Date Me.

Ji Eun leaned closer into her mirror, fixing on her silver dangling earrings.

“So… who’s the lucky guy this time?” Hae Ran asked, looking over her sister’s off-shoulder and knee-
length black dress which was paired with black stilettos. The outfit was completed with a mini black Prada-
fake, of course, though only an expert would be able to tell. Judging from the effort her sister was putting
in, she must’ve hit jackpot.

Ji Eun smiled, “Ka Jang Woo.”

They weren’t an official couple yet, but both were going to give each other a little try.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jang Woo, in a black suit, stepped ahead of Ji Eun and pulled out the fancy chair for her. She sat down and
he soon joined her at the white-clothed table, positioned two metres below the luxurious chandelier hanging
off the ceiling of the famous western cuisine restaurant, Love House.

After their main meal of steak, Jang Woo ordered a tiramisu for each of them.

“This is very rich”, Ji Eun commented, after tasting a neat spoonful.

Jang Woo smiled. “Just like me?” He teased.

Ji Eun is pretty sure ‘snob’ wasn’t on her checklist, but she didn’t mind it. Why not boast what you have?
She swallowed before placing the spoon down and folding her arms on the table.

“How much richer are you than this tiramisu?” She grinned politely. She hoped he would perceive the
question as a joke rather than a nosy question, which is what it really is.

Jang Woo gazed at her face. The question was a bold one, not one many of the other wealthy girls he had
met would dare ask, not even as a joke. The girls Jang Woo encountered were always typically elegant yet
overly boring- Sun Ji Eun, on the other hand, is not. She’s all that but fun.

“Does ‘directing manager of EUPHONEY’ sound richer?”

Ji Eun managed to keep her expression unsurprised and repeated what he had just said inside her head.
Directing manager of EUHPONEY? This guy’s loaded! That made Jang Woo the richest guy she has yet
met. Euphoney is the world’s largest mobile phone company. Like how Louis Vitton and Hermes are
designer brands for handbags, Euphoney is the ‘special’ designer of mobile phones. Only the celebrities and
filthy rich can afford one.

“And you?” Jang Woo questioned.

She had no idea what she was thinking but what rolled off Ji Eun’s tongue was a lie. “I’m the Goddaughter
of Sun Do Hyun.”

“CEO of Sun Rice?”

Ji Eun nodded. Sun Do Hyun was the first rich man she could think of that shared her surname. She just
hoped that this would work out.

Sorry, appa. Her real father died when she was eleven.

“I never knew he had a Goddaughter”, Jang Woo stated.

Ji Eun smiled calmly, “As the media does not.”

Jang Woo nodded, understanding. He was about to finish off his tiramisu but paused. “You haven’t told me
your profession”, he reminded.

She needed a classy snobby job that he can’t test her on (at least for now), and she needed it fast. “I’m
unemployed”, Ji Eun smiled.

Jang Woo widened his eyes. To say he was ‘shocked’ would be an understatement. Unemployed… it never
crossed his mind.

Ji Eun continued to smile. “My Godfather is helping me with the setting up of my new recording company.
It will be launched early next year.”

Jang Woo almost let out a sigh of relief. He grinned, knowing she had cheekily tricked him. “I see.” He
dropped his spoon and dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. “Well I’m done, shall we leave then?”

Ji Eun nodded and they left after Jang Woo paid the bills.

Gentlemanly, Jang Woo opened the door for the lady. With her purse held loosely in her left hand, Ji Eun
took a step outside of the restaurant and the moment she did, felt it yanked from her grasp. She instantly
looked up as the theft wearing a cap ran straight pass her, the fake Prada tightly in his hand.

Ji Eun started running and forgot all about being a lady. “F*CK YOU, YOU F*CKEN SAD SACK OF A
B@STARD!”

She stopped after running a metre and turned to Jang Woo, who was staring at her with widened eyes. That
triggered Ji Eun’s memory- ladies do not swear. But the realisation made no difference, she didn’t give a
damn at that moment.

“Did you see that?!” She exclaimed, pointing behind her. “Get him for me! He stole my purse!”

Jang Woo didn’t shift from his hands-tucked-in-pockets position, but raised his head and stared after the
disappearing man. “Don’t worry”, he said calmly, “I’ll buy you another one.”

Ji Eun couldn’t believe it. The idea of a real Prada was nice, but it was the fact that he failed to defend
her… he didn’t even try! She tried to be optimistic: He’s probably too rich to be bothered by something so
small. But damn, there goes my class A fake Prada.

Jang Woo unlocked his silver Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren that was parked in front of the restaurant, then
opened the door for Ji Eun. She climbed in. Although she kept her face neutral, he could see the slight pity
in her eyes and felt the guilt kicking in further.

“Where do you live?” Jang Woo asked, once he got the car started.

Where do I live? Ji Eun thought. She turned to Jang Woo, whose handsome face was turned to her
patiently. The more she stared at him the guiltier she felt, but after all, it is only a little lie. They’re only
seeing each other, not exactly looking for a serious relationship yet. She gave him the address of a posh
apartment building.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The car halted at the golden gates to the apartment block. Jang Woo got off the car and opened the door for
Ji Eun.

“You live here by yourself?” He asked, looking up at the apartment block.

Ji Eun followed his gaze. “Yes.”

Jang Woo stared at Ji Eun. She stared back and gave him a small smile.

“Thank you for the night. It was… enjoyable.”

She would have said ‘fun’, but being robbed isn’t exactly a pleasant thing… even if she only had enough
for a taxi ride in it.

Jang Woo and Ji Eun stared at each other silently. Jang Woo leaned into her lips and knowing what was
going to happen if she allowed it to, Ji Eun pulled back.

Not so fast, pretty boy. I’m not that easy.

“Goodnight”, she bid and remained motionless.

Jang Woo understood. She wanted to send him home. He grinned and climbed into his car.

“Goodnight, beautiful”, he said.

He drove off. Ji Eun made sure that his car had disappeared around the corner then counted to ten before
making her way towards the bus stop. She hoped he wouldn’t drive her home every time they go out. But
what if he did? She couldn’t rent an apartment from that block- she has no money left. She spends all her
money buying good quality fakes.

Ji Eun sat down on the bench near the bus stop. “This is going to be harder than I thought”, she sighed.

Jang Woo stopped his car at the red lights and the memory of Ji Eun pushing him away replayed inside his
head. He had expected her to invite him up to her apartment for a cup of coffee, but that didn’t come. And
then he didn’t even get a goodnight kiss. Jang Woo smiled to himself.

She sure is a lady. One that, hopefully, swears only when stressed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dressed comfortably and funky in a white tank top, pleated denim skirt and her hair tied up in a ponytail, Ji
Eun was all ready for the Sunday Fete held to raise money for charity. She may not seem like the type, but
Ji Eun is a regular charity donator. She reached out for her brand new Dior sunnies (real ones) just as her
phone vibrated on the polished wooden surface of the make-up table. She moved her hand to her phone
instead.

“Hello?”

“Hi, it’s Jang Woo. Are you free?”

“…”

She hoped that last part hadn’t come out…

“Ji Eun?” Jang Woo’s voice called.

“Yes?” Ji Eun lowered her head, relieved. She was close to blurting out ‘yeah’.

“If you are, I was thinking that I could get you a new handbag today… for the other night”, he appealed.

Ji Eun wasn’t too greedy a person, she’d choose the fete over the bag. However, she’s stuck between the
charity fete and the man of her dreams.
All of a sudden, Ji Eun had it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jang Woo parked his car amongst the hundreds of others crammed onto the grass and proceeded in the
direction everyone else was. Peering around, he was glad that he had chosen to ditch his usual attire of
black suit and tie. Everyone was dressed casually, just like he himself was; wearing baggy jeans and a
white t-shirt. His eyes scanned the area, with mini booths set up and colorful balloons floating around, more
carefully and found the person he was looking for.

Ji Eun approached Jang Woo, her knee-length baby yellow, black and white vintage-print skirt along with
the white singlet she wore making her glimmer against the rest of the crowd. Her hair was half tied up and
on her feet she wore cute white flats. He approved. Jang Woo observed she had empty hands… did she
only have that one black bag?

He smiled. “I never knew you do charity work”, he said, though he ought to have known it to be typical of
high class women. Usually when Jang Woo was around one of them, ‘charity-worker for fame’ would cross
his mind but out of the times he’s been with Ji Eun so far, he’s so occupied with her charm that his mind
doesn’t enter those boundaries.

I knew he’d like this outfit better, Ji Eun thought. She chose to answer him modestly, “I don’t need anyone
to know.” Ji Eun quickly turned her head the other way before looking back to Jang Woo. “Shall we go?”

She started walking and Jang Woo went beside her. He looked down to her bare hand. He had the urge to
take hold of her hand, but it was still too soon. After all, they’re still just seeing each other. Ji Eun sensed a
tingling sensation against her palm for some strange reason and turned to Jang Woo, who was looking lost.
Jang Woo blinked upon spotting Ji Eun’s gaze and stared at her. He could tell she was wondering what the
heck he was doing staring at her hand and so made up the lamest excuse he had ever come up with.

“No handbag today?”

“F*ck, I sounded like a d1ckhead”, his inner voice hissed.

Ji Eun giggled. What an idiot, she thought. She knew what the pretty boy had really wanted. “I’ve donated
a sum beforehand, so I won’t need to pay for them”, she smiled. “Today, the rides are on me.”

The way she spoke reminded Jang Woo of those street people. He found it nevertheless amusing.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ji Eun stopped at the fairy floss booth and stared at it, trying to hide the longing in her eyes. You could say
she failed, however, when Jang Woo said, “I thought you girls don’t like to get your hands sticky?”

He meant the richer ones and Ji Eun knew she had to continue playing her role. “That’s true”, she said.
Looking pass him she spotted the shooting booth and strode over to it. Ji Eun watched admiring at all the
muscular guys- none as hot as her own date- aiming their guns at the moving cardboard figures and
winning little soft toys for their girlfriends. Jang Woo glanced at Ji Eun’s seemingly simply admiring eyes.
He knew they hinted envy because Sun Ji Eun is a girl like any other.

“Do you think that dog is cute?”

Ji Eun glanced behind her, up at Jang Woo. He was talking about the biggest prize- the humungous brown
doggy sitting on all fours behind the counter.

“Yes”, she replied honestly. Then she smiled. “It seems hard to win it. No one has got it so far.”

“Watch me”, Jang Woo whispered confidently into her ear and pushed through to the counter.
Ji Eun watched, slightly bending her head and grinning as Jang Woo aimed and successfully hit the centre
of each target board. BANG. BANG! The crowd also oohed an ahhed at his amazing skills.

“Wow, buddy”, the man in charge of the shooting booth panted as he handed over the huge toy, “You’re
the first.”

Jang Woo clung onto the toy. “And most probably the last”, he added with a cocky grin. Jang Woo spun
around and presented the toy to Ji Eun. “I won this for you, my fair lady”, he half-joked.

The girls in the crowd glared enviously at Ji Eun. She was beautiful and probably the hottest guy in town
was giving her the prize he had won. Lucky lucky.

Sometimes Ji Eun wished he didn’t treat her so well. Excluding the stuck-up attitude he sometimes gave
her, the things he usually did for Ji Eun made her feel guilty. And now, there he was, looking young and
cute with a plushie for her. Ji Eun smiled, thanked him and hugged the dog.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“COME JOIN THE RACE! PARENTS AND CHILDREN! GIRLFRIENDS AND BOYFRIENDS!
GIRLFRIENDS AND GIRLFRIENDS OR EVEN BOYFRIENDS AND BOYFRIENDS! ALL OF YOU
COME AND JOIN!”

Ji Eun wondered what people were doing huddling in a large circle, approximately twenty metres away
from her. She could see there was a long white banner being held up by two poles but couldn’t read what it
said.

“I gotta check that out”, she blurted without thinking. After realising, she quickly checked to see if Jang
Woo had noticed. He had. “I mean, shall we go there?”

The puzzled look disappeared from Jang Woo’s face and he nodded. They headed over to the crowd and
started pushing through. It was easy for Ji Eun because she was clinging onto a toy her own size and the
crowd would instinctively part for her.

“Step forward now, contestants!” A male voice shouted.

All of a sudden, Ji Eun and Jang Woo found themselves being shoved forward as people tried to get
through to the front.

“Sh1t”, Jang Woo cursed as he was being squashed between two fat women.

Ji Eun spotted an empty patch of grass between the two poles holding up the banner. She craned over her
shoulder and found Jang Woo a few people behind her. She motioned for him to follow her.

Finally, Ji Eun and Jang Woo were separated from the crowd, who had been blocked off from the area by a
single rope. They both glanced at each other and exhaled, relieved.

The same male voice from earlier sounded from the speakers. “So these are our first ten teams, people!
Let’s cheer them on for the SACK RACE!”

“Sack race?” Ji Eun and Jang Woo both wondered aloud.

Ji Eun bent forward and observed what the others were doing. There were nine other couples, all stepping
into a sack. That’s when Jang Woo and Ji Eun realized the two rough brown sacks lying on the grass in
front of them, and that they were at the starting line which was marked by a painted white strip. Ji Eun
grinned and picked up the two sacks.

“Let’s do it!” She said brightly.

Jang Woo shook his head at the sack Ji Eun had held out to him, “No!”

“Why not?” Ji Eun questioned disappointingly.

“You’re in a skirt, how are you supposed to do it? And how stupid would we look, hopping up and down in
potato sacks?” Jang Woo turned around, heading back to the crowd.

“Would you just let me be an ordinary person for one day and not a rich snob who can’t touch jacksh1t?!”
Ji Eun hadn’t accidentally blurted that out. She meant for him to listen to every word she said. Jang Woo
paused and spun 90 degrees, facing her side on. “So what if I’m in a skirt? I can do this!”

Jang Woo strode over to her. He stared down at her, his eyes sharp. “You really want to do this?” He
questioned sternly.

Ji Eun continued to stare at him determinedly. His cold face broke apart and a smile pulled on. “Alright,
let’s win it then.”

Ji Eun instantly smiled and handed him the sack. Jang Woo wasn’t quite sure he understood how she felt,
but he has an idea. Personally, he has never objected to being a rich stuck-up brat but he knows many
others find it a heavy burden to be that way. To him, it was a personality rather than an act. Obviously it
wasn’t like that with Ji Eun, and he wanted to be the one to make her feel free.

Jang Woo accepted the sack from Ji Eun and quickly stepped into it.

“How are we going to do this?” He asked her as they stood at the starting line.

“Look”, she said.

All the other contestants were… holding hands. They side-glanced each other. Jang Woo offered her his
hand. Ji Eun stared at it for a moment. She had to remind herself it was for charity before placing her
delicate hand onto his large and strong one. She liked the feeling of their skin against each other. Jang Woo
liked it just as much. Now they really did look stupid, smiling sheepishly and holding each other’s hands
while the other was hanging onto the sack.

“Get ready…get set… GO!”

Ji Eun and Jang Woo started jumping mad.

“Fasterfasterfaster! FASTER!” They both chanted, like idiots actually.

They watched with wide eyes as the couple next to them stole their lead. Automatically, they bounced even
faster.

“Sounds like we got little kangaroos there!” Said the commentator.

The crowd burst into laughter.

“Almost there, we can do this!” Jang Woo panted.

“Go go go go go go go!!!” Ji Eun cheered.

Then with one last mighty leap, the both of them went over the line- before everyone else.

“Sounds like the kangaroos win!!” The commentator announced. “But as we can all see, they’re obviously
newborns”, he added.

Why did he say that last line? Well…

Ji Eun and Jang Woo gazed at each other, her body on top of his and his hands on her waist, both still in
their sacks. That mighty leap of theirs had been far too mighty.

Ji Eun scrambled off and mumbled, “Sorry.”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jang Woo and Ji Eun walked side by side, Ji Eun carrying her doggie and Jang Woo carrying a nice plastic
bag which contained the two pairs of cheap t-shirts and shorts which they had won from the sack race.

“Are you seeing anyone else rather than me?” Jang Woo asked casually.

Ji Eun smirked. “I have the right to.”

Jang Woo stopped walking.

“But I’m not”, she stated. “Are you?”

Jang Woo smiled, “No.”

Ji Eun checked her watch. It was midday and about time that Ji Eun would have to take her shift at the
candy booth. She still had some time left though.

“I want to take you somewhere, since you’re so fit”, Ji Eun smiled.

Jang Woo allowed her to lead him to the other side of the fete’s area. He stared at all the men appearing to
be prepared for a race in their spandex pieces and water bottles. The path ahead of them was clear. He knew
what was taking place- a marathon. Did Ji Eun…? He looked at her just and their eyes met.

“Would you enter?” She requested.

“No”, he rejected immediately. “What will you be doing in that time?”

“I’m here to help, remember? My shift is coming soon, then you will be the one with nothing to do.” Ji Eun
stared at all the lined up men. “For every man that runs, the sponsors will donate 50000 won to the charity.”

She wants me to run for 50000 won?!

Ji Eun tried her best to give him the sweetest smile she has ever given anyone outside of her own family.
Jang Woo surrendered.

“You can change into the clothes we just won!” She suggested.

Sh1t, was all Jang Woo could think.

Five minutes later, Jang Woo, in a daggy grey shirt and black shorts, was among the men he had seen
earlier- all looking much more enthusiastic than he was. He caught Ji Eun standing at the sidelines, smiling
at him proudly. He returned a forced smile. Won’t she be late for her shift? Jang Woo hated being late and
late people, so he made sure he was never one of them.

A teenage girl with her hair up in a ponytail and wearing a white skirt with funky pink t-shirt stepped in
front of the men with a red flag in her hand and a whistle in her mouth. One of the men whistled at her and
she reacted by blowing the whistle in his mouth before raising the flag and slicing it down through the air.
The men took off and because Ji Eun was still there, Jang Woo was one of them.

The teenage girl waited until all the runners had gone pass her before retiring from the road to the sidelines.

“Unnie, isn’t it your turn at the candy booth now?” Hae Ran asked Ji Eun.
“Yeah”, Ji Eun eyed her sister’s sunburnt shoulders. “I feel sorry for you, you got the outdoors shift.”

Hae Ran nodded. “I feel sorry for myself too.”

Ji Eun didn’t want to tell Hae Ran Jang Woo was in the marathon. Hae Ran’s just too nosy, and it was still
too early.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

By the time Ji Eun had finished her shift, she expected the marathon to have finished as well. She headed
back to the road and found Hae Ran sitting at the small table, shaded by a large white umbrella.

“Has it finished?” Ji Eun inquired.

“Yeah”, Hae Ran laughed. “The ending was interesting though.”

Ji Eun folded her arms. “How interesting?”

“As in the winning guy was the guy coming 56th two minutes before he crossed the line?”

Ji Eun gave a lop-sided smiled. “You mean he caught up to first place in two minutes?”

Hae Ran nodded.

“What a genius”, Ji Eun breathed. Could it have been Jang Woo?

She looked around and spotted his figure leaning coolly against the rock wall under the shady trees some
ten metres away. Ji Eun waved to her sister before strolling over to him. He was dressed in his original
outfit of jeans and white t-shirt and his cheeks were still slightly pink.

“Tiring”, Jang Woo smiled. “But it was worth it.” He held up a golden statue which featured a male figure
in running position.

Ji Eun recognised it at once. “The trophie- you won it! You came first!!!”

Jang Woo grinned and nodded once. “I don’t want your lovely skin to be ruined by this sun. If you’re
finished, I think we should go. I’ll take you home.”

Ji Eun agreed and Jang Woo started off but she held him back by the elbow. “You don’t need to take me
home”, she informed.

Naturally, Jang Woo asked, “Why?”

“How do you think I got here, Mr. Ka?” She quizzed. “I’ll call my driver, he’s been waiting.”

“I’ll wait until he comes”, Jang Woo decided.

Ji Eun felt her mouth gap. He’s so persistent. “No, I’ll be alright. Plus, I still have some unfinished
business”, she lied.

Jang Woo raised his eyebrows. “You’re busier than I thought”, he admitted. “First you’re too busy for
coffee-”

Actually, that night she had a performance at a nightclub. She lied, saying urgent business about her ‘new
recording company’ had arisen.

“-and now to be driven home by me”, Jang Woo finished.

Ji Eun simply smiled.

He sighed and shrugged. “OK, I’ll go first.”

“Goodbye”, Ji Eun bid.

He nodded and took one last look at Ji Eun before walking down the road. Ji Eun found herself caught up
with staring at his back. Finally, she has found a man she would have no hesitations in accepting into her
life.

“I’ve decided, Jang Woo”, she said, once he was out of hearing distance. “I’ll wait ‘til you’re in love with
me… and I’m in love with you.”

She would wait until that moment, and reveal to him the truth because let’s face it, she wouldn’t want Sun
Do Hyun as her father for life.