A Rainy Date

Ha-na was seated within the comfortable, ultra-microfiber cushions of Ji-hoon's car. She felt grateful for the warmth that enveloped her nicely after a torrential experience in the cold, downpouring rain.

But at the same time, she wondered the devil that possessed her to follow him into his car. Was it the way he looked at her? Or the tempting offer of being in a warm, dry enclosure, far away from the wet, relentless weather?

The way he looked at her…

Ha-na felt a quiver flutter in her belly at the thought. He had gazed at her in a similar way ten years ago – under heavy rain – and the memory still burned fresh in her mind.

Why did they always seem to be caught in unsavoury situations?

She couldn't deduce suitable answers to her questions, and she felt conflicted. Why had he come after her after all? Shouldn't he have driven Bin-na instead? Wouldn't this raise suspicion between them?!

The last thing she needed was her history with Ji-hoon clashing with her duties as a matchmaker. She turned her head sideways to glare at him, who was watching her silently and contemplatively.

"You shouldn't be here." She stated dryly.

"That was not the 'thank you' I was hoping to hear, my dear matchmaker." Ji-hoon grinned, a bewitching grin that flashed his white set of teeth and adorable, one-cheek dimple.

Ha-na felt her breath catch at the mesmerizing sight and tore her gaze away. It seemed staring at him was too dangerous, so she was going to keep her eyes away from him to maintain a clear and sensible mind.

She stared at the rolled-up window, watching as drops of rain consistently trickled down the glass.

"You should be with Bin-na and the Chairwoman. Why did you come after me?" 

Her voice was quiet and probing, and it set Ji-hoon's mind into motion. Why had he come after her?

He couldn't himself understand why he had – what had come over him and why he had to chase her all the way down here.

For one thing he knew, after she had left the golf course, it suddenly seemed like all the excitement and happiness in the world had been sucked out of him. Like he had no more business there – like she took everything of him with her as she left.

He didn't want to deal with Bin-na – the sweet and wonderful woman that she was – but he felt nothing for her. He was aware of her interest in him, but she didn't elicit the plethora of complex emotions that Ha-na stirred within him.

All the women he had been meeting since the start of his career had been mundane – as insipid as the whiskey he always drank after a tiring day at work.

But with Ha-na, he felt different. And why? He wished he knew. But maybe, that was why he couldn't keep away from her.

He wanted answers – answers to his erratic emotions, answers to why she remained in his heart. Or maybe, he wanted to punish her for breaking his heart years ago.

And when he did – when he was finally able to fizzle out his age-old attraction for her – maybe he'd finally be able to forget her and move on.

He placed his hands on his steering wheel, gripping it firmly. "Bin-na and Chairwoman Lim came in their own ride of course. I guess it's fate that I happened to pick you up in the rain."

Ha-na shot Ji-hoon a poisonous glare.

Fate my foot. He literally hauled me into his car! He was the one who said we should play ignorant to our past, so why was he making it so obvious?!

Ji-hoon turned on the ignition – stepping on a brake pedal – and the car hummed to life in a muffled, whirring sound.

He glanced at Ha-na briefly. "How about we stop by for a bowl of hot soup? And you can't walk around in those wet clothes – you'll catch a terrible chill."

Before Ha-na could retort with a brusque reply, Ji-hoon pulled the car away from the sidewalk. 

-----

"Matching outfits? Really?!"

Ha-na stared in dismay at the identical clothing she wore with Ji-hoon. They were both dressed in iron-grey sweatpants, sitting across from each other in a gourmet restaurant.

He had suggested she changed into dryer clothes – and was grateful he provided one despite her insistence – but never in her wildest dreams could she have conceived he would buy matching outfits. If she had known he would do this, she would have purchased the clothes herself!

She leaned across the table, her eyes flashing as they met his. "What is the meaning of this? You said you were going to get clothes, not matching ones!"

Ji-hoon shrugged his shoulders, unperturbed by her irate visage. If anything, he found it amusing. "In case you didn't notice, I was drenched too – trying to convince you to get into the car."

"And so –?" Ha-na raised her voice in anger, but quickly lowered it when it began to attract the attention of the diners around. She then spoke quietly but furiously.

"You're really something, President Cha. What do you think this would make us? People would mistake us for being a couple – they'd think we were here on a date!"

A smile lifted the corners of Ji-hoon's lips as he picked up his menu card on the table, casually glancing over it. "Am I so bad to date? I always thought I was such a great catch."

He prattled, his eyes glinting with impish intent. Ha-na felt her frustration boil over.

"This would be different if I was the date recommended for your compatibility!"

"So then, you don't deny that I am handsome?"

Ha-na's scowled at him hotly. "I always thought you were cold and aloof, but now I'm adding arrogant and overbearing to that list!"

Ji-hoon grinned broadly, his shoulders quivering with a subtle laugh. The kind of laughter that made her stop and wonder – rich and velvety like a piece of decadent chocolate cake.

It was strange – he always seemed so detached and stand-offish, but when he was around her, his personality seemed to transform into something else entirely.

"Do you know how this makes me look? A matchmaker going on a date with her client! That's bad for business!" 

Ji-hoon leaned against the backrest of his seat, folding his arms. "Don't worry about that. Just… think of this as a meeting to get to know me better. After all, you'd need all that information to recommend suitable matches for me, yeah?"

A waiter in a white shirt, black waistcoat, and bow tie approached their table, bowing to them.

"President Cha, have you been able to make your selection? We have a special couple menu for you and your girlfriend."

At the word 'girlfriend', Ha-na turned her alarming eyes towards the waiter and then Ji-hoon, who seemed further amused by her frazzled state. 

Ji-hoon placed orders for ginseng chicken soup, and soon, the quiet slurping of liquid from fine bone china bowls suggested that they had begun their hot repast.

"Isn't this nice?" Ji-hoon commented cheerfully, swallowing another spoonful of soup and chicken and sighing satisfactorily. He gazed out of the window where the heavy downpour was still in full swing.

"A hot soup on a cold, wet day. It really hits the spot, don't you think?" He winked at Ha-na.

Ha-na couldn't deny that he was right; she felt the tension of the day ease from her body immediately after drinking some of the steaming soup.

She was certain her grandmother would have prepared a warm, cozy dinner waiting for her, and the thought brought a faint smile to her face.

"Yeah, I agree."

"I find I like cold, rainy days. Thanks to a certain someone…" He watched her with a small, smug smile on his lips. Ha-na finally understood the allusion to their breakup years ago and sighed.

"You can add that to your list of my preferences," he continued, undaunted. "I'll need a wife who also loves rainy days." Ji-hoon gave her a bombastic side-eye, and that only made Ha-na roll her eyes at him.

"What else do you envision in an ideal partner?" She asked, choosing to ignore his jibes.

Ji-hoon pretended to contemplate for a moment. "Hmm… I'm not sure, I've never thought about it," his eyes glittered with mischief for a millisecond. "Perhaps, someone with a penchant for breaking hearts."

"Hey, can you be serious for a second? If you keep messing around, then my matchmaking efforts will fall flat!"

Ji-hoon chuckled, but Ha-na didn't find any of it funny. He seemed to be having fun where she felt embarrassed or annoyed!

He certainly wasn't anything like the man who barged into her office the other day and demanded a cancellation of the contract!

She stood up from her seat suddenly, causing Ji-hoon to raise a brow in question. "Are you running away now? Just be warned; I won't let you go that easily."

His countenance seemed to have taken a more serious tone, but Ha-na remained undaunted. She shot him a glare.

"Don't worry; I can't run away even if I wanted to. You should thank your stars it's still pouring buckets out there."

With that, she sashayed her way out of the dining area and into the ladies' lavatory.

Several moments later when she came out and was heading back, she sidestepped a guy whom she almost collided with.

"Sorry!" She bowed apologetically, not catching the guy's face but only the black leather jacket he wore over a white and black striped tee-shirt.

She was about to resume her journey when she felt the guy grab her arm. She whirled around to face him – alarmed – but what shocked her was not the way he suddenly grasped her arm.

It was the fact that he was her two-week ex-boyfriend whom she broke up with six months ago!