The Unexpected Invitation
I have no idea how I ended up here, caught in this stroke of luck. If I trace it back step by step, it all started the day after that drinking party where I suddenly became the "pet" of those drunken bosses, getting pampered and fussed over. The next day, I received a few text messages from that unsaved number.
"Ugh, what is it this time..."
They’d already teased me enough yesterday; why did they have to keep tormenting me? I was sleep-deprived from getting home late one day, and suffering from a massive hangover the next. Today, I was truly exhausted. I didn't even know how I’d managed to get through the workday, and I’d been dying to just stretch out at home. But then, this text arrived right at the perfect moment to ruin my plans.
Since they were inviting me to a restaurant, I figured they were just trying to repay me with a meal. But honestly, what happened that day was a total fluke, and a single expensive dinner of Korean beef was more than enough compensation. Anything more than that felt like overkill.
"...Fine, I'll go just this once."
Still, it felt rude to refuse. I could have gritted my teeth and ignored it, but the authoritative tone of the text and the fact that the sender was a Rolls-Royce owner kept gnawing at me. Perhaps I’d been in the corporate world long enough that I couldn't help but yield to the authority of someone who was clearly a top-tier predator in society. I started walking.
Thump, thump.
The aimless, tension-free gait I’d had moments ago was completely forgotten. I’d long since pushed aside the conversations from that drinking party, and the jokes about setting me up with someone had vanished beyond the horizon.
"Ah! Over here, over here!"
I flinched! I’d walked into the restaurant without a second thought, but instead of the middle-aged man, she was there.
The woman whose name I didn't even know, yet who haunted my thoughts every night, was sitting at a window seat that was clearly visible the moment I stepped inside. She’d been glancing out the glass door, bored, but the moment she saw me, she waved her arm back and forth to signal her location.
"We meet again, Benefactor. Hehe♡"
That alone was a perfect picture. Just by waving her arm slightly, she was a total femme fatale, capturing the eyes of every man sitting in the sparsely populated restaurant.
".........Hic!"
My diaphragm gave a violent jolt. A hiccup escaped me, and my shoulders hunched instinctively.
Her outfit today was a floral dress that left little to the imagination around the chest. I’d caught a glimpse of her pristine white heels as I walked over, and her makeup was applied with just the right amount of elegance.
"Hehe♡"
"..."
And that suggestive smile that could drive a man insane. The only saving grace was that she wasn't wearing those tights that had left such a strong impression before. Logically, she wouldn't wear that every day, and it seemed she’d dressed to match the atmosphere of this high-end restaurant. ...No, actually, at this point, the outfit didn't matter at all.
"Hello♡ Let me introduce myself properly. My name is Joo Yeoeun, and I run a small Pilates studio in Gangnam."
Hearing her name for the first time today—it was a beautiful name that felt like a waft of floral scent. Joo Yeoeun. The moment I heard it, I couldn't help but think it matched her face perfectly. It quenched the thirst I’d had while obsessing over "that woman" in my imagination every day. Now that I knew her name, one knot in my chest had been untied, but—
".........Wait."
At the same time, I sensed something eerie and replayed her introduction in my head. 'She runs a Pilates studio in Gangnam?'
A move that took my breath away from the start. The sheer weight of the word "Gangnam," and that short sentence, revealed the impossible gap between us, as clear as her appearance suggested. But then again, it made sense. Her father was a chairman who drove around in a Rolls-Royce; would he really give his beloved daughter nothing? 'I see, she really is a rich girl...!'
If I had a daughter or a younger sister like her, I would have given her everything I had. Of course she’d been raised like a princess, showered with love like a sponge. That was it. As the way of the world goes, she was a flower on a cliff that I had to crane my neck just to look at.
"And you?"
"......! Y-yes!?"
"I introduced myself first, so what is your name?"
"Ah, a-ah!"
I bowed my head, realizing I’d been rude. I’d been so conscious of her that I’d forgotten my manners. "Ah! I-I am—"
I opened my mouth in a hurry, then hesitated, closing it again. I felt a sense of inferiority. Compared to Yeoeun sitting in front of me, my resume felt pathetic, but—
"I... I'm just an ordinary office worker named Son Seungwoo!"
I gave her my short, honest resume. A plain introduction with all the MSG stripped away.
"Oh~ so you're an office worker."
If my instincts were right, Yeoeun’s expression at my mundane job title wasn't one of disappointment or expectation. It was just a calm, neutral acceptance.
"Did you come straight from work? Oh, you must be tired."
"W-well..."
Unlike me, she didn't seem to think much of it. After our brief introductions, we both took a sip of the ice water that had been served.
"My dad suddenly called me out, but I didn't know it was going to be a setup with his benefactor."
"A-actually, I didn't know either! It was so sudden."
"Oh~ you were the same? We have something in common now, hehe."
When she said that, I made a big fuss, agreeing with her. '...Wait, didn't she welcome me like she knew what was happening when I arrived?' A nagging feeling of inconsistency hit me a beat too late. Something about her words didn't add up—
Clap!
As I was sensing the contradiction, Yeoeun suddenly clapped her hands, raising the tension.
"Anyway, it worked out! I’ve been curious about you ever since that day."
"Yes?"
She leaned in. She lowered her voice as if we were sharing a secret. The loose neckline of her dress dipped slightly, revealing the cleavage between her breasts, and she whispered—
'I wanted to know more about you, Seungwoo♡'
Thump, thump, thump!
A drum was beating in my heart. I was completely subdued by those few words. It felt as if Yeoeun had grabbed my heart in her hands. Even though she was sitting across from me, I had the illusion that she was behind me, pressing down on my heart with a back hug.
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
My throat was parched. I gripped my knees to keep from losing my mind.
"W-what were you curious about?"
"Hmm~ well, you’re my dad’s benefactor, so I was grateful, and you left so quickly that I didn't have a chance to ask."
"Oh... was there something you wanted to tell me? I was in such a rush to catch a taxi back then—"
Hehe♥
She just smiled at my flustered state. A mocking smile, as if she’d hooked her bait perfectly. She leaned forward once more. This time, she lowered her voice even further so no one else could hear, whispering only to me in a soft, sultry tone:
'When we met in the emergency room, you were staring at my body the whole time, weren't you?'
"......!"
My head turned away on its own. I realized my face had turned bright red and tried to escape by looking away. 'S-s-she saw it all!'
Apparently, she had seen everything. I hadn't realized it myself, but she must have noticed my blatant gaze.
"Um... hey! That was—"
"You were looking so blatantly. Especially at my tank top and my hips."
"......"
"You were looking at me like you wanted to lick me... Oh! Your face is red♡"
She pointed at my face as if to confirm the kill. Yeoeun had me in the palm of her hand, playing with me. I’d been prepared to be dragged to the police station for sexual harassment, but she didn't seem to feel that my behavior was sexually offensive. She wasn't using it as leverage like in those ominous rumors on the internet.
"You're cute, Seungwoo♡"
Instead, she acted as if it were only natural. As if to say, 'Any man in front of me should naturally be like that,' she pushed up the corners of her mouth, which had a mole underneath, and smiled seductively. She even seemed strangely happy, as if using this to confirm her own charm.
"If you were that interested in my body, you should have at least asked for my number."
"No, how could I...!"
Cough!
"Would I do something so lewd in the emergency room... It’s a place where life and death are at stake."
"Hmm~ is that so? Other men even hit on me at my grandfather's funeral."
".........That’s incredible."
Coming from her, it didn't sound like a joke. I, who hadn't prepared for this situation at all, just sat there sweating through my suit, nodding along.
'Sigh... it’s all just an excuse anyway.'
I never had the courage to ask for a woman's number in the first place. I’d used the location as an excuse, but I’d never done anything so testosterone-fueled in my life. I’d never dared to dream beyond my station.
'Really, this is too sudden, Mr. Joo!'
I resented Mr. Young-cheol for setting up this meeting without my consent. The more I dealt with Yeoeun, the more my mind went blank. I resented him for throwing me into a war without even giving me a helmet, let alone a gun.
"Ah! You just looked at my chest again, didn't you?"
But even that was a cowardly excuse if I turned back the clock.
"W-what!? No, I didn't!"
"Aww, you did!"
"......"
"Hehe, you're like a high school boy seeing a woman for the first time. You're really cute, Seungwoo♡"
Knowing that, there was no way I could have prepared a defense against this tactical nuke. If I’d been told it was an impromptu date with Yeoeun, I might have been too scared to even show up. The date continued.
"What are your hobbies, Seungwoo? Peeping?"
She pushed me playfully, completely seizing control of the date. I was busy being swept away by her, unable to mount a single counterattack. 'Uh... what did I say? What were we talking about?'
Maybe that was why I got completely lost in the middle. I probably didn't do anything to win her favor after that. As we talked, I started to show signs of delirium—I couldn't even remember what course dishes had been served at this expensive restaurant, or even what I’d just said. I was just a child who’d lost his parents and had his mind go blank. From then on, it was just a series of clumsy, stumbling mistakes, like tripping down a hill.
I was so stiff that I only gave robotic answers, and I couldn't keep up with her lead as she skillfully steered the conversation.
"Hmm... Seungwoo, you don't talk much."
"W-well, that's..."
It was a failure to summarize. If she decided I was just a boring, worthless man and dumped me right here, I wouldn't have a single argument to make.
"Sigh..."
About an hour into the date. Scrape! Yeoeun pushed her chair back and stood up. Even to someone like me who had no experience with dates, the way she cleaned up with a napkin and stood up without a hint of regret looked like a death sentence.
"......"
But I didn't raise any objections to her judgment. I’d already stiffened up, bowing my head in resignation, waiting for the judge’s verdict. I felt incredibly guilty for not being able to make her have a good time. As I sat there, Yeoeun picked up her bag and added just one thing.
"Seungwoo."
".........Yes."
She smiled brightly.♥
"Let's go get a drink together♡"