Crisp mornings always made Choi In Ha feel fresh and upbeat, even if she knew that by midmorning she would look and feel like a day old bread. That morning was especially full of promise. It was her birthday. She had been treated to a lavish breakfast spread by her father and grandfather, including the mandatory seaweed soup. In spite of the fact that Choi In Ha earned a decent salary as a journalist, the warmth of two gift envelopes holding 50000 won each from her father and grandfather was burning a hole in her pocket. She wanted to buy a pair of sterling silver earrings she had been eyeing at a local mall. There was just one thing that put a wrinkle in her otherwise happy day.

Choi Dal Po was not around. He was on the trail of a series of daylight break-ins that had rattled the poshest corner of Gangnam district. He was sure that it was the work of a well organized crime syndicate, based out of China. He was chasing the story for the last couple of weeks, unmindful of the extensive hours that he had logged, in research and interviews. He often turned his phone off when he was interviewing shady informants and Choi In Ha could only fret while he was off the grid, worried and tensed. She had hoped that at least that morning he would have called or texted to wish her but her phone had remained uncharacteristically silent. She had tried to call him but had reached his voicemail.

She had left him a voicemail…..congratulating him on his ‘birthday’. Choi Dal Po had a date of adoption and a date when he was received at the orphanage as a toddler but no birthdate. As Choi In Ha and Choi Dal Po had grown up together, he had never shown any resentment that he had never got to celebrate his ‘birthday’. He was a wise child and knew that he was lucky to be in a loving and caring family. He demanded nothing and needed very little. But Choi In Ha had turned 11, she had declared that her birthday be also celebrated as his birthday.

Her father and grandfather had been taken aback for a moment and Choi Dal Po had protested against any fuss be made on his account. But she had stomped and sulked till Choi Dal Po had taken a seat next to her at the dining table and she had insisted that they both be served the celebratory seaweed soup. Her grandfather’s eyes had moistened fondly, while her father had cleared his throat loudly and had declared that there was plenty of seaweed soup to go around anyway. From then on, they had celebrated their birthdays together, sharing cake, soup and blessings from their little family. Even now, in her backpack, she carried a little box, wrapped lovingly in fancy paper and tied with a smart bow that contained her gift for him. She knew that two more envelopes waited for him at their home as well. Choi Dal Po had never got comfortable accepting ‘birthday’ gifts from his elders. Every year they almost had to scold him and the gifts of money into his hands. But he never put up any resistance, when it came to accepting any gift from her. And his gifts were always special for her.

The previous year, they had been covering a story for their respective news agencies and in the field. It was the site of a factory explosion. Despite their best efforts, they were both tinged with soot and grime, exhausted from the long vigil and rather depressed due to the heavy loss of lives that had been a result of the blast. But at the of midnight, Choi Dal Po had pulled her aside, behind a news truck, making sure that their co-workers were all on break, away from them. With tender fingers and a moist handkerchief, he had wiped away the grey streaks from her face as she had leaned limply against the truck, rambling in frustration about the loss of lives. All of a sudden, Choi dal Po had clamped her lips together to shut her up midsentence.

“We will get back to that in a couple of minutes and get to the bottom of it. But right now, we have a birthday to celebrate. So, all I ask for is 5 minutes, ok?”

Unable to answer with his fingers around her lips, Choi In Ha had nodded her head meekly. She had got a sweet and indulgent smile from Choi Dal Po in return. Rifling through his heavy backpack, Choi Young Do had fished out a parchment wrapped children’s lunch cake, the kind that could make any kid’s day at school. He had placed the tiny cake on his left palm and had taken out a cigarette lighter in his right. They didn’t have a knife so she had broken the cake with her hands into two pieces and blown out the flame of the lighter in lieu of candles. They had shared the tiny cake and 5 minutes of togetherness that many people could only aspire for during their entire lifetime.

But Choi In Ha had been embarrassed that she had not got the gift she had bought for Choi Dal Po, while his tightly packed backpack had yielded a gift for her. It was a pair of leather gloves with fur lining with a matching woolen scarf. She had admired the same pair longingly in the window of an upscale boutique, unwilling to spend so much on a fancy accessory. Choi Dal Po was with her on that trip but she had not even expressed her interest in that pair to him. But as usual, he knew, he just knew, he always knew. This year, she was bound and determined that if they, per chance, managed to cross path, on ‘their’ birthday, she would not be caught empty handed.

Choi Young Do had suddenly become a caffeine addict. Seo Beom Jo had noted suspiciously that since that day when he had come back without his fancy coffee shop tumbler and had been forced to sample that plebian fare at the cafeteria and the vending machine downstairs, his coffee intake had increased suddenly. Choi Young Do took as much as 4 coffee breaks every day since that day, always making a beeline for the café area. He seemed super excited and eager on his way to get it but upon his return, the coffee often sat on his desk and went cold half full. But, in spite of his continuous observation of odd behavior on Choi Young Do’s part, he was stunned when Choi Young Do had cheerfully proposed the unprecedented thing.

“Let’s go and get some coffee, shall we?” Choi Young Do seemed visibly excited…or nervous, though he had a charming half smile that made him look like an eager little boy.

“What?” Seo Beom Jo couldn’t even mask his surprise.

Choi Young Do rolled his eyes at him, “Don’t worry. It’s not a date, just a coffee. You will be safe in a familiar environment and there will be plenty of chaperons. And I am a gentleman. I never take advantage of my guests. At least not on the very first date.” His smile deepened and eyes twinkled as Seo Beom Jo’s eyes looked increasingly like saucers, with incredulity and shock.

He tried to speak but choked on his words as his throat closed up. Choi Young Do was truly amused by now. He walked around the desk to gently pat Seo Beom Jo’s back. But instead of soothing him, the gesture had quite the opposite effect. Seo Beom Jo shot up on his feet, still gasping and trying to clear his throat, as if Choi Young Do’s touch had been an electric shock to his system. Even Choi Young Do took a step back and peered curiously at his colleague.

“Dude! You alright? You freak easily. Hmm…..could it be that you have intimacy issues?” Choi Young Do teasingly, which did not help….at all.

Seo Beom Jo bit out an almost harsh, “Shut up!”

A little chastened, Choi Young Do was clueless as to what had set off such a violent reaction in a truly mild mannered man. He had honestly thought that Seo Beom Jo and he had become a little more ‘pally’ since that day when his ‘play’ had failed.

The awkward silence was heavy and uncomfortable. Choi Young Do was getting impatient but at the same time he was sensitive to the fact that he had indeed done something grievously wrong to set off Seo Beom Jo like that.

He wished he could do the American thing and just offer.

“Hey! You want to talk about it? Over some of beer, burgers and baseball, maybe?” And for the fairer , “Over a chick flick, cheese and wine, may be?”

Seo Beom Jo needed to loosen up. For such a young guy, he was too insular. It was just not healthy, not in Choi Young Do’s book at least. For the time being, he needed to get back to the predicament at hand.

“Soooooo, is that a ‘no’?” Choi Young Do asked rhetorically. But it was his turn to be surprised.

“No. I accept. Thank you. Let’s go.” Seo Beom Jo grabbed his phone and picked up his wallet. Then he turned to face Choi Young Do and said emphatically, more as a way to punish him than for being miserly, “But you are paying.”

Choi Young Do could only utter, “Uh…sure.” unused to a forthright and blunt Seo Beom Jo. But as he turned to lead the way, he couldn’t help himself from throwing over his shoulder, “Didn’t I say that I am a gentleman? I never let my ‘date’ pay. I am old fashioned that way.” He could feel Seo Beom Jo falter in his stride and mutter a curse aimed at him under his breath. Choi Young Do counted that as a victory. "So he can curse!", he thought to himself.

But presently he was already thinking about Choi In Ha. He was enterprising enough to find out about her, even if it meant going through a whole lot of employee information. He was pretty sure that in the process, he had flouted half a dozen IT compliance measures, not to mention date privacy rules, corporate ethics and plain moral standards! But to his mind, it was all worth it. The heart wants, what it wants and his wanted to know everything about Choi In Ha. The little nugget of information unearthed last week had led him to renew his efforts to gain her attention. This time he was going to try the hackneyed path, since his attempt at being whimsical had failed so miserably.

He had chosen a single long stemmed rose, perfectly shaped and blood red, from a very fancy flower boutique and had it sent to the office reception, in an equally fancy box. It was her birthday and he had made sure that it was waiting for her by the time she had come into work. Now, he was headed to the cafeteria floor, knowing fully well that she was in a meeting in one of the smaller rooms that dotted the corridor, leading up to the cafeteria. He had figured that since he had already committed the graver sin of delving into her personal file, it was of little consequence that he had also accessed her online day planner. He was hoping to run into her but he was a little apprehensive about her possible reaction. He was hoping that she would think twice about verbally attacking him in public and in the presence of unfamiliar company.

Seo Beom Jo was quiet although he was walking alongside Choi Young Do. He seemed to be inordinately interested in his phone while doing so. Choi Young Do caught his eye and smiled, to reassure himself that he had a wingman, even if the said wingman was absolutely clueless about that fact. Seo Beom Jo seemed a little confused at Choi Young Do’s smile and wondered why he was being so aggressively friendly. A major part of him wanted to rebuff his overtures and withdraw himself even further, Choi Young Do had, perhaps unknowingly, stepped on a sore point and Seo Beom Jo had to overcompensate by being social with him. Enduring through a difficult path was nothing new to him. Once more, he was going to play the part that society expected him to, as much as he loathed it.

They each chose a cup of coffee and as promised Choi Young Do paid. Seo Beom Jo was about to walk out of the cafeteria when he felt a hand pull at his elbow. Already a little rattled, he almost jumped, only to see Choi Young Do look at him quizzically. Choi Young Do wanted to merely delay their departure in the hope he would catch a glimpse of Choi In Ha when she exited the meeting but now he was truly concerned that Seo Beom Jo needed to sit down and relax.

“What’s the rush? You have earned a break. Let’s sit down for a bit.” Choi Young Do motioned to the nearest table.

Seo Beom Jo hesitated for a moment but acquiesced. Choi Young Do kept one eye on the traffic in the corridor outside the café and one eye on his reluctant companion. But he didn’t have to wait for long. Within 5 minutes, Choi In Ha walked out of a meeting room across from the cafeteria and her eyes fell on the tall and hard-to-miss figure, who had intentionally placed himself in the line of her vision. She waited to chat with others who exited the meeting room with her but it seemed like she was buying time till all the others went on their way and she was left alone in the hallway. She cast a careful look around and made sure that the hallway was empty and then she stepped towards the cafeteria. It was too early for lunch and it was sparsely populated. Emboldened, she stepped right up to the table where Choi Young Do sat.

He had followed her movements with half lidded eyes, trying not to stare but had got increasingly worried to see her step into the cafeteria. He forced himself to remain calm and keep his wits about him. He was not going to be caught without a smart answer again. He just hoped that he had it in him to manage two skittish souls at the same time. He quickly glanced at Seo Beom Jo, sitting across from him and saw that he seemed to be lost in his phone like a fortune teller looking into a crystal ball. Right now, Choi Young Do could with some prediction about what was about to unfold right then.

He looked up and met Choi In Ha’s eyes as she came to stand next to the table and smiled sweetly. Only she didn’t return the smile. She however took into account that there was somebody else with him. She was going to do the right thing, even if the ill-mannered man deserved no courtesy.

“Seo Beom Jo, may I speak to you in private?” She asked in her best formal voice.

Seo Beom Jo’s head shot up at her low but insistent voice. But the speaker had her body half turned to face Choi Young Do…NOT HIM……..squarely. He was slightly perplexed. He looked from Choi In Ha to Choi Young Do, trying to understand what was happening. Choi Young Do forced himself to remain calm.

“I am sorry but I am in the process of spending some quality time with my good friend here. Must we do this now? And, if you must, then feel free to speak in his presence. We are very……close…friends. We have practically no secrets between us.” He drawled languidly, all the while hoping that she would back off and give him a chance to manage the confusion that was clear on Seo Beom Jo’s face. He hoped that his over-the-top description of their ‘friendship’ would shock him enough to forget the ‘name issue’ for a while.

Choi In Ha turned around to see a bewildered face looking at her for a moment. The poor guy seemed absolutely at sea, puzzled and appalled at the same time. She gave him a little nod to acknowledge his presence but she saw that it was unnecessary, for his eyes were riveted on the man sitting on the other side of the table. She turned her attention back to the smirking troublemaker.

“Did you send me the flower?” She looked irritated rather than angry, as if Choi Young Do was a pest rather than a threat.

 “Why would you say that? Was there a card with the flower with my name on it?” He asked evenly.

All of a sudden, Choi In Ha felt uncertain of her conviction that it was that brash ‘stalker’ who had sent her the flower, which she had quickly disposed of in the nearest waste bin. She was so happy to think for a moment that it was from Choi Dal Po. But Choi Dal Po had never given her flowers.

“And how could this…this…weirdo know that today is my birthday?” She thought to herself.

She exhaled in frustration and decided to try again.

“Listen Seo Beom Jo….”She began like she was talking to a naughty child.

Suddenly the ‘friend guy’ spoke up behind her, “Excuse me….” But even he couldn’t finish his sentence as he muffled a grunt and gasped in pain. Choi In Ha looked from the afflicted man to his friend, wondering what was wrong with him.

Choi Young Do explained empathetically, “Gout. Poor guy suffers so much. Anyway, you were saying?”

Choi In Ha fought to pick up the thread of the conversation but felt that the sudden interruption had taken the heat out of her. She tried to be civil as much as possible.

“As I was saying, I have not reported you yet. But make no mistake, I will if you persist in your advances. I am not interested. OK?”

Before Choi Young Do could answer, he heard Seo Beom Jo’s voice, firm and clipped as he slowly got to his feet.

“Trust me, miss. He wouldn’t bother you anymore. Now, if you would kindly excuse us, we have work to go back to. I wish you a good day.” His assurance was for Choi In Ha but his eyes were entirely focused on Choi Young Do, daring him to contradict his last word on that matter. “Come on buddy, we have to get back.”

But it was Choi In Ha, who left first, seemingly relieved that a sensible person was taking charge over the loose cannon friend of his. Choi Young Do eyed her till she disappeared and then reluctantly met Seo Beom Jo’s furious stare down. He cleared his throat and tried to form a logical answer. But Seo Beom Jo beat him to it.

“Save it. We really have to get back to work. You have till after work to figure out a detailed and sensible answer as to why that lady thinks that your name is Seo Beom Jo.” Choi Young Do all of a sudden felt like a boy caught with his hand down a cookie jar. But he was not going to let Seo Beom Jo have the last word.

“Though I don’t usually rush with my second dates, I will make an exception in this case. How are you set for dinner tonight?” He cocked his head to one side. Seo Beom Jo only glared through narrowed eyes, gritting his teeth.

Undaunted Choi Young Do started to walk away with an amused smile, turning midstride to face him, only to add fuel to the fire. “It’s a looong story and trust me, alcohol will help. As promised, my treat. Always the gentleman, you see.” He added a teasing smile before turning his back and practically high tailing out of the cafeteria, leaving a fuming Seo Beom Jo behind.

Sometime after midafternoon, Choi Dal Po could find the time and opportunity to turn his phone on for a brief minute. His phone’s battery was nearly discharged and his back up battery was empty as well. He had been on his feet for the previous 48 hours, running from the police precincts to shady alleyways, meeting with informants in street side shacks and pumping friendly police officers for information on the official investigation. He hurriedly sent a text to Choi In Ha wishing her on her birthday before his phone finally croaked. He had to get back to the office to recharge, across all levels. He hailed a taxi and fought to keep his eyes open on the way to work. Instead he decided to think of a way to meet Choi In Ha even if for a few minutes as soon as possible. There was a good chance that he could catch her at work, since her office was on the other side of the road from his. But he needed something first. He checked his watch and grimaced. He hated going to the cupcake café during the lunch hour rush. “Although the inconvenience will be totally worth it”, he thought with a smile.

As he had feared, the place was jam packed. But the mere smell of hot, freshly cooked food made his stomach rumble. He had come in for a takeaway cupcake but decided to give in to the hunger pangs and ordered a pile of food for his own lunch as well. He paid at the register and picked up the food laden tray, practically drooling over the food. But turning around, he scoured the café for an empty table, in vain. He slowly meandered around the filled tables, hungrily looking for an available seat but none was to be had. Just when he was about to quit and ask the service crew to pack his lunch as takeaway, he heard a deep voice speak up.

“Excuse me, if you are looking for a table and don’t mind sharing one, you are welcome to sit here.” Choi Young Do even pushed out the empty chair on the other side of the table with his right foot, hoping that Mr. Cupcake will would accept his invite. This was a divine opportunity to see what made him…well…him and what made her light up around him. He had to know what he was up against. First you get to know the odds against you and then set out to lower the odds. After all he had minored in Strategic Management!

Choi Dal Po turned to look at a friendly smile on an affable countenance. He was young and seemed genuinely warm in his offer. Choi Dal Po didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth and almost collapsed into the chair that was offered, mumbling a hurried thank you. Choi Young Do looked on amusedly as Mr. Cupcake practically fell upon the food, shoveling mouthful after mouthful as he himself munched slowly on a few carrot sticks. Soon and unsurprisingly, Mr. Cupcake choked on a morsel in his hurry to swallow. He broke out in a fit of cough, trying to dislodge the stuck food from his gullet. Choi Young Do instinctively offered his glass of water to him. Mr. Cupcake, still coughing and red in the face, looked up at Choi Young Do with watering eyes. Distracted in a second, Choi Young Do mused unrelatedly, “How is it possible to tear up so picturesquely?”

There was a tiny teardrop, precariously balanced on the edge of those long curved lashes and his eyes held the promise of many more. Mr. Cupcake however, ignored his glass of water and tried to open the bottled water on his tray. Before he could think about the appropriateness of it, Choi Young Do reached out and covered his fingers that were struggling with the bottle cap, with his right palm, to stop him. Mr. Cupcake looked at him questioningly with a raised eyebrow since he was still coughing.

Choi Young Do said solicitously, slipping into his usual ‘buddy’ form unconsciously, “Take sips of water. Chugging from a bottle will make it worse. Don’t worry, I haven’t drunk from the glass yet. It’s a fresh glass of water”

Mr. Cupcake nodded after a moment and picked up the glass and took several sips, clearing his throat after every few. Choi Young Do observed how exertion had tinged his otherwise milky white skin with a most becoming shade of blush. The long neck showed the greenish veins that stood out as he worked his throat repeatedly. And there was that little mole at the corner of his right eye as if when the Creator had painted those dark lashes, a drop had fallen off His paintbrush onto the skin and had remained there forever.

Sufficiently recovered, Mr. Cupcake smiled abashedly at Choi Young Do. He was finally able to say a coherent sentence.

“Thank you. That was very kind of you. I am sorry for the trouble. I hope I didn’t spoil your lunch. I was ravenous and I think, I ate too fast.” His voice was soft but clear. He seemed like an inherently mild mannered man, calm and even keeled.

Choi Young Do smiled back because it was hard not to, “You think? You seemed to be on a timer!”

Mr. Cupcake blushed a little more and Choi Young Do was jealous instantly. “There are all kinds of killers in this world” he thought, “Some kill with a sharp instrument and some kill with a soft smile.”

Mr. Cupcake spoke in the same seductively calm and earnest voice, “I am on a timer. This was an unscheduled lunch break.”

“Dude! You should never skip lunch….or dinner…or breakfast….or snack. Good food is the driving force behind good work.” Choi Young Do quipped.

Mr. Cupcake shook his head in disbelief, “You obviously are not a journalist. We will do anything for a good story.”

Choi Young Do caught on the slim opening for a conversation, “Wow! That’s so cool. Where do you work, if you don’t mind me asking? Sorry….I should introduce myself first. I am Choi Young Do.” He extended his palm for a handshake.

Mr. Cupcake hesitated for a moment and then took his hand. His grip was firm, his palm warm and the fingers wrapped around Choi Young Do’s with a certain fluid grace.

“Choi Dal Po. I am an investigative journalist with YGN.”

Choi Young Do faked a gasp, “You are the competition! A rival! The nemesis!”

“What?” Choi Dal Po was intrigued by the sudden dramatic overreaction.

Choi Young Do returned to his normal self in a second, seemingly indifferent. He shrugged his shoulders.

“Technically though we are not. I work at MSC. But I am not a journalist. I am an IT consultant.” Choi Young Do said honestly even before he could calculate the implication of that information being released. It was difficult to lie to such an earnest person, he reasoned to himself.

Choi Dal Po smiled impishly, “We work for two companies in the same field but we are not enemies. I know many people at MSC. They are very nice to me.”

With that he stood up and so did Choi Young Do. They both picked up their trays and deposited the same at the designated counter. Choi Young Do noticed that he picked up an elaborately decorated cupcake in a transparent box and held it almost reverently as he turned to face Choi Young Do. But Choi Young Do spoke first.

“Cupcake as a birthday cake? That’s novel.” He didn’t want to seem too eager to probe.

Choi Dal Po looked fondly at the cake in his hand, imagining the happy face of Choi In Ha and said wistfully, “Perfect for a birthday party for two.”

He missed the slightly disappointed look on Choi Young Do’s face. Suddenly, Choi Young Do wanted to go home and be among his old friends and close buddies. He wanted to feel their camaraderie and easygoing company. He wanted to feel included and wanted, a part of something special. Something that even Choi Dal Po could be envious of, like he was of him right then.

They said their good byes and Choi Young Do trailed behind Choi Dal Po till he reached the intersection where they parted. He was a little vexed that his emotions were mixed. He wished he could hate Mr. Cupcake, he wanted to, he had to, right? But he couldn’t bring himself to. Mr. Cupcake….Choi Dal Po….was so disarmingly unpretentious and nice, gave off vibes of wholesome earthiness….and that smile should be outlawed. It’s a potent weapon that could slay the most cynical hearts. Choi Young Do shook his head in frustration. He had to regroup his thoughts and find another way to dislike him.

Late at night, Choi Dal Po made his way to the reporters’ lounge at a police precinct, where Choi In Ha was filling in for a sick colleague. He had fallen into a whirlwind of activities as soon as he had walked into his office. He was swept into not one but two status update meetings, one with his supervising editor and one with the legal team. They wanted to have all their ducks in a row before ruffling any major feathers since Choi Dal Po’s investigation was likely to do so. By the time he had found a minute, he had found Choi In Ha’s phone turned off. That could only mean one thing……an evening shift change briefing held at 6 P.M. every day. And then more silence on her part. Worried, he had called her desk at MSC and was told that she was in the field, pulling a double shift.

Without any other attempt to connect with her, he had decided to surprise her. Choi Dal Po carefully opened the creaky door to the little room which served as a command post for all the journalists from various media houses. There, among half a dozen sleeping figures, he easily identified the heap of blanket that was Choi In Ha. He stepped carefully among the prone bodies and strewn equipment and reached her side. He crouched down next to her. With a loving touch, he gently smoothed away the unruly hair that had escaped the ponytail and had fallen all over her face.

Inevitably, Choi In Ha came awake in the process. Her sleepy eyes nonetheless recognized Choi Dal Po and she smiled. Choi Dal Po’s breath hitched in his throat as he watched her twist her body under the blanket, trying to work out the sleep induced inertia. Even underneath the fleece blanket, her curves were easily discernible and in the partial darkness of the room, it was easy to pretend that they were alone. Choi Dal Po wished he could come home every night to that tortuous sight in bed. He longed to slip under the same blanket and let her warmth seep into his weary body. He wished they could go to sleep in a tangle of arms and legs, skin against skin for the rest of his life. Choi Dal Po shook himself mentally to get rid of his scandalous thoughts and wordlessly motioned for Choi In Ha to follow him outside.

Soon Choi Dal Po was climbing the stairs to the roof of the police precinct, leading Choi In Ha by hand, ignoring all her sundry queries.

“Yah! Where are we going? The roof? Eeuuuu…do you know that it’s littered with scrapped furniture and junk? Why can’t we sit on the stairs?”

Exasperated, Choi Dal Po made a grab for her lips. Only she was quicker, being able to anticipate his move.

“Alright, alright. I will keep quiet.” She promised grudgingly.

Choi Dal Po rolled his eyes and proceeded to lead the way up the last flight of stairs. And there, among the graveyard of broken chairs, discarded sofas and empty tin canisters, lay a little blanket with an unusual spread. A compact upright flashlight lit up two takeaway Chinese food boxes, two small bottles of water and an oversized cupcake. Choi In Ha was close to tears even before Choi Dal Po explained.

“It’s only 5 to 11. We still can celebrate. An hour is a lot more than the five minutes we had last year. So I thought, we should go big.” He spied the teary eyes on Choi In Ha and had to fight the urge to take her in his arms. “Shall we?” He motioned with his hand towards the blanket.

Sitting cross legged and facing each other, Choi Dal fished out a his Swiss army knife and handed it to Choi In Ha. She looked at him reproachfully.

“Yah! It takes two to do the honors. It’s your birthday too.”

Choi Dal Po smiled wistfully and spoke from his heart, “You can cut it for both of us.”

Only Choi In Ha was not to be mollified, “Absolutely not! Come sit next to me, otherwise I am not doing it.” For effect she dropped the knife and crossed her arms in defiance.

Sighing, Choi Dal Po gave in. It had been a long day and he just wanted to see her happy. So, he came to kneel next to her and covered her grip on the knife with his hand. And like that they made the most careful slash in the perfectly decorated cupcake. Choi Dal Po didn’t quite care for cupcakes and Choi In Ha loved cupcakes. So without any further ado, she devoured the frosting and toppings till she reached the layer of cake. She broke off a bit of the moist cake and offered it to Choi Dal Po just in time as he pulled out a small box from his backpack. Choi Dal Po transferred the gift box to his other hand and raised his right hand to take the offered portion from her fingers. But Choi In Ha swiftly moved her hand away and offered it to him again. The unspoken order was given and received….and followed. Choi Dal Po leaned in to delicately close his mouth around the morsel of cake held in her hand, telling himself not to linger over her fingers. She nodded and smiled at getting her way, seemingly oblivious to his struggles..

Choi Dal Po offered the small jewelry box to her and was charmed to see her eyes flash with excitement. She dropped the rest of the cake on the takeaway box and quickly brushed off her hands before accepting the box from him. She opened the box with a smile and upon spying what was inside, her eyes grew even wider. She seemed gobsmacked to find the very pair of sterling silver earrings that she had been longing for, nestled against the blue velvet lining. She looked up at Choi Dal Po like a child looks in awe at a magician.

“How….when….how could….how did you know?” She breathed out in amazement.

Choi Dal Po sat down comfortably, milking the moment for all the effect, leaving her hanging with open. He, uncharacteristically, pretended to have a moment of false modesty.

“It’s elementary. I guess just comes from being a journalist. One needs to have a nose for hidden facts.” He concsiously effected his most casual tone.

If Choi In Ha was suitably impressed with his answer, she certainly did not let that on. Instead she scrambled to her feet, leading Choi Dal Po to ask worriedly, “What happened?”

She slapped her head in a show of frustration and declared, “I forgot your gift. It’s in my backpack. I will go get it. Don’t move….and don’t start eating. I will be back in a minute.”

Before Choi Dal Po could answer her, she had her heels and was rushing down the stairs. Choi Dal Po lay down on his back and cradled the back of his head in his palm. Tired beyond words, he resisted sleep as he waited her return. He was under the open sky and in a junkyard but strangely he was at peace. He felt like a person who had it all. He had turned in the first draft of the series of article that he had written based on his investigation, he had a roof over his head to go back to and he had made his girl happy. Life was good.

                                                                *************************

Author’s note: I have an overactive and devious mind. I always look at something and think “That’s nice the way it is, but what if…..?” That’s how I got the idea of this story. Three pairings, who have fantastic onscreen chemistry, can make a wonderful triangle (yes, I said 3 pairs, do the math.).

I am using the character of Choi Young Do as only the cocky, smart aleck, prankster side of the character in the Heirs. No angst or evil here but the same face to go with that name (Kim Woo Bin, you go boy!). He is going to be around as a very important catalyst. Seo Boem Jo is going to be another major player. Couples don’t exist in vacuum. They will have interesting characters around them and will bounce off those.

Darling Couple love each other, though not openly. There is slight angst but no major conflict. When you are stuck in a rut and get complacent about the status quo, sometimes you need a third person to make you sit up and reevaluate your circumstances. Be warned though that this is not going to follow conventional norms of romance. I firmly believe that true love exceeds all boundaries and is not subject to stereotypes. One should follow one’s heart in pursuit of true love. And that never happens in a jiffy and the path is often strewn with surprise revelations and a few nasty bumps. Hang tight and let me know how it goes.