The Thirty-Sixth Assignment: A Hundred-Day Dream of Mortal Affairs ③
"That's a little too combative, don't you think?"
"Combative? Hardly. It's only natural."
As if patiently instructing a beginner, Seoah pressed her case that Seri needed to take a firm stance. It was exactly the kind of advice you'd expect from a woman who'd mastered the art of the blind date. And when the person involved was a close friend, how could she possibly be anything less than thorough? She marshaled expressions and gestures alike as she worked to bring Seri around.
"He's not someone you've known for ages. You fell for him at a glance. That means you have to take your time — look him over, pick him apart. If you go handing over your liver and gallbladder the moment you like him, you'll run out of cards later."
"Cards? That makes it sound like a transaction."
"In some respects, it is a transaction. Not the kind where you're only thinking about what you can get out of it — but you at least have to weigh whether the other person actually likes you. You need room to make that call."
Seri frowned as she listened. She was the type to weigh things herself, but Seoah's advice was colder still. Was it really all right to approach it this way? She looked at her friend with eyes full of doubt, but Seoah's conviction didn't waver.
"Our dear Song Seri is a little weak in that department, so yours truly is stepping in to help. I'll keep a razor-sharp eye on him, so don't you worry!"
"Well, that's a huge help. Anyway — he should be here soon, right?"
The timing was convenient, and Seri seized the chance to change the subject. A hint of restlessness crept into her gaze as she watched the station entrance. When would she see him? Her heart wasn't pounding wildly, but she was looking forward to it all the same.
"Seri. Isn't that him over there?"
But Seoah was pointing somewhere unexpected. They'd assumed he'd come by subway, so this was a surprise. The moment Changmo spotted Seri, he came running toward them. Same as last time — he always seemed to get nervous whenever they met.
He doesn't have to come charging over in such a rush.
And that was exactly what made it cute.
"Hmph."
Seoah, on the other hand, was unimpressed from the first glance. The way she stood with her arms crossed, glaring, already boded poorly. Making a spectacle of himself, flustered like that in front of a girl! A large X was already being scrawled across the scorecard in her head.
Off to a terrible start. Is this guy even decent?
"Sorry I'm late. The subway was packed, so I switched to a bus halfway. You came out early again today?"
Changmo scratched the back of his head as he looked at the two of them. Being a Grim Reaper, he'd already sensed Seoah's presence. He'd hoped it would just be the two of them, which was a shame, but he could read the intent in the assessing look she was giving him. A bitter pang settled in his chest.
Guess it's hard to just take someone at their word, huh.
"My friend wanted to come out early, so I did. This is my friend Bang Seo-ah. You've seen her before, right?"
"Yes. Hello — I'm Hong Changmo."
"Hello."
Changmo's courteous greeting and Seoah's flat one stood in stark contrast. The reconnaissance began the instant the hellos were over. Seoah looked him up and down as if she meant to excavate even the thoughts he hadn't spoken. Seri, standing beside her, was mortified.
Ha, haha... This kind of feels like meeting the parents.
It was rude, but Changmo didn't bother calling her on it. It was the same as when Yeoni had defended Dayeong's intensity. That was the frightening thing about rose-colored glasses. He'd rather focus on the date than pick a tedious fight.
"Since your friend's here today too, we should find somewhere all of us can enjoy — not just the two of us. Bang Seo-ah, was it? Is there anything you particularly like or enjoy doing?"
"Hmm. Something I like..."
Seoah pondered the question. Where could they go, and how, that would let her figure out whether this man was a good match for Seri? Her well-practiced mind clicked away at the abacus. Then she picked out a suitable location.
"There's a new haunted-house attraction nearby. How about that?"
"A haunted house?"
"Ghosts and that sort of thing...?"
Seri and Changmo both looked startled by the unexpected suggestion. Seri was surprised her friend had picked somewhere so odd; Changmo was trying to figure out why she'd chosen it. Seoah pushed her case regardless of their reactions.
"You already went to the park and the arcade last time, didn't you? We should try somewhere special for a change. It's not like we have a ton of other options anyway."
The reason she was insisting on somewhere scary was simple.
She wanted to see how he reacted.
A person's true nature came out in extreme or unexpected situations. Would he still look after Seri even then? That was what she meant to test. But looking after her wouldn't automatically earn him a passing grade. Having been through her share of men, Seoah had standards of her own.
"So? What do you think? Seri, you?"
Seoah probed with a sly look. Changmo and Seri exchanged a whispered consultation, then nodded with faintly reluctant faces. They didn't have anywhere else in mind, after all.
"Well, that could be fun."
"We didn't have anywhere else to go. All right. It's supposed to be fun, right?"
"Of course."
And it'll make it easier to get a read on him, too.
One corner of Seoah's mouth curled up. They'd taken the bait.
Now all she had to do was enjoy the attraction, then reel in the line.
Go on, then. Show me what kind of person you are, Hong Changmo.
She was intensely curious about what the results would be.
A little while later, Seoah found herself at a loss for words.
"They've got all kinds of things these days. Wasn't that incredibly scary?"
"Y-yeah. When that one came running at us pretending to have no arms, I thought I was going to faint."
"I almost kicked the guy, I swear. Hahaha."
The two of them were cheerfully recounting the haunted house they'd just been through. Seri had trembled, as expected, but Changmo — even accounting for his bold appearance — had been far too unfazed. He'd been too composed to reveal much of his true nature.
That's odd.
And that wasn't all. He'd stayed quite calm even when Seri jumped. When something popped out suddenly, he blocked her view; when something came charging, he quietly stepped into its path. She hadn't expected him to be equally startled... but he hadn't made a fuss of looking after her, either.
Is he actually a decent guy? That's unexpected.
And that earned him points.
She'd seen every type of person on blind dates. The ones who made a scene like the hero of a story never had any substance when it counted. Empty wagons make the most noise, as they say. And the ones who were too indifferent tended to act accordingly. Finding the middle ground had always been the hard part.
"You didn't get snagged on anything, did you?"
"No. What about you, Changmo? You bumped into the one in the virgin-ghost costume at the start."
"I'm fine. I was more worried about that girl, actually. She went down pretty hard."
Changmo had hit that precarious middle ground exactly. Unfussy, yet he clearly put Seri first. It had felt natural — not like a one-off performance, but as if he'd keep doing it. There was no awkwardness to it. At the very least, he was better than the pretentious types she'd seen on a few blind dates.
"Weren't you scared? The makeup on these people was really well done."
"Come on. It's not like they're real ghosts. Why would I be scared? You just enjoy it."
"You're surprisingly stouthearted. I jump even when I know it's coming."
Real ghosts don't even scare me, so.
Of course, Changmo had his own reasons for that.
"Seoah, what about you? You were the one who wanted to come, but you've been sulking this whole time."
Apparently she'd been wearing her deliberation a little too plainly. When Seri asked what was wrong, Seoah waved it off, saying she was fine. Fortunately, Changmo didn't seem suspicious. She played it off and continued.
"It was a letdown. It was more boring than I expected."
"You were shaking like a leaf back there."
"Th-that wasn't enough! It's only fun if something comes out that's scary enough to make you faint. Right?"
Seoah hastily fudged her words, afraid her true motives would show. She looked thoroughly suspicious. But neither Changmo nor Seri wanted to spoil the good mood, so they let it go. Where to go next was more important.
"Where should we go next? There's still time before lunch."
"The boat last time was fun... how about a duck boat this time? I've been wanting to try one."
Changmo suggested a duck boat. Seri didn't have anywhere particular in mind, so she nodded without objection. Now it was down to Seoah. But she didn't refuse, either.
"That sounds fine. We can go there and then have lunch."
She hadn't simply gone along with it. It was a decent place for a test of its own. Since it was a boat you propelled with your feet, the key was whether they could match each other's rhythm. If necessary, she'd deliberately pick up the pace! Already loosening up her feet, Seoah steeled herself.
The result: a bust.
Not in a bad way. In a good way, it was a bust.
"Your legs are long, too. Must be hard to match the pace."
"It's fine, it's fine. Even with long legs, matching this kind of rhythm is simple."
Even on the duck boat, Changmo's quiet consideration continued. Whether his knees hurt or not, he paddled slowly to match the pace Seri and Seoah were setting. It was slow enough to look like slow motion.
Well, now. Did he catch on?
Seoah felt a little sheepish. She wondered if she'd been found out, but Changmo's expression was perfectly composed. She was starting to think he might actually be a decent guy. But this was only the second date! It was too soon to let her guard down. So every time they picked the next destination, she applied a little pressure.
There was the restaurant with the two-person team challenge.
"Thanks, that was a good meal."
"That was a close one. You had to eat fast, but also divide things up properly... it was a lot harder than it looked. Ahh, I'm stuffed."
And the board game cafe where two people had to join forces.
"It wasn't that your hands are big, Changmo. I just wasn't delicate enough. Ugh!"
"I knocked a few over myself. It's fine — keep going."
Every place she picked was one that would force Changmo to look after Seri. And with uncanny precision, he kept choosing the right answers. At the restaurant, he ate moderately, keeping Seri's portion in mind; at the board game cafe, he glossed over Seri's mistakes and just enjoyed the game.
"Seri, aren't you bored? You could play a different game."
"Watching is fun too. Though I have to say, Hong Changmo is unexpected."
Seoah's deliberations deepened accordingly. Once or twice she could write off, but he'd gotten it right every single time. At this point, being more suspicious would just be embarrassing. She racked her brain for somewhere else to go, but no more ideas came.
Do I have to admit it now? I don't want to...
It seemed the time had come to raise the white flag.
"What do you mean?"
"When you two were arguing last time, you seemed like a pretty aggressive type. But that's not it at all. I guess your image has changed? From a wild stallion to a gentleman."
"Ahem! Ahem! That's a very nice compliment. Thank you."
Changmo flushed at her words. If you went by the truth, the wild stallion was closer to the mark. He'd always done as he pleased. Still, he'd been careful and attentive in front of someone he liked — he never imagined it would earn him that kind of praise.
It had been a day of accumulating misunderstandings on both sides.
"This was fun again. There's always something interesting whenever I meet you, Changmo."
"That's thanks to Seoah's efforts, though. Thank you, Bang Seo-ah."
Today's meeting, too, had unfolded warmly. Seoah had somehow ended up going all out for the two of them, and that peculiar mismatch had worked in a positive direction. Both Seri and Changmo were beaming with satisfaction. Should she be happy about this, or not? Seoah's complexion turned a sickly shade.
"D-don't mention it. You two were the ones who actually had fun. Both Seri and Hong Changmo did great. I recommended all kinds of places and you went along with every one of them..."
"They were all fun. Thanks for being such a good guide."
Changmo smiled brightly. That open, easy smile even softened Seoah's exacting attitude. She composed her face, which had been threatening to flush, and smiled back. She even had the sense she was being led around. She'd been the one trying to test this man, hadn't she?
"Sorry. I'll just run to the restroom for a moment."
To make matters worse, Seri left her seat. An unexpected one-on-one. Seoah tensed and tried to look away. And then—
"Bang Seo-ah. Please answer me honestly — just one thing."
"Y-yes?"
Changmo's address ratcheted her tension to the limit. Seoah stammered in confusion.
The question that followed was more than enough to amplify the dismay she was already feeling.