like Kim Ha-nul’s hair in “Romance”²?” asked JiWon. [Author’s note:  Kim Han-nul is an actress, and “Romance” was a TV Drama that she was in.]

 

“mmhmm.”

 

There was an awkward pause, but then the waitress came back with JiWon’s water.

 

“Would you like to have anything to drink ‘mam?”

 

“I’ll have a water, thank you.”

 

The two just looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

 

“So, what were you thinking about before I came in?” asked Quinn.

 

“hmmmm…I dunno,” responded JiWon in a sarcastic tone and big smile.  There was a moment of silence from the two.  Both were looking at each other, searching for an answer to their question.

 

“How have you been doing overall?” asked JiWon, trying to break the ice.

 

“Good…good…  You?” said Quinn uneasily.

 

“Fine.  Just fine,” said JiWon.

 

“How’s Krissy?” asked Quinn.  JiWon gave her a slight smile when he heard the name of his girlfriend.

 

“Krissy?  How’d you knoe—“

 

“I have my sources,” said Quinn, with a sly smile as she cut off JiWon.

 

“Um, well to tell you the truth, I dunno.  We got in a fight a couple of days ago and right now…honestly I don’t care what happens next,” replied JiWon.

 

“Why are you so UNcaring?  You don’t seem like the Matthew I knew once before,” said Quinn lightly.

 

“It’s different.  I don’t feel the same with her anymore.”  There was another long pause in their conversation.

 

“So Quinn, what is it that you wanted to tell me?” asked JiWon.

 

“Oh.  Yes.  I almost forgot.  Well, I wanted to see you, since it’s been so long, since-”

 

“Yeah, I knoe,” said JiWon with a sigh.

 

“Well…although I’m sure you’ve heard things about me and what’s happening in my life.  I wanted to tell you something before you heard it from anyone else.”  She paused.  She froze as her eyes met JiWon’s eyes. 

 

“I’m…I’m…I’m getting married.  I’m getting married in March of next year,” finished Quinn.  JiWon just sat in his seat, dumbfoundedly, as if he didn’t understand or didn’t exactly hear what Quinn said to him.

 

“What did you say?” JiWon said in a delayed reaction.

 

“I’m getting married in March,” said Quinn.  JiWon started to laugh.

 

“You’re kidding, right?” asked JiWon in an astonished tone.  Quinn shook her head no.

 

“Wow…ummm…wow.  I don’t knoe what to say.  I don’t knoe whether I should feel happy or sad.”  Quinn smiled a sad smile.

 

“No, I’m being serious,” stammered JiWon.  He stopped to catch his breath.

 

“Why so soon?” he asked quickly.

 

“Soon?  I’m practically a maiden…at the age of 27, where all of your friends have already gotten married,” said Quinn.

 

“I’m not married yet…neither has any of the guys (the other members of SechsKies),”  [Author’s Note:  SechsKies was a popular music group in Korea from 1997-2001; members consisted of Eun JiWon, Kang SungHoon, Kim JaeDuk, Lee JaeJin, Ko JiYong, and Jang SuWon.]

 

“Well…with the exception of some of the guys…”

 

“Of all of my friend…girlfriends who got married, I have never felt this way before.  I was happy for all of them.”  He paused.

 

“Who’s the groom-to-be?”

 

“You don’t knoe him.  It’s basically an arranged marriage,” replied Quinn.

 

“Do you love him?”

 

“I like him.  I will love him.”

 

“You can’t marry someone who you don’t even love!” said JiWon, almost in a shout.

 

“Well, I haven’t found anyone who truly loves me enough to marry me, so I might as well get married and learn to love this person.”

 

“Quinn, I’ve never felt this way before.  I feel like I’m losing a really valuable thing to me…I feel like I’m losing a best friend.”

 

“JiWon, I’ll always be your friend, no matter what.”

 

“No, not like that.”

 

“What do you mean?” asked Quinn, a little confused.

 

“Quinn…”  He looked into Quinn’s round dark eyes.

 

“Quinn…I love you.  If there is any love left for me, come back to me.  Come back to me…please?”

 

“That’s…that’s just impossible…impossible.  You and Krissy are going to be engaged…” JiWon cut her off.

 

“That’s what Krissy wants, not what I want.  I don’t love her.  You would want me to be happy, right Quinn.  Well you make me happy.  I don’t want to lose you Quinn,” said JiWon, almost crying.

 

“You are a selfish bastard,” said Quinn, who was surprised by her own words.  Her eyes started to water.

 

“I better go,” she said quickly.  She left the café without letting JiWon have a change to stop her. 

 

“Quinn!!!!!!!!!”  JiWon got up, but seeing that Quinn was no where in sight, he sat right back down in his seat.

”Where did we go wrong?” whispered JiWon to himself.

 

He got out of his chair and left the café, still not knowing what to think or do.

 

 

 

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2/22/03 11:52:32 AM