Seoul, 14 March 2009

The loud knocking on my apartment door startles me. Who will be knocking at 9 in the morning? I ruffle my hair and swiftly get out of bed. "Good morning, miss. A delivery guy dropped this package for you just now. I need you to sign here," the security guy from downstairs hands me a huge box and a piece of paper to sign. After I say thanks, I shut the door behind me. What the hell could be inside this box? It's a huge rectangular black box. I'm kind of afraid to open it, since there's no note attached on the cover. What if it's a package from an anti-fan and there's a dead rat inside? 

I shake the scary thoughts out of my head after staring at the box for 15 minutes, and gather up my guts to open it. My eyes widen in suprise after I look inside the box. There's a red one-sleeved mini dress inside, along with a pair of black stilettos. I look closely at the labels, it's a Valentino dress and the high heels are Jimmy Choo's. There's a note at the bottom of the box.

'Happy Valentine's Day, Ga-In noona! Please wear these on our date tonight... You're already pretty, so they won't be much help, but still... I have to do something special for someone special, right? Kekeke~ Can't wait to see you tonight, pretty noona...'

I smirk after reading the note. I know who sent this gift. Aww, Kwon Ji-Yong, you really know how to make a girl all giddy, don't you? Since that morning at Pohang, things have been going well for me and Ji-Yong. He's been ultra sweet and caring. We're not officially dating; we're taking it slow, but in all honesty, I like where we're heading to.

I walk into my kitchen after taking shower and start right away. I'm making chocolates for Ji-Yong, since today is Valentine's Day. I'm lucky that I don't have any schedule today, and also lucky that Ji-Yong has some work to do, so he won't be able to disturb me all day. The funny thing is, 2 days ago Ji-Yong told me to make dark chocolates for him, because he's not too keen on sweets. Psh~ he has a big head, doesn't he? Well, he was right, though. I was planning to give him my homemade chocolates. But, did he really need to say it to my face and embarrass me? Aish...

I'm waiting for the dark chocolates to cool down when I hear another loud knocking on my door. Gosh, what now? Whoever it is at the door, doesn't he/she know how to use the doorbell instead of slamming on my door?! "Omona!" I yelp when I open the door and see a huge bouquet of flowers in front of me. The person lowers down the flowers and reveals his face; it's the same security guy from earlier. "Another gift for you, miss. Busy day, huh?" he smirks while handing me the bouquet. I smile sheepishly at him and say thanks again.

'Jjajaaan~ beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl! There are 40 roses in this bouquet, noona, you can count them if you want ^^ The meaning of 40 roses is that my love for you is genuine... I wish I could see your face when you receive these flowers, the colour of your face must be the same as these flowers, right? Kekeke~ See you tonight, pretty noona...'

I feel warmth creeping up on my face as I look at the bouquet of pink roses again. Kwon Ji-Yong, you're too sweet! So this huge bouquet of roses represents his genuine love for me, huh? We haven't even said 'I love you' to each other yet... Omo, does this mean that he loves me? I squeal loudly in happiness.

I'm still busy fixing my makeup when I hear the sound of my doorbell. I glance at the clock; it's 7 p.m. That must be Ji-Yong. Right on time. I giggle inside my head. I open my door without taking a peek through the peephole, and as expected, Ji-Yong is standing there with a huge smile on his face. He's wearing a fitted black suit with a dark blue skinny tie. In short, he looks good. Really good, in fact. "You look stunning, noona," he says. I try my best not to blush, "you don't look bad yourself, Ji-Yong ah." He grins at my compliment, "ready to go?" I nod and grab my purse and the bag of chocolates from the kitchen table. 

As I buckle my seatbelt, I can feel that he's eyeing me up and down. "Wae? The dress doesn't really suit me, does it?" I ask; Ji-Yong knows by now that I'm usually more of a tomboy girl in terms of fashion style. "Nope. It's just... It looks like there's something missing," he says and swings his hand towards the backseat. He shows a black velvet box in front of me, "this. This is what's missing from your whole outfit tonight." I hesitate a bit before I ask him, "what is that?" He grins and opens the box; there's a heart-shaped diamond necklace inside. I gape at the beautiful piece of jewellery. "I... Err... This..." I stutter. He just keeps grinning, "can I put it on for you?" Still bewildered, I nod slightly. My heartbeats fasten as he puts the necklace around my neck. "You look perfect now," he utters softly and starts driving.

We sit silently in the car and I keep touching the necklace. This thing must've cost a fortune. I know he has money but why did he have to buy me a jewellery? A diamond necklace at that, too?! "Oh! This is for you... Dark chocolates, as requested," I smile and hold the bag of chocolates in my hand. He looks at the road again after taking a short glance at my hand, "they look yummy, noona. Thank you. I will eat them well." 

"Where are we going?" I ask him after we drive for 30 minutes. "Secret," he winks at me. Tch... he always does this. Knowing that he won't give me an answer even if I pester him with questions, I keep my mouth shut. Soon, we arrive at InterContinental Seoul in Gangnam. Omo, why are we here? "Ji-Yong ah, why are we here? What if someone sees us?" I ask worriedly. He shrugs, "if they see us, then they'll see us..." "Yah! What do you mean by that! That can't happen, Ji-Yong ah, are you crazy? It's going to create rumours and--" "Aigoo... you worry too much like an ahjumma! Relax, I got it all figured out, ok?" he interrupts and pinches my cheek gently. He drives the car to the back entrance of the hotel, and pulls out his mobile phone, "yeoboseyo? Neh, I'm here already. Neh... Ok, I'll wait here." Who did he just call? It's pretty much empty here at the back area of the hotel and it's creeping me out. 

The taps on the car window startle me. Ji-Yong gets out of the car and walks to my side to open the door for me. "Thank you for your help, I'll see you here later," Ji-Yong bows slightly to the valet guy. The guy smiles and bows back before he gets inside Ji-Yong's car and drives away. "So, let's go?" Ji-Yong opens his hand. I put my hand over his and nod. We get inside the hotel from the back door. I say a thankful prayer in my head when I see there's nobody around when we wait for the elevator. He presses a button to the highest floor in the building. There's 'Sky Lounge' written next to the button.

"Good evening, Mr Kwon," the man at the entrance of Sky Lounge greets us. Ji-Yong flashes a smile at him. "Your table is this way," the man says as he leads us inside. I try to snatch my hand from Ji-Yong's grip but he holds me tighter. Oh no, what if someone sees us? This might ruin his career as well as mine! "Please have a seat," the man smiles when we arrive at the small rounded room.

My jaw drops as I look around. There are rose petals on the floor surrounding the table, forming a heart shape. There are two seats at the table, placed side by side, and the room is overlooking the skylights of Seoul. Ji-Yong puts his hand on my lower back and leads me to the table. He pulls the chair, motioning me to sit down. "The waiter will be here with your appetizers," the man bows slightly and leaves the room.

I take a look around again in my seat. Wow... this is just... wow. I can't believe Ji-Yong will go this far. He's barely 21 years old, and yet here he is, blowing my mind away with this romantic Valentine's dinner. And all I had to offer him are my homemade chocolates? How humiliating! "Ji-Yong ah... This is... Wow," I start talking. "The view is beautiful, right?" he turns his head and looks at me. "It's amazing..." "Not as beautiful as you are, though," he says and holds my hand. My heart beats like drums when his hand touches mine. We both sit there quietly with big smiles on our faces. Soon, the waiter comes in with our appetizers. 

We talk and laugh while we eat dinner. All the food tastes wonderful, living up to their exquisite displays. "Ga-In noona," Ji-Yong mutters after we finish our desserts. "Yes?" "I... Um... I want to... Argh, what should I say..." he stutters, leaving me confused. Why is he acting like that? He covers his eyes with one hand and goes silent for a few minutes. I really want to ask him but he looks so nervous, so it's better if I just shut up.

"Err... Honestly... I want to ask you something," he starts talking, breaking the silence. "Ask me, then," I smile and hold his hand, giving him an encouragement. "Uh... The thing is... Aish..." he ruffles his hair, his face looks annoyed. I'm beginning to feel worried. What's going on with him? "You can ask me, Ji-Yong ah..."

"Ga-In noona, willyoubemygirlfriend?" he blurts out. "Y-Yeh?!" I widen my eyes, trying to repeat his words in my head. "Will you be my girlfriend, noona?" he says again, very softly. Oh goodness, am I hearing things? He's asking me to be his girlfriend? His GIRLFRIEND??? My heart is beating so wildly, I'm afraid it might burst soon. 

"It's ok if you don't want to, I... It's ok," he sighs. I look at him and smile slightly, "Ji-Yong ah, I'm--" "It's ok, noona. It was a long shot, anyway. I knew this was too fast for you. I haven't proven myself enough... I understand, noona. I just hope that things won't change between us. I will prove myself to you even more, noona. I will show you that I can be someone you can lean on, someone you can--" I cut his words and seal his lips with mine. I feel his body stiffen for a bit before he starts kissing me back. There are, like, millions of fireworks popping inside of me. This is the second time we kiss on the lips. He tried to steal a peck on my forehead or my cheek before, but I always managed to jerk away from him. I'm not big on skinship, and I surprise myself because now I'm the one who initiates the kiss. 

The kiss is not full-on or anything like that; it's gentle yet I can feel his passion. We both pull away from the kiss after we run out of breath. I bet my face is blushing scarlet right now, but I don't care, because it's blushing like that for him. "You talk too much. By the way, to answer your question... Yes, Ji-Yong ah. Yes, I will," I whisper. He pulls me into an embrace and whispers back, "thank you, Ga-In noona. I'm going to make you the happiest girl on earth."

___________

Author's Note:

First of, SORRY :( It's been a week since I last updated. No good excuse, work's been crazy. Launching a new section in a fashion magazine equals five meetings a day for the past week T,T *faints* 

I hope I've made it up to you all by updating 2 chaps at once ^^ Didn't proofread, but please don't run for the hills and keep reading, kekeke...

The flow will quicken a tad from now on (just a heads-up). See you soon! Have I told you that I love you all? If not, I LOVE YOU! :))