Once Love Begins - Chapter 5. Part 2

Chapter 5. Part 2

He arrived at Incheon Airport after a two-week business trip. He gazed at the darkened sky, taking a deep breath before stepping into his car. The business trip had been quite lengthy, and he felt rather exhausted.

Naturally, it would be odd if he didn’t feel tired after all the work and lack of sleep. He instinctively placed the cigarette in his mouth, but the waiting driver gestured for him to put it back in his pocket.

He climbed into the car, leaning his head against the headrest and closing his eyes as something pricked at his pupils. His brow furrowed as he recalled the earlier phone call with his mom.

His mom had called him as soon as he left the airport. It was a call summoning him home as if she had been anticipating his return as if she knew he had just arrived at the airport.

He had never experienced anything like this before, so he wondered what was going on. However, he decided to postpone the meeting with his mother until tomorrow and go home to get a good night’s rest. He was tired.

“…….”

When he thought of home, he thought of Ha Yeon-woo. He remembered her teary eyes gazing up at him as he lay in bed, and how she became desperate for a cigarette.

He arrived at his home in Hannam-dong and lit a cigarette without going inside. He exhaled a long sigh, watching the white smoke dissipate into the air.   

He was craving a cigarette desperately, but the feeling wouldn’t subside. If anything, it made him feel even more stifled, so he loosened his tie a little. 

“Hey,” his mom said when he came out of the bathroom to wash his hands, and she was sitting on the sofa.

“You must be tired.”

“I’m fine.”

She smiled as he squinted in surprise, recognizing that he was tired but she had called him home. He wanted to read her thoughts, but he couldn’t.

When he thinks about it when he was younger, she couldn’t hide her facial expressions, but since when? He can’t read his mother’s thoughts anymore.

He doesn’t know what she’s hiding behind her kind smile. The mask on his mother’s face, which used to express a range of emotions, was all because of his father.    

“What about him?”

“He’s always busy,” he said, observing the corners of her mouth twitching upward.

“How was your business trip?”

“…Same as always, business trips.”

The turn of phrase suggested he cease discussing his father.

“Why didn’t you say you were on a business trip?”

“No, I informed you that I was going on a business trip.”

“Oh! I’ve been forgetful lately. When was that?”

“Two weeks ago. But why?”

The corners of his mother’s mouth, which had been curled up, turned down slightly.

“It was your wedding anniversary the other day. Did you give Yeon-woo a gift?”

“…….”

He couldn’t remember anything about their anniversary. He kept his mouth shut, and his mother let out a small sigh.

“I went to see Yeon-woo recently. She didn’t know you were away on a business trip.

“…….”

“Are you two okay? She told me not to worry, is that all a lie?”

“It’s between us, it’s none of your business.”    

He said coldly to his mother, who was involved in the couple’s affairs. He realized that the reason Ha-yeon-woo had called him the other day was because of his mother.

She couldn’t even tell him that she had been to her home and hung up on him, saying it was nothing, but she was giving him a headache anyway.

“…You must be hungry, let’s eat.”

“Okay.”

He didn’t want to eat; he just wanted a glass of wine and a good night’s sleep.

But he couldn’t resist a full plate of rice. He felt sorry that he had spoken so harshly to his mother earlier. As she pushed her favorite side dish toward him, he picked it up and popped it into his mouth.

As he ate in silence, his mother’s stiff face loosened. His mother is a person who likes to give something to others, even if it’s just rice.

She is happy to see her son, who has been away for a long time, enjoying his meal.

“You should eat too, Mom.”

“I’m full.”

She pours water into a cup and hands it to him. He wonders if she has something to say to him. He lowers his eyes and swallows the rice quickly, feeling the pressure in his increasingly shining eyes.

He thought she had said everything she needed to say a while ago, didn’t she? Finally, he lifted his eyes to meet the gaze across from him.

“Yeon-woo likes macaroons.”

“So what if she likes it?”

“She likes flowers too. Who doesn’t like flowers?”

“…… Mom.”

He put his spoon down on the table. Still, she didn’t back down.

“Did you get Yeon-woo a gift on your business trip?”

“Stop it.”

“You didn’t even think of your anniversary. Even if it’s late, you should still get her a present.”

“Please, come on.”

She took a deep breath, feeling overwhelmed.

It seemed illogical for her to be concerned about their anniversary, especially since they weren’t even married.

He could understand her lack of awareness about it, but it remained a matter between him and Yeon-woo.

“I’ll take care of it.”

After finishing his meal and drinking water, his mother said she understood and got up first. He felt exhausted after dealing with her.

Until they got into the car, all she could talk about was Ha Yeon-woo. Be kind to her, don’t hurt her, etc. The endless nagging made his ears hurt.

When he arrived home and opened the door, it was quiet. He walked into the unlit house and paused. There were no shoes on the porch, which meant that Ha hadn’t come home yet.

He listened to his mother’s nagging until his ears pricked, and he almost worried about her. He doesn’t care if she comes home late or not.

He took a leisurely shower and drank a glass of wine. Despite feeling exhausted, he couldn’t sleep when he went to bed. Suddenly, he had a craving for a cigarette.    

He usually doesn’t light up after a shower, but today was different. He couldn’t resist, so he changed his clothes, went outside, and lit up a cigarette.

He walked for about 10 minutes to get rid of the smell and then came home. Before entering his room, he glanced at Ha Yeon-woo’s visitation book. It was almost midnight, and she hadn’t come home yet.

He turned his head coldly, thinking it had nothing to do with him. He must have burned his cigarette for nothing. The smell of cigarettes suddenly irritated him.

He headed to the bathroom to take another shower. It had been a week since he had been on a business trip, and he had come home late from work.

He turned down Hee-young’s invitation to have a drink. He didn’t feel like drinking, even though he could hear the words coming out of her mouth.

He didn’t know if it was the aftermath of the business trip or something else. After eating and washing up, he sat on the sofa and waited for Ha Yeon-woo.

He had been coming home late all week, and today he was planning to sit down with her and tell her that he would leave the house early.   

The next morning, when she saw him, she went back to her room. When he asked her if she was going out to her room, she didn’t say anything and walked past him, as if he wasn’t there.

When he thought about that, he felt uncomfortable. Today, it’s after midnight, and there’s no sign of her coming in. He leaned back against the wall and lit a cigarette.

The number of cigarettes seems to be the only thing that increases every day. His stomach was noisy, and it was all because of Ha Yeon-woo.

Because of her innocent face, people around her thought she was a good girl, but she wasn’t.

A good girl doesn’t come in until 1 am, and it wasn’t because of work. She didn’t come in until this time, so he was getting a little annoyed. Just try to come.

He was thinking about going home and making a phone call when he saw Ha Yeon-woo’s figure in the distance.

She’s walking with someone, and she’s smiling. ‘What? She’s smiling? Yet she’s not smiling at me, not even forcibly, but she’s smiling in front of others.’

He was standing under a high wall, and she couldn’t see him because of the shadows. He closed his mouth to pretend not to notice.

He crushed the cigarette he was burning with his hand and threw it on the ground. He remembered who the person next to Ha Yeon-woo was.

He was the one who was with her when he picked up the drunken Ha-yeon-woo. Yes, he felt it then, too, but his eyes were like those of a man in love. It’s annoying.   

That’s when the person grabbed Ha-yeon-woo’s shoulder. His eyebrows knitted together.

***”You don’t have to take me home.”

“It’s too late. Girls don’t go home alone at this late hour.”

Jae-ho and Hana were drinking near the school. Hana insisted on taking Ha Yeon-woo, who was very drunk, but Jae-ho insisted on taking her to the front of the house.

Jae-ho was quite drunk as well, and it was uncertain who was more concerned about the other. Judging by the way he walked, he appeared considerably intoxicated. Jae-ho’s behavior was rather unusual today.

She has been absent frequently lately, and yesterday she didn’t attend class. Concerned that something might be wrong, he contacted Jae-ho to meet up for a drink.

“Do you realize how many mentally unstable individuals there are in the world?”

When she catches a glimpse of Jae-ho, who persistently treats her like a child despite her maturity, he reaches out and tousles her hair.

She slaps Jae-ho’s shoulder as he persists in messing up her hair, even though she tells him not to. Suddenly, he grabs her shoulder.

“Hey, won’t you let go of me?”

“……Ha-Yeon-woo.”

“It hurts, let go of me.”

“Yeon-woo.” Jae-ho let out a long sigh and lifted his face.

“…….”

“You know I like you, right?”

“I like you too. You’re a good friend, hmm!”

She groaned as she felt a strong grip on her shoulder, attempting to tell him to let go. Her attempts were silenced by Jae-ho’s glowing eyes.

Those were not the eyes of a friend. A sense of discomfort settled in her gut.    

“I like you as a woman.” She couldn’t believe it. Her friend, with whom she had been drinking and playing childish pranks just moments before, was suddenly confessing.

“Are you crazy? I’m married.”

“I don’t care; I know you’re having a hard time with your marriage.”

“…What?”

Her heart raced. Even her friend knew her marriage was unhappy. Jae-ho caught her wavering eyes. His serious face told her he wasn’t lying.

“Aren’t you going to break up with him later?”

“You must be drunk.” He’s been drinking a lot, and he’s probably drunker than Hana.

“How are you going to face me tomorrow, Shin Jae-ho? Wake up.”

“I’m not drunk. I’m fine.”

The hand on her shoulder tightened, and Jae-ho’s face came into view.

“Hey! Shin Jae-ho! Are you sober?” Jae-ho’s breath drew closer and closer.

She jerked back, but she couldn’t dodge because her shoulder was gripped. She pushed hard against Jae-ho’s chest, but there was too much force.    

At this rate, their lips would collide. Before she knew it, the hand on her shoulder was grabbing her cheek. She kicked at his legs, but he didn’t budge.

She curled her lips in, thinking he was going to kiss her.

Then a hand came between her lips and his, and she thought she was going to faint at the sound of a voice:

“That’s it.” It was Cha Kang-jae.