//
Yixing arrived at the scheduled time to pick her up. But, unlike the previous time she met him on his way to Shanghai, Yixing appeared more official today. Jisoo may have felt that he wanted to appear better for his mother because he was returning home. He was dressed in black slacks, a turtleneck shirt, and a dark gray coat, Jisoo came to realize that her clothing was identical to his. They, too, wore the same color turtleneck top as if designed for a pair.
"First class on a two-hour flight? Isn't that excessive?" Jisoo was astonished when Yixing handed her her passport and boarding permit after checking them in.
With a simple grin, Yixing responded, "My lady's comfort is my priority." He reached up to the small of her back and then her arm, trying just to get her to come nearer to him.
And as they made their way to their gate after going through immigration, Jisoo slung her arm around his waist. They were able to board at the same time as they arrived, so they didn't have to wait for too long. And Jisoo couldn't help but notice Yixing's dreamy smile, which had stayed on his face since they left her flat and were now above the clouds.
"Somebody is excited," she teased. "He's going to see his mama." She sung a tune. Yixing laughed it off.
"I'm taking my girl home, of course I'm excited." With a gentle breath, he brought her palm to his lips and held it there. "I have something to tell you, Baobei," he murmured. His expression suddenly turned serious as he turned to face her and gave her hand another chaste kiss. He then placed theirs on top of the seat divider.
And here we go. She expected this after talking with Sehun this afternoon. He was going to tell her something she did not yet know, but it instantly made her uneasy. She was scared Yixing would bring up the adverse thoughts she had been thinking throughout her conversation with Sehun.
"First of all, I'd like to ask, how much do you know about my family?"
His family? In all honesty, she didn't know much beyond what she had read in the university press magazine about his background after their first meeting, along with Sehun's brief explanation that they had been a pure-blood Chinese clan for over a century. She hardly gave much attention to his family or the type of family he had back home, any more than she did about the backgrounds of Baekhyun or Chanyeol. Did it even matter?
"All I know is you belong to this family in China which has been keeping their heritages for ten generations." For some reason, she attempted to sum up the conversation with Sehun by saying, "Oil company is a big deal, so I guess your family is a big deal too."
Yixing let out a little chuckle while keeping his lips pinched tight. He was adorable and if they weren't talking, she'd undoubtedly touch his dimple cheek again.
"Indeed, my family is a big deal. However, the scope of it is much bigger."
"How can we be certain that our definition of big is the same? What size are we talking about?" Although Jisoo had no clue why she had asked, it did seem a little silly at the same time, perhaps as a way to lessen their seriousness. Yixing drew his chin backward with a knowing grin.
"Just think whatever big in your mind, it's still beyond your imagination."
Jisoo believed that controlling an enormous offshore geographic area was necessary for oil corporations and had a significant impact on the country's economy. And, to be honest, she was becoming increasingly anxious when Yixing told her that this was far greater than she had imagined.
She gulped hard and said, "Okay."
"Even so, my family is the least of our concerns right now. What I want to let you know is that there will be flocks of reporters waiting for us at the airport since we're kind of big deal."
Okay, Sehun had warned her about this. She wasn't surprised.
"And because we're on a commercial airline, we're bound to run across them. But I've got doubled securities on standby, and you don't have to worry because we'll be fine. I'm simply telling you this to notify you; I don't want you to be alarmed if you see them. I understand that the attention may be overwhelming, but I am going to preserve your privacy. Okay? Do you trust me?"
Jisoo was about to nod, but she had another thought that had been bugging her since this afternoon. She needed to ask this question right away, before she missed the opportunity and was kept in the dark until things, if they ever came to that, became truly awful. She clutched his hand for comfort;
"Will it be a problem?" she asked.
"What about?"
"Me being Korean in your family. I heard your family had kept their pure bloodlines for more than a century, and you wanted to breach their tradition by marrying a non-Chinese person. I want to know if this will be an issue."
Yixing was about to speak, but he threw aside the thought. He moistened his lips, and Jisoo understood the meaning the best. So that truly was an issue, she reasoned.
"I told you I don't always have it easy, didn't I? But I always get my way, and that's all my family cares about. As ridiculous as it may sound, when I expressed I want to be with you, they can never refuse. And my parents came to propose to you. They act on behalf of the family as well; if there will be an issue later on, they won't take that decisions."
Yixing removed his hand from hers and cupped her cheek, "Don't worry, Baobei; they will like you. We will be alright, I promise." He flashed her his best grin to soothe her, and Jisoo pushed herself to smile as well, hoping to reassure herself that Yixing would be there for her. She had to put her confidence in him and not worry, as he had told her. She turned her head away, groaned, and rested her back on the seat.
When they had landed, she was more nervous than anybody could have imagined. It was not the winter air that was making her hands feel chilly. Several people in black suits approached them as they stepped off the plane, and one of them, who appeared to be their security chief, nodded politely as he welcomed them. He gave Yixing a brief update on the situation outside the airport. He then escorted them both to the VIP passage, where their car was waiting.
Yixing never stopped holding her hand; once they exited the designated immigration line, he even grinned amusingly as he felt her icy grip. Putting his hat on her head, Yixing offered her a comforting glance as he put his hand on her arm and drew her closer to him. He seemed that could tell how anxious she was.
And Yixing was underestimating himself when he suggested there would be a flock of reporters waiting for them since what she saw was considerably larger; they are not a flock of people. It was a mob. She has obviously been in crowds before, but she had never been in one where so many people flocked to them and pressed microphones on their faces as if they were potential suspects in a crime. Despite Yixing's warnings, she was nonetheless taken aback.
Yixing never let go of her at his side, pulling her close so she remained with him. He concentrated on removing her from the crowd, ignoring the barrage of inquiries yelled by the reporters. With four security forces bearing down on them from all sides while the others cleared the way, Jisoo locked her arms around his waist, brought the looping scarf around her neck to her mouth, and followed Yixing's lead.
"Zhang Yixing, Sir, you're bringing home a lady. Does it mean a marriage is on the way?"
"Zhang Yixing, are we expecting a wedding in the near future?"
"Miss, please make a statement on your visit!"
"Sir, who's the lady? Tell us more about her!"
Yixing gently pushed her into the car before getting in behind her, making it the longest fifteen-meter journey of her life.
"Yixing, Sir, do us a favor, please say some..."
All of the yelling and shouting were quickly silenced as the door was closed and the car began to move. Yixing let out a loud sigh as he dropped down to the seat. He ran his hand through his hair before leaning sideways to face her.
"You okay?" He again held her hand and said, "I apologize for that. I didn't expect there to be so many of them."
"Do they always come around when you're here?" she questioned.
"Normally, there aren't as many. And I was usually able to get away from them."
"It appears like all media sources from throughout the country have come here today to visit Miss Kim, Sir. They learned of her coming since your RSVP to the Bazaar's gala specified that you will attend with a plus-one." The security chief chimed in, which clarified everything on her mind.
Yixing lifted his brow, "Oh, you should be flattered. They don't always do this." he joked "Media nowadays are so clever, they're supposed to be detectives."
Jisoo scoffed and shrugged it off. It's not really a big deal for her because Yixing had at least warned her about this. She averted her gaze to stare out the window, her thoughts wandering as she realized she was finally in Beijing.
Even though she had been here before, this trip was unlike any other. And she assumed they were headed toward the metropolis until the car appeared to be turning to another terminal. They drove past several security gates before pulling up in front of a private hangar, where a burning helicopter was about to take off from a heliport.
"We're riding this?" Jisoo questioned in a perplexed tone, or rather, she roared as the sound of the helicopter machine drowned out her words. She could comprehend the first-class travel and media arrangement, but taking a heli to his house? That sounded... odd, and she had no idea what it was about.
Yixing gave her a nod in response, held out his hand to help her get from the car, and led her to board the helicopter. He waited until she was seated to assist her in putting on her headphones before explaining everything.
"Our residence is not in the capital; it will take approximately two hours by car. This is more efficient," he stated. He then raised his thumb to the pilot, signaling that they were ready to depart. The helicopter took off seconds later, flying far into the darkest sky.
Everything was just flickering lights when they were above the clouds. Jisoo smiled, unsure what to anticipate from this trip. She listened idly as Yixing talked to the pilots about his flight and the rapidly spreading story of the media crew attack at the VIP exit gate. She stared out of the window for a while. Aside from the silhouettes of trees, hills, and mountains from the curved line dividing them from the dark sky, she could see practically nothing.
"That's the great wall," Yixing told her after about ten minutes later.
Craning her neck to see outside once again, Jisoo had wondered at first when she saw the shadow of a long stretch of buildings, but Yixing's explanation made her grasp what happened. Then, she thought, they're going north. When the helicopter turned to the northwest, Jisoo felt it from the angled turn, and in the darkness, she saw something shimmering in light. She began to wonder why she had never heard of the palace of the Chinese royal artifacts around the great wall, especially considering how strongly European-style construction it was preferred.
She was almost led to believe that someone had recreated Buckingham Palace there before realizing that this nation had no historical connection to British colonialism.
"Whose palace is that?" she said, patting Yixing's arm and gesturing to the magnificent residence below where glistening lights were emanating.
"Oh, it's not a palace," Yixing said, craning his head to see at what she was pointing at. "It's uh," He then cleared his throat and said,
"Home."
Her eyes widened in shock, as if her ears had betrayed her.
"It's what??"
= = = =
As they landed, all Jisoo could think about was how magnificent Yixing's family's home looked. Though he had warned her that his deal would be big, she had no idea it would be a palace deal. Yixing brought her up the rear steps, hand in hand, to a massive double door in their back property. His mother had been anticipating their arrival and welcomed them with the brightest grin in a supposed "mini living room," her arms out to embrace her.
"Welcome to the Zhang residence. I'm glad to see you here, Mei Mei." Yixing's mother welcomed her cheerfully. "I realize you must be fatigued with the trip and all of the media attention. Oh my God, you must be surprised to see that many of them. Yixing has significantly increased security, which is fantastic; I hope everything is OK with you." Jisoo grinned broadly as Yixing's mother spoke in both Chinese and Korean simultaneously, with Yixing translating every Chinese word for her.
"Okay, Mama, please stop. You're confusing her; it's been a long trip. Let her breathe." She responded that it was okay when Yixing chose to break up their cordial but brief meeting by dragging her away from his mother.
"Certainly, yes, I understand. It's late here; let's welcome tomorrow when you've had some rest. Take her to her room, Yixing; the girl needs a bed."
Yixing's mother hugged her again before letting her go, shooing them away as she twisted around and went away.
When they found themselves on their own, she said, "Your mother is, energic."
"That is how she looks when she is happy. She has a bright personality. Come on, I will take you to your room." She nodded and moved to follow him as he grasped her hand once more.
As Yixing led Jisoo into a spacious room including a fireplace, tiny library, and a majestic entrance resembling the one in their future home, she couldn't help but be astounded. With her mouth slightly open in surprise at the fact that practically every main room featured a chandelier, Yixing could only beam. Some maids greeted them, and Yixing responded with a polite nod and proper grin.
They climbed the magnificent carpeted stairs and strolled down the long corridor lined with locked doors. Yixing unlocked a door for her toward the end of the corridor.
"It's your room." When she entered, she couldn't help but be amazed.
"Wow." she murmured.
The room was nothing but magnificent.This bedroom, like all other rooms, was no less spectacular than the ones she had already seen. The room featured a king-size bed, four high arch windows, one of which opened to a balcony with a mountain backdrop, an electric fireplace, and the most luxurious en-suite bathroom she had ever seen.
"You should've warned me about this too." For the first time since they landed, she finally uttered something relevant.
"I don't want to brag." He shrugged, "It's not like I can go—hey, my folks own this estate back home. And it exudes wealth in every manner." He formed a voice with it and joked.
Jisoo shook her head, disbelieving. Everything was surprising from the start, including the VIP gate, the media, the palace, and Yixing himself. And now that she had thought about it, everything began to make sense. His non-business-like clothing, the snapback and mask, which she spotted when he flew to Shanghai; he was attempting to disguise himself from the media by dressing like a normal young man on vacation. And, as he stated, his family was an even bigger deal than she had ever imagined; this luxurious property may only be the top of the iceberg.
Upon hearing Yixing mention that his family had a difficult life in his early years, she was astounded to learn how this castle came to be in the first place. However, what confused her more was Yixing's level of self-dedication and humility in the face of all this while residing in Seoul. Despite having all this luxury, he opted to live alone in an apartment, drive his own car without a driver, and occasionally even feel comfortable resting on her tiny couch.
She swung around to look at the man standing at the balcony doors, shutting them tightly to keep the cold air out. Someone who wrapped his arm around her, shielding her from her dread. He promised her a future. The same man whose secret had just been revealed before her eyes, which he didn't mind, glimpsed what lay beyond his not-so-easy existence.
The sight of this caught Jisoo off guard. It was all a secret that he had been withholding from her.
She couldn't help but question herself...
Who exactly was this man?
* * *