IMFOBO | CH 10 | The Third Blind Date

The Third Blind Date

 

Eun-cho scheduled all three blind dates for the same day, at the same location.

She felt guilty leaving the clinic solely in Jeong-seok’s care, and she also didn’t want to invest a lot of time and energy into these dates.

It was merely a show for her father.

Even if it was under the guise of child support, now that she had accepted that large sum of money, she absolutely had to keep her promise.

Even if these dates led to nothing.

‘What marriage? Not in my situation…’

Eun-cho sighed, looking at her reflection in the window.

The hotel lounge, the blind date—everything surrounding her felt uncomfortable.

Just like this pristine white two-piece suit, she’d borrowed from Su-ji.

Jeong-seok had reacted with a strange delight at the mention of a blind date, and Su-ji had readily offered her treasured outfit.

Eun-cho, after brushing back a stray strand of hair, waited for her final blind date.

This was unbearable.

She’d been sitting like a doll for three hours already; her backside was sore, and the corners of her mouth, forced into a smile, were on the verge of cramping.

“I’ll bring you some peppermint tea.”

“Yes, thank you.”

A teacup was placed in front of Eun-cho again.

She could tolerate two cups of coffee, but three was too much.

As Eun-cho lowered her gaze and lifted the teacup, the fragrant scent of peppermint tickled her nose.

It was a refreshing aroma that brought a sense of calm.

It didn’t really matter what the hotel staff thought of her, seeing her on a series of blind dates in the same spot, only changing partners.

For Eun-cho, the urgent matter was saving her grandmother.

When her grandmother first collapsed and moved to Cheongrim-ri, she didn’t even know the cancer had returned.

Even after finding out about the recurrence, her grandmother stubbornly refused to leave Cheongrim-ri, so she had been receiving treatment while traveling back and forth between a nearby university hospital and its affiliated convalescent hospital.

‘I should move her to a hospital in Seoul, no matter what.’

If the financial issue could be resolved, there was no reason to compromise with reality.

“Haa…”

Eun-cho lowered her gaze, waiting for the last blind date.

The first one was perfect in terms of conditions, but he kept saying “My mom…” at the end of every sentence, which was a major turn-off.

The second one’s first words were, “I’m looking for a wife who will quit her job and support me, rather than earning a paltry sum.”

His marriage values simply didn’t align with Eun-cho’s, who valued her work.

Since their objective conditions were all good, she was worried about how sorry she would feel for the other person if a really good man appeared, but that didn’t happen.

It was also a relief that they didn’t like each other.

‘Ten minutes…’

Come to think of it, the last blind date wasn’t showing up.

Eun-cho decided to wait five more minutes before getting up.

Waiting about 15 minutes was enough to show the minimum courtesy to a rude person who didn’t even bother to show up at the blind date.

‘Maybe it’s for the best.’

Eun-cho, sipping her peppermint tea, turned her head when she felt a gaze from somewhere.

As if he had been watching Eun-cho from the beginning, the man smiled faintly as soon as their eyes met.

“…!”

Her heart pounded as the corners of his lips curved into a smooth arc.

It was Ryu Tae-san.

She didn’t care what strangers said about her blind dates, but somehow, she felt uneasy about Ryu Tae-san finding out.

To think she’d meet that man here.

She didn’t realize Seoul was so small.

Eun-cho checked her wristwatch.

Fifteen minutes past the hour. That was enough courtesy toward her blind date.

Hiding her flustered expression, Eun-cho gave Tae-san a slight nod.

“Where are you going?”

Just as she was about to leave, the man was already striding towards her, standing beside Eun-cho.

Ryu Tae-san’s face held a mischievous playfulness as he gestured for her to sit down again.

His tone clearly hinted at a hidden intention.

Eun-cho’s face hardened, feeling strangely guilty by his tone as if he knew every detail of what she was doing here.

What difference did it make if Ryu Tae-san knew?

He was just someone she had no real connection with.

It was just that she was a little concerned about him saying something about matching partners.

“The tea’s already my third cup, so let’s have a meal.”

“…”

“Lee Eun-cho, you have the kind of face that makes people want to feed you.”

She was about to ask what a “face that makes people want to feed you” even meant, but stopped herself.

Was this incredibly busy man, who was featured in economic news articles this morning, just idly watching her here?

There were so many things she was curious about and wanted to ask, but it felt like it would all be to her detriment if she heard the answers.

Eun-cho closed her slightly parted lips.

It was best to let chance encounters simply pass by.

“Well, I don’t have time.”

“I’m Lee Eun-cho’s third blind date. Still no?”

“…!”

Just how much was this man going to surprise her?

Her neck flushed red at his completely unexpected words.

Her mind was a tangled mess.

She was overwhelmed by a sense of frustration, feeling like she had never escaped the palm of this man’s hand from the moment they first met until now.

The man knew everything from the beginning and moved people around as he pleased.

Acting that way came naturally to him.

“You look pretty today.”

He smirked, pulling up the corner of his lips.

Eun-cho’s eyes trembled at his nonchalantly thrown words.

Even in the midst of this, Jeong-seok’s voice echoed in her head, leaving a lingering trail.

“Ryu Tae-san is poison.”

Yes, if nothing else, there was no disagreement that he was a rather toxic man.

Despite his desperate plea not to get involved, she kept running into him.

Regardless of her own will, solely according to the man’s intentions.

“Is Japanese food okay?”

How did he know?

It wasn’t like he knew that she would jump out of bed for seafood, but the menu he suggested sounded tempting.

Besides, she had been drinking nothing but bitter coffee on an empty stomach because of this blind date rush.

Her stomach felt sore as she recognized her hunger at the man’s words.

She couldn’t just stand here like this forever.

She could feel people glancing at them as the tall man stood his ground in the middle of the lounge.

She had overlooked something.

That Ryu Tae-san was quite famous.

“…Okay.”

“Lee Eun-cho, you have a knack for making a rag out of other people’s kindness.”

Despite his harsh words, he gave her a refreshing smile.

She had given the other blind dates an hour, so giving this man time equally wouldn’t cause any unnecessary gossip.

This wasn’t just a blind date; it was a transaction involving money.

It was a place she had to endure, even if she didn’t want to.

“Let’s go, then.”

There was no point in dragging it out.

It was better to make any decision quickly.

As if he expected it, Tae-san turned his body, which had been blocking her.

As he moved, the dimly lit surroundings seemed to brighten slightly.

Looking at his straight back, she realized how tall the man was.

Contrary to expectations that he would walk ahead, the man matched his pace to Eun-cho’s with his long legs.

Their parallel walk felt quite new and unexpected.

As he said, the Japanese restaurant was right across from the lounge cafe.

“Welcome, please allow me to guide you to your seats.”

The manager, spotting Tae-san, quickly moved to greet them.

As if it had been prepared in advance, they were guided to a private room, and the Japanese chef, who had been waiting at the counter, bowed politely.

“Please prepare the A course.”

“Yes, understood, Director.”

She took a bite of the truffle steamed egg that came as an appetizer.

The pudding-like texture and the unique aroma of truffle seemed to soothe her stomach.

Visually stunning dishes were prepared one after another.

As she munched on the grouper and pufferfish sashimi, Tae-san smiled slightly as he watched.

“You eat well.”

“It’s an expensive meal, after all.”

When she retorted without backing down to Tae-san, who always seemed to be teasing her, his smile deepened even more.

Their gazes met deeply in the air.

Indeed… he was handsome.

Wasn’t it unfair to smile like that with a face that seemed to be favored by the gods of beauty?

“Why? Am I that handsome?”

Did he even have mind-reading abilities now?

The fact that his face was undeniably attractive somehow irritated her quite a bit.

“What do you want to say?”

Eun-cho turned to him and asked after filling her stomach to some extent.

No emotion could be felt on his impassive face.

“I’m disappointed.”

It was a playful tone, but there was sincerity within it.

Eun-cho wasn’t oblivious enough not to notice that.

“What exactly does that offer mean?”

“I’ll have to be direct. I’m asking if you’re interested in getting passionately entangled with me.”

What a vulgar and rude proposal.

The idea of matching partners was indeed a proposal.