Real Man

“So what are you trying to say?”

“In the negotiation with Anderson Horowitz, I want you to raise the value of Airbnb as much as possible. Not for me, but for the whole company.”

“You want to add a premium on top of a premium value?”

“That’s only if you limit it to guesthouses. If you expand the customer base to the global hotel business, you’ll get a completely different calculation.”

“It would require another level of bargaining.”

“Yes. And don’t we have something to regret?”

Paul Graham didn’t want to get more investment because he was short of money.

He had the condition to be bold enough.

The only problem was that he couldn’t raise the value any more because he had already inflated it a lot.

But Yoo-hyun’s new valuation method gave him a new opportunity.

“If your logic is right, then there’s nothing more to regret. But do you think Anderson Horowitz will fall for that logic?”

“If they really want to get it, they’ll have to pay more.”

Paul Graham shrugged his shoulders after hearing Yoo-hyun’s answer.

“Ha ha! This is funny. You know what? You seem more qualified to be an investor.”

“You said I was a businessman earlier.”

“What does it matter? If it doesn’t work, just do both.”

“Oh, yes.”

Yoo-hyun answered casually, hiding his absurdity, and Paul Graham clapped his hands excitedly.

“Great! Since we’re here, how about we have a drink and a deep discussion about that?”

“Thank you, but I have an important appointment today.”

“Hmm, even if a few million dollars could come and go with a drink?”

Paul Graham tried to tempt him, but Yoo-hyun had already made up his mind.

“It’s a meeting that’s much more important than that money.”

“Ha ha! That’s like you.”

He might have been offended by the repeated rejections, but Paul Graham laughed even louder.

He seemed to trust Yoo-hyun more.

The important appointment that Yoo-hyun mentioned was a meeting with Jeong Da-hye.

Money?

That was a later problem.

Yoo-hyun headed to San Francisco Airport to meet her.

Buzzing.

He watched the people entering the country and recalled the last moment he had with Jeong Da-hye.

They had parted after finishing the preparation for the G20 bid, which was almost a year and a half ago.

He could only meet her through occasional calls and messages.

Now it was time to face her.

Was that why?

Thump thump.

His heart beat faster as the time approached.

It was a thrill he had never felt before.

Ching.

The door opened and people started to come out one by one.

When the immigration hall was full of people, a woman with long hair and white skin stood out.

It was Jeong Da-hye, wearing a sky-blue floral dress and a white cardigan.

Maybe it was because she wasn’t wearing her usual plain suit.

Yoo-hyun only saw her.

She was the only one who looked like a frozen screen among the many busy people.

Then she turned her head and looked at Yoo-hyun.

The moment their eyes met, Jeong Da-hye smiled sweetly.

Click clack.

As she got closer, Yoo-hyun’s heart beat faster.

Was she always this pretty?

He felt her shy gaze as lovely.

Yoo-hyun handed her the bouquet he had hidden behind his back.

Swoosh.

“Da-hye, long time no see.”

“Huh? Carnations?”

She blinked her eyes as she took the bouquet, as if it was unexpected.

“I thought they would suit you well.”

“There are five of them.”

She repeated the number as she looked at the bouquet, and Yoo-hyun remembered the conversation he had with her in the past.

-Why do you insist on having five carnations for the bouquet?

-Because the message I want to hear is in the flower language.

-What is it?

-‘You are the only woman for me.’ I want to hear that from you, who never express yourself.

She smelled the flowers and he asked her casually.

“Why five?”

“Just because. The flowers are so pretty. Thank you.”

Jeong Da-hye looked up at Yoo-hyun.

He was smiling, the one she had been waiting for a long time.

His warm eyes seemed to tell her the flower language of the five carnations.

Her heart fluttered and the words she wanted to say circled in her mouth.

She would have swallowed them if it was usual.

But the words popped out of her mouth.

“I think I did well to come see you, Yoo-hyun.”

“Don’t I look better in person?”

She laughed at his unexpected answer.

She was so glad to hear his jokes.

“I worked all night for days to see your handsome face.”

“Then I should treat you more specially.”

“I told you, I’m the guide today. You just have to do whatever I say.”

“As long as I’m with you, anywhere is fine.”

At Yoo-hyun’s easy-going answer, Jeong Da-hye smiled.

She soon composed her expression and pointed to the front.

“Shall we go then?”

“Shall we?”

Yoo-hyun gladly followed Jeong Da-hye’s lead.

They moved in a white sports car that Yoo-hyun had prepared.

The first place they arrived was the Golden Gate Bridge, the symbol of San Francisco.

Yoo-hyun leaned on the railing and looked at the orange bridge that crossed between the sea and the mountain.

Next to him, Jeong Da-hye looked at the same posture.

“The Golden Gate Bridge looks best from here, Vista Point. It feels like the bridge goes on forever.”

“I agree. It’s really nice.”

The sea sparkling in the sunlight and the bridge on it were beautiful, but they were just a background.

The only thing that mattered to him was her.

Yoo-hyun liked this moment, when their fingertips on the railing seemed to touch but not quite. His heart fluttered.

He felt her scent in the breeze, and it came to him as a great thrill.

Just being next to her made his heart race, as if he had become a teenage boy.

He was feeling this curious emotion when she said.

“And another thing worth seeing is…”

Jeong Da-hye’s hand touched Yoo-hyun’s fingertip.

Thump.

She turned her head, and their eyes met.

She blushed as she faced Yoo-hyun’s gaze, as if she felt the same way.

She coughed awkwardly and showed him her phone.

“Ahem. Do you want to take a picture? You like taking pictures, Yoo-hyun.”

“Sure.”

“Just a second. Stay there.”

She stopped Yoo-hyun and went to ask someone for a favor.

The person who took her phone got ready to take a picture, and Jeong Da-hye came next to Yoo-hyun and suggested.

“Remember the finger heart you showed me before? Let’s do that.”

“Did you think of a photo pose too?”

“Just do it.”

Squeeze.

Jeong Da-hye wrapped her arm around Yoo-hyun with the hand holding the bouquet.

Then she made a heart with her other hand.

Yoo-hyun also made a heart with his index and thumb.

Snap.

The two hearts on both sides of the bouquet captured their feelings in the photo.

The next place they went was a steakhouse near the Golden Gate Bridge.

It was a place that Jeong Da-hye had reserved herself, and it felt like it suited Yoo-hyun’s taste, who loved meat.

Yoo-hyun sat down and pretended not to know.

“Don’t you like seafood, Da-hye?”

“I like steak too. This place has a great T-bone that you’ll love. Have this one.”

“How did you know I like that?”

“I heard it before. I’ll order the sides too.”

“Okay. Please do.”

“Alright. Excuse me, we’re ready to order.”

Jeong Da-hye raised her hand excitedly and called a waiter.

“First, the steak is…”

Yoo-hyun smiled as he watched her recite a long menu in rhythm.

She finished ordering, from the steak to the dessert, and asked him with a sheepish expression.

“Did I talk too fast?”

“No. I was wondering why you brought the flowers.”

Yoo-hyun pointed to the bouquet on the corner of the table, and she whispered.

“I wanted to show off.”

“Oh.”

Yoo-hyun blinked at her sudden honesty.

Did she have this side to her?

He was surprised for a moment, but she smiled bashfully.

He felt his heart skip a beat at her smile.

The delicious food and the non-alcoholic cocktails made the mood brighter.

Jeong Da-hye kept smiling and reminisced about their memories.

They hadn’t been together for long, but they had shared a lot of experiences.

She took a bite of the cake that came out as a dessert and waved her hand.

“Do you remember fishing at Yeontae-ri? You were amazing back then.”

“People might think you’re a fisherman if they hear you.”

“I caught one fish, that counts. I thought I would never catch a fish in my life.”

Yoo-hyun recalled how Jeong Da-hye screamed at the sight of a worm back then.

He smiled at her innocent look.

“You’ll do better next time. Let’s go together.”

“Okay. Oh, there’s something else I want to try. You sent me a picture of it before.”

“Paragliding?”

“Yes. Let’s do that together sometime. It looked really fun.”

“Okay. I’ll prepare it for you.”

The stories of the past naturally led to the future they would share.

They filled the blank space with very trivial things that they called their bucket list.

What they liked, where they wanted to go, what they wanted to do in the future, they shared with each other.

This process of getting to know her better was a great joy for Yoo-hyun.

It was the everyday life that he couldn’t share in the past.

Jeong Da-hye, who had been spitting out stories without a break, checked the time and gasped.

“It’s already this late.”

“Is something wrong?”

“The sun is about to set. Let’s get up.”

She left a mysterious remark and reached out her hand.

Squeeze.

Yoo-hyun grabbed her hand and got up from his seat.

He felt the warmth from her hand.

The place Yoo-hyun headed with Jeong Da-hye was Twin Peaks.

It was a place where two hills of the same height were attached, and from the top, they could see the whole city of San Francisco.

Yoo-hyun sat on a bench and looked at the open view, when Jeong Da-hye handed him a coffee.

“The coffee here is pretty good.”

“Thank you. But how do you know so well?”

“I lived in San Francisco for over a year, you know.”

If living there for a long time meant knowing well, Yoo-hyun, who had done his MBA here, should have known better.

But he was too busy with work to care about his surroundings, and that wasn’t much different from Jeong Da-hye.

Yoo-hyun teased her with a playful expression.

“Did you search it up?”

“Searching is essential for a perfect date.”

She shrugged her shoulders brazenly, and Yoo-hyun chuckled.

He was used to this side of her now, and a matching answer came out naturally.

“Don’t you think it’s perfect because I’m with you, Da-hye?”

“That’s true. Look over there. How is it? Pretty, right?”

“Yes. It’s beautiful.”

Yoo-hyun followed Jeong Da-hye’s fingertip and looked at the sunset over San Francisco.

The red color painted over the dense buildings was very beautiful.

The splendid view, along with the faint coffee aroma, made him feel sentimental.

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