"Haneul," The husky voice spoke through the phone.
"Y-Yeom Tae." Haneul replied, looking at her friends hesitantly.
A sudden silence grew among them, somewhat nerve wrecking. The man didn't speak up again.
"Yeom Tae?" Haneul called him again.
Though his tone had been as per usual, something seemed aloof about it. The constant silence only added to it. Haneul shook her head at her friends. The man wasn't talking.
"W-What's wrong?" The hesitance in Haneul's voice only grew.
Yeom Tae cleared his throat. "Extra spicy or mild noodles?"
What? Haneul felt her ears ringing for a moment. Why would he ask such a random question after such an elongated silence?
"Extra spicy?" Haneul said in a questioning tone, confused and lost.
"Ah okay." Yeom Tae chuckled. "I didn't know what spice level you liked so…"
"You called for that?" Haneul asked, sarcastically smiling at her friends, her forehead visibly sweating.
Haru and Youngsoo were confused too, but they let the couple-to-be finish their conversation.
"Yes." Yeom Tae said, almost in a giggling tone which was overshadowed by his grave and husky vocal chord. "See you soon," He cheerfully said before ending the call.
Haneul pushed the phone away, straightening her arm in disappointment. Youngsoo shrugged to be given an explanation.
"He wanted to know how spicy I liked my noodles." Haneul said, turning around to finally leave.
Even her friends were disappointed that it was nothing serious but they walked her out first. Disappointment came later, first they had to see her off.
"Remember not to stress," Youngsoo said to Haneul as she sat down inside the car with her mother.
"You can do it!" Haru murmured in a low tone.
Haneul smiled and nodded, waving to her friends as the chauffeur closed the door. Her mother was seated just beside her and her father was in a different car as he had to arrive at the Yeom household from the hospital.
"I'm glad you called Haru and Youngsoo. They picked up a nice look for today's dinner." Soomin said, proud of how her daughter looked.
Haneul had the sudden urge to tell her mother that her friends had actually come over to console her since her parents didn't bother asking her for her opinion, but she stopped herself and recited her friend's encourageous words instead. She needed to pass this dinner quickly somehow and that was only possible if she would get out of her head.
She wondered if there was anything positive about this dinner. There were spicy noodles, and a man she had started to feel comfortable around… as friends. Hopefully, it won't be that bad. Maybe she would enjoy some parts of it, who knows?
The cars stopped outside a beautiful mansion, in a peaceful, exquisite, and green society. The society wasn't far from where Haneul lived. The chauffeur opened the car door for her to walk out, greeted right away by a well-uniformed butler. Just then, Changmin walked out of his car that had just stopped outside the mansion as well.
"What an angel!" Changmin said while looking at Haneul. "You look beautiful, buttercup."
The compliments were as natural as ever, making Haneul feel positive about herself in all ways possible. The butler greeted her parents as well, guiding all three inside with courtesy. Though Haneul was of the same status, the Yeom family seemed to reside very differently. Their mansion was built antique, unlike Haneul's modernized house.
The garden was huge, full of greenery, flower shrubs and flower trees. It seemed like a perfect place for early morning walks, considering how big it was. The house building in the middle of the garden was much smaller by itself as compared to the garden. The butler walked them over the few steps till they reached the main door. He opened the door and stepped aside, leaving a way for the guests to walk in from the doorway.
So far, it was extremely formal. It almost reminded Haneul of the business dinners she had attended as not only the director's daughter, but as a fellow doctor. They were mostly boring so she kept her expectations low with this one too.
The butler guided them over to the room on the left where they sat on the comfortable, vintage couches. The room had three couches facing one another with a table in the center, cozy lamps on the wall and soft rugs on the tiled floor. There was a major door at the right, a wall behind them and two sliding doors on the other two walls.
One of the sliding doors was opened to show the dining table. The other sliding door opened and a man Changmin's age walked inside cheerfully.
"Welcome, Welcome!" He said as Changmin stood up to receive his greetings.
The two hugged as if they had known each other for a long time now. Haneul and her mother also stood up and bowed slightly.
"This is Jae!" Changmin enthusiastically introduced him. "He used to be my classmate back in the days." He said as he wheezed.
"Those were some good times." Jae chuckled like middle-aged men chuckle after sipping booze.
Haneul forced a smile. This already looked boring. Just then, his wife walked in.
"Greetings!" She said, bowing down elegantly. "I'm Haewon, Yeom Tae's mother." A quick introduction and her gaze shifted to Haneul. She gasped. "My, my! Goodness! Is this Haneul?"
"Y-Yes." Haneul hesitantly replied, receiving her bow and then returning one. "Nice to meet you."
"Your daughter is beautiful!" Haewon exclaimed, her hand just above her chest with her other hand on her mouth.
What an exaggeration she was. Haneul forced another smile.
"It's the eyes that capture the beauty!" Soomin said while chuckling elegantly.
Oh God. Not middle aged people saying positive things and complimenting each other on face only to talk ill behind each other's backs later. Haneul hated every second of this. She wanted out.
The major door creaked and Haneul's only hope walked inside the room. Looking as fresh as ever, Yeom Tae's first eye contact was Haneul.