It started with the daisies. They were ding-dong-ditched at her doorstep, two dozen of them wrapped in light pink paper that looked like lace, each petal crisp and clean and blindingly white around the bright yellow centers. The deliveryperson must have been a ninja in another life. Pastels, it seemed, were the order of the day, and she found a salmon-colored envelope tucked neatly into the pale green ribbon that tied the bouquet together. Inside, a small card read, "Älskade, happy White Day." She traced the raised curlicues on the paper, smiling to herself.

Ga Eul stepped back inside, feet shuffling in her fuzzy slippers, and put the bouquet into the flowers-from-Yi-Jeong vase on her coffee table, arranging them just so. She leaned in to smell them and shrugged. Didn't smell like anything. They were certainly beautiful, though, and her heart did a happy dance in her chest as she moved to the kitchen to set her tea kettle on the stove. She stretched lazily and yawned as she waited for the water to boil. Opening a cabinet, she reached up to grab her favorite yellow mug. There was a slip of paper in it. "On the top shelf." Simultaneously pleased and irritated—she wasn't tall enough to look up there unassisted—she dragged a chair over from the dining table. Standing on her tiptoes on the sturdy wooden chair, she peeked at the top shelf. There, behind a stack of blue ceramic plates and a stash of extra chopsticks, she found a medium-sized white box. Pulling it out, she saw another envelope taped to the top.

"I'd have left these outside with the flowers, but I know how you are about suspicious foods on your doorstep. ("What?" she protested. "You never know who might have tampered with it!") Everything's been arranged. You've got the day off today, and I hope I'm not being presumptuous when I assume you'll spend it with me. Call me after you get ready."

She sighed and grabbed the phone from the counter next to the living room. He answered after two rings.

"Chagiya, you're ready already?" His voice came through the line.

"Yah, So Yi Jung! Isn't this too high-handed? Why do I have the day off today?" The tea kettle started whistling in the background. She moved to turn off the stove.

"Just this once! It's a special day today." He had already turned on his first line of defense; she could practically hear the puppy-dog eyes through the phone. "I won't make a habit of it, I promise!"

…

"Ga Eul-yang?" Tentatively.

Ugh. Fine. She blew out a breath. "Don't think I'll let you get away with this in the future."

"I won't."

"…I can hear you smirking!" She huffed as his husky laugh filled her ear.

"I'll see you in ten minutes?"

She looked down at her baggy sweater and leggings, and thought about the bed head she had seen as she brushed her teeth. Then she thought longingly about her tea. "Thirty."

"Fifteen?" he countered.

Tea… "Make it twenty and you've got yourself a deal."

"It's the tea, isn't it?"

"Always."

He chuckled. "I'll see you in twenty minutes."

"Sunbae!" she hurried to stop him before he hung up. Softly, she added, "Thank you for the daisies."

"They're your favorite, right?"

"Mmm…" she murmured.

"Do you like the chocolates?"

She turned back to the forgotten box on the countertop. Love was written in silver lettering across the lid, surrounded by a delicate pattern of sparkling leaves. Opening it, she found five rows of round white chocolates. Another five rows rested in the layer beneath. She chose one at random and bit into it, then peered at it curiously. "Oh, my gosh, Yi Jeong. Even the filling is white!"

He laughed again. "I take it you like them, then?"

Her eyes were still wide. "I'm amazed. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now hurry. Twenty minutes, remember?"

"Araso, araso. Bye."

"Bye."

Polishing off the piece of chocolate, she glanced speculatively at the others lying in the box. Hmm…

Within ten minutes, she had her hair combed and her clothes changed. She settled happily onto the sofa, tea mug in hand and chocolate box in her lap. Her eyes closed as she drank her tea. She leaned back against the cushions. Spending the day with Yi Jeong…Her toes wiggled as happiness suffused her.

The doorbell rang when she was on her fifth piece of chocolate. She opened the door to find Yi Jeong smiling down at her. He wore silver bow tie with a crisp white dress shirt, neatly tucked in to white slacks. It was a good thing he was wearing black shoes. If they had been white, he would have looked ridiculous. As it were, he looked like a white-knight-in-shining-armor, and Ga Eul felt just the slightest bit dazed at his attractiveness.

He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Good morning." From behind his back, he withdrew another bouquet. "For you."

She accepted them wordlessly. Lilies. She fingered a smooth petal, smiled. "They're beautiful. Thank you." She kissed his cheek and blushingly looked down at the flowers. "I'll just go put these in water."

He took off his shoes, sliding his feet into slippers and following her inside. "Did you sleep well?" He called out to her.

"Yes. Did you?" Her voice floated back from the kitchen.

"Mm-hmm." He ducked into the kitchen and nodded, grinning at the chair still propped in front of the open cabinet. Ga Eul stood at the sink, filling a vase. Gently, he closed the cabinet door before moving the chair back. He watched as Ga Eul carefully transported the vase, now filled with flowers, over to the dining table. Mission complete, she looked up at him.

"Sunbae, have you ever celebrated White Day before?"

He shrugged. "No. Why?"

She giggled. "You do know that White Day doesn't mean that everything has to be white, right?"

He grinned at her, all mischief and charm. "I know. I go the extra mile."

She scoffed, but she couldn't hold in an answering smile. "You are such a strange potato."

"A strange potato?" He gave her a skeptical look.

"Min Hee called Han Chul that yesterday during recess. I thought it fit." She shrugged airily.

He laughed at her. "Okay, then." He slipped his hand around hers. "Ready to go?"

She nodded in reply. "Where are we going?"

"Date." He replied cheekily as they put on their shoes. She punched him lightly in the arm before he folded their fingers together again. They walked to his car. "It's a secret."

He opened the passenger side door and handed her in, closing the door after her before walking around to the driver's side and getting in. The Lotus pulled away from the curb.

They travelled to the outskirts of the city. Ga Eul stuck her hand out of the rolled-down window, feeling the wind trail between her fingers. It was so quiet here—no traffic or bustling noises—and greenery stretched as far as her eyes could see. Her fingers curled slightly, as if to hold it in the open space against her palm, before she pulled her hand back in. She turned to Yi Jeong.

"Are we there yet?" She asked impishly.

"No." He replied with exaggerated patience. The effect was ruined, though, by the smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Almost." He took her hand in his, bringing their clasped hands to rest on the console between them. Idly, he played with her fingers.

Five minutes later, they pulled up in a park. Ga Eul looked at Yi Jeong, a question in her eyes.

"Picnic," he responded with a grin, halfway out of the car. Rounding the Lotus, he popped the trunk. From the space he retrieved a large picnic basket, arranged just so by his housekeeper. Ga Eul had already gotten out as well; he shut the trunk, set the car alarm, and snagged her fingers with his. Hand-in-hand, they walked slowly, shoulders bumping occasionally. Yi Jeong led them to the spot he had picked out the week before, an area surrounded by dogwood trees. Lover's Lane, it was called, for the picturesque scene presented by the snowy white blossoms that dotted the trees and the occasional petals that floated through the air. Ga Eul gaped, wide-eyed, as Yi Jeong pulled her towards the shade of the largest tree. From the basket, he withdrew a large white blanket, which he shook out and placed on the ground. Wordlessly, he motioned for her to sit. They took their shoes off and sat in the middle of the blanket, his arm around her as they contemplated their surroundings. After a few minutes, she sighed and laid her head on his shoulder.

"This is a good place, sunbae." She tilted her head up from its resting place to smile up at him, her eyes sparkling. He smiled back and leaned down until their lips brushed softly for a fleeting moment. Ga Eul's eyes closed anyway, as they did whenever he kissed her, and the familiarity of the bashful movement filled him with emotion.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," she whispered back.

They stayed that way for a while, and Yi Jeong absorbed the peace that settled around them. It wrapped like balm around his heart, soothing.

The silence was broken by the gurgle of his stomach. Ga Eul laughed and poked him teasingly in the belly. "Didn't you eat breakfast?"

"No. I was too nervous about our date today." How could a girl not melt when her boyfriend said something like that?

Yi Jeong continued. "Do you want to eat?"

She nodded her assent, and reluctantly moved her head from his shoulder. He reached for the basket at the corner of the blanket. From it emerged several heat- and/or chill-retaining containers. One held milk, another porridge purchased from the old shop. A third held egg-white omelettes with white button mushrooms. The last held…

"…Vanilla ice cream? Really, sunbae?" She looked at him incredulously.

"What? It's dessert."

She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her as she surveyed the meal laid before them on the picnic blanket. His dedication to the white theme even extended to lunch. It was rather sweet.

A sudden frown marred his brow. "It looks unappetizing, doesn't it? All the white?"

"Well…" she hesitated, "It does look a little…bland." She reached up to rub the space between his eyebrows. "But I'm sure it will taste wonderful." His brow now unfurrowed, she moved her hand to cup his cheek. "Thank you putting in so much effort. I'm being spoiled rotten by you."

He turned his face to place a kiss in the center of her palm. "Not possible. Let's eat."

The omelettes were fluffy, the porridge perfectly seasoned, the milk rich and the ice cream smooth, proving his fears unfounded. They sat, contented.

"What do you want to do now?" Yi Jeong asked. "Leave or stay the afternoon?"

"Could we just stay? Talk?" She asked, lulled by the gentle quiet and a full stomach.

So they talked. She secretly wanted to have twins. He knew he was going to be an overprotective father. She broke a CD case when she was seven and blamed it on her cousin. He hated asparagus. She wanted to learn film. He used to be convinced that he'd become a power ranger when he grew up. She was awful at darts, but played a mean poker game. He could dance a polka, and carrots made him sick. She had her eyebrows shaven off by Jandi when they were nine. He hated all of Shakespeare's tragedies. They spoke of shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings, hopes and dreams and fears and thoughts and memories that all blended into each other meaninglessly, meaningfully. In this way, two hours passed. Ga Eul fell asleep first, lashes dark against her cheekbones and breaths measured and even. Yi Jeong lay on his back beside her, head turned to watch her sleep. He thought about love and life and her and him and a million different things under the sun before finally sliding into slumber.

They awoke some time later, eyes squinting in the afternoon sun.

"Hey." He said simply.

"Hey." She responded.

"Did you have a good nap?" He watched as she rubbed her eyes.

"Mm…I dreamed about something good." Her smile was still drowsy.

"What was it?" He propped his head up with a hand.

"I don't know. I can't remember." She closed her eyes again.

"How do you know it was good, then?" He watched her, still enamored with the way she looked with sunlight playing against her features.

"Because I remember feeling happy." She opened one eye to peek at him. "I can feel you staring at me."

He laughed and flicked her on the nose. "Do you want to go?" he asked.

"If I can get up." She said lazily. "It's really comfortable, lying here."

"Be that as it may," he stood up and leaned down to pull her into a standing position, "we should probably leave soon.

"Be that as it may," he stood up and leaned down to pull her into a standing position, "we should probably leave soon. You can go home and take a nap in an actual bed before dinner."

"Dinner?" she repeated. "What dinner? What else do you have up your sleeve?"

"I am a man of mystery." He smirked.

Together, they repacked the basket and folded up the blanket. Hand-in-hand, they set off again back to the car. They made a pretty picture, the young couple, her bright pink skirt a shock of color next to his white ensemble, the green of the park surrounding them and fine white petals floating in the air.

When they got back, he walked her to her door and watched as she let herself in. "I'll pick you up at six." He kissed her goodbye, and waited until she had relocked the door to leave. She dropped her keys into the bowl by the entryway and took off her shoes. Sighing, she plopped herself down on the couch, taking a few minutes to indulge in what her mother called "mooning over Yi Jeong" before pulling out a thick binder to review her lesson plans.

He knocked on her door at five forty-five. "Wear a dress," he had said when he called an hour earlier. He'd refused to explain why, but it seemed likely that they were going to a nice restaurant, so she had dressed accordingly. Looking at him, she thought about how unfair it was. She had put on an entirely different outfit and changed her hair and makeup, while he had simply added a silver suit jacket to the clothes he had been wearing that afternoon. He still managed to look as if he'd just stepped out of a GQ ad.

"Why is it," she cocked her head, "that you barely have to dress up and you still look like you're ready to meet the President?"

He laughed. "I don't know? But you look beautiful."

She looked down at her feet and smiled shyly. "Thank you. It's a new dress."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Here." He handed her a bouquet of white roses.

"More flowers?" She arched a brow.

"What, you don't like them?" He mimed hurt.

"No, I love them!" She said hurriedly. "It's just a lot of flowers…"

"Accept them with grace, Älskade." He said it teasingly.

"Araso." Looking around, she said, "But I don't think I have anyplace to put them now." She decided to just leave them in the kitchen sink for the time being.

Accepting Yi Jeong's outstretched hand, she was escorted outside, where she was met with the sight of…a carriage?

It looked like something out of a fairy tale, a gleaming ivory carriage drawn by a pair of stately horses.

"Sunbae…" She gaped. "Isn't this too overboard?"

"No." He pulled her from her stock-still shock, handing her in and following her up. Swinging onto the bench beside her, he continued, "It's our first White Day. I wanted it to be memorable."

"I…" She was still at a loss for words. Latching onto what thoughts she had, she blurted, "This isn't our first White Day."

"Well," he said patiently, "It's our first White Day together. And it needs to be special."

She reached for his hand. "It's special just being able to spend the day with you. But…thank you for putting so much effort into this." She snuggled her head into his shoulder. "It's spectacular."

They rode in a comfortable silence, his thumb rubbing circles on her hand. The bench was richly cushioned, with upholstery that felt like velvet. Through the open window, she could see the rich colors of the darkening sky. When the horses stopped, Yi Jeong got off first and handed her down. Ga Eul looked around breathlessly.

"Another park?" she teased.

He wouldn't meet her eyes. "I think parks are romantic." Was that a blush on his cheeks? Could it be possible? Before she had a chance to rib him about it, he pulled her to him and hugged her. Surprised, she hesitated before wrapping her arms around his neck. They stayed like that for a while, and she breathed in his clean Yi Jeong smell. When they separated, he picked up her hand again.

He led her to a glass-enclosed gazebo. Inside was a small circular table covered with a crisp lacy tablecloth, flanked by two chairs. Three long candles sat in the middle of the table, flickering brightly. Wound all around the perimeter and the ceiling of the room were strings and strings of twinkle lights.

She seemed to be spending an inordinate amount of time being speechless today. It felt as if she'd stepped back in time into a fairytale. Yi Jeong pulled out her chair for her. She barely remembered sitting down, concentrating on taking in the designs on the tablecloth, the patterns on the china, the carnation set next to her cutlery.

Her racing thoughts calmed just in time for the first course, steaming soup. She sipped at it, blowing at her spoon softly to cool it down.

Yi Jeong broke the silence first. "What did you do this afternoon?"

She told him about the lesson plans she had revised, and he asked about her students. They talked about the children's antics, and Ga Eul's own forays into pottery. He told her about the exhibition he was working on, and the problems he was having negotiating with the museum's board of directors. They talked about the books they were reading—The Art of War and selected works of Aristotle—and the true nature of happiness. She told him about the new boyband she had found, and how cute the guitar player was—not nearly as handsome as Yi Jeong, though, she assured the man in question. He told her about Jae Kyung's latest exploits, and how Woobin was going crazy—that boy needed to stop being so stubborn and see what was in front of him. In this way, they finished off a plate of fish with cauliflower and moved to dessert—cheesecake with sparkling cider.

"You have a way," Ga Eul commented, "Of feeding me until I feel exceptionally fat and lazy." She put a hand over her stomach.

"Do you need to rest, then?" A distinctly mischievous look came over his face.

"Before what?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"Surprise." Cheeky. So cheeky.

She continued to scrutinize him for a few moments. He came over to stand by her chair. She took his proffered hand and slowly conceded to his secrecy. "Okay."

He led her back to the carriage. "One last stop," he said before handing her up.

She wondered where they were going. After Yi Jeong got in and the horses began to trot again, she grinned. "It's a wonder no one is outside staring at us."

"Lucky, isn't it?" he remarked. "Almost as if I got someone to make sure the road would be empty today." His lips quirked.

She gave him a confused look.

"Chagiya, how do you think I would have ensured the safety of a horse-drawn carriage on a street full of cars?"

"Oh." She blushed. "I hadn't thought about it."

An unreadable look came over his face, and he bent down, smile fading, to kiss her softly. She sighed into the kiss, hands coming up to find purchase on his arms. His lips moved gently on hers. It was so much nicer to have a boyfriend who was in Korea and not Sweden…He pulled away reluctantly, giving her a series of soft, sipping kisses to soften their parting. "We're here."

She refused to open her eyes, instead curling into his chest. "Mmm…"

"Chagiya…" He kissed her hair before setting her away from him. "Come on. I've got a surprise for you." He held up a blindfold.

She looked at him inquisitively before closing her eyes, acquiescing. He tied it gently, careful not to muss her hair. This done, he jumped lightly from the carriage and lifted her down.

"I hope you realize," she said conversationally, "That I have absolutely no coordination when blindfolded. Wherever you're taking me needs to be about five steps away, unless you want to take half an hour to get there."

"Not worried," he replied. "Watch your step."

She floundered, her grip on his hands tightening as she lifted her right foot, trying to locate the irregularity in the ground in front of her. Her toes touched down carefully, only to find that the ground was completely level. "Yi Jeong!" She scolded.

He was laughing. "Just checking to see how much you trust me. And to see if your blindfold works."

"Well, I do and it does." She said grouchily. "Now will you please guide me properly?"

He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "You ruin all the fun."

She swatted him away.

"You would have done the same to me." He had leaned in again. "Admit it."

She thought about how silly she must have looked, blindfolded, leg raised inordinately high, taking twenty seconds too long to take a step. Then she imagined Yi Jeong doing the same. The grin twitched at the corners of her mouth before she determinedly held it back. "No."

Eight more steps. "Okay, this is a real stair." He helped her up, led her three steps in.

His hands let go of hers and repositioned themselves at the knot at the back of her head. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yes," she said impatiently.

The blindfold fell away from her eyes, and she was greeted with the sight of a mannequin in a dress. It looked familiar, and she tilted her head as she considered the ivory folds. Her mother's wedding dress? She turned to look at Yi Jeong, eyes growing impossibly wide as she found him on one knee behind her.

Looking up at her astonished face, he smiled self-deprecatingly. "White flowers, white food, white outfit…even the ring box is white. Cheesy, right?"

She still didn't respond, all huge brown eyes as she looked down at him.

He looked up at her, solemn now. "Come live with me and be my Love/And we will all the pleasures prove/That hills and valleys, dale and field/And all the craggy mountains yield." Christopher Marlowe. She was completely overwhelmed, and he was quoting Christopher Marlowe. It was such a silly contrast that she wanted to laugh. He continued."Ga Eul-yang...I love you. Will you marry me?"

It was a simple proposal, not dressed up with pretty words or compliments. And it was perfect. He looked so wonderful, so earnest and handsome. Her heart felt full near to bursting.

"Yes." Her smile was watery. She laughed, happy down to her bones.

He stood up. Carefully, he slid the ring onto her fourth finger. It slipped into place, and Ga Eul barely had time to wiggle her fingers and feel the new weight before Yi Jeong lifted her off her feet and spun her around. Half screaming and half giggling, she held onto his shoulders for dear life. When he finally stopped and set her down, it was to kiss her.

"I love you." He mumbled against her lips, unwilling to move any farther away.

"I love you, too." She whispered back. He kissed her again, then withdrew. Gathering her up in his arms, he began to waltz them around the room. She couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out of her. "What are you doing?"

"Dancing with you." He hummed an indistinguishable melody under his breath, one-two-three-ing them around the room. They halted in front of the mannequin. "Your mother's wedding dress and my mother's tiara and veil. Do you like it?"

Her eyes misted as she nodded. "Perfect."

He started to dance them around again. "Happy White Day, Ga Eul-yang."

She settled against his shoulder. "Happy White Day, sunbae."