"Go on a date with me," Jang Mi said boldly. Lee Hoo, feeling clueless, couldn't quite grasp the wish she was asking for. Did she remember him? Did she finally recognize him from the last time?
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A year ago, Seo Ah had set up a blind date for Jang Mi, this time with Lee Hoo. At that time, he was new to the city, and his friend, who was also Seo Ah's friend, had forced him to go on the blind date. It was a way for him to meet more people and possibly find a girlfriend. Though he had moved to the city four years ago and had recently been recruited as a manager in a new company, he wasn't the type to talk much, so meeting new people was a challenge. Initially, the idea of a blind date wasn't appealing to him, but with his friend's motivation and persuasion, he reluctantly agreed to meet Jang Mi.
The first time Lee Hoo saw Jang Mi, she was wearing a green floral blouse and jeans, with silky hair and a warm smile. She seemed a bit hurried and was carrying a large backpack, which struck him as odd. Who brings a big backpack to a date? It was evening, and they had agreed to meet at a nice, classy restaurant. As Jang Mi approached, he couldn't deny her beauty. "Thank you, friend, for setting me up with such a beautiful girl," he thought, feeling grateful for the chance. His heart raced as he nervously prepared to greet her. He was wearing glasses and had an unstylish haircut at the time.
Before he had the chance to say hello, the lights went out. "Not again," Jang mi exclaimed.
Her companion asked if she was okay, and she responded affirmatively, "Oh yeah, yeah, I'm okay, don't worry," while searching through her backpack. To his surprise, a beam of light illuminated Lee Hoo's face. It was a handheld flashlight that Jang Mi had retrieved from her large backpack.
"Oh, your shampoo smells nice," Jang Mi commented. As Lee Hoo was still in shock from the situation, he politely asked, "Could you please turn your flashlight down?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, adjusting the light so it faced upwards. Now they could see each other without being blinded by the beam.
Jang Mi immediately began introducing herself like an elementary school student. She started with her name, then proceeded to list her hobbies and favorite color. She had gotten into the habit of this routine during dates as a way to buy time and ease her nerves.
Confused by her introduction, Lee Hoo felt compelled to do the same. "Hello, my name is Lee Hoo. I work at—" Before he could finish his sentence, a woman in the restaurant screamed as she fell in the darkness. Everyone was hurried outside by the restaurant employees, including Jang Mi and Lee Hoo. Under the streetlights outside, Lee Hoo couldn't help but notice the beauty of his date's smile. "She's still smiling in this kind of situation. She must be a very optimistic person," he thought.
"Should we go to another restaurant?" he suggested.
"I feel like the lights will go off again. I don't want to inconvenience the owners of these restaurants," she replied.
He smiled, thinking it was a joke, not realizing Jang Mi was speaking seriously.
"What do you want to do then?" he asked.
"Maybe take a walk in the park?" she suggested.
"Is it common for people to walk in parks at night on blind dates?" he thought. Since he had never been on a blind date before, everything about the situation felt strange.
As they were about to walk, Lee Hoo suddenly took her backpack. "I'll help you with that then," he said. Jang Mi was surprised, but before she could refuse the offer, the backpack was already on his back.
"Are you running away from home or something like that? How could a gentle girl carry all that with her?" he joked, feeling the weight of the backpack.
She smiled at his joke, feeling a sense of warmth and connection.
They started walking in the park, enveloped in a romantic ambiance. The street lights cast a soft glow, and a gentle spring breeze rustled the leaves. Lee Hoo couldn't help but steal glances at Jang Mi's beautiful face every few seconds, with his obvious nervousness.
As they walked, Jang Mi seemed to be searching for something, her gaze wandering. After a while, Lee Hoo gathered his courage and started a conversation. "What major are you in?" he asked. Just then, someone ran past them at breakneck speed, crashing into Lee Hoo and sending him tumbling to the ground. The man didn't stop to apologize; he just kept running toward his destination.
"Are you okay?" Jang Mi asked, her concern evident. Lee Hoo brushed it off, hiding his embarrassment. "I'm okay, I'm okay," he replied.
A police officer then arrived and apprehended the man. "I finally got you!" the officer exclaimed. The couple was shocked to learn that the man who had bumped into them was a criminal being pursued by the police. To their surprise, he was wearing clothes similar to Lee Hoo's, which only added to the confusion.
Jang Mi and Lee Hoo tried to explain the situation multiple times, but they found themselves entangled in confusion. Both were taken to the police station for further questioning. Jang Mi managed to give her statement and insisted that they review the CCTV footage to clear up the misunderstanding. With her date being investigated in another room, her good luck seemed to help resolve the situation.
Afterwards, She left without saying goodbye, convinced that all the chaos was a result of her bad luck. She decided to leave to avoid any further misfortune. In all the commotion, Lee Hoo didn't notice her departure and felt disappointed by her sudden exit.
Lee Hoo left the police station with messy hair, as if he had been in a fight or something, and his clothes carried the smell from the unclean police car. He paused outside the station, finally taking in some fresh air and trying to process what had just happened. A police officer called out his name, returning Jang Mi's backpack that she must have forgotten with him.
He had never witnessed anything like the chaos that occurred within a few hours. He was visibly embarrassed as he thought about the events. Why did it all happen during his blind date? This was the question that stuck in his mind, making him blame himself for not being more composed and impressive in front of Jang Mi.
She must be thinking of him as a man from the countryside who can't handle a big city. How can he face her after what happened?
The day after, he couldn't find her contact information. He had to wait for his friend to return from his travels to ask him about her. However, he couldn't contact his friend until a week had passed. Feeling pressured, his friend finally gave him only her class information, suggesting that Lee Hoo could return her backpack directly and have a chat with her, since he seemed still interested in her. He vowed not to make the same mistake this time and to act cool.
He did go to her university, asking someone for her department, and waited for 2 hours until her class was over. While waiting, he practiced what he should say. Should he ask her out? Or should he just ask for her number now? Maybe he should ask her to treat him to a meal since he brought her backpack back. As students began to exit the class, he searched for her. There she was, talking with her friend. He was about to call her name, but he overheard her conversation with Seo Ah before he had the chance to. She was planning to go on another blind date. Seo Ah said, "Don't forget your blind date today at 8." Jang Mi replied, "Let's hope it won't go as badly as the last one." These words broke Lee Hoo's heart as he thought he was the reason why the date went wrong. He couldn't face her and left the backpack at reception for Jang Mi to pick up later.
Lee Hoo changed a lot since then; working in a big city can transform people. He took his friends' advice on how to dress, updating his clothing style and haircut. However, one thing he didn't change was his shampoo.
When Lee Hoo met Jang Mi again, a year after their blind date, in the office, he promised himself he would act cool, like a typical big city guy. He was determined not to make the same mistakes twice. Jang Mi seemed to have trouble remembering him, which only fueled his resolve to make a good impression. His motivation wasn't solely because he liked her, he wanted to prove a point."But why do bad things always seem to happen when I'm with her? This is so embarrassing," he often thought.
When she mentioned being lucky in the elevator last time, he had defensively said there was no such thing as luck. If she was that lucky, it meant all the bad things that happened in the past and present when he was with her were because of him. He refused to accept that she was lucky; he believed they were all just coincidences, which Jang Mi didn't like.
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"Go on a date with me," Jang Mi said boldly.
"Okay," Lee Hoo said without thinking, then added, "I mean, yes, whatever. I mean, if you want to, it's your wish, so whatever you want," looking nervous.
"Shut up, shut up. I wasn't going for the cool guy style. You should've just said yes," he mumbled to himself.
"Okay, I will let you know later," Jang Mi said.
"We can go to a restaurant tomorrow night if you want to," Lee Hoo suggested.
"I need to check with Min Hyuk when he's available. I mean, we didn't set a date for our second date yet," Jang Mi explained.
"Sure, sure, sure... Wait, what? Who is Min Hyuk and why do you need his availability to choose a date?" Lee Hoo asked, feeling a bit confused.
"Ah, you forgot his name. Min Hyuk was my date last time when we met at the cafe yesterday. What do you mean I need to ask my date if he is available? I don't want to go on a date without my date obviously."
"I'm not following. If he's your date, why did you ask me to go with you?" Lee Hoo asked, feeling puzzled.
As he puzzled over the situation, he couldn't help but wonder, "Is she some kind of foreign girl with a different mentality, going on dates with two guys? What kind of freak show is this?"
"What do you mean? I didn't ask you out; I just asked you to come with me. I'm going on a date with Min Hyuk, and I want you to come with me," Jang Mi clarified.
"Huh, so you're going on a date. Why do you need me to go with you? And not just anyone, why do you need your manager to go with you?" Lee Hoo questioned, feeling even more confused.
As Jang Mi pondered over how to explain the situation, she couldn't help but wonder, "If I told him about the luck theory, he wouldn't believe me. How can I explain that I have bad luck when I am with him and surprisingly good luck in my romantic life next to him? Is that even possible?"
"Well, I know it seems weird, but I have my reasons. It's my wish. You know I worked hard to gain it. You can't refuse it," she asserted.
"Anyway, thank you for accepting my wish. I will text you when and where later," Jang Mi said abruptly before leaving, leaving Lee Hoo with no time to process what she had just said.
"Yaaah!" Lee Hoo screamed after Jang Mi left. "Is she forgetting I am her manager or what? In what logic does her brain work? Why is she treating me as her friend? And what in the hell is this triple date about? She is really something!!! Did she think I am someone who is easy to manipulate, that I will agree with whatever she said?huh " he muttered to himself, feeling utterly baffled by the situation.
She entered without knocking, catching him off guard. "Did you call me, sir?" she asked.
"No, no, not at all. I'll wait for your text confirming the time and place of your date," he replied calmly, as if he had no complaints.
He stayed in his office, trying to figure out her reasons. Then he remembered how she had been angry last time when he saved her from the fall. He realized she didn't like people touching her. He wondered if that was why she avoided him. But if she disliked him so much, why would she ask him to go with her? Perhaps the presence of men scared her. Or maybe she had problems with her boyfriend. After all, the last time she hadn't put any effort into her appearance; she had shown up for her date in terrible shape. Did she want to get rejected? Was she afraid of him and needed backup to reject him herself? It made sense. Maybe that's why she didn't like men touching her.
"None of this is making any sense," Lee Hoo muttered to himself. "I should keep an eye on her. Maybe I'll figure out what's really going on."
After moving next to the window, hiding behind the curtains to peek into Jang Mi's office, Lee Hoo glanced over at her old office. It was surrounded by two male employees, while her new office was far away from all the men. There had to be a reason for Jang Mi's move from a nice, shiny office to an old one filled with dust and unwanted files.
"Maybe it's not a coincidence," he thought. "There has to be something going on."
Jang Mi caught him peeking, and he quickly ducked to hide from her view.
"That was close," he muttered to himself.
"She must really feel safe with me to ask that," Lee Hoo thought, feeling a sense of responsibility.
Lee Hoo decided to help Jang Mi with her problem and do his best to ruin her date, assuming that's what she wanted. He imagined her thanking him afterward, seeing it as his chance to look good and maybe get closer to her. Determined, he ran to search for ways to destroy a date, taking his role very seriously!
Jang Mi kept avoiding Lee Hoo all day, which confused him, but he thought he understood why. Jang Mi noticed him avoiding her as well.
"Jang Mi!" he shouted from his office door.
"Yes?" she replied, trying to approach him a little.
He quickly refused. "Just stay there, don't come closer. I just want to give you this file to review, please, and send me the report later. Here, I'll put it on this desk; you can take it later," he said loudly, making everyone in the office wonder why he was shouting instead of simply going to her desk.
"What's up with him? Maybe he gets it now and doesn't want to get the bad luck," she thought.
They kept avoiding each other all day, and each time he avoided her, he gave her a proud smile. This behavior made the team even more suspicious.
"Is he smiling?" one team member whispered.
"Why is he avoiding the new intern?" another wondered aloud.
Their interactions were raising eyebrows, and the team's curiosity grew with every awkward smile.
He said quickly as Jang Mi approached his desk: "Speak from there if necessary, there's no need to come closer."
"Ah, okay. I just want to get your number so I can text you later, as you know," she replied.
"My number? Oh yeah, sure, of course," he stammered. He wrote his number on a piece of paper, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it to her. Unfortunately, it ended up hitting her in the eye.
Lee Hoo ran to her immediately. "Are you okay? Let me see. Sorry, I didn't mean to hit you with it," he said, blowing gently into her eye. Their faces came closer, and with a little eye contact, Jang Mi blushed immediately. He couldn't handle how cute she looked and realized how close they were. Panicking, he pulled away and shouted, "Yaaah, you! You should have caught it! It's not that hard to catch a paper."
"Just stay away," she said, picking up the paper and walking away. "All this because of him and the bad luck? What should I do with my life at this point?" she muttered to herself.
"She might be angry because I touched her again. Is she okay? If I go check on her, will that make her angrier? What's wrong with me? How could I hit her?" Lee Hoo muttered to himself, anxiety gnawing at him.
He ran back to his desk and quickly typed into his search engine: "How to be next to a girl who fears men?" and "How to help a girl who hates people touching her?"
As he frantically searched for answers, he couldn't shake the guilt and worry. "I need to figure out how to make things right," he thought, determined to understand and help Jang Mi without making things worse.
Lee Hoo lay on his bed, thinking about Jang Mi and the day's events. He couldn't get over the embarrassment of hitting her with the crumpled ball of paper. "I must be crazy!" he shouted, frustration echoing in his empty room.
At that moment, his phone buzzed. He picked it up to see a message: "Hello, Mr. Lee Hoo. This is Jang Mi. This is my number, please save it. I set a date; let's meet at the park next Saturday. I will text you more details later. Good night."
The words "please save my number" and "good night" made him blush for once. His heart raced a little as he saved her number and stared at the message, a mix of excitement and nervousness flooding his mind.
He got up quickly and headed to his desk, grabbing a piece of paper and writing, "How to destroy a date?" He then started searching the internet, taking notes with determination.
"Okay, let's do this. I will help her get rid of her date," he said to himself, feeling a mix of excitement and resolve.
Meanwhile, Jang Mi lay on her bed, thinking about her upcoming date. "This might be it. It might work out! At first, I thought it was bad luck because I liked him, but that's not it. I liked Min Hyuk too. I really had fun, and everything worked fine even when Lee Hoo was there. It makes sense now... My very first second date in my life! Thank you, Lee Hoo, for this opportunity," she whispered to herself.
But then a thought struck her. "Wait, if it works, what should I do next?" She started imagining herself with Min Hyuk on their second date, then the third date, and then getting married. She pictured herself in a white dress. Suddenly, she realized that in her daydream, Lee Hoo was always there, right next to her. In the wedding photo, she was between Min Hyuk and Lee Hoo. Even in her imagination of the first child's delivery, Lee Hoo was present, standing beside them.
She sat up abruptly and shouted, "Oh no, no, that can't be it! Should I drag him into this?"
"Let's just forget about that now. I'll find a solution by then," Jang Mi muttered to herself. "Now, I need to work hard to earn next week's wish too. More wishes mean more dates."