Lingering Jasmine | Im Jaebeom

Chapter Six

"Hey! How about we grab some dinner tonight?" Miyoung mentioned to her friend as they were exiting the tall sky-rise of their publishing firm, knowing Soomin may want some comforting company after her no-show date the other day.

"Sure, what do you feel like eating?" Soomin replied to the kind-eyed friend, shivering slightly at the abrupt chill of Seoul's autumn night air.

"After a long day at work, a nice bowl of piping hot 찌개 (jjee-gay | stew) sounds refreshing!" Miyoung said in a sing-song voice. Soomin nodded in agreement, noting her companion's cheerful demeanor. 'How is she so happy after such a long shift today?' Soomin thought to herself as she felt her own sleepiness threatening to grab ahold of her, also recalling the particularly rough day Miyoung must have had after uselessly getting yelled at again by her good-for-nothing, cranky department head. "There's a new restaurant that is having a grand-opening in Ilsan today! A lot of people are saying it's supposed to be the new 'hot spot'! How does that sound?" Miyoung proposed.

Soomin thought for a moment, deciding whether she could shake her tiredness and manage to make the short bus ride to Ilsan, then deal with a large crowd on top of it all. She then concluded that Miyoung may be acting joyful, but after a day like today, she may just need the company. Soomin then smiled at the cheery Miyoung and nodded, agreeing to her proposal. And just like that, that's how they ended up on the crowded patio of the eccentric 찌개 (jjee-gay | stew) restaurant in Ilsan.

After Soomin examined herself in her compact mirror, running her fingers through her hair to lessen the disheveled mess it became, the two girls were approached by an unfamiliar man. Soomin surveyed him, curious as to who he may be and why he may be heading their way. She observed that he was wearing a pair of tight jeans, a black sweater with a light denim jacket over it, and a cap that's shadow made it difficult to make out his facial features in the dim lighting of the patio.

As soon as the mysterious man reached their table, he said directly to Soomin, "I guess we meet again." with a smirk creeping up on his full lips.

Puzzled, Soomin managed to examine his face a little closer and that's when it suddenly hit her, he was the guy she had mistaken for her blind date at the café the other day! The piercing gaze and the two distinctive moles nestled above his left eye jogged her memory. All as if she were taken back to that very moment, the same embarrassment overwhelmingly washed over her, rendering her speechless.

Miyoung was confused at the situation that was playing out in front of her, she kept glancing between the intimidating man and the embarrassed look on her friend's face. In an attempt to make things a little less awkward, she reached out to introduce herself. Shaking hands with the man named Jinyoung first, who had a more friendly appearance, then she moved on to introduce herself to Jaebeom. Miyoung then took note of how attractive they were and the sense of familiarity the pair sparked in her. 'Have I seen them somewhere? Could it be that I've seen them on TV?' She wondered to herself, only to immediately shake her weird thoughts aside.

After what seemed to be ages, Soomin finally regained her composure. "I'm really sorry about the other day, I mistakenly took you for someone else... I was set up on a stupid blind date... He was a no-show anyw-" She began rambling.

"No, there's no reason to be sorry. I've been searching for you." Jaebeom cut her rambling short with a genuine smile playing on his lips. "Here, I didn't get a chance to the other day, but this is my phone number." He took her phone from its resting spot on the table next to her and dialed his number. After a few rings emitted from his phone, he punched in his name under her contact list and continued, "I'd like to take you out sometime, if you don't mind." Despite his smooth behavior, internally, his heart was beating so hard, it felt as though it was threatening to burst through the confines of his chest.

Miyoung and Jinyoung stared on in bemusement as bystanders of this strange encounter. Miyoung feeling completely enchanted by the boldness of this cool and extremely attractive man's actions. On the other hand, Jinyoung was wincing in slight disgust at the leader's greasy actions, but knew he was more than likely never going to let the older live this moment down. He then turned his attention to the blonde, more so out of curiosity, due to how long his friend has been searching for this girl. He noticed her golden hair was well past her chest, she had a small frame, soft light brown eyes, supple rosy lips, and an overall conventionally attractive face. He could see why Jaebeom was attracted to her, but what he couldn't understand was his almost unhealthy obsession with a girl he's never traditionally met before. He shrugged his thoughts off as maybe him being a little too old-fashioned.

To maintain an impactful impression, Jaebeom kept the interaction brief, not wanting to linger too long in fear of getting rejected. The two men then said a quick goodbye to the girls and made their way downstairs to the register so they could pay for their meal.

"But I wasn't finished..." Jinyoung pouted, picturing his half eaten bowl of 부대찌개 (boo-day-jjee-gay | spicy sausage stew also known as 'army stew') which was probably already cold by now. Jaebeom said nothing, but awkwardly smiled in response, almost as an apology for his eagerness to leave.

As they were making their way back to Jaebeom's apartment, he stopped by a street food stall to buy Jinyoung some 떡볶이 (duhk-bohk-ee | spicy rice cakes) and 오뎅 (oh-dehng | fish cakes) to satiate his close friend's protesting stomach. Following a few bites, Jinyoung teasingly says, "I guess we meet again~" in a mocking tone, knowing very well that this will only be the beginning of his jokes.

Laughing, Jaebeom playfully smacks his friend's shoulder just as he takes a bite of the 오뎅 (oh-dehng | fish cakes), causing him to almost choke and nearly drop the food he was gripping tightly in his hands. Managing to gulp the large piece down, he then lets out a loud, obnoxious laugh as the pair blissfully made their way back to the tall apartment building.

Still in shock, Soomin continued to stare at the new contact displayed on her phone screen. '임재범 (Im-Jae-Beom)', it read. "Who was that?" Miyoung quizzed her dazed friend, snapping her back to reality. Soomin then went on to explain the mishap at the café the day of her blind date and how she mistook Jaebeom for Jiseok.

That night, as Soomin lay in bed, she continued to stare at the device's bright screen and the 3 characters which occupied it. 'When will he contact me?' her thoughts wandered before completely succumbing to the overwhelming exhaustion that was left over from the day. The following morning, she awoke to the bright sun gleaming through her bedroom curtains, gently warming her skin as she rubbed the tiredness from her eyes. Having slept so deeply, she felt as if she had awoken a new woman. Feeling revitalized and awake, she glanced at her phone and noticed a new message had appeared asking if she was available that following Sunday for a date with the new, bewildering man. Unsure if she was available that day or even if she was interested in seeing this stranger, she left the text unanswered as she readied for work and continued through her long work day as usual.

To be continued...

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I apologize for the relatively short chapter! I kind of feel like it's more of a part 2 of Chapter Five, so I just felt like I should finish it out! How are you liking it so far? Can you believe that after all of this anticipation, Jaebeom FINALLY got to meet the girl he has been looking for? Without giving any spoilers, I have to warn you not to get too comfortable just yet!

Thank you for reading, everyone, it means a lot to me! I hope you have a great day!

제혜 그림<3