9
Whale
Orange County
You told me to sell. But you were wrong. I could’ve made more,” Danbi said. “I should’ve stuck to my instincts. You owe me. Pay up.”
George didn’t say anything. He stroked her hair, wanting to calm her. She was bringing up the Magnolia Street house again.
“I’m still upset with you. I listened to you even though I felt that if I waited, I would’ve made more. The buyer flipped it two months later. I could’ve made that $200,000, which would really help me right now.”
Squaring her shoulders, Danbi pushed out her chest and pouted as she watched him unbutton the front of her white dress. He let her keep talking. She leaned closer to him and blew lightly into his ear. He pushed her away gently, then bent down to remove her underwear. He stood up to face her.
Her front exposed, Danbi placed her arms around George’s neck, and he lifted her up and backed her into the wall.
“Did you talk to the developer at Bear Creek?” she asked, licking his earlobe. “Can you get me that model house for 2.5? Vice-Chairman Han said he’d buy it for 3.5. He’s coming to the States next month.”
George closed his eyes and rocked against her, and Danbi swore at him quietly, telling him to hurry, to make her come, which excited him more. As he moved faster, Danbi jerked away and smiled.
He grabbed her hand, but she freed herself and laughed like a young girl, knowing that he liked her teasing.
In front of the curtained hotel window, Danbi slid out of her dress, then her blush-colored brassiere. She got on her knees and put her hands on his hips. Danbi looked up at him, wide-eyed, mouth parted slightly.
“Tell me. Did you talk to the man at Bear Creek? I have a million from the lender, and I have $450,000 for this deal. You said you can get me the rest. I’ll pay you back the day after the closing.”
Danbi started working on him, and as he grew more excited, she pulled away, then moved toward the bed, where she’d left her black leather pumps.
She slipped on her shoes and stood at the foot of the bed, her hands covering her breasts.
George liked it when she broke up the lovemaking into segments, forcing him to follow her lead.
“Where am I going to get $1,050,000?” George asked, smiling.
“From the building fund. No one will notice. You’re in charge.”
“$1.05 million is different than $100,000,” George said.
Twice, as the head of the Real Estate and Building Committee at Gospel Presbyterian Church, George had taken money out for Danbi’s acquisitions, then returned the funds.
Ever careful, he’d adjusted the records and prepared invoices just in case.
The disbursements and repayments were not questioned.
There was no money missing from the building fund, which held $6.
7 million for the land purchase and construction of the new learning center.
No one bothered to review the trail of funds.
“We’ll return it right away,” she said, bending over the bed and looking at him over her shoulder. “It’s a bridge loan. I’ll tithe just like last time. I promise. I promise.”
George stood behind her, placing his hands on her rear end.
“The church will make ten percent,” she said.
“It’s too big a risk, Danbi. I know you can do this later—”
“I listened to you about Magnolia Street. You owe me this money,” she said, kissing him lightly on the mouth. “How will I ever make enough to leave him if you don’t help me with this one? This is the whale I want to catch. Vice-Chairman Han swore he’d buy it for 3.5.”
Danbi knelt before him, but George hoisted her up and turned her around so he could finish.
Bear Creek was the latest premier development in Irvine.
The lots were often less than half an acre, but the gorgeous houses were enormous, often seven to ten thousand square feet, with every possible amenity.
Already wealthy buyers from Seoul, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taipei had expressed interest, and though things were slowing down in the region for the less expensive homes, foreign buyers shored up the luxury developments.
Huey Carlin, the developer, had promised one unit to George at $2.5 million. Carlin owed George a favor for an important easement, and selling a place to George at the inside price was like making a deposit of goodwill.
George had kept the Bear Creek unit for Danbi. He could have used it for his company, but he knew it would make her happy if she could flip her first whale.
Less than two months later, on a sunny afternoon in Irvine, Bonhwa Han, the vice-chairman of HRG, showed up to the model house at Bear Creek as he had promised.
Educated in Seoul with a brief stint in Boston for business school, Han was one of the eleven grandchildren of the founder of HRG.
As he approached early retirement, he was looking forward to spending more time in Southern California, where his sons were in school.
They were interested in living in Irvine, and his wife thought it made sense to buy another house there.
Han knew Danbi from HRG. After the IMF Crisis, Danbi had boldly approached him in his office for advice about investments, and several times, they had met in hotel rooms. He had taken her out on a boat ride and to secluded parks on dates.
He liked the smart girl more than hostesses, because she was adventurous.
Later, she introduced him to another girl, then disappeared, saying something about family matters.
Han had been surprised to learn that Danbi had moved to California with Taehun Shin, a former director of HRI.
Recently, when she reached out to him by email to get advice on interest rates and currency exchange, he’d mentioned wanting to move to California.
“My sons go to UC Irvine,” he’d said, and she didn’t tell him that she knew this already from her cousin’s wife, Bina, who followed news about Vice-Chairman Han’s wife’s family.
Danbi knew that the older son had a Cyworld account, and the younger boy was on MySpace. “I could use a house in Orange County.”
Danbi told him that she’d just bought a perfect place for herself but would be happy to sell it to him since she wasn’t in a rush to move in, then sent him photographs of the Bear Creek property. Quickly they agreed on a price and set a date for a reunion.
When he rang the doorbell of the model house, Danbi let him in.
“It’s been a while,” he said to Danbi. “You look very beautiful.”
Danbi smiled. She wore a new salmon-colored suit for the occasion. Once, when they’d made love in a men’s bathroom stall, she’d worn a similar-colored bra and panty set beneath her clothes, and he had remarked how much he liked that color. His wife wore only white undergarments.
“How long has it been? Since—”
She laughed, covering her mouth with her left hand with its large diamond engagement ring. She didn’t tell him how long it had been, not wanting to date herself, but they both knew it had been almost a decade.
“I was surprised when you said you wanted to buy a house here,” Danbi said, though she had predicted as much with astonishing accuracy and had reached out to him knowing that he would have ready cash for such a property.
“It’s so perfect that I had to buy it, and I would have kept it for myself, but if you get it, then we’ll still be neighbors,” she said. “I think I should remain in my house a little longer.”
“Where do you live?”
“Woodbridge. It’s also Irvine, a little north of here.”
Han put his hand lightly on her jacket sleeve. He could feel her thin bones beneath the silk tweed fabric.
“I had no idea that you were becoming such a big shot,” he said, admiring her diamond ring and gold watch. “I’m glad our reunion worked out today.”
“Five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and two half baths,” she said, her voice echoing in the unfurnished house.
The vice-chairman walked around the living room, his hands behind his back, admiring the pale wood flooring.
“I know you didn’t want to close today, but I called the lawyer, and because it’s a cash deal, we can do it as early as tomorrow if your schedule allows. I know how busy you are.”
Han said nothing and continued to appraise the house, which was just like the photographs Danbi had sent. In many ways, it seemed larger and more spacious. They both wore their shoes, and he felt like removing them, so he did.
Danbi gasped lightly and touched her breastbone, and he looked at her hand.
“I don’t know if it’s clean. I mean, it’s clean, of course, but there might be dust.”
Han wore black dress socks. He shrugged like he didn’t care.
“I haven’t had a chance to get it mopped. Of course, when you and your family want to move in, I can certainly arrange all that for you. Find you someone to—”
He ignored her and opened every door on the first floor, then opened the door, painted a cobalt blue, near the kitchen.
Below two shallow steps was a white-tiled laundry room with two sets of washing machines and dryers.
Before he arrived, Danbi had turned on the lights in every room and sprayed lavender scent in the bathrooms. Han peered into the laundry room and spacious butler’s pantry but didn’t go in.
“$3.5 million,” he said. “It’s a lot.”
“It’s a very good price. Everyone wants this development. The best people will be buying here,” she said.
Han approached the central staircase and climbed the steps. He checked the bedrooms closest to the upstairs landing, then went to the largest, which had a stunning view of the mountains.
Danbi stood by the door as Han gazed at the mountains. George had said that they had to close this week and return the money to the church. No one suspected anything, but he didn’t like this delay. She’d promised to pay any missing interest and tithe from the profits.
“You can’t fuck him,” he’d said, and she’d said there was nothing like that in her relationship with the vice-chairman. George said he trusted no man with her, and she’d kept a straight face.