As soon as my last class for the day ends, I rush home. As I close my apartment door behind me, I slip off my shoes and put my bag down on the nearby shelf. I didn't have much time until I was supposed to meet this mysterious Mr Kim.
An hour and a half later, I'd managed to get myself together. My hair was down and straight, make-up was light, which made the peach blush look cute. I wore something a tad warmer because the temperature usually dropped when it was dark outside. Some black skinny jeans and a neat light blue jumper seemed just right. I packed all my essentials into a small handbag before picking up my phone from my bed and googling the address of the cafe.
The night was clear; the streets were illuminated softly with the lights from shops. The city district that surrounds the university was like a playground. In the streets of the city, young adults leisurely strolled between bars, clubs, and pubs. Karaoke, restaurants and cafes. Noodle shops, barbecues, and whatever else you could think of; all readily available.
I reached my destination in no time. The coffee shop was quite cute. It had an outside patio sitting area which was lit by colourful bubble lights. From what I could see of the interior through the glass windows it had a cosy modern feel. I then drew my attention to my phone as I felt it buzz in my hand.
Mr Kim has arrived.
I looked around, not knowing what to expect, and then a tall, extremely handsome guy with broad shoulders approached me confidently. In contrast to his powerful approach, his smile was gentle.
"Miss Park?" He asked. Tilting his head, bending to get a better look at my face. He was at least a head taller than me.
"Yes! My name is Jia. Please call me by my first name. There's no need for formalities." I blurt. I couldn't help but feel shy. This was NOT what I was expecting. He was the last person I thought would need to rent a girlfriend.
"Oh. How cute, aren't you enthusiastic? Definitely my type." He winked playfully.
"I'm Jin, but widely known as Worldwide handsome." He laughed airily to himself as if it were a joke, but it was true.
"Ahh, why are you laughing?! You're seriously handsome," I blurted again. Realising what I'd said, my hands flew up to my flustering cheeks. They were giving away how I felt. Jin's smile turned to shock as he reached out to feel my face. He gently pulled my hands away and a cool sensation replaced it. I stood rooted to the spot as the back of his hand against my skin tingled.
"Wow. You're burning up. Did you have a little afternoon drink before you came?" He teases. His touch fades away. But I wanted him to touch me longer.
"Ah no! Of course not..." I laughed, holding my cheeks again but feeling less embarrassed by his impeccable ice-breaking skills.
"I know! How about we go in and get a drink? Perhaps that will cool you down, hm?" I nod.
We stepped into the cafe. Jin takes the initiative and approaches the counter.
"So, what do you usually drink?" He asks from beside me. I could feel him leaning into me, slightly. I didn't know how close I'd stood. The smell of his light cinnamon cologne hit my nose.
"An Iced Americano, please." I glance up at his face. He orders for both of us, his lips pouting. Why couldn't I take my eyes off him?
I calmed down a bit as we waited. A minute of comfortable silence passed before collecting our drinks. Jin led the way outside to the patio. The ambience felt dreamy, almost like a fairytale.
We took a seat across from each other. Jin placed my drink on the table in front of me.
"Thank you" I smiled.
"It's alright, you are my girl for the night so I have to take care of you." He teased. His confidence was turning me into jelly. I took a sip, kindly waving off his remark. Now that we were face to face, I could study his features without being weird. After a moment, I spoke.
"Can I ask, why are you using the dating services? It's a touch surprising to me, aren't you the type girls would line up to date?" Jin chuckled, amused by my forwardness.
"Well," He began matter-of-factly, "They would if I had the time, though, I'm a trainee with an entertainment company so my schedule is always full. Committing to a relationship is just too complicated." He took a sip of his drink as he explained. His comments sounded oddly familiar, my thoughts vaguely being pulled to earlier in the day.
"Oh... I guess even handsome guys have a hard time finding love then." I hummed. Jin just laughed again before responding, "Right? Things aren't always how they look," he tutted before leaning forward slightly.
"You know, I should ask you the same thing, no boyfriend? There's no way a girl as pretty as you doesn't have guys falling over themselves to be with you. " His eyes were on me steadily, head tilted to the side, hints of intrigue in his words. Another compliment I received earlier on. Maybe I should just assume that it was normal for men in the entertainment industry to throw the word pretty around at girls...
"Well, honestly, I haven't thought about finding anything serious. I've been too busy with other things, studying and work." I admitted. I didn't know if I believed him but, it was still flattering if he thought so. He gave an understanding nod before leaning back in his chair again.
"So, we are kind of similar," he then added thoughtfully.
"Maybe." I replied. Just as his more humble side showed, and I settled down, it didn't last long.
"But I'm still a man, aren't I? Even if I don't have time to date seriously... There is only so long I can go without," Jin laughed, as though implying the obvious. I awkwardly chuckled and looked down. Unable to make eye contact at the thought of it. Maybe the lack of social interactions with girls was taking its toll on him. I inwardly dead-panned.
"Don't make such a cute face, I'm already having a hard time holding back," his playful tone stirred up something inside. I looked back up to see his dark eyes still on me.
"No, no. It's just, you're so forward I'm not used to it." I laughed awkwardly to hide my blatant shyness. Not wanting to admit it, but knowing subconsciously that I also was a girl with girlish urges, and this conversation was making me feel some type of way. Jin suddenly sat straight in his chair as though an idea had occurred to him.
"Jia, have you eaten yet?" I shook my head.
"Let's get dinner then, there's an excellent restaurant nearby," he suggested.
"Okay, sure."
We both finished our drinks and left the cafe, taking a short five-minute walk filled with some light conversation. I couldn't help but smile at his endearing personality. But, I got the feeling that behind his confidence might have been a different person... Not that I thought he was acting fake. No, not that, but... I just couldn't put my finger on it right now.
The restaurant was casual; it wasn't busy either. We both took a seat in a booth across the table from each other. The server set the menus down on the table along with some water and then left us on our own. Jin didn't waste any time picking up the menu and skimming through it.
There were so many options, and before I had even gotten halfway through them, I heard Jin gasp. "Ohhh, I love lobster, do you? Shall we order four of them..?" His expression is almost comical as he waits for a response.
"What?! Four?! Really?" I spluttered out, "Can we finish 4 of them though?" I hesitated.
"Of course we can! What're you worried about? " Jin laughed, quick to reassure me it wasn't a problem. Soon enough, the food had arrived.
Jin started making sound effects as they placed it before us. "Ohhh WOAH, doesn't this look amazing?" He sighed in gratification as he broke apart the lobsters and plate them between us.
The pure innocence of this situation was just too cute. "Yes! It looks so delicious. Thank you for the meal. " I clapped my hands together.
I waited a short moment out of respect for Jin to take the first bite, but he leaned over the table, chopsticks in hand as he slowly held a piece up to my lips. "Jia, open up cutie." I hesitated slightly. His duality was captivating. He watched as I carefully took the piece into my mouth.
"It tastes so delicious!" Jin just laughed.
"I can cook it better, next time I'll make it for you." We continued to chat casually as we enjoyed dinner. We took turns asking each other basic questions like favourite colours and foods, hobbies and interests. Being with him was fun, and I didn't want it to end. But time passed quickly. After the meal, Jin covered the bill and offered to walk me home, so I gladly accepted.
We strolled at a slow pace, walking closely together down the street. His smile and expressions were so sweet that I couldn't stop noticing them the entire night. Or maybe he'd put me under some type of spell.
"My place is just around the corner. Are you sure you want to walk me the whole way?" I queried, feeling a bit guilty about making him go out of his way for my sake. "Of course! I've already come this far. Besides, can't let my girl walk around this late, all alone. What kind of guy would that make me?" Jin gave me a shocked look. Even if he was just teasing, I looked away, trying to hide my shyness. But Jin just laughed and tried to peer at my face from beside me.
"Ah, no! don't look." I shooed him away playfully before looking back up at him properly. "You're making that cute face again," He sighed. His words from earlier popping into my head. But, I realised we were now just outside the front of my apartment. I suddenly stopped walking, and it surprised Jin for a second.
"This is me," I said, a sinking feeling in my stomach at the thought of him leaving. Jin sighed a breath before looking up at the building. "Thanks for tonight Jia, we should do it again soon."
For the first time tonight, he seemed serious. I bowed lightly before looking up into his settled gaze. "I'd like that. I had a lot of fun with you Jin-Oppa." I bit my lip a tiny bit, feeling the air get slightly thicker. He cracked a smile.
"Expect another request soon then," he winked before taking a step back. I felt myself relax.
"Don't keep me waiting too long," I teased. He waved lazily before turning around and walking back up the street.
I wandered up to my place, still feeling a little dizzy from all the flirting. I quickly shower and get changed into some pyjamas. I plopped down on the side of my bed. My thoughts of the night subsided and the events of earlier in the day propped up. I had been so preoccupied that I forgot to even check my phone for messages from the guys.
I quickly stumbled up off the bed towards my bag and pulled out my phone. The screen lit up with a thread of fairly recent messages, so I quickly opened it up.
Kakao:
Tae: Sup
Tae: hello?
Jimin: Yea 😙
Tae: .... Where's the other one?
Jimin: Jia?
Jimin: Maybe she fell asleep?
Jimin: Or she's out on a date 😏
Tae: Or she got her foot stuck in an elevator door🤔
Jimin: what? How did you even get to that?🙈
I quickly typed before any more of this weird convo could continue.
Jia: hey sorry! I fell asleep! loooool
I didn't want to lie to my new friends, but.. how could I explain what I was doing without them thinking badly about me... I only just met them and they were nice.. losing the only friends I had right now was probably worse. Besides, if the time ever came I would tell them the truth...
That I was a broke-ass girl who sold her company to men so she could pay for uni... I shook my head out of reflex, snapping out of any negative thoughts I had about myself. This was a terrible habit I had, but these days I tried not to let it consume me.
Jimin: Ohh did we wake you up?! Sorry 😅
Tae: She's probably tired cuz she worked on the report without our help...
Jia: No, no, it's okay! Really 😇
Tae: Let's meet up tomorrow, I have time in the morning
Jimin: Sounds good to me, the library at 10?
Jia: Yeah perfect~
Tae: 👌🏻 can do
Jia: alright, see you both then 😊 nite~
I locked my phone and put it on the charger before getting into bed. Wow, what a day.
Maybe my time at university will be fun, that's what I'd hope for more than anything.
Living a full and meaningful life was just as significant as anything else. I felt my eyes getting heavy and my last thoughts of the night drowned out as I fell asleep.