Chapter 33
"Samuel, today you're taking me for a walk, right?"
Ariana had just finished showering and getting dressed. While polishing her make up, the woman talked to her husband who was currently reading a work report from behind the tablet he was holding.
Ariana certainly didn't forget, at the beginning of her arrival and even last night the man whose status was her husband again expressed his desire to take her around South Korea. Of course Ariana was very enthusiastic considering that this was her first time traveling abroad.
"So," said Samuel. "Maybe at 10 o'clock we will go out. Now you just get ready, then we have breakfast before we go," the man ordered without even looking at his wife.
Meanwhile, Ariana, who had finished polishing her make-up and was ready for all her looks, immediately walked over to Samuel. Reprimanded the man, then asked him to immediately go down to the restaurant to eat breakfast.
"Come on, I'm ready," he said.
Samuel nodded. Turning off his tablet, the man then looked up. Then cast a scanning gaze towards Ariana from head to toe of the woman.
"Are you sure you want to dress like that?" he asked. Currently, Ariana is only wearing a gray sweater which she mixes and matches with jeans and sneakers. It looks relaxed but still fashionable and makes the woman look very beautiful.
"So what?"
"That sweater looks really thin. If the weather suddenly turns rainy, aren't you afraid of getting cold?"
Ariana shook her head. He was sure of what he was wearing at this time.
"It's not going to rain, Ken. Just look at the day it's sunny outside. Besides, I checked the weather forecast app, it said it would be sunny until the afternoon. So, in my opinion, this shirt is still safe to wear," explained the woman at length.
"Yes, if you want it that way. What is certain, just watch out until you complain of being cold."
Ariana chuckled and then immediately threw flirty eyes exactly like what Samuel often did to her.
"If it's cold, there's you who can warm you up."
"Not fishing."
The two then descended to the ground floor. Enjoy breakfast in advance which is already available in the hotel restaurant. After filling her stomach full, Samuel checked her cell phone again. Make sure the driver who takes them around is on standby in front of the hotel.
"Are you done?" asked Samuel before walking away.
"All right."
The two of them then headed straight for the car.
Let the driver take them around the city of Seoul from morning to late afternoon. One by one famous places and tourist spots Samuel and Ariana visit. Enjoyed every place they visited at that time.
"Where are we going after this?" she asked.
Previously, the two of them had just finished walking on Myeongdong Street. This place is one of the busiest shopping districts in South Korea. Myeongdong is one of the largest shopping centers and also one of the main tourist attractions in Seoul City.
"Alright, just follow along. You'll know in a moment," said the man nonchalantly. It's amazing that Samuel hasn't been the least bit naughty as usual all day. And strangely, Ariana suddenly felt homesick to be bothered by her husband.
"You pretend to use secrets. Just answer right away, what's so difficult?" Ariana complained but Samuel didn't care in the least.
A few minutes after leaving Myeongdong, the car that Samuel and Ariana were riding in stopped at the last tourist spot they were going to visit today.
Once out of the car, Ariana was made aghast. For this one tourist spot, he is so familiar because he is so famous and often appears on television.
"Woah, you're taking me to Namsan Tower?" Ariana clicked admiringly without taking her eyes off the highest tower in the city of Seoul.
"Yeah. I think we really need to visit here so it's similar to Korean dramas," joked Samuel as she stepped forward up the stairs at the tourist spot.
"Do you know what Korean dramas have been filmed here?"
Samuel nodded. He was sure that he understood what Ariana had just asked.
"You know. There is The Legend of The Blue sea, the film by Lee Min ho. Then, My Love From the Star belongs to Kim Soo Hyun. True Beauty, Terius Behind Me and many more," the man answered at length.
Ariana gaped. He even stopped when he heard how eloquently Samuel mentioned the titles of Korean films that had used Namsan Tower as the backdrop for the drama. At that time, it immediately occurred to Ariana whether Samuel really was a Korean drama lover.
"Why even stop?" asked Samuel when she realized that Ariana was silent behind her.
"I heard right? Do you know the titles of Korean dramas?"
Samuel didn't answer right away. The man instead walked backwards and pulled his wife to walk parallel to him.
"Relax. You don't have a problem with your ears," Samuel said.
"But seriously, it's really cool that you can memorize Korean drama titles as well as artists. It's rare, there are guys who know this. I, as a girl, don't really know much. I only understand so much."
The feeling of amazement did not leave Ariana in the least. He still didn't think that Samuel could understand this matter.
"Don't overdo it," said Samuel. "That person is all the results of my cheating on Google."
"Jesus, Samuel!" Ariana exclaimed. He was so excited when he heard Samuel's answer that sounded carefree, he even threw a small punch right on the shoulder of the man whose status was her husband. "I think you really understand the Korean world. Even though I'm really proud to have a cool husband who understands Drakor."
Samuel laughed. Continuing to step up, the man responded to Ariana's protest.
"But just FYI, really. Back when I was in college, I was repeatedly offered several agencies to play in films. Because I wasn't interested, I refused the offer. In fact, if you really became an actor, maybe Lee Min Ho, Song Jong Ki, or Kim Soo Hyun can overshadow my handsomeness."
Ariana immediately glared. For God's sake, Samuel's narcissistic disease couldn't be eradicated in that man in the least.
"Fortunately, you didn't accept the offer. You are more suitable to be Luis Fernando than to be Lee Min Ho's rival."
Engrossed in telling stories, they finally arrived at their first destination, Hello Kitty Island. There, Samuel invites Ariana to tour a kind of museum that contains everything related to Hello Kitty.
Like a child who found heaven, Ariana seemed enthusiastic about going around every corner of the room. Take photos and capture every moment while there.
Satisfied, Samuel then took Ariana to second place. This time their goal is the love padlock on the fence around the plaza. As far as the eye could see, there were lots of young couples who seemed enthusiastic about attaching padlocks as well as writing their names on them.
"What is this, anyway?" she asked. He, who had never been here before, seemed confused when he saw people scrambling to put padlocks on the fences that had been provided.
"This is a love lock. Place the couple on the padlock and write their names there."
"What is the function and philosophy? So that their love will continue to be intense and not be afraid of being robbed by other people? Is that so?"
Another chuckle escaped Samuel's lips. Why did his wife suddenly look so innocent now.
"You said you often see Namsan Tower on TV, don't you know about this place and what it does?"
Ariana shook her head again slowly.
"I swear to anything, I really don't know this place."
"As I said before, this place is meant for couples. Whether husband and wife, whether they are dating, or who are close to each other. The philosophy is, anyone who has a heart lock on the fence and writes their names and their partner's, it is hoped that the relationship will durable or durable."
"Ah... yayaya...." Ariana nodded. He then stepped forward toward the row of padlocks. See and read one by one the writings there.
"There are also many. There is Park Hae Jin Love Joo in Kwang. There are Sandrina and Michele. Nicky and Maria ---"
"Why do you read the names one by one, Ariana?" Samuel scolded.
His wife was indeed strange herself. While other people were enthusiastic about joining in the padlocks, the woman was busy reading the names of the people hanging on the fence.
"It's okay, Ken. It's just funny like this."
Samuel shook her head. Then walked away leaving Ariana for a moment. When he returned, the man suddenly had two heart-shaped padlocks in his hand. Even installed one of them and wrote the name on it.
"Samuel-Ariana," Ariana spelled when her husband wrote their names there. "Are you sure you want to write our names here?" he pointed at the love-shaped padlock.
"So what? Do you mind if I write your name there?"
Ariana immediately shook her head.
"It's okay, really."
"Okay, no need to protest."
Ariana immediately chuckled. Then grabbed the other padlock that was in Samuel's hand. Get hooked on the fence. Then, also write something there.
"Esmeralda and Luis Fernando."
This time it was Samuel who spelled. The man's forehead then wrinkled to find another name that Ariana wrote there.
"Why did you even write that name?"
"Yeah, why? Don't you often call me Esmeralda? Or should I just change their names to Hyun Bin and Son Ye-Jin?"
"It's too lazy."
"Why lazy?" she asked. Then soon the woman shouted. "Ah, you must think you are more handsome than Hyun Bin, right?"
Samuel shook her head.
"Mr. Know-it-All!"
"Yeah, so what?"
"Compared to Son Ye-Jin, you are beautiful everywhere, Ariana," Samuel muttered. Then the man left. Suddenly, what he said immediately made Ariana aghast. Was her husband just praising her?
"Samuel, what did you say just now? I'm prettier than Son Ye-Jin?"
"No rebroadcast. It's your own fault you didn't really listen."
Ariana immediately pouted. Then it didn't take long to chase Samuel who had already left to move to the next place.
Riding the cable car, Ariana and Samuel finally arrived at the most iconic place in South Korea.
Before actually entering, Ariana even took several pictures of the scenery there for her to upload to social media. Full of enthusiasm, the woman took pictures to be used as a collection before finally uploading and sharing them.
"I've seen you being very busy taking pictures of mountains, gardens, flowers and padlocks. Don't you want to take a picture of yourself?" asked Samuel, who had been watching his wife so busy alone. "Instead of collecting photos of tourist objects, it's better to upload pictures of what you have there."
"Yeah, well," Ariana nodded. Then the woman walked over to Samuel. He held out his cellphone intending to ask the man to take a picture of him. "In that case, please take a photo of me against the backdrop of Namsan Tower. While the sun is about to set, there will be a sunset like that."
Samuel nodded in agreement. As soon as Ariana took the position to take the picture, the man instead of directly aiming the camera at the object, instead walked towards one of the duty officers who was on standby there.
At first, Ariana had wondered what Samuel was actually doing. Then not long after, the man approached Ariana and the officer her husband had called earlier.
"Why are you carrying officers around?" surprised Ariana.
"You want a photo, right?"
Ariana then nodded.
"Yes. Then what is the function of an officer?"
"Take a picture of us both, lah."
"Photo with you?"
"No. Together with Song Jong Ki. Yes, with your husband who is handsome, please, Ariana. It's okay for you to take your own photos and just upload them on social media. Remember, whose wife you are now."
Ariana pursed her lips. Lazy to protest, the woman just let her husband adjust the position before taking the picture.
There was one thing that made Ariana a little flabbergasted. Which Samuel flanked her body. The man didn't even feel awkward embracing Ariana like a wife he loved so much.
In total there are six poses that could be immortalized. Without being asked, the man even uploaded the photos to his Instagramm page. Giving funny captions that make Ariana shake her head.
"With Esmeralda who sometimes turns into Rosalinda," wrote the man.
"Samuel! It's not really romantic for you to write a caption like that on Instagram," Ariana protested.
"Didn't you say you don't like romantic guys?"
"Yes, if you may just once in a while, really."
"You are wishy-washy."
***
When it was getting late, Samuel then took Ariana to enter the tower. Seeing the city of Seoul at night from above. After being satisfied with lingering, this time the man brought Ariana down several floors. Enter one of the restaurants that are available there.
"Let's have dinner first," Samuel said.
Then the two of them followed the waiter to go to a table not far from the glass. From where Samuel and Ariana sat, they could enjoy the night view of Seoul city and the twinkling lights from above.
"It's a really nice place," said Ariana. He said this sincerely. What he saw now was so amazing.
"I purposely ordered this place to bring you here. As I informed you last night, I want to discuss our relationship."
Before continuing the conversation, Samuel and Ariana ordered food first. Instead of typical Korean food, this time the two of them ordered tenderloin steak with black pepper seasoning as they often eat in Indonesia.
As soon as the food was served, Samuel immediately grabbed a knife and fork to cut the meat on the plate into small pieces. As soon as it was finished, the man instead exchanged it with Ariana's plate where the meat was still intact and untouched.
"How come?" asked Ariana confused. In fact, he was just about to cut the meat on his plate.
"You just eat mine. I've cut it into small pieces. So, just bribe it."
"Thanks," Ariana muttered, her face blushing red. He didn't expect Samuel to be this sweet to him.
"So, regarding the discussion that I previously conveyed, I want us to review the agreement," said the man while eating his dinner.
"What do you mean? Explain as clearly as possible."
"Samuel put down the knife and fork he was holding first. He raised his face, then looked at Ariana closely. "Look, in the previous agreement, it was said that we were only temporarily married and had a pretend relationship for one year, right? After I think about it, I will change the agreement. Besides, when you were drunk yesterday, I knew that you didn't mind being my real wife."
"But that's drunken talk, Samuel," protested Ariana with a face that looked embarrassed. Maybe the husband still remembers clearly what happened that night.
"Isn't that what drunk people mostly say from the bottom of their hearts? Come on, just admit that you actually like me, right?"
"You are desperate!"
"Anyway, I want us to have a true and real husband and wife relationship for this year. So whatever we do is the same as a husband and wife in general. If at the end of the agreement period this relationship turns out to be smooth and running smoothly, I want us to continue it without the need for any more contracts attached to it. But, if it turns out that in the next one year I or you feel unhappy, let's just end this relationship."
Ariana seemed to consider Samuel's words. Thinking hard whether he should agree or reject Samuel's offer to be a real wife.
"But this all needs to be clarified, Samuel. If I agree, that means I have to carry out my duties and roles as a wife which actually includes serving and giving you children, right?"
Samuel nodded immediately.
"Yes, Esmeralda. Mama has openly asked for grandchildren with both of us. Besides, if I'm being honest, I'm tired of having to start a new relationship with another woman. Besides that, Mama seems to really like you. Instead of learning to love other people , I'd better learn to accept you wholeheartedly. After all, this is already on the way."
"On the way what?"
"On the way likes you."
Ariana's face turned red again. This was why Samuel's words had always made her blush.
"But, Samuel----"
"But what else, anyway? It's like what's really difficult, it seems, is having a relationship with different beliefs with you," Samuel interjected before Ariana finished her words.
"Different beliefs how, you mean?"
"Yes, I'm sure, you're not. In fact, I'm doubtful."
"Gosh! What did I think."
"Well, don't think too much. Opportunity doesn't come twice. When will it be normal to have a perfect husband like me. Besides, it's not embarrassing if you show me off to your friends."
Moments later, Ariana fell silent again. He thought, there's nothing wrong with having a serious marriage relationship with Samuel. After all, they both also do not have a partner. When it comes to love affairs, like what Samuel said, it can only grow over time.
After all, Samuel had always been nice to her. Besides that, it wouldn't be a loss if Ariana became the wife and daughter-in-law of the famous Walters family.
"How about it, Ariana? After a while, my offer got stale."
"Yes, just heat it again if you want it to be stale," joked Ariana casually. "But after I thought about it, I think I'll try your offer."
"So you want?"
Ariana smiled and nodded confidently. "Yes I do."
"Yes!" Samuel exclaimed absently. "That means starting tonight you don't need to use a barrier anymore, right?"
"Eh? Why is that? You still can't touch me without permission."
"You can't. They've become husband and wife for real, yes, I like to touch you anytime. Don't you need to excuse me again.
"Jeez Samuel!"
"Eits, you can't protest. Besides, you already agreed. What has been said cannot be taken back."
Ariana exhaled in resignation. Meanwhile, Samuel looked overjoyed at Ariana's current helplessness.












