Twist Of Fate

Chapter 46

The Blind Date

You took a sip of your coffee. The bittersweet taste lingered for a bit on your tongue. Your coffee wasn’t too strong, nor mild. You like it medium.

Your eyes wandered out the window of your office and to the front yard. Some of the kids were out and playing.

However, you could feel a certain person’s eyes on you. You had tried to ignore her curious look, ever since she entered the office, but you knew her so well.

She was waiting for an opportunity to speak up. You had to ask her about what it was, or she would keep on looking at you like this for a bit longer.

Jangmi clearly wanted to ask you something as she kept on staring at you silently, and sometimes very intently.

“Jangmi, spit it out, what do you want to ask?” You breathed out, turned away from the windows, and looked at your coworker, into her curious eyes, and she stiffened for a second. You took a sip of your coffee and waited.

“How far have you gone with that guy Yongguk?” She blurted out.

“Oh my God, is that what you want to know, Jangmi. What are you thinking?” You gasped and coughed, getting shocked on your coffee. You tapped your chest a couple of times.

You stared at Jangmi, who had a blank look, but then you grabbed onto the back of your neck and placed your cup of coffee on the windowsill.

You started to cough somehow, when you analyzed Jangmi’s question, your face began to heat up, and you huffed out.

We’ve only kissed…

“Look at you, getting embarrassed and all.” She wiggled her brows at you, and you gasped dramatically.

“I’m going to leave.” You broke out in a firm tone and took a stride towards the door.

But then Jangmi rose from her chair from her desk and shot you a hard glare that made you freeze up. You gulped hard and looked at her.

“There’s nothing between Yongguk and me. I’ve already told you that.” You stated, and Jangmi lifted an eyebrow at you questioning.

“Is that so?” She asked, and you nodded. “Well, then I got a date for you.” She broke out.

“You-what!?” You hurried up to her desk and gazed at her with a surprised look. “What have you done?” You asked her further as you leaned to her.

Jangmi folded her arms over her chest, she pursed her lips, smiling coyly at you, and your eyes widened further. Your face was heating up, and you didn’t know what she had done.  

“I’ve set a date for you this Saturday.” She stated.

“With whom?” You asked.

“You’ll see, it’s a blind date.” She told, and you looked at her baffled.

“But why?” You asked.

“Because you’ve been single for too long, and I really hope that you find that someone good.” She said, and you sighed deeply.

“Well aren’t you thoughtful.” You scorned, but smiled nonetheless, and she laughed sweetly.

“You do want to meet someone right?” She asked in a serious tone, and you froze.

“But-”

“Then the date is set.” She cut off.

“What’s his name? How old is he? What does he do for a living?” You went on, but Jangmi got up from her chair, ignored your many questions, and grabbed a bunch of documents from her desk.

“C’mon, tell me something? at least give me a hint.” You said, but she ignored you as she walked off to the door.

“I can’t reveal anything, it’s a surprise, but it’s someone, who wants to get to know you better.” She told and opened the door. You stared at her with a dumbfounded look.

“You can’t leave me like this.” You stated, when she left the office, but she waved her hand and laughed.

You sighed deeply, when she was gone. It was someone who wanted to get to know you better. Did that mean it is a guy, whom you already know? You sighed deeply.  

You were alone in the place for a while until the door opened and your coworker Jooyoung appeared.

Jooyoung had just finished his morning class with the kids and upon seeing you, a smile formed on his face.

“Hey, how are you?” He asked.

You wanted to ask him if had heard Jangmi speak of that blind date, and whether he knew something about it, but then again, he probably hadn’t, because Jangmi could be secretive.

“I’m fine. I am preparing for my class.” You told, and he nodded.

There was a sudden silence. You lowered your gaze to your laptop and began to type. Somehow, you could feel Jooyoung’s eyes on you for a while.

His desk was situated in front of yours. It had always been there since you began this job two years ago. You tipped your head to the side, kept your eyes on the screen and stared at it for a while.

But you were certain that Jooyoung was looking at you. Hence, you finally lifted your gaze and met his eyes.

Obviously, you had caught him off guard, because he was surprised, when your eyes locked, and you blinked your eyes a couple of times, not knowing if you should say something. It was just awkward. You smiled instead.

He stiffened, looked the other way quickly, but then back to you, and a little smile formed on his face.

There was something different about him today. He seemed stiff, a bit different around you, awkward for some reason.

You furrowed your brows, wondering why he was being this way suddenly, but continued with your work.

A while later, you heard him clear his throat, and he coughed. He was occupied with his work. You stood up from your desk and took off to the kitchen.

It seemed like Jooyoung had a sore throat and you knew what would help a bit. You made some tea for him.

Jooyoung would sometimes drink tea. You knew which one he liked, and you made that for him. You stole a glance at him and frowned.

Jooyoung was still there, sitting in front of his laptop at his desk, but his eyes were on your empty desk. He stared at your desk for a while and you furrowed your brows. He seemed to be in deep thoughts.

You returned to the room and walked up to him. He was so delved in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed that you stood beside him. You cleared your throat to make your presence aware.

“Jooyoung-ah?” You called out and he immediately froze.

He tipped his head to the side, his dark brown eyes wandered up and he met your thoughtful gaze, but then he saw the cup of tea in your hand and his eyes slightly widened.

You wondered about why he seemed so distracted today. Your lips parted, you were about to ask him, but he just smiled widely, and seemed like himself now.

“You made Chamomile tea?” He asked, and you nodded.

His eyes brightened somehow, they seemed brighter, filled with joy and warmth. A small smile formed on your face as you looked at him. He seemed fine now.

It wasn’t the first time you made tea for your co-worker. He just hasn’t smiled like this before. You brushed it off. You placed the cup on his desk and strode off to your desk.

“I added two teaspoons of sugar.” You mentioned, when you pulled your seat out, whilst looking at him.

You noticed how his smile spread on his face, reached to his brown eyes, and he let out a bright chuckle.

“It’s exactly what I like.” He said, and you smiled sweetly.

“I know.” You cooed with a smirk and sat on your chair. You knew what your colleagues liked.

He laughed once more, shaking his head, you giggled and opened your laptop. A moment of silence passed by, which soon ended by Jooyoung’s questions regarding your art class.

“The next theme that I’ve planned is about friendships. I want the kids to paint their friends and use any color they want to express their emptions, whether it’s dark or warm colors. It’s a bit of a free project, in the sense that they can draw whatever they want as long as it related to the theme ‘friendship’.”

“That’s interesting. How did you come up with that idea?” Jooyoung said with interest in his eyes.

You pondered for a bit, tapped your fingers on your desk, inhaled and exhaled deeply. You remembered Ki Joon’s drawing of his family from his nursery school. It was a project made by his kindergarten teachers, to reflect on family relationships.

You wanted the kids at the orphanage to reflect on their friendships as some of them often get into conflicts with each other.

You hope that this project will make some of the kids reflect and value their friendships more. You told Jooyoung about this, and he stared at you for a while, seeming surprised. You gave him a smile.

“That’s a really good idea, considering this class is for the prepubescent kids, and they often have fights in that age.” He told, and you nodded.

“Hmm, maybe I should do something similar for my gym class, to make them become closer.” Jooyoung pondered, making you laugh, but you agreed.

~❋~

The weekend came, quicker this time, when you were dreading it. You inhaled deeply and stared at your view in the long mirror in front of you.

You could hear Jangmi’s voice in your mind, “Wear something short, something cute and y.” You shrugged at those words ‘y’ and ‘cute’. You couldn’t relate to that at all, you were none of that. You didn’t feel that way.

You picked out a salmon colored short dress, which was high up to your hips, with a black blouse with long sleeves, and high-neck.

You wore short black heals that matched your outfit. You kept your hair loose and wore light makeup.

You couldn’t believe that you got convinced to do this, you had no options, because you know that you will have to listen to Jangmi nagging, if you don’t go. You sighed deeply.

You grabbed your purse and stepped out of your room. It was afternoon and Yongguk was home this weekend, which was good and bad.

It was good because he could have Ki Joon today, so you wouldn’t have to think about getting a babysitter, and you weren’t much for that either.

The bad thing is that, you don’t know what to tell him, and somehow you don’t want to tell that you are going on a date.

The hall was empty and quiet. You hurried down to the first floor and looked to your sides. You had to tell Yongguk that you would be out for a while. But you didn’t know whether you should be honest or not.

Suddenly, you remembered your second encounter with Yongguk. You clearly remember that you had agreed to date others.

“We have our separate lives. We will only raise this child together, and live our lives on our own way. Meaning you can date, and marry whoever you want, and I can do the same. But we share the responsibility for this child together, and shouldn’t forget that.”

Those were his words, so there should be no issues, you figured, and besides, he wouldn’t mind being alone with Ki Joon, didn’t he love that? You made a face.

You stiffened and looked out. Your eyes instantly locked, the moment you stepped into the open kitchen.

Yongguk was seated on the barstool at the island, and he had his MacBook in front of him. You gulped hard. He had an empty look as his sharp eyes bore in yours.

Somehow, you could feel your heart pound harder against your chest, and you tugged on the strap to your bag.

But then you noticed how his eyes wandered down your body, and you hadn’t put on a jacket, so he could see that you were dressed up. He could tell that you were going out.

“Where are you going?” He asked right away, when his eyes met yours again.

“Out.” You replied.

“Where?” He asked.

“On a date.” You accidentally blurt out, and your eyes widened for a second, but you quickly gathered yourself.

“What?” He furrowed his brows.

“Umm.” You looked the other way and you spotted Ki Joon in the living room.

Ki Joon was seated on the floor and played with Tigger. You blinked your eyes a couple of times. Your heart hammered harder against your ribcage. You couldn’t avoid this.

You didn’t understand why you were feeling anxious, when Yongguk had been the one to say that you can date whoever you want in the future.

You finally averted your eyes back to Yongguk, and tensed up, when you noticed how hard he looked now.

“I’m going on a blind date, so I wanted to ask if it is alright that you tuck Ki Joon to bed tonight?” You asked.

“Whatever.” He grunted and lowered his eyes to his laptop.

He started to type again, but very aggressively, that you almost feared he would break his keyboard. You stood still for a bit.

“I’m leaving.” You said as you stared at him, but he didn’t look back at you.

Tell me not to go! A little voice said in the back of your mind, and you shrugged it off.

What am I even thinking? He doesn’t care what I do.

“I made some dishes, it’s all in the fridge, but you can order dinner, if you don’t want it.” You added, looking at him.

However, he continued to type, ignoring you, and you finally lowered your eyes, turned around and was about to walk out.

“When are you coming back home?” He asked.

You stopped, turned around and looked at him. He had the same blank, unreadable, hard look, and you stared into his eyes for a moment.

“I don’t know.” You said.

“Didn’t know you were one to go on blind dates.” He added to himself, when he lowered his gaze, but you heard him.

“I’m not.” You said.

“But you are going on a blind date now.” He stated.

“Yeah, I am, because Jangmi set it up for me.” You told honestly, not knowing why.

“Jangmi?” He repeated, and you nodded.

His expression changed. He looked puzzled for a moment, but then he bit on his bottom lip, and clenched his jaw. His eyes wandered down your body once more, and you tensed up.

“It’s fall, and its cold outside.” He stated.

“I’m taking a taxi.” You told, and his eyes met yours.

“It’s still cold.” He repeated.

His eyes stayed at your legs for a while, and for the first time, you noticed how he stared at your legs, for so long that it started to make your face heat up. He never looked at you. You were wearing thin tights.

You huffed deeply, feeling exposed. Maybe you were too overdressed, and it wasn’t like you. But Jangmi pressured you. You rarely wore skirts, and skirts that are short.

You were going on a date after all, so you had to look presentable and a bit extra, which is what Jangmi said.

The way Yongguk was looking at you now made you want to reconsider your decision on wearing a short skirt.

But it was too late, you didn’t have time to pick a new outfit. You looked the other way, avoiding his gaze.

“I’m going.” You said hurriedly.

You rushed off to Ki Joon in the living room. The little boy was playing by himself, when you squatted to him. He looked up at you with a smile.

“Are you going out?” He asked as he noticed your outfit, and you nodded.

“How do I look?” You asked.

“Pretty.” He smiled widely, making your heart tug, and you cooed.

You hugged him closely and told him that you’d be out till late and wouldn’t get to tuck him to bed tonight. He was alright with it and gave you a tight hug before you left the living room.

You walked past the kitchen and stole a final glance towards Yongguk. He was still seated at the island and typed away on his laptop. He didn’t glance up, not even once. You averted your eyes and walked out of the house.

Your taxi was waiting for you. You gave the address to the driver. The moment you got into the taxi, it hit you that you were on your way to a date.

You still couldn’t believe that you let yourself get talked into doing this. A part of you needed to get it done.

Yongguk was so cool about it, but you hadn’t expected anything from him, because he said back then that you could date and get married, as long as you don’t forget to take care of Ki Joon. However, he seemed to be bugged by your outfit. You scoffed to yourself

You were delved in your thoughts, when your phone buzzed as you had received a message from Jangmi. You opened the message and read it.

You are finally stepping out of your little shell, and comfort zone.. I am sure you will be surprised by this date. He is a nice guy, who deserves to get a chance by you.

You furrowed your brows, pondering about what she meant. You thought for a while, but you had no idea of whom it could be. You didn’t know of any guy around you, who was interested in you.

It suddenly hit you that you haven’t exactly told Soomin of this. Hence, you sent her a quick message.

Hey, you remember Jangmi from my work, right? She’s set up a blind date for me, and I am going there now to meet this guy. I can’t believe I am doing this. I know, you are surprised too, but Jangmi won’t let me off the hook, if I don’t go.. and I’ve thought of it, maybe I should give it a try, maybe I should try to date.. Idk, but I am going now..

You sent the message.

A moment after, a reply came, and you opened your message.

WHAT ABOUT YONGGUK? I TOLD YOU TO PURSUE HIM! WHY ARE YOU GOING OUT ON A DATE WITH A COMPLETE STRANGER? TURN BACK NOW! YAAAH SERA!!

You stared at the message, when the memory of how Yongguk was, when you told him of your bind date, entered your mind.

He had been so unfazed about it, when you told him that you were going on a date. Clearly, he doesn’t care.

Also, when you met him for the second time, he told you to date anyone. You ignored Soomin’s message.

~❋~

“We are here now.” The driver announced. You paid him and stepped out of the car.

Your eyes wandered to the restaurant in front of you. Your heart began to race. It was a nice and cozy place. It did look a bit extravagant, but not the expensive kind of extravagant.

You were led to a table by a waiter and you took a seat. You had the best spot in the restaurant. You had the view to the city.

There was a vase with a few roses on your table, and candle lights. Jazz music filled the place. It was romantic. It was odd. You weren’t used to this.

Honestly, you hadn’t been on a date before. This was new to you. You clutched onto your bag. You were anxious, nervous, and uncomfortable. You breathed deeply.

“What am I doing here?” You whispered to yourself.

“Hello, Sera.”

You tensed up in your seat, stared off for a moment, when you recognized that voice, but it couldn’t be him.

Why would he be here? You tipped your head to the side and looked up. Your eyes widened of surprise.

“Oh my God, Jooyoung.” You gasped, unable to hide your surprise.

You hadn’t seen this one coming. You wanted to get to Jangmi and strangle her for doing this to you. She tried to help you, but this made things awkward now. Why did she pick out Jooyoung of all men?

No no no.

“I’m sorry, are you displeased?” Jooyoung asked with a frown, looking worriedly at you with his big deer-like eyes, and you quickly gathered yourself.

“Sorry, I am just taken back.” You admitted.

“Yeah, I don’t blame you.” He said, and he took the seat in front of you.

You gazed at him intently, trying to process what was happening, and the fact that Jooyoung is your so-called blind date.

Jooyoung looked at you, he too seemed thoughtful, and the both of you were silent for a bit. You remembered the awkward look he had. It was the same look he had on his face last Friday. No wonder, he had known of this.

You held in your surprised look now. The atmosphere had become awkward, and you were tense in your body posture.

You reminded yourself to calm down and look relaxed, because Jooyoung was clearly feeling anxious now. He didn’t look like himself.

You hadn’t seen such a worried look on his face before and a half-hearted smile formed on his face as he looked at you. The man didn’t know what to do of himself.

You were taken back. You had no idea that he felt this way about you. That he was interested in you.

“But..” You paused.

“You want to know why?” He asked.

You nodded, because you can’t look past the fact that you didn’t know he had feelings for you, and you wanted to know why, and when it began, and why he hadn’t told you of this earlier. Jooyoung pursed his lips and gave you a small nod.