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Friday - Five Days Before
“Where are you taking your girl next Wednesday?”
“You mean for Valentine’s Day? Dinner at a barbecue place and drinks at a live music bar after. What about you?”
“We’re going to the movies…”
Myeongseok stifled the urge to roll his eyes, wishing there was a mute function on the two strangers conversing generously in the lobby. At the ping signaling the elevator’s arrival, he heaved a relieved sigh and dashed into the cabin. Sadly, both men followed him inside.
The doors were sliding close when he heard a familiar voice call out, “Please hold the elevator! Thank you.” Youngwoo came into view, did her one-two-three counting ritual, and slipped through the gap. It took her a second longer to notice him and naturally, she scooted over to her only known ally within the cramped space. “Good Morning, Attorney Jung!”
A corner of his mouth ticked up at her liveliness. “Morning, Attorney Woo.”
Unsympathetic to their captive audience, the men resumed discussing their plans, souring Myeongseok’s mood once more.
“…do you think wearing a tuxedo to the cinema will be too much?”
Yes, Myeongseok answered silently. You’re not attending the movie awards.
“…give her red roses?”
Too cheap and overused. Don’t, his monologue continued inside his head.
“…what about getting her one of those anti-aging creams? I’ve got discount coupons.”
Sure, if you want to commit relationship suicide. Why not save the money and scream ‘you look old’ to her face? It’ll yield the same result.
“…think of getting her an electric toothbrush.”
Oh holy mother of all that is sane! What Cupid's karma was he paying for that required he bludgeon his ears with mankind’s most pitiful courting ideas? He stole a glance at Youngwoo who wore a neutral expression, likely daydreaming about a whale-starring musical. For once, he was envious of her rich imagination.
The instant the elevator parked at Hanbada, Myeongseok darted out and held it open for Youngwoo. She already had one foot out when she startled the remaining male population of Elevator No. 5 by whipping around and vocally blasting away, “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop but seriously, throw the tux. It’ll give her too much pressure. Instead of cliché roses, try dahlia for grace or tulip for loyalty. And please, a hard ‘no’ to anti-aging and dental hygiene products for gifts.” With that, she exited the cabin, the doors sliding close to two stupefied faces.
Myeongseok wasn’t faring much better, his mouth hanging open like a dullard. Not that lousy boyfriend material A and B hadn’t deserved it, but the last thing he’d expected to witness this morning was Youngwoo dishing out dating wisdom like a pro.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked, tipping her head to the side.
“I had no clue you’re a seasoned relationship guru. Language of flowers, fashion etiquettes, and appropriate gift ideas?” He raised his brows in disbelief. “Who are you, and why are you donning the Attorney Woo disguise?”
“I am Woo Youngwoo,” she answered pragmatically, missing his tease. “It’s just…I remember every word I read - articles, books, blogs, feeds - and I like to cover all kinds of topics because we never know when we’ll need them.”
“Your plan to conquer all the world’s knowledge is impressive,” he said, half-joking, half-praising.
“Ah, but they’re mostly all-theory-no-practice.”
He considered her reply for a moment. “Do you mean, despite all that expert talk, you’ve never gotten flowers before?”
“Never,” she admitted, her teeth digging into her bottom lip while her eyes oozed with what he suspected to be…yearning? And perhaps a hint of melancholy?
Her clipped answer paired with the longing expression unexpectedly made his chest hollow and his mind rail ‘why ever not’. He could even feel the beginnings of a frown forming for reasons he did not intend to figure out. Unless she was being sued for the fictitious crime of ‘have-never-received-flowers’, the nonexistence of petals, plants, and all leafy things in Youngwoo’s life was none of his business. Changing the subject, he slapped on a smirk. “My, you’re full of surprises today, Attorney Woo. What other secrets have you been keeping from me?”
She pursed her lips. “If I told you then they wouldn’t be secrets anymore, would they?”
Laughter rumbled from his chest at her cheeky rebuttal, the earlier surliness dissipating completely. With a broad grin, Youngwoo studied him curiously, her undivided attention unnerving after a while. It was his turn to ask, “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“This is the first time I’ve ever heard you laugh.”
“What are you saying?” He narrowed his eyes in protest. “I laugh all the time.”
“Not like that, you don’t. You tend to sort of chuckle along as if to humor us but never openly laugh like you just did. Not since the first day I met you. You really should do it more often. You’re very sunny when you do. Your eyes and cheeks…actually, your whole face glows with so much joy, it’s positively catching.”
Sunny. Glows. Joy. Positively catching. These words should be associated with a unicorn and not him, a serious and sometimes, unintentionally stodgy senior attorney.
It was suddenly difficult to breathe, the air too dense and the temperature too hot. “Uh-its-uh-we-uh-MEETING!” Great, his supposedly legal-powered brain had degenerated so badly that it was spewing the idiotic Uh-ish language. To escape whatever voodoo spell she was working on him, he spun on his heel and beat a hasty retreat.
*****
The sun was setting outside, its orange tint lending the office a warm shade while Youngwoo took in Attorney Jung’s dour demeanor from across the table. All day today, his behavior had been…atypical. For one, he rarely made eye contact with anyone, a stern glower settling on his usually amiable face. Then, he’d not joined their team lunch as he did every Friday. Attentive by nature, he’d somehow withdrawn into his own world, acting strangely aloof and quiet. Youngwoo could not explain the transformation when only this morning, she’d heard the most wonderful laugh from him. What had happened after they’d parted ways?
Already an hour into their third meeting, he was still distracted, humming mindless ‘Mmms’ every now and then to the team’s update.
A compulsion to catch him off guard suddenly bubbled inside her. “So in conclusion, Attorney Jung will give us each a fifty percent raise and the rest of February off,” she heard herself say.
“Mmm.” It took Attorney Jung another ten seconds to realize what he’d agreed to and smoothed over his embarrassment with a chuckle. “Very funny, Attorney Woo. Sorry, my mind was elsewhere.” He organized the folders in front of him into a tidy stack and suggested, “Why don’t we call it a week and continue this on Monday? I promise to be more alert by then.”
With a swift wave, he dismissed them and returned to his chair behind the desk. Minwoo and Suyeon eagerly took their leave, but Youngwoo decided to stay and find out what was going on.
Once alone, she moved to stand before him. “What has you so grumpy?”
“I’m not grumpy,” Attorney Jung denied. Unconvincingly too, since the growl was delivered in a very grumpy manner.
“Downturned mouth, hooded lids, lowered brows, flared nostrils, and the Oscar-worthy brooding silence,” she laid out the cues one by one. “You tick every box on the ‘I-am-definitely-grumpy’ checklist. You’re not feeling unwell or anything, are you?”
“I’m fine.” His forbidding features softened at her genuine concern. “But you’re right. I’ve been wearing Eu de Grumpy all day because I…” He blanched and eventually shook his head. “Forget I said anything, but thanks for asking. If there’s nothing urgent, I’d like to get back to-“
“Being grumpy?”
“Among other things,” he conceded in good humor, his mouth twitching marginally. “Have a good weekend, Attorney Woo.”
As unsettling as it was to leave him in such a moody state, she knew overstaying her welcome would only make matters worse. “You too, Attorney Jung.”
She was almost at the exit when she heard him say, “One last question for the floriography expert.”
“Yes?”
“What flowers say ‘I didn’t mean to be a grumpy jerk’?”
Youngwoo pondered over his question, guessing he was likely in a rift with somebody. “I think a sincere apology should do the trick, but if it’s not enough, purple hyacinths are for forgiveness.” While it would certainly account for his crusty manners, the idea of someone special in Attorney Jung’s life also made her feel…upset? Which was ridiculous! She gave herself a sobering shake and quickly bade him goodbye.
*****
Myeongseok watched her leave in a daze, the click of the closing door finally kicking some sense into him. He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Get a hold of yourself!
Ever since that peculiar encounter with Youngwoo this morning, he hadn’t been himself all day. It was the same brain, the same body he came to work in, and yet, he’d fallen into some kind of trance, experiencing a slew of foreign emotions where Youngwoo was concerned. His thoughts reeled chaotically and his self-consciousness heightened whenever she was around. Hell, even when she wasn’t, he was thinking about her. In her absence, she’d begun to influence his judgment and govern his decisions too.
For weeks now, he'd been casually seeing someone outside the firm, but the notion of spending time with the woman suddenly held so little appeal that earlier this afternoon, he’d turned her weekend plans down and ended things over the phone. After all, it spoke volumes when he realized he’d rather be in a discussion about anything mind-numbingly boring - from single cell amoebas to knitting with grandmas - with a certain protégé than sit through a meal of stilted small talks. Yes, he was an ass. But better an honest ass than one who led a woman on.
Thereafter, he’d spent hours and hours shut inside his head trying to sort out what was wrong with him. Initially, he’d chalked it up to Youngwoo’s flattering words but deep down, he knew he wasn’t as vain as that. No, the way she’d wistfully talk about her all-theory-no-practice experience with romance had done something to him. It was as if a switch inside him had flipped, forcing him to see her in a new light - not only as the smartest member of his team but also as an exceptional, beautiful woman who’d been overlooked for too long.
Unsure what to do with the epiphany, he’d kept his distance by avoiding lunch with the team. He’d adopted a mask of indifference whenever Youngwoo was near to hide how his heart would beat faster, his stomach would clench with nerves, or how his mind would boldly entertain the possibility of asking her out. His performance had accidentally come off as ‘grumpy’. When she’d called him out, he’d almost let his thoughts spill too but caught himself in the last second. He didn’t want to put her in a difficult position. Before he could decide how to proceed, he’d have to make sure there was a chance she’d be interested too. Besides, he should first apologize for being so gruff with her all day.
Replaying their conversation, a niggling idea from earlier took root. Why not start by making her have-never-received-flowers a tragic fact of the past?
Monday - Two Days Before
Youngwoo froze the instant she entered her office, eyes fixed on the large bouquet on the desk. The arrangement was aesthetically stunning, light floral scent infusing the air with a dash of feminine elegance. She moved closer to check for a card but could not find one. Surely, the delivery had to be a mistake. Taking a closer look, she recognized the flowers as hyacinths.
“What flowers say ‘I didn’t mean to be a grumpy jerk’?”
“I think a sincere apology would do the trick. But if it’s not enough, purple hyacinths are for forgiveness.”
Her eyes widened in belated understanding. Hugging the ginormous parcel against her chest, Youngwoo marched straight for Attorney Jung’s office.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Yes, come in!”
At the invitation, Youngwoo strode inside, peeking her head above the flowers to catch his attention.
“These hyacinths-“
“You got them-“
They spoke in unison.
And stopped at the same time.
Attorney Jung leaned back in his chair with a lop-sided smile. “Why don’t you go first?”
Youngwoo placed the flowers gingerly on his desk, careful not to damage them. “These hyacinths are correct. The arrangement is also fantastically done.”
His brows furrowed slightly. “I’m glad...you approve.”
She nodded and took a step back. "You can send them to the rightful recipient now.”
“…send them to the rightful recipient? What are you talking about?” he parroted in bewilderment.
And what an odd reaction it was.
“You put these flowers on my desk so I could check them as soon as I came to work. So here I am, letting you know you nailed it and can confidently send it to your lady friend without worry,” she explained. Inside, she was equal parts curious and bothered by said ‘lady friend’ who he undoubtedly valued. These imported variety of hyacinths were not cheap, not to mention the massive size he’d ordered them in.
Attorney Jung gently pushed the bouquet away from himself and blinked at her. “You thought I put these flowers on your desk to have you check them?”
“That’s what you do with case files. You leave marked documents for me to do one last thorough review before we go to court.”
“That’s what I do…,” he paused, glaring as if she’d turned into a flamingo before his eyes.
“Why? Is that not the reason?”
*****
Myeongseok couldn’t decide whether to laugh or bang his head against the wall for the hole he’d dug for himself. He’d assumed it would be self-explanatory when she’d been the one to recommend the type of flowers to get. Yet, here she was, believing they were for a ‘lady friend’ - though, technically, she was not wrong on that front - and he was only running them by her for a final QC.
“Are you my secretary who manages my personal life, Attorney Woo?” he asked, scratching his brow absently.
“No.”
“The official flower inspector of Hanbada?”
“No, but I can be if the firm needs one.”
“Be sure to highlight that on your career development plan with HR,” he muttered deadpanned. “No, really, why would I have you ‘check’ the flowers I send to anyone?”
“But why else would you put them on my desk?”
He hadn't thought the combination of sentiments was possible, but he found the woman’s puzzlement both infuriating and endearing all at once. “Has it never occurred to you that they are for you?”
“For me?” Her round eyes grew impossibly large. “But I’ve never gotten flowers before.”
“Emphasis on ‘before’.” He waited for his words to sink in her brilliant mind.
“Oh! I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“Believe it-achoo!” Myeongseok sniffled and sneezed again. “Can you please remove - achoo - the flowers from the room? I am allergic to them. Achoo!”
“Right away!” Bracing the bouquet in one arm, she dipped a small curtsy. “Thank you so much for the hyacinths. It was very thoughtful of you. My first flowers,” she murmured dreamily and buried her nose in the blossoms. The grin on her face was so dazzling, he found himself helplessly basking in her joy. He wouldn’t mind more of these addictive smiles, and he wanted to be the one to put them on her face.
Did he dare?
“Welcome-achoo!”
“I better get these away from you.” She rushed towards the exit.
“Wait!” Not allowing time to talk himself out of it, he took the leap. “Do you, um, have a date for Valentine’s Day?” Myeongseok asked, hiding his jitters by picking up his coffee mug and taking a sip. He tried to look casual, not wanting to put pressure on her.
She placed the bouquet by the door to save him from another sneeze fest before walking back to his desk.
“Yes.” At Youngwoo’s answer, a weight fell on his chest, though admittedly, he shouldn’t be surprised. As a desirable woman, of course some man would have asked her out long before now. “Every year, it takes place on February 14th,” she added matter-of-factly.
“Pfff!” He sputtered coffee all over himself, his poor nose suffering the sting of the hot liquid.
Youngwoo handed him a piece of tissue paper. “Here you go.”
“How charitable of you.” Wiping his mouth and blotting his tie, he chided himself for forgetting Youngwoo’s tendency to take his words to the letter.
“If you have no more festive or flower-related questions, I should go get ready for today’s briefing. Later, Attorney Jung.”
Before he could piece together a response, she’d whirled around and left. He sagged in his chair with a quiet groan. At this rate, he’d successfully ask her out when he celebrated his ninetieth birthday. The image of two silver-haired, wrinkly attorneys shouting at each other because of their near-deaf ears filled his mind, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. They’d both be toothless by then, but doubtlessly, she’d still drive him nuts with her literal take on everything.
Tuesday - The Day Before
The next morning, Myeongseok mustered up the needed courage to ask Youngwoo out as straightforwardly as any human being could. It was early yet, passing by only a few people as he anxiously made his way towards her office. As soon as he stepped inside the litigation section, he spotted Junho entering her room. Just then, his phone began to ring.
Stopping mid-stride, Myeongseok swerved to the side to answer the call. “Hello.”
“Attorney Jung, can you please stop by my office this morning? We just caught a last minute case, and we need your counsel,” CEO Han said on the line, her voice laced heavily with urgency.
“I’ll be there in five minutes.” He hung up and redirected his focus back on Youngwoo, currently beaming at something Junho was saying. He watched the scene unfold like an outsider, and a smile unconsciously touched his lips, one born of gladness for her and mockery for himself. As if doused in water, the sight served as a wake up call of sorts. Maybe the universe had been trying to tell him to back off all along, what with the series of misunderstandings between them: the why-are-you-grumpy act, the don’t-know-the-flowers-are-for-me incident, and the failed do-you-have-a-date question. And just when he was about to approach her to ask her out, not only had an urgent case been thrusted upon him but there she was, in the company of another man. And honestly, it wouldn’t be bad at all if she was seeing Junho. The litigator was upstanding and one of the most dependable people Myeongseok knew. In fact, he would be a great match for Youngwoo.
Thinking back, perhaps she’d given him a literal answer yesterday to brush him off without hurting his feelings. He glanced down at the gift in his hand. Tearing the written note off the box, he looked around. An employee he did not recognize was bustling his way, and he raised his hand in greeting.
“Hi. Why don’t you go ahead and share this with the others? I have an urgent meeting to attend.” As soon as the confused colleague took the box, Myeongseok strode away.
It’s better this way, he told himself.
*****
Junho was in the middle of sharing a hilarious event he’d run into with a client when Youngwoo saw Attorney Jung in the corridor. He looked like he was heading for her office but stopped to answer a call. The next thing she knew, he’d handed an object to someone in litigation and stalked off in the opposite direction.
“Please excuse me, Junho.” Youngwoo sprang to her feet and made a beeline for the man in possession of the mysterious item from the senior attorney.
“I realize this is a weird and rude request, but can you please show me what Attorney Jung gave you?” She extended a hand forward.
The man threw her an incredulous stare before placing the item in her palm. It was a box of chocolates with a mini-whale plush hugging the bottom right corner. On the packaging, there were traces of paper where a note had obviously been torn off.
“Did Attorney Jung say anything when he gave this to you?” Youngwoo asked.
The man recalled, “Something about sharing it with other people, and he had an urgent meeting.”
With an appreciative nod, she returned the chocolates to him. “Thank you for showing it to me.”
The man smiled and shook his head. “Why don’t you go ahead and keep it?”
Youngwoo’s gaze dropped to the box in her hand. Chocolates. Whales. Had Attorney Jung come to give this to her? If so, why did he change his mind and walk away? What did it all mean?
Wednesday - Valentine’s Day
For two full days, Myeongseok found himself stuck in a tiresome loop of client meetings and court hearings. CEO Han’s emergency lawsuit had demanded every ounce of his time and energy that he’d orphaned his team to work on open cases unsupervised. Thankfully, having uncovered the winning angle, CEO Han confirmed that she’d handle it from here on out. Glad to be off the case, he welcomed the peace, the exhaustion catching up after thirty-nine hours of stress and sleep-deprivation.
He’d not been at Hanbada most of yesterday and all of today, the office already dark and quiet by the time he trudged through the reception area. It was especially empty this Wednesday night since it was Valentine’s Day. Without thought, his feet made an auto-pilot detour toward Youngwoo’s workspace to check on her. Finding it vacant, he smiled to himself.
Good for her.
She’d found a decent man this year, and what he hoped would be the start of putting all those theoretical dating knowledge to use. She deserved someone who could take care of her, adore her with patience - even at times when she drove him crazy. He did not know if it was Junho or some other gentleman who was currently buying her dinner, making her laugh, and seeing her in all her beauty, but whoever the man was, he was a damn lucky bastard.
Genuinely happy for Youngwoo, he willingly accepted his sad fate and sauntered towards his office. Half a minute later, he pushed the door open to his cold legal den of justice. Such was the life of a senior attorney...or rather, lack thereof. He flicked the lights on and was almost at his desk when he realized he wasn’t alone. Sleeping in one corner of the couch was no other than Youngwoo. He was so startled that he dropped his briefcase on the floor, the loud thump waking her.
She rubbed her eyes groggily, squinting against the lights. “Attorney Jung, you’re back!”
Uncertain what to make of her presence so late in the night, it took him a moment to find his voice. “Why are you still here?” He picked up his briefcase and shifted his weight to the balls of his feet. “Did you have a question about a case? You could have just called.”
“Not for this question.” Youngwoo stood and pulled something out from her jacket. It was the box of chocolates he’d given away to a random Hanbada employee. “What is this?”
A dull heat crept up his back as he scoured his mind for an evasion. “Chocolate. Noun. A solid confectionary made from cocoa powder, milk, and sugar,” he defined flatly, hoping to deflect her.
“Were you planning to give it to me?”
“Uh…to anyone, really. Everyone likes chocolates.” Dumb answer? Yes. He cringed inwardly.
“Who else in this office likes whales?” She showed him her other hand, the tiny plush he’d glued to the corner of the box lying in her palm. “Besides, I saw you coming towards my office before you walked away.”
“Oh.” Caught with no wiggle room. The most menacing part was, he couldn’t fault her for her keen observation and interrogation skills when he’d been the one to teach her how to bait and corner a witness in court. Unfortunately, he was now forced to swallow his own poison pill. At her withering glare, he looked away briefly and caved, “Fine. Yes. I meant to give it you, but I had second thoughts.”
“Why?”
“I wanted…what does it matter? It’s of the past. Go home, Attorney Woo. Or better yet, go on a date with whomever you’re supposed to. Don’t keep the man waiting on Valentine’s Day. It’s impolite.” A tinge of jealousy he had no right to feel burned inside him, but he willfully ignored it and started for his desk. There were hundreds of emails waiting for him to go through, and he should not be thinking about Youngwoo with another man.
“Attorney Jung.” She hopped sideways and abruptly stopped him in his tracks. “All this time, were you trying to ask me out on a date?”
*****
Her slow, inexperienced, and romantically-challenged brain took forever to string all of Attorney Jung’s deviant behavior together. So much for her head full of courtship knowledge when she had failed to apply them. She, the insufferable know-it-all, had missed the signs completely for the past three days. Only this morning while Suyeon was bickering with Minwoo on Valentine's Day ideas - what kind of flowers to give, how a man should ask a woman out, why classic chocolates make the simplest but best gifts - did she realize she’d mucked it up by mistaking Attorney Jung’s questions and actions as work-related or friendly gestures. And when he saw her with Junho the other day, he probably thought she was interested in the litigator. Unwittingly, she’d practically friend-zoned the senior attorney to the Hall of Hades, but being the gentleman that he was, he’d graciously kept his silence through it all.
She’d had the whole day to muse over what Attorney Jung meant to her. Though she could not say it was anything close to a profound romance or the ‘without-you-I-will-die’ sentiments, she liked him enough to want to explore what they could be. At work, he was her mentor when she needed guidance, her rock when she was shaky. As a man, she thought he was reliable and considerate in his own reserved way. Funny too, once she caught on to his dry sense of humor. And if these past few days were any indication, her instincts told her he might just be the most romantic unromantic ever to exist on planet Earth.
Afraid as she was of screwing up the chemistry between them, if there was a chance for them to be something more, she did not want to miss it. That was why she’d waited in his office. She just hadn’t thought it would take this long for him to come back. So long that Valentine’s Day was almost over.
‘All this time, were you trying to ask me out on a date?’
While her words hung awkwardly in the air, she took a closer look at Attorney Jung. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, his usually neat hair rumpled as though he’d raked his hand across it countless times. With the top buttons of his shirt open and the loosened tie skewed to the side, his disheveled appearance betrayed the stressful day he had. She wondered if her blunder had added to the tension too.
“Yes?” he finally blurted his answer, his tone uncertain.
“Is that a question?”
“No?”
“No to asking me out or to my question if that is a question?”
Stunned silence. One...two seconds. Then, he cracked up, a deep rumble resounding from his throat. “Do you hear how absurd we sound?”
She retraced their dialogue and joined in the laughter. “You’re right. And we call ourselves sensible lawyers. Who’s going to hire us if this argument ever goes public?”
A ghost of a smile played on his lips though his eyes still held a glint of doubt. “Yes, I was trying to ask you out, but I did not want to put a strain between us. When I saw Junho-“
“He and I are friends,” she interjected.
“I see.” After a few heartbeats, he took a hesitant step towards her. And then another. “Hypothetically, if I did go into your office and ask, what would your answer have been?”
“Since you bought me flowers only because I’d never gotten them before - even tolerated them when you’re clearly allergic - and then, got these chocolates with my favorite whales pinned to it, I would have said yes. Hypothetically, of course.”
“Of course.” He blew out a shaky breath, running his fingers across his already tousled hair. “I’m sorry I messed up. In my defense, I am not usually this stupid when it comes to asking a woman out. You make me nervous as hell. It seems nothing I say or do is ever correct.”
“The mistakes are mine.” She squared her shoulders to work up the nerves. He’d done his part, and now, it was her turn to do hers. “Like I said before, I am all-theory-no-practice when it comes to relationships, but if you’re still interested, I’d like to ask you a very important question.”
“What is it?” A knowing gleam flickered in his eyes.
“Do you have a date for Valentine’s Day?” she repeated his question from the other day word for word, wanting to rewrite her wrong.
“You mean apart from the universal February 14th of every year?” When she scowled at his jesting answer, he chuckled. “All right, all right. Ask me again, I’ll get it correct this time.”
“Attorney Jung, do you have a date for Valentine’s Day?”
He closed the rest of the distance between them. “No, but there’s this beautiful and clever attorney with short bob hair I know. She has a tendency to take things too literally, which I find incredibly annoying and bewitching. I’d very much like to ask her out. Do you think she’d be inclined to agree?”
“Yes…non-hypothetically.”
“Excellent.” For a moment, they merely held each other’s gaze, allowing the too-good-to-be-true reality to sink in. Attorney Jung broke into a full teeth grin, his expression sparkling with boyish mischief. “It’s a date then.” He glanced at his watch. “We have three hours before the day’s over. The restaurants around the city are probably packed to high heavens. If you’re up for it, I can cook at my place. I’ll even try to make those kimbap you love so much. No guarantees on the outcome though.”
Attorney Jung cooking for her on their first date? “I’d like that.” She couldn’t stop smiling. “I do, however, have one more question before we leave.”
“Go ahead and ask.”
“What did the note on the box of chocolates say?”
Suddenly serious, he pressed his lips into a harsh line, looking as though he’d rather get his teeth - plural - pulled out than answer the question. Reaching inside his suit, he surprised her by retrieving a strip of paper and handing it to her. The tidbit that he still kept the note revealed how much more he cared than he let on. It was sweet of him, really.
A pink hue colored his cheeks all the way to the tips of his ears. “Please don’t make fun of me.”
It couldn’t be that bad, could it? One look at the note proved that she was wrong. It most assuredly could.
‘Please put me out of my misery and be my actual (not almost) Valentine. Ps. Just in case that still wasn’t clear, I mean let’s go on a date with each other. Myeongseok.’
“This is…” cheesy and severely unimaginative “…practical and to the point.” She tried to keep a straight face to spare him the mortification. She truly did, until her jaws hurt from clamping it shut too tightly.
He pouted, the comical expression making it even harder to keep her cool. “Laugh...before you hurt yourself.”
At his permission, she threw her head back and roared. Soon after, he couldn’t resist the urge to laugh as well.
“My Almost Valentine? I had no idea you could be so charming, Mr. Subtle Romantic.” She pressed a hand to her chest dramatically. “Will you look at that? I’ve learned sarcasm from you!”
“You’re one to talk, Miss Did-Not-Catch-Any-of-my-Moves. It’s no wonder I have to spell it out so blatantly when you keep misunderstanding my intentions.” He tweaked her nose playfully. “I may be a little rusty now but make no mistake, I’ll come up with a million creative ways to ‘charm’ you away. Hopefully, you won’t be oblivious to all of them, or my poor ego would be devastated.”
“Well, probably not all…how about to ninety-nine percent of them?” she challenged.
He shook his head in feigned exasperation. “Our dating experience is going to be one heck of a screwball adventure.” With a warm smile, he inclined his head in a modest bow. “Ready to find out how much trouble your mind full of theories can make for us?”
Us. Their future would be interesting indeed - one filled with silly hiccups, dippy misunderstandings, and lots of hindsight laughter. But through it all, she was certain there was nothing ”almost” about him in one regard. Because he would never be intentionally callous with her, she could trust him fully with her heart. Looping her arm through his, she tugged him forward. “As long as we’re in it together.”