Jimin turned to Eileen late in the afternoon. “We have a mission tonight, Eireen.”
“A mission?”
“Yep. Are you up for being a spy?”
“A spy? Jimin, you’re quite intriguing,” she laughed. “Who are we going to spy on?”
“It’s time for me to return a favor.”
—
Tae and Tia waited quietly in line together. He didn’t even hold her hand. Just in case they were spotted. Tae couldn’t forget meeting a very excited fan while he stood in line here in this very spot not even three months ago now. The ARMY who had done him the biggest favor in the whole world. She’d taken his picture with Tia. To be more precise, she’d taken many pictures of them and posted them on a private link online so that only Tae and Tia could find them. He grinned thinking about it.
Then as he gazed down at Tia’s captivating countenance, he remembered another conversation he’d had while he’d stood in line here.
“How do you feel now?” he murmured suddenly.
She glanced up at him. “What?”
“Do you now recognize how beautiful you are, Woong?”
She furrowed her brow. “Wha—?” Then she suddenly remembered.
It all came back to her in a magnificent rush.
Tae’s velvety deep voice was echoing down the hallways of her mind. “Look at yourself…I think your hair is beautiful. I want to run my fingers through it and wind it around them. I bet it’s silky soft.”
As Tae stared down at her chestnut curls, he too remembered his desire to touch her hair. He had a sudden urge to push her towards the car and return her to her hotel room so that he could slide his fingers through those silky waves. Without an audience.
He had asked her, “Can we agree that your hair is beautiful? I love the way it curls.”
Because of his words, she now found her curls more acceptable than she had before. When they stubbornly refused to straighten out, his words would float back to her. And she would think that God must have given her curls to please Tae. She smiled now at the fanciful thought.
He’d also addressed her strangest feature and made it sound like it was the greatest gift God had given her. Her pair of eyes. She smiled as she recalled what Tae had called them. Eyes of fire. He had agreed with her that they were strange. But she and Tae had different viewpoints when it came to “strange.”
“I LOVE your eyes. Your eyes look like they are on fire. You have flames dancing in them. They are my favorite feature of yours.”
That night when she had returned to her hotel room, she had written down everything he’d said to her. Every single word she could recall. The ones about her eyes had been foremost in her mind. And what he’d said right after as his eyes had slid over her entire person.
“Although, I love them all.”
She realized that she hadn’t felt that adored in years. Not since her father had kissed her cheek enthusiastically before swinging her up onto his shoulders. No wonder she’d fallen in love with Tae. He had surrounded her with a blanket of adoration. Who wouldn’t have responded out of a mutual affection?
She stared up at him now. Her eyes lingered on his own for several moments before running over the surface of his skin. They slid over his noble cheekbone and the smooth skin of his cheek. They tried to ascend to his forehead, but it was hidden beneath his midnight hair. She ran into those stunning eyes again. She couldn’t breathe. The man was so beautiful. And his eyes took her breath away as much as hers stole his breath.
After a few breathless moments, her eyes slid down the long bridge of his nose before coming to land on his full lips. That was a bad idea. Now she wanted to kiss him so much. But she couldn’t not here. Maybe later. In her hotel room. Away from prying eyes. And camera phones.
Just then, the line moved forward a great distance. It was almost their turn to go up. Their eyes met. Tae smiled at her in anticipation.
A few minutes later, they stepped out into a room that was familiar to them both. It was encased by large windows on all sides. They walked farther into the room and found some space in front of one of the windows. Together, they stood staring out at the city. For a moment, Tae reached out and squeezed her hand before releasing it. When he touched her, her head turned towards him, and her eyes met his. They smiled at one another. It was a perfect moment. Untarnished.
A hidden camera captured it perfectly. The photographer smiled with satisfaction.
