The Thirty-Fifth Assignment: Between Sweet and Bitter ⑦
How am I supposed to paint these so people will say I did a fantastic job?
Whether Changmo ground his teeth or not, Dayeong threw herself into the work with painstaking care. The way she held the brush, utterly absorbed, could have belonged to a first-rate artist — if you subtracted the mischievous crinkle of her eyes.
"Can't you wrap this up already? We're going to be late."
"Just wait a little. Art doesn't finish in a hurry. Want me to just slash it on?"
"No. Just do it normally."
She had him completely at her mercy. Changmo abandoned any thought of escape and sat still. Smiling, Dayeong began slowly painting from the outermost edge of his eyebrow.
The work itself was simple. There was no need to lay it on thick for a man. Since this was for a date, she drew each brow with care, keeping the lines soft and rounded. Changmo felt a tickle but endured it.
"How much longer?"
"There's still more, so hold still. If you smile, I'll ruin it."
"That's because it tickles."
The left, then the right… The eyebrows took shape one careful stroke at a time. What had been a little sparse grew fuller and fuller. At last Dayeong lifted the brush. She admired her work for a moment, then picked up a hand mirror and held it out to Changmo.
"All done. Take a look."
Changmo peered into the mirror, uncertain. He'd never had his eyebrows painted before. Confronted with brows considerably fuller than usual, he offered an awkward smile, then turned to Yeon-ui, wanting to ask if it looked all right.
"How is it?"
"Not bad. I've never painted eyebrows myself, so I can't say for sure."
Yeon-ui nodded along. Having never done it, he found it hard to comment, but at least it didn't look bad. Changmo took that as a good sign and let out a sigh of relief.
"If it's that much, it should be fine. Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
With that, the makeup was finished. They had roughly two hours until the appointment. Considering the distance, the remaining time was just about right. The three of them put on their shoes and headed outside, where a gentle wash of sunlight greeted them.
"Have a good time. After all this effort, don't you dare strike out."
"If you fail, you're getting an earful!"
Yeon-ui and Dayeong each offered their encouragement. Changmo answered with a bright smile. The first step toward meeting her, just the two of them — a walk both nervous and thrilling.
"I'll be back."
He hurried toward the subway station, running so fast they worried he might trip. The two of them waved him off, and once he had vanished completely from sight, they linked arms with each other.
From here on, it was time for the two of them to enjoy themselves.
"Where do you want to go today?"
"Let's keep it simple and hang around nearby. How about a trip to the park? There's no yellow dust or anything today."
"A quiet stroll, huh. Got it! Let's go look at the flowers."
They'd sent one of them off to make a couple, so the real couple had to grow even closer. Arm in arm in a pose that would have had Changmo writhing in agony if he'd seen it, the two of them trotted off toward the park.
"Must be because it's the weekend. It's packed."
Seri stepped off the bus looking exhausted. Just riding it had drained her completely.
The place she'd arrived at was Yeouido. At this time of year, with the flowers just beginning to bloom, it was the perfect spot for a sweet rendezvous. From the broad park beyond, trees dyed in every color came out to greet her. Seri wiped the weary look from her face and took in her surroundings.
I might have gotten here too early, but that's fine, right? I'll just look around a bit.
Today she'd even taken off from her tutoring gig. The first day she was going on a date with a man. Just this once, it would be all right to forget reality for a while and enjoy herself. She walked on with an excited look on her face.
Aside from the heavy traffic on the roads, it was a scene well worth enjoying. The sky was cloudless and clear, and the breeze blew at a pleasantly cool strength. Entering the park, the fresh green grass caught her eye. Even to Seri, who packed her own schedule to the brim, this ordinary beauty looked wonderful.
"Ah! This is nice."
The exclamation slipped out before she knew it. She felt sorry she hadn't enjoyed this until now. Maybe the scramble to live every day to the fullest, as busily as possible, had blinded her. Wearing a faint smile, Seri walked between the rows of trees.
This should be about it.
After walking for some time, she stopped and looked up. This was the meeting place. The sunlight was strong, so she ducked under a large street tree for a moment.
When would he arrive?
Worry and anticipation arrived at once. What if he was late? What if he said he couldn't come? Seoah would have teased her for being a scaredy-cat, but Seri ran through the worries endlessly, blooming one after another like clouds. Her heart was pounding so hard she couldn't help it.
He's not even picking up. Hmph!
She tried calling to ease her anxiety, but all she got was the cheerful message that he wasn't answering. Her impression of Changmo dropped just a tiny bit. What a scatterbrained guy. Seri grumbled, recalling the first time they'd met.
Huh?
But the disappointment lasted only a moment. Changmo appeared from the other side. Those exotic blue eyes stood out even from a distance. She waved and called to him.
"Changmo! Over here! Over here!"
Hearing her call, Changmo came running. From the way he was panting as he ran, he seemed nervous about the date too. Arriving, he caught his breath, then bowed at a precise ninety degrees and apologized.
"I'm sorry. I'm late, aren't I?"
"Not at all. I came early to look around. You arrived right on time, so don't worry."
"Whew! That's a relief. When I said I was going out to meet you, my junior went crazy and wouldn't let me leave simply. Clothes, makeup… I thought I was going to be late."
"Sounds like you've got a good junior. That's the one from last time, right? Seo Yeon-ui, I think his name was?"
Seri looked Changmo over for a moment. The white shirt and pants, neat yet with a soft atmosphere, the clearly drawn eyebrows and glowing skin — it all made a good impression. You could tell at a glance that effort had gone into the look. Last time she'd thought he was just a gentle pushover… now she found herself thinking he was surprisingly meticulous.
"Good? Sometimes the meddling is intense. Anyone watching would think they were my parents. If you experienced it yourself, Seri, you'd be sick of it."
"I don't know about that. Hearing it that way, they sound like genuinely good people. You only get that kind of nosiness when someone really cares. I should meet them later. Getting acquainted wouldn't do me any harm."
Seri answered with a satisfied smile. Changmo felt awkward at her reaction. It was hard to play along, and the moment their eyes met, tension was already welling up. He discreetly wiped away some sweat and spoke.
"Well, people can see it differently. Shall we walk a bit first? The weather's perfect for talking."
Just not stammering was a relief. Seeing his stiff expression, Seri almost snorted a laugh but held it back. This man was nervous just like she was. A strange sense of kinship closed the distance between them a little more. She answered in a cheerful tone.
"That sounds good. It's been a while since I've been out like this too. Let's walk for a while, and when we get hungry, we'll eat somewhere nearby."
Having finished speaking, they looked at each other. Come to think of it, how were they supposed to walk? Holding hands like Yeon-ui and Dayeong would be the standard, but doing that from the first meeting was embarrassing. They both coughed awkwardly. Changmo offered a solution first. His face was already flushed red.
"Ahem! Ahem! Whatever you're comfortable with. Either way is fine."
"Then let's just walk side by side. Ahahaha…"
Seri's cheeks were just as red. Leaving a slight gap between them, they stood side by side and walked. The careful way they moved looked like a child's footsteps.
The stroll was utterly quiet. Even though it was a first date, they were shy with each other. Both of them were unused to this kind of meeting. They walked with such stiff postures that anyone watching might have mistaken them for two dolls out for a walk.
Ugh! This won't do, will it?
Changmo was the first to feel a sense of crisis. If they kept this up, they'd just walk and that would be the end of it. Thinking he had to say something, he decided to make the first move. His voice trembled as he spoke.
There happened to be something he was curious about.
"If it's not too rude, may I ask one question?"
"A question? Go ahead."
"I'm happy you agreed to meet, but… I got the invitation so suddenly I'm still a bit dazed. I'd like to know why you wanted to see me. What made you ask to meet?"
Even after asking, it was an embarrassing question. He was grateful she'd even agreed to meet, and now he wanted to know why? He felt like he'd committed some enormous rudeness, heat rising in his face, sweat breaking out. But that was just him overthinking. Seri paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.
On this point, she had nothing to say in her own defense either.
"Honestly, I felt this last time too — you're a timid one, aren't you?"
"I'm sorry. I was just too curious…"
"The one who should be sorry isn't you, Changmo. It's me. The reason I wanted to meet is a bit ridiculous."
Seri spoke in an embarrassed tone. She'd originally thought about keeping it to herself, but when he asked so innocently, hiding it felt awkward. Like she was deceiving him, maybe? She didn't know why, but the moment their eyes met, she felt she had to tell him.
"Lately a friend of mine keeps recommending blind dates. I felt bad just refusing, but I didn't want to go along with the suggestions either. So I just said I already had someone to meet."
"And that someone was me?"
"Yes, that's right. I did already want to meet you, though. You understand why I'm apologizing, right? I'm sorry. In a way, I came out as a substitute because I didn't want a blind date. I'm really sorry."
Seri's earlobes turned red. If the last time had been from shyness, this was from embarrassment. In a sense, it had been little more than a prank. An ordinary person might have gotten angry at that answer. But coincidentally, Changmo was, in many senses, not an ordinary person.
Heh. She's a pretty honest young lady.
From the moment he'd taken an interest, the rose-colored glasses were already thick as could be. And honesty was a plus, if anything. He'd wanted to meet her because he liked those clear eyes, so the sincerity that proved it couldn't possibly be a bad thing. He smiled gently and reassured her.
"It's all right. Honestly, I wanted to meet you too. I just couldn't find the chance and was wandering around, so whatever the reason, I'm glad you gave me the opportunity."
Wait, wait? This isn't what I expected.
The unexpectedly mild reaction surprised Seri instead. He was fine even after hearing this? She couldn't tell if he was a good person or a pushover. She looked at Changmo with a dubious expression. There wasn't a hint of pretense about him.
Did he actually have real interest in her?
This hastily arranged meeting might turn into a surprisingly serious opportunity. Seri asked again, wanting to confirm.
"Are you being serious? We've only met once last week, at most. I'm happy you're interested, but…"
"There's no rule that says you have to know someone a long time for feelings to grow. Sometimes you can fall for someone in an instant. Don't overthink it. There's someone I want to meet and talk with — that's enough for now."
He added one percent of allure to ninety-nine percent sincerity. There was no need to dress up his voice or expression. All he had to do was convey it brightly, confidently, with ardent interest in his eyes. Those brilliant irises, like sapphires, evoked a sense of clarity.
"Y-you really mean it, don't you?"
"Of course."
"You were like this last time too — you're a really unusual person. You say things I'd only ever heard in dramas."
The more she learned, the more fascinating this man seemed. He felt utterly unrealistic, and yet he had a power that made you nod and think, yes, someone like this could exist. Curiosity slowly bloomed in a corner of Seri's heart.
"I hear that a lot. Especially from my seniors. Well! Let's drop the small talk and just walk. It'd be a waste of time otherwise."
No matter how she looked at it, spending the whole day on this seemed worthwhile.
"No. Let's wrap up the walk here."
"Huh? Already?"
"We've gone to the trouble of meeting — it'd be a shame to just fill the time with a walk. Follow me. Even a bookworm like me knows a thing or two about having fun."
Seri grabbed his hand and took the lead. Changmo jumped at the sudden physical contact. But once she'd taken his hand, she didn't let go. When she set her mind to it, she was a remarkably bold young woman. She announced their next destination with confidence.
"We're going. First stop, the Han River cruise! Let's catch a cool river breeze and come back."