It was meant to be a surprise, insisted Eunyoung hours later.

The advertising manager had had managed to keep a straight face when Young Mi introduced the newcomers to him and Gyuri in the latter’s office. Instead of taking the managing editor out to lunch, Seunghyun swung by the editorial interns’ desk just before 12. Ignoring the curious looks from the rest, he asked Eunyoung, “Let’s have lunch?”

She looked up from her seat and nodded, Seunghyun could make out the slightest trace of eyeliner – it was the first time he had seen his girlfriend with makeup on. Her shining eyes reminded him how much he loved this girl and suddenly any misgivings that initially overcame when he first saw her that morning evaporated.

With the other interns looking on, he swept her away, not caring who saw in the office.

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” repeated Eunyoung, looking around the swanky restaurant.

Fresh faced Eunyoung stood out – in a good way. She was simply out of place in such an upmarket setting, observed the man, unlike the polished women who were impeccably dressed and smelt of expensive perfume - a dime in the dozen in the city.

“I didn’t get the placement at the newspaper agency in Busan,” She continued to explain what happened with her original internship plans with a sniff. “My classmates were all talking about this Korea Press one so I thought I try for it too. I didn’t tell you when I was accepted because I thought I could give you a good surprise.”

“And you got me good.” How could Seunghyun ever be unhappy with this girl? The waitress brought over a basket of warm bread and gave him a wink. He was a regular customer, wining and dining clients here regularly. “I’m so glad you got this internship. That’s why we are here, to celebrate.”

“We could have just gone to McDonald’s.”

Eunyoung was a simple girl and it was easy to please her. Even anniversaries were spent at one of the family restaurants back home or a day trip to a nearby city to watch a Korean Basketball League game.

“Nonsense! Only the best for Liu Eunyoung,” Seunghyun said as he spread butter on a piece of bread for her. His girlfriend’s presence in Seoul could be complicating yet now that he had come round to it, he was actually pleased. Whenever she was around, his naughty side was naturally suppressed and all he saw was her, “You are going to stay with me, right? I should have helped you move.”

“Nope, I wouldn’t want to bother you. I am bunking in with Elin, she’s from Seoul.”

This girl was getting too independent for her own good. Seunghyun could tell that she cared about him but sometimes the question was did she need him? Was she really clueless about how important she was to him?

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