"So, what have you been doing since the last time we saw each other?" Do-Yeong asked, looking quite spirited.
"We just met the other day. It hasn't even been that long and you're asking as though we saw each other last year." Mi-Suk chuckled.
"It's already been two days. That's too long for me to go without seeing you." Do-Yeong continued to speak in the same cheerful manner as before. But, by the time he finished his words, he was careful to add a little pout for a better effect.
"Oh you…" Mi-Suk outright laughed this time, her eyes curving into a pair of half-moons. "Honestly now, you are such a flirt. Your sister should have warned me about you."
Listening to her, Do-Yeong's lips pulled up into what seemed like a perfect cheeky grin. He leaned closer to Mi-Suk, bumping his shoulder lightly against hers. As he lowered his head to speak, his bangs fluttered over his forehead, masking his gaze from anyone else present.
A moment later, Do-Yeong's words came out in a low and magnetic voice.
"Well, I for one am glad she didn't. If you knew that about me, it might have deterred you from ever meeting me, and where would that have left me, hm?"
This truly was a high level hit that no woman could withstand.
Sure enough, Mi-Suk wasn't an exception either.
She went speechless for a moment, her pupils trembling with emotion. Then, she slowly raised her head and the two exchanged a long stare.
Just as the air was beginning to feel slightly heavy and ambiguous, both of them started laughing.
Being witness to this marvelous scene caused Su-Jin's brain to melt. She had never seen her best friend acting like that towards anyone before.
The most she had seen Mi-Suk flirting was with Min-Jun. But that happened a long time ago and the young woman always did it to tease Su-Jin's brother. There was never anything too serious happening between the two, nor did they seem to take their banter to heart.
At some point, though, Mi-Suk stopped showing that kind of attention to Min-Jun and Su-Jin eventually pushed the matter out of her mind.
Even if she sometimes remembered about it, Su-Jin had always thought that Mi-Suk liked to joke around and was never seriously considering a relationship with Min-Jun.
But right now, the Mi-Suk in front of her was completely different from what Su-Jin had seen long ago. With Do-Yeong as the target, Mi-Suk was going all out.
The smiles she gave the man and the glances they exchanged were enough to make Su-Jin realize that her best friend was serious about this person. Apart from that, there were also light, accidental touches, or the way they kept gravitating around each other.
Surely, it wasn't just Mi-Suk. Su-Jin could clearly see Do-Yeong responding to her best friend's signals in the same manner. The two were subtly interacting and communicating, seeming almost like they were doing an invisible dance.
'My gosh, why did I come here? Right now, I truly feel like a third wheel. I should have just stayed at home to sleep or watch TV.' Su-Jin groaned internally.
Wishing that she could block the scene happening in front of her, Su-Jin quickly moved her eyes away. Thus, her gaze landed on Jeong-Ho, who happened to be looking at her as well.
When the two locked gazes, Su-Jin's heart skipped a beat. The man's open, and almost inquisitive look, took Su-Jin completely by surprise.
If she had expected to see awkwardness on the man's face, then she was disappointed. Jeong-Ho merely stared at her calmly, as though he was waiting for her to say something first.
Su-Jin swallowed hard, brushing a hand over the side of her neck to hide her embarrassment.
Not being able to handle the strange silence, she eventually started talking. But her voice was very quiet, as if she was afraid of being heard.
"Ha ha… I keep thinking that maybe we shouldn't have followed these two out here. We should have left them alone on this date." She finished awkwardly.
To her utter amazement, instead of agreeing, Jeong-Ho shook his head.
"I don't think like that. If I didn't come here today, I would have missed a chance to see you."
Jeong-Ho stopped talking and another shocking thing happened, which rendered Su-Jin utterly speechless.
The man's lips curved into a smile, one without shyness or restraint.
She had seen him smiling before but this time, it was unlike anything Su-Jin had ever seen on Jeong-Ho's face until then.
"Chatting with you the other day was very nice. So, missing a chance to do that again, would have made me very sad."
At the end, as if to give Su-Jin a fatal blow, Jeong-Ho decided to finish his words with a playful wink.
The effect was like that of a low-level character in a game receiving a full blow from a high-level boss. The result: instant kill!
Su-Jin's heart almost stopped beating and she began stuttering.
"T-t-that… w-what are y-you s-saying?"
"Hmm, did I say something wrong?" Jeong-Ho tilted his head to one side, blinking like a confused puppy.
This gesture of acting cute added another blow to Su-Jin's already trembling heart.
Looking at the Jeong-Ho that was standing in front of her, she felt completely speechless.
Compared to the timid and rather awkward guy she met last time, this person was much more forthcoming and particularly chatty. He also seemed to be more willing to act friendly.
All in all, it was like Jeong-Ho from then and the one right now were two different people.
A most probable cause for this sudden change could be due to him feeling more comfortable around her. They had met and talked before, so hitting it off so well on their second 'date' shouldn't be too shocking of an experience. But Su-Jin couldn't help worrying, lest he actually meant something else by his current behavior.
"What's wrong?" She heard Jeong-Ho asking.
"Hm?" Su-Jin hummed absentmindedly.
"You're giving me weird looks." He explained with a light smile.
After staring at him for half a night, Su-Jin finally decided to let go of the momentary shock. The stunned expression that graced her features soon melted away, making way for a wide and beaming smile.
"It's nothing. Your words just took me by surprise, that's all."
Then, for the rest of the time they spent at the restaurant, Su-Jin tried to shake off the image of Jeong-Ho's smile from her mind.