A Date to Convey Our Hearts
After listening from beginning to end to the full story of the date that would convey our hearts, I finally learned every secret Hari noona had kept from me—how she had lived until now, what her connection to Seol-ah noona was, and why I had no friends. But those thoughts could wait.
“Yeonwoo, let’s go on a date.”
The word date—one she had never spoken two years ago or even recently. I had to answer it.
“…”
Hari noona waited for my response. When our eyes met, I understood exactly what she meant by it.
She’s saying she likes me.
After hearing everything, there was no way I could miss it. She hadn’t said it outright, but this was half a confession. If I couldn’t even pick up on that, I had no business dating anyone.
“…Okay.”
Hari noona’s invitation to go on a date. There was no chance I would turn her down.
I…
It felt pathetic that she had been the one to reveal her feelings first while I simply listened. A woman was standing there, happy just from my reaction, yet I had remained still. Since noona had laid her heart bare, I decided it was time for me to do the same.
I made up my mind, took noona’s hand, and rose from the sofa.
The noona who had asked me out stared at me with wide, round eyes.
“Let’s go on a date.”
“Really?”
She had been nervously waiting for my answer, afraid I might refuse. I wanted to show her how I felt. For two whole years she had carried me in her heart, waited patiently, and taken the first step. Now I wanted to be the one to step forward.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Let’s take my car to the downtown area.”
“…Got it.”
I had spoken first because I wanted to take the lead, but I was clearly still far from being able to guide noona properly. Whether I led or Hari noona led, what mattered was that a fresh, earnest date—where we conveyed our hearts to each other—had begun.
Hari noona’s pristine white SUV carried us to the bustling streets. The car was impressive, but her driving was even more so. She navigated the roads with veteran skill, and the sight of her in that sharp suit was incredibly cool.
“Noona, you look absolutely beautiful today.”
Once we stepped out of the car, I finally said what I had been holding back. Normally I would have felt embarrassed, but because I wanted to convey my feelings, only a smile came out. I was still a little shy, though.
“Thank you. You look incredibly handsome too. Those clothes suit you perfectly.”
I had thought the same when we left the house. The white shirt and black slacks that Seol-ah noona had dressed me in for the photos seemed chosen to match Hari noona.
“…”
Like we had planned it, noona and I reached for each other’s hands at the same time. This time her fingers brushed over my knuckles and the back of my hand, different from simply holding it before. The soft, tickling touch felt strangely sensual and pleasant.
Hari noona glanced at my expression, smiled, then spread my fingers and—
-squeeze.
She laced our fingers together properly this time. My face grew hot, but when I saw the satisfied look on her face, even that embarrassment melted away and I could only stare at her in a daze. The gentle curve at the corner of her lips reminded me of the past. It was the same smile the president used to give me.
“…Noona, do you want to go shopping? It’ll help me remember the old days.”
Two years ago, even wearing sunglasses, the president had been a beautiful, cool, and incredibly kind person. Watching her work was impressive, and the occasional smiles she gave were enough to captivate any man. Now that I knew that person was Hari noona, the affection I felt for her doubled.
I reached out and gently touched the area around her eyes, careful not to hurt her.
“I regret not seeing your red eyes back then. If I had known they were such brilliant rubies, I would have fallen for you right away.”
“…You remembered.”
“Yes. I remember everything.”
I still remembered those few precious moments we had shared while shopping and eating together. After hearing me, noona’s eyes grew misty. It wasn’t obvious, but since I was so close, I noticed.
“Are you crying?”
“…I’m not.”
Hari noona wiped her eyes and smiled—brighter than any smile I had seen from her before.
“I’m just so happy. Let’s go shopping.”
“Okay.”
On a day like today, I let it slide so we could keep smiling. Noona and I walked side by side toward the mall, neither of us rushing ahead.
“Has your hair been white since you were little?”
“Yes. It’s been like this since I was born.”
We learned more about each other, laughing even at the smallest things, and soon entered the shopping mall. I tried to act calm during our conversation, but noona probably knew I was nervous. My hand was drenched in sweat; there was no way she wouldn’t notice.
“Yeonwoo, are you nervous?”
“…It’s because you’re too pretty, noona.”
“Then you should keep looking.”
Watching Hari noona tease me like usual made it feel like she had returned to her normal self. We walked at an even pace past a shoe store before stopping. It was at my suggestion.
“Don’t your feet hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
“Aren’t those high heels uncomfortable?”
“Really, I’m okay.”
This noona had never once shown me a single sign of discomfort, but I was sure this was a lie. She had been wearing those heels since morning; there was no way they didn’t hurt.
“Let’s buy shoes first.”
“Let’s buy your clothes first.”
“I’m worried about you. I… huh?”
This kind of thing didn’t suit me at all, but the thought of her walking around in those heels made me feel bad, so I added a touch of aegyo. …It really didn’t suit me. I couldn’t even meet her eyes.
“Hehe.”
When I saw Hari noona laugh, I wondered if I had done something unnecessary.
“Alright. Let’s buy shoes first.”
“Thank you.”
“I should be the one thanking you—for acting cute for my sake.”
“…”
Hmm. Maybe it really was unnecessary? Seeing how happy she looked, it might have been fine. I decided I should do it once in a while if she ever got upset. Though I’d rather not create situations that made her upset in the first place.
“Which ones do you want to get?”
“You’re buying mine too?”
“Yeah. Let’s pick together.”
“Okay.”
I had chosen with the mindset that I should buy hers too, but I had forgotten her old shopping habit. The phrase I used to hear two years ago while shopping was—
“I’ll buy them. I have a lot of money.”
I have a lot of money. Those four words.
In the end, I was the one who paid. I had saved up enough that I could afford it comfortably. Once we both wore the matching white sneakers, I wasn’t sure how well they matched, but just knowing we had on the same shoes made my heart flutter wildly.
“What do you think of this blazer?”
“…I think it would look pretty.”
Since we had already eaten, noona and I only grabbed simple drinks before heading straight to the clothing store. The piece she was holding now was a black blazer with a slightly different feel from what she was wearing. It had no patterns, just two pockets on pure black fabric, but it gave off a refined vibe that seemed perfect for her.
“Really? Then I’ll try it on and show you.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Hari noona said something to the staff, gathered a few more outfits, and disappeared into the fitting room. Since this was a women’s clothing store, I had to endure the curious stares from many of the female customers. Some even whispered among themselves so I wouldn’t hear.
I waited with a strangely nervous heart until Hari noona emerged from the fitting room. She wore a black turtleneck, jeans, and the blazer with a single button fastened. She had also put on the black shoes she must have bought earlier, along with a black beret. Feeling the eyes of the people around her, she walked over to me.
“How do I look?”
“Beautiful.”
I could answer instantly. I wondered if this noona wasn’t the most beautiful person in the world. That was what I thought.
“Really? Is there anything else you want to see me wear?”
“Um… could you try on a skirt?”
“A skirt? If that’s what you want to see.”
Humming a little tune, Hari noona led me along.
“Please wrap up all the clothes I tried on earlier. I’ll buy everything.”
She casually said this to a passing staff member. It was an afterthought.
“Yes, ma’am. Understood.”
I blinked blankly before asking her.
“…You’re buying all of them?”
“Yeah. You said they were pretty.”
Well, that was true. Every single thing noona wore looked beautiful on her. Part of it was because she was gorgeous, but she also had incredible fashion sense, so it couldn’t be helped. I had called dozens of outfits pretty. Still, I hadn’t expected her to buy them all.
“Don’t worry. I have plenty of money.”
“How much is plenty?”
“Let’s see… I could buy you a car like yours.”
“…”
Her business had clearly been an enormous success. Strangely, that only made her more attractive. Dating someone who had everything—wasn’t that everyone’s fantasy?
“Oh, this looks good.”
Hari noona picked out a beige mini skirt and showed it to me.
“I think it’ll look pretty.”
“You think so?”
It felt like the only thing I had said since we got here was “it’ll look pretty,” but I meant it, and her smile made it impossible to stay quiet. With a face, proportions, and figure like hers, it was impossible for anything to look bad.
“I’ll try this on and come out.”
“Okay.”
Less than a minute after she entered the fitting room with another outfit, she came back out.
-Slide.
Noona approached wearing a white turtleneck that clearly revealed the curves of her figure. Up to that point it was similar to before, but this time she wore a skirt instead of pants. The mini skirt that stopped above her knees, paired with black stockings, made my heart race just like it had during my first love. If the turtleneck and shirt gave off a cool, sophisticated impression, this look felt much more feminine.
“Pretty?”
“You’re stunning.”
It wasn’t just “pretty”—it was beautiful. It felt like looking at a mature woman. The noona who usually seemed cold had transformed into someone warm and gentle.
“Then I’ll wear this while we walk around.”
“You will?”
Just thinking about walking around with her like this already had my heart pounding.
“So where do you want to go now?”
“Where? Now we have to buy your clothes.”
“Ah.”
I had been so focused on looking at clothes for an entire hour that I had completely forgotten. I hadn’t looked at a single thing for myself. Still, it was fine.
“Let’s go right now.”
There was still a lot of day left.