Work Text:
“Love to me,” Seok-hoon starts looking straight into Hyomin’s eyes. He has mulled this over countless times and he knows what he wants. The judge’s words from today just sealed it.
He’s so wrapped up in his head that he barely catches the mischievous sparkle in there before his words are cut off by a sprinkle of water. Hyomin laughs out loud, red splotches on her cheek - half from the earlier wine and half from the excitement of her impetuous action. Seok-hoon has to catch his breath at that and he feels the spark of something low in his stomach. The very something that he has squashed about ten times this week. Not a lot of people could get away with splashing their boss with water but not a lot of people were Hyomin.
His mind goes blank because Hyomin has a way of short circuiting his brain.
“A walk?” She asks, offering her arm in a move almost exactly like the one from a couple days ago.
He knows this is a dangerous game that they’re playing and there are so many reasons that this is a terrible idea. But if there’s the slightest chance that he gets to spend a little more time with her, he’s going to take it.
He could walk.
***
She cut him off on purpose with that splash. She knew exactly where his explanation was going. It was going to center around responsibility and shared values- ultimately coming back to the same metrics.
Age. Marital status. Their positions at work.
And yeah, she could see all of it. She just didn’t care for it. Not when she was totally, completely, absolutely head over heels in love with him.
She figured it out a while ago. You don’t get to be a genius without some degree of self awareness.
Hyomin never really felt the distance between them as boss and subordinate. Maybe when she first interviewed with the firm but he has never treated her the same as all the other associates. She’s special. She knows it. She feels it everyday.
She’s not in the mood for another lecture on their perceived differences. Not on a warm beautiful night when she’s feeling the weight of the verdict, the judge’s words, and the leftover emotions from the proposal. And yeah, maybe some part of her thought he would reach out with a romantic proposal of his own, so really, she can’t help but be disappointed.
But a walk. A walk cures everything. She holds out her arm mirroring his movements from their “date” a couple nights ago. He doesn’t take it but quietly falls in step with her.
She wishes she could read him but she will take what she gets. For now.
****
They amble along mostly in silence, watching the trees and lights pass by. It takes Seok-hoon a while to gather up courage so he’s pretty pleased when he takes on a conversational tone.
He sounds pretty good if he could say so himself. No shakiness belying the nerves that had him on edge.
“Have you been on any more dates?” He asks.
Her eyes narrow and he’s not sure if it’s his imagination or the lighting, but she looks somewhat miffed.
“No….it has been two days, Seok-hoon,” she pauses.
He raises an eyebrow at that. “Back to first names are we?”
She rushes to interrupt him, “how about you? Have you… have you been on more dates?” Her chest squeezes and she thinks she just might pass out
They’re stopped dead in the middle of the walkway. Hyomin has that look on her face that he has seen many a times in the courtroom.
It’s now or never.
“Yeah, going on my second date…”
He doesn’t really get a chance to finish.
*****
There aren’t a lot of things that take Hyomin by surprise but apparently Seok hoon is one of them. She knows she’s staring at him like a fish. She’s open mouthed. Speechless and round eyed.
It’s been 2 days. Maybe 3 if you counted the lateness of the hour and were feeling particularly generous. She knows he had to rearrange his entire schedule to go on that one date so where in the fresh hell did he find time to go another?
“Say that again?” She demands, cutting him off before he can finish the sentence. He was planning on going on a date after their night?
“We ate a nice dinner. We had some wine,, we walked along the water, you offered me your arm…” he trails weakly. “We’re back to using first names- that’s a date right? “
“A date,” she echoes.
“What’s love to you?” She asks accusingly. Because she’s good at predicting things but this. This she never saw coming.
He looks at her intently before grabbing her by the wrist. He’s close enough that she hears him whisper just before covering her mouth with his.
“Love is you.”