9 #2
“Vice-Chairman Han,” she said quietly. “Can you just imagine the sunrises and sunsets? You can have your morning coffee on the terrace outside the bedroom.” Many years ago, he had wanted to do it on a balcony of a five-star hotel, so she did.
Han smiled at her. He had not forgotten the balcony, either.
“Do you have time for dinner?”
“Of course,” she said. “I brought the sales contract since we’ve already agreed on the terms. The lawyer said that we could expedite the closing as early as maybe two and a half weeks. Three tops. That’s when you’ll return from your business in New York?”
“You wore the color I like,” he said. “How clever of you to remember. I haven’t forgotten anything.”
Danbi opened the paper folder to show him the contracts.
“We can get them notarized in town. I know several—” He sat on the window ledge, his arms folded across his chest, not saying a word, and she understood what he wanted.
They were all the same, and she tried to figure out the order of what she would have to do now.
She didn’t want to do it on the terrace.
“What did you want for dinner?” she asked.
“I can make a reservation. There are so many wonderful restaurants near here.”
Han turned to check the view. No one could see them inside the house, but he liked all the large windows.
“You hurt my feelings when you left without saying goodbye. I was under the impression that you introduced me to your friend because you were getting ready to move for your family. I had no idea that you were with that Shin Taehun. Wasn’t he your boss’s boss?
” Han said at last. “And he had a wife and kids in New Jersey. He’s my age. ”
Danbi smiled. This time she said nothing.
“Why did you call me?” he asked. “Did you miss me?”
She nodded.
“Come here. What are you wearing beneath your jacket?” he asked.
She closed the door behind her even though there was no one else in the house, and only she had the keys.
He opened the door to the terrace, and she followed.
He wanted to get sushi, so she took him to Saya’s, and after they ordered, he told her to cut the price.
“I can’t do that,” she said. “I bought it close to 3.5.”
“It’s too much,” he said, drinking his brown tea. When he had the choice, Han didn’t like to drink alcohol. Drinking too much was a weakness, and in general, he loathed drunkenness. “Change the contract. Otherwise I’m not buying it.”
Danbi bit the inside of her lip. He had promised 3.5. The contracts were still in her purse. It was too late in the evening to get them notarized.
“Will you see your sons while you’re here?”
He nodded yes and gestured to the server for more tea.
“Where are you staying?”
“At the Marriott.”
She and George had been there many times. The front desk people knew her by face.
“Can you stay with me tonight?” he asked her.
“I have to go home. I have a daughter.”
Han smiled. “How old?”
“Nine. I should be home now.”
“With Shin Taehun?” he said, sounding a little jealous.
“With my daughter.”
“Did he divorce his wife?”
Danbi shook her head no.
“But the ring.” He gestured at it with his chin. “I thought both of us were married now. Fair game. If I buy the house, then you and I could see each other more often. I come through the West Coast a few times a year, and—”
She laughed.
“You didn’t buy it close to 3.5. You bought at the inside price of 2.5. And Shin Taehun is not divorced. His wife grew up with mine. Do you know the most important part of buying something?”
Han straightened his lacquered chopsticks on their curved metal rest and looked up.
“Due diligence,” he said.
Danbi picked up her teacup and steadied her breathing.
“I want the house. You can sell it to me for 2.95 and still walk away with a generous profit for less than two months’ work, I imagine.
We don’t have brokers, so I’m saving us a fee.
I’m a rich man, but not a stupid one. The house is wonderful, though.
” Han smiled generously, recollecting how breathtaking she’d looked on the terrace, the sun hanging low. Danbi had only improved with age.
Danbi touched her lower lip briefly, then wiped away the wine-colored lipstick from her fingertips with her napkin.
“I’d better go, Vice-Chairman Han.”
“What? The food hasn’t arrived.”
“I thought you were a friend who could keep a promise. This is disappointing.” She picked up her handbag. Danbi couldn’t imagine sitting at the table a second longer.
Now he recalled all her funny games. He was prepared to play them for as long as she wanted, but money, well, that was different.
He had given her money before, and she had mistaken his grace and caprice for ignorance.
Years ago, she had lied to him about why she had to leave him, replacing herself with a substitute; however, he had noted the difference.
While she was seeing him, Danbi had been with another man, and eventually she’d left for America with him.
She had wounded Han because he had cared for her.
His wealthy father had taught him noblesse oblige for those deserving.
Han had always liked giving big handouts to the less fortunate women he bedded.
However, with Danbi, he no longer felt as generous.
No one wants to be made a fool. There were many houses he could buy, and he felt no urgency.
As soon as he saw the prepared contracts, he had known she needed to sell right away.
The rules never changed: Cash was king, and he had plenty of it. Surely he had taught her this when she had come to him for lessons.
Han didn’t stir from his seat.
“Well, I will stay for dinner. I’m hungry. I enjoyed seeing you today,” he said. “I’ll head to New York in two days and return in a few weeks. I’ll call you. Would you like that?”
Danbi walked out of the restaurant. She had played it wrong. If she told George, he would surely tell her to accept Han’s price immediately.
For two and a half weeks, Danbi waited for Han to phone her, but he did not, and when she finally reached him, he apologized because he’d needed to head back to Seoul early for business reasons.
“Next time I come to California, I’ll let you know,” he said, saying nothing about the house.
The next day she phoned him again, and he was in his office in Seoul.
“I’m hearing that prices will fall. I can wait.
I’m in no rush, and you’ll only grow lovelier. ”
Two days after their last call, the elders of the Finance Committee met with the elders of the building committee to discuss the missing amount from the building fund.
The pastors had no choice but to call the police, who arrested George first. The authorities caught up with Danbi at LAX with her passport and $10,000 in cash.