For the whole weekend, they’ve walked through parks, temples, museums and a lot of food side trips on the way. It was like an itinerary of a packaged tour to Korea all stuffed into two days. Tiffany had her bodyguards behind her back the whole time, but she finally reduced their number to a simple team of 4. Sooyeon didn’t mind, Tiffany even let her drive the two of them now on a separate car. The bodyguards would only trail along the path of their vehicle, the least, trying their best to be quiet. They never interfered with the two’s conversation, nor did they meddle with the places they had in mind, no matter how crowded it would be. By 7:00PM, the only thing they had to do left was a simple walk along the Han River.

“The Han River looks so serene at night. It was nice day, a nice weekend. Everything that I could imagine it to be. I’ve never done this before”, the woman says.

“Never ever? Haven’t you been on dates before where you’d be taken somewhere like this?”, Tiffany says upon seeing some couples walk by.

“Nope, I’ve never dated.” Tiffany’s eyes glisten. Great, there’s that spark of hope again.

“You’re joking, right? I know you’re a serious business woman but when it comes to personal matters like relationships, I’m sure you’ve had some experience in that field too. You’re beautiful, you’re rich and the best thing is, you’re nice. What’s not to like?” The client hid her wide smile, she was grinning from ear to ear. She couldn’t deny that Tiffany flattered her so much.

“I’m telling the truth, Tiffany. I’ve never dated, not even once.” Tiffany’s jaw drops.

“So you’ve never been in a relationship?”

“Yeah. Wait, you make me sound like I’m an alien or something. What is it with all these questions anyway?”, as she elbows Tiffany gently, giggling.

“Nothing, I’m just curious.”

“Curiosity kills the cat, you know.”

“But I’m not a cat; I’m a unicorn, a pretty unicorn who happens to be your business affiliate.”

“What a modest answer!”

“I was kidding. Hah, I’m glad we’re like this. I’ve never met anyone like you in the business world.”

“There’s bound to be other Jung Sooyeons out there, you know. I just happened to be the second one to walk in your life already.”

Oh, great, NOW she brings up the other Jung Sooyeon, my ex, Tiffany weaves in her thoughts with a heavy sigh.

 “You’re different, you’re better.”

“How so?”

“The other Jung Sooyeon I encountered made a lasting impression on me, a not-so-pleasant one.”

“So I’m a Jung Sooyeon in the business world that is pleasant?”

“In the business world, all I meet is old people. They seem boring. Don’t get me wrong, I love dealing with business, it’s my passion. But it that I have to work with uninteresting people, people who seem to be lacking social skills. It’s like all their drive is for gaining fortune. I plan to gain more than fortune; I plan to gain trust and friendship between other people, the people I work with.”

“Omo..”

“Why? Was my answer a bit too long, like those in Miss Universe pageants? Haha.”

“No, no! I’m thankful that you’re like that. You hold so much principles and values in life. I admire you. “ Tiffany blushes, so she hid her face using her palms, as if she was yawning. No one has told me directly that they admired me.

“Thank you for showing me around. You welcomed me so well here in Seoul, I don’t know how I can repay you.”

Sooyeon places her hand on Tiffany’s palm. Slowly but surely, their hands intertwined.

Feeling a hand intertwine with hers, fingers locked with each other, like pieces of a puzzle that fit together.

Tiffany thought that maybe that was just a coincidence. She savoured the moment, holding on to the woman’s hand like she held on it for her life. She flinched the moment their hands touched, like an earthquake shook her, but she felt at ease under her hands.

Sooyeon s her other hand towards Tiffany’s shoulder, letting the woman lean on her for support. What if she likes me the way I like her, she thought. She let Tiffany feel her warmth on that cold night, since she felt her hand shake a little. Must be the cold breeze, she said to herself.

They sat on the bench, staring at the infinite flowing of water from the river, drowning from their own thoughts of what ifs.