AAE -- Wishes Of The Heart
Chapter 92
written by LoveCR2 -- 2005
edited by All-About-AAE -- 2017
"When something is one-of-a-kind, it's priceless. Just like you are priceless to me, Sun-Mi." -- Min-Cho Atwater
TATE MODERN MUSEUM, BANKSIDE, LONDON...
"What do you think of the event? Besides the exhibit, that is..."
Min-Cho asks the question as he steps off the lift with Sun-Mi at the seventh floor, on the upper level of the glassed, two-story penthouse constructed atop the former Bankside Power Plant.
"It's quite the spectacle," she replies with an amused air. "I've wondered how it felt to be on the red carpet, with the crowds and all the cameras flashing. I never expected to be walking one myself, like I was a real celebrity."
"But you are a real celebrity," he commends her, "They weren't taking pictures because I'm wearing a tuxedo."
"Don't joke," she dismisses his claim modestly, "People only noticed because of these..." she touches her sparkling diamond necklace, that with her bracelet and earrings, were in the package he'd sent to the apartment in advance for her.
"Diamonds but enhance a woman's beauty, they don't create it," he compliments her with an appreciative eye.
"Still, amid all the pomp and glitterati, I feel like I'm playing Cinderella at the royal ball," she reflects on the evening.
"Then that would make me Prince Charming, right?" he jests, putting his hand up to his hair. "Strange, I seem to have forgotten my crown somewhere..."
"Sun-Mi chuckles at the joke, and then slips her hand into the crook of his elbow and tilts her head thoughtfully as she remarks, "When I�m dressed like this, do I really look like a celebrity?"
Min-Cho notices her coy expression. "Sun-Mi, something's different about you tonight. What is it?"
She smiles back beguilingly, as they turn a corner and come to a long, glass-walled corridor overlooking a sweeping panorama of the Thames, from Millennium Bridge to Blackfriars Road, with Saint Paul's Cathedral highlighted in the distance.
"We're here," he announces.
"Wow!! It's fantastic!" Sun-Mi exclaims brightly. She drops his arm and rushes ahead impatiently to the windows for a closer look, the spindly heels of her dress sandals clattering on the dark hardwood floor.
But when Min-Cho catches up to her, she asks, "When you suggested going up to check out the view, I didn't think we'd have our own private gallery. Where is everyone, anyway?"
He shrugs to convey his ignorance and observes, "Actually, I'm glad for a few minutes of peace and quiet away from the crowd. These affairs are incredibly stuffy, so I need a breath of fresh air."
"If you don't like it, why bother to attend?" she questions his reason for compelling her presence, given his own attitude. "I certainly didn't have to be here."
"But I'm delighted you are," he offers his appreciation. "Being a patron of the arts has its obligations; people have expectations," he explains. "Pleasant company makes the situation tolerable."
"It's getting late... Shouldn't we go back to the party?" she suggests.
"Before we do that, there's a special exhibit up here that you don't want to miss," he advises, indicating the closed double-doors at the end of the corridor, under a sign identifying it as the 'East Room'.
"Then let's go and take a look!" she replies eagerly, her curiosity piqued.
A few moments later, when Min-Cho opens the door, they see the East Room is dark and deserted, the only light from the cityscape spilling in through glass walls on three sides. But with their arrival, an automatic motion sensor illuminates rows of white frosted globes on the ceiling, spreading an even, warm ambiance throughout the space.
"Are you sure about the exhibit?" Sun-Mi questions his information as they step inside, "there's nothing here..."
Except for a grouping of white upholstered couches and chairs are centered around a low table at the far end, and a fully stocked bar along the inside wall, the eight-by-seventeen-meter room is empty but for three white, counter-height square plinths in the center.
Min-Cho leads their way to the bar, where Sun-Mi sees an ice bucket chilling a bottle of champagne, and instantly deduces that the 'exhibit' was only a ruse...
"What are we celebrating, and why keep it a secret?" she asks suspiciously, his promise to propose upon his return in her mind.
He takes the champagne bottle from the bucket and pops the cork, then fills the two tall crystal flutes positioned next to the bucket.
He grins, handing one flute to her. "Don't you like surprises?"
"Surprises I like, especially when they come with champagne," Sun-Mi asserts with a giggle, taking the offered flute, her eyes sparkling like her diamonds as she anticipates the sensation of the fizzy bubbles tickling her nose...
"Didn't you say on the phone that you had something great to tell me?" he reminds her.
"Oh, yes... with all the rush, I forgot," she says excitedly, setting her reservations of a proposal aside for the moment. "I just got the opportunity I've been waiting for... a transfer to the New York office, and a chance to make Lead Correspondent!"
"Congratulations! That's great," Min-Cho enthuses. "A toast?"
Sun-Mi nods and raises her glass cheerfully to touch his...
"Here's to Special Correspondent Jin Sun-Mi, may she scoop the biggest story New York has ever seen," he presages her success.
They sip champagne together, as Sun-Mi wonders what other surprises Min-Cho might have prepared for her.
"Now, about that exhibit," he returns to their original reason for coming there. Taking Sun-Mi's empty champagne flute and placing it with his on the bar, he directs her over to the plinths. "Look at this..."
A spotlight highlights the leftmost plinth, as a hidden door in the top silently slides open. Then a stand rises from inside the plinth and begins slowly rotating, displaying a gigantic, sparkling blue diamond.
"Ohmigod, it's... I've never seen a diamond so beautiful..." Sun-Mi gasps with astonishment.
"It's a Fancy Vivid Blue from my South African mines. At 56 carats, it's the largest certified one of its kind in the world," he boasts.
"What's a diamond like this worth? Millions, right?" she speculates, entranced by the brilliant twinkles of light reflecting off the facets.
"When something is one of a kind, it's priceless," he explains, then adds warmly, "Just like you are priceless to me, Sun-Mi..."
Before she can articulate an answer to that, another spotlight comes on over the center plinth and the top opens, but this time it displays a sparkling crystal vase filled with long stem red roses.
Min-Cho plucks one stem from the vase and turns toward Sun-Mi. "For my lady in red," he presents the rose to her. "May I have this dance?"
Soft music begins playing, which Sun-Mi recognizes as 'The Lady in Red' sung by Chris De Burgh...
... I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight...
Uncertain, she frets, "But I don't dance well, I never learned more than a few steps..."
... I've never seen you shine so bright...
"Then this your first official lesson," he states.
Taking her right hand in his left, he places his free hand on the small of her back, holding Sun-Mi in formal ballroom position.
... I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance...
"I don't know; I can be so clumsy when I'm nervous about doing it right," she still hesitates.
... They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance...
"No need to worry. Dancing is as natural as walking, when you're with the right person," he encourages her to try.
... And I have never seen that dress you're wearing...
As they take the first step, Sun-Mi, mindful of her heels, glances down to see that she doesn't tread on his toes.
... Or the highlights in your hair that catch your eyes...
... I have been blind...
Min-Cho stops to insist, "Just look at me and follow my lead, and you'll be all right..."
Sun-Mi looks up, into piercing eyes that command her without another word. Moving slowly at first, with his subtle guiding touch she gains confidence, and soon slips into the feeling of the music, gliding and twirling across the floor, as if floating on air...
... The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek...
... There's nobody here, it's just you and me...
... It's where I want to be...
... But I hardly know this beauty by my side...
... I'll never forget the way you look tonight...
... I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight...
... I've never seen you shine so bright, you were amazing...
... I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side...
... And when you turned to me and smiled, it took my breath away...
... And I have never had such a feeling...
... Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight...
... The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek...
... There's nobody here, it's just you and me...
... It's where I want to be...
... But I hardly know this beauty by my side...
... I'll never forget the way you look tonight...
... I never will forget the way you look tonight...
... The lady in red, the lady in red, the lady in red...
... My lady in red...
... I love you...
As the music dies away, Min-Cho pulls Sun-Mi closer, resting her cheek against his strong, broad shoulder while she returns to solid ground...
Still giddy from the experience, she marvels, "That was remarkable! ... I didn't know dancing could be like this."
"As I said, it's all about being with the right person," he reminds her, gazing on Sun-Mi lovingly.
Suspecting his intentions, she speaks up first, "Min-Cho, there is something I have to tell you..."
But first a third spotlight draws her attention, illuminating the last plinth as the top glides open and a stand rises, displaying a ring with a large, pale blue diamond amidst a circle of smaller, colorless diamonds in a white gold setting. Staring at the ring, aware of what it signifies, Sun-Mi is unable to breathe, the remaining words caught in her throat...
"I promised a diamond engraved with your name, like you are engraved on my heart," he says sincerely, taking her left hand, holding the ring poised to place onto her finger as he makes his proposal...
"There's a famous parable about a wealthy merchant who found one special pearl of great value. Desiring it above all else, the man sold everything he had for that pearl... Like that man, I've found the priceless pearl of my life... To be with you, even if just for one day, would make me the happiest man alive," Min-Cho professes, "But my hope is to share a lifetime with you. I promise everything I am and have... I love you, Sun-Mi... Will you marry me?"
So certain she knew the answer to that question, Sun-Mi is unprepared for the deep emotions his heartfelt confession evokes... feelings that to be true to herself, she must consider...
In the silence that follows, as Min-Cho waits for her answer, Big Ben chimes quietly, muffled by distance, and then the great bell begins striking the midnight hour...
Bong...
Bong...
Bong...
Bong ...
Sun-Mi unconsciously counts off the peals as they sound, transfixed as if in a dream...
... Cinderella at the royal ball, knowing that at the final stroke the magic ends ...
She looks up at Min-Cho's hopeful face, then again at the sparkling ring... pondering her dreams... her future... her decision...