Date Me! (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
Joo Won let out a soft chuckle as old memories resurfaced, his eyes on the electronic billboard.
A moment later, the traffic signal turned green.
As the car started moving, Lee I Na turned back with a wistful look, gazing at the billboard fading into the distance.
“If you miss it so much, just go see it.”
Joo Won glanced sideways at Lee I Na as he spoke.
Lee I Na let out a short sigh and turned her eyes forward again.
“Yeah. I guess I should go see it. But it’s weird—there’s not a single person around me who likes zombie movies. So I always end up going alone.”
“Not even your boyfriend? Aside from that jerk, I mean.”
“Boyfriend? Well… with him, we only ever watched romance movies. I don’t remember ever going to see a zombie film together.”
“Really? How many boyfriends have you had, then?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking, how many have you dated that not a single one of them liked zombie movies?”
“Me? Well… counting that lunatic, three.”
“Three? …Fewer than I expected.”
“Is that few? Well, I didn’t date anyone in high school, dated once in college, once after getting a job, and then met that lunatic last—so I guess you could call it sparse.”
When Joo Won stayed silent, Lee I Na glanced at him sideways and asked,
“What about you? How many have you dated?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. I’m really curious—someone as good-looking as you must’ve dated a bunch.”
Instead of answering, Joo Won let out a quiet laugh.
“Huh? Come on, tell me! How many? How many have you dated?”
Lee I Na’s eyes sparkled brightly as she pressed him.
Joo Won remained silent, gripping the steering wheel, before finally speaking after a pause.
“Two.”
Lee I Na’s eyes widened.
“Two? Seriously? Wait, isn’t that even more shockingly sparse for you?”
“Is it?”
“Of course! How have you only dated two people with that face? If I were you, I’d have dated at least thirty by now!”
Joo Won burst out laughing.
“Pff. Am I Casanova or something?”
“No, that’s not what I meant! I just can’t believe how many girls must’ve liked you, yet you only dated two of them.”
“Well, you have to match feelings to date someone. Not every confession leads to a relationship.”
“Wait—you’re admitting you got tons of confessions, then?”
“…”
“Well… you were already ridiculously popular in middle school, right? And now you’re a full-on handsome grown man—of course your popularity’s gone through the roof.”
“Popularity, my foot. Stop saying embarrassing stuff.”
“But it’s true! …Still, I’m kind of curious. What were those two girls like that made Lee Joo Won want to date them? Were they absolute bombshells?”
“That’s enough. Interrogation’s over.”
Lee I Na reluctantly nodded in agreement at Joo Won’s words.
A short while later, Joo Won’s car entered the villa where Lee I Na lived.
“Thanks. You always go out of your way to drive me home.”
“Don’t mention it. This hardly counts as trouble.”
“Still, I really appreciate it!”
“If you’re that grateful, how about booking those movie tickets?”
“Huh?”
“The movie we saw on that billboard earlier—you said you always go alone. Either go with me or forget it.”
Lee I Na’s face brightened instantly.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow! I’m so excited! I always just bought a single popcorn by myself, but if we go together, we can get the combo set!”
Joo Won burst out laughing at Lee I Na’s cheerful expression as she immediately brought up popcorn.
“What? Are you happy because we’re watching it together—or just because you get a combo set?”
“Oh! No, I mean… it’s good for both reasons! Kill two birds with one stone!”
Watching Lee I Na’s blissful expression, Joo Won chuckled softly.
“Alright, then. If Sunday works for you, should I book it for Sunday? We can eat lunch first and take our time.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll book it and let you know the time.”
“Alright. You’d better get inside now.”
“Okay, I’m heading in. You drive home safely, too.”
After waving goodbye, Lee I Na went inside the villa.
★ ★ ★
Saturday arrived.
Lee I Na woke up leisurely, had breakfast, did the dishes, thoroughly cleaned the house, and started a load of laundry. By the time she finished sorting out warm clothes, it was already approaching 3 p.m.
After watching some TV and sipping a cup of coffee, she took a slow shower, then applied light makeup.
She put on a gray knit sweater with dark jeans, threw on a light jacket, picked up her handbag, and stepped out.
By the time she reached Gangnam Station by bus, it was just past 5:30 p.m.
She had arranged to meet Hyun Joo thirty minutes early.
As she came up through Exit 2, she spotted Hyun Joo standing there, eyes on her phone.
“Hyun Joo.”
“Oh, you’re here?”
Hyun Joo strode over, grabbed Lee I Na’s shoulders, and inspected her from head to toe.
“You okay? That bastard Park Jung Hoon didn’t pull anything while I was gone, did he? No showing up to cause a scene or making threats?”
Instead of answering, Lee I Na just let out a short sigh.
“What? Did something happen? What did that jerk do?”
“It’s all settled now. You don’t need to mention his name anymore.”
“What? How did it get resolved? Did Park Jung Hoon just back off quietly? How?”
“Let’s go inside and talk first.”
Lee I Na and Hyun Joo walked slowly to the izakaya where they’d agreed to meet.
After being shown to a private room and seated, Lee I Na briefed Hyun Joo on everything that had happened over the past few days. When she finished, Hyun Joo’s mouth dropped open.
“Wow. Seriously… you wrote a whole epic saga while I was gone! And Park Jung Hoon—that bastard’s a total piece of trash! How dare he cause a scene at your workplace? Ugh! If I’d been there, I’d have ripped out every last hair on his head!”
“It’s all over now, so don’t get so worked up.”
“But I’m furious! How could he even think of showing up at your workplace? He’s completely insane!”
Lee I Na barely managed to calm Hyun Joo down after her long outburst.
Once Hyun Joo’s anger subsided, she turned to Lee I Na with eyes sparkling brightly.
“But wait—how did you even come up with such a wild idea? Claiming you dated Joo Won ten years ago and then fatefully reunited… How’d you think of that on the spot?”
“I don’t know. He kept pressing me on how long we’d been estranged, and those words just slipped out before I realized.”
“Wow—that ‘slipped out’ excuse sounds way too convincing! And Joo Won actually went along with it?”
“…Yeah. So I felt both embarrassed and a little guilty.”
“And then Park Jung Hoon wouldn’t leave, so he spent the night at your place?”
“Well… it couldn’t be helped under the circumstances.”
“Alright, fine—I’ll accept that. But honestly, I’m both grateful for him and kind of suspicious.”
“Suspicious about what?”
“I mean, you two weren’t even that close as kids, and you said he was kind of aloof. But now he’s worried about you—letting you leave work early all week, going along with this whole ten-year-love story, even getting his lawyer cousin involved to help you out.”
“Yeah, that’s why I’m incredibly thankful to him.”
“No, I get that you’re thankful—but something just feels… off.”
Hyun Joo stared thoughtfully at Lee I Na for a moment before speaking.
“Could he… maybe have feelings for you?”
“What?”
Lee I Na frowned, staring at Hyun Joo.
“I mean, the last time you saw each other was in middle school. You were kids then—but now that you’ve met again as adults, maybe he’s started seeing you as a woman.”
“Ugh, stop saying nonsense.”
“Why’s it nonsense? Park Jung Hoon pursued you aggressively as soon as he saw you at that blind date. Joo Won’s a guy too—what’s wrong with him developing feelings?”
“Ugh, no. Absolutely not. So stop making things up.”
“Well… if he really does have feelings for you… that could get complicated.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I didn’t mention it on the phone, but in Yeosu—Si Woo kept asking about you nonstop! You two weren’t even close back then, but when he heard you live in Seoul, he got really excited. Seeing his reaction, I started wondering… maybe he liked you back then? And by the way, Si Woo’s single now. Single.”
“Hey, Park Hyun Joo—did you just start matchmaking me the second I became single?”
“No, that’s not what I meant… Just think about it carefully. Him, I mean—”
Hyun Joo was about to launch into another long monologue when her phone rang. It was Si Woo.
“Oh? Si Woo’s calling. Hold on.”
Hyun Joo brought the phone to her ear.
“Hello? Oh, Si Woo. We’re already here. Where? Room 6. Yeah, hurry up.”
Lee I Na quickly warned Hyun Joo, just in case.
“Park Hyun Joo—don’t you dare say anything weird to Si Woo later, got it?”
“What weird stuff?”
“You know—stuff about Park Jung Hoon, Joo Won, or any love story you’re cooking up in your head right now.”
Instead of answering, Hyun Joo giggled—then, seeing Lee I Na’s stern, principal-like expression, nodded in agreement.
“Fine, I get it. You stop worrying and start setting up some time with this Lee Joo Won guy. I need to meet him myself.”
“What? Why would you—”
Just as Lee I Na spoke, a knock sounded at the door.
Both turned toward it simultaneously—and after a moment, the door opened.
Standing there was Si Woo, tall and elegant in a gray checkered jacket.
His eyes, meeting Lee I Na’s directly from across the room, softened gently as they settled on her.
A faint smile bloomed at the corners of Si Woo’s lips as he looked at her.
Seeing that smile, Lee I Na couldn’t help but return a gentle, happy smile of her own.
“Oh, Si Woo. Come on in.”
Only then did Si Woo turn his gaze toward Hyun Joo, responding belatedly with a smile of his own as he sat down opposite Lee I Na.
Once seated, Si Woo looked intently at Lee I Na before extending his hand.
“Hello. Seo I Na? Long time no see.”
Si Woo, with his bright brown, dandy perm, greeted her with a cheerful smile.
For a moment, Lee I Na had the illusion that the high school Si Woo in his uniform overlapped with the grown man before her.
Both then and now, his eyes—gentle like a puppy’s, curving into crescents when he smiled—remained unchanged.
As Lee I Na looked into those familiar eyes, she reached out and took his hand.
“Yeah. It has been a while. Nice to see you.”
Si Woo’s large hand enveloped Lee I Na’s small, pale one warmly and firmly.
“You were pretty back then—and you’re still beautiful now.”
Caught completely off guard by Si Woo’s sudden, unfiltered remark, Lee I Na’s eyes widened in surprise.
Hyun Joo, watching with triumphant glee, raised her eyebrows at Lee I Na and shot her a mischievous grin.
Then, turning to Si Woo with a playful tone, she said,
“Hey, Kim Si Woo—when you saw me in Yeosu the other day, you didn’t say I’d gotten prettier! Are you playing favorites now?”
Si Woo released Lee I Na’s hand and broke into a wide smile at Hyun Joo’s words.
“Huh? Didn’t I say it? But I thought you’d know without me saying it.”
“Oh my! Look at you! You’ve turned into a smooth talker since we last met!”
“Have I? Hahaha.”
Si Woo laughed with a refreshingly crisp sound, like a cool drink on a hot day.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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