Heartstrings

7. Table for Two

(Dr. Jong Park above)

Dae was caught off guard when Jong asked her if she was free tonight. He wanted to have dinner and offered to pick her up but, she decided to meet him. He mentioned that he wanted to take her to his favorite hangout spot. Unsure if this was a date, she didn't want to dress up too sexy but not too casual either. It was cold outside so Dae made sure that her attire was approperate for the weather. Before leaving her apartment, she makes a call to Ri to confirm that the deposit was made.

Meanwhile, Jong arrived early. Anxious for Dae to arrive, he was courious about what she was going to wear. He couldn't resist looking over his shoulder everytime someone entered the restaurant. Looking at his phone for the sixth time in four minutes he was becoming impatient. In his jeans and tan wool peacoat, his clothes fitted him well. His striped blue dress shirt showed off his well toned chest and his jeans were creased perfectly; but in his mind he was dressed for Dae and wanted her to notice him as a man. Once again the door opened and by observing that Dae hadn't arrived yet made him more anxious.

Looking around the restaurant, he noticed each table reminded him of the flowers Dae recieved. As he scanned for her short form, brown skin and trade-mark locs he was disappointed that she havent arrived yet.

He checked his phone again. No message. It was almost seven o'clock, which was the time he told Dae to meet him. He resolved next time to meet somewhere he didn't stand out so much, somewhere he could sit and hide in a corner behind an pillar or a bar perhaps. A black car pulled in from nowhere, obscuring his view of the entrance he thought she would appear from. As he took a second to look again to see if his eyes are decieving him, looking past the crowd of people coming in, the door swung open and her brown eyes met his.

Walking over to his table, the waiter pulls out her chair and Jong immediately stood up. After she sat down, his Korean accent came out, "I thought you changed your mind."

"It was traffic but I made it with five minutes to spare."

Taking his seat, he leaned back in his chair with relief. "I'm glad that you came. Would you like something hot to drink?"

The temperature dropped and he knew that Dae didn't like the cold. Nodding her head, he noticed that she was shivering despite the fact she had on a jacket. "Here, take my coat." Jong stands up to take off his coat and Dae noticed that he was well built. Smiling, he knew that Dae noticed. Walking over to her side of the table, he wraps her with his coat. The aroma of his cologne was comforting and pleasent. Dae knew that there was no denying the power—or the desirability—of a good-smelling man. The scent of a man can get Dae's attention. For her, a pleasing scent can be the cherry on top of a suave appeal.

There were onlookers that stared at Jong and Dae. Although his coat warmed her up, he noticed that people were staring at them. "Are you ready to order?" The waiter asked with a warm and cheerful expression. "Ladies first. Order whatever you want it's on me." Jong relied.

"I'll have a hot tea please."

"Would you like lemon with your tea miss?"

"Yes. Thank you."

.."and for the gentleman."

"I'll have a beer. Can someone turn on the heat it's a bit chilly?"

"Of course sir. I will be back to take your order."

"Jong, you can have your coat back. I don't want you to freeze."

He thought that Dae was so considerate to offer his coat knowing that she was freezing. He wanted her to be comfortable so that was the reason he asked the waiter to turn on the heat. Minutes later, Dae was able to drink some tea to warm herself up. Jong and Dae ordered their food and she wanted to know why he asked her to meet him for dinner.

"Jong, I wanted to know why you invited me to dinner tonight?"

"I wanted to discuss the results. They came back faster than I thought."

"Oh?"

"Was there another reason you thought I invited you here?"

"I was just asking. It's not a big deal."

"Well, I wanted-

"Alright. Here is the soup and salad for the misses."

"Thank you."

"I have the glazed grilled chicken platter for you sir."

"Thank you."

"Enjoy your meal and I'll be back to refill your tea."

After the waiter left, Jong and Dae shared akward stares at each other as they ate their food. Discussing some of the results from work and plans for the competition broke the ice between them. Dae respected Jong's hard work and he appreciated Dae's determination when it came to her love for animals. He knew that there was nothing that she loved more than animals. After dinner Jong paid the tab and walked Dae to her car. He wanted and waited for this moment to get a goodnight kiss from her but Dae wasn't aware of his feelings since he never confessed to her. Thinking that he only saw her a a coworker and friend, she figured if he was interested in her then he would speak up. Tonight only confirmed that for her. Thinking that he might confess that he was sending her flowers or have the slightest attraction to her only existed in her memory.

"Thank you so much for dinner Jong that was very sweet."

"You're welcome."

"I had a nice time."

"Me too." He opens the car door for Dae to get in. She starts to take off his coat but stops her. "Keep it on. I don't want you to get sick. I'll get it from you Monday at work."

"Okay." The moment she turns around to get in her car he grabs her arm and she freezes. "Hold on." Their eyes locked on each others as if connected by a thread. He walks closer towering over her since he was much taller than Dae. Wrapping his arms around her, Dae closes her eyes and wait for what seems like forever. "This will keep you warm." Confused, she opens her eyes and he wraps his scarf around her neck then zips her up in his coat he gave her to wear.

"Goodnight Dae."

"Goodnight Jong."

Once Jong made it home he was upset that he didn't confess to Dae when he had a chance. Discussing the competition was a cover up and he knew it. Checking his phone to see if Dae made it home safely, he noticed that his assistant Molly called him again. Refusing to return her phone call he took a shower and went to bed.

Dae was at home washing her face. She sent Jong a quick text before going to bed. Once again she thanked him for dinner and reminded him to check his email.

A/N: This was a last minute add on chapter to give you a little inside scoop of Dr. Jong Park. I hope you enjoyed this so far. I wanted to give a author's POV. Still working hard for my readers and hopefully I can have two chapters out this week.