Less than twenty-four hours later, Solar entered Il Mare, one of her favorite Italian restaurants in downtown Seoul, to do the job.

Byul-yi had failure stamped all over her, and this was a big waste of time that she didn't have to spare.

As she headed to her regular table in the far corner of the cozy restaurant, Carlo, the owner, called out a greeting to her in Italian. She had learned the basics of the language from one of the many extracurricular lessons that her father had signed her up for. She always thought that it was a way for him to compensate for the lack of emotional investment he had in her.

Solar checked her email, sent out a few replies and checked the time on her phone just as she finished. Eight o'clock. She looked up, and sure enough, Moon Byul-yi was heading toward her. But it was the tall, clean cut guy at her side who was the attention grabber. Whoa... where had this one come from? His short hair was combed back in a trendy style. He had perfectly balanced features and an imposing figure. So, it looks like Miss Moon hadn’t been all talk.

Her matchmaker was a head shorter than the man she'd brought to meet Solar. Her long black hair gleamed around her small head. The jacket she wore with a striped shirt was decidedly less girly than yesterday’s ensemble. Solar rose as Byul-yi performed the introductions.

"Hyun Jin, I'd like you to meet Kim Yong-sun. Solar, this is Lee Hyun Jin."

Hyun Jin looked her over with a pair of intelligent dark brown eyes that tilted attractively down at the corners. "A pleasure," he said in a deep, low voice. "Byul-yi’s told me all about you."

"Nice to meet you. I’d prefer if you called me Solar, since that’s what I go by more often these days,” Solar said with a smile, “I’m sure you would have made for a more interesting subject than me.” She knew it was a corny line, and the CEO thought she heard a snort, but when she shot a quick glance at Byul-yi, she saw in her expression only eagerness to please.

"Somehow I doubt that." Hyun Jin slipped gracefully into his chair on the opposite end of the table. His movements oozed class and refinement. Byul-yi tugged on the chair next to hers, but it caught on the table leg. Concealing her annoyance, Solar reached over to free it. Moon Byul-yi seemed to be a klutz, and she regretted ordering her to sit with them, but it had seemed like a good idea at the time. When she'd decided to hire a matchmaker, she promised herself that she would make the process efficient. Having sat through many blind dates, she knew how annoying it was to have to sit through a meal when she’d known the match wasn’t a good one even before the drinks arrived.

This one, however, showed definite promise.

The server came over from the bar to take their drink orders. After their orders were placed, Byul-yi regarded Solar with a bright and expectant expression. Solar sighed internally. So much for expecting her matchmaker to lead the conversation.

"Were you born in Seoul, Hyun Jin?" she asked.

"Actually, no. I grew up in Daegu but I've been in Seoul for years. My parents moved here."

They exchanged general Daegu chat and other small talk, which was exactly the sort of getting nowhere talk that she'd wanted to avoid. Solar shot Miss Matchmaker a look. Thankfully Byul-yi wasn’t completely clueless and she took the hint.

"You'll be interested to know that Hyun Jin’s a psychologist. He’s one of the country's leading authorities on cognitive psychology."

Hyun Jin began giving her an overview of his profession. He was good-humored, sharp, and spoke eloquently. Solar had underestimated Moon Byul-yi’s matchmaking skills. Just as she began to relax into the conversation, however, Byul-yi glanced at her watch and rose. "Time's up," she announced with a small clap, in a cheerful voice that set her teeth on edge.

The psychologist came to his feet with a smile. "It's been lovely meeting you, Solar."

"My pleasure." Since she was the one who'd set the time limit, Solar had no choice but to conceal her irritation. She had never expected an amateur to produce a winning candidate like this at first attempt. Hyun Jin shook her hand warmly, smiled at her again, and made his way out of the restaurant. Byul-yi settled back into her chair, took a sip from her mocktail, then dug into her tote. Seconds later, Solar was looking at a contract in front of her.

"I guarantee a minimum of two introductions a month." A springy lock of dark hair fell over her forehead. "I c-charge ₩8,500,000 for six months." Solar didn't miss either the slight stammer or the blush rising in those cheeks. Moon Byul-yi was going in for the kill. "Normally, the fee would include a session with an image consultant, but…" Byul-yi’s gaze travelled over her face, taking in her immaculately styled hair then moving down to her black Versace dress. "I, uh, think we can dispense with that."

Byul-yi wasn’t wrong. Image was everything in her industry, and just because she usually didn't give a damn what she wore in private didn't mean her colle