HERSHE || BBANGSAZ ||

37. Setup

Hanni has been zoning out after that call with Minji.

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, Hanni 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 Hanni 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 Hanni into the house. "You look okay with your attire. You entertain him first while I go get dressed. Okay?"

"Sure." Hanni 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 Hanni 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. Hanni'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.

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

"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." Jake glanced at the pictures one last time before turning back to Hanni. "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, Hanni's mom appeared. "Kids, mind if you go alone tonight? I'm having a terrible headache."

Hanni 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 Jake. "We can just cancel the dinner so Hanni here could look after you."

Hanni blushed hearing Jake call her name. She remembered Jay 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 Hanni and winked, pretending to fix her daughter's collar. "You two enjoy yourselves, okay?"

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

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

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

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

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

—

"I sincerely apologize if everyone mistook you for my girlfriend." Jake 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."