"It didn't go as I expected, but look, I'm meeting an interesting person today!" she said.
Lee Dae Won smiled at the indirect compliment, raising a hand to his heart to thank Ye Rim. Realizing that she didn't guess by herself where Kim Jun Hyeon was, he said," Jun Hyeon is in the next room making a call to his secretary... About his car's insurance, it is."
"Oh sure." Ye Rim felt a little dumb for not assuming that. "Luckily it happened near Dr. Kim's friend's house, so we could get here and get help.
"It's never lucky to have such a problem, but on the other hand, fortunately I was home, yes."
"Dr. Kim said he thought he might meet you here. He said you had seen each other earlier in the day, so he knew."
"Ahhh… I'm glad he told you about me." Lee Dae Won walked over to a sideboard near the door and got his car keys. "But I'm at a disadvantage. He just commented to me that today he would take a girl to the theater… In a kind of non-date."
"Ahhh…" She laughed. "I can imagine him saying that. It's true anyway."
"How's that? I mean, how did that happen?" He leaned back against the furniture, looking at her with interest.
"Well…" Ye Rim was not comfortable exposing the doctor, but the musician said before her:
"Does this have to do with Mr. Go buying the tickets for the musical?"
"Ohh! How do you know that?! "she was sincerely amazed.
"I know the show's producer and got the tickets for Mr. Go," Lee admitted, crossing his arms as if he doesn't know whether to brag about it or not.
"Wow!"
"So… you should still tell me."
"OK. I think the best way to say that is that Dr. Kim is being punished by his grandfather, and being forced to take me for a night out; and pamper me for the duration of it."
That got a laugh out of the house owner.
"Really! I'm serious!" She was also infected by his reaction.
"Like Vince Vega taking Mrs. Wallace out for a night out?"
"As Vin…? That 90's cult movie? Yes! Just like that!"
"Too bad there won't be any swing contest."
"Yeah, well, the night was a complete fiasco." Although her tone was cheerful, Ye Rim wasn't truly excited about taking a taxi and returning home just as Kim Jun Hyeon planned. She felt Lee Dae Won's piercing gaze on her, and cleared her throat: "At least, it's memorable. And I had the honor of meeting a famous composer."
"Are you really going to embarrass me in my own house? Don't be like that." He chided her, but in a soft tone.
Ye Rim shut up, perhaps she was too excited after the events. 'Is it adrenaline, making me look electric?' she wondered.
"Anyway, the night isn't over yet." He said.
They both heard Jun Hyeon coming towards them, and Dae Won ostensibly changed the subject, winking at Ye Rim.
"As soon as he finishes the call we will get downhill where you left the car, and get the car signaled up with the warning triangle. Then we wait for the tow truck, and that's…"
"I heard you were talking about me, snap that," the doctor said as he stopped beside Ye Rim.
"Speaking bad things about you, by the way... I heard you had one job. Just one job… and failed."
Ye Rim looked up to catch the reaction of the man beside her. She was surprised to find that his eyes and face were suddenly serious after the mockingly teasing comment, in opposition to the cheerful tone of the blond man. But within seconds he grinned, a bit embarrassed.
"It is true. I think I'm just piling up debts with the people around me."
Ye Rim was about to say that, as promised, having carried her up the hill paid out his debts to her, but Dae Won suddenly proposed:
"Well, let me be part of it and we'll fix this night out!"
She raised her eyebrow in surprise, unsure if she understood what he was saying, and the doctor asked:
"Be part of what?"
"The non-date of yours! It seems to have a lot of potential for fun."
"You don't understand…" Dr. Kim was about to say something, but Ye Rim exclaimed excitedly:
"Yes! Let's do it! A three-people night out! Good idea, oppa!"
Dr. Kim glanced at the girl next door with a shocked look. Lee Dae Won celebrated with a punch in the air, seemingly looking happy to have something interesting to do. "Just a minute." He went up the stairs and suddenly turned, tossing his car keys to his friend, who grabbed them in the air:
"Just start the car, I'll change clothes and meet you outside."
When he was out of sight, she turned to the doctor whispering in amazement: "You're friends with a famous songwriter!"
"Looks like it," Kim muttered, and looking hurried, walked ahead to a side door_ motioning for her to come with him as she tried to keep pace with his long legs. But his gesture also indicated that he was expecting she would hold his hand by default. Ye Rim frowned and made a sullen face, trying not to think too much about why the hell he was doing that. She just quickened her pace and walked past him into the house's garage.
Kim Jun Hyeon apparently understood from the display she did, that she wasn't there as an appendix to him. He ostensibly let her see that he didn't care as well, with a shrug and a bored cat face that matched his normal self a lot, by the way. But maybe it was because, like last time, he had noticed her feet before herself did it.
"It's a beautiful house." Ye Rim commented as he pulled the car out of the garage. This time Ye Rim sat in the back seat, and had leaned forward to talk to the driver.
Kim agreed: "Yes. It has changed a lot since the last time I came here, as far as I remember. It must have been about ten years ago? Dae Won's parents still lived here." he mused as they parked in front of the house, waiting for Lee to join them.
"So he lives by himself in this huge house?"
"I don't know, but I think so. He is an only child and when his parents divorced, as I recall, the house was left to his mother, who now lives in China.
Ye Rim thought about it, and commented,
"You're also an only child, right? I remember hearing your grandfather say that at the Pearl…"
"Ah, well… Actually, I have a 4-year-old brother from my father's second marriage. But they live in the United States and I've only seen him a couple of times."
"Oh, how cute."
He made a distracted uhum. "But I had a twin sister." Ye Rim didn't figure, and opened her mouth in surprise, but before she could say anything, Lee Dae Won walked out the gate, stylishly dressed for a Friday night out. The shirt was the perfect shade of pink that enhanced the paleness of his skin and the blond hair shade, matching the other pastel tones of his outfit.
Ye Rim couldn't help but admire his handsomely Hallyu visage before he got into the car, but her mind wandered to the scar she'd seen earlier in his arm and hand. 'What happened to him?'