Tae-Joon checked his watch again. He had certainly lost count of the number of times he had done that within the last hour.
He knew she was mannerless, and even though he hadn't expected better from her, it still baffled him how she could keep him waiting this long.
Just as he stood up to leave, he saw her sitting at her usual spot in the center of the restaurant, so he walked over to her table.
"How long have you been here?" He asked, trying his best not to raise his voice in anger.
"I arrived a few minutes ago," She said with a pleasant smile, wanting to really piss him off.
"Do you realize you kept me waiting for over an hour? And didn't your secretary tell you a table was reserved for us at the extreme, or didn't you see me sitting there?" He asked, pointing in the direction of the seat he had just vacated.
When he noticed the other diners were beginning to turn in their direction, he quickly smiled at her.
"I did keep you waiting, so what? Weren't you informed that I preferred this table? I reserved this table for us, too," She said, motioning for him to sit down.
This was a game of power. She had to show him she was in charge here. She had noticed him the moment she stepped into the restaurant. He had been sitting with his back facing the door, and she had been watching him the whole time she sat there.
If this was going to work between them, she needed him to do things her way. She was the lady, after all, and she was just as rich as he was. And rich ladies like herself ought to always have things done their way.
After all, she knew how much he stood to gain from their marriage, and he had to earn every penny he'd make from their union.
Tae-Joon sat down opposite her. Most people said he was very calculative. He never said nor did anything without thinking it through.
He knew her game, and he understood what she was doing. He knew she wanted things done her way. He wasn't going to do it all her way. But he'd let this one pass.
He really was tempted to walk away from this twat. But he couldn't afford to. For his grandfather's sake, he could do almost anything.
"That's fine. It doesn't matter where we are sitting as long as we are here. Let's just make our orders," He said with a tight smile as he signaled the waiter to come over.
She smiled back sweetly, knowing she had just won the first round of many arguments to come.
She had no appetite for food, and neither did he. So they just ordered a bottle of red wine.
Both sat down quietly, each wondering what to say to the other. They'd been enemies for so long that they had no common ground.
Tae-Joon knew it was up to him to raise a conversation, and he had to bring up something to talk about, anything at all.
"So, did you know about our engagement before or after it hit the tabloids?" He asked in a casual manner
She looked at him, considering whether or not to answer him honestly.
"After," She said, in a manner that told him if he probed further, he'd only hit a brick wall.
"What are the things you like?" He tried again.
"Isn't that an old line? Shouldn't you be asking something new?" She asked, deliberately wanting to frustrate him to silence. She intended to tell everyone how boring he was.
"I didn't want to be on this date with you, and there are a thousand and one things I could do with this time I'm wasting here. We both know we don't like each other, so can you at least stop being so unreasonable and try to make a little conversation?" He asked, raising his brows.
"I'm being unreasonable? I don't make conversations with people I don't like, I don't like you, and I like less the idea of being married to you. So don't start getting any funny marriage ideas. I'm just here for the sake of my parents," She said, smiling sweetly.
"That's even better. I can see we have a common ground here; we don't like each other, and we don't want to marry each other. That's very fine. We can call it a day and be on our way," He said, rising from his seat, and she stood up with him.
**********
Ann looked at her phone again, so it was true. Displayed on her screen was a picture of Tae-Joon and Grace sitting opposite each other in a restaurant.
The internet was abuzz with the news of their date; it was like the most anticipated date for everyone. Everyone wanted to know if these two were going to tear the other's throats.
But in the picture, Grace was smiling sweetly, like she was happy. She really hoped the date wasn't going too well.
Her heart twisted, and she felt a dull pain inside. "God, if you're going to help me, please do so today. The next time Tae-Joon goes on a date, I want to be the one sitting opposite him."
Just as she stood up to leave, her phone started ringing, and it was Mrs. Park, her boss at her second part-time job where she made deliveries.
"Ann, please can you come over immediately? That useless boy is not around, and I need to make deliveries urgently, else I'll lose this customer," Her boss pleaded even before she could say "Hello."
"Ok, ma, I'll be on my way immediately," She said.
"Aunty, please, I need to rush over to help my boss make deliveries. I'll be back immediately after I'm done," Ann told Mrs. Shu.
"Alright, don't be late," Mrs. Shu said as she served her customers.
**********
Grace got into her car. 'Well, that went well,' She thought with a smile. She was very certain he was pissed off. She had made sure to smile every time she saw a camera move in their direction.
"Where to ma?" The driver asked, breaking into her thoughts.
"To the clubhouse. I need to meet up with my girls," She said.
**********
"No, you can't go in. You don't have a membership card," The bouncer at the clubhouse told the men at the gate.
Grace could hear them arguing as she approached. Well, that wasn't her business. Poor people ought to learn to stay away from places they can't afford.
Just as she was about to walk through the gate, one of the men was about to swing a punch at the bouncer, but his fist caught Grace squarely behind her head instead, and she collapsed.
**********
"You know where you're taking it to, right? Please drive safely," Mrs. Park said as Ann turned on the delivery bike.
"Yes, ma," Ann said, waving as she drove out.
Just a few feet from the shop a car hit her bike from behind, she fell and all the goods with her.