Was It All For Nothing? - By Sarah Jaju

A First Date (Chapter 27)

Hae-Jun:

I wore my grey suit, seeing as how fancy La Yeon was. The taxi was waiting outside the Campus gates, and I was waiting for my girlfriend outside her block. God, how nice it felt to be able to call her that. 𝘏𝘢𝘦-𝘙𝘪, 𝘮𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘕𝘢𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘰𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘶, 𝘏𝘢𝘦-𝘙𝘪 𝘠𝘢. (My girlfriend, Hae-Ri)

She quickly walked down the stairs, and appeared before my eyes. She looked fantastic! She wore a grey, formal dress that showed off her perfect figure, and it totally matched my clothes! Her hair was let down, and she looked beautiful that way.

"Hae-Ri, you look...stunning!" I whispered.

"Really? Komawo! You look really handsome too," she said, turning scarlet. (Thanks!)

I let out my hand, and she placed hers on top of mine. We gently wrapped our fingers around each other's. I smiled to myself, and led her towards the taxi.

...

We got out, and I payed for the drive, even though she insisted on splitting it. I would've agreed, but it wasn't like it was a major expense, so it didn't matter anyway. We stood outside the door for a few seconds, and walked in, hand-in-hand. 

The ambience was extremely refreshing and calming at the same time. The restaurant was dimly lit, which made it even more romantic. Everything was very modern, and the colours played a crucial role in defining the mood. We found a table which was at a distance from the others, and decided to take a seat. I noticed that each chair had enough area for 2 people to sit.

The menus were laid out in front of us, and I motioned for Hae-Ri -who was sitting across me- to take a look at the options. Instead of doing so, she got up from her seat and jumped in with me instead. Our legs touched, and I felt an electric shock shoot up my thigh.

"Let's decide together, hmm?" she said, with a pretty smile that lit me up.

"Keurae," I agreed. (Sure)

She flipped open the menu, and asked me what I wanted to eat.

"I have a confession to make," I said seriously.

"Oh no, something hasn't happened, has it?" she asked with a sense of urgency.

"No no, it's pretty silly. The truth is, I had never heard of this place before, but I didn't want you to feel as though you are a burden to me, and that's why I lied. I'm sorry though," I admitted.

Hae-Ri didn't say anything for 2 seconds, and then she abruptly burst out laughing.

"God, you scared me! And I don't want you to worry about things like this in the future, okay? Always state your true opinion, you can be yourself around me, always," she told me.

"Mm, I will. I was just really nervous, you know?" I said, blushing.

She laughed, and tousled my hair, "Has anyone told you how cute you are when you smile?"

"You'd be the first," I said.

...

We ordered a platter, and joyfully ate our way through it. The delicious flavours melted in our mouths, and I savoured the delight.

"Do you like it?" Hae-Ri asked hopefully.

"Mmm. It's great, thanks for the recommendation," I said, and giggled, seeing that she had a bit on cheese stuck near her lower lip.

"Mweo? What's funny?" she asked, smiling. (What?)

"Ani, ani," I said, and reached out to wipe it off. (Nothing, nothing)