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Jisoo awoke to the welcoming aroma of freshly brewed coffee on the small table beside the window. As she opened her eyes, she scanned the room, but quickly realized the maid had left the steaming cup there for her to enjoy upon rising.
Stretching her arms, Jisoo sat up, feeling as though she had just emerged from a deep, restorative sleep that had lasted for days. The journey from Seoul and the series of surprises Yixing had revealed to her the previous evening had indeed taken a toll, but the luxurious mattress seemed to have worked its magic, allowing her to slumber more soundly than she had in quite some time.
Sliding out of the bed, Jisoo took a sip of the aromatic coffee, finding it even more delectable than she had expected. There was something about this place that seemed to heighten the senses, making even the simplest pleasures more enjoyable than they were back home. Perhaps being Yixing's fiancée came with certain perks she had yet to fully appreciate.
Jisoo made her way to the balcony, coffee in hand, marveling at the picturesque winter landscape unfolding before her. The expansive green field, the tangerine orchard heavy with ripe fruit, and the towering pine forest – it was a scene of unparalleled serenity, reminiscent of her beloved grandparents' backyard.
As she finished her coffee, Jisoo headed for a brief, warm shower, knowing it was likely time to formally greet Yixing's parents. He had instructed her to be ready by nine, and she had just finished drying her hair when she noticed Yixing's mother entering the room.
"Good morning!" she exclaimed excitedly. Jisoo was mildly surprised to see her instead of her son, and that she was cold on her feet.
"Oh, Ayí, good morning."
Jisoo listened attentively as Yixing's mother struggled to find the right words. "Yixing wanted me to give you his apologies," she said, pausing as she searched her memory. Unable to recall the specific detail, she simply raised her hand in a gesture of uncertainty.
"Wait," the woman said, pulling out her phone. Jisoo couldn't help but chuckle at the slight distraction. She stepped closer and took the woman's hands in her own.
"Ayí, you can speak freely. I understand you quite well," Jisoo reassured her, switching seamlessly into fluent Mandarin. The sudden shift in language clearly caught Yixing's mother by surprise.
"Ey? You speak Mandarin too? But Yixing said..." she trailed off, confusion etched on her face.
Jisoo placed a finger to her lips, a conspiratorial smile playing on her lips. "Yixing believes I don't speak Mandarin, and he's been enjoying being able to translate for me. Let's keep this our little secret," she said, and the two women shared a laugh.
"You, little Mei Mei, are so mischievous," Yixing's mother said, shaking her head fondly. "But since it's so endearing how you care for him, I suppose I should play along, shouldn't I?" She gave Jisoo a knowing look, and Jisoo responded with an enthusiastic nod and another laugh.
Yixing's mother cleared her throat and began to explain. "Yixing has a doctor's appointment in Beijing first thing this morning, so he won't be back until lunchtime. He couldn't reschedule it on short notice." She paused, then continued, "I'll keep you company until he returns, if that's alright with you."
Jisoo nodded, a slight crease of concern forming between her brows. "That's fine, Ayí. But why is he seeing a doctor? Is he ill?" She remembered how hard Yixing had been working lately, and worried that his health might be suffering.
"Ah, I see Yixing hasn't told you about his injury yet"
Yixing's mother shook her head as she led Jisoo out of the room and into the dining area for breakfast.
"When Yixing was in high school, he was the captain of the basketball team. He took his role very seriously and practiced constantly in the lead-up to the national tournament. During one of those practices, he sustained an injury, but he didn't seek medical treatment until after the tournament was over and his team had won." She paused, a pained expression crossing her face. "That delay caused what should have been a minor issue to turn into long-term damage to his lower back. He's been in therapy for over a decade, but since moving to Seoul, he hasn't had the time to properly address it, which is why he needs to see the doctor now."
Jisoo winced, as if she could feel Yixing's pain in that moment. Not only did this news deeply sadden her, but she was surprised to learn that Yixing had never shared this with her. She had noticed him occasionally holding back discomfort when stretching or moving, but he had always brushed it off, claiming fatigue or the effects of sitting too long.
Yixing's mother reached over and gave Jisoo's arm a gentle, reassuring pat, as if she understood the young woman's reaction. "That's just like him - he doesn't want to burden you with his problems. It wasn't until we really looked into the extent of his injuries that even I learned the full story." She shook her head in frustration. "That stubborn boy, he just didn't tell anyone."
Jisoo expressed her concern, saying, "And he still pushes himself so hard, knowing he has this injury."
"It's in his nature, I'm afraid." Yixing's mother sighed. "All the men in our family are workaholics. And Yixing is the only grandchild on his father's side - I suppose he feels it's his duty to uphold the family tradition." She glanced at Jisoo sideways. "My dear, please be patient with him. He's told me how much your support means to him, and I'm so grateful for that. But you'll need to keep an eye on him, make sure he takes care of himself. When he's focused on his work, he's liable to forget to even eat. It truly worries me. He's so often busy when I call, and I can't always be there to check on him."
Jisoo couldn't help but reach out and give Yixing's mother's arm a gentle, comforting pat as the older woman let out a soft sound. It must have been heartbreaking for her to learn of her son's injury, and Jisoo felt a pang of sadness in her own chest at the thought.
They spent the morning sharing a quiet breakfast together. It came to light that Yixing's father had also been away from home for the past three days, on a business trip to Taiwan, which was why it was just the two of them. During their stroll through the sprawling estate and tour of the family's palace-like home, Yixing's mother explained the architectural history and design philosophy to Jisoo.
Jisoo saw this as an opportunity to share a small token of affection from her own country. She presented Yixing's parents with a set of ginkgo biloba and red ginseng. After a brief discussion about the gifts, Yixing's mother invited Jisoo into the kitchen, where there were four distinct work stations, each with a specific purpose. They went to the largest kitchen, where a team of seven or so workers were chopping and preparing food for the evening's family feast. Several maids were also decorating, hanging paintings of rats in honor of the Lunar New Year on the doors and walls. Afterward, they moved to the living room to arrange the lavish gifts - mostly sets of fine jewelry and high-end designer clothing - that would be distributed to their family guests.
As Yixing's mother was showing Jisoo an album of photos from Yixing's childhood, they heard the distant sound of a helicopter approaching. Her son had returned home early, and his mother quickly instructed Jisoo to go greet him while she headed to the kitchen to prepare their lunch.
Jisoo stood with her arms crossed at the back door of the living room, watching as Yixing dashed out of the snow-covered field and up the curving double steps to the patio. He approached her with a smile, brushing the snow from his hair.
As he drew near, Jisoo reached out and pulled him into a close embrace. "You troublemaker," she said, drawing back just enough to look him in the eye. "Are you going to keep any more secrets from me?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't want to burden you with my injury," Yixing replied, his tone apologetic. "It's not exactly something I can boast about."
Jisoo sighed softly, understanding why he had kept it hidden. "Yixing," she said, gently placing her palm against his chest. "You can always talk to me about anything. Now, how did the treatment go?"
Wrapping his hands around her waist, Yixing grimaced. "It hurt like hell," he admitted.
Jisoo couldn't resist a teasing smile. "Did you scream?" she asked.
"I screamed like a baby," Yixing confessed, "but I did feel better afterward."
"So you're okay now?" Jisoo questioned, searching his face with concern.
"Yes, pretty much. For now, at least, it doesn't hurt as much."
She repeated after him, sounding more like a statement than a query. "For now."
"I will have another therapy next month, it will be okay." With another smile, he gave her cheek a gentle touch and asked, "How was the ladies' morning with my mother?"
"It's great. We prepared dumplings, she showed me your baby's album, and she gave me a tour of the house." She told him without going into detail about his injuries and other things.
"Well, that's rather pleasant. Does she speak enough Korean for you to comprehend her? She has been learning the language on her own by following the weekly online course."
"She's the cutest." When they reached the second living room, she broke away from him and let Yixing take the lead because she didn't really know where to go. 
Jisoo was certain that a few more walks would be sufficient to acquaint her adequately with this enormous home, even if Yixing's mother had taken her on a tour of the mansion this morning. The estate was still too massive for her to recall her way in an instant.
Together, they enjoyed lunch with his mother. And following lunch, they lingered in the dining room to continue their conversation, discussing his visit to the doctor as well as the internet news sites that covered their arrival the previous evening. It seems that the media was still so confused by her identity that they began to look into her background. However, not a lot of information or images of hers were included on their cover because they were shot during her official attendance at conferences and other events. In particular, since Yixing's cap and the shawl covering half of her mouth prevented the media from capturing her face in its entirety.
Jisoo finished the dinner preparations just as the sun was beginning to set. She wore her navy Barwick dress by Roland Mouret, which she purchased two years ago, after curlying and ponytailing her hair. Since the box came from England, she had not worn the thousand-pound outfit until now, simply because she had not had the ideal occasion.
"Do you need help there?" Yixing questioned as he entered her room and noticed her attempting to zip her dress on her back.
She answered, "Nope, I'm fine."
Yixing crossed his arms and watched her near the bed till she eventually gave up around a minute later.
"Fine, come here, I need a hand with this." Her hands flew up in the air.
"I'm not wearing too little, am I? Isn't navy a nice color?" Jisoo remarked as she combed her hair to the front of her right shoulder, allowing Yixing to assist her with zipping up the garment.
He said quietly, "The dress is pretty, and so are you."
She momentarily stopped breathing when he planted a gentle kiss on the back of her shoulder, causing thrills to run down her spine. The hands on the sink handle were tightly gripped as Jisoo stared at him intently in the mirror, wanting to capture every detail of his face when he wasn't looking. It felt as though time had stopped in that instant.
It was a simple gesture from him, but the way he assisted her with the dress and gave her a chaste kiss on the shoulder meant a lot to her. Though not intense, it was personal. When their eyes locked on the mirror, she quickly averted her gaze, realizing that this was the man who would likely do it for her on a regular basis in the future.
In an attempt to shake off an uneasy moment, Jisoo turned to lean against the sink and studied his expression. He looked lovely as always in his dark blue high neck sweater and chino slacks, and she nodded satisfyingly when she saw that they were matching color once more—it appeared like they had begun making it a habit.
"You're looking good too," she said, giving his shoulder a gentle pat before making her way out of the bathroom.
Jisoo carefully slid her feet into her favorite Manolo Blahnik pumps, the soft grey suede caressing her skin. As she sat on the edge of the bed, adjusting the shoes, she felt Yixing's gaze on her. Glancing up, she caught his warm, affectionate smile, the familiar dimple etched into his cheek.
Yixing leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, his eyes never leaving her.
"I think I need to get myself used to it," he mused, the smile still playing on his lips.
Jisoo paused, a quizzical expression on her face. "To what?"
"You getting ready. I'll enjoy every second watching you, and I'm excited because I'll see it a lot in my future."
Jisoo's breath caught in her throat, a flutter of anticipation and nervousness stirring within her. His words echoed the very thoughts that had been racing through her own mind. For a moment, she was at a loss for how to respond, until a playful grin spread across her face.
"Yixing, are you aware that what you said just sounds very creepy?" she teased.
Yixing threw back his head and laughed, the deep, rich sound filling the room. Jisoo couldn't help but join in, their shared laughter dispelling the tension that had briefly hung in the air. She realized then that they were both nervous about the upcoming dinner, a momentous occasion that would shape their future.
Jisoo took a deep breath, silently praying that everything would go well. With Yixing by her side, she knew they could face whatever lay ahead, one step at a time.
The distant whirring of helicopter blades cut through the air, drawing Jisoo's attention. She glanced up to meet Yixing's gaze, watching as he raised a questioning brow and crossed the room to the window.
"Looks like our first guest has arrived," he observed, his voice calm and measured as he turned to face Jisoo.
"Are you ready?" he asked, his expression filled with a mixture of anticipation and concern.
Jisoo rose from the bed, her heart pounding in her chest. She took a deep, steadying breath before shaking her head.
"No," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
* * *