Chapter 16

Because the meetup had taken place within walking distance of his home, Gyuhan was strolling along pleasantly tipsy, enjoying the night breeze.

In truth, it was a rather chilly night due to unseasonable weather.

Even so, he left his shirt unbuttoned wide at the chest, tucked one hand into his pocket, and hummed a tune. Perhaps because his worries had dissolved, allowing him to drink happily, Gyuhan felt wonderfully uplifted. Mid-stride, he came to a sudden halt with an “Ah, right!” and pulled out his phone.

“Whoa. Whoa, did my fingers get fat just from drinking a little?”

Oblivious to the fact that his sluggish tapping was the culprit behind his typos, Gyuhan opened his messenger and punched out a message character by character. The recipient was Lee Sohee. He wondered if things were finally looking up. Their previous meeting had gone so smoothly that he had been eagerly awaiting a follow-up date. While the agency required the woman to request the second date first, requiring patience, his intuition couldn’t possibly be wrong. Lee Sohee would request a second date, and then maybe… just maybe, he might feel that electric spark too…!

“Sohee-ssiiii…”

Gyuhan mumbled, rubbing his eyes. Then he hit send without even checking what time it was. Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he hummed his way home.

When he woke up again, he was sprawled face-down on his bed. Waking with a sharp hup, Gyuhan pushed himself up. Wiping his mouth with a sharp inhale, he felt the distinct creases of the pillow etched into his face. Though he had washed his hair, going to sleep without drying it left his coarse, straight strands sticking out in wild disarray. Even so, he was wearing pajamas—albeit with the shirt on backward.

Gyuhan casually slipped his arms out, rotated the pajama top around, and checked his phone. Having forgotten to plug it into the charger last night, the battery was dead. After plugging in the cable, he stood and lightly stretched his body. Ferocious cracking and popping echoed through the room, yet Gyuhan didn’t bat an eye.

Leaving his phone to charge, Gyuhan took a quick shower and finished his breakfast before finally checking the messages that had arrived.

❮Merry Matchmaking Manager⠇

—Sir, I am truly at a loss for words beyond “I beg of you”…

“Huh? What’s her deal?”

Chewing on chicken breast, Gyuhan shifted his gaze upward. He didn’t even need to scroll.

❮Merry Matchmaking Manager⠇

MsSoheeIrealizedsomethingmoreimportantthanthatpunk’stasteandthefactisforcertainthatbastardreallylikesmeIwillalsocherishthisfriendshipforeverandbecomeanolderbrothertohimhaveagoodnight

1

“Oh boy.”

Gyuhan spat out the mouthful of chicken breast and frantically fired off a reply.

❮Merry Matchmaking Manager⠇

I’m sorry. I accidentally sent that to you instead of Ms. Sohee. I’ll send it again.

A reply arrived almost immediately.

❮Merry Matchmaking Manager⠇

—Sir, please do not send it to Ms. Lee Sohee either… (crying emoji) (bowing emoji)

“I must’ve saved both under ‘Merry Matchmaking’ and gotten them mixed up.”

Rather than reflecting deeply, Gyuhan simply identified his mistake… and left it at that. He assumed it wouldn’t be a major issue. While offering advice was the manager’s job, hadn’t their meeting gone so well that advice wasn’t even needed? Right. Maybe this story was better delivered face-to-face rather than over text. Taking this as a sign, Gyuhan sent a bold, confident reply while they were already in contact.

❮Merry Matchmaking Manager⠇

If Ms. Lee Sohee requests a follow-up date, I’ll accept.

—Sir, do you happen to know what the feeling of “I beg of you” is?

Of course I know. Doesn’t it mean you’re praying things go well? I won’t forget my manager’s hard work. Well, keep it up.

Wrapping up the conversation, Gyuhan immediately set out for the gym.

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