choi san stared at the time on his laptop, his leg bouncing up and down as he impatiently waited for the work day to end. it was date night and he planned on taking his girlfirend, jiyeon out for dinner at a popular restaurant.
it had been a never-ending work week, filled with countless assignments and mountains of paperwork that needed to be completed. san had hardly spent any time with jiyeon, so it was safe to say he was more than just excited for this dinner.
tonight was also a good opportunity for san to just talk to jiyeon. since things have really picked up at the company, he was seeing jiyeon less and less and it was starting to strain their relationship. he could feel it every time jiyeon had to practically beg him to go on dates with her. it wasn't that he didn't want to, he just simply couldn't find the time. if he wasn't drowning in work, he was in bed, trying to catch up on his sleep. it came to a point where jiyeon had stopped asking, tired of the repeated "rain checks" san kept taking.
time dragged on as san constantly checked the clock. his phone buzzed, and he quickly glanced at a message from jiyeon, saying she was ready for him to pick her up. the moment the clock hit 5, san jumped up from his seat, swiftly packed his things, and rushed to the elevator.
inside the elevator, san frantically pressed the close button, as if it would close any faster.
"hold on!"
just as the elevator doors were about to close, a shoe stopped it open. san groaned in irritation. he rushed to the elevator in hopes that he would avoid all his co-workers filling it up .
"just a few seconds..." san muttered to himself in annoyance.
"where are you headed? got a hot date tonight?" his co-worker and best friend, yunho jokingly asked as he entered the elevator.
san lifted his chin up at yunho with an unamused look on his face, "actually, yes. i'm taking jiyeon to that fancy restaurant downtown".
yunho raised his eyebrows as the elevator began its descent from the 25th floor, "the michelin one?" he let out a low whistle, "that's gonna leave more than a dent in your wallet".
san squinted at yunho, "well yeah, but i haven't seen her in a while so i wanted to take her somewhere special".
"is she still mad at you?" yunho asked, referring to last weekend when san cancelled their 4th year anniversary date that jiyeon spent months planning since san was too busy at work.
"i don't think so?" san scratched the back of his neck, a bit unsure. "i mean, she seemed excited about tonight, so..". the elevator dinged, indicating that they had reached the lobby. the two men walked out together, breathing in the springtime breeze as they headed towards the parking garage.
"well hopefully all goes well. just don't fuck up this time" yunho patted san's shoulder in reassurance and climbed into his car.
san sighed, watching yunho drive off before making his way to his own car. the evening sun cast a warm glow over the city, and a mix of anticipation and nerves settled in as he headed towards jiyeon's apartment complex. sure, jiyeon seemed happy when san intially presented the idea of taking her out but after his conversation with yunho, he felt a bit skeptical. he wanted to make this night special for jiyeon and hopefully reslove their issues.
jiyeon was already outside the complex, waiting for san. as soon as he saw jiyeon, he relaxed a bit after seeing a small smile on her face. he stepped out of the car and walked around it to open jiyeon's door for her.
"hey" san smiled at her as she stood up and walked towards him.
"hey" she softly replied, with a glint of excitement in her eyes. it seemed to san that they'd be just fine. while driving to the restaurant, they shared a bit of small talk and the incident of last week wasn't brought up once.
soon enough, they pulled up to the restaurant. it was the kind of restaurant san couldn't dream of dining in, it was indeed the embodiment of lavish elegance. the exterior was adorned with towering glass windows that catch the glimmer of the now visible city lights. the entrance featured ornate gold lettering spelling out the name "eclat".
"wow" jiyeon breathed out as they both stared in awe at the restaurant. san gulped, this was definately going to destroy his bank account. but seeing the amazed look and wide smile on jiyeon's face made it all worth it. he grabbed jiyeon's hand, intertwining their fingers together as they walked in.
"i called a bit before, i have a reservation for two under the name san" san said to the host as they entered. the host nodded before looking up the name in the system. jiyeon grabbed onto san's arm with her other hand and looked at him a bit concerned.
"this place is really fancy, i feel super underdressed" she said. san raised his eyebrows as he looked at what jiyeon was wearing. she was wearing a knee length dress in a rich shade of red, accentuating her elegance. the dress featured a subtle v-neck that added a touch of sophistication without being overly revealing.
san let out a breathy chuckly while rubbing circles around her hand, "what are you talking about? you look gorgeous". upon hearing san's compliment, jiyeon let out a bright smile and squeezed san's arm. the host led them to their table and handed them their menus as they took their seats.
looking over the menu, san gulped as he saw the prices. he had some savings, but it wasn't like he made a lot of money from his job, he'd only been working there for a year.
"these prices are insane" jiyeon remarked as she scanned the menu, looking over at san, she furrowed her eyebrows, "we can split the bill if it's too much".
shaking his head, san placed his hand ontop of jiyeon's, "don't worry about it. this is my treat to you". jiyeon returned san's smile and went back to the menu.
san was smiling on the outside, but internally he was freaking out. he felt all his savings being ripped away from him. the waiter had taken their orders and they were sitting in a bit of an awkward silence.
"you know hana got engaged the other day" jiyeon finally said, breaking the awkward atmosphere. san looked at her, a bit surprised. "in fact, it seems like all my friends are getting engaged or are already married". she stated, raising an eyebrow at san, like she was hinting at something.
san let out a sigh, "that's great for them but you know i'm not ready for that yet". he had known for a while that jiyeon was waiting for a proposal. like the engagement ring boards on her pinterest that she'd show san wasn't obvious enough.
jiyeon rolled her eyes, "we don't have to get married right this second, what's the big deal with getting engaged?".
"i already have a lot on plate, jiyeon..." san looked down as he tapped his fingers on the table.
"yeah, i know" she muttered bitterly "your job is so important that you blow me off all the time, just like you did last weekend."
san stopped at looked up. there it is. he thought. the night was going too smoothly for there not to be a conflict. "jiyeon-"
"no, san. you barely apologized and i was a mess the whole night. i feel like an idiot trying so hard to make our relationship work and you don't even care". jiyeon snapped as she interrupted him.
"i don't care?" san scoffed, "why do you think i brought you here? i'm trying to make it up to you and i apologized so many times already, what more do you want?". he tried to keep his tone low, he didn't want to cause a scene.
"it's not enough" jiyeon raised her voice, glaring at san.
a few people glanced at their table, and san let out a forced smile, "can we talk about this later? let's just enjoy our meal, please" he pleaded with jiyeon as the waiter came, dropping off their drinks and starters.
jiyeon huffed and crossed her arms, "later, when? you barely talk to me", her voice increasing with each word.
"jiyeon, please" san cautioned as the other guests glared at them and spoke to each other in hushed murmurs.
"it's not like you're even getting a promotion, so why bother?" jiyeon spat out. san gritted his teeth. he'd been trying to contain himself but with jiyeon so riled up, he wasn't sure he could for much longer.
"excuse me, do you mind keeping your voices down? it's disturbing the other guests." their waiter quietly asked them as san stood up.
"not everyone's born with a silver spoon in their mouth, jiyeon" san sneered as he felt his anger bubbling up. "some people have to actually work to make money".
the tension in the air thickened as san's words hung between them. the waiter, nervously stepped back as the restaurant fell silent and all eyes were on them.
"at least i don't prioritize my job over everything else, including the people who care about me." jiyeon retorted as her eyes flashed in anger.
san's face tightened, and he shot back, "well, some of us have responsibilities. we can't all live in the fantasy world you seem to be in."
jiyeon clenched her jaw as she stood up, "i don't know why i bother, you never understand me". she uttered, brushing past san and headed towards the exit.
san ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. this is not at all how he wanted the night to go. "jiyeon, wait" he called out as he followed her.
san felt a hand stop him "excuse me, you have to pay before you leave". san turned to see a man wearing a white chef's jacket.
"pay for what? we didn't even eat" san snapped impatiently, wriggling his arm from the man's grip. he glared at the man, "and who in their right mind charges those kinds of prices for meals that wouldn't even satisfy a toddler? i'd get a better meal from the pizzeria down the street". san didn't mean to be disrespectful, but he was still in the heat of the moment.
not giving the man a chance to respond, san stormed out into the night air to find jiyeon.