episode_0176

“Hooo…”

The bustling downtown street in the afternoon.

Standing there, An Chaerin took a deep breath, her face tense.

‘Can I do well today…?’

A few days ago, she had gathered with Yiseo Kang, Park Yuna, and Kang Minah to discuss how she could win Han Jihoon’s heart.

Unfortunately, no groundbreaking or novel ideas came to mind, and the best alternative they could come up with was to make a good impression on Han Jihoon during their date.

Even so, An Chaerin was quite prepared.

This was thanks to her supportive colleagues who had given her various useful tips for the date.

‘Today, I absolutely have to make a good impression on Jihoon. But will it go well? It’s my first date, so I’m so nervous I feel like I’m going to die…. What did they say was good to do on a date?’

As she trembled, repeating the advice from her colleagues in her mind, the person she was waiting for appeared at the meeting spot.

“Chaerin.”

“Ji-Jihoon. You’re here…?”

Even after taking several deep breaths while waiting, her breath caught in her throat the moment she saw him.

Thankfully, the silence didn’t last long, thanks to Han Jihoon speaking up.

“There are a lot of people since it’s Saturday.”

“Ye-yeah, there are….”

“By the way, Chaerin. Did you perhaps come from the office?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I came straight from home, why?”

“Ah. It’s just that you’re wearing a suit.”

As he said, An Chaerin was dressed in a suit, not casual clothes.

Her usual pristine white shirt and H-line skirt.

Even though the two had met at work, it was not suitable attire for a date.

In fact, among the advice received during the last meeting, there was naturally advice about attire.

Park Yuna, in particular, emphasized, ‘For a woman, date attire is like a gun on the battlefield, so you absolutely have to pay attention to it! It should be your most confident outfit, without looking like you tried too hard! Got it, Chaerin Unnie?’

However, even after pulling out all the clothes she had at home and ordering new ones, An Chaerin couldn’t find a suitable outfit.

This was due to an excessive worry that if she appeared in a different way than usual, the other person might feel burdened.

Ultimately, she agonized until right before leaving in the morning and hastily put on a suit.

It was a choice made because it was what Han Jihoon was most familiar with, and also because it was an outfit that made her feel confident when she wore it.

“Oh, this… I chose the most comfortable clothes because I was worried Jihoon might feel burdened if I tried too hard…. Is it, is it strange?”

“No, it’s fine. Shall we go then?”

An Chaerin followed Han Jihoon towards the restaurant he had reserved.

Perhaps because he mentioned her attire, she suddenly became self-conscious about her outfit.

Looking around, she was the only one walking in a suit.

‘What do I do…. I must have thought wrong.’

The moment she belatedly realized a fact she hadn’t known due to nervousness, her anxiety grew.

‘Jihoon didn’t say anything, but… isn’t he secretly embarrassed? I should have just worn the clothes I came in yesterday….’

She arrived at the restaurant with a troubled heart.

An Chaerin, who was too preoccupied with blaming herself for her mistake even while ordering and waiting for the menu, only came to her senses when the meal was placed on the table.

‘No. I couldn’t even talk properly because I was thinking about my clothes. I have to make up for it now.’

“Hmm. It’s my first time here, but it’s delicious. Does it suit your taste, Chaerin?”

“Huh? Uh-huh. It’s, it’s delicious….”

“That’s a relief. Yours looks delicious too, Chaerin.”

[Chaerin. Since you’re dating now, wouldn’t it be good to be more affectionate than before? If you cut his food for him while eating, or feed Jihoon, you’ll feel closer, won’t you?]

Kang Minah’s advice, given during a meeting a few days ago, suddenly popped into her head.

Recalling it, An Chaerin firmed her resolve.

‘Okay, let’s try it.’

“Th-then, Jihoon, would you like to try some?”

“Oh. Really?”

“Yes. I-I’ll feed you…!”

She immediately speared a piece of steak with her fork and lifted it.

A cringeworthy act that one wouldn’t do if not in a romantic relationship.

The nervousness intensified as she was about to perform that act for the first time on her first date ever.

Perhaps it was because she gripped the fork too tightly to stop her hand from trembling.

The fork, approaching Han Jihoon, slipped from her hand, and the piece of steak fell onto his clothes.

“Ah.”

“Are you okay?! I’m sorry, Jihoon!”

“No, it’s fine. Where are the tissues? Ah, could you hand me those tissues?”

“I’ll wipe it for you! Oh no, it got on your white shirt. I’m sorry….”

“Ah, it’s just a little bit, so it doesn’t matter. It’s fine, so don’t worry about it.”

‘I’m not an idiot, why did I drop that…!’

Instead of making up for it, she made an even bigger mistake.

A clumsy sight, unfamiliar not only to Han Jihoon but also to An Chaerin herself.

Already lacking confidence, she couldn’t help but feel even more intimidated.

‘What do I do… I have to get it right from now on. What else did they say during the meeting…?’

[Unnie, I think giving a gift would be okay. Not something extravagant, just something you see in a store. Last time, when I was out with Jihoon, he liked a hat, so I bought it for him. It wasn’t expensive, but he really loved it.]

‘Yes, that’s it!’

Inspired by Yiseo Kang’s advice, which appeared like a lifeline, An Chaerin once again steeled her heart.

“Jihoon. After we finish eating this, let’s go look at clothes. I’ll buy you something to change into.”

“What? Oh, there’s no need for that.”

“I’m sorry for dirtying your clothes, and I just want to give you a gift.”

“…Alright. There’s a shopping mall nearby, so we can look around at various things while we’re there.”

As they discussed, the two finished their meal, left the restaurant, and headed for the shopping mall.

As An Chaerin waited for a chance to fix her previous mistake and make a good impression with a gift, Han Jihoon, who was browsing the clothing section, happened to find an outfit he liked.

“Oh. This shirt is pretty good, isn’t it? Chaerin, what do you think?”

Han Jihoon asked, holding the clothes from the hanger up to his body.

Seeing him smile with an expectant look, a faint smile spread across An Chaerin’s lips, despite her nervousness.

“It’s nice. Do you want that one? Does the size fit?”

“Yes. It’s my first time with this brand, but they have a lot of nice clothes, don’t they?”

“Really? Do you like it here?”

“The designs are to my taste. I’ll have to come again next time.”

“So that’s how it is? …Excuse me.”

When An Chaerin called, an employee who had been waiting after hearing them say they would look around slowly approached.

“Yes. Have you decided? Oh my, you’ve chosen so well. Even I think this outfit is perfect for your boyfriend!”

“Please give me one of each of the clothes in this size.”

“O-one of each, you mean…?”

“Chaerin?”

Even as the employee and Han Jihoon looked bewildered, An Chaerin remained calm as if it was nothing.

“You have delivery service, right?”

“Of course! I’ll prepare them right away-”

“No, wait a moment! Chaerin, this one is enough for me.”

“It’s fine. Jihoon, you said you liked the clothes here. Keep them at home and wear them one by one.”

No matter what or how much she bought for her boyfriend, it wouldn’t be a waste.

Unlike An Chaerin, who wanted to convey such feelings, Han Jihoon adamantly refused, even waving his hand.

“I like the clothes, but if there are too many, they’re hard to manage. And I won’t be able to wear them when the weather gets cold; it would take years to wear them all.”

“Th-that’s true, but…”

“Could you just give me this one? I apologize. I’ll wear it out, so no packaging is needed.”

“Oh my, it’s fine. If you come out wearing it, I’ll help you with the payment.”

Seeing her boyfriend politely apologize to the employee, she felt she had made another mistake by being too eager.

Even after that, An Chaerin’s first date didn’t go as planned.

She almost tripped over her own feet trying to walk affectionately close to him, and when she held his hand at the movie theater, she made it clammy with sweat from her nervousness.

She tried her best not to show it externally, but naturally, her mood couldn’t have been good.

This feeling remained the same even after their outdoor date ended and she returned to her home with Han Jihoon.

After finishing her shower, An Chaerin sat on the bed, secretly letting out a sigh while he went to the bathroom.

“Haa…”

‘Why do I keep doing things I don’t usually do…. Am I someone who shouldn’t be in a relationship?’

She, who had never caused trouble for others, kept making mistakes, not to some stranger, but to her own lover, making her feel small.

However, she couldn’t continue to feel this way when spending the night with him.

‘It’s not Jihoon’s fault, so I shouldn’t make him worry. Stop feeling down and do better next time.’

An Chaerin tried to calm herself, and a short while later, Han Jihoon returned after finishing his shower.

===

“Whoosh.”

I came out of the bathroom feeling refreshed after finishing my shower.

It felt even more invigorating to wash in Chaerin’s spacious and nice bathroom.

‘Today was fun.’

The reason I accepted Chaerin’s confession was because I wanted to see more of her humane and diverse sides.

From that perspective, today’s date was completely satisfying.

Because I saw her unexpected sides, like showing up for the date in a suit or trying to buy all the clothes in the apparel section, and also her humane sides, like dropping food or almost tripping while walking down the street.

It seems she’s taking it to heart, but from my perspective, it was so different from her flawless demeanor at work that it only seemed cute.

‘It was a good decision to date Chaerin.’

An intuition that I wanted to know more about her various facets, and that I would be able to like those various facets.

Holding that feeling, I entered the bedroom where Chaerin was waiting.

“Ji-Jihoon. Are you done showering?”

An atmosphere that naturally seemed to lead to something intimate, even though no one had said anything.

Still, a slight hint of worry could be seen on Chaerin’s face.

She’s probably holding onto the mistakes she made today.

However, my first date with her was very enjoyable, so I should let her know that there’s no need for her to feel that way at all.

“Chaerin. Today was really fun.”

“Fun…? Really?”

“Yes, really. The food was delicious, the movie was fun, and I like the clothes you bought me.”

“But I only caused trouble today… Weren’t you embarrassed walking around with me?”

Asking if I wasn’t embarrassed because of her – this too is another human and unexpected side of her.

“Not at all. On the contrary, it was fun. You were eccentric and cute.”

“Really? …That’s a relief. Honestly, I thought I was just a bother to you, so I felt a bit down….”

“No. After spending today with you, I feel like I made a good choice dating you. Let’s go somewhere else next time.”

“Jihoon…. Yes. Let’s definitely go.”

Chaerin’s face brightened.

A genuine smile, not one to hide her dampened mood.

Among the various expressions I saw from her today, it was the prettiest.

“Chaerin. You know our date isn’t over yet, right?”

As if drawn by something, I slowly approached Chaerin.

Tension spread across her face as she understood my meaning, and I brought my face closer and spoke.

“If you don’t want to, it’s okay to just sleep.”

“Oh, no… I like it….”

Chaerin replied, her cheeks quickly flushed red.

The sweet scent of body wash emanating from her stimulated a man’s instincts.

“Today, I’ll do whatever you want, Chaerin. Is there anything you want to do? Even prostitute roleplay is fine.”

“Prostitute….”

She flinched the moment she heard that word, thought for a moment, then continued.

“…is fine too, but today, I want it to feel more like a girlfriend….”

A perfectly normal request compared to the acts we had performed so far.

However, I too was curious about what it would feel like to spend the night with her as a lover.

“Not like a girlfriend, but you *are* my girlfriend, Chaerin.”

“Ah… Yes. Th-that’s right….”

The woman who was so confident in the office had become a meek lamb in front of me.

Chaerin’s lovely appearance that only I could see.

Wanting to feel her not just with my eyes but also with my body, I leaned closer and pressed my lips against hers.