While I was inferring my future, Daesu hyung finished putting away the remaining boxes, threw away the scattered strings, gathered all the dried persimmon hangers used when drying persimmons last year to one side, and started burying them again.
“You never know. She might be your match. These kinds of opportunities aren’t common.”
“Hyung.”
“What?”
“I really just have to drink tea and come back?”
“Yeah. If you don’t like each other, you can just come straight home, so what’s there to worry about?”
“……”
“Hey, hurry up and tell me. If you say you won’t do it, I’ll introduce her to someone else.”
“Hyung.”
“What?”
“The fact that I’m going on a blind date, it’s a secret from the other hyungs, right?”
“Why, embarrassed?”
“Won’t you tease me about this later?”
“What’s wrong with going on a blind date? And not everyone who goes on blind dates ends up dating, so don’t feel burdened.”
I just didn’t believe anything coming out of Daesu hyung’s mouth.
It was definitely a prank, so naturally I felt like I shouldn’t go, but if I didn’t go and didn’t even get this kind of opportunity, I had a strong premonition that I’d take the regret route like Park ajussi. Like ‘If only I had gone on that blind date, I wouldn’t be wandering around the stream looking only for nutria……’ Something like that.
“Hyung, then I’ll go out for now. But really don’t tell the other hyungs. If you tell them, I won’t go.”
“I won’t.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. And it’s better to regret after trying things, so go on the blind date first. Who knows? Maybe older women are your type?”
“But hyung. Is that noona scary?”
“No. Why? Afraid of future consequences?”
“I’m worried I might feel intimidated when we meet today.”
“You’re just drinking tea at a cafe, what’s the big deal? Just think of it as meeting a local person and building friendship. And you have to keep going on blind dates to increase your success rate next time, you know? Even in games, you have to grind to level up. It’s the same with this. That way when you meet someone you really like later, you can actively make a move. You know the term ‘after request’? You don’t, right? See, you don’t know. I’m saying all this as your hyung because I’m worried about you.”
I was being cautious because I’d never won an argument against Daesu hyung, but listening to him, what he said made sense again. Experience points don’t just accumulate on their own. You have to go through things to gain them.
“You’ll do it, right? Should I contact them saying you’ll do it?”
“I’ll do it. When do I have to meet?”
“Today.”
“……Today?”
“Yeah. Later at four.”
“What? There’s only an hour left.”
Now I understood why Daesu hyung was so anxious and did this to me. He looked around for a suitable partner and when he couldn’t find one, he dumped it on me.
But either way, since I’d already decided to go, I strongly felt it was better to take the beating early.
“Wait a sec. I’ll set up the appointment and let you know exactly.”
Worried that Daesu hyung would just talk about organizing the stuff next to the warehouse and then bail without actually doing it, I pointed at the messy floor and asked.
“You’ll really clean it up for me, right?”
“Of course! I’ll clean everything up before you come back, so you get ready to go out. I’ll drive you to the meeting place.”
Did he say she was a noona from the same school? How desperate must he be to act like that? First, I dusted off the dirt on my clothes and took a thorough shower again. Since it was my first blind date, I felt it would be rude to go with a dirty body.
“This is good enough.”
Looking at my usual outfit and appearance in the mirror, I smiled to myself.
I’d never heard anyone say I had a bad impression anywhere. Since even Sojin noona found me adorable without any rough edges, I gained confidence that the noona I was meeting today wouldn’t view me badly either.
“All ready?”
I was putting on an outer jacket over my hoodie when Daesu hyung opened the door and came in. Hyung looked at my usual outfit with a disappointed gaze.
“I’ll have the engine running, come out.”
If he was going to look at me like that, he should have given me some of his clothes to wear. If only Park ajussi had gotten married, I wouldn’t have to go on this blind date. It’s because there are people like him around that I’m getting anxious.
It had been a while since I rode in hyung’s car, and in the meantime he’d tuned the interior too, with a lot of new things installed. Even so, it was incomparable to Seongheon hyung’s car.
“When you go, you can’t just ask for this and that like you do with Sojin noona, okay?”
“I won’t. I know what a blind date is too. I’ll buy the cafe drinks.”
“Oh─ You have money?”
“I have enough money to treat her to a meal. Nothing too expensive though…… But hyung, won’t we be late if we go now?”
“Mm, I think we’ll be a bit late? I told her to go in first if she arrives before us.”
“Okay.”
“What, nervous?”
“Still, I’m a bit tense. It’s someone I’m meeting for the first time……”
Daesu hyung found something funny about what I said and made a “Kuhup” sound by himself, snorting through his nose. Just wait until I tell him about the blind date review today. I absolutely won’t tell him.
‘But if I really hit it off with this noona through this blind date…… Should I buy Daesu hyung a suit?’
Since I’d heard from the side that when parents set up connections, you should buy them a suit if things work out, I was already measuring the budget while looking at my annoying hyung, wondering how much I should spend.
‘I don’t want to buy one that costs more than 100,000 won though……’
At that moment, while Daesu hyung was driving, his phone suddenly rang and he answered through the car speaker, but as soon as he picked up, he suddenly yelled.
“Hey! I’m driving! Daeyoung’s next to me!”
─Oh, really?
Just from the voice I could tell who it was. It was Seongheon hyung.
“I’ll call you later.”
─You didn’t forget what I told you, right?
“Yeah.”
─Got it.
After abruptly ending the call, Daesu hyung glanced at me. I glared at hyung while grabbing the door handle as if I’d get out of the car right away.
“Did you…… tell the hyungs about my blind date too?”
“I didn’t. I don’t talk about stuff like that.”
“I’m doubtful, but I’ll trust you for now.”
“Okay.”
After that conversation, there was a brief silence, then suddenly I heard a radio story. Normally I’d just let it pass, but as I listened, it didn’t seem like someone else’s problem, so I focused on the story.
[This is a story from Kim Momo-ssi living in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Hello. I’m a man who turned twenty-one this year. Last weekend, I met Yu Jeongjeong-ssi for the first time through an acquaintance’s introduction. But would you believe it, could there be such a connection? The woman I met for the first time turned out to have gone to the same elementary school as me, and she lived in the apartment building right next to mine. I was completely captivated by her bright smile and didn’t even notice time passing while we talked for three whole hours. Even after leaving the cafe and finishing our meal, our conversation was endless. Yu Jeongjeong-ssi even said she didn’t like being indebted on a first meeting, so we went Dutch. After seeing her off like that, I submitted an after request to her as soon as I got to work on Monday to set up our next meeting. But somehow, Yu Jeongjeong-ssi just says she’s busy and won’t take my calls. So I’m really troubled. Romance experts, please help me! is what he sent. If anyone has solutions or advice, please text #0000. We’ll give a small gift to those who become Cupid of love.]
After hearing the pitiful story, I wanted to lend strength to the sender so I picked up my phone.
[There must have been something disappointing during the date. In that case, if you send a 5,000 won cultural gift certificate, she’ll probably like it. I did that when making up with a friend too.]
I wrote and sent that.
A 5,000 won cultural gift certificate wouldn’t be burdensome even if they didn’t accept my sincerity, and the recipient would feel good too, right? I thought it was a fairly wise method, but my solution wasn’t adopted in the end.
[This is advice sent by the person with phone number ending in 8889. I think it would be good to subtly ask through your acquaintance how the blind date was. If you keep contacting them unilaterally, they might feel burdened, so get advice from your acquaintance. Did you perhaps go Dutch down to the 100 won? If not, wait a bit longer, is the realistic advice given. Kim Momo-ssi, I hope your connection with that person continues.]
I shook my head hearing that advice. No matter how I thought about it, my advice was much better.
“The broadcasting station people don’t know anything.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
The song request from the person whose advice was adopted came on and I was listening to it when Daesu hyung glanced at me, but I managed my expression to seem relaxed.
Soon, hyung entered the parking lot of a fairly tall building downtown. I was a bit excited while riding in the car, but once I actually entered the building, I became very tense.
“I feel uncomfortable, hyung.”
After finishing parking, hyung glanced at me with a stiff expression and patted my shoulder.
“You have to go on blind dates several times before it stops bothering you. A guy who even had a girlfriend, why are you so nervous?”
“She was a friend from the class next door. It’s completely different from someone whose face I don’t know at all. Plus, she’s a noona.”
“Think of her like Sojin noona and relax. Now, hurry and get out.”
Click.
It hurt my pride to say can’t I just go home when we’d come this far, so I followed him out. Daesu hyung who entered the elevator didn’t press the 1st floor where the cafe was, but pressed the 3rd floor.
‘Is there a cafe on the 3rd floor too?’
I looked at the floor directory, but there was no cafe.
It was suspicious, but I followed hyung and got off on the 3rd floor for now. Daesu hyung, as if he’d been here more than once or twice, immediately turned left and entered a place with a unique sign.
[Escape Room]
‘……Escape Room? What did that first word mean again?’
Glancing at the sign as I entered, I could see the counter. But since there was no one there, I found it strange and looked around, when I heard hyung answering the phone.
