Shaking his head to clear the negative thoughts, he revved the engine and tore out of the driveway. Adrenaline from the Vincenzo soundtrack could be heard playing from his car when he drove by.  

---

The clock read 7pm, and I still had not started my hair and makeup. What colors would go best with the outfit, should I go natural or glam, should I leave my hair down or put it up? I put on the dress – it was ravishing, something I never expected I would wear in my life, and it hugged my body in all the right places. The square neckline accentuated my décolleté and my collarbones stood out nicely between the thin shoulder straps. The sparkling blue diamonds waved as they dangled from gold threads on my ears, and the big diamond on the necklace danced with every move I made. I put on the black Louboutins and could hardly recognize myself in the mirror. Who was this elegant y lady? Trailing from the bottom of my reflection to my face, it occurred to me that I had to do my makeup right now if I didn’t want to be late. It was ten minutes to 7.30, and I had to be fast. 

Hurriedly, I patted my foundation on my face, swiped some blush on, did my eyebrows, smeared some cream eyeshadow on my lids and tried to focus on my eyeliner, going for a nice cat-eye. Then I applied some mascara on my lashes, trying very hard not to get any on my skin. Almost done… then a swipe of classic red lipstick and I was ready. Stepping back, I was glad to see that I resembled an Asian Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany, sans gloves.  I spotted the Gucci box on my dresser, and looped the scarf around my high ponytail. The doorbell rang, and I nearly dropped the glass of water I was holding. He was so punctual. 

---

“Hello? Joong Ki?” Her pretty voice came on over the telecom. “Were you expecting someone else?” Joong Ki replied slyly. “Wow… really?” He swore he could hear her pout. The door buzzed open. He walked up the stairs, anticipating how she would look like for the evening. The apartment door opened, and she stood with her back to him, busy putting stuff in her purse. The fragrance of her perfume was in the air, orange blossom and vetiver, reminding him of a midsummer evening. Mina turned, and Joong Ki’s mouth formed a perfect ‘O’ as he reveled in her beauty. She looked up at him shyly, and said, “Is it too much? Maybe I’m overdressed.” He regained his senses, and replied, “Not at all! We should be dressed up for where we are going, and you look absolutely ravishing.” He drew her close and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. 

They left the apartment and made their way to the car, Joong Ki taking care to walk at Mina’s pace and offer help if she needed it. He opened the car door for her; he always did this as he truly believed chivalry should not be dead, and made sure she was comfortably seated before closing the door and going to his side. As they made their way to the venue, Joong Ki couldn’t stop stealing looks at Mina whenever he could. “Wow you really look amazing tonight.” He found himself complimenting her again. She blushed, and changed the subject. “You know, I always wanted to ask you this, but I’ve seen you at several funerals before we met formally at Mr. Yang’s funeral. Isn’t it coincidental that you and I know the same people, yet I’ve never actually seen you around before last year?”

He shrugged, and said, “Who knows, stranger things have happened.” A miniscule crease appeared above his brow, but she didn’t notice. Joong Ki turned into the Dongdaemun district, and the light of hundreds of flower lanterns came into view. “Oppa, isn’t this the DDP?” Mina asked. “Yes my dear,” he said as the large curved dome appeared. “But what are we here for?” she continued, and he replied with a cryptic “You’ll see.”

---

He knows I love the architecture of the plaza, but it can’t be the reason to get all dressed up tonight. I looked at him, admiring his side profile while he focused on the road. He had styled his hair up tonight, the classic Vincenzo consigliere look, complete with tux and bow tie. It was every girl’s dream to see the man they like dressed like this. A few stray strands had escaped the pack and rested gently on the side of his forehead. His doe eyes were fixed straight ahead as he drove towards the plaza, and I envied his long lashes. His pink lips parted slightly.

Joong Ki stopped the car and I saw that we were at the steps of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). He threw his keys to a valet who caught them expertly and bowed courteously to us as we passed. There was a red carpet leading to the door, but no paparazzi to be seen. “It’s a top VIP event and all the details are kept secret, that’s why there are no paparazzi,” Joong Ki whispered in my ear as he held my waist and we walked towards the door.

Two men in security detail opened the doors to the hall, and I was astounded by the number of recognizable faces. “Wait… this is a celebrity event?” I gaped at the people I saw on tv. Joong Ki smiled and nodded. Several of them waved to Joong Ki while a few looked at me indifferently. “We are just here to look at art, and most people here are close to me.” Joong Ki reassured me with a small squeeze on my waist. “If you get through the surprise, I have a small gift at the end for you.”