From Past To Present, I Still Love You 19 The Rich Society

The red lanterns glowed under the dim light. There was a sushi bar on the left side of the room occupied by three chefs. As the restaurant took up a small space with a limited amount of tables, almost all the seats were full. Everyone was of high-ranking; all wearing suits and beautiful dresses. Yoona felt out of place.

Traditional Japanese music rang in her ears as the waitress brought them to a small wooden booth. She laid down their menus on the table and proceeded with the usual customer service.

Yoona let Jaemin do all the talking. Due to its expensive price tag, she was not an avid eater of sushi. She didn't know what to pick out of the menu. She'd probably make a fool out of herself from reading the names wrong.

After ordering, the waitress left, and the two sat comfortably in their spots.

Yoona cupped the hot green tea in her hands, letting the scent rise up to her nose.

"It's nice going on dates with you. I missed this so much," Jaemin commented. His eyes glistened with happiness.

She giggled. "Me too."

When life was tough, hanging out with her beloved was the best way to ease the stress. Just seeing Jaemin brought a smile to her face.

He took a sip of his drink. "How's school been lately? I know you've been busy with work and everything so it must be tough juggling the two."

Yoona shrugged. "Normal. Honestly, the juggling isn't too bad. But its definitely taken a toll on our relationship. We haven't been going on dates as often, i'm really sorry about that."

"It's fine," Jaemin replies as he shook his head. He ran his fingers through his light brown hair. "I know that you have a lot on your plate."

He let out a gentle smile. "You know you could rely on me more right? I really don't mind giving you money."

That was the last thing Yoona wanted.

Despite having Jaemin as an option to pay her bills, she couldn't become dependent on him. Her pride wouldn't allow her to. She felt bad, even if he had an endless pool of money.

"It's really fine," she insisted. "I can handle it on my own."

Jaemin sighed. "I guess the only way for you to become dependent on me is if we got married huh?"

Marriage? Yoona couldn't help but giggle. That was such a foreign concept to her. "Very funny Jae."

"I'm serious though," Jaemin said with a wink.

"You are so annoying. Why am I dating you again?"

"Cause you love me."

They both burst into laughter. God. Yoona really missed this.

Due to work at five, the couple only had five hours together. Knowing that their schedule was limited, the two made the best out of their time.

After joking around and eating at the sushi restaurant, Jaemin brought her to a small art gallery for an exclusive artist. The event was invite only and he had specifically talked to the head artist to obtain another ticket for his girlfriend.

While walking around, Yoona observed the art carefully, trying to decipher the meaning behind the image. Unfortunately, she wasn't very gifted in the artistic sense and all she could see were pretty paintings. In a way, this wasn't the most ideal date idea to her, but knowing the effort Jaemin put in getting the tickets, she decided to try her best to enjoy.

With her arm linked around his, they walked around.

"Moon Jaemin. Is that you?"

Jaemin turned around to see the familiar face of his father's colleague, Mr. Seo. As an owner of a famous technology based retail brand, he was one of the Moon Group's biggest allies in the business world. As the Moon Group owned a technology manufacturing brand, they needed Mr. Seo to help sell their products.

"Mr. Seo, it is such a pleasure to see you," Jaemin said with widened eyes. They shook hands. "You must have great taste in art to be here."

Mr. Seo chuckled, impressed by the young man's words. "A smart man appreciates good art when he sees it."

"A very smart saying," Jaemin complimented. "I wholeheartedly agree."

"By the way, how has your Father been doing? I haven't had a meal with him in a while."

As the two men talked, Yoona awkwardly stood beside Jaemin, unaware of what to do. She was good at business networking, but the problem was that this man was important to Jaemin's family business. She did not want to ruin any potential relationships.

With the passing time, she felt more lonely by the minute. Her hands itched to bring out her phone to keep her company but she felt as if it would be rude.

"Who's the lovely lady beside of you?" Mr. Seo asked.

Finally, she was acknowledged.

Jaemin placed his hands around her waist, bringing her body closer to his. "She's my girlfriend Yoona."

"Nice to meet you," Yoona said with a little bow. They shook hands quickly afterwards.

Mr. Seo eyed her up and down, his wrinkles becoming prominent as his eyebrows furrowed. "What family is she from? I don't recognize her face from anywhere."

Yoona could feel Jaemin tense up.

"She's not part of the high-class society," Jaemin answered with a nervous chuckle.

A knowing smile appeared on Mr. Seo's face. He walked up and patted Jaemin's back. "Having a little fun I see? That's good to hear. It's always good to play with pretty girls before getting settled down to a worthy woman."

Yoona tried to keep a smile on her face, but it quickly faltered by the old man's words. Playing around? What was he assuming she was, a gold-digger? She couldn't believe the audacity of this dude! If he wasn't an important partner for Jaemin, she would've definitely attacked him with retorts. And perhaps her fists.

Jaemin noticed the dark atmosphere surrounding his girlfriend. He squeezed her waist in reassurance.

"Thank you very much Mr. Seo," he said. He looked down at his wrist watch. "But time is quite pressing for me right now. Let us talk again soon?"

The old man nodded. "Of course Jaemin."

"By the way," Mr. Seo continued. "One day I must set you up with my grand daughter. She is around your age and a very bright and beautiful young girl."

"That would be my honour."

As the two separated, Yoona felt like total shit. That old man was so rude. He had the decency to try to set her boyfriend up with his granddaughter in front of her face! The bad personalities of the high class truly astonished her. If it weren't for Jaeun and Jaemin, she would've thought all rich people had terrible personalities.

When they walked away, Jaemin leaned over to her ear. "Sorry babe. I can't go against him since he's very important to the Moon Group."

Although she was hurt, Yoona understood where he was coming from. She forgave him.

"It's okay."

He planted a kiss on her cheek. "You know you aren't a girl I would just throw around right?"

She nodded. "Of course."

Chapter end