Her heart was racing. Dalmi couldn't remember the last time she felt this buzz of adrenaline as she paced around her large bedroom, glancing every so often in her floor length mirror to see the length of her dress following her curves and hugging her as if Dosan was holding her.
Partly wishing Saha hadn't gone home and left her mind to wander, she was thankful she had time to herself. It felt as if since she had broken off her engagement with Han Jipyeong, she hadn't had time to pause. Yes, Saha had asked her if she was okay and had been supportive as well as the multiple phone calls from her mother demanding she explain herself but she didn't know what to say.
As much as she felt trapped from being in a false relationship, she was never able to put her finger on exactly why she hadn't made the right connection with anyone worthy of her, unable to explain the feeling why. That was until that night in the bar when she first met Nam Dosan.
It wasn't so much of his good looks or the way he carried himself but the way he was able to capture her gaze and keep her entranced in something she couldn't quite understand.
Clear to anyone else, his eyes would sing seduction and careless interest but to her she saw sorrow and a look of longing that she couldn't help but relate to, like she found solace in his warm eyes that seemed to match hers.
When she was near this complete stranger, she felt safe, locked in his knowing gaze, she felt awake.
__________
It felt like hours had passed but the moment she had heard the elevator ding, Dalmi realised she had been staring into her own reflection, lost in her thoughts as she blinked away the build up in her soft eyes.
A few seconds later, the familiar calling of Halmeoni came expectedly.
"Dalmi-ya, Nam Dosan is here for you!"
Dalmi took a deep breath, picking up her clutch from her vanity before addressing herself once more in the mirror; adding a final coat of Lacome lipstick and a few twirls and pats of her perfect brown curls, she readied herself for her entrance, hoping she looked as he had imagined when he sent her this gorgeous dress.
As she walked down her grand staircase; once filled with busy steps of her extended family but now only the steps of her and Halmeoni on occasion, her eyes immediately sought his as his warm smile registered with her gaze.
The sight of her gliding down the stairs was enough to make his breath hitch, his jaw clench and his chest tighten an ounce too much.
Dalmi was picture perfect, in every light. Dosan was unable to take his eyes off her. Her dark chocolate hair cascaded down the right side of her neck while her left was bare with only a diamond earring dressing its side. It was like the softly porcelain skin was teasing him, waiting for him to taste her skins.
As he imagined his lips on her once again, his palms started to sweat and he persisted to swallow deeply as she got closer and closer, not bothering to notice Halmeoni as she scuttled off in another direction, out of the couple's way.
Only as she stepped down the last step was he snapped from his guilty reverie and obliged to step fourth, offering her his hand and with the other, a single pink peony bud.
As if she didn't have enough peonies to last her a life time, she took to small sentiment and placed it to her nose as she inhaled the sweet scent, closing her eyes.
Opening them slowly, she was greeted by his dark gaze, totally intent in her actions as she looked up and smiled, the tingle from his thumb rubbing against the back of her hand growing throughout her body until it reached her stomach.
Dosan was wearing a dark grey suit, almost black but accompanied with a crisp white shirt and a bow tie which curiously matched the blue detailing on her dress. He looked absolutely handsome, she noted, grinning inwardly as she imagined what was under his suit and how his strong, masculine body would feel bare under her fingertips.
"You look breathtaking," Dosan uttered as his lips brushed the shell of Dalmi's soft ear before pulling back to see her eyes closed contently and her chest rising and falling with anticipation.
"So do you," she admitted, finally able to see a little sense as he pulled away from her and his scent lingered in her senses.
He smiled a little before bringing her hand to his supple lips and leaving a kiss against her palm.
Matching his smile and tapping the peony bud affectionately against her own nose, she spoke.
"My favourites. How did you know?" she asked, tilting her head so she could look him in the eyes more questioningly.
"I didn't." He shrugged, almost seeing the disappointment in her face before adding to his admission. "...call it intuition?"
At this Dalmi smiled, stepping away from his which made him nearly question her but when she proceeded to twirl on the spot and then pause for his words with expectant eyes, he couldn't help but smile.
A flurry of brown locks before him made him want to grip her by the waist and kiss her senseless. She was so refreshing and familiar that all he could do was nod with an approval registering his features.
"What do you think? Am I worthy of this beauty?" she asked almost sadly as she stayed a few feet away from him, watching his mouth drop open a little and his tongue brush his bottom lip.
"You don't need a dress to be worthy, only the dress could need you."
With that she stepped back towards him, almost too quick for him to realize that she was holding him with her hand on his chest like the previous night and her other hand tracing a line of his freshly shaven jaw.
"Gomawo." She smiled almost somberly as she pulled her face to his, leaving a longing kiss on his cheek.
"Shall we?" He gestured, swallowing away her touch as he offered his arm.
With a nod, she was linked in his arm and they made their way to the awaiting elevator.
____________
"Where are we going?" Dalmi finally asked with a little optimism as they sat in his black cadillac, side by side; his hand occasionally brushing hers on the cold leather.
"It's a surprise,"he told, grinning at her frown.
"I really hope this is a not a sick kidnap plot because you should know that both of my fathers are very good lawyers." She smirked, quick on his tail with her wit.
"Two fathers?" Dosan pressed, turning to her slightly as he watched her fiddle with her clutch.
"Three actually. If you can promise me you won't kidnap me, I will happily tell you my twisted story." She bargained with a confident nod, waiting for his move.
"I can assure you that I have no intentions of holding you captive. If I did that, I couldn't possibly account this as our third date.. unless of course, you're into that sort of thing?" He teased as her eyes turned into shock and she playfully hit him in the arm.
"Ya! I am not!" Dalmi laughed with the audacity as Dosan rubbed his arm with a cute pout, making her want to melt.
"I think I believe you." He smiled. "The story?"
"Oh... where shall I start?" she began, biting her lower lip in expectation yet feeling herself relax as he waited for her contently.
"The beginning?" he suggested before she nodded and spoke again.
"The beginning. I have an older sister and when I was thirteen, my parents got divorce. My sister chose to be with my mother, they left for the States and Eomma remarried a business tycon. I stayed with Appa and eventually he settled with his associate. I lived with Halmeoni since then," she told bluntly, not stopping even when Dosan continued to grasp what she was saying patiently.
"I was mad for a long time, blamed my parents and resented what had happened. But we all moved on and I saw that everyone was happier.. even my sister and I evidently," she added, smiling at how simple it seemed aloud.
"That must be awkward at family functions." Dosan slipped in, biting his tongue as he tried to calculate what her reaction would be.
"You'd think so, but not anymore! I love all my dads and weirdly, it works, as dysfunctional as we are."
Dalmi seemed content talking about her past and cute she was but when her forehead wrinkled with different expressions of sad and happy, Dosan frowned.
____________
The rest of the journey was spent listening to Dalmi. He didn't for a second mind, her life was far more interesting than his dreary one and he seemed to love the way she spoke with such interest, even when she spoke of the relationship with her mother.
The traffic was long and when they finally arrived at their destination, Dosan led the way, not able to predict her reaction.
As they stepped from the car, the cool spring air hit her arms and she looked up to see the tall building standing before her, the Sandbox building.
Never in a month of Sundays did she expect to be coming here on their date and when Dosan denied her any answers about why they were here, he took her hand and she allowed him to lead her into the main elevator and up through the body of the building.
"Dosan-ssi, why are we he-" she was interrupted as she stepped out of the building behind him, only to be greeted with a candle lit table for two situated in to middle of the open-air rooftop, looking down upon bright nightlights as the city passed them by.
She had lived in Seoul all her life and yet had never been to the top of this prominent tech hub at night to witness this beauty that had been presented before her.
She was speechless as Dosan led her to her seat, pulling out her chair before joining her across the table.
"Are you going to say something?" he asked with a smile at her stunned reaction as he watched her pick up the fresh glass of champagne she had been offered and taking a large sip, calming the overwhelming heat coursing through her body at this very second.
"Of course- mianhae- I just didn't expect this," she confessed, placing her drink down and addressing him kindly.
"Do you not like it?" He frowned, a slight panic rushing through his body as he searched her eyes for help.
When she saw the pure dread in his eyes that he tried to cover up so proudly with his strong posture, she didn't pull back as her hand reached for his on the table, covering it completely as she needed him to know she was still there.
"Ani, I love it. I mean, we're on top of the world -" she smiled genuinely which seemed to calm him and only make him want to turn his hand and thread his fingers with hers.
He'd never known such intimacy and truthfully, it scared him. Normally he would stop the signal allowing such actions to even enter his brain and he would push people away. He wasn't supposed to feel anything, he was made that way. Yet just looking into her eyes, it was like she was breaking down all those pretences and waking him up from his lonely nightmare he called his life.
Lost in each other, their connection was soon broken when an AI waiter arrived with their meal, forcing their hands to break and their gaze to direct elsewhere.
"Enjoy," the AI waiter noted, leaving the couple to eat.
"Gamsahabnida." Dosan bowed and returned his attention to the table as he watched Dalmi politely waiting for him before starting.
"Do you take all your dates to extravagant places like this on a third date?" She teased, biting into her chicken which melted in her mouth, making her smile inwardly in approval.
"Aniya."
The blunt answer made her question in what context he was answering.
"This is the first time," he added, with a small smile.
He knew all the right things to say and she would have been deluded to think he didn't date women, but the way he was being so honest yet covering his words with confident nods and looks made her doubt him.
Shaking the thoughts away, she wanted to know more.
"So how did you get to be such a successful businessman?" she asked, curiously picking at him.
"What makes you think I'm successful?" he endured.
"The expensive dresses, tailored suits, dinners on rooftops, luxury car, thousands of peonies and an exclusive app." She smirked as he replicated her with a tilt of his head.
"How do you know it's exclusive for you?"
"I search for it and none came up."
Dosan was flustered for being caught, he made small movements in his chair to hide it. "Arasso, arasso."
"So?"
"My father, Nam Seong-hwan..." Dosan started, Dalmi immediately sensing him tense as he clenched his jaw.
She knew the name as soon as it slipped from his lips.. The godfather of Korea's technology, Nam Seong-hwan. It made sense why Dosan had access to Sandbox. Dalmi was never directly in any relation to Nam Seong-hwan through business but she was very aware that her mother, Cha A-hyun was an old friend and that he had had dealings with her company numerous times over the years before his death.
She was aware that he had a son but had never socialised in the same circles, not really bothering or they would have surely inevitably met.
"I never knew-" she began but was cut off by his cold glare.
"I was raised by my sweet Eomma and boarding school overseas. I only came back to Seoul a few months before the accident, after I'd finished in MIT." He dropped into silence as he brought his flute of champagne to his lips and downed it, bitterly looking away from her doe brown eyes and towards the dark city, illuminated with shining lights.
"I'm so sorry- I-"
Dalmi truly didn't know what to say to this man who had laid himself bare in front of her, asking for nothing in return.
"Why would you be sorry? I'm not." He laughed bitterly.
"I'm sure your father would be very proud of you," she was able to say as she swallowed back the lump in her throat.
Even when he didn't look at her, she saw a little boy. He didn't scare her for a second, if anything, she felt protective of him, like Dalmi wanted to pick up the broken pieces and make the sorrow Dosan held disappear, even if for a moment.
She didn't know him or his past, only the little bits she had just told him but she wanted to know him. She could type his name into a search engine and it would probably pop up with numerous articles but she didn't feel the need to. She wanted him and all of him.
He could feel her eyes all over him and he cursed himself for telling her so much. She didn't know him, god she was probably judging him as they sat there in silence. Then again, who wouldn't, he was a twisted soul and something inside of him, as daft as it felt and sounded, made him want to be honest with her, made him want to show her everything, even the bad bits.
He couldn't relax and merely felt trapped under her waiting stare so he stood, offering his hand to her as she looked up to him expectantly.
"Take a walk with me?" he demanded more than asked as she stood slowly, taking his cozy offered hand and following him.