The Date
“Hyun-soo, are you ready?”
Jung Na-yeon rose from her seat as she asked.
“Almost!”
Hyun-soo’s voice floated out from the master bedroom.
Na-yeon turned the car key over and over in her palm, murmuring half to herself.
“Obviously I’m driving, so you just handle the navigation.”
She gave her reflection one last check in the mirror beside the shoe cabinet. Sky-blue blouse, A-line skirt, shoulder bag. The makeup had settled perfectly, and she had left her hair in its natural soft waves. Looking at herself, she decided she had every right to feel confident. Or at least, she wanted to believe that. A woman who wouldn’t look out of place beside Hyun-soo.
The thought made her cheeks flush; she cooled them with the back of her hand.
“Hurry up. Let’s leave before the parking lot gets too sunny.”
“Got it~”
Na-yeon opened the front door and stepped outside. Cool air slipped between the buttons of her blouse; she squinted against the sunlight and thought, I hope today lasts forever.
“Do I look okay?”
She turned back toward the doorway and stopped cold at the sight of Hyun-soo emerging from the bedroom. Linen shirt, khaki pants, even the Air Maxes they had bought together last time. Her eyes traveled slowly up and down his frame.
His dandy cut left his forehead lightly exposed. The sleeves rolled to the elbows drew her gaze to his forearms.
“Okay?”
She folded her arms and looked him over again. Her eyes narrowed in appraisal, but the corners of her mouth lifted just a fraction.
“I picked the clothes, so of course you look fine.”
“True. You chose them, after all.”
Hyun-soo grinned with shameless charm, and Na-yeon huffed a soft laugh.
She stepped closer and straightened his collar with her fingertips. When her skin brushed the side of his neck she paused for a heartbeat, then pulled away as if nothing had happened.
“Watch the fold here. If the collar wrinkles, the whole look is ruined.”
“Okay.”
She took a step back and surveyed him once more. It was hard to believe this was the same man who, two weeks ago, had opened the door of unit 301 in a wrinkled T-shirt and sweatpants.
A quiet pride bloomed in her chest at the knowledge that the change had come from her own hands. She tilted her head slightly.
“Honestly, you’re handsome.”
“I’ve always had a good face.”
“You always say that the second someone compliments you. Still… looking like this, maybe you wouldn’t have fallen behind on rent.”
She gave his arm a playful tap.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Figure it out yourself.”
As they stepped outside she slid her sunglasses up onto her head.
On the short walk to the parking lot she drifted close enough that their shoulders nearly brushed.
Na-yeon opened the driver’s door of the Grandeur and glanced back at him. Sunlight caught the coral eyeshadow and rose tint on her lips.
“Get in. Thirty minutes to Hongdae.”
She started the engine and watched him settle into the passenger seat. When she stole a look at his profile and nearly met his eyes, she quickly shifted into gear and pulled out of the lot. The soft scent of her perfume filled the car.
“Na-yeon. Earlier you asked what I was going to call you. I’m going to say you’re my girlfriend.”
Her grip tightened on the wheel. The car swayed for a second inside the lane.
She kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, pretending to concentrate on driving, but the skin around her eyes had gone pink.
“Are you crazy? You know I’m wearing a wedding ring.”
She lifted her left hand just enough for the band on her ring finger to catch the light.
Yet her expression was anything but firm. She curled her fingers as if the ring itself were an annoyance, then returned her hand to the wheel.
“You’re going to introduce a married woman as your girlfriend? What will people think?”
Her voice tried to scold, but it trembled at the edges.
“How would anyone know you’re married? They won’t if we don’t say anything.”
“……”
When the light turned red she looked over at him.
“Girlfriend?”
She rolled the word around in her mouth, tasting it. It was a word her husband had never used—not even ten years ago. Their match had been arranged from the start; the courtship had been short. Instead of “girlfriend” she had gone straight to “fiancée.” Na-yeon rested her forehead briefly against the steering wheel and let out a long breath.
“This is ridiculous. Girlfriend? Does that even make sense?”
The light changed. She pressed the accelerator and stared ahead.
But she kept feeling her mouth curve upward and covered it with one hand.
She turned up the ballad playing softly in the car. The Hongdae exit signs began to appear.
Na-yeon glanced at the passenger seat and murmured in a low voice,
“I’ll leave the ring in the car when we get out.”
She turned her face to the window after saying it, but in the rearview mirror her lips were unmistakably smiling.
Once they parked in Hongdae she slipped the ring from her finger and dropped it into the console box before stepping out. The moment she closed the door and turned, Hyun-soo’s hand closed naturally around hers.
“Hey, there are people everywhere…”
Her protest trailed off; her fingers were already laced with his.
“You’re my girlfriend. What’s the problem?”
He sounded completely unbothered.
As they entered the street the weekend crowd closed around them. Passing an alley alive with busking music, Na-yeon squeezed his hand, released it, then squeezed again.
“Looks like a new café opened. Want to check it out?”
She tugged him toward the glass front, studying the interior.
“Cute place.”
Hyun-soo looked around as they stepped inside.
They ordered two Americanos and sat across from each other by the window. While he studied the menu, Na-yeon simply watched him.
“What are you staring at?”
When he looked up she quickly averted her eyes.
“You were looking at me first.”
“You’re imagining things.”
Her flustered denial made him chuckle.
“Earlier in the parking lot a couple was watching us.”
“They probably thought we were a couple too.”
“You think so?”
She asked as if doubtful, but the corners of her mouth had already risen.
They finished their coffee, chatting easily, then wandered the Hongdae alleys. In a vintage shop Na-yeon held earrings up to her ears and asked how they looked. They bought street snacks and shared them; when sauce clung to the corner of his mouth she wiped it away with a napkin—then, startled by her own gesture, pulled her hand back and cleared her throat.
“It was just messy. Don’t get any ideas.”
“What ideas?”
Hyun-soo grinned.
When they passed a photo booth her feet stopped. She remembered the four-cut strips she had seen on SNS earlier. Looking at him, she said,
“Should we take one? Just once.”
“You want to?”
“Just… because.”
Seeing her trail off, Hyun-soo took the lead. He pulled her by the hand into the narrow booth.
The curtain closed; in the dim space their shoulders pressed together. As the countdown began she slipped her arm through his and faced the camera. The flash fired—and in that instant Na-yeon leaned in and pressed her lips to his cheek. Only after the fourth shot did they step out; she fanned her burning face with her hand.
“Give me a copy too. One of them.”
“They came out well, right? Anyone would think we’re a couple.”
Na-yeon stopped walking to examine the strip. She pointed at the last frame—her lips against his cheek—and flushed deeper.
“It really… looks like a couple.”
She murmured the admission under her breath.
She slid the photos carefully into the inner zippered pocket of her bag and turned her head away.
“Can’t lose them.”
“Planning to treasure them?”
“……”
She didn’t answer, but the silence was answer enough.
As the sun dipped lower, streetlamps began to light one by one along the alleys. Na-yeon followed where Hyun-soo led and looked up at a pasta-house sign. An Italian restaurant with ivy climbing its red-brick walls. Inside, soft lighting and jazz piano wrapped around them. The waiter showed them to a window table for two; Na-yeon sat and opened the menu.
“The atmosphere’s nice. How did you find this place?”
“I looked it up at the café. Wanted somewhere decent.”
“You’ve got good taste.”
“Basic skill.”
She ran a finger down the wine list and pointed to a bottle of red.
“I’m driving, so just a sip or two for me. You drink as much as you want.”
After the waiter took their order she studied Hyun-soo’s face in the quiet. The lighting fell across his linen shirt and sharpened the line of his jaw.
“You really are handsome today. I’ll admit it.”
“Only today?”
“Yeah.”
“Harsh.”
His reply made her eyes curve into a smile.
When the wine arrived he poured for both of them.
“What should we toast to?”
“To our future?”
“Our future?”
The idea of a future that belonged to the two of them. Na-yeon considered it for a moment, then smiled.
“All right. To that.”
She tilted her glass lightly. The red wine left her lips a deeper crimson.
When the pasta came she twirled a forkful, took a bite, then reached across to his plate.
“Just one bite. I want to try yours too.”
She tasted his pasta and her eyes widened.
“This is good too. Want to switch?”
Under the candlelight her laughter mixed with the jazz.
“You sure?”
Hyun-soo asked with a soft laugh.
“Idiot, I’m kidding. My vongole’s better.”
They traded light jokes and ate with real appetite.
Na-yeon wound the last strands of pasta onto her fork and took another small sip of wine.
Hyun-soo finished his glass cleanly and stood.
“I’ll get the check.”
“No need. You brought me somewhere nice—I’m paying.”
She pulled out her phone, paid with a smile, and added,
“Save your money. When you start earning, you can treat me next time.”
“Okay.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah.”
They stepped out of the restaurant into the evening breeze that brushed their collars. Hyun-soo’s hand settled around her waist; she leaned into him, resting her shoulder against his side.
“Your hand’s cold.”
Neon signs of the nightlife district spilled over them. Amid the passing crowds Na-yeon felt the weight of his arm around her waist and made no move to push it away.