by Leigh Ban
I would have been vexed by his behavior for the rest of the night, but he was awake for the end of the performance. As we walked out, he turned to me with a grin.
“What a cool concert,” Phil said. “I’m sorry if I seemed a little out of it. I’ve been so busy over the past few days I must’ve been sleep deprived. Did you enjoy the music?”
When I looked at his face, my heart melted. I felt guilty for having gotten annoyed at him. Suddenly, I was touched by how he’d arranged our date despite having a hectic work schedule.
I replied, “Of course, the performers were so talented, especially the singers. Oh, they were phenomenal. I loved how joyful they were. Phil, thank you for preparing such a special evening for us.”
Phil insisted on taking me back to my dorm. We caught one of the deluxe taxis, a large black Mercedes. Just before we got into the back seat of the car, a city bus covered in an advertisement with Phil’s face drove past. Although I only had a brief glance, the advertisement seemed to be for a popular drug-store moisturizer.
After we told the driver where we were headed, I said, “Lucky me, my boyfriend has the most moisturized face in all of Seoul.”
“Today, the most moisturized face. Tomorrow, the most recognized face.” Phil added, “I hope.”
“When people see your face in that ad, they won’t forget you.”
“You think so?” Phil said as he began nibbling on my neck.
“If they’re like me, they’ll be dreaming about you.”
He whispered in my ear, “And what kind of dirty dreams have you been having?”
Before I could say anything, Phil pushed a strand of hair aside and lightly bit my earlobe. As I let out a moan, he covered my mouth with one hand and slipped his other hand under my T-shirt.
“You smell so sweet,” he said as he rubbed his finger over my taut nipple. “I want a taste of how sweet you are too.”
Once he uncovered my mouth, we couldn’t keep still. His lips moved frantically against mine while he lifted my T-shirt and unclasped my bra. As he ran his tongue over my nipple, my entire body tingled.
“Stella, you’re so sexy, you know that?”
When we arrived at International House, Phil paid in cash and told the driver to keep the change.
“We were a little loud in there,” he said. “I bet he thought it was hot though.”
The next day, I went to a café near my dorm. Once I purchased a bottle of green juice, I walked around looking for Yumi and Dana.
“Room 901 Kid!”
Dana waved at me jovially. We hadn’t gotten the chance to talk after I returned from my date. Yumi sat beside her, drinking an espresso.
“Tell us everything,” Dana said, her eyes round with curiosity.
“Where do I start?” I replied, opening my bottle of juice.
Though I didn’t want to brag, our date had been incredible, and I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from turning up. Phil was not only the most unbelievably gorgeous person to have existed, but also a charming person, at least when he wasn’t nodding off.
“For our first date, Phil took me to the Seo Woo Center for Performing Arts. We had a candlelit dinner at an Italian restaurant. Then we saw an amazing salsa band perform.”
Yumi gave a nod of approval. “Stella, you know me. I’d say at least ninety-eight percent of guys who ask you to be their girlfriend when you’ve pretty much just met are seeking an easy way to hook up with you. Now, I still think you should be careful, but… Phil did well.”
“I agree,” Dana said.
Yumi continued. “In my opinion, Seo Woo Center is one of the most romantic places to go on a date in Seoul. Apparently, business mogul Seo Sang Taek dedicated the landmark to his late wife Woo Chun Ja. An evening at Seo Woo Center beats all the café or dive bar dates I’ve been on. Why salsa though?”
Dana said, “Because you’re taking Latin Dance, right? What did Phil think of the concert?”
Suddenly, I felt my cheeks flush. Though I enjoyed the music, Phil had been snoring away for half of the performance. I was also reminded of Taehyun and the passion in his eyes as he told me about the salsa dancers in Havana.
“Well,” I said, then took a sip of juice. “I don’t think he loved the performance as much as me. He probably wouldn’t have gone to a salsa performance otherwise.”
Dana replied, “Aw, that’s even cuter. How nice of him to have planned out that date just for you. I wish a guy would do that for me.”
Yumi said to Dana, “Instead, as part of your plan to please Prince Joon, we’re following you to pizza pubs where they play the most obscure underground hip-hop.”
“Shut up. I like hip-hop too,” Dana protested, giggling.
“Speaking of Joon, has there been any progress in your almost-relationship?” I asked.
Yumi snorted. “Almost-relationship? What a brilliant description of Dana and Joon.”
“Ugh, no. I still haven’t managed to score a date with him. Can you believe it?” Dana added, “Yumi, I don’t want you to answer that, by the way.”
The three of us broke into a fit of laughter.
When we calmed down, Dana sighed. “To be frank, I feel kind of down about the whole situation with Joon. I don’t know what to do. Stella, I took your advice and tried to arrange a proper date with him. On Monday, I messaged Joon and asked if he wanted to grab lunch with me this week. He immediately responded by saying he would check his schedule.”
“Isn’t that a good sign? So what happened?” I said.
Dana replied, “Well, nothing happened. Joon hasn’t messaged me since.”
“Maybe he has a complicated timetable that takes four to five days to skim through. Dana, he could reply to you any minute now,” Yumi teased.
While Yumi chuckled, Dana looked annoyed.
Yumi added, “I’m going to be straight with you, Dana. You deserve to be with a guy that makes you feel like you’re his main priority, not someone who sends mixed signs. Who knows? He might have a bunch of other girls he gets cozy with when he’s out drinking. If Joon truly likes you and he’s playing hard to get, I don’t think he’s making the right decisions to prove he’s worth your time.”
A minute later, Yumi peered over at the clock on the wall and gasped. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it’s almost three. It’s astounding how time flies while I’m hanging out with you two. I have to go. See you, guys!”
Once Yumi hurried off, Dana reached into her bag and groped around for a minute.
Then she turned to me and asked, “Stella, when does Latin Dance start? Can we go back to our dorm together beforehand? I forgot to bring my room card.”
Phil and I were inseparable after our first date. For two weeks, we met up almost every day, including short one-hour dates when he dropped by campus during my free periods. We entered secluded buildings and made out on empty staircases. When we had more time together, he took me out to dinner. Though he always picked the menu, often surprising me, I didn’t mind because I was new to eating out in Seoul.
“You look stunning today,” Phil said, wrapping his arms around me for a hug.
My heart fluttered as I inhaled the clean, fresh scent of his aftershave. I was in the same jeans and purple sneakers I usually wore when we met, so I wondered if he liked the sheer blouse I was wearing.
As we began walking, he mentioned, “I hope you like lamb.”
“Lamb?” I stared at him blankly. I couldn’t stand the smell of cooked lamb.
He simpered. “Come on, I made reservations at a barbecue restaurant that specializes in lamb. You’re in for a treat.”
On our walk to dinner, we came across a small truck parked on the side of the road. A little old man in an apron handed a flower to a young couple. He was selling roses of all different shades: deep red, pearl white, bright yellow, and even muted purple.
Phil stopped and turned to me.
He asked, “What’s your favorite color?”
“I don’t know. Honestl
y, I don’t really have one.”
“I think you suit any color,” he said, then glanced down at my sneakers. “Especially purple.”
I blushed and pulled his hand.
“I’m hungry. Let’s go to dinner,” I said.
“Stella, calm down. It’s just a block away.”
“I am calm, just hungry.”
We laughed. Then I remembered we were going to eat lamb and sighed.
The barbecue restaurant had a luxurious dark interior. Customers were seated in booths with personal grills installed. The servers came to each table to assist in cooking the meat. Once we were handed the menu, I was relieved to see a couple of side dishes made without lamb.
Phil turned to me and said, “Should we both order the lamb chops? Apparently, that’s the most popular dish on the menu.”
I nodded and suggested, “Can we order some chicken skewers as well? Or the chicken salad?”
“Stella, I don’t think people come here to eat chicken. We should order the lamb skewers.”
When the meat arrived at our table and the server began cooking our lamb chops, Phil beamed at me. Since he was excited about our meal, I wanted to at least try to enjoy the lamb chops. However, I felt like I was going to gag after my first bite. My eyes watered while I swallowed. As I went on to pick at the complimentary bread, Phil noticed I wasn’t eating much, though he didn’t bring this up until the end of dinner.
“Aren’t you hungry today, Stella? Don’t you feel well?”
Although I felt my stomach grumble, I simply shrugged.
He peered at me and groused, “I was really hoping you’d like this restaurant. It’s hard to get dinner reservations here.”
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
“Don’t be sorry, Stella. I mean, I wanted to please you. Do you want to go and have dessert? You liked the ice cream place we went to two days ago, right?”
Before we left the restaurant, I excused myself to go to the bathroom. With black and gold walls, the bathroom was just as spacious as the dining area. As I turned the dove-shaped faucet on to wash my hands and brush my teeth, I felt apologetic about not having enjoyed the lamb chops, especially as Phil had paid for the meal. When I walked out, Phil was holding a purple rose.
“Surprise.”
I stared at him and wondered where the flower had come from. A few seconds later, I remembered the truck we had walked past.
“Stella, I know this is not much, but while we were eating, I kept thinking about how cute you’d look holding a rose. Now, let’s go have some dessert.”
I gave him a peck on the cheek.
“Phil, thank you.”
Once we were in the elevator to go down to the first floor, he leaned in for a deep kiss. As our tongues met, he ran his hand down my back and stroked my hair.
I looked at the rose and said, “I wish I could have this forever.”
“Well, you can have me forever,” Phil replied.
When we got out of the elevator, he whispered into my ear, “Stella, I love you.”
Chapter Seven
“Room 901 Kid!” Dana sang out as she waved at me. I had returned to our room after my dinner date with Phil.
“Dana, are you glad to see me? Or is there something exciting you’d like to share?”
“Both, of course.” Dana grinned. “Joon messaged me today.”
“He did? What did he say to you?”
“Stella, have you heard of Lil Bottle? It’s the hottest hip-hop lounge club in Hongdae. Joon told me he has four tickets to a big party at Lil Bottle next Saturday. You have to come with me. Bring Phil too.”
“Sounds fun,” I said, then added, “Are you sure you want Phil and me there? Why don’t you turn it into a date between you and Joon?”
“Between me and Joon? No, Stella, half his friend group will be there. Anyway, I messaged Yumi straight away and she suggested that I should arrange a double date type of situation. She thinks Joon might benefit from seeing you and Phil together as a serious couple.”
“A serious couple?” I said, blushing.
Dana added, “Plus, it’ll be an amazing night. Joon says his friends love the vibe at Lil Bottle. There’s some famous DJs and rappers coming later in the night. Please tell me you’re going to come.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll check with Phil.”
The more I thought about the possibility of going on a double date, the more excited I became. By introducing Phil to Dana and Joon, I felt like our relationship would move forward. I hadn’t met any of his friends other than the ones who worked at Café K, so I hoped he would consequently be motivated to introduce his closest friends to me.
When Phil called me the next day, I immediately told him about the party at Lil Bottle.
“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to, but my friends think it would be a blast to hang out as a group. One of them is my roommate, Dana. She really wants us to come.”
Phil replied, “Sure, I’ll go. As long as you promise me something.”
“What is it?” I asked.
“Promise me you won’t spend the entire night talking about university stuff. Don’t invite me if you’re going to leave me out.”
“Phil, why would I do that? You’re my boyfriend and I want you to get along with the other people in my life. I’ll do my best to make sure the conversations won’t be boring for you.”
His voice softened. “You’re a sweetheart. I wish I could come give you a kiss.”
“Why don’t you come over then? I’m waiting,” I joked.
“Don’t seduce me, Stella. Saturday at eight o’clock, right?”
“Right, at Lil Bottle.”
He chuckled and said, “What kind of name is that though? Have you been there before?”
“No, it’s this lounge club Joon’s friends rave about. Oh, and since Joon majors in clothing and textiles, I’m sure you’ll have a lot to bond over,” I explained.
Phil replied, “Has he experienced a single day actually working in fashion though?”
“What? I don’t know. What are you suggesting?”
“Stella, I’m kidding. I’m excited to meet your friends. We’ll have fun.”
Although I was growing fond of Latin music and practiced the cha-cha-cha when I was alone in my room, I didn’t look forward to my Latin Dance classes on Friday afternoons. As I had no dance partner ever since I arrived late to the second class, Professor Hwang went through the routine with me. While I practiced enough to become comfortable doing the steps on my own, I couldn’t get used to dancing with a partner.
“Who should I have you perform with for the midterm in two weeks?” Professor Hwang said.
I prayed that she wouldn’t make me dance with Hongsik.
“I’ll let you choose. Stella, make sure you practice with your partner outside of class.”
Miso heard Professor Hwang and scowled at me. She was Taehyun’s dance partner, the girl who pranced around the hall in sparkly gold heels. Although she often embarrassed me by giving me a belittling smirk whenever Professor Hwang corrected my mistakes, I secretly admired how flexible she was as she did the most extreme stretches and movements whenever she had the chance.
When Miso kept glaring at me while hissing in Taehyun’s ear, I gathered she was passive-aggressively warning me not to choose him as my dance partner for the midterm performance. He listened to her with a bemused expression on his face. During break time, the students in our class sat down on the floor and looked at their phones. As usual, Miso tried to teach Taehyun advanced dance steps that were too difficult for the rest of our class to learn. After he told her he wanted to rest, she turned on a samba song and started shaking her hips furiously.
A minute later, Miso tripped over a thick power cable as she did a back step. She twisted her ankle, flapped her arms in the air, and landed on her butt. Once she fell on the ground, she screeched in pain and her voice echoed. The entire class stared at her.
“What the heck are you all doing?
” Miso screamed. “My ankle hurts. Help me!”
Professor Hwang rushed over to Miso and said, “What happened? Could someone bring over the first aid kit?”
“Are you kidding me? No, call the ambulance!” Miso bellowed out.
While Miso waited for the ambulance from West Seoul University Hospital to arrive, she got Taehyun to carry her to the entrance of Old College Hall. Although Professor Hwang told Miso to stay put, Miso was shouting frantically and demanded that she needed to get out of the building as quickly as possible.
Once the ambulance arrived, Miso was carried out in a stretcher.
Before hurrying outside with Taehyun, Professor Hwang said, “I’m sorry about the unexpected situation, everybody. Class dismissed!”
After I’d grabbed my purple sneakers from the shoe rack, Hongsik waddled over to me.
As he grabbed my wrist, he said, “Where are you going, Stella?”
“Ouch!” I squeaked.
“What’s the matter?” Hongsik asked.
Although he released his grip, he stood so close to me I could smell the onion on his breath. I wanted to yell out that I had a boyfriend. Then I realized I didn’t owe Hongsik an explanation. Whether I had a boyfriend was none of his business. Frankly, I hated how touchy he had been since the first week of the semester.
I stepped away from him and said, “Can you not?”
Hongsik grimaced and my body tensed up. I didn’t want to cause a scene, so I just watched him nervously.
“Seriously, I have a cold.” I pretended to sniffle.
He sneered at me. “Oh dear, a spring cold?”
While Hongsik droned on about a midterm paper we had for Topics in Political Philosophy, I was listening to the conversation between two girls behind us.
“He’s such a gentleman. I mean, Miso did seem to be in a lot of pain, but the best way to be in pain is when a fit guy is carrying you in his arms.”
“Dayoung, shush! What if somebody hears you?”
I heard the girls giggle.
“Well, I can assure you we’re not the only ones who find him dreamy and hot as hell. He’s the guy who has everything. Did you hear about his…?”
