PROMPTS

Dae-Sik x Cha Mi-jo (4)

The night air was crisp and cool, the skies were clear and the couple decided to walk to the nearby coffee shop. It was difficult to keep conversation going because people were passing them by so their first questions were mostly small talk.

"Have you had a busy day, Dr. Cha?" Agent Dae-Sik asked.

Cha Mi-jo nodded, "Yes, there were a lot of patients who came in for consultations today. You?"

"Not too bad. Mostly paperwork," he replied.

They walked slowly, each one conscious of the other's pace, not wanting to walk too fast that the other was left behind nor too slow that it would take too long to arrive at their destination.

They also took turns sneaking glances at each other.

One, unable to believe that he was walking alongside this beautiful doctor, who easily outshone every other person in most of the cities he had been to -- and a wonderful respite from the horrors his last assignment brought. There was something magnetic about her that even if he didn't know much about her yet, he was certain that he wanted to get close.

The other, intrigued about this tall man smiling shyly beside her. She was immediately drawn to his mysterious aura, which she wasn't if it was because of his job as an intelligence agent or it was him as a person. She smiled at the memory of how often he made her laugh in their first meeting at the clinic, another draw for her. And now, here he was, showing her that he not only cleaned up well, but his looks and raw masculine appeal made her weak in the knees.

They had kept some distance between them as they made their way, but when she was pushed close to him because of the crowd they passed, they found themselves making excuses to keep their arms in contact for the rest of the way. Cha Mi-jo purposely pressed close to him. Dae-Sik hobbled around so that he could keep "bumping" into her.

When they arrived at the coffee shop, Dae-Sik went ahead to open the door but Cha Mi-jo lingered. "Is there something wrong?" Dae-Sik asked.

Cha Mi-jo looked into the coffee shop she frequented because she loved the ambiance here and the the products were top-notch. However, comments of the therapists at the clinic came back to her when they were discussing dates a few days back.

"A coffee date is nice," Wol Suk, one her senior therapists, commented. "It's short so you can dump the guy if he's boring or you can extend as much as you want if the conversation is stellar!"

"But you can only have enough coffee, no?" Young Ae asked. "I prefer lunch or dinner and talk to the person as much as I want. If it's a bad date, I don't have to see him again."

"But what if he's boring?!" Mi-jo asked, going back to Wol Suk's point.

"I'll eat fast and not have dessert with him," Young Ae replied. "And if he's cute, it would be easier to find an excuse to stay with him longer and stare at a handsome face. I'll keep ordering as much food as I want!"

Cha Mi-jo stared at Dae-Sik. She decided then she agreed with Young Ae. "I... I haven't had dinner. I mean, I'm hungry. I mean, I want to eat more than pastries. But maybe we can come back later."

"I see. Are you sure?"

"Yes. Dinner, full meal. Walk back and then coffee... they're open until after midnight... then walk back to my car," Cha Mi-jo stated.

Dae-Sik frowned at her before giving her statement a thought. "Okay. There's a restaurant," he pointed to the opposite side of the street. "Would that be okay with you?"

Cha Mi-jo smiled and nodded. "Yes. They have a good selection there."

Dae-Sik smiled and led their way to the crossing. Without looking at her, he said while they were waiting for their turn to cross, "You could have just said you wanted to spend more time with me."