The Blind Date (2)
Her aunt spoke in a louder voice.
“You, do you have a girlfriend?”
“I don’t have a girlfriend.”
“Then meet that teacher. You’ll fall head over heels when you meet her.”
[Will I fall head over heels? Is it not some woman like Hirosue Yoshiko? Such people don’t go into entertainment. There’s no reason for her to be a school teacher.]
“If she’s that good, she must have a boyfriend.”
“No. None. I asked you. So meet her this Saturday. At the coffee shop near Gwangmyeong Station on Line 1.”
Saturday wasn’t a bad time.
Because meeting Bang Mihee at Anyang Resort was on Sunday.
Especially on Saturday, there was a chance she might go golfing with Jeong Chan-young.
Chirok was starting to get angry. In a fit of impulse, he thought he might as well check out the teacher his aunt had mentioned. After all, there was that saying about checking out a woman on the spot!
“Saturday, then…”
Before he could finish, his aunt’s loud voice cut in. Because she’d been running a stall at the market for so long, her voice was particularly booming.
“Stop talking nonsense. Let’s meet on Saturday. It’s late now, but I’ll call that teacher for you.”
With that, his aunt hung up the phone unilaterally.
About ten minutes later, his aunt called again. Her voice was bright when she spoke.
“Done. I set the appointment. We’re meeting at the coffee shop near Gwangmyeong Station this Saturday.”
“Eh? Gwangmyeong Station?”
“One o’clock at the Comma Lounge coffee shop near Gwangmyeong Station on Line 1. Not Gwangmyeong Station on Line 7. It’s the one where you take the KTX. You should know that.”
“Understood.”
Just like that, he ended up agreeing to meet her. His mother must have received his aunt’s call, because she came into Chirok’s room with a bright expression, slicing an apple.
“You set it for Saturday. Good thinking.”
Saturday arrived. Chirok didn’t wear a tie. He simply wore a suit over a T-shirt.
His mother smiled bashfully and said, “Should I come too? I’d like to see that teacher from a distance.”
Chirok shouted, “What are you looking at? Just stay home!”
His mother’s voice suddenly disappeared.
Chirok headed to Gwangmyeong Station.
The coffee shop was surprisingly spacious. In one corner, his aunt and the teacher were already waiting.
But the woman was sitting with her back to him, so her face wasn’t visible.
His aunt spotted Chirok and waved.
His aunt had done her makeup today and gotten a fresh perm. She was also wearing a ring as big as a coin on her finger.
“Welcome. It must have taken you a while to find the coffee shop.”
[No, I found it right away.]
“Come say hello. This is the teacher I mentioned.”
Chirok greeted the teacher.
“Hello.”
The teacher stood up to greet him.
“Hello.”
However, the teacher was short. She looked gentle and intelligent, but just plain. He hadn’t expected much, but he was somewhat disappointed.
His aunt was fussing.
“Order for two. I’m leaving. I have things to do at church today.”
His aunt was a deacon at some church in Gwangmyeong. Maybe this teacher had been introduced by someone from the church.
Chirok looked at his aunt and said, “Why don’t you have a cup of coffee?”
“No, I’m good. Then you two enjoy your conversation.”
With that, his aunt left immediately.
Chirok asked the woman, “What kind of coffee would you like?”
“An Americano, please.”
So Chirok ordered two coffees. He wanted to finish quickly and leave. Still, since they’d met, it would be rude not to talk at all. So he asked a question.
“Do you live in Gwangmyeong?”
“Yes, I do.”
“It’s convenient that your workplace and home are close.”
The teacher smiled and said, “That’s right.”
Her smile had a certain charm. Still, she didn’t come close to matching Bang Mihee’s elegance. Bang Mihee had come from an airline to the chairman’s secretary after being recommended. So she was beautiful. Moreover, she was a former dance major, so her figure was stunning.
The coffee arrived, and there was a brief silence.
The teacher asked with a slightly embarrassed expression, “Um… what was your major in college?”
[Does this woman not know I majored in business? Didn’t my aunt say?]
“Business.”
“I heard from your aunt that you graduated from Seoul National University and work at H Group.”
“Even though I graduated from Seoul National, I’m still only in my second year as a new hire, so I’m just an entry-level associate.”
The woman smiled again. She kept staring at Chirok while sipping her coffee. She seemed to like the handsome Chirok. After all, he was from a good school, worked at a good company, and was decent-looking, so it was natural to feel some attraction.
Chirok asked, “I heard you’re still in school. What’s your major?”
“Korean literature. So I teach Korean to the students now. I’m trying to write poetry too.”
“Poetry?”
“I couldn’t go to school in Seoul. I went to a national university in the provinces. I graduated from 00 University.”
00 University was a decent local national university. Not a second-tier school. Second-tier schools usually referred to ordinary local private universities, excluding the provincial flagship national universities.
The teacher seemed like a gentle, decent person. But she was a bit short, and it wasn’t his type.
Moreover, he hated the idea of her writing poetry. Because his parents liked poetry.
Chirok continued the conversation a little longer, then stood up.
The teacher said she’d take the bus to Haandong because her house was there. Chirok thought about giving her his business card but decided against it.
When they parted, he simply said, “I’ll contact you next time.”
At that, the woman puckered her lips like a cherry. It was likely that he wouldn’t contact her.
If a man liked her, he would have given her his card and asked for her contact. But Chirok didn’t do that.
Chirok rode the Line 1 subway home in a gloomy mood. By now, Jeong Chan-young and Bang Mihee were probably enjoying golf on a vast green lawn. And in the evening, they would have dinner at a fancy restaurant and go to some club, shaking their bodies.
He couldn’t play golf or shake his body at some club. He had been beaten by Jeong Chan-young in high school and still felt behind in society. He only thought that this world was truly a world of unequal chances.
So that day, Chirok bought a can of beer at the convenience store, came home, and drank alone.
His mother didn’t ask any questions about his expression. She seemed to think something had gone wrong with the woman he met today.
The next day was Sunday. It was the day he was meeting Bang Mihee at Anyang Resort.
Chirok groomed his hair and sprayed cologne on his body. He even drew his eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil. He was doing something he usually didn’t do.
His mother looked at Chirok and said, “Our son is handsome. It seems the teacher yesterday didn’t appeal to you. Don’t worry. Mom will look into it again.”
“Don’t look into it.”
Chirok went to Anyang Resort.
But even after the appointed time, Bang Mihee didn’t show up.
[Did she go mess around with Jeong Chan-young yesterday? Hmph! If she doesn’t come, fine! Is there only one woman like Bang Mihee in the world? What’s wrong with me? Do I not have money or status?]
Still, he waited ten more minutes. If she didn’t come, he would really go home.
As ten minutes were almost up, Bang Mihee appeared. She was wearing sunglasses.
Chirok was happy. Bang Mihee had come in comfortable clothes, but her makeup was heavy. Among the many people at the resort, she stood out. The eyes of the uncles in hiking gear who passed by all focused on Bang Mihee.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“No, it’s fine.”
A drunk uncle in hiking clothes looked at Bang Mihee and said, “She’s got a killer figure!”
Then he glanced at Chirok and quickly walked away to the opposite side.
Chirok smiled and said, “The air is fresh and nice here.”
“It’s nice, but there are a lot of people.”
Bang Mihee, like her usual haughty beauty, suited the golf course. She didn’t fit this common people’s resort. There wouldn’t be uncles reeking of makgeolli at the golf course.
In that sense, Chirok was grateful that Bang Mihee had come here.
Chirok had actually wanted to walk along the stream flowing through Anyang Resort when Bang Mihee arrived.
But with so many people, it was probably better to go straight to the restaurant.
“You haven’t eaten, have you? Let’s go.”
Chirok was about to choose one of the many restaurants lined up nearby. Since it was a resort, there were plenty of restaurants. There were jjimdak places, kalguksu places, and nakji bibimbap places. Chirok asked again.
“Which restaurant shall we go to?”
“I know a good restaurant. If we go a little higher up, there’s a place that serves jjimdak and barley fish. The car is parked in front.”
“Ah, you brought a car.”
Chirok didn’t have a car. He had taken the subway.
They went to the restaurant. It was a traditional Korean restaurant in a large building.
[Hmm. This place seems a bit expensive.]
The menu was expensive. But Chirok offered the menu to Bang Mihee with a relaxed smile and said, “Bang Mihee, you choose.”
“Since you’re an associate, choose something cheap. Natural meal?”
The restaurant’s menu was divided into Healthy Meal and Natural Meal. Even the Natural Meal for two was over 500,000 won. If they ordered a bottle of beer, it would quickly exceed 600,000 won.
Some poet had said it cost 300,000 won to write one poem. Today, the two of them were about to devour two poems for a pittance.
But Chirok couldn’t show off his frugality.
“It’s fine to order something expensive.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Then I’ll order a bottle of beer too.”
Bang Mihee scanned Chirok from head to toe and said, “Do you have money?”
Chirok felt offended. Asking if he had money seemed like she was looking down on him. Chirok had received the deposit for his one-room in Incheon, so he said boldly, “If I like someone, I can spend money. My salary is higher than yours.”
Chirok’s salary was slightly higher than Bang Mihee’s. Because he was a new graduate hire.
But Bang Mihee was the chairman’s secretary. Chirok didn’t know how much pocket money the chairman gave her from time to time.
Moreover, Bang Mihee already owned a 5 billion won apartment.
Bang Mihee gave a slight sneer and said, “Then order.”
While eating, Chirok asked, “Did you meet friends yesterday? Did you go golfing?”
At that, Bang Mihee’s expression faltered slightly. Chirok saw that expression and thought she had definitely gone golfing with Jeong Chan-young.
[Disgusting! Legs crossed!]
Chirok’s competitive spirit rose again in his heart. So today, he kept offering alcohol to Bang Mihee to settle things once and for all.
Bang Mihee said coolly, “You don’t know I brought a car? I have to drive.”
“Ah, right. Then drink just a little.”
“What car do you have, Kim Chirok?”
Chirok didn’t have a car. He hadn’t even dreamed of buying one.
“I don’t have a car yet. There’s no need to have one. Besides, the company’s underground parking is narrow, so managers and below can’t bring cars.”
That was true. The company’s underground parking was full of cars. So the company prevented associates and below from bringing cars to work.
At H Chemical, even managerial staff could bring cars because they were employees. And production staff had company buses. But the Seoul headquarters was different.
Bang Mihee said with her usual haughty expression, “Still, there are times when it’s personally necessary, right? By the way, Kim Chirok, you don’t play golf, do you?”
“I’m trying to learn now.”
“Golf is a good exercise. Learn it.”
“Understood. I’ll think about it. But this barley fish looks delicious. Eat.”
With that, Chirok pushed a delicious side dish toward Bang Mihee.
Chirok was trying hard to impress Bang Mihee today.
Because of the pressure to beat Jeong Chan-young, it was even more so.