I can’t believe I’m spending my last army leave for a work meeting, he thought as he checked his heavy winter coat in the cloak room of the restaurant. And a valentine’s day leave at that.

He wasn’t complaining though. It wasn’t like he had a girl to take for a date anyway, and even a typical Gangnam restaurant would seem like Bahamas compared to the dull grey wall of his army unit dorm he had been staring at for the past year. Plus, the meeting was practically set up solely to fill him in on the things he’d missed and needed to get to know before the script reading kicks-off the drama production. If anything, he should feel grateful that the PDs and writers all agreed to another meeting when they could just pass all the information through his agency.

Being especially concerned about leaving a decent first impression, he arrived twenty minutes early, just to make sure he’d be the first one on the table. That the maître d’ led him to an already occupied table wasn’t part of the plan; neither was the person who occupied it, his leading lady Song Hye Kyo.

He stopped in his way, taken by surprise at the sight of her – he didn’t recall seeing her name in the list of meeting attendees tonight. He reached for the black cap he was wearing and took it off, running his fingers through his hair – a nervous tick of his. Suddenly he had this sudden urge to turn around and take one last look at himself in the mirror just to check that he looked alright.

Because he didn’t really put an effort to dress up well, which he undoubtedly would have done had he known she’d be present.

And because she looked ravishing, really, exuding so much charm even just sitting there scrolling her phone screen absentmindedly, totally oblivious of his presence.

He stopped short of immediately greeting her and used that extra few seconds to really take her looks in – her slender but toned figure; her dyed hair falling in cascades over her shoulder; her pale skin, barely covered with make-up. Maybe it was the women-deprived army life getting to him, but god, she’s looking amazing.

--

“Sunbae-nim, I didn’t expect to meet you here.”

His voice caught her out of her daze and she put her phone down, turning her head to see Song Joong-Ki bowing politely, greeting her.

It was not the first time they’d met each other, but he looked so different from how she always remembered him. He’s a lot manlier now, she thought to herself, observing his buzz-cut hair, his defined jawline, his strongly arched eyebrow, and his straight posture. His black tee was hugging his figure in such a way that it couldn’t be more obvious that the army had done him good, so good. Except for his fair and clear skin, there was nothing left of the flower-boy image he was well-known for.

She immediately stood up and returned his bow with one of her own. “Joong Ki-ssi, nice to meet you. You’re early.”

“Well, not as early as you are,” he pointed out teasingly. “I wanted to be the first one to arrive, but apparently coming twenty minutes early is not enough these days.”

She smiled at his light-hearted joke, “Sorry for spoiling your plan, then.”

“Have you been here for long?”

“No, I just arrived, actually. I was just done with CF filming and had nowhere else to kill time, so I headed straight here.”

He nodded and pulled her chair back slightly, gesturing for her to be seated, then plopped down the seat right next to hers. One of the waiter approached their table, handed him the menu, and asked if they were ready to order, and he politely asked the waiter to spare them another minute.

“Aigoo,” he sighed, “how come no one told me you’d be joining us tonight, I should have brought something for you.”

“It’s alright, Joong Ki-ssi, no need to bother yourself,” she immediately waved him off. “I’m just kind of tagging along here. I met the PD yesterday and he mentioned the meeting. He said I can join if I feel like it, so we can greet each other before the script reading.”

“Oh, really. Thank you for sparing your time then, sunbae.”

“It really is nothing. I don’t really have anything to do anyway, it’s better than staying at home.”

He nodded at her response, and there was a lull in the conversation.

Hye Kyo fiddled with the collar of her t-shirt, then ran her fingers through her hair, feeling suddenly self-conscious by the silence. She stared at Joong Ki as he flipped the pages of the menu, skimming through the variety of main courses printed on it, and she wondered if she should tell him something that had been bothering her mind ever since she'd learned that she would be acting alongside him.

“You know, Joong Ki-ssi,” she finally broke the silence, “this is my first time co-starring with a junior, so I’m a bit nervous.”

“Nervous?” he immediately turned his attention from the menu, startled by what she just said. “What are you nervous for, sunbae, shouldn’t the junior be the one nervous in this case?”

She played around with her fingers, averting he