Min-jun waited some long minutes, he wasn't seeing anything and his mother wasn't in the apartment. He sighs… He hears the door open and 2 sets of footsteps, one set feeling troubled and the other set feeling smoother, like it knows the place.
He hears a screech in front of him. Whispers are heard in front of him, one voice at the same level as him while the other was a bit higher. "Yes I am here." He said, his rough voice echoed the near silence in the room. He hears chuckles, after the chuckles again footsteps to the door, he hears the door open and close. "I guess we are alone now…"
He hears heavy breathing. "Are you ok?" "Y–yes, it's just, we didn't meet each other for 15 years… Your voice is a little different." The comment hit directly into his memory the last girl he saw from this neighborhood 10 years ago was his best friend. "Han Ji-eun?" His heart beat fast. He gave a small laugh to ease the tension. "I didn't know I'd meet you today.."
"Your mother talked about it for so long, she is a good couple maker in the complex, and she taught me and you are a good match, Kang Min-jun." He hears her feet tapping on the floor. "I am as nervous as you are. This is blind date to another level…" He doesn't see anything but he knows she is looking beautiful as ever. "Tell me about it…" She said,
"So what have you been up to?" Both of them asked at the same time. Min-jun clears his throat. "Can I go first?" She nods. "So do I?" She gives a small laugh. "I accidentally nodded, yes you can." She exhales, like she had a stone on her chest, and now the stone is out of the way.
"Well, I went to live with my father, not like I wanted to, I was forced to. He wasn't the best man in the city and he got locked up when I turned 18. Imagine high school, everyone knowing your father is a gangster, my last year in high school was a nightmare."
Sadness can be sensed in his voice. "On another matter, lady Hong and mom help me get through it." He looks at his past 5 years and sees himself back in the military, the two years made a huge imprint on him. He remembers the last 3 years beating people for cash, or protecting people from mobs and other gangs, being paid by those people. He remembers how much blood he had on his fists in illegal street fighting. He gives a sigh.
"Sadly I also went for the same path because of lady Hong. So before we get anywhere further I wanted to tell you that… I am a gangster." The silence brutally hurts Min-jun. He feels her getting up and a hand coming towards his face, the hand now sits on his face.
He feels it moves away and slaps him. He hears her sitting back. "You know how to demolish a good conversation" Min-jun feels confused. "Wait, you didn't mind?" She sighs. "I actually do mind, but from when we were children I alway dreamed of us…" He blushes, he feels her feeling awkward. "When we were kids Ji-eun, I wanted to ask you on a date."
She blushed too, he can't see it or feel it, but she has had a tick since childhood when she is nervous. She hits the table with her pointed finger rapidly. He can hear it.
"I also wanted to be on a date with you, or at least tell you that— I like you Min-jun".
He laughed. "I was such an idiot when I was young huh… Okay{very forced english accent}" Min-jun gets up and removes his jacket, he throws it on the floor. She hears the rustle.
"What are you doing?" He sits back on the chair.
"I just took my jacket off, it's kinda hot here."
The jacket was about 250000 won{188 dollars} and he threw it away on the floor like it was nothing.
"So what do you think about my life decisions, I mean mom told me you became a med student, I think that it's a beautiful field of work, but only good if you like it." He knows what he said, he knows that his field of work isn't good, he doesn't like doing it.
"I chose it. Thank you for your sincere words, and about your life decisions, I expected better from the nerd I once knew." He feels that he said the wrong things, he thinks she judges him and will turn him to the authorities, he didn't care, Min-jun wanted her to know that he will alway tell the truth.
"And, I have a question before we move any further. If I'd ask you to quit this "job" of yours, would you do it?" He smiled, he sighs in relief and said "I will, next day after you say you'll go with me on a second date, I'll go there in front of my boss and end it all." "Are you sure"
"I'll become your former gangster, I'll always be with you and promise I will be a good person from now on." She blushed even harder "My–" She couldn't speak. "JI-eun?" She thinks of what words she could use, nothing comes to her heart. "I'd say that you're crazy…" She smirks. "And I'd like to see that." Min-jun didn't understand anything she said.
"So are we gonna go on a second date?" her finger tapping stops. "Depends on what we gonna talk about tonight." Min-jun sighs. This is his first ever date and it's more confusing to him than anything else. "I understand…" He wants to see her, to look in her eyes.
"Do you wanna take these off? I have to warn you that you're gonna see a good portion of my tattoo." She takes her blindfold off. She widens her eyes when he sees Min-jun. He looked entirely different than she imagined, she thought he was looking bald with lots of tattoos and fat, he wasn't, he was the perfect boy on the modeling magazines, his suit was fit for him, his tattoo wasn't to visible, but visible enough she looks at it and then the eyes move to his lips, she didn't care if he was a gangster or not, he reminds herself how much he had a crush on him only by looking to his lips she smiles and the eyes savor the man her friend has become.
Her heart started racing and pounding. "S–Sure!" She barely could say a word. She was shaking and wanted to look him in his eyes.
Min-jun takes off the blindfold and looks in her eyes, he studies her from the eyes down to her abdomen, he noticed she was wearing a red skirt and the shirt was a little above the abdomen, showing her belly button. She looks at her hands, her nails are long sharp looking, white and red with a fancy design, unique. He starts looking at her face again. He was looking deep in her eyes and both stopped talking.
The room was dark and the only thing that kept it lit was a candle, they both are now disconnected from this reality. She imagines herself already married to him, having kids, she sees herself in his arms and the eyes glow because of the dim light of the candle. He is lost in his thoughts; he sees her as his savior, as his future as his all, he wants her.
He thinks "I wanna marry you Ji-eun" he said it out loud, he realized it, this woken up to reality, his eyes widened, he placed his palms on his mouth to prevent saying anything else.
"I– Min-jun, I…" Ji-eun hearing him saying that made her heart burst. "What do I say? Do I say yes? If I say yes what are we gonna do? Get married?" Her thoughts burst out and continue to plague her head, "Should I kiss him?" He gathers her strengths and looks in his eyes. She takes a deep breath and exhales it. Ji-eun gets up and walks up to him. Now beside him, she picks him up for the chair, gets his arms away from his mouth and kisses him.
The both reactions, random as they are, the light made a shade on the wall of them, the kiss lasts a good minute. For them it would have lasted forever, but they wanted to catch a breather. Now both heavily breathing look each other in the eyes. They both feel this warmth in their body, something they never felt before "I want this never to end." This thought repeats in their heads, the fire of the candle lights up brighter and their eyes are again, glowing.
"I guess we are both impulsive as we were in childhood." Said Min-jun. He gives a shy laugh. Both of their legs are shaking. She looks at the floor and sees his jacket. "Sorry. I stepped on it." He kisses her again, now not as long. "I don't care about the jacket" Min-jun holds her tight in her arms. "I want you to be mine Ji-eun" he kisses her on the forehead. "How about we eat the meal and we can continue this tomorrow?" Ji-eun nods. "That will be great!"