Schedule Overload (9)
“...I miss Jin Haesol.”
A sudden burst of honest longing. Ahyun pulled a pouty face, letting out a little “Hiiing~”.
He'd surprised her with a visit last week, and they'd spent a steamy night together before he left. If anything, that had only made her miss him more. His scent, the firmness of his muscles, the secure warmth of his tight embrace. She craved it all, over and over.
But contrary to those feelings, she'd been composing like a madwoman lately. Her longing for Haesol was fueling her inspiration for the music.
She was thrilled at how easily the songs were coming together, but knowing it stemmed from missing him left her with complicated emotions she couldn't just brush off happily.
Ahyun sighed over her yearning, cracked open a can of beer, and started sipping it slowly.
“Hehe, this is good.”
She'd never been one for alcohol before, but now she was starting to get the appeal. She had plans with a friend tomorrow, so she resolved to stick to just one can before bed.
Nights without Haesol felt unbearably lonely. That was how she drowned out the solitude of the dark evening with booze.
The next day.
Ahyun headed to the meeting spot with her friend, only to find a strange guy waiting instead.
“You're Lee Ahyun, right?”
“Huh? Yeah, that's me. Who are you?”
“I'm Jeong Sejin. We were supposed to have a blind date today.”
“...Huh? Blind date? No, not me.”
“Why don't you check with your friend? I came out because I heard it was a blind date.”
The guy was ridiculously tall and handsome. Tanned skin on a sturdy build, with subtly sexy features—the kind of ideal type women went crazy for these days.
But unfortunately for him, it didn't click with Ahyun at all. How could it, when she had the perfect Jin Haesol? No other man stood a chance. Haesol transcended ideals; he was on another level.
“Hold on a sec. I need to talk to my friend first.”
Ahyun dashed into the bathroom and called her friend.
“Hey!! What the hell did you do?!”
“Ahaha! You met him? What do you think? He's great, right? You've been so lonely lately. What are friends for? I went out on a limb to set this up, so give it a shot. He said he's been lonely too and wanted to meet someone.”
“Are you insane?”
Ahyun was so flabbergasted she could barely speak. Sure, it was partly her fault for not telling her friend about dating Haesol outright, but springing a one-sided blind date like this wasn't cool either.
“I don't like him. Call him right now and tell him to leave.”
“What? You don't like him? Come on, why are your standards so high? He's in the law department at Jungyeon University. And you saw his face, right? Top-tier! I only set this up because it's you.”
Ahyun slapped her forehead with her palm at her friend's words. She got the good intentions behind the setup, but his supposedly “impressive” looks did nothing for her.
Besides, her heart was already stuffed full with Jin Haesol—there was no room for anyone else to squeeze in.
“Jungyeon University or Samsong University, who cares? I'm good. Tell him to leave already.”
“You're already here—might as well grab a meal. If you don't like him romantically, just be friends.”
Her friend, not wanting to hear complaints, kept pushing her to give it a try. But Ahyun got serious and laid it out more firmly.
“Do you want to end our friendship?”
“!!”
“I'm really disappointed in you right now. You say it's for my sake, but it's not. That's your delusion. Don't force me. I said no, clearly. You made this mess, so you fix it. You're just shoving the dirty work on me because you don't want to deal with it. Forcing me into something I hate—how is that 'for my sake'?”
Calling it “for her sake” and then rejecting the gesture felt like being forced into a sacrifice. It was absurd and disappointing.
“What now?”
“Okay. Sorry. I didn't think you'd hate it. I'll apologize to you... and to Sejin too.”
“Good. I'll hold you to that.”
Ahyun hung up and let out a long sigh.
“Now my day's all messed up.”
She'd been looking forward to venting stress with girl talk, but everything was ruined.
She pulled out her phone again, scrolling for someone else to hang out with. Then a certain name popped into her head, and she shook it off.
“Am I crazy? What would I even do with that woman?”
Rose the trainer. She'd quit the company to open her own academy. By all rights, their connection should have ended ages ago, but it lingered because they shared the same man they loved.
'It's nice being able to talk freely about Haesol with her.'
Plus, their jobs were similar, so they had plenty of relatable stories to bond over.
“Should I ask her to meet?”
She was probably too busy to say yes anyway. Half-doubting, Ahyun gave in to impulse and sent the message.
Surprisingly, the reply came lightning-fast.
Ahyun had no clue what Matranga was and frustratingly had to Google it—turns out it was some pricey liquor.
An 8-million-won bottle of top-shelf stuff? Worth trekking to her place for.
She made the new plans, exited the bathroom, and headed out—only to find the blind date guy still waiting for her.
Startled, Ahyun froze as he planted himself in front of her.
“You're late.”
“...Why haven't you left? Didn't you hear?”
“I heard. You dumped me.”
Ahyun eyed him oddly. He'd heard and still stuck around?
'Hurt pride, huh? Waiting to chew me out?'
But it wasn't her fault. Her friend was the one who'd set up a date without asking.
“So?”
“Ha, I've never been treated like this before. What a novel experience.”
“This wasn't what I wanted. If I'd known it was a blind date, I wouldn't have come. Sorry for wasting your time.”
“You don't like me?”
She knew tall, handsome guys like him had women lining up. But Ahyun had zero interest—not even a speck.
As long as Jin Haesol existed, other men were just “people” to her. No spark whatsoever.
“Sorry, but... yeah... pretty much.”
“Whoa, getting rejected to my face like this for the first time... Shocking.”
“......”
“I'm hurt.”
His aegyo hit. “Kyaa~! So cute! Come to sis! Sis'll take good care of you!” Other women in the cafe squealed.
People had been watching their weird standoff from the start. Women rejecting men was rare enough, so his aegyo sent ripples through the crowd.
Ahyun, the target, just felt awkward.
'If you didn't want the shock, why not just leave?'
She shot him a timid glare.
She wanted to spill her real thoughts and kick him out, but her shy nature held her back.
“Sorry if I hurt you. I'm kinda busy. Gotta go. Bye.”
She bowed politely and tried to leave.
Whoosh—Sejin blocked the door.
“Wait, wait! I know it's bullshit, so drop the busy act and talk. We met for a reason—it's fate.”
“I have plans, I said.”
“Psh~ You don't.”
“No idea why you're so sure. I'm busy. Move.”
“You came out to hang with a friend, but it turned into a blind date with me. Plans canceled—no way new ones popped up suddenly.”
Sejin smirked smugly, dimples flashing. Women lost it over those, and the cafe buzzed louder with excited whispers.
Whisper whisper—
Is that girl nuts?
Damn, I'm jealous as hell.
Does that style even work these days?
Ain't I prettier?
Bullshit. Should I shoot my shot? She looks lonely.
Snooping and gossiping was annoying, but the real issue was Sejin feeding off it, getting bolder and refusing to back off.
“I knew it was a blind date and made other plans right away. Not lying—it's real.”
“Hey! That's too much. I got all hyped thinking it was a date. Least we could do is grab a meal? Your friend set this up—she's gotta own it.”
“That's on her, not me. I had no clue coming here. I'm a victim too. You can't make victims take responsibility. I'm leaving.”
She tried to pass again—blocked once more.
Ahyun's voice rose a notch.
“...Hey! I said stop!!”
“You're dissing your friend's good intentions too hard.”
“That's between me and her—not your business. Don't block the door.”
“Ehehe!”
Sejin blocked her again with that sleazy grin. This crossed the line.
They say endure three times to avoid murder, but Ahyun decided not to hit four.
Eyes sharpening, she unleashed her pent-up frustration.
“Argh, seriously!! You're so pathetic and clingy! I held back three times, but since you won't quit, screw politeness—here's the facts. You're ugly. Your style's tacky, hair's a mess. Can you even see out that one eye? Why the bangs? And your voice? Not my type at all. Tastes like bad food! So please, move already? I'm worried about being late because of you!!!”
“......”
“......”
Silence!
Shocked, Sejin stood frozen, mouth agape.
Ahyun strode past, heels clicking, and exited the cafe gracefully.
She had no idea someone had filmed it all and uploaded it online.
How to Coldly Dump a Hunk. Girls, Learn from This. Don't Drool and Turn into a Doormat Over Every Guy!
└ Agreed
└ Too obvious it's staged.
└ But the girl's kinda cute? Possible?
└ No chance in hell.
└ Can't see faces with mosaic, but if she's cute, maybe real?
└??? Real deal??
└ Yeah~ No proof tho, so fake. Video blew up anyway.
The video itself sparked debate over authenticity, rocketing it to “hot topic” status.
The poster, spooked by the attention, deleted and ran—but the clip had already spread far and wide.