To Be or Not To Be A Family - Chapter 73

All were laughing and talking while Hae-Won and Ashma were eating. They kept asking questions about the fashion show. Bong-Cha especially had a lot of questions. Hae-Won could not stop smiling as she was the one getting most questions. She, after all, was the showstopper and looked gorgeous.

“Oh, wait I brought something for all of you,” announced Ashma.

“Yay! gifts,” shouted Bong-Cha.

Ashma washed her hands and then opened her bag. She took out a few packets of dresses and placed them on the table. “Pick anyone you like. These are for all the ladies.”

“Hey! What about us?” demanded Baek-Hyeon.

“As usual it will be arriving by today evening. I had no time to buy anything for you so I ordered online,” said Ashma.

“So you had time to buy for them,” pouted Baek-Hyeon.

“No, it’s…” Ashma started explaining.

When Bong-Cha shouted, “OMG! OMG! They are the dresses from your spring collection.”

“You are giving them your dress from the latest collection,” said Baek-Hyeon, shocked.

“Yes.”

“What?” Baek-Hyeon still could not believe what he heard.

But Bong-Cha took out a dress for herself out of the packet and shouted, “Oh, thank you, thank you. You are the best.” She jumped over Ashma and hugged her.

“I know,” said Ashma and slightly hugged Bong-Cha back.

They were talking and laughing when Young-Jae shouted from the kitchen door, “why are you guys not ready yet? He looked at Ashma and commented, “Oh, you are back?”

“You don’t have to sound so happy,” teased Ashma. Young-Jae raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, Ashma you should come with us,” shouted Bong-Cha, happily.

“She must be tired,” said Young-Jae. Ashma understood that he didn’t want her to come with him.

“Oh, Bong-Cha asked me something and I would refuse, no way. I am coming where ever it is,” said Ashma.

“We are going to visit a resort for selection of wedding venue,” said Eun-Kyung.

“Wedding venue?” Ashma was slightly disappointed.

“You should really rest,” Young-Jae said again.

“What is wrong with him? Why doesn’t he want me to come with him?” thought Ashma. “It will be fun, let’s go, what say, Aunty?” said Ashma to Hae-Won.

“Aunty?” screamed everyone in unison.

“Aunty?” murmured Young-Jae.

“Yes, she is my aunt, isn’t she? What should I call her?” asked Ashma.

“Aunty. Call me aunty. And yes, I am in. I just need to take a shower and change my clothes,” said Hae-Won.

“Me too.”

Young-Jae exhaled in defeat and rolled his eyes. Ashma smirked at him. She passed him by looking directly into his eyes.

Hae-Won went to the room dedicated for her and Ashma went to her room with their respective luggage. Vidhi was in the bathroom when Ashma reached her room.

“Mom, are you alright?” asked Ashma.

Ashma’s voice brought her back from her schemes and planning. “Yes, sweetie. I will be right outside in a moment.” Vidhi wore her cast back and came outside.

“Were you too going to the venue selection?” asked Ashma.

“I didn’t want to you know with a cast,” said Vidhi in a sad voice.

“Oh, come on, mom you should come,” said Ashma.

“You said, come? Not go? That means you are going?” asked Vidhi.

“Yes, mom.”

“Something related to marriage and you are ready for that?” Vidhi was surprised.

“We came here to be in marriage, didn’t we?” Ashma rolled her eyes.

“You are going because your grandfather doesn’t want you to go,” commented Vidhi.

“Ha-ha,” Ashma started laughing. Her mother understood what she was doing. “Yes. Wait! Don’t call him my grandfather. He is not my grandfather. I only have one grandfather. He is in India.”

“Ashu!”

“No, not a word, mom. Do you need help changing your clothes?” Ashma changed the topic.

“Yes.”

“Okay, let’s get you ready and then I will go take a bath,” said Ashma.

“Okay.”

She helped Vidhi tie a maroon saree. She was looking very beautiful. Ashma then went and took a shower. She took out a high slit, brown printed kurta and paired it with white palazzo. She wore a beautiful silver bracelet with the dress and tied her hair in a bun.

Both Ashma and Vidhi came out of their room and found that everyone was present in the living room. The Complete Park family were present. The Man and the Seo family were slowly arriving. Her eyes fell on Yong-Sun first. He looked at her longingly. He wanted to run to her, hold her, hug her, kiss her.

She could not look into his eyes. Ashma was never shy but she was shy for the very first time in her life. Her heart was beating faster. She bit her lower lip to hide her emotions. Her face was blank, she hid her emotions and feelings expertly. It was all confusing for Yong-Sun. He could not understand what was going on in Ashma’s head. She was silent and avoided looking at him.

Chin-Sun ran and hugged her mother first.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” asked Chin-Sun.

“Yes, dear why didn’t you tell us?” asked Jong-Woo and hugged his wife.

“It was a surprise dear,” said Hae-Won. She looked at Ashma and winked at her.

“You looked amazing, mom,” said Chin-Sun.

“Thank you.”

Chin-Sun then ran to Ashma and hugged her tightly. “Thank you, thank you.”

“For what?” asked Ashma.

“For giving such an honour to my mother,” said Chin-Sun.

“It’s nothing,” said Ashma.

“It’s everything, you have no idea. My mom was famous but she has been viral for 2 days straight,” informed Chin-Sun.

“Ha-ha,” laughed Ashma.

Young-Jae was listening silently but he could not wait for any more. He said, “are you guys done? Should we leave?”

“Oh, so eager to leave,” thought Ashma. “Wait! I still have to show you guys your gift.” And she looked at Young-Jae. She was defying everything he was saying and enjoying it too much.

“Gifts!” shouted Chin-Sun, excited.

“Why dear, you already gave us a gift when you came the first time?” asked Hei-Ran.

“Please,” said Ashma and gave them the remaining packets. “Please chose one.”

“Oh, thank you,” all said simultaneously.

After the gift ceremony, when there was nothing more Ashma could tease Young-Jae with, they started their journey and reached a resort.

They looked around and asked a lot of questions to the resort manager and lastly decided to have lunch after roaming for hours and hours.

They were sitting in the pool area having drinks. The paparazzi somehow found out about Ashma and kept following her.

“Why do they keep following you?” asked Bong-Cha.

“I think they are following Baek-Hyeon and Chin-Sun. You know wedding of crazy rich Asians.

Everyone laughed out loud except Young-Jae. He didn’t understand the reference.

Yong-Sun called a server and ordered drinks for everyone. As everyone knew that Ashma never drank so he ordered soda for Ashma. Now it was Young-Jae’s turn to taunt Ashma. Koreans took pride in their drinking habit whereas in India it was a looked down upon habit. Young-Jae smirked at her as if saying she can’t even handle a drink. She saw that and understood that. She then changed her order to vodka shots. Everyone looked at her with surprise.

She was known as a teetotaler but today she was going to break that streak. She was going to drink. She has to show Young-Jae that she was not weak. She could too handle drinking. It was nothing for her.

“What are you doing? When did you start drinking?” Vidhi asked.

“Mom!” said Ashma. Ashma said a single word and subtly shook her head in no. Her mother understood that no matter what anyone would say she will drink today.

The server brought the drinks and everyone after saluting drank their drinks. Vodka burned her throat, but she drank both shots in a swift action continuously staring at Young-Jae. Another round was ordered and she again ordered Vodka. Everyone ordered food after that. She ate just a bite and she was not feeling for it.

As she had never drank in her life, she quickly came under influence of alcohol.

A lot of guests of the resort were enjoying the pool area. Two foreigners jump into the pool wearing bikinis and then go to the shower which was in open. A few stalls were installed that were meant to take bath inclosure.

“What nonsense is this? They can’t see elders are sitting here; these foreigners will destroy our culture. Our daughters never do this in front of elders,” shouted Young-Jae.

His conservative rant lighted a bulb above her head. She looked at Young-Jae and then at those girls and then to paparazzi and again at Young-Jae. She opened her bun and let her long hair down. She stood up while taking off her kurta, threw it on the ground and moved towards the shower stand.

She let the water fall all over her. She was wearing a purple bra, and everyone kept staring at her, dumbfounded. Yong-Sun immediately lowered his eyes, Young-Jae noticed that. Immediately, Young-Jae stood up, ordered Baek-Hyeon to follow him and asked Yong-Sun to stop her.

Yong-Sun moved towards her trying not to look at her, but she was looking too hot to handle. Young-Jae blocked the paparazzi and snatched their camera and deleted all the photos.

Yong-Sun ran towards her, took off his jacket, covered her and pulled her towards himself.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” He asked angrily.

“What the hell do you think you are doing? Let me go,” said Ashma in a slurred tone. Yong-Sun could clearly sense that she was drunk.

He grabbed her wrist and took her to a changing room. He pulled her inside, threw her on the wall, grabbed her shoulder and said, “I know why you did that, but have you ever thought that when both of you fight no one wins, both of you are losers in this war. Whether he wants it or not, you are going to be his granddaughter and whether you want it or not, he will be your granddad. Just to prove him wrong why do things you never do. You never drink but because of him you did, you never show your skin and now you do this in front of paparazzi. Do you think this will cause him pain? No this will destroy your name, your reputation. He is something only in Korea; your name means everything all around the world. Your name literally opens the door. You just had a successful show. You are a world renowned designer with so, so many awards and you want to destroy everything because a man cannot accept you. You have been advocating feminism all around the world; do you really mean that or are you just another hypocrite?”

His words were like daggers to her; she couldn’t control herself and tears started streaming down her face.

As usual, it was hard for him to watch crying. He had seen her crying and it was equally hard for him to see her like this. He held her tightly and she sobbed in his chest. Slowly she raised her head to say sorry to him, but his face was too close to hers.

All the time she was away from him struck her heart. She longed to tell him how much she missed him. How much she wanted to message him, talk to him but could not do that as she was busy. She looked at him and let her lips touch his lips.

Her lips against hers gave him an electric shock. He tightened his grip around her waist and deepened the kiss. He was kissing her after weeks. The feeling was the same. The heart racing, the stomach-churning, the tingling sensation, all were there. He knew nothing had changed. She loved kissing him. He too loved kissing her. Whatever Young-Jae said was all false. She was going nowhere. She was never going to break his heart. He thought of saying that he loved her.

But before they could break their kiss, her grip on his neck became loose, her body went limp, and she lost consciousness.

“Ashma, Ashma, wake up, please,” screamed Yong-Sun.

He lifted her up in his arms and ran towards his car.