What was this voice? Soothing, calming, attractive yet distinguished, arrogant, and husky at the same time. It was her own name, but it was still unusual to Haneul's ears and made her stand still for a long while until the man stood up himself to slide the chair in front of him away, making way for Haneul to sit. Hesitant, Haneul walked up and took her seat, loosely standing up so the man could push the chair back and he did so.
So far, he was like any other blind date, showing courtesy and chivalry.
"I am Yeom Tae, you might've heard." He said as he walked and sat back in his chair, leaning back.
There was noticeable arrogance in his voice that somehow made Haneul nervous. His fingers were packed with rings that somehow added to his formal clothing. He clicked his fingers together, against each other while looking at Haneul.
"Y-Yes, Yeom Tae-ssi." Haneul felt her voice cracking, awkwardly and obviously noticeably. "I've heard about you."
Then Haneul quickly started to list her facts inside her head in case Yeom Tae decided to interrogate her. He seemed like the type to do so.
Starting off, Yeom Tae's parents were on the board of directors in her father's hospital, her workplace. His parents were acquaintances, business partners and were now going to be family with her parents. Yeom Tae, however, was a CEO of a famous gaming firm. She couldn't grasp the name of the gaming firm at the moment which made her exceptionally nervous.
"That's good," Yeom Tae slowly nodded, "I've heard a lot about you from your parents." He added before clearing his throat, "A pediatrician at Myungsoo University Hospital, correct?"
It was her own information, yet it felt like an interrogation. He was definitely the teasing type. She disliked that as it made her nervous but managed to nod slightly.
"Kim Haneul-ssi," Yeom Tae smiled, "Your name is pretty."
Why were his topics changing so frequently?
"Thank you." Haneul muttered in the lowest tone possible. "Your name is pretty as well."
Yeom Tae curled only one side of his lips into a smile, grabbing Haneul's attention. His fluid and fluffy dark brown, short hair fluttered about his forehead. He had a sleek and tidy cut, revealing most of his forehead. His eyebrows were thick and his eyes were dreamy yet arrogant. He seemed like someone who might have anger issues.
"You have a gaming firm, right?" Haneul brought it up, then clenched her mouth shut for speaking the wrong thing.
Yeom Tae nodded, "Gearhead Studios." He added, "You wouldn't know."
"Why would you assume I wouldn't know?" Haneul narrowed her eyes.
"I remember your father mentioning that you've been only studying your entire life." Tae said slowly.
This was clearly unfair. He seemed to know everything about her while she only knew that he was a CEO of a gaming firm. Her parents should've given her more background. She felt embarrassed.
"That's true." She still managed to utter a few words.
"What about you?" He uttered, "Did you choose that for yourself?"
Haneul found it to be a genuine question. It almost made her dwell into thoughts. On the surface, she was born into a family of doctors, it was safe to assume that she was a doctor because of family pressure.
"Not really." Haneul added, "My parents actually tried to shift my interests."
Tae seemed surprised, his eyes widened slightly as he nodded. He had expected the same 'I was forced by my parents into this field' answer.
"That's good to know." He said. "I would like to know about it then," He let his eyes meet her eyes, "Your interests."
Just then, the waiter brought the menu so they could place their order. Haneul allowed Yeom Tae to place their order. He ordered cream pasta and she posed no disagreement.
"I actually have a spice palette." Yeom Tae admitted right after placing the order, "But I like to respect that others don't."
"You could've said that earlier because, same." Haneul chuckled.
Yeom Tae's expressions paused for a moment and then he slowly nodded at his stupidity. But seeing Haneul chuckling after a long while of keeping a straight face was a relief.
"So what do you do?" Yeom Tae asked, "Besides being a doctor."
Haneul blinked, "I hangout with my friends." She seemed to be thinking a lot. "I read books." She added, "That's it."
Yeom Tae nodded. "Interesting."
Was it really? Sounded like a lie.
"What about you?" Haneul asked politely.
"Well, I like to play." Yeom Tae said, "Whether it is a game or not, I like to play."
"Playboy, okay." Haneul said bluntly.
Yeom Tae chuckled right away, taking her nonsense as a joke. She didn't regret saying it though. Haneul had mixed feelings about him. He wasn't letting her know a lot but he was conversing just fine. He was slightly arrogant but seemed like a nice person. Haneul was unsure of what to say about him after all.
They received the pasta soon after and decided to let a few silent moments pass while they ate. They shared a few comments over how the pasta was milder than their palettes. Haneul was glad that they at least shared the same palette.
Maybe if they do get together, their new hobby would be exploring delicacies. That honestly didn't sound too bad.
Then she felt as if she was trying too hard to find a place for herself in his heart and him in her heart. Maybe if she would let it go slow, things would turn out to be better.
So far, they had only conversed about the surface. She wasn't sure what to feel about it.
"We should exchange numbers." Haneul suggested first, which was new even to her.
She quickly opened her small, twinkling and sparkling bag and pulled her phone out. She handed it over to Yeom Tae and he slowly grabbed onto it, keeping his eyes on the woman.
He clicked his number on the phone, then a name and saved the contact. Haneul brought it back to herself and looked at the contact name before hitting the call button.
"Future Husband?" Haneul smiled sarcastically as she read it out loud.