A Chance Encounter. Chapter Four.

It’s nearly seven thirty and I’m still not in the mood to go out, especially since it’s Yixing. You know when you meet the right guy, you just know – you’d feel nervous, and you’d flush until your ears heat up. You’d think twice before saying anything, and do your best to look good. With Yixing…I don’t really feel anything. It’s as if I’m indifferent towards him in a certain way. It could be because my mind’s already occupied with thoughts about Chanyeol. Or maybe he just isn’t the right guy.

Mum always tells me I have an overly imaginative mind, and that I always build my own delusional fantasies around everyday situations. I guess what she means to say is that I’m living in a crazy dream, wherein I’m expecting something miraculous to happen, like finding a guy who makes my heart beat erratically. “Things like that don’t happen in real life,” she'd said wryly. “Get your head straight, Juyeon, you’re not in high school anymore.” It was a day after she’d told me that Dad and she were filing a divorce. I had thrown a fit, telling her they couldn’t do so, and that they were soul-mates, meant to be with each other for a lifetime. 

I was in love with their story – apparently my Dad was penniless, and my grandfather was against their whole union. He’d sent Mum off to her aunt’s house in the city, so Dad couldn’t meet her anymore. But then Dad wanted to prove he was worthy of her, and he invested in some small business, which miraculously flourished. Right after he went back to grandfather, with his first pay. However, my grandfather, being the stern man that he was, still refused him. And then, Mum and Dad decided to elope and get married. It was after three years that I was born, and my grandfather forgave them. The very first time I heard their story from my aunt, I was awestruck. I wanted something like that out of my life too.

But when I told that to Mum, she completely lost it. “I was just like you,” she’d said. “Look where it got me. Your father gets on my nerves now.”

 When I’d met Chanyeol for the first time, I was certain it was him, the one who’d sweep me off my feet. But that certainly didn’t turn out well. Maybe Mum was right; maybe I should give Yixing a chance. He might not make my heart race; he might not be anything like I’d pictured the man of my dreams to be like, but at least we would have a stable life, if we ever got married. We could have one of those boring marriages where the husband leaves for work early in the morning, gets back home late, and the dutiful wife whips up a five minute meal from whatever ingredients she finds in the refrigerator for dinner. The mere thought of it makes me want to cry. I don’t want to be stuck in a boring relationship, I want something exciting, and Yixing is a far cry from that. I don’t even know if he has a social life.

What is wrong with me? I haven’t even gone on a date with him, and I’ve already thought about our marriage. Perhaps, this whole thing with Bona and Chanyeol has left my mind in a state of frenzy. Bona’s only a few months older than me and she’s getting married. People would certainly ask me when my turn is, when they see me at her wedding. I’d have to tell that I’m just a lonely little potato, and they’d cast sympathetic glances in my direction, take a good look at my hideous bridesmaid dress and go like, “She’s never going to find anyone, that poor little thing!”

Crap. It’s seven forty-five, I really need to get up and get dressed. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, I can at least distract myself from whatever happened today with Chanyeol. Now, Yixing didn’t really tell me where we’re going for this ‘date’, so I really don’t know what to wear. I could always throw on a comfortable pair of jeans, a t-shirt. But what if he takes me to some fine-dining restaurant? I’d look out of place. But what if he takes me to a street stall? I’d look overdressed! I suppose I should throw on something a little elegant, just to be on the safe side. Besides, this is part of my resolution – I’m not going to be picky, I’m going to give Yixing a chance, and I’ll put in some effort.

I glace at my watch, there’s only four minutes left to eight, and knowing Yixing, as little as I know about him, he’d reach right on time. He probably times his seconds while works. If he ever saw my workplace, he’d have a cardiac arrest. That reminds me, I have a Webtoon to work on, and the next episode of cockroach superhero is pending. Maybe I could work on it after I get back home. Anyway, I’m left with minimal time to put on some eyeliner, I shouldn’t be that difficult. I usually sketch my characters for my Webtoon on my sketchpad, it’s given me fairly steady hands, comes in quite handy when you put on eyeliner. There, I’m done. I hope I’m not too overdressed – I’ve put on this black dress (something you’d never go wrong with), some matching dangling earrings, and my uncomfortable pair of stilettos. Wow, I can’t even seem to remember the last time I made such an effort. I did dress up whenever I went with Chanyeol, but there was always that firm assurance that he wouldn’t mind even if I wore a ratty pair of jeans. But now