“Can’t you give a better gift?!”
Darwin grumbled as he and Veronica had just arrived at the restaurant for lunch. There, Randy, Kennedy, Luna, and Kalvin were already gathered.
While Darwin’s complaints were audible, Kennedy also wore a similar expression. Just from his face, the man appeared visibly irritated. This was in stark contrast to Randy, who was simply bursting with laughter.
“Do you even know what Randy got me and Luna as gifts?”
“What did that scoundrel give you guys?” Darwin asked as he turned towards his cousin.
“He gave Luna a super sexy bikini. And me?”
“What?” Darwin asked once again, this time with an even more curious expression.
“Can you believe it, this jerk gave me blood pressure medication. How rude!”
Randy’s laughter grew even louder. In fact, his laughter was so infectious that it spread to Veronica as well, causing Darwin’s wife to join in.
“I give gifts with purpose and meaning,” Randy said while still laughing. “For Luna, I intentionally gave her a bikini because I know she loves swimming and anything related to the sea or water.”
Kennedy, seated next to his wife, rolled his eyes at that moment. Narrowing his eyes, he responded with an annoyed tone.
“But there’s no need to give Luna a bikini, Ran. You know very well that I don’t like my wife showing off her body in a bikini like this. And why on earth would you give me blood pressure medication?”
“I know you like to complain and get angry like you are now. It’s precisely because I care that I gave you a gift to take care of your heart,” Randy replied casually and was immediately met with Kennedy’s curses.
“As for Darwin and Veronica themselves…” Randy continued. “No need to be mad. Just like Kennedy and Luna, my intention behind giving the gifts is good. Who knows, when Veronica wears lingerie, their honeymoon might go even more smoothly. As for the stamina enhancers, well, so that Darwin can last longer in the fun. Maybe it’ll have some results during the 4 days in Korea.”
Darwin grimaced. He actually wanted to argue. However, since the food served by the waiter was getting cold, he chose to enjoy the lunch menu while chatting again with Kennedy.
“After lunch, what’s our plan? Rest, or go sightseeing right away?”
Kennedy, who was enjoying Ramyeon in his bowl, looked up. Chewing his food, he responded, “Since it’s nearby, after lunch, we’ll go to the Teddy Bear Museum until the evening. Once that’s done, we’ll catch the sunset at the beach, then take a short stroll before heading back to the resort to rest. Tomorrow morning, we’ll head to Mount Hallasan for a hike and to enjoy the view.”
Initially, Darwin agreed with each of Kennedy’s outlined activities. However, as soon as his cousin mentioned the hiking part, Darwin’s facial expression instantly changed.
“Oh my god, Veronica and I didn’t bring any hiking gear, Ken,” Darwin complained. Besides, he only had three sets of clothes in his luggage.
“Don’t worry,” Randy said. “Everything you need has been prepared. The room service will deliver jackets and hiking shoes to your room.”
Hearing Randy’s response, Darwin looked skeptical. He was worried that his mischievous cousin was pulling another prank.
“It would be so annoying if you did something strange again,” Darwin retorted. “And besides, why bother with hiking?”
“You’re so suspicious. Tomorrow, we won’t hike all the way to the summit, Win. We’ll just choose one of the trails for the view. Do you really not want to show Veronica how beautiful Korea is? If you just want to buy branded items or see tall buildings, you can do that in Jakarta too. Why go all the way to Korea?”
“What Randy’s saying is true, Win,” Veronica defended after listening to Randy’s lengthy explanation. Veronica thought there was nothing wrong with spending a whole day hiking a mountain to see the scenery. Moreover, they only had two days in Jeju. So, they needed to make the most of their time.
“In my whole life, I’ve never once hiked a mountain. It must be really exciting to see the natural scenery from the top,” the woman continued, trying to convince her husband.
“Are you sure? Not afraid of getting tired?”
Veronica shook her head multiple times at that moment. “No, not at all. Don’t worry. I’m actually eager for tomorrow to come.”
Randy smiled happily. The itinerary he and Kennedy had planned was fully supported by Veronica. Now, he just had to convince Darwin that everything would go smoothly according to their plans.
“See, what did I say. Veronica is super excited. Just let it be, Win. Don’t worry or protest too much. Just prepare your body and stamina. After the hike, we’ll head back to Seoul and spend the rest of the vacation time there.”
Darwin let out a long sigh. After everyone at the table assured him, he reluctantly agreed to all the plans that had been laid out.
“Alright then. I’ll just go along with what you all say.”
After finishing their lunch, they all hurried to the iconic Teddy Bear Museum on Jeju Island. Amongst everyone, Darwin could see how enthusiastic Veronica was as they entered the museum.
As he knew, his wife was a huge fan of teddy bears. Not to mention that in the museum, there were various teddy bears dressed up like famous people or icons, such as the Mona Lisa, actors from Korean drama series, iconic characters from Winter Sonata, Boys Before Flowers, or teddy bears wearing outfits from renowned brands like Louis Vuitton or American designers.
“Win, can we take these bears home? I really want to. They’re all so cute. Especially the one that looks like Gu Jun-pyo aka Lee Min Ho. Seriously, I want to take it home as a keepsake, please.”
Darwin smiled and shook his head. In his eyes, Veronica looked just like a little kid, whining and asking for a gift.
“You can’t buy the ones on display, Ve. They have a shop for personal collections outside the museum. You can choose one to take home.”
“Seriously, there’s one?”
Darwin nodded.
“Yes, there is. When we leave here, I’ll take you to the shop. You can pick the Teddy bear you want to add to your collection or bring home as a souvenir.”
“Are you going to buy it for me?” Veronica asked playfully, batting her eyes. She was intentionally trying to get her husband to buy something she really liked.
“Yeah,” Darwin nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll buy the bear for you.”
Veronica burst into laughter, delighted by what Darwin had just said. Continuing to explore, they all enjoyed every collection on display.
As they were about to leave the museum, Darwin stuck to what he had said earlier. Happily, he led Veronica to one of the largest shops that offered Teddy Bears in various shapes and sizes.
“There are so many. I’m confused about which one to choose. They’re all so nice,” Veronica mumbled as she looked at each bear collection in front of her.
“Just pick the one you like the most, Ve.”
“Can I buy two?” Veronica asked to make sure.
“If it’s just two, then sure,” Darwin nodded. “Just don’t buy two sacks worth. Don’t end up buying all of them just because they’re all nice. That’s not the idea.”
Veronica giggled. She wondered what was going through her mind at that moment; suddenly, she pinched both of Darwin’s cheeks affectionately.
“Yeah, you’re right. I won’t go crazy and buy two sacks of bears.”
After that, Veronica began selecting bears to add to her collection. Her choice eventually landed on a medium-sized Teddy bear couple, dressed like a prince and princess from the Joseon era.
“I’ll take this couple.”
Darwin looked over, observing the bear Veronica was pointing at, and then he confirmed.
“Are you sure it’s just these two? No other additions?”
“These two are enough,” Veronica affirmed. “And, can their clothes be customized with names?”
Darwin nodded.
“Yes, they can be customized. Just ask the staff to print the names you want.”
Veronica then swiftly headed to the cashier’s table. After paying, she immediately handed over the newly purchased bears to the staff in charge of customization.
Since Darwin wasn’t proficient in Korean, he ended up helping Veronica place an order for the desired customization.
“How do you want them to be written?” Darwin asked before relaying the request to the customization staff in front of them.
“I want my name on the female bear. And your name on the male bear.”
Darwin was taken aback by Veronica’s request. It hadn’t occurred to him that his wife was going to buy a matching pair of bears.
And now, one of them was going to be personalized with his name.
“My name? Why not just use your name for both?”
Veronica rolled her eyes. Why was her husband asking unnecessary questions?
“Because they’re a couple of bears, Win. Why would I use my name for both? Besides, since you’re my current husband, it’s only right to put your name on the male bear. Or do you want me to write ‘Sean’ on its outfit?”
“Hey, don’t… don’t…” Darwin protested. “Come on, why bring up Sean’s name!”
“Well, there you go. That’s why I’m getting your name on the bear, right?”
At that moment, without saying much more, he ordered the customization staff to immediately imprint his name on the male Teddy bear’s clothing.
***
In a different location, Vivian Ayudya was seen gracefully entering a cafe. After attending the company’s birthday party a few days ago, she had decided not to return home immediately.
Vivian chose to stay for a few more nights. Besides wanting to visit her aunt, she also had plans to meet up with some old friends.
And tonight, before returning to Kalimantan tomorrow, Vivian purposely accepted an invitation to meet someone. Upon entering the cafe and reaching a table, she was warmly greeted by the person who had invited her.
“Sorry if I’m a bit late. There was a bit of traffic on the way.”
“No worries,” the person in front of her said with a smile, then gestured for Vivian to sit. “Would you like to order a drink or something to eat?” they asked.
Vivian shook her head. She was still too full to be interested in having a meal.
“Just a Vanilla Milkshake, please.”
“Don’t you want anything to eat too?”
Again, Vivian shook her head.
“Thank you. Just the drink is enough. And after this, could you please explain to me what your purpose is in inviting me here like this?”
An audible sigh reached Vivian’s ears. A minute later, the person who invited her began explaining the situation slowly and clearly. They outlined various offers, including a potential partnership that might happen if an agreement was reached.
“How about it? Do you agree with the offer and the plan I’ve laid out?”
Instead of answering, Vivian fell silent. Her mind was busy thinking and weighing whether she should accept what had just been offered to her, or flatly refuse and choose to continue enduring until the time Darwin got divorced and returned to her side.