Chapter 39
Chapter 39
“You know I went on a Blind Date with Choi Yi-jun recently, right?”
Bom’s cheeks were flushed crimson. The alcohol was slowly starting to kick in.
‘Getting a little dizzy now.’
At the company dinner, she’d only accepted one drink out of politeness, and at home, she’d only ever had a small can of beer. She’d never really drunk seriously like this before, so she couldn’t gauge how drunk she actually was.
Still, today, she wanted to get at least some of the stories she’d kept bottled up off her chest. For some reason, it felt like it would be okay.
“A Blind Date, you say? Ha, damn it. Didn’t you see my eyes practically roll back in my head because of that?”
Pfft. Bom let out a small, airy laugh. He was certainly a master of exaggeration.
“Why Yi-jun all of a sudden? Are you still in touch with him?”
Jae-gyu furrowed his brows, his eyes wary. Bom shook her head.
Yi-jun wasn’t the important part. She recalled Jae-gyu engaging in a childish fight, confronting Yi-jun. He definitely seemed to care. But there was something Jae-gyu didn’t know.
“Actually, I’ve been on a lot of Blind Dates.”
Jae-gyu nodded silently, poured a full shot of soju, and tossed it back.
“I can’t even count them. There have been too many.”
Bom laughed self-deprecatingly as she refilled Jae-gyu’s empty glass.
There were at least a dozen families her parents had actively tried to connect her with. On top of that, there were introductions from VVIP events like the GW Bank incident, and introductions that came through several intermediaries...
“My father is a little, no, very conservative. He says my life’s purpose is to marry well.”
And that’s how she was raised. Suffocated under parents who prioritized appearances.
On holidays, she took ballet lessons and learned social etiquette. She wore uncomfortable clothes that weren’t her style and participated in charity events. It all felt pointless.
“I’m sick and tired of Blind Dates now.”
No matter what form they took.
There were many types of Blind Dates. In the past, they were mostly arranged through professional matchmakers, but not anymore.
The most common type was a Blind Date arranged through a long-time acquaintance. For those, a mutual acquaintance who knew both sets of parents would usually coordinate the date and location.
“I hate that so much. I’m really sick of it all. I want to stop.”
The questions were always the same. The answers were the same. So it wasn’t fun. It was hard to pretend not to know her parents’ expectations, but these weren’t men she wanted to keep seeing.
“Are you tired of marriage too?”
Jae-gyu’s question, asked while listening intently, was serious. Well, rather than being tired of marriage...
“It’s those artificial encounters that I dislike.”
Jae-gyu made an ‘okay’ sign with his hand, as if he understood. Then he said,
“I’m a Natural Encounter Pursuit kind of guy too.”
“Huh?”
“Natural Encounter Pursuit. Like us.”
“……?”
Just then, the shop owner approached their table.
“Is the taste alright? This is on the house. You two look so good together, I just wanted to give you something.”
What he placed on the table was strawberry sorbet in a clear bowl. He said he’d just blended strawberries that had been frozen with ice.
“Do we really look good together?”
“Oh, absolutely! You’re a perfect match! You’re not married yet, are you?”
“We’re preparing for it.”
“Oh my, congratulations!”
“This is my first time at a place this good. Let’s come again.”
The shop owner returned to the kitchen, beaming.
“Why are you playing such a prank!”
“It’s not a prank.”
“What do you mean it’s not? You’re never serious about anything, Jae-gyu.”
Does he act like this with other people too? She felt annoyed. Bom just kept shoveling the cool, refreshing strawberry sorbet into her mouth.
Bom glared at Jae-gyu whenever she got a chance, but he seemed to be enjoying it.
“I’m leaving.”
Bom checked the time, which was nearing midnight, and started to gather her things. It was really time to go.
“Let’s get up now. I’m sleepy…”
“Ah, is that so?”
Jae-gyu quietly complied with Bom’s words. He sprang up, pulled out his wallet, and quickly paid the bill.
She had wanted to treat him, but he always did this. Bom, a step too late, fumed at the counter. Jae-gyu, however, just kept grinning.
“You can treat me next time, no need to get angry…”
“As if I don’t know you’re trying to set up another date?”
“How’d you know?”
“You really… Ugh, my stomach hurts…”
As soon as they stepped outside, the change in air made her drunkenness hit her hard.
The sky was spinning. The moderately warm night air slowly brought on drowsiness.
Her car was parked in the empty lot next to the Stone Bridge in Cheongseol-eup. It was about a 10-minute walk home.
Once they left the vicinity of ‘Two Bridges’, the only sound was their footsteps. Bom, who had been walking alongside Jae-gyu, gradually fell behind.
‘The ground is moving.’
Bom, walking while watching the undulating ground, felt her legs gradually lose strength.
Jae-gyu glanced back, then stood in front of Bom. He then bent his large frame, offering his back.
“Hop on.”
“…No.”
“…”
Jae-gyu often spoke informally, which she found annoying, so she retorted in kind.
Even with her head spinning, a smug feeling made her laugh. Perhaps seeing her like that, looking drunk, Jae-gyu urged her again.
“Hop on.”
Bom lowered her head, looking down at her clothes, and mumbled.
“…I’m wearing a One-Piece Dress.”
“It’s fine. I’ll carry you however.”
Maybe I should just let him carry me… In truth, she wasn’t confident she could walk all the way home.
“If I’m heavy, it’s not my problem.”
“Even if you weighed well over a hundred kilograms, Bom, I’d lift you easily. Come on, hurry.”
Bragging about his strength. Bom finally hesitated, then gave up her stubbornness and decided to let Jae-gyu carry her on his back.
“…”
As soon as she wrapped her arms around his firm neck and leaned her upper body against him, Jae-gyu stood up effortlessly. Instead of supporting her legs with his arms, he supported Bom’s bottom.
Jae-gyu carried Bom so lightly, walking along the quiet dirt path. It was stable, but it was a posture that knew nothing of “manner hands.”
Jae-gyu’s hand, subtly touching her bottom, bothered her, but it was less an unpleasant feeling and more an ambiguous, suggestive one. However, even this sensation gradually dulled due to the alcohol.
‘So sleepy…’
Leaning quietly against his back with her eyes closed, she heard the chirping of insects, and the distant barking of a dog. And…
“…”
Listening to the peaceful sounds of the country road, Bom drifted into a light doze. Her body, carried on his broad back, slowly relaxed.
In a hazy dream, Bom vaguely heard Jae-gyu humming. The familiar tune soon faded, and silence returned.
“…How is your butt so small?”
A little later, Jae-gyu’s voice echoed in her unclear consciousness. Was it a dream? It felt too…
“It fits perfectly in one hand, with room to spare.”
His mumbling strange things while kneading was too realistic. Hearing the sound of the stone path under his shoes and the flowing water, she wondered if they were near the Stone Bridge in front of her house.
“Drank with Bom and hit the jackpot today. Totally…”
Jae-gyu chuckled softly, and his back vibrated, sending small tremors through Bom. Was it because of the alcohol? Hearing Jae-gyu’s laugh made a flush of heat rise in her.
“…Am I the only one who wants this?”
Jae-gyu, turning into the alley, murmured softly.
“Try to open your heart to me a little.”
Was he saying this because he thought she was asleep? Bom didn’t answer, continuing to pretend to sleep, but her oblivious heart began to pound.
“Even a hundredth of what I feel.”
The main gate creaked open. She still couldn’t tell. Was this a dream or not? As they passed through the yard and climbed the outdoor stairs, Jae-gyu’s words continued.
“I’m going crazy. Just seeing you makes me so happy…”
Jae-gyu paused for a moment, his voice trailing off, and let out a deep sigh.
“My erection won’t go down…”
“…”
It wasn’t a dream. Such nonsense wouldn’t appear in her dreams.
Bom wanted to get down immediately and beat Jae-gyu senseless, but she held back.
The words he’d said before that strange remark kept replaying in her mind. The question, “Am I the only one who wants this?” kept echoing.
“Bom-sik, Daddy’s home. Open the door.”
Having climbed all the stairs, Jae-gyu stood before the front door and called out to Bom-sik, who couldn’t possibly understand him, a few times before pressing ‘012486’.
“That Bom-sik, he’s sprawled out asleep again.”
In the silence, the door beeped and slid open. Jae-gyu, standing still in the entryway, gently nudged off Bom’s shoes from his back. He was about to take off his own shoes and step inside when—
“Please put me down.”
Slightly surprised by her voice, Jae-gyu said cheerfully,
“Wow, you woke up just as we got home.”
Bom twisted her body slightly, trying to get down on her own, then repeated,
“Put me down.”
“I’ll put you down if you ring the bell.”
“…”
“The bell.”
“…”
Since Bom wasn’t playing along with his joke, Jae-gyu, who had been holding out, reluctantly and carefully set her down. Then he dusted off his hands with a smirk.
“Go wash up and sleep, My Bom-Bom♡. I’ll get going then.”
Bom leaned her alcohol-loosened body loosely against the entryway wall and crossed her arms.
“You can’t drive after drinking, so how are you going to get there?”
“I can walk for about an hour.”
He happened to be wearing a suit and dress shoes today, and not only had he carried her all the way here, but he was also planning to walk all the way to his house in Shinsu-eup.
“Lock the deadbolt after I leave. I’m worried.”
Bom uncrossed her arms and grabbed Jae-gyu, who was just about to slip his feet back into his shoes.
“Wait a minute.”
A look of bewilderment crossed Jae-gyu’s face as he turned around. Bom, who had just stopped him, also hesitated. How drunk was she to keep acting so impulsively?
‘If I’m going to be impulsive anyway…’
Bom firmly gripped Jae-gyu’s tie, which hung long, and pulled him forcefully towards her.
“Ha, haa.”
Receiving the signal, Jae-gyu immediately pinned Bom against the wall and pressed his lips against hers.