Three
Three
My mood isn't great the moment I open my eyes in the morning.
My body feels unusually sluggish despite getting to sleep on time.
My head feels heavy, not refreshed at all.
I struggle to get up and leave my room, only to see an empty living room.
Turning my gaze to the right from the living room, there's a door leading to the bathroom from the entrance, and another door connected to the room closest to the bathroom.
It was originally my hobby room, but now it's the room where Seo Se-na stays.
'She's sleeping today.'
Through the crack in the open door, the bright light coming through the window reveals the interior of her room.
Her back is visible as she lies sprawled out on the floor, having laid out a sleeping mat, with her belly exposed.
The room is filled with her goods—bromides, acrylic stands, and figures of the characters from the game Seo Se-na plays.
Among them, there are many characters I see for the first time, even though I know the game.
Have that many characters been released already?
I feel like there were far fewer when I used to play.
Anyway, peeking into someone else's room isn't great, so let's stop here.
I carefully close her door, take out an Americano I bought beforehand to drink, and start getting ready for work.
"Ah, I don't want to go to work."
That phrase comes out naturally as I get into my car for work.
There are days like that sometimes when you're working at a company.
Days when you really just don't want to go to work from the morning.
No wonder my physical condition was poor from the morning.
It feels like whatever I do today will lead to bad results.
'Should I use a half-day leave in the afternoon?'
I head to work while pondering that.
Sure enough, there were two accidents on the way, so I ended up being about fifteen minutes late.
"Ah, Assistant Manager Lee, you're a bit late?"
"I apologize, Team Leader. There were two accidents, just like the photo I posted in the group chat."
"Well, you usually show up on time, so it happens sometimes. Don't worry too much, just attach the photo and send in the written excuse."
"Yes, Team Leader."
Unlike Jeong Hae-in's team leader, our Information & Computer Management Team leader is like a reliable big brother, so I was glad it went smoothly.
I turn on my computer, write up the excuse letter, and access the groupware to submit it for approval, only to sigh at the unusually large number of security warning notices today.
'Do I have to work overtime today?'
I upload the excuse letter first, access the security equipment, rewrite the IP blocking policies listed in the notices, and write the result reports—how many times have I repeated this?
It's a day where my condition is particularly poor.
Usually, I would have finished before lunchtime, but I make a decision as the work doesn't end even as lunchtime approaches.
I find the annual leave application form in the groupware, write the document stating I will leave at 2 PM today, and submit it for electronic approval, when the Team Leader asks me.
"Jin-man, are you not feeling well?"
"I think I am, a little."
"Understood. I'll process the approval, so leave and get some rest when the time comes."
"Thank you."
However, since security warnings are not something that can be delayed, I remain at my desk while everyone else goes to eat during lunchtime, continuously tapping away at the keyboard.
Just as my neck starts to get stiff and I realize all my colleagues have gone to eat lunch, I hear a voice from behind me.
"What, you're not eating?"
Jeong Hae-in must have already finished her meal, as she's holding a cup of coffee in her hand.
"I'm taking a half-day off today."
"That's that, but you still have to eat."
"What I'm doing now has to be finished before I leave, so I have to do this first."
"That's strange. You're the guy who's perfectly fine with working overtime, so why a half-day today?"
I did overtime because it was necessary, and I hate working overtime too.
But I hate wasting precious annual leave just to rest even more.
I type on the keyboard instead of answering, and Jeong Hae-in, letting her imagination run wild, smiles slyly and says, "Could it be... dating?"
"It's not like that, so stop imagining things on your own."
"Aigoo, how boring. You're going to end up an old bachelor like that."
"Look who's talking. You were the one grabbing people on the way home, cracking open a beer, and complaining about your boyfriend."
"Hey, is having one the same as not having one?" I hear from behind.
Tak-.
With the final Enter key, I finish writing the security measure result report based on the security warning notices that came in today.
"Anyway, you don't have a girlfriend right now, right?"
"If you're going to dig into my heart, could you please go to your own team?"
"Hey, hey, that's why this noona brought a good opportunity for you. Look."
Jeong Hae-in shoves her phone screen right in front of my face.
I looked to see what it was, and it's a photo of some woman smiling and taking a selfie.
"How is it, pretty?"
"What is the intention behind showing me this, human?"
"Ugh, you nerd. What's with 'human', 'human'?"
Does such a pretty person want to see me?
Though, perhaps because I have someone at home right now who could crush anyone with her looks even if she became an idol, I don't feel much of a spark.
I look at Jeong Hae-in with suspicious eyes, and she says, "What," and continues, acting prickly.
"She's a college senior I'm close with and still in contact with, and she saw your photo and said she wanted to meet you once."
"What are you talking about? It's hard enough for me to feed myself alone."
"Aigoo, this eonni is really great, can't you meet her just once?"
A blind date, my foot.
It's hard enough to earn a living alone, and I've even taken in a roommate, so what woman?
We do have one at home right now, but she is...
"Actually, I took responsibility and made an appointment with that eonni so you could meet."
"What about my consent?"
"Aigoo, a man shouldn't kick away an opportunity like this. I don't introduce people carelessly. It's because it's you that I made the promise to that eonni."
"I'm going to become enemies with that eonni soon. Sorry in advance, ya."
"Geez. Just try meeting her once. If it doesn't work out, then it doesn't, so why are you trying to back out already?"
I finish sending the report and stand up.
Fortunately, there are still about 20 minutes left in lunchtime.
If I go down quickly, I can at least fill my stomach with the remaining food.
"So when am I supposed to go out?"
"T-this Saturday at 2 PM, but are you really going to go out?"
My expression turns sour at the fact that I have to fully dress up and go out on my small, precious weekend, so Jeong Hae-in immediately puts her hands together in a groveling posture.
"Should I not go?"
"No no no! No way! As expected of my peer! Our Jin-man is the best! Should this noona give you a hug? Aww, our Jin-man, noona will dote on you. Come here!"
"Ah, go away, you squid. I'm going to go eat."
No wonder I felt uneasy from the morning.
As I leave the office bickering with Jeong Hae-in, and even get stuck with an annoying appointment, a sigh escapes me automatically.
I thought to myself that taking a half-day was a good decision.
*
Time passed like that, and the second weekend with Seo Se-na arrived.
I usually wake up at 7 AM, but I slept in until 10 AM and came out to the living room, only to find Seo Se-na sleeping on the sofa.
'The time...'
A clock is not an object I would normally look for on a weekend morning.
But today, there is a special schedule.
A special, yet annoying, unexpected blind date schedule.
'How should I prepare?'
I don't know how long it's been since I've been set up on a blind date.
Before I know it, I'm sitting in front of the sofa where Seo Se-na is sleeping, looking for a '20s male spring blind date look'.
"Umm, are you up, Jin-man oppa..."
"Did you sleep well?"
"Nooo, I have to sleep more..."
She answers my words with a cute voice even in her sleep, and she gets up, rustling behind me.
She says, "What are you doing-" and sticks close to me, looking at my phone screen on her own, then asks me with a puzzled look.
"Oppa, are you going on a blind date today?"
"You scared me. It's not good to look at someone else's phone."
"Hihi, I don't usually do that, but your phone has information that I just couldn't pass by."
"......Well, anyway, that's what happened. We're supposed to meet at 2 PM today."
"Wow, daebak. You're a homebody and a gamer, so I didn't think you'd do something like that."
No, Se-na, why are you surprised?
I'm not the type of person to kick away a connection that comes my way, you know?
......Actually, I almost did kick it away.
If it wasn't a blind date arranged by Jeong Hae-in, I would have refused.
"Umm, what should I do?"
I turn away, leaving Seo Se-na, who has suddenly fallen into her own world of imagination.
"Anyway, I have to leave a bit early, so you'll have to eat lunch alone. I'm going to rest in my room for a bit and then get ready to go, so make yourself comfortable-."
"No, where is there time to rest, Jin-man orabeoni?"
Anyway, a promise is a promise, so I'm just about to awkwardly get up from my seat and go rummage through my meager closet.
My body freezes at the small touch grabbing my wrist.
"Oppa, this is your first blind date, right?"
Thud.
My body freezes at the sound that pierces my heart.
"I knew it! Oppa, you're thinking of just wearing a decent-looking suit, going out, and killing time!"
"......Is it written on my face by any chance?"
"It's a woman's intuition! Oppa, if you really do that, you'll end up enemies with the matchmaker!"
I turn to look at the side where my wrist is being held, and Seo Se-na is making a face that is genuinely worried about me.
"I'll help you! Just trust me, oppa! Your closet is a video without even needing to look, so shall we go out and buy some clothes?"
"No, Se-na-ssi. This is..."
"Ah, come on, oppa! Listen to me! This is an opportunity!"
It's not that; I didn't have any intention of taking this seriously in the first place.
I feel sorry for the woman who said she wanted to see me, but I was really just planning on going out for the sake of manners today.
If I were in a situation to meet women, Seo Se-na wouldn't even have been able to enter my house.
I wouldn't have needed someone to split the rent in the first place.
"Haa, this won't do. You'll have to trust my styling skills-. I've learned beauty and makeup, so it should be useful, right? I'm also quite confident in my eye for picking out clothes."
Saying that with messy hair and a dry face, you're really very reliable, Seo Se-na-yang.
Plus, telling me my closet is a video without even looking—I'd appreciate it if you could stop the fact-assault.
I swallow those words, and while Seo Se-na says, "You're coming back anyway, so just wear something rough and go, oppa!", she pushes me toward my room.
I wash up lightly, throw on a thin zip-up hoodie and sweatpants, and come out to the living room, but Seo Se-na hasn't come out yet.
I wait for a moment, and Seo Se-na comes out of her room, having applied basic makeup in that short time and elevating the atmosphere with a bright spring dress.
"You're not the one going on a blind date, are you, Se-na-ssi?"
"Ayy, no way. It's just that women do their best even for a short outing. By the way, oppa, you have plenty of money left, right?"
"Money? Why..."
"You need to buy clothes, cosmetics, and get your hair done, so it's going to cost a lot. Of course, if you do it with me, it's possible to be as economical as possible, so don't feel burdened and let's go!"
We go down to the parking lot, willy-nilly.
I get into the car led by Seo Se-na's hand and start the engine.
It's just a common domestic mid-sized sedan that happens to be a new model, but I release the parking brake while listening to Seo Se-na's words admiring me as a complete expert.