Seo Beom-jo looked up to see a lost looking Choi Young Do walking towards the back of the IT department, where two desks in two corners were occupied by them. The omnipresent cocky smile that graced the handsome face of the IT consultant was missing. That alone was reason enough for Seo Beom-jo to do a double take and notice other anomalies in his appearance. The tall, custom ordered, uniquely individualistic cup of coffee that was as much a part of the morning look of the said consultant as his dapper style, was missing. His eyes wore a confused look, tinged with a little worry as well. The usual confident spring in his step was absent. Though they were civil and polite to each other, they were not exactly friends. But Seo Beom-jo was a little concerned about the way Choi Young Do was looking that morning.

“Let me guess, the coffee shop is closed? Or is it worse…..perhaps it shut down for good?” Seo Beom-jo fought hard to control his tone so as to not betray the bite in his statement.

He had observed with wry amusement that Choi Young Do had avoided the cafeteria altogether, never mind the lowly vending machines. He always bought his coffee and lunch from outside, from those shiny and fancy looking coffee shops and salad bars that dotted the business district.

“What?” Choi Young Do looked up at his query but his eyes were unfocussed as if his mind was wandering a mile away.

Seo Beom-jo leaned back in his chair, for once, feeling superior to the shadow of suave and superbly confident Choi Young Do. The flummoxed expression on Young Do made him seem somehow very endearing and human.

“Are you alright? Don’t tell me that the absence of your fancy coffee can throw you off kilter like that?” Seo Beom-jo couldn’t control a smirk that crinkled up his lips.

Choi Young Do kept quiet and stared at his Seo Beom-jo as if the haze around his head was delaying the normal reaction time that was expected of him. His mind was still smarting from the glare of a pair of eyes, the color of dark roast coffee that had left him breathless. Who knew that those eyes that were forever directed at the phone in her hand, could flash so brilliantly?

“I…I…didn’t go to the coffee shop. Something…came up…..I forgot.” Choi Young Do stammered out, still unmindful of the bemused look directed at him by Seo Beom-jo.

“You better sit down. You don’t look too well.” Seo Beom-jo took pity on Choi Young Do. He had never seen him so shaken.

Choi Young Do nodded distractedly and proceeded to his desk and hesitantly sat down. He leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to recount all that had taken place that morning. He was used to getting what he set out for. It was only expected since he was intelligent, good looking and charming. He carried himself with supreme but easy confidence. But for once he had met with a roadblock that seemed to dent his self-esteem a bit. It was such a rare and unexpected result that he was having a tough time gathering his wits about him.

The Play was launched with perfect precision. He was the consummate Player. So where did it go wrong? Till the moment of impact, he was perfectly in control. For the rest, he had depended on his debonair looks and natural charm to clinch the deal. But that’s where everything had gone haywire.

Her eyes had been incredulous at first. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought that particular look wouldn’t have been amiss on a princess of yore, who had been sullied by the touch of an audacious commoner. Though he had not lost his composure and had retained his grasp on her arm, in a few seconds her eyes had blown wide and her cheeks had turned bright. He had felt her muscles tense beneath his fingers. She had inhaled deeply, her eyes raining anger at him before biting out in a low, cutting tone.

“Are you crazy? Let go!”

Choi Young Do should had done exactly that. But he had been lost in the depths of those huge eyes, greedily taking in the enticing picture that she had made. Her hair was slightly disheveled from being thrown against him, her petite frame seemed just the right size to fit into the curve of his tall and broad frame perfectly, her dew fresh face tempted Choi Young Do’s fingers, her trembling lips mesmerized him and those brilliant eyes held him captive. They were drawing curious stares from passersby and soon the lights changed and they were the only ones still standing on the zebra crossing. The reverie was broken by the raucous cacophony of honking from the cars that were waiting at the light. The impatient office -goers cared not for the drama that was taking place on the asphalt stage before them.

Jolted by the harsh chorus, Choi Young Do had reflexively let go of her arm. She had turned around in a flash and taken off towards the pavement, melting into the throng of the office goers. Choi Young Do had taken a few seconds to recover and the realization that he was only inches away from the fender of an impatient SUV, had made him hurriedly follow in her wake. But after he had found himself on the same pavement, he had been unable to detect her trace. She had vanished in the milieu of the faceless office workers. He had stood rooted to the spot for several minutes, waiting for his heart to stop racing, only to feel the rush of the moment being replaced with the misery of his failure. Slowly, he had found his way back to his office, each step weighing heavier as his disappointment had set in.

Now, he was torn between frustration and longing. His mind and body throbbed with nervous energy. He was truly beguiled. He wanted to know that spitfire girl. And he wanted to know what set her apart. Choi Young Do did not chase after tails. And when he wanted to pursue someone, he always met with success. It never occurred to him that anybody could resist him when he turned his full charm on. But she had not only balked the trend but without a doubt found his overture offensive. She had not even spared him a ‘once over’, something that he had to deal with, every day. Men measured him from head to toe, comparing their ‘assets’ with his and women surreptitiously glanced at him with interest. The temptation of the unattainable was the strongest and Choi Young Do could empathize with them now.

Seo Beom-jo could see from afar that Choi Young Do had still not recovered from whatever was plaguing his mind. His body posture indicated a defeated man. Could caffeine withdrawal do that to a strapping young man of sound body and mind? He had a few chosen words to spare the ‘American’! Well, he was not going to be any use in the state that he was in and he had a ton of paperwork that had to be looked over by the newfangled, brand new, freshly minted IT consultant from the US. A complete overhaul of the existing system meant starting from scratch without disturbing normal, everyday business processes. A herculean task that was causing quite a headache for him.

Seo Beom-jo reluctantly got up to see if he could shake Choi Young Do from the stupor that seemed to have a grip on him. He grabbed the thickest file he could spy on his desk, waiting to be passed onto Choi Young Do’s desk and approached the flustered young man.

“These are the detailed, department by department, server switch over plan, stand-by business continuity plan and the schedule of the on-site monitors, who will oversee the whole process.” Seo Beom-jo said in his best casual voice, even though his eyes were fixed on the top of the head resting dejectedly on the open palm end of Choi Young Do’s right arm, the elbow of which was resting on the desk. Seo Beom-jo registered the almost imperceptible careless nod only because he was keenly looking out for any sign of reaction.

He sighed in frustration and almost barked out, “You know, I am sure that it cannot hold a candle to your coffee shop stuff but there are about three different kinds of brewed coffee at the cafeteria. Also, there is a vending machine, dispensing nothing but 20 kinds of coffee concoction, down the hall from the cafeteria.”

Choi Young Do looked up to meet a pair of rather disapproving eyes on a face, which mildly surprised him. Seo Beom-jo was usually the picture of polite indifference. Now, something had apparently vexed him enough that there was a mild heat to his voice. Choi Young Do just wasn’t sure what or who was the culprit for such a reaction in the pacifist man.

“Huh? What did you say?” Choi Young Do was now genuinely concerned that he had missed out on some important business discussion because his head felt like it was stuffed with wool.

Seo Beom-jo all but rolled his eyes. “Coffee! Caffeine! Get some. You can’t seem to function without it.”

“What? Why would you say that?” Choi Young Do was clueless as to what had brought on such a piece of advice from Seo Beom-jo, who was not the kind to make careless assumptions about people.

Seo Beom-jo wanted to pick up Choi Young Do and shake him. But he was not a violent man by nature so he took out his hands from his pockets of his trousers and leaned in to rest them on Choi Young Do’s desk. On a normal day, he wouldn’t have expected Choi Young Do to lean back in the face of such little show of aggression as he did now, which shocked him as much as Choi Young Do, who realized that he was indeed pretty badly rattled by the morning’s debacle. Their eyes met and two similar aged young men from two different parts of the world but equally intelligent, even if by nature, entirely polar opposites, conversed silently, with their eyes only.

“Really? You don’t think you are being weird?”

“Uh-umm….what? Damn! That is…….you got me.”

“Exactly! Now, snap out of it and get your head back in the game.”

Choi Young Do flushed under the clearly critical eyes of Seo Beom-jo and suddenly got to his feet, almost knocking his chair over. Seo Beom-jo straightened his posture in a silent show of rapport, pushing his hands back in his pockets.

“Coffee! Right. I need some coffee.” Choi Young Do said with a sudden burst of energy like he had just solved the puzzle that he was struggling with.

Seo Beom-jo watched him stride purposefully towards the main door to the IT department, watching him step with renewed enthusiasm. Until, he suddenly stopped a step away from the door and hesitated with his back to Seo Beom-jo. His shoulders slouched as his perkiness ebbed and he slowly started to turn to face Seo Beom-jo, struggling to form a sentence to express his dilemma.

Seo Beom-jo crossed his arms like an exasperated elder with a rookie mentee. Choi Young Do had an embarrassed, sheepish smile on his face. But before he could say anything, Seo Beom-jo spoke up in a dull, matter of fact tone.

“Three varieties in the cafeteria and 20 in the vending machine in the hall next to it. Accepts both cash and cards.”

A grin broke onto Choi Young Do’s face. In spite of his ‘defeat’ that morning, he counted his day slightly redeemed by the fact that for the first time, he got to meet Seo Beom-jo. The real man, not the prim and proper, polite and indifferent man but an unusually interactive man. He did realize that whatever was his motive in doing so, the man had shown a little interest in his hapless state and drawn him out of his bout of self-pity.

“Right. I knew that!” Choi Young Do cheerily responded before grabbing the door open and stepping out, leaving a flabbergasted Seo Beom-jo behind.

In a moment, he recovered and smiled at the American’s cheekiness. If only he weren’t so ‘American’, he would have made interesting company and possibly a good friend, thought Seo Beom-jo. But he had learnt to be careful when it came to choosing his friends. The whole process of vetting people, whom he could trust enough to be his friends was so exhausting that he had instead learnt to live a solitary life. Safer and definitely better for mental peace. Lonely at times but he did not fret over it. He knew he had a lot to be thankful for. The rest, he took it in his stride and ‘managed’. It was the Korean way of dealing with whatever one doesn’t like in their lives, especially the ones they were unable to change. Endure. He was sure that was the key to his success in his life. He was very good at it.

Elsewhere in the same business district, a very perturbed girl was mulling whether to do exactly that or not- endure, that is. She had half a mind to fire off a series of texts to Dal Po, describing her harassment at the hands of a perfect stranger. Nope, a lecher! That’s what he was. She knew that kind, who thought just because they were dashing, they had a right to make a play for every girl that came their way. Well, she was not the kind to fold before a handsome face and brash charm. She was already irrevocably in love with the sweetest and dearest man in the world. Nobody could dismantle the pedestal that Choi In Ha had built for Choi Dal Po over the years.

With each scrape he saved her from, with each quiet gesture of kindness that he showed her, with each and every day, month and year, the height of the said pedestal had grown by leaps and bounds. He was her confidante and her knight but she did not want to worry and upset him by telling him about her very public brush (pun intended!) with that horrible man! Choi Dal Po needed to rest and gather his energy before he could come back to work. She was sure that had he been by her side, the whole fiasco would not have happened and even if that guy had dared to lay a finger on her, Choi Dal Po would have decked him for good. He was not a man who was eager to prove his machismo like most young men tend to, by getting into brawls and such. But a few times in her life she had seen Choi Dal Po let loose and tear into people.

A guy who had brushed his hand across Choi In Ha’s backside in high school could testify to that fact. She was no wilting flower and she was sure that a resounding slap in public would have settled the score but unfortunately for that you fellow, Choi Dal Po was right behind him and her (as he usually was, always) when the incident took place. So before she could do anything, the guy was unceremoniously yanked back and thrown to the ground. Choi Dal Po had jumped on his chest and straddled him, raining blows with both hands, yelling for everybody’s as much as for the perpetrator’s benefit.

“Don’t touch her! Don’t you dare touch her, you hear me? I said leave her alone. I will kill anybody who dares touch even a hair on her head.”

Choi In Ha had stood to a side, shocked at the level of anger and physical violence that she had never thought Choi Dal Po was ever capable of. He was the most easy-going person and at times she had felt guilty that she often bullied him to do her bidding. It took a couple of teachers and couple of boys to tear him off that poor guy. Thankfully, the matter was dealt with within the school as a disciplinary issue and no police report was filed. For once, Choi In Ha was glad that Choi Dal Po was her ‘uncle’ and that nobody found it unusual and gossiped about why he would overreact in such a way to defend her honor.

Later on at home, she had found him unusually quiet and sulking, his eyes fixed on the horizon, unseeing. She had sidled up to him on the little bench and had slightly leaned on him in a show of sympathy, only to feel him flinch. He had resolutely refused to look at her. And when he had spoken, his voice had been heavy with a wistfulness.

“Don’t ever be afraid of boys. I will never let anyone disrespect you. I have your back. Just…just stay close to me. OK?”

Choi In Ha had nodded. She had felt elated inside. A warmth had seeped into her heart with the words of promise uttered by Choi Dal Po. She had found her knight. What she didn’t know was that her knight had realized that very day that he wanted to kill every boy who looked at her but that one day he would be powerless to prevent a prince from riding in on a white charger and taking her away from him. The very thought had broken his heart. Unbeknownst to her, Choi Dal Po had lived with that fear in his heart every day since.

Choi In Ha was sill staring at her phone, scrolling through the chat app history. This morning the day had opened on such a bitter sweet note that had held no indication of how badly it was going to turn out. Every morning Choi In Ha opened her eyes to two promises, that a wonderful breakfast, prepared by her devoted father awaited her on the dining table and that she was going to see that one face which made her life livable despite all the unsavory stuff that was a part of her life as a journalist. But she remembered with the very moment of wakefulness that she was not going to see Choi Dal Po till the day after, which had elicited a sigh from her.

She had reached for her phone even before she could focus her bleary eyes. From fingertips memory, she had typed out the first of her many texts of the day to that one number that was emblazoned on her heart.

“Good morning. Are you up?”

She had to wait for about half a minute before the answer had shown up on her phone.

“Good morning. I am fine and you are going to work. No arguments. Get ready quickly.”

Choi In Ha had pouted and complained aloud, “Aish! So rude and bossy, first thing in the morning. Ever heard of a thing called pleasantries?”

She had typed out, “Aish! Even my boss doesn’t nag me like that to come to work. I am just one of many journalists. Entirely replaceable.”

Pat had come the reply, “That is why you need to work very hard and very sincerely to make a mark. Cutting work over trivial reasons doesn’t help.”

“Trivial! I was nursing a sick person. A very noble job.”

“You are not a qualified nurse and I did not need one. Now, stop chatting and get up. I will not respond to anymore texts for the next half an hour so that you can get ready for work.”

Choi In Ha had reacted to that stern text by refusing to move from her bed for the next 10 minutes but ultimately she had to when her father had barged into her room and smacked her on the head with a ladle that he was wielding.

“He was right! Choi Dal Po sent me a text saying you are awake but being lazy and I should throw you in the shower. And here you are! I may not be able to carry you to the shower but I can certainly bring a bucket of cold water in here. So, what would it be?”

Choi In Ha was irritated on so many counts. Choi Dal Po had guessed her little defiant act, that he had texted her father to tattle on her, that her father had believed his words with such faith and now seemed ready to follow his instruction as well. She had rubbed the spot where her father had brought down the ladle and had glared at him petulantly before heading to the shower. She had just sat down to breakfast when her father’s phone had beeped to notify of an incoming text. Her father, who was at the stove, stirring a pot of soup for her grandfather, hadn’t heard the beep. Since it was lying to the dining table and was unlocked, she had taken a chance and had touched the screen to open the new text. And her guess was right.

“Is she ready yet? I hope she eats breakfast before she leaves.” It was from Choi Dal Po.

Choi In Ha had huffed and had put down the toast in her hand to grab the phone to type out a terse text.

“Yes, she is ready. She is eating breakfast.”

“Thank you, Choi In Ha. Now get going quickly and don’t be late. Work hard.”

Choi In Ha had almost choked on a bit of dry toast as her eyes had widened at the text that was sent back by Choi Dal Po. How in the world did that man know that she had typed out that text on her father’s phone? She was still wondering if Choi Dal Po had developed some special powers as she had put her shoes on and had rushed out of the door. Even now, as she sat her desk, a little angry and upset with that…that oaf, she still didn’t know how he knew that. Shrugging to put everything out of her mind, she decided to finish the article she was about to submit.

By lunch time, Choi Young Do had sufficiently recovered from his distracted musings. In fact, in fits and starts, he had managed to whittle down the stack of files he had found on his desk upon his return from the coffee vending machine in the morning. The barely palatable coffee had not been the only reason for the grimace on his face. He had stolen a look at Seo Beom-jo, who had seemed deeply engrossed in reading something off his monitor, a picture of concentration, furrowed brow and all. But his desk had been suspiciously neat and conspicuously clear of the files that Choi Young Do had remembered seeing there, for the past couple of weeks. Choi Young Do had sensed that the two of them had just crossed over the boundary of polite and professional between them. Was there a hint of naughtiness now (if such a word could be applied to shenanigans of men in their late twenties)? Or dear Lord, some tomfoolery? Horseplay? Choi Young Do had unreasonably perked up at the slightest prospect of such excitement. His work life had been so bland all this while in Korea that a little spice was very welcome.

Choi Young Do was ravenous. He glanced at his watch and decided to venture out to his favorite café around the corner. It was a place known for serving up quick lunches of western kind, wraps, salad, burgers and Choi Young Do’s favorite, sandwich and soup combo. If he remembered correctly, the special for that day was broccoli and cheese soup. He needed comfort food and he was in luck. He set out briskly for the bank of elevators on his floor. His impatient fingers jabbed the call button unnecessarily as he rocked on his heels. The lift door had barely opened when he jumped into its cavern and punched the key to the lobby. Three floors down, much to Choi Young Do’s chagrin, the lift slowed its descent and came to a halt. The door opened to reveal…..nobody. But before Choi Young Do could irritably jab the key to the lobby again, he heard the noise of running footsteps approaching the lift door. He sank to the back of the lift space, hoping to avoid colliding into the person who was trying to catch a ride.

Choi In Ha was frantic. She had been lost in proof reading her article after the third revision by her team leader. She had felt a little more down each time Mr. Perfectionist had handed her back the sheaf of papers, not even looking up at her to soften the blow of rejection. Sometimes, when she came up with an idea at the daily brainstorming sessions, His Majesty would very generously crack half a smile, if she was lucky. But most of the time her follow up efforts to transfer that idea into an article would be a long drawn out process with countless edits and rewrites. She was holding her head in her hands, hoping to find a second wind, when her phone had beeped.

“How goes your day?” Choi Dal Po wrote.

Choi In Ha groaned and typed out, “Awful right now! I hate writer’s block.”

“You are not a writer. You are a journalist.”

Choi In Ha wanted to scream in frustration, “Whatever! I am stuck on the fourth rewrite on my article and the deadline is only two hours away! Ugghh!” She even inserted some emoticons to emphasize her feelings.

After a pause of 20 minutes, around lunch time, by when Choi In Ha was still struggling, came another text from Choi Dal Po.

“Come to the cupcake café. Bring your article.”

Choi In Ha gaped at the text. He was here? Asking her to see him? For lunch? Wait, for the article? Working lunch then? But she didn’t care. She practically whipped up a whirlwind at her desk as she shut down her computer and gathered her things, including the blasted article. She tore through the work space she shared with twenty five other people, drawing stares from many and ran towards the elevators. But she got impatient in 10 seconds and ran towards the staircase, only to double back when she heard the ding of the lift door opening. She ran from the head of the staircase to catch the lift, putting a foot in the door just before it shut again.

And there he was…the oaf, the lecher, the crazy bastard! Leaning against the back of the lift carriage, still cool as cucumber, neatly put together, just like he was that very morning. But his eyes showed that he was just as surprised at this second encounter of the day between the two of them as she. Choi In Ha grabbed her backpack close to her and blurted out.

“Are you stalking me?” She sounded breathless and irritated rather than scared.

Choi Young Do was too stunned to bring forth his gift of the gab. He could have used that opening to say a hundred smart and funny, witty and y things, if only he had the slightest premonition that he would see her again so soon, so unexpectedly. But all he could to manage to say by way of a response, to such a grave accusation, was the bare fact.

“I work here.” He said almost defensively.

“What?” Her eyebrows shot up in disbelief, “Which fool hired you? Which department? I think I ought to lodge a complaint with the HR. They are hiring riff-raffs these days! What’s your name?”

She tried to peer at his ID card that was half hidden behind the lapel of his jacket. Choi Young Do very surreptitiously tucked that even further in before sticking a bright and charming smile on his face, finally finding his impish self again. He proffered his hand to her, inviting her to shake his hand as if they were meeting for the first time, in very congenial circumstances.

“Seo Beom-jo, at your service.” Choi Young Do waited for her to take his hand though he knew that it was unlikely.

True to his expectation, she merely glared at him and stomped out as soon as the lift reached the lobby level and the door opened. She hurried across the lunch time rush of people coming and going and headed straight for the café. What she did not realize is that this time Choi Young Do was determined to follow her. She was too eager to see Choi Dal Po and such a suspicion didn’t even cross her mind. Young Do was pleasantly thrilled to see her heading towards the same café as he was. He smiled to himself that perhaps there was a chance he could snare a lunch date. All was not lost yet. On second thought, he decided that the Play was ill timed. Being propositioned first thing in the morning was not a welcome prospect. He stepped into the café and looked around to spot her in the crowd of lunch time customers.

And then he saw her. Or at least a version of her that was not known to him before. Her face was lit up, almost glowing. A few minutes ago, she was tired, wary and aggressive. Now her features were magically softened and she was smiling, coyly. Her eyes were alight with charm, bright with expectation and they were directed at a man sitting opposite her. From where he stood, Choi Young Do could only see his back. He was wearing a well-worn hoodie and a pair of jeans, which had seen better days. The unseen man pushed a dessert plate towards her, upon which sat a cupcake. A fist size, fluffy morsel of pale golden batter, sweet and moist, topped with a huge swirl of chocolate frosting, dotted with rainbow colored sprinkles, upon which sat a brandy soaked red cherry. Her face dissolved into a pure smile of happiness that made even Choi Young Do crack a smile. It was a sight that filled his heart with intoxicating giddiness. But he was aware that she was smiling at the unseen man.

Choi Young Do was instantly jealous and fearful that perhaps he was too late. May be somebody else had already claimed her as his. He was unreasonably angry and wanted to see who this man was. His lunch forgotten, he was playing a spy like a lovelorn teenager. He started to move behind the constant stream of people so that he could get to the other side or at least somewhere in the middle of the huge floor, so that he could observe the face of the man sitting in front of her. Just as he reached halfway to the other side, he noticed a movement near their table. Someone in his mid-forties approached them and they both stood up to greet the visitor. And that’s when Choi Young got his first look at him.

It was his complexion that first struck him. Such pale and flawless complexion was rare on a man. The face was small, perfectly shaped with a pair of almond shaped eyes, fringed with thick lashes. His cheekbones were sharp enough to cut glass with. His nose was straight and small. The boyish mop of deep brown hair, tinged with streaks of gold, orange and red that fell on his forehead made him look too cute for a grown up man. He was pretty tall and his small face sat upon a frame, which was in no way thin. In fact he looked like a swimmer. Broad but streamlined, with long, very long legs. Consciously or unconsciously, Choi Young Do had skipped over the most distinct feature on that face that finally drew his attention. His lips, the shade of frozen cherries, but plump like fresh strawberries, stood out against his pale skin like a spot of fire and warmth in the frozen tundra.

Choi Young Do had to concede that he was a pretty, pretty, very pretty boy. Or was it a man? Was it possible for a man to be so pretty, so beautiful, with such delicate features? Choi Young Do was torn in his mind. He was filled with admiration and envy. Choi Young Do appreciated beauty in all its different forms. In front him, was a work of art, perfectly assembled, beautiful and delectable like the cupcake that sat untouched on the table. May be a little too perfect, thought the envious side of his heart. Just when the little green monster was about to gain ground on Choi Young Do’s sense of aesthetic, in the middle of the conversation, something caused him to smile, an open, warm and honest smile that could pierce even the coldest of hearts. Choi Young Do’s heart stopped, lurched back to life and conceded defeat. Undoubtedly, he was a sight for the sore eyes with a smile to match. Choi young Do was intrigued and fascinated at the same time.

“Alright, Mr. Cupcake! Just who are you and how did you manage to dazzle me…..err….her so?”

A/N- To my readers and subscribers: Thank you for your patience. Trust me, I have not, for even a day, forgotten about the story. I love to travel and for the last three weeks I was on a fun filled road trip across the country. I promised to update at least once every month and I intend to keep that promise. I just hope, you find it in your heart to allow me the time to produce something worthwhile, which will do your expectations justice. Please, feel free to leave your feedback to let me know if I am being successful in my endeavor.