Lingering Jasmine | Im Jaebeom

Chapter Two

 The seasons had come and gone, it was now autumn and Seoul is beautifully blanketed in brilliant shades of oranges, reds, and yellows. A cool breeze makes its way through the branches of a nearby oak tree, rustling the nestled foliage, and shaking free any loose leaves that are prepared to make their final journey to surface of the earth. This breeze continues its journey, brushing the shoulders of commuters hurriedly making their way to their destinations. Transient, yet perpetual, this breeze has swiftly and continuously touched the likes of a wide variety of lives in its own way or another. As it makes its way through a bus stop, it blows through the long, blonde dyed locks of a woman preparing to board. Irritated by the sudden gust, she throws her hands up to try and straighten her appearance out. She then boards the bus and makes her way to the nearest empty seat, pulling out her compact to make sure she doesn't have any loose strands out of place. The last thing she wanted was to look unpresentable for her first blind date since her last relationship 4 years ago.

Soomin had just graduated university a year beforehand and was lucky enough to score a position working at a major publishing company in Seoul. Due to the high demand for jobs in the area, it's highly competitive and almost impossible to attain a job, especially within the first year of graduation. Soomin was definitely lucky, but this did not mean that she wasn't also intelligent, diligent, and passionate when it came to marketing. Within months, her temporary position in the marketing team of the publishing firm, was offered to her as a full-time position, which was no easy feat and came at the expense of no holidays, long weekends, and double overtime. During her lengthy shifts, she managed to become close to another dedicated worker that often frequented the break room at the same time and left at the same late hours as she did. Miyoung, from the translation team, was the same age as Soomin, so they naturally started off with good chemistry. What began as laughs shared in the break room, transitioned to nights out drinking soju and spilling their most honest, innermost feelings and struggles.

Miyoung is actually the person who set Soomin up on this blind date. It began during one of their many nights out.

"Wowwww... Miyoung, do you see that good-looking guy over there? The one with the face of an actor?", Soomin drunkenly whispers to Miyoung as she's preoccupied with pouring them both another shot of soju. How many has it been now? One... or even two bottles of soju shared between the pair now?

Miyoung squints as she follows the direction Soomin's finger is shamelessly pointing in. She catches a glimpse of who she thinks Soomin is talking about. He looks like an average Seoul man, his appearance was neat and he was good-looking, but nothing really stood out about his looks.

"Soomin, when was the last time you dated someone again? You need to raise the bar a little. You're a BEAUTIFUL girl, you have a good head on your shoulders, you're smart as hell...", Miyoung trails off as she and Soomin tap glasses and throw back the shots of soju.

"Hey, listen... My high school friend, the one that owns a karaoke bar in Itaewon... His cousin has just arrived in Seoul from an internship in America. He was trying to set me up on a blind date with him, but I just don't really have the time to focus on dating, so why don't I set you up with him instead?", Miyoung proposes to Soomin.

It was true. Unlike Soomin, Miyoung wasn't immediately taken on as a full-time employee at the company. She's still finishing out her temporary contract before they reconsider her for the position, so she is still working harsh hours trying to prove herself to her rigid department manager. However, considering what her high school friend had told her about his cousin, he seems like an attractive, smart, and kind guy. It may be good for Soomin to finally jump back into the dating game and meet someone new!

Soomin thinks about it for a minute, eyes struggling to focus on anything in particular. After a moment's hesitation, she shouts "What the hell! Let's do it!" as they cheers another round of shot glasses, the night gradually becoming a blur.