IV : First Date

"I'm so nervous", Sun-Hee softly said to her cousin while she was getting ready, Mina smiled trying her best to reassure her that the night would go great and that she had nothing to worry about adding in that she should just be herself and try to have fun. "What if I fall on my way to the table or if he stands me up or he freaks out when he sees who I am, what if he rejects me because I'm famous what if I'm not famous enough for him oh my gosh what if he rejects me because I'm not pretty enough". At this point Sun-Hee was speaking way too fast and was practically out of breath because of her freak out. "Woah Sunny calm down, everything will be okay. Remember that Mr Wong set up the date and he would never allow some shallow, insecure man to take you out. Mr Wong said he's a nice guy so just trust that and focus on enjoying yourself tonight". That seemed to calm down her cousin, laughing softly Sun-Hee felt ridiculous at her nervousness it's not like she's never been on dates, part of her really wanted the comfort a relationship provides while another part of her wanted to run as fast and as far as possible. "Please stop overthinking, you look like you're about to run away and we do not turn down free food in this household", bursting out in giggles at Mina's statement she decided to get out of her head and just be open to whatever would happen on the date.

"What the hell do people even wear on dates? Does this look okay? Is it too fancy? Should I dress casually? This is stressing me out, I need a drink", Byun Ji-Hoon watched his best friend freak out in amusement while little Hee-chul let out giggles at his father's dramatic outburst. "No, you will not be drinking idiot, relax. It's just one date stop freaking out", "Ugh fine, I won't drink, but help me pick something to wear that won't make me look stupid. Be useful for once". Hearing the dramatic gasp that left Ji-Hoon he went over to his son, gently placing the boy in his lap and kissing his temple, "Hey bub, don't you think Appa should stay at home. I mean do you really want to stay with him for the night, I'm way more fun than he is". Hearing this Ji-Hoon rolled his eyes and scoffed loudly, he couldn't believe this man was trying to use his kid to get out of a date. "Stop that, you're being over dramatic. I'm sure the girl will be really nice; this is your first date in years just have a good time". Groaning he knew that Ji-Hoon was right, he was making this a bigger deal than it was. It was time to for him to try to move on from his ex-wife he knew that but he was feeling insecure and nervous about the idea of dating someone new.

He waited for her to show up, impatiently checking his watch every few seconds filled with nervous energy. She stared in awe as the waiter took her to the reserved table already loving the beautiful view. "Hi, I'm so sorry I'm a little late there was a bit of traffic on my way here", startled Min-Jun shot up in his seat with his hand over his heart. He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed her presence. "Oh, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to scare you", "No that's completely fine I'm Min-Jun by the way, I hope the table is, okay?". Taking a look at her date she couldn't help the blush on her face, damn Mr Wong could've told her the man was really handsome, " Sun-Hee, and the table is great the view is so pretty from here". Taking a good look at his date he stopped breathing for a minute, the woman in front of him is Baek Sun-Hee. How in the hell did his father know an Idol? How did he even get her to agree to go out with him?

"I don't mean to be rude but you're Baek Sun-Hee right? The Idol?", she giggled softly at his surprised expression. "Yes, I am, I hope that's not a problem", "No of course not, I mean why would you agree to a blind date though, I'm sure you have guys lining up to date you?". She smiled; she expected this question it's something many people assume. "I agreed to the blind date because Mr Wong was so excited to have me meet you, he told me what a great guy you were and I thought it would be fun. I definitely don't have guys lining up to date me, they're either too nervous around me or just want attention it really sucks to be honest. Why did you agree? I mean you're really handsome, women probably throw themselves at you constantly". Min-Jun chuckled at the compliment, so this was all Mr Wong's doing then, he felt kind of bad for her though it must be awful to date people that just wanted to use her for her fame.

"No, not at all the minute they know I have a son they run for the hills", she giggled softly noticing that he slipped that little bit of info into their conversation to see her reaction. "Oh, you have a son? He must be so cute; can I see a picture of him? I mean only if that's okay with you of course", He stared at her in amusement, she was so adorable when she was excited, he couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face at her request. He was not about to give up an opportunity to show off his son, "I don't mind, he just turned 5 a couple months ago and he's way too adorable for his own good", he stared at her curiously as she fangirled over his son asking permission to look at more pictures to which he nodded. "He happens to be a fan of yours actually", she couldn't help the frown that slipped onto her face, the idea that a 5-year-old was listening to her songs worried her. Her music was not exactly kid friendly mostly covering some very dark themes like loneliness, anxiety and depression with a few bright songs sprinkled in between to even out the angst.

"That should be a compliment, but it worries me that such a young child listens to my songs. What songs does he like specifically?", seeing the worry in her expression made him want to take back his statement. "He likes to listen to breathe and ending scene", "How often does he listen to those songs?". She didn't like this feeling, that little baby should not like those songs. Breathe was written when she was in a very dark frame of mind and the lyrics though written very simply, were the things she wished the people around her would have done. Ending Scene was about two people not able to love the other or themselves enough to make their relationship work. "Almost every day, on repeat I'm pretty sure I have the lyrics engraved in my mind at this point", "I'm sorry, I, I'm not really sure how I feel about this. I hope he just likes the melody of the song and doesn't connect to the lyrics of those songs. They're not exactly the happiest songs I could have written".

"I have to admit you have an amazing voice, I'm pretty sure he just enjoys the sound of your voice", blushing she thanks him under her breath. She could tell he wanted to change the subject, "You look beautiful tonight by the way". She was dying inside not being able to hide her shyness, "Thank you, you look really handsome". He had a big smile on his face throughout the dinner, conversation flowing easily between the two of them. She told him about herself and what idol life is like, adding some funny stories here and there about some of the fan encounters she's had. He did the same telling her about his life and son, leaving out his ex-wife. They spent the rest of the dinner having a really good time with each other, the atmosphere comfortable.

"How did you even find this place it's amazing", "My dad told me about it, apparently my mom went crazy when she saw the view and thought you'd appreciate the privacy". He scratched his head nervously, he didn't want the night to end, he wanted to see her again. "I had an amazing time with you tonight, it would be great if we could do this again", she really meant to be more subtle about seeing him again but her brain and mouth weren't co-operating with her so I guess this was going to have to be a straightforward request. She almost smacked her forehead in embarrassment when she saw his surprised expression, "That was supposed to be my line". She chuckled in relief raising her hands in defines, "I can't help if you're a slow poke". Smiling widely, he shook his head seeing her stick her tongue out at him.

"Do you want to take a walk there is a park near here". "Sure, but I have to warn you if this is one of those things where you lure me into a park to kill me, I want you to know that I will scream and I'm not afraid to snap a vocal cord to damage your hearing". He cracked up at this, "I pinkie promise I won't kill you, I very much like my ability to hear and prefer not to risk it", holding out his pinkie. Giggling she connected their pinkies sealing the deal, not wanting to let go just yet he sneaks his hand to hold hers while they quietly walk taking in the night sky.

Making small talk they spent the next hour aimlessly walking in the empty park, finally realizing how late it had become she sighed in disappointment. She had so much to do the next day and knew she would be in trouble if they stayed out any longer, "I hate to say this but I have a really busy day tomorrow and if we stay out any later, I might not function properly and my manager will murder me", he looked down not wanting her to see his reluctance. "I'll let you leave if you give me your number and promise me a second date", "Gladly, just tell me when and where, I really like your company".

He walked her back to her car in comfortable silence just enjoying each other's presence, not forgetting to exchange numbers they say their goodbyes. He felt the soft kiss on his cheek when they pulled away from their short hug, saw the pretty smile and the faint blush. He felt like a teenager with a crush, not being able to form a proper sentence to make a cool exit he just stood awkwardly waving and smiling like an idiot, touching his cheek softly. He had to remember to thank his dad and Mr Wong for the set-up.