Bad Relationship

I was slowly circling the parking lot looking for an empty space when I spotted one near the entrance. I parked there right away and checked my wristwatch as I got out of the car. It was 12:51 PM. My appointment was at 1 PM, so I should be able to make it on time. No, actually, I don’t care how the blind date goes.

“Sorry, but I don’t have time for that today… Anyway, if you’re going to a blind date now, does that mean you can’t come to the stadium?”

It was a reasonable question since today’s scheduled game starts at 2 PM. I should have arrived at the stadium by now. It’s the day of the wild card game that will determine who advances to the play-offs, so the traffic is bound to be terrible. With that in mind, I quickly grabbed the tie I had tossed onto the passenger seat and hung it around my neck, then opened the car door and got out with my phone in hand. Naturally, with Bluetooth mode turned off, I wedged my phone between my shoulder and cheek while busily tying my tie and walking toward the entrance.

“I’m going. It’s just one subway stop away, so I’ll leave my car here and take the subway.”

“Will the blind date end that quickly? The background check alone usually takes an hour.”

“The greatest advantage of a blind date is that you’ve already checked out their background and specs before you arrive. Sitting down, greeting, exchanging names, and saying goodbye—it takes exactly 5 minutes. No, 5 minutes is too long. 3 minutes is enough.”

Junghyun was confident that was plenty of time to make his blind date drop out. And his friend Yongwoo never doubted Junghyun on this point. Junghyun had the personality to make someone want to leave after just 3 minutes of conversation. That’s why people joke that when Junghyun goes outside, he should wear a sign saying “This man bites.”

“Hey, it’s not like you’re playing a prank on someone. If you’re going to part ways in 3 minutes, why even go? Parking will take longer than that. If that’s the case, you might as well not go at all… Wait, hold on a minute?”

Having said that much, Yongwoo seemed to realize that this whole situation was quite strange and changed his tone.

“Come to think of it… if I remember correctly, at your third blind date, you told the alpha you were pregnant and got a yellow card. Even after that, when your father set up more dates, you completely ghosted them. Then on your seventh one, you got a red card and ended up on that blacklist that’s harder to get on than winning the lottery, right?”

The words “And a guy like that is obediently going to a blind date?” were omitted, but Junghyun could clearly hear them anyway. Heo Yongwoo, who had somehow become his friend since middle school, seemed oblivious, insensitive, and tactless at first glance, but he actually had an unnecessarily good memory and was quite logical. That’s why he was occasionally very annoying.

“I got played this morning. I was getting ready to go to the stadium when my uncle told me to go out, and I ended up being pushed out before I knew it.”

If it had been his father’s threats, intimidation, pleas, or requests, he could have simply ignored them and pushed through, but when it came to Uncle Juwon’s requests, that was difficult. While there was no blood relation between them, as his biological father’s legal partner and his legal mother as well as his actual guardian, Juwon had never once interfered with his personal matters. No, far from interfering, as they had just discussed on the phone, Juwon was the one who usually said he should sabotage all blind dates because he was too embarrassing to present to others. For that reason, when he got a red card and was kicked out of the blind date market, Juwon had said he could finally sleep peacefully. So for him to now make this ridiculous request—go out, be polite and respectful, and get rejected properly—meant that if this fell through, it would also affect Juwon’s side to some extent. That’s why he had no choice but to go.

“If even your uncle is involved, could it be… an A-ranker?”

“Probably. Or even higher.”

“…Higher?”

“That’s why even my uncle is making such a fuss.”

At that moment, Yongwoo once again hit the nail on the head with his innocent question.

“But why would such an important person want to meet you?”

This one was also sharp. Why would someone exceptional, from the upper echelons of society, want to meet the illegitimate son of a nouveau riche family that’s rich but not accepted in high society—a recessive omega with a notorious personality on top of that? To this painful observation, Junghyun gave a simple answer.

“That’s why I said 3 minutes is enough.”

What’s 3 minutes? He could end it in 1 minute if needed. In most of these lopsided meetings, the other party has likely also come to reject, possibly due to family pressure like himself. So the matter might end more easily than expected, Junghyun thought as he finally finished tying his tie and entered the building, stopping in front of the elevator. He pressed the up button.

“Anyway, I’ll make it in time, so get some pork belly ready.”

“Wow, you have no shame? You think there’ll be any pork belly left at this hour? Do you know what day it is? Huh? Today is the Hanju Elephants’ wild card game! Our team has made it to the postseason for the first time in 12 years!”

From behind Yongwoo, who was shouting excitedly about the importance of the game over some pork belly, came cries of “Down with the Red Devils!” and “We’re going to the playoffs!” along with the rhythmic sound of drums. Today was the day of the second wild card game between the Hanju Elephants and the Haewon Red Devils. Having finished the league in fifth place, they had to start with one loss in the first wild card game, but after a big win, the momentum was soaring. That’s why he had used every means possible, even recruiting mercenaries, to get hard-to-find tickets, and was determined to be seated at the stadium by 2 PM no matter what.

“Hang up now. I need to go up. I’ll go quickly, get rejected quickly, and come back, so secure some food.”

As the elevator arrived and I was straightening my tie again, Yongwoo urgently spoke.

“No, wait a minute!”

“What?”

As I stepped into the elevator that had arrived at incredible speed and looked at the panel to press a button, I suddenly realized one very important fact. I didn’t know the meeting place. I definitely heard the time and hotel name, but I didn’t hear the restaurant name. Come to think of it, I don’t know today’s date’s name or face either. But while that doesn’t matter, not knowing the location is a bit of a problem. I should at least be on time…

After trying to recall how many restaurants there were in this hotel and giving up out of laziness, I decided to ask my uncle.

“Hey, hang up for now. I need to ask my uncle something.”

“No, wait. I got a call from Junyoung hyung today.”

“…Who’s Junyoung hyung?”

As I was about to ask if this was someone I should know, the elevator doors closed. And immediately I heard Yongwoo clicking his tongue.

“How much did you drink to forget that hyung? You know, the hyungs who drank with us the day you got dumped. He said he also got dumped that day.”

With that specific explanation about someone who paid for our drinks, I finally remembered who he was.

“Ah~ Those superior alcohol hyungs?”

“Yes, those superior alcohol hyungs. Not the one who got dumped, but the lawyer hyung who really liked you.”

Now I remembered exactly. Both were superior quality drinkers, but the dumped one was S-class while the one who invited us to their table was his friend, an A-class. Although my memory is hazy because I was very drunk that night, I clearly remember that the A-class was really moved by my story of rejection.

“But why is that hyung…?”

“He contacted me this morning, and what’s the interesting thing?”

“Interesting thing?”

“Yes.”

“…How would I know?”

“That hyung said you would know if I asked you.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t even know that hyung’s name?”

While I was bewildered about how I would know about something “interesting” mentioned by someone whose name I didn’t even know and whom I had met only once while drunk, the elevator stopped. First floor. Seeing someone standing beyond the slowly opening doors, I quickly wrapped up the call.

“Hang up for now. I need to find out where my appointment is.”

As I was whispering to hang up while turning toward the wall to search through my phone messages, a tall man stepped inside. Suddenly, a strong scent wafted over—familiar, cool yet sweet. I felt a chill run down my spine just as Yongwoo shouted loudly.

“Hey, you went out without even knowing where to meet?”

“My uncle only told me the hotel name. Hang up.”

With no time to waste, I quickly pressed the end call button and opened my messaging app to text my uncle. [Where is the restaurant we’re meeting at?]

Wondering which floor the restaurant was on, I looked at the control panel when I suddenly realized something. We were still on the first floor. I had been blocking the panel.

“I’m sorry. Which floor…?”

As I turned to ask his destination, I involuntarily closed my mouth. “Huh…?” It was definitely a familiar face. That is…