CHAPTER 75………………………………….
“Don’t talk nonsense. What kind of blind date would I have with you, Cha Seungjae?”
“What do you mean nonsense? The person you were supposed to meet on that blind date was you and me in the first place.”
He wasn’t wrong.
If she hadn’t sent her friend in her place, the two of them would have met as blind-date partners.
“From the beginning, our parents arranged that blind date hoping the two of us would get along well. That means we don’t even need to persuade them separately. If things work out between us, what could be easier than that? We wouldn’t have to go on any more blind dates either.”
“No, I’m telling you—I have no intention of trying anything with you, Cha Seungjae.”
“Why do you dislike me so much? What exactly don’t you like?”
The playful smile that had been on Seungjae’s face disappeared, revealing a serious expression.
Seeing such an unfamiliar side of him for the first time, Dain was momentarily speechless.
When he quietly waited for her answer, she finally spoke.
“I hate stiff situations like blind dates where people are forced together. And I don’t like men who look so rigid and put-together like you. That 2-to-8 hairstyle where every single strand is neatly slicked back!”
Dain’s gaze moved from his face down to his body.
“And I don’t like that suffocating three-piece suit either.”
Maybe it was because she had seen the same kind of image from her father since childhood.
For some reason, Dain disliked the kind of gentlemanly men that most women preferred.
She had once dated men who were free-spirited in fashion and attitude—only to experience painful breakups.
Even so, she still couldn’t feel any attraction to men who seemed trapped within rigid frames.
Maybe the identical, cookie-cutter personalities she saw in blind dates forced on her had only deepened that prejudice.
“I’ll change my hairstyle. I actually look pretty good with my hair down.”
Seungjae spoke casually, without hesitation.
“I won’t wear suits either.”
“……”
“I’ll change whatever I can change, so stop putting up walls.”
For a moment, Dain had nothing to say.
She had expected Seungjae to leave angrily after she spoke so bluntly—almost rudely—but instead he offered to adjust everything.
“I’m someone who managed to live with that terrible Taeihan and put up with all his moods. You think I can’t handle matching Miss Bae Dain’s preferences?”
“No, but… why go that far?”
She genuinely didn’t understand.
Why would he be so accommodating to someone who had just criticized everything about him?
“Because I like you.”
Seungjae continued in an even more serious tone.
“I like your sharp way of speaking. Your honest personality that says whatever you want without hesitation. And that pretty face too—I like all of it.”
“……”
“So even if you wear that red leather jacket trying to scare me away… instead of running, I just want to stay even closer to you.”
This was the first time Dain had ever seen Seungjae so sincere.
Since she felt his sincerity and couldn’t respond, he spoke again.
“So give me a chance. Try dating me once. I promise you won’t regret it.”
This time, even Dain couldn’t refuse.
Taking her silence as agreement, Seungjae finally lifted the corner of his mouth and smiled like he always did.
***
After moving out of Ihan’s house, Haru had worried she might see him less often.
But that worry turned out to be unnecessary.
Even with his busy schedule, Ihan often came to see Haru, and Haru would also visit his place from time to time.
For two people who constantly sought each other out, Ihan’s long business trip was cruel news.
He had to leave for a ten-day trip right when their relationship was blossoming.
“Two more days left…”
On her way home from work, Haru stepped off the bus and sighed.
The blue sky, the beautifully colored autumn leaves, and the golden ginkgo trees—none of it caught her attention.
The sky of Seoul without Ihan wasn’t beautiful at all.
“I should just buy some kimbap.”
She didn’t even have much appetite.
Haru—who always said the scariest thing in the world was being hungry—was now planning to skip a proper meal.
At this point, it was basically lovesickness.
Haru, who had never fallen for someone so deeply before, was surprised at how completely she had fallen for Ihan.
Standing in front of a crosswalk, she stared blankly at the traffic light.
Just as the red light began to feel like a warning signal reflecting her own mood—
Warmth suddenly touched her cold, lifeless hand.
Startled by the hand that gently grabbed hers, Haru turned her head.
“Huh?”
A familiar, comforting scent reached her first—then a face she had longed to see.
“Did you do well while I was gone?”
Ihan smiled, his voice—the one she had only heard through phone calls for days—finally close again.
Haru looked up at him with wide eyes.
“Weren’t you supposed to come back the morning after tomorrow?”
“That was the original plan.”
“Then how did you—”
“Because I missed you.”
Just like the previous trip to Italy, Ihan had returned to Korea earlier than scheduled.
Seeing the face she had missed so much unexpectedly made Haru even happier.
“Didn’t you miss me?”
“Of course I did.”
While Ihan smiled down at her, people standing nearby began whispering.
“Isn’t that the CEO of GN Media?”
“Oh my, I think it is.”
Ever since his photos appeared in articles, Ihan’s face had become almost as recognizable as a celebrity’s.
The people who recognized him soon turned their attention to Haru.
“Who’s that woman?”
“They’re holding hands—maybe his girlfriend?”
“Wow, what kind of woman dates a guy like that?”
Hearing the chatter around them, Haru became flustered.
Some people even raised their phones to take pictures, and her face grew pale.
She had never received so much attention before.
Panicking, Haru even let go of Ihan’s hand.
At that moment, Ihan unbuttoned his jacket and turned toward her.
Then he spread the jacket around her, enclosing her within it.
As Haru’s face disappeared inside the jacket, the voices around them grew louder.
“When the light changes, grab my hand and run.”
His lowered voice whispered into her ear.
“You can do that, right?”
Inside his embrace, Haru nodded.
Moments later, the jacket fell away and Ihan grabbed her hand tightly.
When the light turned green, Haru ran across the crosswalk with him.
***
They ran without looking back until they were completely out of breath.
Their hurried steps finally stopped when they reached home.
Standing at the entrance and catching their breath, they looked at each other and burst into laughter.
Ihan gently brushed Haru’s messy hair back.
“You said there’s nothing you can’t do. Looks like you run well too. You didn’t even let go of my hand.”
“Of course not. Do you know how hard it was to grab this hand?”
When Haru lifted their joined hands, Ihan smiled softly.
“I missed you.”
Looking at her with eyes full of affection, Ihan leaned down.
Their lips met.
After savoring the lips he had longed for, Ihan turned slightly, pressing Haru against the wall.
Her back touched the solid wall.
He kissed her desperately before finally pulling away.
“You’re so beautiful… I can’t hold myself back.”
Hearing the familiar Italian words, Haru opened her eyes.
It was what he had said the night they first spent together.
“I wondered back then—what did that mean?”
“It means you’re so beautiful… I can’t resist.”
Immediately, Ihan’s hands moved.
One arm supported her waist while the other quickly unbuttoned her blouse.
He lifted the fabric and buried his face against her soft skin.
A warm breath escaped.
Under the bright sensor light, the sound of his lips against her skin echoed clearly.
Red marks bloomed wherever his lips touched.
As if even the time it took to remove their shoes was too much to waste, Ihan eagerly explored her body.
Afraid the sounds might be heard outside the iron door, Haru bit her lips tightly.
Trapped between him and the wall, she could only let out faint breaths.
His lips moved upward from her chest, leaving red marks behind.
Passing her collarbone, they reached her neck and ear.
“Doesn’t this feel familiar?” he murmured. “Like a scene you’ve seen somewhere before.”
Only then did Haru remember.
It was the video she had been watching the first time she met him in the hotel elevator.
It had been embarrassingly explicit—and what they were doing now wasn’t much different.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, Haru whispered,
“It was practice.”
“Bold, aren’t you.”
Smiling, Ihan grabbed her thigh and pulled her closer.
Pressed tightly against him, Haru lifted her head and kissed him.
The connection that had begun with a single night promised countless nights they would spend together.
〈The Bold Blind Date — END〉
