Office Diaries - Chapter 186

“Have you rested well?”

Tohru asked as soon as he and Kim arrived at the apartment.

“I did. You were right. After the salon treatment I felt so relaxed I had to sleep,” Yanee answered with a chuckle before stepping up to give Kim a welcome hug. “Big Sis.”

Kim gave her a warm squeeze before pushing her at arms’ length to look at her with a teasing smile. “So, Anjee told me you’re finally legally dating now.”

Yanee laughed. “We weren’t illegal in the first place.”

“Only on my side.. You hid me like a concubine from your family for a while,” Tohru buŧŧed in with his own brand of teasing, and Yanee gave him a playful kick. Of course, it was not true.

“Concubine, go away.”

Kim found it totally funny and she joined Yanee on shooing Tohru away. The plan was he’d bring Kim to the apartment for the interview and leave her there. He’d go back to the expo to accompany Henry after dropping her off to the apartment and stay there until the interview was done.

“You’ve been banished to the cold palace. Don’t come back until you’ve been pardoned and summoned,” Kim added, making Tohru laugh out loud.

He gave Yanee a quick peck on the lips before leaving the two of them. When Yanee closed the door, they were all still laughing.

“Sorry, the house is a bit crowded,” Yanee apologized when they were alone.

The apartment was not messy, but there were boxes and plastic bags stacked on one side of the living room for the expo. Ami would be needing them the next day so she arranged them in the living room, ready to be loaded in the car. Most of the things were placed in a rented storage , but the expensive ones like the kimonos she bought from Kyoto were in the living room. They cost millions, after all.

“It’s alright. Your sister’s very busy, she had to arrange things in advance. My place was messier when I had shows before. Sometimes there’s not even anywhere to sit down in the room. Your sister’s actually pretty neat,” Kim said.

Kim Song, formerly Kim Yue was a popular fashion designer with awards under her belt. Before marriage, she was the head designer of HS Corporation’s Charlotte.

“Were you able to meet my sister at the expo earlier?” Yanee would arrange another meeting for them later if not. Ami would be having dinner with her and their parents later as her sister had been busy yesterday to do it. If Kim was not able to talk to her yet, she would invite them.

“Oh, yes— thank you, by the way. We did not make an appointment so I was not sure if she had time to talk to me and Henry. But when Tohru took us to the booth, Ami said you told her about us and had been expecting us.”

Yanee nodded. “You’re welcome, Big Sis. Tohru told me yesterday that it was spur of the moment for you and Big Bro to suddenly decide to have a wedding ceremony.”

A very grand wedding ceremony, actually.

She was very curious to know why, but she couldn’t find the correct way to ask. Maybe later during the interview she could inquire a bit. It’s connected to their topic of conversation in any case.

She might have been to obvious as Kim giggled at her, before patting her arm. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you later why our wedding ceremony’s so late. I’m sure you’re dying to know, and the little brother did not tell you or you wouldn’t look like that.”

Yanee smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. It’s just that I couldn’t imagine the reason why you and Big Bro haven’t had your wedding ceremony yet.”

They had been married for eight years. Among the group, they were actually the first ones to get married— earlier than even the oldest couple, Yushin and Jisoo.

As if remembering a big secret joke, Kim giggled to herself, making Yanee more curious.

“I know you’re dying to know,” she said as she leaned back on the sofa. “I’m here for the interview, right?”

“Er… Yes,” Yanee answered.

“Well, you better get your popcorn. Mine’s one crazy story,” Kim said, and she laughed upon seeing Yanee’s eyes widen.

“You mean crazier than Big Sis Ria’s?”

Ria had dual personality disorder. Yanee couldn’t think of anything crazier than that.

“Yes, crazier. But it’s the same level of crazy with Jae’s and Yunho’s,” Kim answered and Yanee gulped.

She hadn’t interviewed Jae and Yunho yet. They were the last couple on the list.

“Just kidding,” Kim suddenly said before laughing.

But the glint in her eyes told Yanee that it might really not be a joke, and would believe it. So far, the stories of the people she had interviewed, the stories of the couples in Tohru’s clique were all interesting and unique. She might have been surprised earlier, but she didn’t doubt Kim when she said that her story was crazy. After hearing Ria’s and Michael’s story, Yanee was open to all plot twists, as she called them.

“Do you have a little bit of an idea why Henry and I haven’t had our wedding ceremony yet, despite having registered for a long time?”

Yanee inclined her head. Well, Kim and Henry were from the mainland. People there, most especially the aristocratic clans in Beijing, were very strict with status, lineage, and marriages. Like other rich families all over the world, they were more inclined to have business marriages. It was a total luxury and rare to marry for of love.

It was sad, but it was the truth. Yanee was aware of that considering her family was also more than well off. In fact, she was one of those lucky ones that had parents who prioritized their children’s happiness over monetary gains. It’s probably because they were not really from old money but were nouveau riche. Their parents declined all offers of marriages for their children. If they were after money and power, Ami would have been married with kids by now.

“No, it’s not because of status,” Kim told Yanee on the spot before she even said a word. “Remember, I was a very popular fashion designer with a big, big temper back then. If I was not so good, HS wouldn’t have kept me on the pay roll. Other companies were after me as well, and as the golden duck, Henry’s family had no problem offering him to me on a silver platter just to keep me.”

It worked.

Kim laughed before settling down on the sofa again before the smile on her lips suddenly vanished, and there was a sharp glint in her eyes as she opened her mouth to begin her story. “It’s because Henry killed my first love…”