Hershe (Ryeji ver.)

37 - Setup

Yeji has been zoning out after that call with Ryujin.

She felt excited and worried.

Excited, because she also wanted to clarify the real deal between them. But at the same time, she's afraid that talk will lead them to cross the line. She's sure she won't be able to hold herself back any longer.

But what would happen if her mom finds out? She knows there's no way her mom would accept something like that.

In the middle of her musing, Yeji noticed an unfamiliar black car parked in front of their house.

"I can smell a new suitor here," she said, kissing her mom who met her after she entered the gate.

"Shh. Lower your voice. I met this new client this morning. We're going out with him for dinner." The older woman pulled Yeji inside.

"We? Why do I still have to come along? You don't need a chaperone to watch over you."

"No more questions." The older lady pushed Yeji into the house. "You look okay with your attire. You entertain him first while I go get dressed. Okay?"

"Sure." Yeji couldn't help but feel more excited for her mom. She shook her head as she watched her mom strode upstairs.

She looked around and noticed a tall-slender image standing in their living room. The guy's busy looking at the picture frames, an opportunity Yeji didn't pass to observe him a little more. He's in a white long sleeve polo, black fitted slacks, a coat over one arm.

She has to admit, that back looks handsome. Yeji's glad her mom still has a good taste in men.

The sound of her heeled shoes tapping across the tiled floor made the guest turn around.

"Hey," he said with a smile.

Yeji's mouth fell agape when she found herself staring at those familiar eyes. "Yeonjun?"

"Uh. Yeah? What's with the shocked face?" He chuckled.

"Uh... I'm surprised to see you here..."

"It surprised me too to see your mom earlier." Yeonjun glanced at the pictures one last time before turning back to Yeji. "We hired them as our new supplier. I was tasked to do the meeting with them. Didn't know your mom works there. She asked me if I have a date tonight. I said none. Then she invited me out."

As if on cue, Yeji's mom appeared. "Kids, mind if you go alone tonight? I'm having a terrible headache."

Yeji rolled her eyes, knowing perfectly what's on her mom's mind.

"Are you going to be all right if we leave you alone?" asked Yeonjun. "We can just cancel the dinner so Yeji here could look after you."

Yeji blushed hearing Yeonjun call her name. She remembered Beomgyu and him calling her Tiny when they were younger.

The older lady waved a hand. "I'm gonna be fine, son." She went over to Yeji and winked, pretending to fix her daughter's collar. "You two enjoy yourselves, okay?"

Yeji glared at her mom. "This is awkward, Mom."

"You said you don't have a boyfriend, right?" whispered her mom. She turned to Yeonjun. "If it's fine with you, Yeonjun?"

"Yeah. It's... it's fine. As long as it's okay with Yeji too."

Yeji saw her mom's triumphant smile and knew she can't escape this setup anymore. "Yeah. Sure. I'm cool with that."

"Oh. Good." Yeonjun glanced at his wristwatch. "Shall we?"

---

"I sincerely apologize if everyone mistook you for my girlfriend." Yeonjun shook his head as he pours salt on his food. "I swear if your mom didn't ditch us this wouldn't seem like a romantic date."