It seemed to Nana like she was always standing in front of the mirror lately. She wanted to smile at the thought but couldn't, as it made her think of Tan. Her reflection in the mirror was breathtaking; She suddenly remembered Tan's reaction when she had stepped out of the dressing room the day they got the gown she had worn to the wedding.
This is just a mere distraction. I love Ji-Tae. It is Ji-Tae I love, not Tan. She repeated it repeatedly to herself as though by saying it, She would feel it, and it worked. Nana felt her heart open up at the thought of Ji-Tae.
Then, she paused to admire herself. She was wearing a simple handless black gown with a V-neck that revealed her cleavage. The dress clung to her body like a second skin and emphasized her slender frame. She wore a gold-colored stiletto heel.
She raised her hand to her neck, which was bare, as she again remembered the jewelry box Tan had gifted her. She loved seeing jewelry but wasn't a fan of necklaces, ok maybe she was a fan but couldn't afford those which matched her taste as the one Tan had gotten her.
She realized she was thinking about him again; she closed her eyes wearily. Why did everything on her mind have to revolve around Tan?
She opened her eyes to admire the mild makeup on her face, and once again, as her eyes fell on her lips, she thought of Tan's lips and the desires they stirred within her.
What was she doing to herself? Maybe what she needed was someone to talk to. She had to speak to someone soon before she ran mad, She said to herself.
She turned around when she heard footsteps approaching.
Ji-Tae stood looking at her with outstretched hands and a big grin. She ran into his arms happily. Maybe being with him would help her forget all about Tan. Perhaps all she needed was a little reminder of her love for Ji-Tae.
"I take it you missed me?" Ji-Tae asked, holding her away from him to look at her face before drawing her close again.
Nana forced a smile out of her face as a manner of response.
How could she tell him she had been too busy with another guy to notice his absence? She couldn't lie, so she gave him a shy smile.
"When did you get back? And why didn't you tell me you were back?" She asked, pushing away from his embrace.
"I wanted it to be a surprise; I only returned yesterday. I've missed you so much, and I've only thought about this moment with you," He said, leading her outside.
He held open the car door for her, and immediately after they were seated in the car, the driver drove off. He turned to look at her, but she was looking outside the window. There was something different about her. He couldn't place his hands on what exactly it was, but he could tell her feelings towards him had slightly changed. Was it possible Min-jung had said something to her? He had to find out immediately, He said to himself.
"Darling.." His sentence was abruptly cut short as the car swerved sharply to avoid hitting a pedestrian crossing the road.
Nana's phone slipped from her hands, and she bent down to pick it up. After picking it up, she noticed a gold necklace with a diamond heart pendant and picked it up too.
"Who owns this?" She asked, studying it briefly before handing it over to Ji-Tae.
Damn Min-jung! Ji-Tae told himself, how could she have been so careless as to drop this? Maybe this was the opening he needed to talk to her about Min-Jung.
"Baby, I've wanted to tell you something about your friend Min-Jung," He started.
"Oh! Min-Jung! I need to call her. I almost forgot." Nana exclaimed, bringing out her phone to call Min-Jung, momentarily forgetting her discussion with Ji-Tae.
Min-Jung still had some serious explaining to do. She said to herself as she dialed Min-Jung's number.
**********
Min-Jung had just gotten off the phone after speaking with her boss when Nana's call came in. He had called to ask her about her involvement with Tan, and she, on the other hand, had told him she was quitting her job and would turn in her resignation letter on Monday morning.
She didn't feel like talking to Nana at the moment; she still had to devise a good excuse for lying. Ji-Tae had warned her not to tell Nana anything about them yet, and she knew going against his instructions would be detrimental to their relationship.
She allowed the phone to ring as she searched through her bags for the necklace Ji-Tae had gotten her.
**********
"Is there a reason you've been staring at me non-stop since you started driving?" Mi Cha asked Min-Jun as he drove her over to Tan's house.
"Sorry, ma'am," He said, fixing his eyes on the road.
"Is that supposed to be a sort of answer to my question?" She asked, making him swallow nervously as he looked at her through the rearview mirror.
Since her arrival, he had searched the internet for every story and detail about her. He didn't like reading, but he had read every single article of news with her name on it. He had gotten her a gift for Valentine, but how was he supposed to give it to her without embarrassing himself? He needed to tread cautiously; he didn't want to lose his job.
Mi Cha, on the other hand, had noticed him, she could tell he was attracted to her, and it always amused her the way he stared at her when he thought she wasn't looking. Maybe she would have to find out extra about him from her mother.
Could you give it to her, you pathetic fool? Just wish her happy valentine's and tell her you got everyone else a gift, the voice in his head said.
"I just wanted to wish you a happy Valentine's day, ma'am," He mumbled, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Okay, same to you. And if you don't mind, you can drop the 'ma'am' thing. You work for my mother, not me. And the only reason you're driving me to Tan's place is because my mother insisted I do not go alone," She said, turning to look outside the window.
She could tell he wasn't very comfortable, maybe because she was sitting in the owner's seat. "Please stop the car," She said, making him turn to look at her. "I said stop the car," She repeated, causing him to swerve off the road to park at the side.
She got out of the car before he could take off his seat belt and went to the front seat. She attached her seat belt and turned to smile at him. "Ok, let's go," She said, trying to keep a straight face when she saw the expression of surprise on his face.
She almost felt sorry for him, but she didn't. If he liked her, she wanted him to gather the courage to talk to her.