The Price of Love and the Flare of Anger
The old jeweler fetched his magnifying loupe and began inspecting the ivory gem with meticulous care. The more he examined it, the wider his smile grew, but he finally turned to them, his expression hardening.
- You two... you didn't steal this, did you?
De Lan replied with unwavering confidence:
- Of course not! In fact, I intended to gift it to my future bride.
- Then why would you want to sell it, if you love her so much?
De Lan looked at Jo Ri with a gaze brimming with hidden meaning and said:
- My bride doesn't like these traditional things, so I thought I'd sell it and buy her something she'd prefer instead.
The jeweler muttered as he turned his attention back to the gem:
- Then she is the stupidest creature in existence!
De Lan smiled triumphantly and raised an eyebrow at Jo Ri, seemingly trying to make her feel guilty for being the one who suggested selling it in the first place. He asked:
- What do you think? Shall we sell it?
Jo Ri replied without a second thought, provoked by his sarcasm:
- Of course! If you don't love your bride and don't value your own gift, what is the point of keeping a gem that has no meaning and symbolizes nothing of love?
She said this while turning her face away from his mocking eyes-eyes that had suddenly shifted from playful to cold, smoldering embers of suppressed rage.
The Price of the Gem and the Wounds of the Past
Jo Ri forced a smile at the jeweler, desperate to close this deal and escape a shop that suddenly felt suffocating.
- How much will you give us for the gem?
The old man studied it carefully before answering:
- It is worth a fortune, but I don't have that much liquid cash on hand. How about I give you a significant down payment less than its full value and you choose any other jewel in my shop suitable for your bride? I promise you, the moment I sell this masterpiece, I will pay you the full remaining balance. Plus, the jewel you choose today will be a gift from me.
Jo Ri opened her mouth to object, but De Lan was faster. He slammed his hand on the table firmly.
- Deal!
- What?!
Jo Ri exclaimed, stunned.
- How much will you pay us now?
De Lan continued, ignoring her fury.
Jo Ri leaned in and hissed into his ear:
- He's scamming you! Don't do it!
De Lan replied calmly:
- No, he is a skilled merchant who knows the value of what he's buying.
The jeweler interrupted their whispering:
- Is this the bride who doesn't realize the value of things?
De Lan replied with a chilling smile:
- Yes, that's her.
Jo Ri couldn't take it anymore. She snapped:
- No, it isn't me! It's a girl named Mi Fa the girl he promised to stay with for his entire life!
She spat the words out and stormed out of the shop to wait on the street. Her chest felt like it was burning. How could he mock her in front of a stranger? How could he rip open wounds she was trying so hard to seal? She realized with painful clarity that she deserved no jewels and no status if she wasn't the one he truly loved. As she stood in the shadows, her aunt's words from the past echoed in her mind: "The throne of his heart "
The Screen of the Unknown
De Lan remained in the shop to finalize the deal and collect the money. He took longer than expected, carefully selecting the jewel the merchant had promised him. He finally stepped out, tucking the new jewel into his pocket, while placing all the money into Jo Ri's bag. They walked in a heavy silence for a while until De Lan finally asked:
- Do you know where we can get a phone?
- Yes, I know a good shop. We'll ask the clerk to help us learn how to use it.
When they arrived, the shop clerk recognized Jo Ri instantly and grinned:
- Ah, the beautiful lady with the dead phone is back!
The words barely left his lips before De Lan moved with lightning speed, stepping directly in front of Jo Ri. His broad frame acted as a barrier between her and the clerk, his eyes cold and sharp as a blade. He spoke in a low, gravelly voice:
- We are here to buy a phone.
The clerk smiled, realizing that his comment had clearly triggered De Lan's jealousy.
- Right... for you or for her?
- For me,
De Lan answered curtly.
The clerk began his pitch:
- What do you think of this model? It's the latest trend extremely fast, huge storage for photos and videos, plus it has..."
De Lan cut him off coldly:
- I'll take it. What's the price?
After the clerk named the price, De Lan looked at Jo Ri and gestured with his head for her to handle the payment. She pulled out the cash and began counting it out carefully. Then, mindful of the fact that they were completely clueless, she asked the clerk:
- Could you show him how it works? His current phone is ancient and doesn't have any of these features.
The Identity Card and the Forgotten Eggs
The clerk began explaining how the phone worked. De Lan and Jo Ri watched with wide eyes, asking a barrage of questions that no one who had ever owned a phone would ask. Despite his confusion, the clerk remained patient. Eventually, he asked:
- Where is your old phone? I need it to move your SIM card to the new one.
The two exchanged a look of sheer panic—they didn't even know what a SIM card was! But De Lan replied with his usual stoicism:
- It's lost.
- Alright then, shall we issue a replacement, or do you want a brand new number?
- I want my old number. Everyone contacts me on that one.
- Fair enough. Give me your ID card.
De Lan froze. He had no clue what an ID card looked like. The clerk, losing patience, pointed to a poster on the wall showing an example of an ID. De Lan finally spotted it in his backpack and said:
- One moment.
He handed over the card. The clerk verified the name, tapped a few keys on his tablet, and activated the old number on the new SIM card. He finished the tutorial and wished them well. As they walked home, Jo Ri suddenly gasped:
- De Lan... where are the eggs?
A Confession at the Traffic Light
De Lan looked at his empty hands in realization.
- I left them at the jewelry shop!
They hurried back,
Before crossing, De Lan turned to Jo Ri and said with uncharacteristic tenderness:
- Wait for me here. I'll be right back.
He had asked her to stay on the other side of the street because he wanted to keep his surprise a secret; the jeweler had gifted him a new gem, and De Lan wanted it to be a surprise Jo Ri knew nothing about.
The old jeweler was already waiting for him outside the shop, the egg cartons by his side. As soon as he saw De Lan approaching, he smiled:
- I was about to lock up, but I had a feeling you two would need these eggs.
- Thank you,
De Lan replied gratefully as he took the bags.
He turned back toward Jo Ri, who was still waiting on the other side of the street, unaware of the hidden gift in his pocket. As he waited for the light to turn green, the jeweler caught up and stood beside him. He asked in a low voice:
- Tell me, son... that jewel you chose so carefully is it for the girl waiting across the street? Or for the other girl, the one you promised to stay with for your entire life?
De Lan froze. The jeweler's words hit him like a physical blow. He hadn't thought of Mi Fa for a single second while picking the jewel! Jo Ri had been the only one on his mind; his only goal had been to find something that would suit her, something that might make her smile. Had Jo Ri truly become so important that she had completely erased Mi Fa from his memory?
De Lan smiled weakly at the old man, a flicker of genuine sincerity in his eyes.
- She is for my love of the present... and my wife of the future.
Shadows of the Past and the Breaking of Promises
De Lan gazed at her across the street. The jeweler had already departed, continuing down the sidewalk. De Lan reached into his pocket to touch the kerchief and then raised his other hand to wave at her. Jo Ri responded with a radiant, genuine smile the first one he had seen in a long time.
Suddenly, that smile vanished from his face. A shadow materialized beside Jo Ri; it was Mi Fa. She stood there, staring at him with a strange, piercing intensity, as if her silent gaze were asking: "Why do you wave at her when there is someone else waiting for your attention?"
De Lan's hand dropped as if struck by lightning. He was fixed, spellbound by the sight of Mi Fa. Jo Ri, noticing the shift in atmosphere, turned to see Mi Fa standing beside her, gazing directly at De Lan with a possessive, unsettling look.
The sting of betrayal was unbearable for Jo Ri. The moment he saw his beloved, he had dropped his hand, making her feel as though her only purpose had been to help him get the phone. Realizing she was no longer needed, she turned away, shielding her pain from them. She walked off, disappearing into the crowd, leaving De Lan frozen between the past that had just returned to haunt him and the future he was about to lose.
Remnants of the Past and the Confusion of the Present
De Lan remained frozen even after the pedestrian light turned green. Mi Fa stepped closer, greeting him with a serene smile:
- Hello, De Lan. How have you been?
He pulled his hand from his pocket and rested it behind his head, adjusting his hair with a distant smile. In that moment, the kerchief slipped out, and the jewel fell onto the pavement.
- Something fell from your pocket!
Mi Fa exclaimed, reaching down. But De Lan was faster; he snatched them up and shoved them back into his pocket before she could get a good look.
- What a beautiful kerchief! I love the embroidery,
Mi Fa remarked, admiring the fabric.
He smiled, but a strange realization hit him: despite her beauty, her smile no longer pierced his heart as it once did. It only rattled him on the surface.
- Yes,
He replied coolly,
- It is quite beautiful.
- Will you give it to me?
She asked coyly.
- No. It belongs to me,
He snapped, more aggressively than he intended.
- It's okay! I wasn't actually going to take it. Why the outburst?
She asked, taken aback.
He ignored her, shoved the kerchief away, and asked:
- Do you live nearby?
- No, my house is a bit far. I take the bus.
- Then why are you out this late?
- I was out buying some things.
De Lan glanced at her empty hands, then looked into the distance, where Jo Ri had disappeared.
- Do you want me to take you?
Her face lit up.
Yes, please!
- Alright,
He agreed, feeling a sudden sense of dread. He soon regretted it; on the bus, he realized he had no transit card, and Mi Fa didn't have enough credit for him to stay on. He had to get off, watching the bus drive away. He walked home, his mind spinning with the confusing, rigid rules of this era.
When he arrived, he looked up at Jo Ri's window. She was asleep. He climbed up, found the key in the door, and entered. He set the eggs on the kitchen table and crept toward her room. He wanted to leave the gift, but stopped himself. He wanted to see her reaction to witness her joy when he handed it to her personally. So, he left, leaving the in his pocket gift behind, a silent promise waiting for the morning.