Chapter 21

Looking at her knees, Ji hyuk frowned.

“how bad did you fall?” he sat up on her knees, and there was a small wound. Ji-hyuk quickly stood, grabbed a band-aid and ointment from the store, then sat back in front of her and carefully put on the ointment.

“It hurts. It hurts,” she mumbled, and that made him stop.

It was all his fault—drinking, not controlling herself, falling—it was all because of him.

“I end up hurting you. I wish you weren’t hurting anymore. I wish I was the one hurting instead of you”  “He scratches her shoulder to see if it stings with every application of ointment.”

“You don’t fall, you live. You don’t get sick. I’m the one who should be sick. I’m the one who should be sick for you.”

She had fallen very hard, and the wound was quite deep. Ji-hyuk raised his attention to stare at her firmly closed eyelids after applying a band-aid.

“Ha… ah… Really…” A red sigh from her lips, weighing down her shoulders. An unseen weight slammed across his shoulders, crushing his body and suffocating his breath.

Moving around. He approached her cautiously, standing in front of her as if she may crumble to the floor at any moment. Ji-hyuk’s eyes raced back and forth, following her bobbing head as she battled to regulate her alcohol consumption.

Ji-hyuk knelt down on one knee in front of the woman who was squatting, gently bringing her face close to his gaze.

Her beautiful white face was concealed by her hair, unveiled, and then concealed again. Ji-hyuk reached out to brush her hair away, but she drew her hand back, a weak smile on her face.

He wanted to touch her but was terrified that if he did, the greed he’d been controlling might burst forth uncontrollably, so he clenched his ticklish fingertips.

He crushed her to his chest. He hadn’t seen her this near or within reach in a long time. Jihyeok’s eyes grew black.

“…How hard it must have been.” He was surprised when she jumped in front of the car. He could still see the disdain in her eyes as she found herself getting out of the car. He was glad he kept his eyes closed for now.

Ji-hyuk’s gaze slid down as he ran a hand through his hair. He wrapped his arms around her legs.

He stretched out an arm to block the slender body leaning sideways.

A screech

Her eyelids fluttered upward, her clear eyes finding their color.

“…What… hey….”

The words came out muffled.

“…What?” Her white brow furrowed, then her eyes narrowed. His heart skipped a beat as her eyes lazily scanned his face. Ji-hyuk swallowed dryly.

“……ha.”

He wanted to grab her wrist to stop her from rubbing her eyes to make sure she was seeing properly. He felt bad for the redness in her eyes.

She rubbed her eyes some more and bit her bottom lip. She buried her head in her lap, her hair swaying back and forth. Even like this, she’s adorable.

“How could I tell ……. that I’m going to live without you, that I’m never going to see you again, not even by chance.”

“I’d rather get down on my knees and beg for a few hundred times, If you asked me to stay on my knees for the rest of my life, I’d do it.”

Ji-hyuk’s teeth clinched… If that pleases you.

That her own unhappiness would overcome her. He had no choice but to step away as he saw her face tighten and her eyes misting. He was, after all, a human person who could only make her cry.

Ji-hyuk’s shoulders sagged. “…I’m glad I could see you like this…….”

It was nice, and I was grateful.

“Now, I can’t, can I?” I pushed the sudden rush of greed down my throat. Ji-hyuk’s necklace moved dramatically. She was within touching distance, but the hand that should not have touched her fell limply.

“Slow down……. Don’t hurt yourself.”

As he pulled down her hiked-up pants to hide the band-aid, he heard the sound of car brakes behind him, followed by the sound of a door opening and closing.

Ji-hyuk slowly got up and turned around.

“…Who are you?”

Han Ki-hyuk approached her with a frown. Without realizing it, he moved his body so that she couldn’t see him. Han Ji-hyuk tilted his head to look at her and stood in front of her.

“…I’ve had a lot to drink, please take me home.”

Call it shameless, she couldn’t.

“…It’s been a while since you two broke up. Why are you showing up now?” It turned out to be true.

“You shouldn’t have shown up like this. What the hell…. Ha….”

As Han Ki-hyuk combed his hair, I shook my head, sympathizing with him.

“…I’m not going to show up.”

“What is it now?” he asked as he rose up, understanding Han Ki-hyuk’s emotions. The way he stared at her told him just what he meant.

“…That’s why I called you, to make sure I don’t show up,” he explained as if it had been a coincidence, as he had promised him.

“…Don’t shake it. She’s doing fine….”

“Yes, she will.”

He attempted to seem confident, but he continued to stutter.

“Seol, wake up……..”

As he shook her shoulders, she clenched her fists. Her nails dug into her flesh, but she didn’t seem to mind.

He smiled wistfully as Han Ki-hyuk helped her to her feet.

She smiled warmly in front of him, unlike when she was with him. Unlike herself, who cried every day… All that matters is that she is happy while she is with him.

‘I wanted to protect her smile if she could smile happily without me.’

“Seol…. Why have you been drinking?” He didn’t blink as he watched her being carried to the car.

The only thing he could hold on to was the band-aid on her wound, so he clutched the box of band-aids tightly.

He forced himself not to run over and touch her, not to push Han Ki-hyuk’s hand away. …I want her to be happy. I wanted her to smile as happily as she did now.

The corners of his mouth lifted as he watched the car disappear into the distance.

‘Was that enough? My heart has been ripped to shreds. The lifted corner of my mouth shatters on the floor, leaving a smear.’

“Should I?”

As soon as this situation with my mother is resolved……

I planned to leave and never return to Korea. I hope she’s truly happy, Ji-hyuk closed and reopened his watery eyes. His expression was as emotionless as it had always been.

He shoved the crumpled box of band-aids into his pocket and walked, step by step, to her workshop.

He picked up the discarded trash with familiarity, then stood in front of the workshop and stared at the unlit workshop over and over again.

He stood in front of the workshop for a long time, as if he were looking at her face instead of the one he couldn’t actually see.

* * *

“Ugh…. Head….” I didn’t even open my eyes, but my head hurt so much. Yunseul got up and looked for her cell phone. She couldn’t remember anything from yesterday. She turned on her phone, hoping to find something on it, and was bombarded with light. That alone made her head throb.

This is crazy. How much did I drink? The last thing I remember is…. And then I was drunk and……. And then…. What happened? How did I get home?  “Oh…….”

My questions were quickly answered. Thanks to a text from Han Ki-hyuk.

I went outside, my mouth burning, to find my mom and aunt sitting on the couch.

“What have you been drinking?” “Doesn’t that hurt?” My aunt woke up and held a bowl of honey water in front of me.

“…I’m sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be sorry.”

Her mom and aunt laughed, saying that it’s normal to drink a lot of alcohol when you’re young, but when you get older, you can’t drink it even if you want to.

Yunseol laughed like her mom and aunt and drank the honey water in one gulp.

“You can take a day off from the workshop today.”

“Yeah, where are you heading with that face?” she wonders as her mother and aunt joke that clients will run away because of her swollen face. Yunseol decides to take the day off in light of their concerns.

Her head was aching, and she wanted to take a headache medication and get some sleep.

* * *

I woke up with a good night’s sleep, and my headache was gone. I made myself some bean sprout soup and went out to the garden.

It was already late and I hadn’t done anything. I sat in the middle of the garden on a chair, fiddling with my phone.

I lifted my dress hem, then a band-aid revealed…How come? I believed I saw him, not Han Ki-hyuk.

Even if I was drunk, I believe he put a band-aid to it. I decided to never drink again.

Yunseol took a deep breath and pressed the call button. A low voice responded after a few beeps.

-”Hello?” 

-“Senior……. It’s me.”

-”Yes.”

-“I have a bruise or something on my legs, and I need to know who put the band-aid to calm myself down, but as expected, Han Ki-hyuk doesn’t ask me anything. He doesn’t even talk about alcohol.”

-“I’m especially grateful that you don’t make a scene.”

-“I’m sorry about yesterday.”

“-Are you okay?” The sound of his muffled laughter pierces my ears. Yunseol smiled, brushing a lock of hair out of his face.

– “Yeah, I’m fine, and I am going to treat you something nice this weekend.”

-“Oh, you mean I can have something expensive?” “

– “Sure. You can have something expensive.”

-“You’re going to have your wallet empty this weekend.”

-“I’ve always appreciated you.”

– “I’ll make the restaurant reservations.”

I was going to treat the expectant senior to a delicious meal.

-“…Senior.”

-“Huh? “

– “I want to ask about yesterday……”

-“Yesterday? Why?” Han Ki-hyuk’s voice softened as if he sensed her uncertainty.

– “It’s about my knee…….”

-“your knee?”

-“Yes.”

Yunseul listened to the voice on the other end of the receiver.

Yunseol’s eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t show any surprise.

-“Oh…. No, it’s nothing, I’ll get back to you after I make a restaurant reservation.”

-”Okay. seol……. “

-“Yeah”

-”……Good luck.”

Yun-seul’s face was confused after finishing the call with the senior. Then who put the band-aid on it? Mom? Aunt? Considering they didn’t tell her about her knee wound….…

Yunseul shook her head vigorously.

What was she thinking? Tomorrow was going to be a busy day, starting in the morning. She had to go to the market to buy beads and leather for her accessories.

She had to practice her presentation in front of the class. “Ugh, I’m nervous!” And tomorrow was the day she had to show her necklace design to a couple who had lost a child.

Yunseol lifted her head and looked up at the sky. In her clear pupils, the moon was full.

“It’s bright.” Now, when she looks at the moon, she doesn’t collapse.

Even when it rains, she doesn’t collapse.

Yunseol became stronger as if the moon wanted her to.

“Moon….…”

“…Are you happy?” Yunseol asked her child, smiling brightly.

“Mom is….… happy”

I say happy, but my heart is racing.

“I’m so happy….…”

 “Why am I like this? Why am I remembering his face, the face that looked at her with sadness in its eyes.”

Chewing on her lip, Yunseol ran into the house, not wanting to show this to her baby moon.

* * *

“…Are you okay?” Ji-hyuk, who was lying in bed, opened his eyes and looked at Choi Hyun, who asked if he was okay.

“…I don’t think so.”

Ji-hyuk raised an amused corner of his mouth because Choi Hyun was asking and answering alone.

“Are you laughing?” A long sigh escaped from Choi Hyun’s mouth.

“…Are you crying?” Ji-hyuk buried his face in his pillow, avoiding Choi Hyun’s gaze.

“…I…….”

“I told her that I’d never show up again and that she should be happy.”…as$hole, she’s smiling in front of another man, and she’s happy. That is all she had to do.

“No, “…it’s a lie.” How is she doing?”…… It’s all a lie.” She claims to be fine, happy, and that she will never see you again. Everything is a lie……”

“It’s so hard. It’s really hard……….”

I ended our relationship and tried not to fall apart. What if I burst into tears and it fell on her ears? I didn’t want to bother her, and I didn’t want to  interfere with her happiness.

and yet I broke down.

Crumble, crumble, crumble.

“Ji Hyuk…….” Choi Hyun, not the lawyer, but a friend, was calling him, and he couldn’t think of anything else because his mind was occupied by her.

“I guess I was just taking comfort in the fact that we were in the same country. I guess I was relieved that I could always see …. whenever I wanted.” However, Now…….

I’m glad I hid my face in my pillow. I nearly let Choi Hyun see me crying. My tears were swiftly absorbed by the pillow and disappeared.

“Hey, Seo Ji-hyuk, let’s go out to eat instead of digging.”

“…….”

“I’m hungry, but I can’t eat because my boss didn’t even show up to work, unwilling to do anything,” Choi Hyun said.

It was annoying.

“I have a headache, go away.” 

“If you were at home, you’d be fed. Why are you continuously staying in hotels?” He didn’t respond to Choi Hyun’s question about how many residences he had and why he was always living in a hotel.

Ji-hyuk had been living in a hotel since he broke up with her.

“If it were me, I’d be living in all those houses, moving once a month.”

“Shut up. Go away.”

It seems there might be a slight confusion in the pronouns used in the text. Let’s correct it for clarity:

“I wanted to be alone. I told myself I wouldn’t bump into her, even by accident, but I worked without sleep, and it was too much. This morning I woke up and collapsed.”

“I tried to go to work, but I couldn’t get up, so I called a doctor and got fluids. After a good night’s sleep, I thought I was going to survive, but my head started throbbing again when Choi Hyun rushed to the hotel after hearing the story.”

“It’s funny. You haven’t eaten a meal, have you? Are you going to pass out again?”

“…I’m not going to pass out.”

“I know because I’m not leaving until you eat, and I’m also going to live in a hotel suite.” Ji-hyuk turns and glares at Choi Hyun, but he just laughs as if it’s pointless.

“You’re serious.”

“Get dressed up, I’m hungry!”

“Yeah, yeah. Okay, but where are we going?” I ask, and he looks as if he’s trying to figure it out.

“Let’s just order room service and eat.”

“No! I’m sick of room service. I’m going to eat something good, like in the restaurant downstairs… I heard the restaurant here is so good.” I’m delighted we went to the hotel restaurant. I’ll simply feed him and then go upstairs to relax. Ji-hyuk rose and went to the bathroom.

* * *

Jihyuk and Choi Hyun rode the elevator to the hotel restaurant and dressed more comfortably than usual. “In times like this, you should have a drink,” adds Choi Hyun who understands why he’s ill.

“No thanks.” “I don’t drink. What’s the point?” He used to be a heavy drinker, but now he says that his life is boring.

“I’m just living. I haven’t touched alcohol since the divorce, not since she said she didn’t like the smell of it. She was sober, feeling all the mistakes she’d made, all the things she’d done wrong, as if she’d never forget them.”

With the sound of arriving, the elevator doors opened.

“Hey, you should have some fun in life……” He took three steps back. Choi Hyun, who was following behind, pushed on his back and then asked as to why he was stopping, but he did not move.

As he gathered his breath, Ji-hyuk’s eyes widened. …he never expected to see her here. A few steps away, he watched her with nervousness as she stood with a face that resembled his own.

“…….”

Han Ki-Hyuk is standing nearby.

Ji-hyuk hurriedly turned around. He returned to the elevator with a quick step.

“Why? What’s wrong? Where are you going?”

“…….”

“Hey, Ji-hyuk!”

He glanced at the closed elevator door when he couldn’t answer Choi Hyun’s inquiry about where he was going when he was hungry. His brow wrinkled as he returned his gaze to where she was standing.

“Do you know her?”

“…No, I don’t.”

He was going to question him if he stated he knew her. Choi Hyun, an American lawyer, works in Seoju Group’s legal department, but he traveled to Korea to help him. Of course, he left the law business because he offered him a higher salary. He was grateful for his help, but that was all. I didn’t want to talk about him since he doesn’t let go once he bites.

“Who are you trying to fool? I thought we knew each other.”

“…Stop looking.”

“Why? You said you didn’t know each other? I don’t care if I’m looking at her….”

“Stop looking because you’ll feel pressured.” I wasn’t hired as a lawyer for nothing. You were aware of my tenacity.

“Do you know him?” Choi sighed quietly, his eyes narrowing as if in doubt.

“Choi Hyun,” He says again and over again, and he eventually turns to face me.

“…Okay,” he says, refusing to look at her, and the image of Choi Hyun, staring at the elevator as he did, flashes through the elevator doors.

 “…Is that him?” Why the hell is the elevator never coming? He felt like he was going to die of frustration.

He wanted to leave as soon as he saw her, but the elevator was the problem.

‘Would I have to take a step up the stairs? I unbuttoned the top button of my shirt in frustration.’

Ji-hyuk squeezed through the half-open doorway as the elevator doors finally opened. He stood there, his gaze fixed on the door.

“Choi Hyun, close the door quickly.” Choi Hyun shook his head and hit the close button to close the elevator door.

He finally took a breath. “Why are you doing this?”

I stood there, unable to turn around when the door closed.

“Do it,” Ji-hyuk’s head snapped back to Choi Hyun.

“Don’t hold back, do it.” Ji-hyuk’s eyes, which had been trembling slightly, filled with sadness.

“…What am I supposed to do to someone who smiles so happily?” Choi Hyun asks. Unlike his sad eyes, the corners of his mouth turn upward.

“If it weren’t for me, he’d be living happily ever after.” But I can’t do that; I can’t be selfish because it will make her miserable.

“…Is that why you said you’d never come to Korea again?” Choi Hyun asks, laughing.

“You’re crazy. Is that guy next to you your girlfriend?” Ji-hyuk didn’t know what to say, so he closed his mouth.

Should he say that he was her boyfriend, not yet, but soon to be? He squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them as he remembered the way she had smiled at him so easily.

“Have you met a girl too….”

“No, I like being alone.”

There was a moment of silence.

“We can eat later. I have somewhere to go.”

The elevator doors opened, announcing their arrival at the first floor.

“…You’re going to watch the your baby moon?” he pause.

Ji-hyuk stepped out of the elevator and smiled slightly instead of answering.

“I’m going. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jihyuk crossed the lobby, aware that Choi Hyun was staring at him from behind, but he didn’t pause for a moment.

* * *

“Are you okay?” Yunseol, who had been staring blankly at the window, turned her head toward the source of the sound.

“Oh……. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.”

With a giggle, Han Ki-hyuk moved a cup of water in front of her. Though Yunseol assumed she was supposed to drink, she picked up the cup and brought it to her mouth instead. Yunseol’s gaze shifted back to the window.How did we get to be here?

I’ve been thinking of you and apologizing for a lot of things, so today I decided to treat you to dinner. I booked a reservation because I had heard the hotel restaurant was great. I told the staff my name when I arrived at the restaurant with the senior who had picked me up from the workshop.

He was making jokes about buying him something expensive and said she had a good place reserved, so he was laughing, but then She looked at him when he entered the restaurant.

I can’t tell you how surprised I was. At first, I thought it wasn’t him. Of course, I was surprised that someone from my past showed up at a restaurant.

Even though he didn’t say it, I knew it was a coincidence since he turned and left as if he saw something wrong. With a pale expression, he leaves, probably fearing the consequences of encountering her. My heart drops.

“Yuneol. You keep thinking about something else in front of me, don’t you?” 

“…I’m sorry.” 

“If you’re sorry, enjoy your meal. Don’t be a bruiser.”

“…Yeah.”

I had asked him about my injured knee during the car ride, but he didn’t know anything about it.

Over and over again, the image of him waiting for the elevator flashed before my eyes.

“…….”

“I’m angry and frustrated.” Why are we constantly encountering each other? Since our divorce, we haven’t seen one another in over a year. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me at the moment. In the wide-open city of Seoul. Two times? she sigh

“Eat this.”

The senior who cut the steak into bite-sized pieces smiles at her, urging her to eat quickly, but she can’t help but think of his face when he was running away in fear. She put the shredded meat in her mouth and chew.

“…I can’t taste anything.”

She faintly recalls that when she was drunk she smelled something familiar. She thought she recognized the voice. Her drinking should have been less.

‘I believed that he was the one who had been applying band-aid on me, him.’

Yunseul swallowed the meat that wouldn’t go down.

“I must have gotten sick from eating in a hurry.”

Yunseol looked at him and smiled awkwardly.

We went to Han Ki-hyuk’s place after we finished our meal and coffee. Unbeknownst to him, I was putting pressure between the veins with my thumb and fingertip since my chest felt constricted. Despite my best efforts to keep it subtle, it must have been obvious.

Glancing at him, Yunseol forced an uneasy smile.

Yunseol looked at him and smiled awkwardly.

“Take this.”

He took something out of his inside pocket and held it in front of me, widening his eyes in front of me.

It was a pill packet. “Huh? When did you get this?” She said.

“You left the coffee shop earlier for a quick call.”

“Ah……. Thanks.”

I was going to get home and get some medicine for my stomach first. Yunseol smiled feeling deeply appreciative of his kindness.

A gentle breeze blew, ruffling her hair. As she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze falls on his ear.

“…Seol.”

When the senior called, Yunseol’s voice was so loud that she replied cautiously, asking, “What?”

“That guy from earlier.”

“That’s…” Yunseol’s eyes tremble a little at the senior’s discussion of her. The senior noticed her shaking, so she hastily lowered her eyes.

A gentle breeze blew, ruffling her hair. As she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze falls on his ear.

“Is it because of him that you’re not moving fast enough and you’re in a bad mood?”

“Oh…. No.”

There was no reason for him to slow her down or cause her to feel bad—he was just her ex-husband.

The senior cautioned her against rekindling a relationship with someone who had previously broken up with her, suggesting that history might repeat itself with similar issues.

“…….”

The senior strongly advised her against rekindling a relationship with him, expressing concern that it might not lead to a positive outcome.

“Senior.”

A gentle breeze blew, ruffling her hair. As she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze falls on his ear.

Yunseol had a chilly voice. She saw the strain tighten in Senior’s face.  “I don’t want you to talk about him.”    

She carefully drew a line in the sand since she didn’t want to discuss him with her.    “I’m sorry for making you feel uncomfortable, but I was supposed to buy you a meal today.”

He was only a man of gratitude, nothing more and nothing less. Yunseol gave him a straight-faced gaze. He felt the pain.    

“Like I told you back then, I’m not sure if you and…….”

Yunseol’s lips parted mid-sentence, “I know.”    

“I know, but seeing you shaking after seeing him made me feel rushed I’m sorry.”

She had clearly said no when he told her about his feelings a few months ago. I know he’s a nice person, but that’s not enough for me to like him back.

“Today, we both messed up, so let’s talk about it,” he said with a playful smile. Yunseol, who was looking serious, relaxed a bit.

“Take your medicine quickly; your face is pale.”

“Okay, thanks. Have a good day.” As the senior, he had to stand until I entered the house. Yun-seol turned and went inside right away. Walking through the garden, she realized she had messed up badly when her stomach growled.

Yun-seol sighed and sat in a chair in the garden, tilting her head back. The moon seemed so close, as if she could touch it by reaching out. She reached out, saying, “…far away.”

She thought it was close, but it was actually far. The moon was unreachable. As soon as she saw him, she stopped breathing, and her eyes opened as she remembered him spinning around.

She quickly got up and headed toward the house, thinking she should take her medication sooner.

The day had been tiring for both his heart and legs. It was the day she realized how small the world could be.

* * *

“What about the necklace? Do you like it?”

“Yes, I love it.”

She became close to the couple who came to create a necklace for their deceased child’s ashes, particularly the wife, Yun-seol, whom she regards as a sister. Living nearby, Yun-seol brought coffee to share.

“I’m so happy, it’s like we’re always together.”

Observing Yunseol’s truly happy smile, she smiled back. Playing with her cup, Yunseol looked ahead and glimpsed the building across the street.

“I’m sure your little one in the sky is happy right now, too, isn’t she? And she promised she’d come to you again.”

Internally, she felt envious. What about her little one in the sky? Is she happy now? Would she want to come back to her too?

“What are you worried about? You look so worried.”

She can talk about anything in front of her, even topics she can’t talk about with anybody else, because she has gone through the same suffering.

“What if…”

“What about you…”

She looks at Yun-seol, who waits patiently for her to answer and says, “Yeah.” before turning to face the building across the street. With a tiny sigh, she traces her hands over the water in her cup while the ice melts.

There is stillness for a minute. “She said… Can you forgive someone who has done you a great wrong?”

“…I’d do it at least once.”

“……”

“Just because you’re wondering if you can forgive, doesn’t that mean you actually want to? Because if you don’t want to forgive, you don’t even think about it.”

I understand. I understand. “Forcing forgiveness doesn’t make it genuine, and if it’s something that needs time, time will take care of it.” Suddenly, he turned away coldly.

“…He seemed to be doing well.” He didn’t ask for forgiveness, but he seemed to be doing well.

“What?” “No, nothing, I was just talking to myself.”

“You can talk to me about anything. It’s nice to live so close.”

“Sure.” Yunseol quickly finished her coffee. She kept it casual, but it felt like she was the only one who cared. Her eyes sank again.

After Yun-seol left, Yun-seol, who had been watching the passersby with her jaw clenched, shook her head. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out who had put the band-aid on her.

What if I’m not drunk and mistaken…? What if it’s not just a dream after all…? What if my hazy memories are correct? Yunseul’s eyes glowed. She couldn’t live with such uncertainty. She must confirm it.

Yunseol decided to double-check, just like she had done when she went to the building across the street. In the past, she could have just waited and done nothing, but a lot has changed in the previous year.

She’s learned that doing nothing solves nothing and that it’s best to address hurt feelings than to let them linger.

Having no customers today, Yunseul resolved to carry out her plan. When she’s made up your mind, it’s best to take action.

Yunseul went to his favorite shop, which had closed early. After a few moments. Bam. She crouched on the store’s front steps, unable to control her madly bobbing hair, and buried her face between her knees.

Perhaps it was the dress or the fact that it kept riding up, but she didn’t pull it down. Shuffle. She collapsed on the steps. Her hair had fallen forward.

“Hey, are you okay?” passers-by shook her shoulders, but Yun-seol resisted each time. … Someone was waiting for her.

“Can I help you?” a man’s voice said, and she wondered if she should stand up.

Yun-seol stood still, her eyes closed. …

A familiar voice spoke above. It was a polite tone, but if you listened closely, you could sense the underlying intimidation. I could hear the man shaking her shoulders and walking away.

“……Yun-seol, wake up.” It was Seo Ji-hyuk, the real Seo Ji-hyuk. I wanted to open my eyes and see him, but when I realized he was in front of me, I couldn’t. I purposely splashed alcohol on my clothes, which is why he thought I was actually drunk.

A careful hand touched her hair. Anticipating a shake of the shoulders, he pushed her hair back from her face. There was a moment of silence, and then his gaze fell on her face. Even with her eyes closed, She felt them all.

“…Sleepy, wake up.” As time passed, a familiar scent reached her nostrils. Surprised and amazed at herself for remembering his scent, she opened her eyes.

He was closer than she thought. His eyes were dark, as if he had carved his face into the snow. Surprised by her sudden awakening, her eyes, which had widened slightly, settled back into place.

“…What.”

Yun-seol clicked her tongue deliberately. She rubbed her eyes and looked at him.

Firmly convinced she was drunk, he smiled to himself. His heart sank at how wistful that smile looked.

“You, what is it?” Smiling wistfully at himself, his gaze drifted down, down, down, until it landed on his knee. He stared at her knees with precision, as if he knew there was a wound there.

“…S*cks.” The words slipped out of his mouth. Yun-seol staggered to her feet, and as she tried to push past him, he grabbed her wrist.

“Wait, Wait, wait…….” She squinted at him as he pulled out his phone. Why Han Ki-hyuk had driven me home, why he didn’t know about the band-aids. Now, now……. It all made sense.

Emotions she’d never suppressed threatened to bubble up in her throat. If she moved to the side to avoid him, he’d follow and block his path.

She wanted to go home now, to go home and sort out her messed-up emotions, but he wouldn’t let her.

She leaned forward, and then lost her footing. Just before she fell, he threw down his cell phone, which he’d been talking to someone on, and stretched out his arms.

“Haa…….” A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he realized she wasn’t hurt.

Eventually, I was on my way home in his car. I turned my head out the window, pretending I didn’t see him driving so familiarly, even though I hadn’t entered the address into the navigation system. I blinked quickly, feeling the corners of my eyes heat up.

…He said he’d never show up again. …He swore he’d never…. never again. No, he turned and walked away, as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have. …… It was me.

He were the one who put the band-aid on. I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes. Maybe I should have gotten drunk and gotten high; then my heart wouldn’t be so heavy. No, I shouldn’t have checked.

When the car comes to a stop at the light, he reaches out and smoothes my hair. Yunseol bit the inside of her cheek.

Seo Ji-hyuk’s hands are shaking. He felt like a man who had learned a secret he wasn’t supposed to know.

* * *

The next day, she woke up to her mom yelling at her. She hadn’t drunk yesterday, but Yun-seol didn’t make excuses for the smell of alcohol on her clothes. She simply apologized.

Her heavy heart grew overnight, weighing down her entire body. She didn’t have the strength to drive, so she took a taxi. Her shoulders sagged as she got out of the taxi. She sighed heavily and walked to her workshop, stopping in her tracks.

“…Ms.. Yun-seol?” Someone stood in front of me and called my name. My head slowly rose.

“Who are you?” I’ve never seen you before, but you look familiar.

Who could it be? I looked around. If it was a stranger, I would ask for help.

“Hi, Youre Yun-seol? I’m…….” My eyes fluttered as I looked at the man who introduced himself. I had a feeling something was going to happen.