BASH
Dad played me well. Who would have thought that my old man has a roguish side? What is he trying to imply?
He closed the deal last month before I even came back from the U.K, and nobody mentioned this to me. I flew over here for nothing. We just tossed over a fucking Champagne.
I look like a fool in front of the Korean team. It’s all my fault. I agreed with Dad about the documents. I should’ve checked it before the flight. I just trusted that old man, and I thought he wouldn’t play with me like this.
Lesson learned.
I stomp my feet to the car waiting for us. Trinity doesn’t say anything when she notices me scowling. I feel her hand on my thigh, gripping it. My idiot of a cock stirs. Squeezing my eyes shut, I release a deep breath to calm my nerves.
Edmund remains silent at the passenger seat while the Korean driver pulls the car out of the parking lot. He’s instructed where to take us after the meeting—the inept meeting.
“Bash, your dad is on the phone,” My head jerks to the front seat where Edmund is holding out the phone to me. I clench my jaw with annoyance. I grab it from him.
“Are you trying to bash me now, Dad? It wasn’t enough that you embarrassed me in front of those Koreans?” I ask, and I’m still pissed.
He sighs. “Bash, you have to learn not just to follow orders without checking the contract. I may be your father, and you trusted me, but you have to think that sometimes the people you love the most turn out to be the people you should trust the least.” Yeah, I keep that in mind.
“What does suppose to mean? Are all these just a test to you? I’m hundreds of miles away from you, old man!” I curse under my breath.
“Yeah, consider that a test, son,” he answers almost immediately.
“Then I failed, did I?” I ask, groaning.
“That’s not the point why you’re there,” he answers, but I can hear the amusement in his voice.
“Seriously, though, what am I doing here, dad?” I want a reasonable answer.
“It’s for you to find out. You can answer that when you come back. Good luck son, and enjoy your week.” Before I can answer, the line goes off. I groan louder, raking my fingers through my hair.
“I guess that didn’t go well with your dad,” Trinity’s soft voice makes me calm a bit.
I look at her beside me. Our eyes meet, my frown suddenly vanishes when I see her smiling at me. I can’t help but lean my head to kiss her forehead.
“Everything is fine, Trinity. Nothing to worry about,” I reassure her. Everything is perfectly fine, especially when she’s with me right now for the whole week.
***
The two hours ride is worth it when we pass by the old village. This place is so different from the city of Seoul. The houses are very traditional compared to the high-colossal buildings back in the city.
Some folks are wearing the traditional clothes the hanbok. I can’t help but be amazed.
The car moves up to the slightly elevated area like a small hill where I can see a hanok from a distance. That must be Alex’s house.
We stop at the stoned-walled gate with clay made roof surrounded by plants with autumn leaves.
The gate swings open, Alex approaches us with a grin on his face.
He’s annoying, but he’s like a brother to me. He accommodates us with his old home. This is where we are going to stay for the rest of the week.
I hop out from the black SUV to greet him.
“Annyonghaseyo, Bash, Kiara.” He approaches us and bows in front of us, making me snort.
“Jaljinaess-eoyo, Kiara?” He asks, kissing Trinity on her cheek. Trinity smile politely then bows just like he did. I chuckle, following him inside his home.
There is a huge ground made of gravels, with a small pond, a small pine tree at the center. One-story three houses in a U shape made of the stone foundation, with a huge porch each.
We enter the first house on our left side with glossy dark oak flooring and two feet tall banisters. All walls are covered with hanji papers made from mulberry trees.
I notice Trinity’s eyes fill with amazement. I take my shoes off as it’s a custom here in Korea. Trinity does the same. Edmund wanders outside the house with our driver.
“I prepare a room for both you. This may be a hanok, but we have electricity, appliances, and Internet here. But I doubt if you have time to browse the net,” Alex says with a glint in his eyes.
“This is the dining area.” He slides a thin door. There is a small table in the corner with a tiny vase on top, a green plant blooming with small pink flowers. The dining table is placed at the center with four flat cushions on each side.
The maru flooring is glossier than on the porch. It has a small square chandelier hung from the ceiling, a small table with tea sets on top, and a dark-colored wood cabinet with a bronze drawer handle on the left side.
“This is beautiful, Alex,” Trinity says with eyes still wandering around. She sits cautiously on one of the flat square cushions as if testing it.
“Then you should marry a traditional Korean guy, Kiara,” Alex says.
My head snaps to Alex on my left side, glaring at him. “Stop flirting with her. You’re getting married for fuck sake,” I say annoyingly.
I can’t imagine Trinity marrying a Korean guy then lives here. Truth, I can’t imagine her marrying at all. Alex grins like he just gets his answers.
“The kitchen is on the left side. You don’t have to go outside. There’s a hall that connects from here to the kitchen. The bedroom is on the right side, but I warn you, there’s no bed, and it just a mattress made of pure cotton.” He laughs slightly, and I know what does he means. I nod in agreement.
Alex was broken-hearted and slept with girls back in the U.K. Now that he’s getting married just to win full custody of his niece. I doubt if he’s marrying her just to fight for custody. I know him well. I bet he likes that girl because it’s not Alex who is going to just tie up to a girl, and he should’ve done that after his brother passed away if he just wanted full custody.
“All floors are equipped with ondol and maru as part of hanok,” Alex continues.
Trinity lifts her chin to look at Alex. “What’s ondol?” she asks with curiosity.
“Ondol is an underflooring heating system since Korea has a winter season,” I answer.
“Oh, so it’s like a fireplace?” she asks, her face lights up.
“Yeah, but the main source of the heat in this place is from the outside. There are horizontal flue pipes as a passageway of the heat beneath the flooring. Unlike the fireplace in the U.S, its placed inside the home with a chimney,” Alex explains.
Trinity nods and looks amused. “It’s cool, Alex.”
***
After our little tour of all the houses. Alex, Edmund, and the driver left us and went back to the city, leaving me and Trinity alone here in the Hanok. He says to contact him if there is an emergency. He has a Hyundai sedan left in the parking area of the house if we want to tour around.
We both sit on the front porch, just taking this moment in. I never imagined this day would happen. Remind me to give Dad a hug and Mom a huge kiss on her cheek.
This time, I will prove to Trinity that I’m not the bully Bash she used to know and that I’m all grown up. I’ll show her how I felt for her all these years.
“What’s with the silence, Bash? You seem in deep thoughts,” she asks.
I turn to face her. She’s sitting on my left side. “This place is peaceful. I’m just glad that you agreed with me coming here.” I stare at her eyes. I want her to feel that I’m utterly happy that she’s with me.
“You didn’t actually ask me to come here with you, but I’m glad that you take me here. I love this place. So, no need to scowl against your dad’s ideas.” She smiles.
She’s just so beautiful, she melts my heart.
I hold her hand on top of the tea table, plants it to my lips, and kiss each finger. “Yeah, I should thank him big for that.”
She clears her throat. Panic grows in the pit of my belly as I feel that she’s about to say something.
“About last night. Um.” I scan her face to see her reaction.
“I um, I enjoyed it, and um. I loved it,” she seems unsure what to say.
My lips spread to a full grin. I move my head closer to her face, pressing my lips against hers. She sighs—a sigh of relief. I move my lips slowly, chastely until she starts kissing me back.
She grips handfuls of my hair as she deepens the kiss. A small moan slips her mouth when I suck her bottom lip. and my hands are grabbing her ass.
She moves closer to me until she straddles on my lap. I slip my tongue freely into her mouth, tasting her again. I want to taste every inch of her, and that’s my plan.
We both are panting when we break the kiss.
“Are you hungry?” I plant kisses on the freckles on her face, especially on the bridge of her nose. She wrinkles her nose
“What? Don’t tell me you ticklish, Tri?”
She giggles. “Nobody kisses me there, Bash. I thought that was hideous?”
I crease my brows. “Hideous? Your freckles are beautiful, Trinity. They look good on your face. It’s not you without them. I love these hideous freckles,” I tell her truthfully.
“When did you get a tattoo, Tri?” I look at her eyes while my fingers are tracing the tattoo on her left hip.
Her shoulders droop. Her mood changes slightly.
“Tri, I’m not mad if you think like that. In fact, I’m glad you had my name inked on your body.” I kiss her lips again.
“I did that before your first vacation, I thought of showing that to you, but you went back to the U.K immediately.”
My stomach lurches. “Trinity, I went back because—” I swallow hard, trying to compose my thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, I start, “I saw you kissing someone on your front door. I thought I shouldn’t bother you anymore, now that you already have a boyfriend.” My heart ached that night. I thought my heart crashed.
“Bash, can’t that wait after dinner?” Mom yells upstairs when she sees me running out from the living room to the front door.
I stop, turning to face mom. I raise the gift bag I bought for Trinity. “I need to give this to her. I might stay there and have dinner with Trinity. I’m sure she’s at home. It’s weekend, mom.”
I see mom sigh, then she nods. “Thanks, mom. I love you!”
The car stops at the opposite side of Trinity’s home. I feel nervous all of a sudden. It’s been a year since what happened between us. My heart flutters, and my hands start sweating. I blow a huge breath to control my excitement and my nervousness.
I can do it!
I grip the door handle of the car after I tell the driver not to bother. He stays in the driver seat silently, then a blue car parks in front of Trinity’s house.
I stay still when I see the doors open simultaneously. A guy around my age and Trinity get out of the car. Trinity is wearing a blue dress; her straight red hair falls below her shoulders. Why did she straighten her hair?
They walk together, then stops at the front door. The yellow light makes Trinity’s hair look striking. The guy wearing a white button-down cups Trinity’s face and kisses her on her lips. My body slumps back to the seat. I don’t notice the gift bag falls from my hand.
My eyes water, but I blink them not to fall. I bite my lower lip that’s already trembling uncontrollably.
“Let’s go back home,” I instruct the driver with my shaky voice.
“What do you mean?” She furrows her brows.
“I went to visit you, Trinity. I thought I want to apologize, but it’s hurt like hell to see you kissing someone else.” I look down at her red lips.
“I didn’t kiss him, Bash. We didn’t go out on a date. We had girls’ night, and I was a little tipsy. He volunteered to drive me home. So I agreed since we knew each other already,” she explains.
“Who’s that guy?” I demand.
“He’s the one who tattooed me,” she answers with a low tone.
“What his fucking name?”
She almost startles on my lap, eyes wide. “Kyland Wright.”
My eyes widen. “That fucking Kyland Wright?”
“Do you know him?” she asks.
“I’m sorry, I shouted.” I lower my voice a little bit.
“He’s the one who tattooed me, Trinity, and he’s the bartender at the Night Stalker,” I say calmly.
“I know.”
“He will pay for what he did that night!”