Instead of heading directly to the school, they stopped by Charlotte's house to pick her up first.
Since Charlotte had no date, Haewon had agreed to being Jake's prom date on the condition that Charlotte tagged along with them, and he had reluctantly agreed.
"Thank you for letting Charlotte tag along. I know that is not what you bargained for when you asked to go to the prom with me," Haewon said sincerely when the car stopped outside Charlotte's house.
"It's no problem. She is your friend, and it might be best if you have her tag along with you to keep you company since I'm not much of a talker," Jake said without looking at her.
"Remember, you have to treat her as your date as well," Haewon said, and Jake nodded.
"I understand," Jake responded calmly.
Once Charlotte got into the car, she was taken aback to see that Haewon's prom date was Jake, but she masked her surprise with a smile as she looked at Haewon.
"You look amazing," Charlotte said to Haewon.
"And you look beautiful," Haewon responded with a brilliant smile as she admired Charlotte's outfit.
"Thank you for letting me tag along," Charlotte said to Jake, who simply acknowledged her with a nod.
Charlotte moved closer to Haewon, "I can't believe you didn't tell me he was your date," Charlotte whispered into Haewon's ear.
"I told you it was a surprise, didn't I? Besides, he is our date. Not just mine," Haewon said, and Charlotte rolled her eyes.
"I thought you didn't like him. What changed?" Charlotte asked, and Haewon shrugged.
"I still don't like him. He asked me to go with him to prom as payment for saving me. I had to," Haewon whispered, and Charlotte nodded.
"I see. I guess that makes sense," Charlotte said as she adjusted in her seat to give Haewon space.
Jake, who could hear all they were saying, ignored them as he looked out of the window.
The car was silent for only a minute before Charlotte and Haewon began to chatter endlessly.
Charlotte scrolled through their class' Instagram page, showing Haewon pictures of their classmates and how they had arrived at school in a grand style.
"I think Sandra looks like a chicken in this outfit," Charlotte said with disapproval.
"A chicken? More like a vulture," Haewon said, and they both giggled while Jake's lips twitched in amusement, but he turned away from them and picked up his phone to check out the pictures the girls were looking at.
Since they were both seated opposite him, they didn't see what he was looking at, and he chuckled quietly when he saw Sandra's dreadful outfit.
Both girls continued to look through the Instagram page for various pictures of their classmates, complimenting some outfits and criticizing others while Jake silently laughed.
He had not realized that Haewon had such a good sense of humor, so he had to admit it felt nice getting to see this part of her. She would need all the sense of humor she can get for the time she eventually becomes his wife.
Once they got bored with scrolling through Instagram, Haewon turned to Charlotte, "You won't believe what happened as we were about leaving."
"What happened?" Charlotte asked with interest.
"Remember Lena's childhood friend? The one I told you about the last time?" Haewon asked, and Charlotte bobbed her head.
"The guy she has been trying to find for years?" Charlotte asked, and Haewon nodded.
"Yes. She finally found him!" Haewon said excitedly, and Charlotte looked at her in disbelief.
"Are you serious?"
"Totally. You had to see the joy on her face! It was so beautiful to behold! I can't wait for them to reunite! I think it's going to have a happy ending," Haewon said with a dreamy smile.
Charlotte giggled, "I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. You still have to remember that they have not talked in all this time. What if he does not remember her or care as much as she does?" Charlotte pointed out reasonably.
"I prefer to be optimistic. I know Lena. I don't think she would have remained stuck on him for all these years if he were someone who would forget her so easily," Haewon said reasonably.
Charlotte smiled. "How can you be that optimistic about love and not have a boyfriend?"
"Because I don't just want any boyfriend. I want to have the kind of love my parents share—the kind of love my aunts and uncles have. True love is so beautiful to behold. I can't be surrounded by people who are so much in love with each other and then settle for less," Haewon said passionately, and Jake looked at her.
True love? She called what her parents shared true love? Two people who had betrayed his father in order to be together? That was the kind of deceptive love she called true love? He wondered how much she knew about her parents and her so-called aunts and uncles.
"We are here," The driver announced, and that brought an end to the conversation as they all got out of the car.
Jake stood between Haewon and Charlotte since they were both his date, and he led them to the school's event hall, which had been decorated with disco balls and blue lighting.
The students who were already in the hall could not take their eyes off the trio as they made their grand entrance. They were all stunned by the picture the trio made.
Everyone had been curious about Jake since he transferred to their school, and many of the girls had made passes at him.
Seeing him with Haewon and Charlotte was surprising since they had hardly ever seen them communicating in the classroom despite the proximity of their seats.
"Everyone is staring at us," Charlotte whispered excitedly.
"The only three Korean students in the school are together like this. What did you expect?" Haewon asked dryly as Jake found them a spot to sit.
"Or maybe they're staring because you look stunning," Jake said to Haewon, and she looked at him, surprised by the unexpected compliment.