"Houston, we have a problem. Meet me at the coffee shop tonight."
Yoon Jisoo fidgeted with her bracelets as she waited for Song Hae In that night. He was coming off from his shift at the restaurant so he would arrive a little later than her. Of course, she understood. She knew that Hae In had the restaurant job on top of his teaching aid duties with Mr. Ri AND had time to indulge her in trying to get her sister and Mr. Ri back together.
For the past two weeks, Jisoo felt that they had some progress. She slowly dropped hints to Seri that she was interested in someone. "Would it be weird if the person is a teacher's aide? That's not against the school rules, is it?"
Seri frowned, "Well, I don't know but it's best to check so that you won't face any trouble."
"But Mr. Ri is giving us such a difficult time. Loading him with so much work," Jisoo whine on a pretend slight.
Seri frowned. "The guy is Jeong Hyeok's aide?"
Jisoo shrugged. "I don't know," she deflected.
Narrowing her eyes, Seri let it go at that time. "Alright. Well, let me know if you want me to talk to Mr. Ri." After that, Seri shared, "You know, I've been thinking about my dating life as well."
"Oh? How so?"
Seri closed the magazine she was reading and turned to Jisoo who was seated on one of her wing chairs. "Well, I'm no longer young and I do want to fall in love and get married. Maybe... maybe I should start dating again."
"But, I thought you'd never love someone again like you loved Mr. Ri before?" Jisoo asked.
"Yes. However, maybe I should make peace with that past and move on," Seri mused. "He's doing great and achieved all his dreams, why shouldn't I reach for mine?"
"Why not do that with Mr. Ri?" Jisoo pressed.
Seri narrowed her eyes at her sister. "Why do you keep bringing up your professor?"
"Nothing," Jisoo immediately deflected. "Have you... considered dating Mr. Ri again?"
Seri remained silent but had a sad look on her face. "I..." Whatever she was going to say was interrupted by Jisoo's phone going off, her lock screen showing the photo with Song Hae In. "Hey! That's the guy from the restaurant!"
"He... I... uhm gotta go, sis!" Jisoo jumped up and did not allow Seri to catch up with her. However, since that day, Jisoo found out from Seri's assistant that she had a few nights blocked to meet a special person.
"I think it's a date," Hong Chang-sik, the executive assistant, told Jisoo in confidence. "But they're so secretive, we cannot even find out where Ms. Yoon goes. She just disappears for that night and then we see her with a nice smile the next day."
"Do you think she had a boyfriend now?!" Jisoo asked.
"Oh, well, I don't know but she's certainly going out now and has much more personal time than she used to have on her calendar. Previously, her only personal time off was with you," Hong Chang-sik said. "Now she has these hours blocked off which she marked only with "2R."
Jisoo nodded. "You have to get more information, Mr. Hong. I need to make sure this man is good for my sister. If not, I have the perfect candidate for her. We have to make sure she ends up with my candidate."
At present, while Jisoo waited for Hae In, she thought about Seri. If she were truly dating and was happy with whoever she chose, Jisoo would accept that. Her sister deserved to be happy. However, until she was sure that Seri would end up with a good man, she was going to push for her Seri and Mr. Ri reunion agenda.
"2R, 2R, 2R... what does that mean?!" Jisoo muttered.
"What does what mean?" Song Hae In asked as he slid into the seat in front of her.
"I think my sister is seeing someone," Jisoo shared.
"Oh," Hae In cringed. "That puts a dent in our plans."
Jisoo nodded. "I know. Well, I don't know much about the man yet but if he proves to be nice and if my sister loves him, I'm going to support her."
Song Hae In agreed. "You love her very much, don't you?"
"I do," Jisoo confirmed.
"So, does that mean we'll stop dating now? I mean, fake dating," Hae In asked, quickly correcting himself.
Jisoo couldn't help but blush. They had been spending a lot of time together in the past weeks, supposedly to plan on this reunion project. This was their excuse even if they ended up watching a movie (for research) and walking in the park discussing their interests. "We have to know how falling in love works, right?"
If they will no longer press Seri to fall for Mr. Ri, then naturally, there was no need for their fake dating anymore.
Jisoo cleared her throat, "Well, I mean, we're not certain yet if I approved of who Seri is dating. I think we should continue and pursue our plan just in case the man turns out to be wretched."
"I agree. We have to make sure your sister ends up with a good man like Mr. Ri," Hae In agreed. "By the way, speaking of Mr. Ri, we have a problem with him."
"What is it?"
Coming to the reason they decided to meet up, Song Hae In looked troubled, "I think Mr. Ri has decided to become a recluse."
"A recluse?!" Jisoo copied, unsure if she heard him correctly.
"Yes," Hae In confirmed. "He barely goes out anymore. He declines any faculty socials. He even looked repulsed when another professor suggested he dates a female professor of Economics from another university."
"So? Not wanting to go out is so far from becoming a 'recluse'," Jisoo pointed out.
"Okay, but then he's travelling to Jeju to write his new paper... alone... FOR A WEEK," Hae In shared.
"Well, it's good that he's not interested in another woman. We just have to make sure he's not completely turned off from love," Jisoo commented.
"How do I do that?" Hae In asked.
"I don't know Mr. Ri enough but maybe you could engage him in conversations about it?"
So, that was what Song Hae In did before Mr. Ri left for a week. On one night that they both stayed late to grade papers, Hae In asked Mr. Ri, "Professor, may I ask you a personal question?"
"What is it, Mr. Song?" Ri Jeong Hyeok asked, barely glancing up from the paper he was reading.
"I'm interested in someone who, well, her family is very rich," Hae In started. When the younger man noticed that he now had the attention of the Professor, Hae In continued, "She seems to be interested in me, too, but I wonder... would there be complications if I continue to see her?"
Ri Jeong Hyeok frowned. "I wouldn't think so, unless the family interferes. But I think it still boils down to just the two of you and your choices."
"But --"
"Mr. Song, I am single and nowhere near being in a relationship. Am I really the person you want to ask about relationship advice?" Professor Ri said.
Song Hae In blushed. "Sorry, Professor. Just one last thing. So, love is enough to make a relationship work?"
Ri Jeong Hyeok rolled his eyes. "You weren't listening. It boils down to choice. And sometimes, the choice is not you."
That was the end of the conversation.
When they were done with the papers, Ri Jeong Hyeok started putting away his things and reminded Song Hae In, "You'll administer quizzes and give the class the assignments but other than that, there shouldn't be a lot of things to do. Send me your thesis revisions via email so I can check while I'm out."
When Song Hae In called Yoon Jisoo that night, he reported, "He only brought a small luggage. It doesn't look like he's out to impress anyone."
"Are men also concerned about their clothes when they're trying to impress someone?" Jisoo asked.
"It doesn't hurt especially if the woman is as well dressed as you," Hae In shared.
"Oh." Brushing off the compliment, Jisoo asked, "Then maybe it's good that Mr. Ri won't be having a rendezvous with some woman in Jeju. He can still fall in love with my sister."
Hae In frowned. "I don't know. Mr. Ri seems adamant to never have romance in his life again."
Jisoo decided it was time to make their plans more aggressive. "Once Mr. Ri comes back, we'll book him in venues where my sister just happens to be hanging out."
"Good plan. Maybe we should have lunch tomorrow to think of locations?" Hae In proposed, hopefully.
"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow," Jisoo agreed. "There's a nice romantic movie I've been meaning to see. Do you think we could watch it as well?"
As the young couple discussed their weekend plans, Ri Jeong Hyeok arrived at his hotel later than expected. At check-in, the receptionist greeted, "Good evening, Mr. Ri. Here are your room keys. Your companion has been waiting."