Fifth Cup (for my heart)

For fluttering hearts under the night sky

For the beauty of falling in love undoubtedly

For answers that wait patiently

And lastly, for curious hearts that seeks and accepts

Jung Yonghwa’s so-called “date” turns out, well, hot and cold.

The moment she had heard the word “date” come out of his mouth, she’d swear she felt her heart skip a beat, and then it raced so fast that she felt a strange swirling inside her. Did she hear him right?

Out of all the distractions Jung Yonghwa could think of, why a date?

But then again, a date is just a date, right? Besides, just this one night, she wants to escape all of her problems and maybe Jung Yonghwa is the perfect getaway for tonight. Not her books and cups of tea in the midst of the night, but someone who can share her profound solitude.

At least her nerves had calmed down a little as they drove past the streets of Seoul. The spring air was cool and comfortable and there were only a few passing cars on the streets even though he hadn’t told her where he was planning to take her; she knew how to trust him a little.

“Actually…” he starts and she turns her head to look at him. He pauses a little longer, keeping his gaze on the road as if thinking deeply.

“What is it?”

When he finally turns to her, she caught the glimpse of worry in his eyes before he could even move his gaze back on the road. “Later,” he says, “I promise I’ll tell you later, Seohyun-ssi… For now, though, I just want to… stay like this. And thank you for saying yes. I mean you don’t even have to consider it as a date if you’re uncomfortable with the idea… I’m just happy you said yes.”

She opened to say something but suddenly finds the words inedible, so she just nods. Although he did make her curious, she found herself waiting patiently. After all, the night was long and it’s just starting.

“This is your secret hiding place?” Seohyun looked at him as if she couldn’t believe he was serious.

He nodded, smiling. “I like to think it is. Well, at least, in this late hour it is.”

She couldn’t understand him. “It’s Han River. Everyone knows this place,” she said, stating the obvious.

“Yes, but no one comes here at this late hour.”

“Is that the reason why we’re here?” she asks, this time, her curiosity seeping through her.

Before she could hear Yonghwa answer, he opened the door and left the car, so she followed him outside.

At almost 1 am, the well-known and familiar road of Han River was quiet and almost deserted of people.

The night was beautiful and for a moment, she’d almost forgotten that she had company and the distraction she was looking for is exactly right beside her.

“How do you like it?” She heard his voice, except she didn’t know yet how exactly she would answer him.  Plus, it didn’t help that he suddenly stood a little closer than her comfort allowed.

She felt his gaze towards her but didn’t dare look back, instead she took a deep breath and sighed relieving her sudden consciousness before she spoke, “Better than I thought.” She hoped she sounded better than what she actually felt.

He laughed and said, “Well, what did you expect?”

“Nothing really, but you don’t seem like the quiet type of guy, so a bar, maybe.”

This time he laughed even harder, “Quiet type? A bar? Maybe you’re right. I’m not the quiet type but I’m also not the loud type, Seohyun-ssi. I think it’s in my resume to be the charming type without getting too loud or too quiet.”

She smirked out of amusement at his answer but didn’t say anything further. Even though she knew it was a little strange, she felt comfortable around him.

Tiffany was right about her on one thing, it was so unlike her to let someone she wasn’t too familiar to stay and linger around but something about Yonghwa felt different. It wasn’t just the comfort, but also something she couldn’t quite name yet.

They were silent for a while, admiring the quiet river and the bright lights, enjoying the comfortable silence as if they were just back at the coffee shop except with the fresh air.

“Can I ask you a question, Yonghwa-ssi?”

“Are you already asking for my answer to your question earlier?” He looks at her with a smirk and she catches his gaze.

 “No. At least not right now, but I have another question… And it’s a little… personal.”

He smiles playfully at her. “Do I get anything in return if I answer your question?”

She glared at him. “Forget it! I don’t even know what’s gotten—“he cuts her off.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. But here, let’s play the question and answer game again just like what we did before. Does that sound fair?”

Did she mention, Jung Yonghwa seems to know where to push her buttons? She hesitates at first but sees no harm in his suggestion because after all, she was the first one with questions.

 She heaved a long sigh before speaking. “Fine, but let’s set two ground rules first.”

He smiled at her. “S