Hello, Mr Li: The Christmas Trip

Joreen had a big smile on her face when she returned inside the cafe to seat beside Li Hoy. She just returned from calling her assistant to let her know she was in the cafe close to the beach with Li Hoy so they wouldn't worry about her. 

The cafe was nice and homely. It wasn't everytime she could simply visit wherever she wanted, to have a nice cup of coffee. But since she was in a different country, the possiblity of being recognized was slim so they sat comfortably and sipped their hot coffee. 

They had first stopped in a store which was still around the beach area to get a change of outfit for Joreen. All eyes would have still been on then had she been wearing the wedding dress now. 

She wore a beige yellow sweater with grey pants, a boot and scarf around her neck. It was her usual style anyway so anyone who was familiar with her wouldn't be surprised. She didn't dress extravagantly because she was a celebrity. She liked to be comfortable. 

"Cold?" Li Hoy asked as he carefully dropped his mug. 

"I feel better now. I thought I would freeze to death back at the beach." She shivered. 

He smiled before standing up. Gently, he took off his suit jacket and draped it around her shoulders while she protested, "You don't have to I'm —"

"You easily get cold. You don't want to fall sick just because of a movie." He spoke softly before returning to his seat. 

Everything about him was gentle. He spoke gently, walked gently, ate gently, he did everything gently. He hardly spoke to people also which made her happy whenever he spoke with her for a long while. Maybe he was used to talking to her because when she was younger, she was a total chatterbox. She asked him everything, told him everything and followed him to the point he began to hide from her but along the line, he got used to her presence. 

"Why are you here?" She finally asked. He wasn't supposed to be here which was the reason why everyone was surprised to see him in the beach. Because he was the CEO didn't mean he would be there when every movie was being shot. He was a very busy person and that is why she hadn't seen him in many months. 

"I came for a wedding and decided to drop by."

"A wedding? Whose wed—"

"She was someone close to me." He answered before she could complete her sentence. He knew her well enough to know she was definitely going to ask him more questions. 

"Ooh... she smiled teasingly. One of your girlfriends huh?" She winked at him. 

He didn't answer but raised his cup to sip his coffee. 

"You don't have to answer anyway." She grinned before also picking up her mug to sip from it. 

"About Han Yu—"

Joreen coughed and spat the coffee in her mouth back inside the cup when she almost choked on it.  She hadn't expected him to raise the issue of the kiss earlier. 

'Aish! So embarassing.' She looked up and was relieved to see Li Hoy's facial expression didn't change. He probably didn't see that. 

"What is wrong? You don't want to talk about it?" He asked, watching her face intensely. 

She scratched the back of her neck and looked at the side instead of directly at him. It was something she usually did whenever she was embarrassed.

"Can... we just let it slide?" 

"Why?" He asked. 

There was no joy in ruining someone else's career, at least she thought so. Maybe Han Yu was a bastard for what he did, but they had been partners in the drama and have been together for many months now so they've built a kind of friendship. So she believed the slap and scare got from realizing Hoy had seen it, was enough for him. And he also sincerely apologized to her before she went in search of Li Hoy. His action had probably been spurred by the moment. Maybe he got into his role too much and it got to his head, but she didn't want Li Hoy to get involved. They still had to shoot the final scene so they could travel back for Christmas.

"You are too nice to them." He noted.

"They are nice to me too." Joreen said before pursuing her lips.  "I know that many of them fake it and pretend to like me because of the family I come from and also because of you, but at least they fake it well and haven't hurt me before."

"They like you for you. You are nice, pretty and a great actress." 

Joreen blushed at the compliment but shook her head. She knew he was only trying to make her not feel bad. 

"Seriously, I know it's because of the family. Whenever most people hear 'Song-Wang-Li' they suddenly turn to me with fake smiles. Also, they fear you, so they have to like me. And for the ladies who are crushing on you and want to get your atrention, they have no choice but to treat me well, hoping I'll put in a good word for them." Joreen raised her mug to take another sip but he signalled with a finger for her to drop it. She looked at him in confusion. 

He signalled to the waiter to come over and instructed, "Get her a new cup of coffee. Take that with you." He said, pointing at the one in front of her. 

Joreen closed her eyes and touched the back of her neck. She was so embarrassed. "You saw... that earlier?" She asked sheepishly without looking at him. 

His lips twitched in amusement. "This is the least embarrassing thing you've done in front of me. So relax and enjoy the warmth of this place before you return to the beach."

"Really? You'll really let Han Yu go?" She asked with a wide smile.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" He asked, raising a questioning brow. 

"Yes! Yes!! Thank you." She jumped from her seat excitedly and went to where he was seated. 

'No, please, don't.' He pleaded excitedly but all Joreen heard in her head was 'Yes, please, do it.'

She hugged him while he was still sitting, with her hands around his neck and her bum in the air. 

Although Joreen was excited, she noticed how stiff he was. Was he not happy she was hugging him? Was he uncomfortable? She wondered. It suddenly occured to her how her breast was firmly pressed to his chest. While growing up, she lacked it and always worried about having a flat chest but once she turned 16, it began to grow well and became quite visible. Was this by chance... the reason he was uncomfortable? She doubted he could feel anything. She was just about to pull away from the hug when she heard him clear his throat, 

"You seem a lot excited about it. Do you... like him?" 

The question startled her and made her pull away from the hug immediately. When she looked at his face, she saw something like relief flash across his eyes. Why did he look relieved? It suddenly occurred to her that Li Hoy didn't like such public displays. "Sorry." She apologized awkwardly before returning to her seat. 

"Sorry?" He asked. "You really like him?" He inquired with a frown.