My friend says they'll set me up on a blind date
My friend says they'll set me up on a blind date
I got ready to go out. During my outing preparations, I received the spirit's help, and it exceeded expectations. Without going to the bathroom separately to wash or style my hair, the spirit took care of creating the shape and angle I desired.
Indeed, spirit arts and blood magic were convenient. I could convey my intentions even to the delicate details of my hairstyle.
'I guess I won't be late this semester because I couldn't wash up.'
I smiled once at my satisfied face reflected in the phone screen used as a mirror and opened the front door.
"Wow! It's outside! Wow, amazing, what's this? Why is that so big! This is Syungjina!"
The spirit, finding the world fascinating, was running around here and there in excitement. Of course, it was noisy, but looking at passersby, they didn't react, as if they couldn't see or hear the spirit.
Jingle... jangle...
Han Ji-hoon was visible inside the cafe. That platinum spoon bastard with lips that seemed to mock others. He took his lips off the drink he was having and looked at me.
"Long time no see~"
"And the lady?"
"This fucker, do you only think of men as tools? Seems like you're not even glad to see me."
"Obviously. How could I be happy watching someone suck up all the honey in society?"
"Bastard... She's supposed to come at 2:30."
"What, then why did we set the meeting for 1?"
"Women have a lot to prepare, why are you so petty about it? If you want to date women, men gotta wait sweetly."
"Bullshit. You sweetly wait for over an hour?"
"I can see why you don't have a girlfriend~ Think you can get your first experience acting like that?"
Han Ji-hoon shook his head side to side and, as if bragging, held up his phone to show me a picture.
"Who's this now, she's crazy pretty."
"This is your hyung's girlfriend-nim. Ready to listen to me now?"
"Who was chasing after women's asses while I was busting my ass for 2 years?"
"Jealous, aren't you?"
"I am jealous!"
Before I enlisted, this bastard was in heat and messing around with this girl and that girl, but seems like when the policies changed, this guy changed too. The perverted bastard I used to know had become a man faithfully looking at only one woman.
"Ja-geun, you're coming back to school this semester, right? I'm doing it too."
"I have to. Gotta graduate to get a job. But you can just inherit your father's business. Isn't college annoying for you?"
"Dad told me to graduate, so I'm trying to graduate. Annoying as hell. He says if he just hands it over, I'll probably ruin it, so I need to at least have a college brain."
"Your father's insight is spot on."
Han Ji-hoon responds by flipping me the middle finger. I smirked and snatched the cafe mocha in front of the bastard and drank it.
"How'd you know I like cafe mocha, slurp slurp."
He looked at me with an additionally disgusted gaze.
"You've got no fear. Did you eat something wrong in the army? You've lost your mind. Your body's put on muscle too, smells like a soldier."
"Really? From what I see, I'm the same person as 2 years ago."
"People can't see their own changes, others have to see it. You've definitely changed, back then you seemed like a loser... You've become a bastard who's done every missed experience. Is the army that tough?"
"I'll take that as a compliment~"
Han Ji-hoon had a good eye. His father personally looks at and selects employees, so I guess he inherited that blood.
'Han Ji-hoon. You're confirmed as a combat power measurer.'
To feel the changes in my stats, it seemed good to listen to how this guy evaluated me.
"So who's the girl you're introducing?"
"Korea University 2nd year. Cosmetology department. My convenience store part-timer."
"Convenience store part-timer from the same school?"
"Hey, 'part-timer girl' is a hate word, be careful. She's just my employee, so she's verified, you get it?"
"Look who's talking, someone set up a convenience store during the 2 years they went to the army."
"You think Dad would've left me alone? He shoved me into a convenience store for the experience at least."
"Just what you'd expect from a platinum spoon. Setting up a convenience store for him too. I'm jealous."
"I'm gonna shut down the convenience store soon anyway. That aside, she's a nice girl, so treat her well."
"How many months has the employee worked at the convenience store?"
"About a month?"
"What, I thought you'd been together 2 years. Still suspicious."
"Looking at her work, she's upright."
"Not the type to bail using her period as an excuse?"
"I told you to watch your mouth. That's a given, if you don't follow it, you get reported. If she does that? It's not my dad, but the world that'll curse me."
"Well, it's only natural."
As society became woman-centered with women as the socially underprivileged, companies also had to adapt. It literally became a country flooded with policies befitting gender equality. No matter how much of a platinum spoon Han Ji-hoon was, he had to strictly follow the law, and if he didn't, it was clear he'd immediately face business suspension and become social trash.
"How was the army? I'm curious since I didn't go. Is it comfortable there?"
"How could it be comfortable, it's no different from a den of homeless people. I went because they said at least it was the most well-supplied frontline, but I was tricked. Creepily, we used underwear and combat uniforms and stuff that the dischargees had used."
"Good thing I didn't go hehe."
"Haa... I can't help but hate you~"
"In return, the girlfriend introduction, acknowledged?"
"Well, if it goes well, I'll forgive your sins."
"Cheeky bastard... You've gotten quite arrogant."
I chatted with the guy I met after a long time, waiting for 2 o'clock to pass, then headed to the meeting place.
The meeting place was a tteokbokki restaurant. Han Ji-hoon reserved it saying it's food that the part-timer girl likes. Even though I hate tteokbokki.
"Welcome~"
I looked around the restaurant to see if there was someone similar to the photo and sent a message with the contact info I received. I was going to call, but the part-timer girl dislikes it, so I sent a text.
[Park Ja-geun: Where are you?]
[Lee Yu-rim: I'll arrive soon, please wait just a little.]
Because of Han Ji-hoon, I came out early and waited over an hour, yet she still hadn't come to the meeting place. Still, if I wanted to meet women, Han Ji-hoon said I had to be prepared for this much at least. For now, I decided to trust and follow that guy who has a girlfriend.
'I don't want to live my whole life as a forever-alone...'
Honestly, it seemed like a waste of time. But I'd also been discharged from the army, and since I wanted to try dating at least once, I was enduring it.
While blankly staring out the window, a message came.
[Lee Yu-rim: If you've arrived first, could you take a seat on the shady side, not by the window?]
Wondering what this was about, I sent a reply.
[Park Ja-geun: Why is that?]
[Lee Yu-rim: My skin is sensitive. If I see sunlight, I break out.]
Selina-ssi hung laundry or grilled meat outside in the blazing sun all day, but well, everyone has a constitution, so I let it slide.
I took the seat she wanted and blankly passed the time. While reading the room from the glances of the serving staff, a girl armed with heavy makeup and shiny precious metal accessories walked toward me.
"Park Ja-geun oppa?"
"Yes, you're Lee Yu-rim-ssi? Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you. You're kind of like a close uncle~"
At the first meeting, alongside oppa, she pegged me as being like an uncle. On top of that, she was unhindered as if finishing her physical appearance evaluation from top to bottom.
"Oppa, I'll order tteokbokki."
She ordered and sat down in front of me. As naturally as if it were her own room.
"Oppa, what's your job?"
"I also attend Korea University. Returning sophomore."
"Ah~ I'm also in the Cosmetology department at Korea University."
"So I guess that's why it took you a long time to get dolled up?"
"Yep~ How is it, pretty? But oppa, do you have a lot of money?"
"Money... I haven't been discharged long, so I don't really have any..."
"Then you must have a car at least?"
"I do have a license, but cars are expensive."
"I see... Hmm.. Then your parents must have some money then~"
"My parents... They do run a shop in the countryside."
"Oh really? So they run a shop in the countryside."
With those words, Lee Yu-rim picked up her phone. She was looking at herself using the screen as a mirror, and an alarm went off as if she got a message. Then she kept only staring at her phone.
"Food's out~"
"Looks delicious, oppa, please eat too~"
It was Lee Yu-rim speaking while looking at her phone. It seemed her estimate of me as a man had come out, and now she showed no great interest. Whether I was a blind date target or just someone to have a meal with, she just ate while only looking at her phone.
I kept watching, and with me right in front of her, what could there be to talk about so much on the phone that her fingers kept moving. She was focused enough to make me curious.
"This person also keeps looking at that phone thing~"
Just then, I saw the spirit flying freely through the air. The spirit looked at the phone Lee Yu-rim was seeing together. Yet she didn't notice at all.
'Wait, I could just ask the spirit?'
What was so important that she was exchanging messages with someone other than the blind date partner in front of her.
Even when I openly lifted my hand, whatever I did, she already had no interest. I immediately stirred up blood magic and sent a water droplet to the spirit.
-Tell me what's written there.
"Okay! So... 'Did he expect to make his girlfriend walk without a car? His appearance still looks like a soldier. Isn't that better? He's specialized in using strength. True, the part-time job was annoying, big gain if I get to skip. From tomorrow, if I say I'm sick and set up a replacement, it'll be perfect. He seems reliable, so let's go to Myeongdong tomorrow instead.'"
From the spirit's words, I thought I understood why the part-timer girl had no interest after her barrage of questions. From the start, rather than thinking of meeting a man, she was trying to find a man to replace her since work was bothersome.
As far as I know, there's a famous post in women's communities. So-called raising a male pet. Using a male friend and gaining benefits yourself. Even if caught, there's no legal issue, a method women use.
'So that's it, verified my ass, Han Ji-hoon, that bastard, just you wait.'
Of course, I came out because I was tempted, but it was a trap right away. Lee Yu-rim was planning to pick a male laborer and go out to play herself.
"...Good that he looks stupid for now. Tomorrow, say I'm on my period and ask him to cover the convenience store part-time job in my place. That uncle mister will probably plant his feet and come running out. 'Scored again today lol.'"
I don't know who she's exchanging with, but what a sight. Just standing a person in front of her and making them a fool with an expression that shows zero concern gave me goosebumps, so to speak. From the moment this woman looked at her phone, she only thought of gaining benefits, and she saw me as a slave.
I was infuriated. My hand under the table trembled without me knowing.
I wanted to utterly humiliate her on the spot, but a woman's tears become evidence, and the future outcome would obviously end with me, the man, being dragged off by the police.
Even so, if I just left this part-timer girl and walked away, that platinum spoon friend bastard would obviously give me shit.
While wondering if there was a way to naturally grow apart, I took out my phone and searched for 'men women hate.'
"Hey, wait a sec, the uncle mister's looking at his phone, let me give the tteokbokki some feed for a moment."
"Girly is a master at mesmerizing people~"
While listening to the spirit's words, the first search result showed the phrase, 'Men who cause sexual shame, hate the most.'
This is it. Self-inflicted sexual shame will make her run away. If the woman ends it first, we can part without any trouble.
"Oppa, is it not tasty?"
"No, I just got a message for a moment."
Immediately, I sent blood sharing to the spirit.
-When I give the signal, rub all over the woman's body, especially the crotch area and around her nipples!
"Huh? Okay! Watching this was boring, so this time it's a fun prank? I like pranks!"
The spirit, seeming to dislike reading text, moved its body right away. I guess the spirit doesn't know what sexual harassment is.
"Oppa, I'd like to feed you a piece of rice cake, is that okay?"
"Fine."
Lee Yu-rim stabbed a rice cake with a fork and held it out to me. While naturally accepting and eating it, the spirit, receiving the signal, entered the part-timer girl's body.
"You eat well... Ah!"
"What's wrong?"
"Ah... It's nothing. Uh!"
The part-timer girl started trembling. Maybe because she's especially frail, starting with her face distorting, she rubbed her body wildly, dancing as if a bug had entered her body.
'Hahaha. Serves you right.'
"I... I'll go to the bathroom for a moment. Uht!"
Without even listening for an answer, the part-timer girl grabbed her crotch and ran out to the bathroom.
'How nice would it have been if she moved that fast when coming to the meeting place.'
Mocking her inwardly, I drank a refreshing glass of water.