Sun Hee was drawn to the face of the man in front of her. He was wearing a pink cap and a mask. The man wore a simple white shirt and black shorts paired with white sneakers. Sun Hee was digging in the Western brunch she ordered a while ago while staring at him.
“Hm… You can remove your mask. There is no crowd here,” she said.
Dong-sun removed his mask in slow motion and revealed his glowing skin and kiss-provoking lips. Her mouth parted as she tried not to fall to her knees. He was like a spitting image of a divine in her eyes.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Y-yes. Thank you for coming all the way to Jeju island to meet me. I can’t believe it.”
“No, I must thank you for understanding my privacy.”
Sun Hee’s family owned a small cafe in the corner of Gwakji, the secret beach on Jeju Island. She reserved the whole place for their date. Meanwhile, Dong-sun lied to his manager just to make the date happen.
Dong-sun took a bite of the Western Scramble Dijonnaise. The tender vegetables rumbled as the creamy Dijon Mustard sauce melted in his mouth. He then sipped a glass of freshly made Mojito with some green limes plunged into it.
‘Even the way he eats is bewitching,’ she thought.
“What do you think?” Sun Hee asked.
“About the food?” he said.
‘About me.’
Dong-sun gazed at the food before he said, “It’s great.”
Sun Hee flashed an extra sweet smile. “Thank goodness, you like it.” It was a smile only meant for flirting, which no one has ever seen.
“Meeting you is a rare opportunity. You must have been so close to Mee Yoon that you couldn’t turn down her request,” Sun Hee said.
Dong-sun looked at her face as he reminisced about the night Mee Yoon called.
“What do I owe you for this call?” he asked.
“I’d like to ask you a favor.”
“What is it? Are you in trouble?”
“I want you to go on a date with Sun Hee.”
It baffled him and made him mute for seconds.
“What are you talking about? Are you so desperate to push me away?”
“It’s not what you think. Youngsoo is suspecting us. You must accept this date. I’m hoping he’ll have a second thought after this.”
Dong-sun held his forehead. “What kind of reasoning is that? You want me to go on a date with your best friend, and you think that will convince him? He is not that stupid.”
“Listen, I’m trying to get you out of the scene. If he finds out the truth, you’ll get involved in the murder case.”
Dong-sun's heart pumped faster than normal, and terror slunk into his entire being.
“Hajoon, Oppa? Are you okay?”
Dong-sun flinched as his skin turned pale. “Yes. Shall we go outside?”
Wide stretches of white sand lay beneath their bare feet. Since it was off-season, there were only a few people wandering around the beach. The rays of the sun spread its wings all throughout the area, but it wasn’t harsh on their skin. The stale and sulphury smell of dimethyl sulfide was tempting them to get closer to the sea.
“What are your hobbies?” Sun Hee asked. The gentle wind whipped her hair.
“I don’t have one,” he replied.
“You don’t have something you like doing?”
“What about you?”
“I enjoy drinking soju. It keeps my worries away.”
Dong-sun let out a little laughter.
“What? I’m serious. Drinking soju absorbs my negative energy after a stressful week. I’m considering it as a hobby.”
“I mean I didn’t expect it from you,” he said as his smile didn’t fade.
She narrowed her eyes. “So you are expecting something from me?”
“I thought your hobby was window shopping.”
“Well, I don’t do that. Once I set my eyes on something good, I’d buy it instantly.”
“If a hobby refers to something I like doing and takes my worries away…”
Dong-sun gazed at the sky under his sunglasses and closed his eyes. He was grasping for memories with butterflies swirling in his stomach.
“My hobbies are cleaning the house and cooking,” he said.
“Really? That’s strange. For a man to make cleaning as a hobby is something remarkable.”
It wasn’t the act of doing the chores he likes the most, but being with someone special as he does all the job. Everything seems lighter when she’s scolding him and he forgets he’s even working.
“What should we do after this? Miss Cha, I have dated no one so I’m not good at this.”
Sun Hee’s pulse raised as she blushed. ‘Am I his first date?’
“Yes. You are my first date,” he said and gazed at her.
‘How can he read my mind?’
“Oh, really? Then let’s go to a restaurant.” She stammered.
“Again? But we have breakfast earlier.”
“I forgot to tell you about my favorite hobby. Eating,” she said.
He didn’t conceal the delight on his face and followed her towards a nearby restaurant.
Dong-sun stared at Sun Hee as she devoured the seafood pasta with passion. They also ordered Lobster Rissoto, and a seafood grill platter with some Magpie beer. He was like watching a Mukbang video.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I’m embarrassed,” she said.
“I’m sorry. Don’t worry, you don’t look anything near to embarrassing. I’m amazed at this hobby of yours. You are quite an expert at this,” he said with his thumbs up.
“Stop fooling me.”
“You can turn this passion into a career, Miss. Just by watching you right now, I feel hungry. You have the power to persuade anyone to eat, and I’m not kidding—”
Sun Hee grabbed a lobster and shoved it inside his mouth to shut him up. Dong-sun munched it with satisfaction.
For a minute, Dong-sun noticed a pair of eyes watching them. There was a man with a black round cap on the table ahead of them. He was trying to cover his face with the cap.
“Gosh. I’m full,” Sun Hee said.
“Can I hold your hand?” he asked.
It startled her. “Why all of a sudden?”
“I’m going to tell you a secret if you lend me your hand.”
Sun Hee thought for a while before lending her right hand to him. Dong-sun held it and looked at her palm.
“Don’t you know I can read your future?” he said.
“What?” she snorted.
“Alright. Let me see your future.” Dong-sun examined the lines in her palm.
“This is surprising…” he whispered.
“Why? Can you really see my future?” Sun Hee said in amusement.
“Yes. Your future is in front of you,” he said and gazed at her straight in the eyes.
“Hey!” Red colors sipped through her face as she struck his shoulder.
“How could you pull off that line so smoothly? I almost believed you.”
Dong-sun groaned while massaging his shoulder. They paused for a second and ended up laughing. The man watching them in secret lifted an eyebrow.
‘So you are letting him touch you on your first date? How obscure. He seems to enjoy the date. He looks like a playboy. She is replacing me with that jerk? Pathetic.’