I swear I will murder him while he sleeps.  Somehow, he bungled up the fifth attempt I had made to set him up on a date with one of my friends.  How is a professional matchmaker supposed be successful when the person closest to you can’t even go on a proper date?

Jongdae and I grew up in the same neighborhood.  I was a year younger and most of the girls around are either way too young or way too older than me to hang around with. Consequently I used to tag along Jongdae.  I was the little sister he wished he never had.  We used to play, laugh and fight with each other.  We came and went in each other’s home like its our own.  And the pranks got more and more elaborate until our parents put a stop on it when I was in high school.  He was in university by then and our parents deemed it inappropriate for us to be hanging out so much since everybody kept thinking we were in a relationship.

I was sad at his absence but I had discovered boys by then and didn’t really spend too long worrying about the fact we were drifting apart.  It was also then that I found I had a talent for matchmaking.  I was popular and often got asked on a date.  Every boy who asked me out on a date somehow seemed not my “Mr. Right”.  What’s funny though is after one date, I know who they were right for.  It’s like playing a card game and you have to find a matching pair.  I always seem to find the other perfect pair for someone.

I was successful in matching several couples and I knew this was what I wanted to do.  So I to please my parents, I went to university for psychology degree but started my matchmaking business within months from graduation.  

Jongdae walked back into my life a few months ago.  All smiles and sunshine.  I was laughing before I knew what was going on and I was like we never even drifted apart.  He dropped by after work everyday and we go out for drinks, watch the latest movies or simply walk back home together.  It took awhile but I finally noticed that his girlfriend was nowhere around.  I asked him what happened but he shut down so suddenly I ended up bribing him with cake a couple of days later just so he would talk to me.  I never brought up his ex as a topic again.

He was always hanging out after work waiting for me to finish and eating all the cookies on my drawer.  It dawned on me that he must be lonely if he is hanging out with me.  As nonchalantly as I could, I begun to probe him for his ideal type of girl.  At first he laughed off my questions but I am persistent and determined to get him out on a date and maybe out of my cookie jar.

He described what he wanted or liked in a girl and I began to make mental list of who will suit him the most.  After a couple more months of him hanging out with me all the time, I finally found the girl that’s perfect l for him.  I set up the most romantic date ever and asked him to dress up nicely. He was excited too since he wouldn’t stop texting me all day and kept calling asking when he could come. I was already at the meeting place lighting up the candles in the conservatory of flowers I hired for the night for this romantic date.  He was walking in carrying a bouquet of red roses.  He was grinning ear to ear and you can see happiness radiating from his eyes.

I grinned back at him and quickly met him to direct him where to stand to meet his ideal girl.  This was where everything went downhill fast.  He look confused and flustered when I told him his dates name and told him to smile just a pretty young woman entered the conservatory.  I left them alone thinking I did my best job ever.  The following morning I got a rather tearful and upset call from the girl saying Jongdae basically thanked her for coming, put her in a cab and left all within ten minutes of meeting each other.

I hounded him for an answer but he stubbornly refused to answer.  He actually sulked and refused to talk to me for a week.  The few times I managed to get hold of him before he cut me off he kept muttering under his breath something that sounded like “ing clueless” and “insensitive” but when I asked him to repeat it again he said he was tired and he will talk later.  He was back to being all smiles and sunshine within a week and we drifted back to our daily routine of after work drinks, movies or walking home.  

I was sorry I bungled up my first matchmaking attempt for him so I apologized and promised to do better next time.  He looked at me funny after I said that.  He even looked a little angry to me.  But he was nonetheless very forgiving.  I cut off the element of surprise and gave him profiles and pictures of girls I thought will match him.  He laugh while refusing but I wore him down with my persistence.  Unfortunately, four more women more or less got the same treatment.  Polite and courteous greetings, stilted conversation and lack of interest in getting any further than that awkward date.

After today’s fifth bungled attempt at matchmaking, I had enough and stormed to his place.  He gave me the passcode to his apartment months ago and I am used to coming here.  Most of the time I bring food from my mom or we watch movies on his large TV when I am too broke afford the movies.  I dropped my bag on the hallway and started searching for him.  I found him lying on top of his bedcovers, his headphones wrapped around his head.  I quickly pulled the pillow beneath his head and started hitting him with it.  

“Yah!  You idiot!  Are you determined to destroy my reputation?  What’s wrong with this girl this time?” I yelled at Jongdae and hit him repeatedly with his pillow.  I covered his face lightly, playfully trying to suffocate him.  He was laughing and dodging my blows.  He threw the headphones away and wrestled with me for the pillow I was hitting him with.  I stopped breathing and moving when I finally realized how we were positioned.  He was using both hands to keep both my arms over my head, his lips were only a few inches above mine, and he was looking at me with laughter in his eyes.  

“Nothing wrong with her.  She’s just not you.” He breathed over my lips seconds before he kissed me.  I thought lightning hit me.  Suddenly every nerve ending I have seem to tingle with excitement.  Without meaning to, I closed my eyes and returned his kiss.  I felt him smile before he let my arms go so he could slip his arms around me and deepened the kiss.  With my arms freed, I should have pushed him away but instead I twined around his neck, and ran my fingers through his thick hair.  

“I...ing...hate...you!” I muttered in between molding my lips to his each time he kissed me.  His shoulders were shaking with laughter as his hand freely roamed over my skin.

“Will you forgive me if I buy you cake?” He was teasing me not only with his words but also with his tongue.  I was racked with shudders while his tongue traced my earlobes lightly as he whispered these words.

“Make it ice cream and I’m yours.” I smiled at him and dove under the bedcovers.  His laughter filled the room.