Once Love Begins - Chapter 7. Part 1

Chapter 7- Part 1

“How did you get here?”

Joo Chan repeatedly asked for her contact information. Although she didn’t give it to him, his constant invitations to treat her to something delicious had made an impression.

“My house is nearby. I often see you here.”

“Oh, I see.”

She glanced awkwardly at the senior’s smiling face and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. The meeting was unexpected, and she almost misinterpreted it.

“Huh! Did you bring puppies?”

He gestured with his hand. She looked down and saw two golden retrievers with wagging tails.

They seem eager to run, but the leash is holding them back.

“Do you like puppies?”

She nodded. Normally, she would have pretended otherwise. However, with a bit of alcohol in her body, the truth came out.

“Are you going to walk them?”

“Yeah. Are you heading home?”

“No, I’ve had a few drinks, and I’m going to… I’m going for a walk to sober up.”

She tilted her head to look at Joo Chan’s face, which was as tall as Kang-jae Cha. He smiled at her with a puppy-like expression.

She wondered if his warm smile was due to the alcohol or something else. His smile felt both comforting and a bit sad.

She resented her husband for leaving without any explanation.

“Is it okay?” she asked, gazing at the puppies.

“Yes. Walking them alone can be difficult.”

He handed her a leash. She took it for a moment but soon realized it was slipping from her hand, and the dog started running suddenly.

“Huh! Come on, hold on!”

“Don’t let go of the leash! Hold on!”

He pointed it out, and she ran, trying not to lose her hold on the leash.

After a while, the dog stopped running, and she caught her breath. Every breath felt like her lungs were straining.

It must be due to the lack of exercise. 

“Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not.”

He holds her in his arms and gives her some water while she’s still breathing. He glances at her hand. It is smaller than his, but still firm.

“I don’t feel like I’m walking the dog; I feel like I’ve been walked.”

“I think about that all the time,” Joo Chan laughed.

Even for a man, walking two dogs simultaneously seemed like a challenge.

“Would you like to try this?” Seeing her shaking her hand, he held out his hand.

He placed a doggie treat in her hand and asked her to give it to the puppy.

“What’s your dog’s name?”

“She’s Watermelon, and this is Beard.”

The puppy she was walking with was named Watermelon.

Watermelon jumped up and down, scratching her thigh with her paw when she smelled the treat. She brought the treat to her mouth, and Watermelon gobbled it down.

She licked her hand, and her whole body tingled.

She felt warm now, where she had been cold just a moment before.

“She seems to like you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She doesn’t usually eat other people’s food.”

“Really?”

She didn’t know how that made her feel, still sober.

“Can I take her for another walk next time?”

“Sure. Thank you.”

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew. He reached out his hand, and she was surprised as her shoulders stiffened.

“Oh, your hair is messy. I’m sorry.”

Her mouth dropped open as the senior straightened her hair. She didn’t know what to say to the senior, who blushed and apologized, so she thanked him in a small voice.

“Can you give me your number? I’ll call you when we go for a walk. Will you?”

Watermelon nudged her thigh with her head.

“She’s going to run again. Hold on to the leash.”

“Huh? Huh? Hold on! Watermelon!”

She finished eating and took off running once more. The thought of running again brought a smile to her face, despite the darkness.

Despite feeling tired, she felt strangely good as she walked home. Her walk was strange, like someone returning from a sports competition, but she wanted to see Watermelon again, so she gave him her number.   

“…….”

She opened the front door and was met with silence.

Her happy mood from a few moments ago has dropped.

She filled the bathtub with water. Soaking in it might make her feel better. Her mouth drooped at the corners. 

* * *

The next day, she woke up early. It had been a while since she ran, and her muscles protested.

He did not come home yesterday. She sat alone, ate, and stayed in her room as usual. Later, she received a call and got ready to go out.

“What’s up?”

“Let’s meet quickly. I am feeling upset.”

She was also in a bad mood.

***

“What’s wrong?”

” I’m thinking of telling Jae-ho.”

“What do you want to say?”

Her eyes widened, and she looked at Hana, who was sipping her drink and smirking.

“I broke up with my boyfriend.”

“So, you have a crush on Jae-ho? Since when?”

“I don’t know. I can’t stop thinking about him. I thought it would stop, but it didn’t.”

“So, that’s why you broke up with your boyfriend?” She nodded weakly and refilled her glass.

“I mean, we’re the only ones who know her, but what if it’s me?”

“It has to be…”

“Huh?” She looked at a concerned face, and her jaw dropped.

“No. It’s nothing.”

She drank her beer quickly, unable to believe what Hana had said.

She couldn’t stop, despite a voice urging her to slow down. The weight on her chest felt like a heavy stone.

“Aren’t you drinking too much?”

“Hmph. It’s okay.”

“I’ll take you home.”

“I don’t want to go.”

Even if she did want to, she didn’t want to go home to anyone.

“Just one more drink, just one more drink. Okay?”

A sweet voice ordered another beer and soju.

“Are you sure you’re only going to drink this?”

“Yes.”

She pouted and asked, “Why do you keep telling me to go home? Can’t married women hang out?”

“Excuse me.”

She turned around at the sound of someone calling her, and there stood a man she didn’t recognize.

She squinted at him. He smiled and sat down next to her. Even strangers smiled at her like that, but only Cha Kang-Jae didn’t smile. He was a bad guy.

“Do you want to hang out?”

She blinks, unsure of the meaning. The man responds with a bright smile. She looks at the corner of his mouth.

“I thought you said you didn’t want to go home. Come hang out with me.”

“…….”

“I’m not a bad person,” the man insisted, even if she declined.

“I’m married. I’m a married woman.”

She didn’t know why. Saying she’s married to a stranger made her head spin. After a pause, he whispered in her ear, so only she could hear.

“It’s better if you’re married. It’s nice to have no pressure. What do you think?”

“…….”

“It’s a one-night stand. No one will know.”

“Do you want to do that?”

Will her desire for him fade a little if she sleeps with a random man? Will she not be hurt? Cha Kang-Jae makes her feel like a burden, but this man doesn’t.

Should she close her eyes for just one night, like he said?

She closed her eyes when she saw the corners of his mouth turn up.

Yesterday, Cha Kang-Jae left her alone after talking to her ex-girlfriend. She thought it didn’t matter.

“Hey! Ha Yeon-woo!”

“…….”

“Are you out of your mind? Are you crazy?” She was abruptly awakened by a slap on the back.

Hana told the stranger to leave.

Hana dragged Yeon-woo out of the bar.

The man grabbed her wrist. However, he let go after uttering a swear word.

“Ha-yeon-woo, please don’t drink anymore. If you don’t want to go home, you can sleep at my house. If you follow that guy, I’ll never see you again!”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you leaving your nice house?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

Hana remained silent until the taxi stopped in front of her house. She held her hand tightly.

* * *

It is already 2:00 AM.

He called her multiple times, but the call was disconnected. His eyes narrowed, and he straightened up from the couch.

‘She is late. Why isn’t she answering the phone? Why bring a cell phone if she’s not going to answer it?’

He pressed the call button out of frustration. The phone kept ringing. He thought to himself, ‘Let’s see who wins, you or me.’

‘I will set a curfew starting today.’

‘Can’t a student come home at this time? Or at least call me.’

As time passed, he became more and more irritated. Upon hearing it ring, he felt his throat tighten.

-” Hello? The phone is connected.”

He was startled by the sound of a man’s drunken, slurred speech.

“Who are you?” The other person on the line is quiet.

-” Ah, is this the husband of the woman I am dating? “

“What?”

-” Yeon-woo didn’t want to go home, so she decided to sleep with me.” 

‘He even knew Ha-yeon-woo’s name.’   

“You as$hole, where are you now?” 

-” Do I sound like I’m crazy?” The low laugh in his voice gave him goosebumps.   

“Give Yeon-woo the phone.” 

-“Also, I answered your call to tell you not to worry about Yeon-woo. I will make her happy tonight.”

The call was abruptly disconnected. He lost his patience.

“You son of a bitch!”

He gritted his teeth and grabbed his jacket. He told himself he wasn’t going to leave her alone.

He didn’t know where to start looking. He doesn’t even know who Ha Yeon-woo’s friends are. He enters his car, but he is not sure where to go.

He called her cell phone just in case. However, it says that she has turned it off.  

“Damn it!”

He put a cigarette in his mouth after opening the window.

He started the car. He thought he should go to the place where he picked her up when she was drunk before.

Halfway there, he called her again. Sure enough, the cell phone that had been turned off earlier had a signal.  

-Hello? It wasn’t the man from earlier.

“Hello?” he said.

“Where is the owner of the phone?”

-” Uh, I picked up the phone from the bathroom.”

“Where is it? I’m on my way.”

He lit the cigarette in his mouth and inhaled deeply.  Annoyed by the traffic light, he flicked his hair back.

 * * *

She opened the door as quietly as she could. Even though she knew no one would be home, she walked strangely softly.

He won’t know she’s not home anyway, so she should be confident. She’s not guilty of anything, but she’s feeling a little creeped out.

Yesterday, she slept over at Hana’s house and skipped school because her stomach felt so bad.

They ate bean curd soup cooked by Hana’s mom, chatted, and didn’t return home until the afternoon.

She doesn’t know where she put her cell phone. She should never drink again. She doesn’t know why she drank so much yesterday.

She woke up with an upset stomach. By the afternoon, her stomach ache is no better. She’s going to take some medicine and get a good night’s sleep, and maybe she’ll feel better.

This is the first time she’s ever had this much to drink, so she’s not sure when she’ll feel better.