Chapter 7 - Date Day

Taeyeon’s Apartment - 10:02PM

Taeyeon hummed to herself excitedly as she brushed her wet hair. Recalling the events earlier that afternoon, a giggle had escaped her lips. The person handling the music side of the project - Byun Baekhyun - was an absolute darling. He looked innocent and cute, but exuded a confident aura befitting of a man. They had briefly touched hands when they reached for the sugar simultaneously, and she was sure there were sparks between them. MIss Sunye had left shortly afterwards, and the rest of the lunch had been spent sharing anecdotes with between the two, taking in turns to laugh at the other’s misfortunes.

A shrill ringing from the nightstand broke Taeyeon out of her fantasies. She lurched over in annoyance to pick her phone up. The other man who had shared her thoughts alongside Baekhyun that day was calling.

“Hello?” picked up Taeyeon, irked that he had disturbed her dreamy thoughts.

“Hello. You remember we have a date tomorrow right?” asked Jiyong.

“Yes,” she answered bluntly. “What’s the plan?”

“Say I’ll pick you up for 6 o’clock in front of your apartment? Dress casually,” Jiyong said.

“Okay, 6 sounds great. What are we doing?” inquired Taeyeon. She was interested - it seemed odd that Jiyong would request for her to dress casually. From what she could tell he was a rather high class guy and enjoyed the finer things in life. What would they be doing that he would tell her to dress comfortably?

“You’ll just have to find out tomorrow won’t you?” laughed Jiyong as he hung up.

Taeyeon grumbled and slouched into her chair - Jiyong was still as confusing as ever, and she was without a clue what would be in store for her tomorrow. She continued to comb her hair, now with thoughts of tomorrow’s date lingering in her mind.

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Jiyong’s Car - 6.05PM

Just as he did before, Jiyong arrived exactly on time. Taeyeon was already seated in the passenger seat as the two started their date. Taeyeon looked ahead as she thought to herself how long had it been since she went on a date. In the closing months of her last relationship they rarely went out, with her ex citing all kinds of excuses. She snapped out of her trance as she reminded herself this was not a proper date and should not be counted as one.

“Don’t be alarmed but we’re being watched,” informed Jiyong nonchalantly. He had one hand on the steering wheel, the other against the windowsill holding his head up. Tonight he was in a more casual attire - black jeans and a white polo shirt which did little to hide his muscular figure.

Taeyeon was about to turn around when she felt a firm hand grip her shoulder.

“Don’t turn around either, we don’t want him to know that we know we are being watched.”

“Who is he?” questioned Taeyeon. She felt nervous as the prospect of being under surveillance. She was a person who had to have her personal privacy.

“He’s one of my family’s lackeys,” replied Jiyong. “They all work under my mother. Yesterday one of them was following me all day. Be careful, they might be onto you too. You might not  have noticed them yet.”

Taeyeon tried to recollect her memories of the day before. She did spot some suspicious figures but brushed it off as a coincidence at the time. “So tonight we should act lovey dovey so they report to your mother that we’re a real couple?”

“You’re right on the mark,” confirmed Jiyong. “You’ll see the place I picked out is perfect for it.”

“Where are we going?” asked Taeyeon, tugging at the hem of her blue patterned blouse. Skinny blue jeans had completed her outfit, accentuating her thin legs.

“You’ll see when we get there,” responded Jiyong, a satisfied grin on his face.

“Should I be excited?” Taeyeon was nervous - after his words two nights ago he seemed to be more empathetic towards her. Maybe this make-believe relationship wouldn’t be so bad after all. At least she could have fun out on nights like these.

Jiyong nodded. “After this date I’m sure you’ll be very content.”

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After a short drive the two got out of the car onto a street off the side of Myeongdong - the shopping district of Seoul. In the early evening the location was still buzzing with energy. Couples were hand in hand browsing the wide selection of shops, youths were enjoying the street food stalls that lined the street, and businessmen were winding down at the restaurants which dotted the outer parts of Myeongdong. Jiyong walked Taeyeon to one of these restaurants.

“You took me to Korean BBQ?” asked Taeyeon, reading the sign above - Park's samgyeopsal.

Jiyong nodded, afraid of Taeyeon’s reaction. “This is okay with you right?”