Chapter 4

­Dahyun had avoided picking up Sana’s phone twice today and she wondered how far this was going to work. Yesterday’s meet confirmed her dread; Sana wants her and her alone. It didn’t seem to be a matter of marriage to Kim Sana anymore. Rather, marriage with her.

All except Dahyun couldn’t quite figure out what had she said or done to make Sana become so stubborn on the idea. The date was one of worst she’s had (she made sure of it!) and yet instead of getting pushed away, Sana was coming towards Dahyun with full force.

She was in the office working on acidity measurements on the cold beverages when Momo’s phone rang yet again. And it was only ten in the morning. Grunting, she picked it up with no further second thoughts.

“Must you bother me during a work shift?” Dahyun asked before greetings.

After a confused pause, Sana spoke. “I thought…uh...work shift?”

Dahyun smacked . Ofcourse Hirai Momo, daughter of the editor-in-chief of South Korea’s biggest political magazine, wasn’t working a 9 to 5 job. “Yes. I’ve been uh…very busy in…renovating…the…shop. My new shop.”

Dahyun covered herself. She remembered Momo mentioning yesterday that she had launched her own cosmetics brand and she wanted to make sure its opening party would be the hottest event in downtown.

“Right, Peach Perfect. How’s it all going? Do you want any assistance? I could send you the contact of the best interior designers in Seoul.”

“Nah. That would defeat the purpose of me doing things hands-on. Thanks, though.” Dahyun swirled in her chair away from the counter. “Why did you call?” 

There was another pause and she could hear Sana shuffling in her seat. As if Sana was only a floor above her and not another fifteen storeys away, Dahyun looked at the ceiling and rolled her eyes.

“I wish you would make out some time from your schedule for our next date. Today.”

Next Dahyun frowned and punched the air upwards. “Today? I’m afraid I’m too busy at the moment.”

“I’ll wait. Surely you could manage an hour.”

“Don’t you have some work to do yourself? Run a conglomerate? Meet a shareholder or two? Observe the day-to-day operations?” Dahyun asked, resisting the urge to yell ‘ off!’

“Why do you always have sarcastic answers for everything instead of a simple yes?” Sana asked back on the other end. Then a raspy chuckle followed, hearing which made Dahyun take a deeper breath than before. “Anyways, I said I’ll wait. Let’s meet up at your store.”

“No!” Dahyun snapped so loud that her co-workers eyed her curiously.

“Again with the no.”

“I’m umm I…” Dahyun was at a loss for words, again.

“I’m coming over since you’re not eager to join me anytime soon.”

“No, that’s…” Dahyun bit her thumbnail. Dead if she goes, dead if she doesn’t. She was blocked through both sides of the road.  “Okay…okay I’ll go.”

If she could see right now, Dahyun’s so sure Sana was grinning from corner to corner of . “Great. Starry Night at four o’clock.”

“Another one of your restaurants, I’m assuming?”

“I did mention I have immense pride in my eateries, didn’t I?” Sana was beaming even through a wireless call.

Somehow, the aura radiated within Dahyun too. A small smile tugged at her lips. She sighed, sensing her co-workers ogling eyes now. “I’ll be there.”

As the call ended, Dahyun felt this defeat too crushing her hopes to cut ties off with Kim Sana for good. Closing her eyes and fighting the throb at her temples, she pushed herself back to the counter to immerse herself in work instead so she stops worrying about the evening with Sana in a few hours.

Dahyun was waiting in front of a commercial trade center not too far from Kim Foods headquarters. Anxiety was resting in the pit of her stomach. So many things could go wrong if Sana began asking about her…no, Hirai Momo’s personal life, that Dahyun knew no answers to. And she was already too ashamed of the web of lies she had spun in the span of three days. Any more of this nonsense and she’s not only be risking her professions but also her ethical values.

How much lies can I make her believe, anyway? Dahyun wondered. At that instance, tiny Evil Dahyun poofed on her shoulder.

“You’re not doing anything wrong. You were paid to lie to her.” She said and Dahyun hesitantly nodded in agreement. Just then, Angel Dahyun appeared on the right side.

“Horrible! Lying to a girl who’s only showing some interest! Breaking her poor heart…”

Dahyun pouted, also nodding at the imaginary tiny Dahyun in white.

“It’s a part of her job. She pretends to be people’s girlfriend – a lie itself. And they choose to go along with it on their own accord.” Evil Dahyun rolled her eyes.

“Not Kim Sana…she doesn’t even know she’s being toyed with.” Angel Dahyun wept. Dahyun’s anxiety worsened as she nodded again, also extremely upset about it now.

“Toying with her emotions…I’m the worst person to ever exist…” Dahyun gasped.

“Who’re you talking to?” someone asked and she spun around in surprise.

Sana was standing next to her, dashing a beautiful smile. Her hair was neatly styled, a pair of gold earrings dangling in her ears and both her hands were tugged inside the pocket of her maroon satin pants. For the first time, her blazer was left open, revealing a black satin shirt underneath. Two of the top buttons were also left open and Dahyun ended up staring at her bare collarbones.

“You can’t seem to take your eyes off me.” Sana smirked.

Dahyun cleared and looked away, shaking her head. “Not really.”

Sana stepped closer, close enough for Dahyun to sniff her rose-scented perfume. Dahyun felt sick at how everything about Sana was so perfect. Her heart started beating too fast for her to think straight for a moment.

“We…we should go.”

Sana didn’t respond. Dahyun looked back at her and found Sana looking down on Dahyun’s outfit. She doesn’t think she picked a bad fit for tonight, it was the best dress she owned hands down. But perhaps compared to Kim Sana’s glory she was falling short.

“I-Is this attire not appropriate for…for your restaurant…I mean I know…I’m sure there must be all sorts of important people dining there…I umm…I..” Dahyun stammered in her explanation. But why was she explaining this?

“You must dine with far more prominent figures than the ones I meet in a day…being a socialite and all.” Sana finally spoke, rubbing the back of her neck shyly, “I was never too keen on being a people-person. Eitherways…I never said you looked bad…infact, I look overdressed now. I got too carried away.”

A soft giggle left Dahyun’s lips. Watching the Kim Sana all flustered explaining on her end how she got too excited for this date was…adorable. Despite being worlds apart, they did have a middle ground. Even if only a square centimeter’s worth of space.

“I don’t think so. I think we’ll look great togeth---“ Dahyun backtracked, deadpanning. “We really should go.”

Sana’s wicked smirk re her pretty face as she guided her to a sleek cream colored Bentley. An old aged driver greeted them as they settled in. God, even the car smelled of so much luxury – such that Dahyun hadn’t even dared to dream of. But all seemed to blur against the gem that was sitting beside her. Sana looked even more dazzling as she looked out from her car’s window, the sun shining on her and making her eyes and hair glow an amber hue. Dahyun can’t remember how long she had been staring at Sana but nothing interrupted her until they reached Starry Night.

Right on from the entrance Starry Night had to be Seoul’s most brilliant restaurant. The all black antique door was held open by two door guards when Dahyun was guided by Sana. The interior felt like she had stepped into the painting itself – everything from the floor to ceiling was adorned by themes of yellow, blue and black. There were countless miniscule lights hanging from the ceiling that looked like stars themselves had descended from the sky. A projector displayed Van Gogh’s paintings slideshow on the wall at the very center of the restaurant from the entrance. Dahyun felt she was in some dreamy wonderland.

Twirling as she took in every detail, Dahyun couldn’t help but grin. “This is beyond beautiful.”

Sana puffed up with pride at the compliment, resisting the urge to respond with I-told-you-so. “I’m glad you’re impressed.”

“Are you insane? This is everything! I can’t believe it’s only a restaurant…” Dahyun was still standing in complete awe. Sana had to head to their table herself and nudge her to follow.

“It isn’t. It also holds a classical concert every Thursday of the months.” Sana expanded on the topic as a server filled their glasses with foamy champagne. “Starry Night has become quite a talk of the town. I feel my efforts have shown the desired results of what I had in mind.”

Dahyun admired Sana’s geniuses. Not only was she running a multimillions worth of a business, but she also owned two of the enamoring restaurants she’d ever seen. While Paradise had an exotic South East Asian feel to it, Starry Night was a whimsical experience. Both had their own unforgettable charms.

“I’m honestly…” Dahyun felt shy, feeling her cheeks burn, “So blown away. It’s  perfect.”

A little blend of egoism and gratitude reflected on Sana's features. She leaned forward on her elbows and rested her chin on her intertwined fingers. “Is that a sign of you falling for me already…?”

Sana was just being playful, but Dahyun felt her heart ceasing to beat. She took a deep breath and looked elsewhere, afraid that if she looked at Sana any moment further her statement might be true.

“What did you mean when…you said you’re not such a people person?” Dahyun started, not wanting the quiet atmosphere to get too awkward.

Sana peeked at her from behind the champagne glass, thinking for a while. Then she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “I’ve never liked large gatherings. I hate people looking at me. Or the pointless chatters…the boasting…the need to make your presence known. It’s all so…exhausting.”

Dahyun couldn’t relate. Being a rental girlfriend required her to be at public spaces to stay safe with a stranger. She was used to being around groups of people, talking without purpose, trying her best to look as appealing as possible. It wasn’t something she could just opt out of, unlike Sana.

“You didn’t answer my question.” Sana’s words brought Dahyun’s attention back to the conversation.

“Huh?”

“I asked that…” Sana trailed off. “Nevermind. It was stupid.”

Dahyun noticed how Sana’s hands were clammy and she kept fidgeting with her glass’s handle.

“Let’s talk about your…uh…do yo