"Where would you like to go?" Yeom Tae asked softly.
Haneul considered herself a normal person, someone who wasn't too boring and not too energetic either. However, she thought that Yeom Tae's fresh personality wouldn't get along with her easily. She wasn't sure if she could suggest a place, really.
Yeom Tae slightly shifted his gaze off the road to look at her, for just a split second. She obviously looked tired. Her dark colored eyes sparkled in the sunlight stretching through the window of the car by intervals between the shadows of the trees. They were dark and monochrome even with the aid of the sunlight, but they were beautiful. They looked like the fantasy black pearls enclosed in seashells.
The woman's curled lashes added to the beauty every time she blinked. Though she was nervous, quiet and tired, she was absolutely sophisticated in her own way. Yeom Tae's thoughts contradicted hers. He thought he would never get bored even if he just had to stare at her.
A split second it was and he captured such delicate details, as if a hawk observing its prey. But his intentions were good.
"Then I will decide, yeah?" Yeom Tae said after being left on 'read'.
Women were harsh. At least say you don't want to suggest a place to go to. But Yeom Tae too, knew every possible way to please this harsh woman. Or so he thought.
"Hmm." She murmured.
Yeom Tae bit his lower lip, his eyes still on the road. He knew they would end up getting married anyway but he wanted a healthy relationship with her too. For that, he needed to try harder.
"I know what you would like." Yeom Tae said slowly.
Haneul turned her head to look at him. His eyes were fixated on the road and his expression was calm, yet his face looked arrogant and aggressive. She pictured him to be one of those men who were called by their girlfriends with a bunch of gang members to beat someone up. Maybe he was a part time gang member.
"Where?" Haneul asked out of curiosity.
What did he really know about her? She wanted to know eagerly. He seemed to be the observant type anyway.
"You'll see?" He replied in a questioning tone as if he was asking for her approval whether he was allowed to keep it a secret or not, chuckling softly along the way.
Haneul had the option to force the location out of him but she didn't want to look desperate. If the man had allowed her to slip this close to his boundaries, she needed to maintain hers.
The car stopped soon after, outside a rather familiar place. Haneul surprisedly looked at Yeom Tae, seeing him smiling softly.
"Did I do a good job?" Yeom Tae asked long after leaving the car and walking all the way over to her side to open the door for her.
This place was especially nostalgic for Haneul. Of course he had done a good job. It was a library and study café near her house. Since she had mentioned that she read books and studied, Yeom Tae chose the perfect place, and the one she frequently visited too. This man sure knew how to please her.
"Yeom Tae," She called him as she stepped out of the car, absolutely delighted. Her smile and tone was enough of an answer for him. "This is-" She stopped.
"This is?" He longed for a positive answer.
"Isn't this… boring for you?" Haneul asked, purely and softly.
Of course she put him first. No wonder she didn't suggest any place earlier either. Yeom Tae had a change of mind just then. Maybe women aren't harsh. Just confused and lost, trying and living up to their titles.
He softly chuckled. "I want to do everything you do."
A natural smile was printed on Haneul's face right away, her lips curled beautifully and her eyes squinting small, reacting to the smile.
"Then," Haneul muttered. "Let me do everything you do too."
Yeom Tae kept a subtle smile on his face, no hard reactions. But the subtle smile was genuine and didn't leave Haneul with mixed feelings. He slowly slid the door shut and reached to grab Haneul's hand right away, gently and softly.
Then the two walked towards the library, hands interlocked comfortably with each other now that Haneul wasn't afraid of any familiar eye spotting her with a man. Yeom Tae didn't question her about that yet but she was well prepared in case he did raise the question.
The two walked inside the building, on their left it was a library while on their right, a study café. Haneul had spent almost half of her life studying within these walls. It was a place of comfort for her.
They walked over to the bookshelves first, where Haneul instinctively let go of his hand, excited to see if any new books had shown up.
"What kind of books do you read?" Yeom Tae asked, "Well of course, medical… And apart from those?"
Haneul moved to the other side of the bookshelf where Yeom Tae's silhouette could be seen through the little spaces between the books. She looked between the gaps, hoping to find his face when he suddenly pulled a book out, right in front of her face.
Their eyes met, briefly and playfully.
"I read everything." Haneul said.
Yeom Tae smirked playfully, as if he had already expected that answer out of her.
"Favorite?" He asked.
"Don't laugh at me," She said as she turned around to walk along the bookshelf.
Yeom Tae tried to match her pace from her silhouette, walking along the bookshelf with her. He cleared his throat.
"Well," Haneul stopped, interlocked her hands behind her back. "Promise not to laugh."
He laughed, "Okay sorry. I promise."
The gap showed her small figure standing in front of him. She wasn't small, rather he was huge.
"Parenting." Haneul said.
He laughed. Hysterically.