Lunch Date with Stepmom 2
With that, she turned the car and crossed the Hangang Bridge.
They drove for a while before arriving at a neighborhood that had only recently begun to draw attention. It was a hip little district lined with restaurants and cafés of every kind, each sporting its own distinctive exterior and interior. People around Han Pan's age filled the streets, all of them styled with enough flair and individuality that simply watching the passersby was half the fun. The atmosphere itself was surprisingly quiet; development seemed to have only just gotten underway, and the place still held on to a great deal of its old-fashioned character.
Hye-su nosed the car slowly through the neighborhood, weaving this way and that until she finally pulled to a stop. A shop with a line already snaking out the door caught the eye at once.
"Hmm, there's quite a crowd… Son, hop out first and get in line. Mom'll go park and come join you."
"Okay."
Han Pan climbed out and took his place at the end of the queue. The restaurant had trendy interiors you could see straight through the floor-to-ceiling glass. It was a bar-style Japanese place; the prices looked reasonable and the food looked good. Roughly ten people stood ahead of him, most of them around his age. Unlike Mi-ho, Hye-su had a real knack for hunting down spots like this. From that sense of hers alone, Han Pan figured she was someone who paid close attention to trends.
After he joined the line, more people kept arriving and the queue stretched longer still. Han Pan pulled out his phone, searched the restaurant, and scrolled through the reviews to see what they served. A moment later he looked up and spotted Hye-su walking toward him from a distance.
She stood out so sharply you could pick her out from a block away. Even with sunglasses on, she pulled every passing gaze. Her upper body was poured into a tight sleeveless turtleneck, her breasts swelling out in a curve more than large enough to snare any man's eye. Below the waist she wore bright blue skinny jeans that looked painted onto her skin, clinging so closely they accentuated every line of her legs and formed a perfect silhouette. They were low-rise, so a sliver of hip flesh peeked out between the jeans and the turtleneck with every step she took. It was incredibly seductive. On top of that, the heels she wore today were flashy platform stilettos that looked far taller than ordinary high heels—fourteen or fifteen centimeters, easy.
Han Pan felt that dizzying rush again at how completely different her image was from yesterday. He had only met her three times so far, and the interesting part was that each of those three times she had shown a completely different color, like a chameleon. As she drew closer, the perfume rising from her pricked his nose once more. Thanks to the high heels, the height difference between them was barely half a handspan. She was taller than most men.
When she took her place beside him, he could feel the men around them sneaking glances at her. The women, on the other hand, wore openly uncomfortable expressions. Han Pan found the whole situation amusing as he watched girls his own age get jealous over a woman more than ten years older than them. There was a powerful presence radiating from her confident figure.
He got a close look at her shoes. They were pink sandal-style high heels; only the thinnest of straps across the instep and ankle held her feet in place, leaving the rest of them completely bare. For her height, her feet were remarkably small and pretty. The neatly done clear pedicure caught his eye. He could tell at a glance that the simple yet detailed lines of the shoes were extremely high-end.
Han Pan could see the gazes of the men walking by and the ones in line all turning toward her. It made him feel an unearned swell of pride. He leaned in and whispered into her ear.
"People seem pretty interested in Mom."
She burst out laughing, then whispered back into his ear.
"I know."
Han Pan felt good, and at the same time a strange sensation stirred in him. It came from the relationship they shared. She was the stepmother his father had married into—no blood between them. And yet here they were, calling each other "son" and "mom" while going on something that wasn't quite a date. On top of their bloodless mother-son relationship, Han Pan sensed they were sliding toward something more—something between a man and a woman. He wondered what she was thinking, but decided there was no need to dig into it.
They waited for their turn, chatting back and forth like any other couple on a date. The weather was quite hot, but fortunately they were standing in the shade, so it was bearable. After waiting their turn, they finally stepped through the entrance. They ordered, then shared the food that came out quickly and had lunch together. Han Pan was pretty hungry, and once the food arrived he dug in with gusto. True to its reputation as a famous spot, the food was excellent, the interior was spotless, and the staff had great manners. Han Pan thought there was a reason it was famous.
After the meal he went to the counter and held out his card, but she stopped him, producing her own instead.
"You booked the movie, so this one's on me…"
She said that as she pushed his arm down and stretched out her own to hand the card to the cashier.
"All right. Thanks for the meal."
He gave a polite bow of thanks.
"Good. I'm glad it suited your taste."
"It's nice coming to places like this."
He flashed a bright smile, and the two of them stepped outside.
They decided to grab a coffee at a nearby café. Being a trendy neighborhood that had recently come into the spotlight, hip-feeling cafés dotted the area all around. After a quick search, Hye-su grabbed his arm and pulled him along.
"There's a good one over that way."
She set the direction, and they walked along the connected fire lane. As they walked, their hands brushed against each other now and then, and that strange feeling rose in Han Pan again. Suddenly he wanted to take her hand—and he did just that.
When Han Pan closed his fingers around hers, Hye-su flinched, a startled look crossing her face. It was an action she hadn't expected at all. Han Pan looked at her with a gentle smile. Hye-su met his eyes, then turned her face forward again, a faint flush coloring her cheeks. They kept walking toward the café in silence, hands still joined, and Hye-su didn't pull away.
Both Han Pan and Hye-su felt that this moment mattered. Awkwardness, a racing heartbeat, and excitement all mixed together, setting their emotions swaying. It was just like the process of meeting someone new, going on dates, and falling in love.
Hye-su's feelings, especially, were deeply complicated. Ever since she first met Han Pan, a tangle of unnameable emotions had been shaking her—the realization that the attraction she felt toward her current husband burned even more intensely for his son. Not a drop of blood connected them, yet by relationship he was her son, and rationally she wanted to keep it that way. But the feelings she was having now were of an entirely different kind. Just as she felt that emotion growing stronger and stronger inside her, Han Pan took her hand—and suddenly everything clarified. The collision between reason and feeling that had been pulling her in opposite directions finally sorted itself out.
She swung their joined hands lightly, looked at him, and smiled. Seeing Hye-su's bright smiling face made Han Pan feel good.
They soon stepped into the café. It was an old house renovated into a café, and couples enjoying dates were scattered here and there. They stood at the counter looking over the menu to place their order. Han Pan released her hand and slipped his arm naturally around her waist; she was drawn to him like a magnet, pressing herself against his body. The contact of their bodies made Han Pan's excitement surge even higher. He reached down and stroked her hip, and Hye-su smiled up at him.
"Son, what are you going to drink?"
Han Pan looked at the menu.
"Hmm, an iced Americano?"
"Yeah? Then I'll have the same. Want anything to eat?"
"Nah, I'm good. What about you, Mom?"
"Mm, I'm fine too… Let's just get coffee."
"Okay."
They ordered their coffee and headed affectionately up to the second floor. They found a suitable spot and sat facing each other. Han Pan took one of her hands resting on the table.
"Mom, your hands are so pretty…"
She laughed.
"Just my hands?"
"Haha, no—everything's pretty."
"Mm, and if you had to pick just one?"
"Well… today's hip line?"
"Haha!! Really? That's funny… Though I guess today's outfit does emphasize the hips."
"Yeah. Mom's hips are pretty…"
"I don't know about the rest, but I've always been confident about my hip line. Looks like I got a chance to prove it today!"
The two of them chatted about this and that. A little later the vibrating pager went off. Han Pan stood up, went downstairs, and brought back the coffee. As he set the cups down and started to sit across from her, she told him to sit beside her instead. Han Pan moved toward her, about to take the seat at her side.