16. （FUN）ction
VERENA
16
Ordinarily, breakfast with Auntie was a joyous occasion, steeped in the rich aromas of kimchi, fluffy rice, and sizzling fish—staples of her legendary Korean culinary repertoire. Today, however, as we gathered around her lavish spread, the air was as thick with sesame oil as it was with duplicity.
Auntie was practically vibrating with excitement, her eyes sparkling as she looked from Jae to me and back again. I, on the other hand, wanted to murder Jae for the lie he’d so casually thrown into the room. The only reason he was still alive was because I hadn’t worked out my alibi.
How was I supposed to enjoy my seaweed soup with his impromptu engagement hanging over us?
As we settled into breakfast, the spicy scent of kimchi filled the air, mingling with the heavy anticipation of Auntie’s impending questions. She looked at us, her eyes alight with curiosity and something akin to mischief. “So, when did all this start?” she asked, her voice eager.
I parted my lips to set the record straight—that there was no whirlwind romance, no secret lovers’ saga to recount. But before the truth could tumble out, Jae cut in with the authoritative tone he reserved for board meetings and quarterly reports.
“We’ve been seeing each other secretly for quite some time,” Jae declared, sending me a quick glance that practically dared me to contradict him.
Under the table, my hand found his thigh, pinching it hard enough to grind gears. His only reaction was a slight stiffening of his smile, which Auntie must have interpreted as a flutter of romantic nerves.
Auntie clapped her hands delightedly. “Oh, that’s wonderful! And here I thought you two were just good friends! When did the sparks start flying?”
Jae, unfazed by the pain—or perhaps spurred on by it—continued weaving his web of deceit. “Well, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment when friendship turned into something more,” he said, his voice smooth as silk. I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes.
“Was it during the company retreat last spring?” he mused aloud, as if recalling a fond memory. “You know, where Verena heroically saved that presentation.”
I choked on my tea. Jae was the one that fucked up that presentation in the first place but blamed it all on me. I was still pissed off about that.
“Yes. I was just smitten,” Jae lied, effortlessly.
Auntie was eating it up, leaning in closer. “Oh, tell me more! Did you two sneak away for secret rendezvous? Have clandestine meetings?”
“It wasn’t quite like the movies, Auntie,” Jae said, chuckling. “We’re professionals. But yes, we found moments for ourselves, didn’t we, Verena?” His gaze locked on mine, challenging.
Trying to keep my composure, I managed a tight-lipped smile. “Yes, moments,” I echoed hollowly, my voice nearly a whisper. Beneath the table, my pinching had turned into a full-blown assault on Jae’s leg, each word he spoke earning him a new bruise.
Auntie, oblivious to the silent battle raging under the dining table, clapped her hands joyfully. “And now you’re engaged! What a story to tell the grandchildren!”
Jae nodded solemnly, the picture of a devoted fiancé—if one ignored the slight grimace from my relentless pinching. “Absolutely, Auntie. It’s been quite the romantic journey.”
Auntie’s eyes sparkled with understanding, her nod slow and sage-like. “So that’s why you quit,” she murmured, piecing together her own version of our non-existent love story. “You’re ready to take the relationship to the next level and don’t want the conflict of interest.”
Jae, with his impeccable timing and unshakeable composure, leaned into the moment with all the charm of a seasoned actor. “Exactly,” he agreed, his voice rich with feigned emotion. “We just couldn’t keep our love a secret any longer.”
He squeezed my hand dramatically, securing it within his own as if sealing our intertwined fates right there at the breakfast table. I tried to reclaim my hand, not ready to be an accessory to his fabrications, but his grip was firm, unyielding.
“We’ve been juggling our professional and personal lives separately for too long,” Jae continued, his eyes on Auntie but his words clearly meant for battle.
I opened my mouth, ready to interject, to set the record straight that my resignation was about personal growth, not about cultivating some secret romance. But before I could get a word out, Jae was digging a deeper grave for the both of us.
“And Verena, she’s just been so amazing through it all,” he gushed, turning to give me a look filled with mock adoration that might have fooled anyone who didn’t know him as well as I did. “Haven’t you, baby?” he added, turning back to Auntie before I could respond.
And I hated that he called me baby.
Mostly because he knew I had a weakness for men who called me pet names.
I gritted my teeth, a smile plastered on my face that I hoped looked loving instead of lethal. “Oh, absolutely,” I managed, my tone dripping with a sarcasm that thankfully went unnoticed by Auntie.
“She loves me so much she decided it was best to remove any professional conflicts that could jeopardize our future together,” Jae declared grandly, launching into a soliloquy that would have made Shakespeare think twice. “I was upset at first. I mean, no one can do the job like Vee can. But I see now that it’s for the best.”
Each word was a nail in the coffin of my patience. I tried again to speak, to cut through his elaborately spun web of lies. “Actually, Auntie, the thing is—” I started, only for Jae to cut across me smoothly.
“And you know, it’s been such a relief,” Jae interjected, his smile unwavering as he steamrolled over my attempts to clarify. “To finally be open with our love. To not have to hide behind closed doors or sneak around corners or steal kisses in the stairwell.”
Auntie clasped her hands together, completely taken in. “Oh, how romantic! Stealing kisses in the stairwell, oh my!”
As I looked across the table at Auntie, her hopeful gaze locking onto mine, the weight of the moment settled heavily on my shoulders. Her eyes, shimmering with unshed tears, were filled with a profound relief that pierced right through the facade we had concocted. “I was so worried you’d be alone,” she whispered, her voice fragile, betraying the depth of her concern for Jae.
Those simple, heartfelt words echoed in my ears, reverberating through the carefully constructed walls I’d put up around myself. Here was a woman who loved her nephew so profoundly that the mere idea of his loneliness could bring her to tears. And here I was, on the verge of toppling the one thing that brought her comfort during her final days.
The air thickened around us, charged with unspoken truths and the palpable relief radiating from Auntie. The happiness that lit her face at the thought of Jae not having to face the world alone after she was gone was both beautiful and heartbreaking.
In that stretched-out moment, the clarity of what was at stake crystallized within me. How could I, in good conscience, strip away this newfound peace from a dying woman? She was holding onto the thought of Jae’s happiness as a beacon through her pain.
So, as I felt Jae’s expectant gaze on me, waiting to see if I’d expose our ruse, I made a choice.
I tightened my grip on his hand, an unspoken truce forming between us under the table.
My nod was slow, deliberate.
“Yes, Auntie,” I echoed my earlier lie with a newfound resolve, “we didn’t want to worry you until we were sure.”
The lie tasted bitter on my tongue, but the smile I offered her was tender, crafted from a genuine desire to protect her from any further pain. Her smile in return was radiant, sweeping away any remnants of doubt about our deception. She reached across the table, covering both our hands with her own. “Oh, I am just so relieved.” She sighed, a contented exhale that seemed to take the weight of the world off her shoulders.
As we cleared the breakfast dishes, Auntie’s excitement bubbled over into planning mode. “So, when’s the wedding?” she chirped, almost bouncing on her feet with anticipation.
Jae, always quick on his feet, replied with a grin, “Well, we got engaged last night.”
Auntie’s brow furrowed. “Last night?”
I chimed in with a playful smirk, “He just sprung it on me. Right there.” I pointed at the spot beside the couch, dramatizing the spontaneity of it all.
Auntie clucked her tongue disapprovingly. “This won’t do, Jae. You have to make it romantic. We’re redoing this.”
Jae tried to salvage his approach, “Auntie, Verena isn’t someone that likes frills. Right?” He looked at me, hoping for some backup.
I paused, a mischievous idea forming. “Actually,” I began, drawing out the moment, “I want a big proposal.”
Auntie’s face lit up. “See? You can’t just spring it on her like this. I’ll help you.”
Before I knew it, Auntie was ushering me out of Jae’s penthouse, her arm looped through mine as she whispered conspiratorially about flowers, locations, and flash mobs. “We’re going to make it the proposal of a lifetime,” she promised, her enthusiasm infectious.
As I glanced back over my shoulder, Jae’s face was a picture of horror at the looming spectacle Auntie envisioned. The door closed behind us, leaving him to ponder the grand romantic gesture that was now expected of him. It wasn’t until I was in the elevator that the truth hit me.
Fuck.
Jae won.
I was fake engaged to him.