Because I Want to Date a Woman (1)
"Whew..."
Downtown Los Angeles, USA. I was sitting in a parked car, waiting.
It's a bit uncomfortable.
I had to spend the evening with a woman, and since we were heading to a fancy theater, I'd gone and gotten a suit fitted. But this being America, it hadn't come out quite perfect. I'd never been the type to buy much of anything back home, and I'd packed as light as possible when I came to the States—so now I was paying the price for it.
Still, it was merely uncomfortable, not so bad that anyone would wrinkle their nose at me, so I decided to just grit my teeth and bear it.
Oh, looks like she's coming.
I was waiting for Hannah in front of an apartment building, and through the window I caught a glimpse of someone heading this way. Come to think of it, this apartment was far flashier than the one I lived in. A rich girl, huh? Well, with that face, that education, and that career on top of it all, odds were good she'd come from a well-off family.
I reached over and unlocked the passenger door.
Swish.
The door opened.
"Sorry, I'm a little late, aren't I?"
"Not at all."
Two minutes, to be exact. I'd scheduled the date with plenty of buffer, so it was well within tolerance. That wasn't the problem, though.
"The suit looks great on you."
"Haha... thank you."
That was her line to say. Hannah, dressed in a pink mini dress with her hair loosely pulled back, was so beautiful I nearly forgot to breathe. A completely different charm from the neatly put-together woman I'd met at Daryl's.
"Let's get going."
"Okay."
With my brain apparently short-circuiting, I tossed out some inane remark and pulled away from the curb. All the way to our destination, my degraded language skills refused to recover.
"We're here."
"Yes..."
What poured fuel on my awkwardness was the sight of the Hollywood streets.
So this is America, huh.
It wasn't the towering-wall-of-skyscrapers feeling of downtown LA, but lights spilled everywhere like something straight out of a movie. Traffic had gotten fairly congested since we entered this part of town, yet I couldn't summon a single flicker of irritation.
We arrived at the theater and handed the car off to the valet.
"..."
I'd wanted to pull off a suave escort, at least once. Failed. Instead, Hannah was the one smoothly guiding me along.
"It's this way."
"Ah—right!"
Which was fair, considering I'd only been in the country a short while. But a man wants to show off a little, you know?
"This place hasn't changed one bit."
"You've been here before?"
"I've come here more than anywhere else in LA. It's less noisy than the other venues."
"Ah..."
At her words, my brain began spinning rapidly. This place—the David Theater in LA—was expensive and hard to book. So she really is from serious money.
Still, no need to feel small. The seats I'd reserved for tonight were the most expensive in the house—a cool five thousand dollars per person. Without the S-Rank hunter benefits package, I couldn't have gotten a booking at all.
And tonight was opening night for a musical that had been drawing enormous anticipation. Honestly, I didn't know much about it myself, but a woman who did would surely find it special.
"Looks like we timed it perfectly."
"Yes, it's nice."
Right before the curtain rose, I kept up my stream of empty small talk. Then, while sneaking glances around, I found my head turning to the side without my meaning to.
Huh?
Those two people seated over there—no way. A famous middle-aged actor couple from Hollywood? Even I, who knew next to nothing about American entertainment, recognized them—articles about them popped up in Korea all the time.
"Hannah, aren't those two over there Johnny and Amber?"
"Hmm, yes, they are."
Hannah nodded at the famous couple as if it were nothing worth noting.
"Celebrities do tend to show up on opening nights. Does it bother you?"
"No, not at all."
Nothing about it bothered me. It was just a little surreal.
Let's see, there was still a bit of time before the show started...
Huh?
Another familiar face appeared. A woman who had just taken her seat.
Can't quite recall her name, though.
Oh, right—Maria Hwang. Taiwanese-American. Two years ago, give or take, she was a hugely famous designer in the US, and after she got linked to a singer with national-idol-level fame in Korea, the Korean press latched onto her. She even appeared on the one terrestrial TV program I actually watched.
A woman in her forties with an incredibly elegant presence. Word was she dressed head to toe in luxury brands most people could never get their hands on.
Oh?
She was walking this way.
"Hannah! Imagine seeing you here."
She greeted Hannah beside me, and I rose from my seat as well.
"It's been a while."
"Hasn't it? Is your father in good health? I saw your mother at the party recently."
"I haven't seen either of them in quite some time, but I'm sure they're doing well."
"Aren't you about to graduate?"
"Yes, just recently. I'm working at the Hunter Association now."
My, how ambitious—told you so. But who's beside her?
"This is Hunter Lee Dohyeon of the American Hunter Association. He's an S-Rank, active on one of the top strike teams."
"S-Rank? Isn't that extraordinarily high? At such a young age, too."
"Haha..."
It made my skin prickle, and I had nothing to say. Shouting I've seen you on TV! would have been ridiculous in its own right.
But Hannah, who exactly is this person?
Someone that famous was coming over to say hello first. And judging by how she brought up Hannah's parents, she knew them somehow. Could Hannah's parents be someone truly special?
Anyway, once a suitable round of pleasantries had passed between the two women, Maria Hwang took her leave.
"Hannah, are your parents designers?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Maria Hwang—she's a designer well known even in Korea."
"I suppose she is. A designer, though... my mother did it briefly, but my father never has. He runs an investment firm."
"An investment firm?"
"Oh, you don't know."
"..."
"Steve Kapeltz. That's my father's name. He doesn't make much of a public showing, so I suppose he wouldn't be well known in Korea."
I nodded at Hannah's words, then secretly searched on my phone.
The results came back fast, and my jaw hit the floor.
Steve Kapeltz, owner of the investment firm Kapeltz Group. Net worth of twenty billion dollars? That's over thirty trillion won? What even is a number that size? And his age—seventies? Just how many years apart were he and Hannah?
Against my will, I found myself guessing that Hannah's mother and father must have quite an age gap between them as well. In any case, Hannah was the daughter of an absolutely staggering family. If anything, the apartment she lived in was below her station.
"Your father is... an incredible man, Hannah."
"He's certainly been materially successful."
"Hahaha... I feel like I've wandered somewhere far above my station tonight—famous actors, a world-class designer, and you, Hannah, on top of it all."
The words slipped out before I could stop them, and Hannah didn't answer. Did I come off like an idiot? Honestly, thinking it over a few seconds later, it probably did sound that way.
"Hmm, I don't know about that? You're here, aren't you?"
"Me?"
"Yes. Is there anyone in this theater greater than you?"
"..."
Hannah said it while looking me dead in the eyes. I wanted to come back with something smooth, but nothing came.
Around the same time, in South Korea.
Korea was abuzz with the news that Lee Min-gi had been selected as the new national strike team leader.
Korea had appointed its new strike team leader, and was now bracing and preparing while it waited for an S-Rank gate—one that had yet to appear—to manifest on home soil.
A generation that believed that, however hard it might be, they would find a way to clear any gate that came. And so the visible age of peace marched steadily onward.
"If there hadn't been so many people, I'd have suggested a walk in the park."
"This rooftop is plenty spacious as it is, isn't it?"
The musical had ended, and we'd enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a fine restaurant. Afterward, I led Hannah up to the rooftop terrace above the restaurant building, where we took in the view.
Maybe I should bring up the musical?
Hannah had seemed contentedly absorbed in it, so we hadn't even discussed it over dinner. And honestly, I'd loved it. At first I was so distracted having Hannah next to me that I couldn't focus, but I forced myself to concentrate, got drawn in, and by the final act I was genuinely moved, applauding with everything I had.
Though tonight, most of my attention had been fixed on Hannah the whole time anyway.
Hannah.
Truthfully, asking her out had been closer to a leap of faith than a plan. I'd come to America determined to change, so I'd simply shot my shot at the most beautiful woman in front of me. But now that I'd learned she was even more extraordinary than I'd imagined, I found myself hesitating.
"It's not too hot out, is it?"
"It's fine."
Hannah, gazing out at the night view, nodded.
If this woman were mine.
It would be the best thing in the world. I want to date Hannah. Even if, right now, what I feel is just infatuation with her looks. It's true I hesitate a little—but she said it herself. That I'm an extraordinary person too.
Still, shouldn't we at least meet three times before trying anything? In Korea, that's the unwritten rule. And I don't want to say goodnight right here and now—something in me wants more time with her.
"Um, Hannah."
"Yes?"
I hesitated, then opened my mouth. Because I didn't speak right away, she turned her head to look at me.
"Could we spend a little more time together, just the two of us, tonight?"
"..."
Damn it.
That came out wrong, didn't it? It probably sounded like I meant something else entirely. But the way she was suddenly staring at me left me completely flustered.
"Pfft."
"...Huh?"
Out of nowhere, Hannah covered her mouth and giggled.
Oh no. Oh no no no.
And then, all at once, she stepped close to me.
"Is that how you phrase it in Korea?"
"..."
"That you want me?"
Huh?
Hannah was so breathtaking up close that I froze solid. She slipped into my arms, tilted her face up toward mine, and slowly closed her eyes.
This isn't how it's supposed to go.
But I was already lost in those eyes.