Una Mattina - You or Nothing

Chapter 5: Seeing Double

3 Days Ago

"I know you're in there, Ha Neul!" Myeong called out from outside, ringing the doorbell several times. She huffed as she adjusted her position in her heels. "Come on, I can hear you playing that music again. My feet are getting tired out here."

Myeong rang the doorbell continuously again for a whole minute before she heard the door unlock. Slowly, the door revealed her friend, clad in pajamas under a pink robe.

"What are you doing here?" Ha Neul asked, looking widely surprised at her presence.

"Well, you weren't picking up my calls, despite me saying it was urgent," Myeong sighed, pushing her way inside the door.

"Yes, come in," Ha Neul mumbled to herself as she closed the door behind them.

"What have you been up to in the past couple of weeks, babe?" Myeong asked, setting her handbag in the sitting room. "The girls have been dying to see you."

"Work's been keeping me busy," Ha Neul lied easily. She went to the kitchen to fix up some refreshments for her guest. "You want a beer?"

"Sparkling, if you have any." Myeong sat down on the couch, sighing as she leaned back. "Did you say work? Another jingle gig? Did that perfume one pan out?"

That was ages ago, Ha Neul wanted to say, but bit her tongue. "Yes, exactly that one. I've been losing sleep over it."

Myeong smiled sweetly at her. "Poor Ha Neul. I told you, you could always come work at our music agency. You could make some hit pop songs for me."

"I'll think about it," Ha Neul shrugged, picking up a couple of glasses.

"But you're free now, aren't you?"

Ha Neul instinctively reached for the small bandage on her chest that was covered by her robe. "Sort of. Why?"

Myeong waited for her to come to the sitting room with the tray of refreshments. "I have a…favor to ask of you."

"Okay," Ha Neul said slowly. She picked up and opened one of the sparkling sodas. "If it's about me reviewing a song, I'm not sure I have the time––"

"No, it's worse. I need you to go out on a double date with me."

Ha Neul nearly spat out her drink. "What did you say?"

"Double. Date." Myeong frowned. "I know you're not into blind dates, but maybe you could make an exception just this once?"

"You already know my answer."

"Please," Myeong whined, clasping her hands together. "I swear, I will owe you so much. This one is really special, and it's important you come with me."

"Why does it have to be a double date?"

"It's––Erm, a secret," Myeong sighed. "Please, just this once. You know I wouldn't be pushing you this hard if it wasn't important to me."

Ha Neul sighed, taking a long sip of the soda. "Tell me about them."

"It's a blind date," Myeong emphasized. "But I assure you, your guy is definitely your type. He's absolutely gorgeous, maybe a little stupid, and loves to drink."

Ha Neul nodded slowly. "Okay. Where does he work?"

"Sorry, there was only one musician between them, and I bagged him," Myeong apologized. "Yours is a…very successful businessman. Notably talented in other ways, I suppose."

Ha Neul narrowed her eyes. "Myeong."

"Hey, you're the one adding malice!"

Either way, I'm not sure I can get in bed with anyone at this state yet, Ha Neul thought to herself. "If it's that important to you, I can't see why not."

"Really?" Myeong exclaimed, leaning closer to her. "You'll do it?"

"I haven't been out in a while," Ha Neul shrugged. "Might be fun."

"I promise, you won't regret this!" Myeong said, kissing her on the cheek.

Ha Neul immediately regretted it. She stood frozen, her hand still in the hand of who she instantly recognized to be Song Woo Bin, facing her doctor-slash-neighbor holding a glass of wine by the balustrade. He looked even more attractive in a light grey three-piece suit and pomade hair. However, she was more worried about Ji Hoo's instant recognition of her, his narrowed eyes accusatory.

"Park Ha Neul," Woo Bin repeated next to her. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "It's great to finally meet you."

She smiled politely and nodded once.

"Ms. Park." It was Ji Hoo, still not moving from his position next to Myeong.

Ha Neul sighed and faked back a smile to him. "Dr. Yoon."

"Do you two know each other?" Myeong asked slowly, looking confused.

Before Ji Hoo could say anything, Ha Neul immediately stepped in to say, "He attended to me recently, at the Yoon Family Hospital. I wasn't feeling very well, but it ended up being nothing serious." She nodded awkwardly towards Ji Hoo. "It's great to see you, doctor."

"Huh," Myeong muttered. "Small world."

Ji Hoo was silent, but the mortified look in his eyes subsided. His shoulders relaxed and he let Myeong wrap her hands around his arm.

Ha Neul instinctively looked away, turning towards her date for the night. "How about some drinks, Mr. Song? I'm parched."

Woo Bin shot her a small, attractive smile. He didn't let go of her hand and led her through the small crowd again and sat her down one of the bar stools. She tried to forget about Ji Hoo for a moment and focused on the man she was with.

She was familiar with boyishly handsome Song Woo Bin, of course, but only by face. Among the F4 members, he was the one with the least publicity, which she theorized was on purpose; after all, she'd heard rumors that his family was involved with the mafia. He was taller than she expected him to be, even taller than Ji H––She immediately waved that thought away. She understood why Myeong thought he was her type––her track record recently usually involved bad boys, or at least those who thought they were.

Despite barely speaking with him, Woo Bin's countenance showed that he wasn't pretending to be anything at all. She watched as he smooth-talked the bartender for some drinks on the double for the group, oozing with confidence that couldn't possibly be faked. His hand had left hers already and was now gently pressed onto her back. Perhaps for her benefit? Or to claim her in front of the other men at the bar? Could be both.

Once the assorted drinks arrived, Woo Bin picked one up and offered one to her. "You look like a Mai Tai girl."

She did love cocktails, but she wasn't about to give in so easily. "I prefer shots, actually."

Woo Bin shot her a lopsided grin that, if she wasn't so distracted, would give her the butterflies. "Don't worry. I got you."

He picked up a glass of what seemed to be pure vodka on the rocks and clinked it with her drink.

They stayed that way for a while, with Ha Neul on the stool and him leaning his back on the bar, drinking. It was a comfortable silence. Ha Neul chose this time to clear her thoughts as she listened to the soft music in the background.

Woo Bin watched her intently, his expression curious. "So how do you know Myeong?"

"Our moms know each other," Ha Neul responded, taking a small sip. "We didn't like each other very much growing up, actually. I used to find her very…ostentatious."

He grinned. "And how did that change?"

"Oh, she still is, and I tell her that constantly," Ha Neul said, chuckling softly. "I guess working in the same industry helped us bond."

"You model, too?"

"She doesn't go on runways much anymore," Ha Neul said, shaking her head. "I meant the music industry. Different genres, of course, but she calls me to help her out once in a while."

"You're a musician," Woo Bin said slowly, looking genuinely impressed. "Myeong did mention you're talented."

"What else did she say about me? I'm actually curious."

Woo Bin smile turned pensive. He adjusted his position to fully face her, leaning his head on his propped arm on the bar. "That you're a heavy drinker."

Ha Neul feigned surprise.

"And that you're beautiful." Woo Bin's tone was nonchalant, but she believed it to be genuine.

Ha Neul chuckled nervously, taking a sip of her drink again. "I hope I didn't disappoint."

His smile widened to a toothy grin, and he leaned even closer to her, only leaving a few inches between them. "Shall we join the others?"

Immediately, she remembered Ji Hoo. She instinctively held Woo Bin by the arms, pinning him to his position. For the first time that night, she seemed to have rattled him, his eyes looking her up and down with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

"Let's stay like this," she whispered quickly. "Just for a while."

Woo Bin narrowed his eyes, then looked down at her hands. As if only realizing what she had done, she quickly pulled back them back and placed them on her sides.

He tilted his head, his expression suddenly unreadable. Slowly––and with a strange glint in his eyes––he lifted a finger to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

"He's a surgeon," Woo Bin said, his voice monotonous.

"What?"

"Ji Hoo, I mean," he said, pulling his hand back and taking a small step backwards. "He's a surgeon. He doesn't deal with simple cases with patients. So either you lied about where you met him, or your case is more worrying than you played it off to be."

Her hand instinctively touched the spot on her blouse that covered the bullet wound scar. Apparently, Woo Bin missed nothing––his eyes followed her movement and narrowed slightly.

"Fine, let's join the others," she decided. "I'll carry the drinks."

"It's a lovely view," Myeong commented, leaning slightly against Ji Hoo.

He simply nodded in agreement, his mind wandering elsewhere as he watched the city lights merge with the dark horizon.

"The others are getting drinks," she commented. "You sure you don't want to sit down for a bit?"

Ji Hoo sighed to himself, turning to face her. "Sure."

Myeong sat down on the cushioned loveseat and patted the spot next to her. She looked very pleased with herself when Ji Hoo obliged.

In truth, he decided to take a seat with her because it provided a great view of the indoor bar. His eyes immediately scanned the crowd inside. It didn't take long for him to find the woman he was looking for––however, her back was turned to him as she was seated on a bar stool.

"So how are things at work?" Myeong asked, seemingly unfazed that she was doing most of the work in this conversation. Maybe Woo Bin briefed her, he thought.

"Nothing interesting," he said in a noncommittal tone, still staring at Ha Neul's silhouette.

"Really? Ha Neul was your patient recently though, right?"

That caught his attention, as his eyes snapped back to Myeong for a moment. "Ha Neul?"

"Yeah, she mentioned it earlier, right? It's strange, she never mentioned she was sick. I thought we were friends." Myeong pouted.

Ji Hoo tilted his head at that. My friends used to be obsessed with the F4, she had said. "And you've been friends for long?"

"Since we were kids, yes, but we only really got to be close when she got back from the States, because of our line of work," Myeong said.

"And that is?"

"What, Woo Bin really didn't mention anything to you about me?" Myeong asked incredulously, chuckling. "I'm debuting my first EP in two months. Ha Neul's a great composer and songwriter, so I ask her for help every now and then."

"Composer," he whispered to himself, looking back at Ha Neul through the glass window. He watched intently as Woo Bin handed her a cocktail glass.

Myeong cleared her throat, directing his attention back to her. "You're a musician too, right? If all goes well…maybe you'll also be able to help me every now and then."

Ji Hoo studied her face. Myeong was pretty as Woo Bin had promised. Her hair and brows were dyed a dark strawberry blond, and her skin was smooth and supple. He understood now why she was an up-and-coming star; there was not a single flaw he could think of when it came to her looks. But he just…wasn't attracted to her whatsoever.

But that was fine, he supposed. This was casual.

"Sure thing," Ji Hoo found himself saying, smiling politely. "But I should warn you, I'm out of practice."

"Why's that?"

He shrugged, leaning back more comfortably in his seat.

"Ji Hoo," Myeong began, her face looking unsure. "I don't want to sound too forward, but…You don't have a girlfriend, do you?"

He shook his head immediately. "No."

"Well, do you like anyone?"

Ji Hoo instinctively opened his mouth to say no, but for some reason, his response got caught up in his throat. Subconsciously, an image of Jan Di in the cemetery, smiling at him sadly, emerged in his mind. He coughed once before shaking his head again.

Myeong looked immensely pleased with his answer. "Good."

"And you?"

"No, I don't like anyone," she said. Then, leaning closer to him, she added, "Not yet."

Someone suddenly cleared their throat. Upon looking up, they spotted Ha Neul standing awkwardly in front of them, carrying a tray with four filled glasses. She wore a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she placed the tray gingerly down on the table.

Woo Bin was next to her, with his hand still pressed against the small of her back.

"There you are," Myeong exclaimed, gesturing to her friend to sit at the adjacent couch. She obliged, and Woo Bin sat comfortably next to her.

Ji Hoo shared one long look with Ha Neul for a few long seconds before she suddenly turned back towards her date.

Ha Neul left the tap on as she stood in front of the sink, breathing deeply. She was in her fourth or fifth glass, and the moment she felt the slight tipsiness, she excused herself to wash up in the bathroom.

She put her hands under the running water as she closed her eyes.

The night was going smoothly, given the circumstances. Woo Bin was a great conversationalist, and for some reason, she felt easily comfortable around him. On the surface, he was blunt and uncomplicated––exactly what she was looking for when it came to men. However, she could tell that Song Woo Bin was more than that, but she just couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly, and whether it was a good thing or not.

Ha Neul sighed as she turned the water off. She looked at herself in the mirror––thankfully, her vision was still crystal clear. She didn't look bad at all, but she decided to retouch her makeup anyway.

As she put her lipstick back in her purse, she suddenly thought of Ji Hoo. He barely spoke to her once they'd returned to the table from the bar. However, she caught him a few times staring, with an undiscernible expression on his face.

She supposed she should just be grateful he was keeping his mouth shut about what had happened to her at the hospital. Myeong didn't and shouldn't have to know anything about that.

"Whatever," she muttered, gathering her purse, and heading out the door. To her surprise, she bumped into another woman heading inside the bathroom––

––and her shoulder squarely hit the wound on Ha Neul's chest.

"Ah!" she immediately screamed, clutching the sheer fabric on her chest as she leaned back onto the hallway wall.

The woman stood in the bathroom doorway, eyeing her up and down. "What the––You should watch were you're going!"

"Hey."

It was a male voice this time, and Ha Neul recognized it immediately despite having her eyes momentarily shut due to the pain. Opening her eyes slowly, she watched Ji Hoo make his way past her to face the woman who had bumped into her.

"Maybe you should apologize," he said in his usual low tone.

"I––But she––"

Ji Hoo didn't speak a word, but the menacing look on his face was enough.

The woman turned to her and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry," she muttered, before disappearing inside the girls bathroom.

Ji Hoo immediately turned to Ha Neul, the hostility on his face disappearing to be immediately replaced with pure worry. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," she lied through her teeth, but her hand trembling while clutching her chest betrayed otherwise.

Ji Hoo sighed, moving closer to her. "No, you're not. Are you still taking your antibiotics?"

She nodded once.

"You drank a lot tonight," he commented, putting a hand gently on her shoulder. "It could dilute the effects. I thought it would be common sense not to drink alcohol during this period, so I didn't advise it on my prescription."

"I guess I don't have common sense."

Surprisingly, that made Ji Hoo chuckle. "Maybe I should check that wound."

"No," she disagreed quickly, standing up straight and putting her hand down. "I'm fine. I have to get back to Woo Bin."

"Woo Bin," he repeated slowly.

"And shouldn't you get back to Myeong?"

Ji Hoo tilted his head, eyeing her strangely. "You think so?"

She nodded, clearing her throat. She started to walk away…but was immediately stopped when Ji Hoo reached out to clutch her wrist.

"Ha Neul."

Sighing, she turned to face him. "Yeah?"

"Myeong told me she's your friend. So why did you have to make me lie?"

Ha Neul pursed her lips for a moment before responding. "I thought you, of all people, would understand. Having friends doesn't mean you're any less alone. Do you tell Woo Bin everything?"

Ji Hoo blinked slowly, releasing her wrist.

"Let's go," she said, finally being able to go away successfully.

Woo Bin narrowed his eyes as he watched his date arrive back at the table at the same time as Ji Hoo did. He knew something was off between the two, but he still couldn't figure it out. However, the last thing he wanted was to make Ha Neul uncomfortable with him on the first date, so he decided he'd ask Ji Hoo later on.

He shot a look towards Ji Hoo, who only shrugged it off once he took his seat.

"Ha Neul's back," Myeong mumbled, her words slurring. "I fucking love you, you know that right?"

Ha Neul turned to face Woo Bin, whispering, "How much has she drank?"

He smiled mischievously. "I couldn't stop her if I tried."

"Ji Hoo," Myeong was now saying, leaning towards her date. She grabbed his shoulders as she mumbled, "You don't like anyone else, right? You said, you promised."

"What?" Ji Hoo stuttered, obviously taken aback.

"I've heard rumors, you know," Myeong continued. "About you pining over an ex-girlfriend or something, which is why you've been single for so long."

Immediately, Woo Bin sat up straighter. "Myeong."

"It's true, though isn't it? How else would a guy like you be single––"

Ha Neul stood up suddenly and made her way to her friend, pulling her hands off of Ji Hoo. "Come on, you're drunk. Let's get you home."

"No, I'm fine! I'm––"

"Ji Hoo," Woo Bin called, giving him another look.

Immediately understanding, Ji Hoo sighed and turned to face Myeong. "It's okay, Myeong. I'll take you home." Then, turning to Ha Neul, he said, "Stay with him."

Ha Neul opened her mouth a few times to protest, but eventually gave in to say, "Fine." She let go of her friend and stood up, watching as the couple got up to leave.

Woo Bin waited for his friends to leave before standing up, taking his place next to Ha Neul. She was still staring at the glass windows. "Do you want to head home too?"

She turned to face him then, and he watched her contemplate on her decision. She surprised him by responding, "You promised me shots."

"That's my girl," he chuckled.

Within a couple of hours, the two found themselves back at the indoor bar. It was near closing time, so there were only a handful of people left in the establishment. If he was being honest with himself, Woo Bin was already close to being drunk.

To his amazement––and maybe slight embarrassment––Ha Neul only looked tipsy.

"I guess Myeong wasn't lying, you really play hard," he said as he downed another shot.

"I'm actually getting there," she admitted.

"Way past you." He raised another glass of beer and clinked it with hers.

As he drank a long sip, he watched her from the side as she downed the remaining liquid completely, releasing a sigh once she set the glass back down. Ha Neul brushed her hair to the side and dabbed the side of her lips with a napkin.

"Who do you drink with usually?" he asked.

"Some girlfriends." She turned to look at him and he noticed that her vision looked slightly glazed. "Sometimes by myself."

"That sounds sad."

"It actually helps with the creative juices," she said, raising a finger as if to prove a point. "You have no idea how indebted I am to soju for helping me compose the best jingles overnight."

"Do I know any?"

She laughed, and Woo Bin smiled at its sweet, high-pitched tone. "Wenkel toothpaste."

He faked an exaggerated gasp. "I literally use that brand."

"I know you don't," she said, hitting the side of his arm as she laughed endlessly again. "But you know, the commercial goes like this."

She cleared her throat dramatically before she began.

"Tun, tun, tun," she sang, her voice cracking. "Smile until you make it with Wenkel toothpaste, tun, tun, tun, with active charcoal and anti-stain formula––"

"Tun, tun, tun," Woo Bin continued with her, immediately recognizing the tune. "Whiten and brighten your smile for everyday!"

"So you do know it!" Ha Neul exclaimed, clutching her stomach from laughter. "God, I was fucking drunk when I thought of that, and yet the client loved it. I'm telling you, the entertainment industry is insane."

"I listen to the radio a lot," he admitted.

"Hmm. You're quite interesting, Song Woo Bin."

"Interesting enough to see me again?" Even Woo Bin looked surprised with himself as he said those words so easily out loud. Must be the alcohol, he thought. He wasn't usually so forward with bringing up a second date with a girl.

Ha Neul, on the other hand, looked contemplative. There was a small smile on her face as she looked him over with a slight tilt of her head. "Maybe. Yes."

Whew, he thought, taking another sip of his beer. "Is that what you've always wanted to do? Make commercials?"

Her expression turned pensive. "I don't know. Not really, I guess. But it's a good career."

"Really? So what do you really want to do?"

She looked a bit bashful now. "You might laugh."

Woo Bin sat up, more curious now. "Now I really have to know."

"Okay." She cleared her throat. "Ever since I learned to play the piano, I've always dreamed about making scores for movies."

Woo Bin widened his mouth in surprise. "Like...Kim Tae Seong?"

"Yes, exactly!" Ha Neul exclaimed, her eyes glinting with excitement. "And John Williams and Alexandre Desplat. They're my idols."

Something within Woo Bin's chest twisted as he looked at her lit up face, but he stayed silent.

"You're about to laugh, aren't you?"

"No," he said genuinely. "You should do it."

Ha Neul sighed, signaling the bartender to give her another shot. "I'm not that confident. Everything I've made so far hasn't been anything good."

He reached out and grabbed her free hand on the bar table, staring at her directly in the eye. "You should do it," he repeated, with more emphasis this time.

Ha Neul's eyes studied him, probably assessing whether or not he was being truthful. She downed her shot before saying, "I think I'm done for tonight."

Woo Bin nodded with understanding. "Come on, I'll take you home."

"You're driving?" she asked, standing up slowly.

"I'll be alright after a smoke," he assured her while sliding his credit card in the direction of the bartender.

Ha Neul waited patiently by his side until the bill was paid. Once he got his card back, he shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. He tried to ignore the static shock he felt upon momentarily touching the skin on her neck.

"It's a bit chilly outside," he murmured as he adjusted the collar for her.

There was a comfortable silence as they walked out of the bar and even as they went down the elevator. Once they stepped out of the lobby, however, Woo Bin took his place next to her with his hand guiding her on her back.

Upon reaching Woo Bin's orange Lotus, the couple hung back as Woo Bin pulled out a cigarette packet from his back pocket. "Do you mind?"

As he was lighting his cigarette, he saw Ha Neul approach him slowly from his side with a curious look on her face. She tilted her head and looked to wait expectantly.

"Oh, so you mind?" he said, already putting the cigarette away.

"No," she shook her head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I was, um, waiting for you to offer me one."

Woo Bin widened his eyes, putting the cigarette back in his mouth and quickly pulling out the box from his pocket again. "That's a bad look on my manners, I'm sorry. Here."

He was momentarily mesmerized by the way the lighter lit up her pale face in the darkness for a few seconds. Her cheeks had a deeper tinge of pink due to the cold, and because she was looking down, he could see how thick and long her eyelashes were.

And the cigarette on her lips…

"Thank you," she said, handing back his lighter. "I don't look like a smoker, do I?"

"No, it's…" He trailed off, still slightly distracted. "Okay, maybe."

"I always say I'm trying to quit, but I never mean it," she admitted after a long drag.

"You should be friends with Ji Hoo," he chuckled. "He always calls me out about it. Made me quit for a week back in school, but I'm pretty stubborn."

Ha Neul was silent for a while. "It might be inevitable. He's my neighbor too."

For some reason, there was a drop in his stomach after those words. "What? You live in Hannam village?"

"Yeah," Ha Neul said. She looked unhappy about it, which Woo Bin wasn't sure he felt about. "I'll quit one day, maybe. But not today."

"Not today," he repeated, shooting her a grin.

The smoke break definitely helped him sober up, making the eventual car ride smooth. Despite not passing by Ji Hoo's house for almost a year, he still had the way to the private village memorized like the back of his hand.

"Are you still cold?" he suddenly asked, raising the heater slightly.

"I'm warm enough, thank you." Woo Bin felt her eyes fixed on him from the passenger seat. "Do you live far from here?"

"My house is around five miles from here, but I have an apartment close by." He momentarily turned to look at her. "Why do you ask?"

Ha Neul shrugged, but there was a strange look in her eyes. "Just curious."

Woo Bin hesitated for a moment before saying his next words, which was unusual for him. He even felt a bit wary to say them. "We can pass by my apartment instead, if you like."

A pause. "That depends."

"On what?"

From the corner of his eye, he saw her smirk. "On whether or not you meant what you said earlier. About wanting to see me again."

Her candor was refreshing, but still needed time for him to get used to. He played her words a few times in his head, and suddenly, a familiar warm feeling emerged in the pit of his stomach at the insinuation.

Regardless, he had already made up his mind. He wanted to see her again.

"Same street as Ji Hoo's, right?" he asked, returning a smirk.

She smiled back at him. "Right."

Once they reached the right address, Woo Bin pulled over his car in the driveway. He scanned the exterior of the modern two-story house as he left the vehicle and went his way to open the passenger door.

They remained silent as he walked her to her front door, until she turned to face him. "I had a great night, Woo Bin. Thank you."

"Ha Neul." He stepped up the front steps to level with her, causing her to instinctively take a few steps backward until her back was pressed onto the door. Even then, he still took another step, leaving only a handful of inches between them.

Was it wrong that he liked the nervous look on her face as she looked up at him under those lashes?

"Yes?" she asked, her voice small.

He couldn't help himself anymore that night. "What kind of surgery was it?"

She widened her already large eyes, her mouth falling slightly agape. "What?"

"I know it's recent," he continued, staring down at her. "And I know it's somewhere on your chest. You've been wincing a few times in the past couple of hours, clutching it. So what was it?"

Ha Neul's eyes left his for a moment, darting around the empty street behind him. "Woo Bin, don't."

"I'm not the type to leave things alone," he asserted. "That's another thing you should know about me."

"You don't know me."

"But I want to." Woo Bin put a hand on the closed door next to her head, leaning down slightly.

Ha Neul didn't flinch or move as he did. Her eyes wandered to what seemed to be every inch of his face, calculating, until they landed on his lips.

Apparently, she wasn't the type to shy away from what she wanted, either. She went on her tiptoes and closed her eyes, pressing her lips against his.

And it was intoxicating.

She tasted like vodka shots and cigarettes, as he'd expected, but there was a sweetness that could only come from her. Her kiss wasn't shy or hesitant at all, but it wasn't aggressive either, as he usually experienced from girls who made the first move. It didn't take him long to reciprocate, as his hands naturally trailed down her arms until they landed on either side of her waist. She responded by parting her lips, granting permission for him to slip his tongue between them gently, and then wrapping her arms around his neck.

He felt her fingers tremble on his neck as he deepened his kiss and tracing circles on her hips with his thumbs. When she finally pulled away to breathe, he felt goosebumps rising on his skin upon hearing her soft sigh.

"What was that for?" he whispered, still very much intoxicated by her taste.

"It's a bribe," she said, smiling softly as she pulled her arms back down. "Since I gave you a kiss, will you stop worrying about me?"

That's unsound logic, he thought to himself, feeling his heartbeat pounding in his ears. But he gave in to her, saying, "For now."

They'd been too distracted with themselves that they never noticed the pure white Stinger that passed by, now parked inconspicuously behind a tree.

"You're not going to call again, aren't you?"

Ji Hoo sitting in the backset of his car next to his date, looking pensively out the window as his chauffeur drove, when Myeong had asked that question. Apparently, she had sobered up some time during the ride since her words weren't slurring together anymore.

When he chose not to respond to her, Myeong continued, "I'm sorry, I'm not usually like this. I suppose I got too nervous ever since Woo Bin set me up with you."

"It's no problem," he said flatly, still not looking away from the window.

He heard her sigh softly.

The rest of the ride was silent, until the car slowed to a stop in front of a high-rise boutique condominium. He turned to watch Myeong gather her belongings and move to open the car, and he immediately stopped her with a raise of his hand.

"Allow me," he requested, stepping out of the car himself to open her door.

Her expression was still apologetic once they were both standing on the sidewalk in front of the doors to the condo. He didn't know why, but he felt a certain guilt as he saw her awkward posture and her head bowed down.

Ji Hoo sighed. "I don't have an ex-girlfriend. At least, not really."

Myeong looked up at him in surprise, but still didn't say a word.

"But you were right, I was in love with someone," he said honestly, looking down. "But I gave her up for someone else. It was the right thing to do."

"Ji Hoo…"

"It affected me. I think it still does." Ji Hoo scratched his head. "I truly hate being gossiped about, but if the facts are straight…I guess you shouldn't feel too bad about it."

"I'm still sorry," Myeong said.

Ji Hoo nodded. "You should head in now. It's pretty cold out here."

She nodded and began to walk towards the doors, but suddenly, she stopped while holding the glass door handle. "I'm sure she regrets it."

"What?"

"That girl you used to like," she clarified, a soft smile on her face. "It might take a while, but eventually she'll regret losing someone as good and pure-hearted as you."

I'm not pure-hearted, he thought to himself. If I was, I wouldn't be affected this much.

He decided to pull out his cellphone from his pocket and stepped forward to hand it to her.

"What's that for?" Myeong asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought you might want to be friends," he said, still stoic. "You mentioned something about helping you with your music, right?"

"Friends," Myeong repeated, her lips cracking a relieved smile. She bowed slightly as she took his phone and began to type her own number. "Yes, I'd love that."

Once she gave back his phone, she reached into her bag, looking for something.

"Here," she said, finally finding what she was looking for. She handed him a small red flyer.

Una Noche de Musica, the headline read.

"It's a gig I'm doing for charity," she explained. "If you're free that day, maybe you'd like to come. A few of my other friends are going, too."

"Friends…Like Ms. Park?" That slipped out without him thinking, which left him slightly mortified.

Myeong tilted her head in confusion. "Ha Neul? Yeah, I invited her, but she didn't confirm she's coming yet."

He nodded slowly, putting the phone back in his pocket. "I'll let you know. Have a good night."

Once he got back to his car, he directed his driver to bring them straight home. Sometime during the drive, he pulled out his phone and sent a text to Woo Bin.

Did you get her home safely–– He paused before sending that text, ultimately deciding to alter it. Are you home yet?

"Master Yoon," the chauffeur said sometime later. "Isn't that Mr. Song over there?"

He immediately looked out the window, realizing that they were in Ha Neul's street. The chauffeur was right; while the man was facing the other way, he recognized Woo Bin on Ha Neul's front porch by his unruly dark hair and dress shirt. He must've removed his coat sometime during the night.

"Slow down," Ji Hoo ordered.

His chauffeur obliged, and as the car moved, he noticed that Woo Bin wasn't alone on the porch. Ji Hoo's eyes widened as he realized what exactly they were doing.

"Park behind that tree," he found himself saying.

His eyes didn't leave the sight of Woo Bin passionately kissing Park Ha Neul, who was wearing his coat. At the back of his mind, he knew that it was an invasion of privacy to do so, but he couldn't seem to force himself to look away.

After the kiss, he noticed that they remained on the porch for a bit longer. For some reason, Ji Hoo wanted to know exactly what they were talking about. Even though he shouldn't care.

He watched as Ha Neul went back inside, still wearing Woo Bin's coat, and closed the door behind him. Strangely, he felt relieved that she hadn't invited Woo Bin in with her.

Why? He asked himself.

"Go," Ji Hoo ordered his driver, finally being able to look away.