Y O O N A

After spending what I believe was the most hellish hour of my life going on a shopping/ splurging spree with this obnoxious foreigner, I thought things couldn’t get any worse. But then he said, “We’ll eat dinner.”

Dinner.

He wants to have dinner with me.

In Dokbayo, when a girl and a guy go out to have dinner, it means they are in a serious relationship. So when this stranger asked, no told me, that we were going to eat dinner together, I freaked out.

 “No, no no. We are not going to have dinner - ”

But it was too late.

Carrot head had already walked into the restaurant and asked the waiter to reserve a table for two. Trust me, it was really hard to prevent myself from getting all violent with this guy. I mean, the nerve!

I could’ve run away. I could’ve socked him in the face for shamelessly taking up much of my time when I could’ve been home resting after a tiring day at work and then run away. But I didn’t. Why?

Because father’s image appeared in my mind. Because I heard father’s voice telling me, “You should never overlook your civil duties. Show all of Dokbayo what a good citizen should be like.”

Father, why do I love you so much?

Swallowing my anger and my frustration, I hastily stomped after him into the restaurant. Soon, Carrot head will return to his country. Soon, he’ll disappear from my life. I just have to be kind to him this once. Come on, Yoona. Soon, this will be over with.

The Old Cabin Rotisserie was probably one of the fine-dining restaurants the country could be proud of. However, like all fine-dining spots, the food was expensive. I felt my eyes widen as I browsed through the menu. Mushroom soup for three hundred Huan? (That’s roughly fifteen US dollars, by the way). I cringed.

Carrot top probably noticed how I reacted to the prices. “Don’t worry,” he said, smiling. “Pick anything. I will pay for it.”

That hurt my pride. Does he think I’m that poor? Does he think I can’t afford food like this? I straightened up in my seat and calmly said, “No thank you. I’ll pay for my own food.”

He reached out his hand and pulled down the menu so we could see eye to eye. If only he knew the effort it took to keep looking back at him and pretend that I was unaffected by the intensity of his gaze.

“It’s a thank you gift,” he said ever so sweetly. “For taking your time to help me. I appreciate it so much. You are a blessing.”

Okay. I’m not the kind of girl who easily falls for sweet talk. I would usually just stare down the guy until he looks away and regret that he ever tried to tell me empty, flowery words.

But at that moment, it was really hard for me not to look away. This foreigner … he sounded different. Was it because he was sincere?

No. Yoona. How many guys have played around with you before? They said you were special, kind, beautiful. Said you were an angel. Then in the end, you’ll find out that they said the same exact thing to other girls.

Yup.  This guy probably whispered the same exact thing to other women. I forced a smirk out. “Fine. Anyway, in Dokbayo, it is bad manners to reject a thank you gift.”

He smiled and browsed through his menu.

~~~

Here’s the funny thing. While we were eating, Carrot head just kept looking at me. I thought I’d get used to his gaze but no. The more he looked, no stared at me, the more I found it difficult to act indifferently.

Then while I was trying to stare him down with the most evil glare I could muster, he did the most wretched thing.

He smiled and winked at me.

I stood up.

“Yoona-sshi, I’m sorry!” he exclaimed. Almost everyone in the restaurant turned their heads to look at us. Afraid of the attention – afraid that people might think that this guy and I were having a couple’s quarrel, I sat back down.

“I’m sorry, sorry,” he repeated over and over. “I couldn’t help it. You just looked too cute.”

I rolled my eyes. There it is again. The sweet talk. I swear. After this, I vow never to see this guy again.

Carrot head gulped down the rest of his noodle soup and pretty soon, we were out of there. I walked ahead and I made sure that I never ever looked back to check if he was still following me.

~~~

He was still following me, of course. I felt him tap me on the shoulder. I sharply turned around and glared at him with pure annoyance. “What?”

He pointed at a small booth in the middle of hall. There was flat screen computer under the words “Ideal Boyfriend/Girlfriend Generator”.

It sounded like a waste of time, so I turned around and started walking as quickly as I can towards the exit when I felt another tap on my shoulder.

“Let’s go, please?” he pleaded. There it was again. His gaze.

I sighed and weighed my options. Okay. So here’s the guy who demanded that I him to the mall and watch over him like a nanny while he shops. Here’s the guy who freaking winked at me while I was trying to enjoy my meal. On the other hand, here’s the guy who appreciated what I was doing and even paid for my dinner.

“Alright, but make it quick,” I felt as if I was talking to a child who wanted to play on the swings one more time.

Carrot head handed some cash to the person in charge of the computer.

“Good evening,” she greeted in English then spoke quickly in Dokbayonese. “Would you like to know how your ideal boyfriend/girlfriend would look like? Just answer the questions and the computer will generate an image of him or her.”

“What did she say?” Carrot head asked.

Wearily, I translated for him.

“Okay,” he grinned. “You go answer.”

“W-what?” I stammered.

“Please answer the questions,” he repeated. “I want to know what your ideal boyfriend would look like.”