Chapter 26
“Me?”
Surprised, Seo-jung uncharacteristically pointed at his own face as he asked. He was dumbfounded. He had naturally assumed Song Joo-ah would be looking for Cha Yoon.
Joo-ah burst out laughing as if she’d seen something funny.
“Yes, Seo-jung.”
She pointed at him, just as he had done to himself. Seo-jung reflexively glanced at Cha Yoon again. He saw Cha Yoon’s cold expression. It was as expected.
Seo-jung forcibly swallowed a sigh that was about to escape. Cha Yoon had been trying his best to separate him and Song Joo-ah. He wouldn’t like this situation.
What to do. Seo-jung was equally uncomfortable with this unintended situation. As Seo-jung stood there, unable to move, Joo-ah spoke in a playful voice.
“Should I keep standing here like this?”
“No, I’ll go out.”
He couldn’t keep Song Joo-ah standing there forever. For now, it was right to go and talk with Song Joo-ah. Seo-jung stood up.
“It would be better if Cha Yoon moved.”
Joo-ah said that to Seo-jung as he approached. It was nonsense. There was no point in provoking someone who was already angry. Seo-jung shook his head and smiled awkwardly.
“No, let’s go out. The terrace is nice.”
“Hmm. Shall we, then?”
“…”
“Let’s go to the terrace ‘together’ as Seo-jung said.”
Let’s go, together. He was worried she might be stubborn, but Joo-ah willingly followed Seo-jung’s suggestion. Seo-jung left the room with Joo-ah, feeling relieved. Through the closing door, he heard someone curse, “Shit.”
Only after closing the terrace door did Seo-jung let out a long breath. He felt like his lifespan had been shortened by about five years in that short moment.
“Wow, it’s really nice here, just like Seo-jung said. It’s my first time out here.”
Regardless, Song Joo-ah was busy looking around the brightly lit terrace. Her excited voice continued a bit longer.
“Joo-ah, what’s the matter?”
“Ah, that.”
When Seo-jung brought it up, Joo-ah looked up at him.
“I called you to talk about our first date.”
“…Date?”
Hearing the reason, it made sense why Joo-ah had come looking for him. As Seo-jung nodded, Joo-ah continued.
“I heard that air traffic controllers don’t always have weekends off. So I want to match it with your day off.”
“But Joo-ah, you work too. Will that be okay?”
“I’m working at my own company anyway, so.”
“Our employees might prefer it if I don’t show up?” Joo-ah whispered in Seo-jung’s ear as if sharing a secret. Seo-jung chuckled at Joo-ah’s joke that wasn’t really a joke.
“Then shall we have our date on your day off?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
“Okay. Then let’s meet in front of the entrance the day after tomorrow morning.”
“Is there anything I need to prepare?”
“Just bring yourself, Seo-jung. I’ll take care of everything that day.”
“You can look forward to it, Seo-jung.” Joo-ah smiled, wrinkling her nose. She looked more excited than the person she was talking to.
The other person was Song Joo-ah. Seo-jung couldn’t possibly have any expectations. He felt sick inside, but didn’t show it. It’s better if at least one of them is happy. Seo-jung lifted the corners of his mouth.
After finishing their conversation, the two dispersed to their respective rooms. Standing in front of the room door, Seo-jung remembered Cha Yoon’s hardened expression and the curse that followed. Seo-jung opened the door, hoping Cha Yoon was asleep.
“…”
He couldn’t help but freeze. As soon as the door opened, he made direct eye contact with Cha Yoon, who had a fierce gaze. Seo-jung swallowed hard.
Seo-jung, who had been standing there in a standoff, was awakened by the distant voices of Min-wook and Soo-ho. He stepped into the room. There was a click as the door closed.
Just as he was heading towards the bed, trying to be as quiet as possible, aware of Cha Yoon’s heightened nerves:
“Hey.”
Cha Yoon stopped Seo-jung with a monotone voice. Well, of course. Hoping it would pass without incident was too much to dream of. Seo-jung took a deep breath and turned his gaze towards Cha Yoon.
“Speak.”
“Why are you so selfish?”
It was absurd to hear such words from Cha Yoon of all people, but Seo-jung remained silent. Cha Yoon turned his body and started talking in earnest.
“Is this space yours alone?”
“…”
“You shouldn’t call outsiders like this without even consulting me in a shared space. Is this your first time living in a group?”
There were many points to address. Joo-ah’s visit was entirely her own will, and for Seo-jung, who had lived in an orphanage since birth, group living was synonymous with life itself. Unaware of this fact, Cha Yoon tilted his head with a crooked expression, as if daring Seo-jung to say something.
Seo-jung had no intention of explaining everything in detail either. That’s probably not what Cha Yoon wanted to hear anyway. Seo-jung brushed up his bangs and finally opened his mouth.
“Cha Yoon.”
“What?”
“I didn’t call Joo-ah. You were there earlier, so you know. Joo-ah suddenly came on her own.”
Seo-jung pointed out the part that needed to be addressed first. Cha Yoon frowned as if recalling the memory. He seemed to realize that Seo-jung’s words were true. Nevertheless, Cha Yoon didn’t back down and unnecessarily raised his voice.
“Anyway. You did cause me trouble, didn’t you?”
“…”
“Am I wrong? The result is that I was still inconvenienced.”
Cha Yoon was throwing a tantrum. The words “Yes, you’re wrong. Nothing you said is right from start to finish” rose to Seo-jung’s throat. But Seo-jung had to hold back. There was no way to reason with Cha Yoon when he was in such a foul mood.
“Okay, I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
Seo-jung nodded and said. It was as if to say, “Yes, yes. You’re right about everything. So let’s stop this conversation.” It was an answer that seemed to lack sincerity, but what Cha Yoon fixated on was something else.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“I said I was sorry.”
What more words were needed? As Seo-jung remained silent, Cha Yoon spoke up about what he wanted, as if frustrated.
“You should tell me what you’re going to do from now on.”
Judging by his expression, it seemed he already had something in mind. If Seo-jung answered rashly, it was clear there would be another uproar.
“Then tell me what you want, Cha Yoon.”
“…”
“If you tell me, I’ll keep it.”
Cha Yoon grumbled for a while, as if to say, “Do I have to spell this out for you?” Despite such a reaction, Seo-jung waited quietly.
“Make sure no one comes to visit the room from now on.”
“…”
“Didn’t you hear me? I said make sure no one but you and me can enter this room from now on.”
It was an excessive demand. Seo-jung, who had been trying to just agree to everything, spoke in a cautious voice, seeming troubled.
“…I can’t control it if someone suddenly comes looking for me like today.”
“You can behave properly so that no one has a reason to come looking for you.”
“…”
Behave. Just how much more properly did he need to behave than he already was?
Seo-jung always tried to prioritize Cha Yoon’s feelings over his own. Every time he was involved with Joo-ah, Cha Yoon’s displayed jealousy stabbed his heart like a sharp awl, but he still pretended not to notice and focused on Cha Yoon’s feelings.
He told himself that Cha Yoon was just a child, that he knew Cha Yoon’s personality. He added these reasons, but the truth was different. He didn’t want to see Cha Yoon struggling. That was the form of love Seo-jung had.
But Cha Yoon had nullified all of Seo-jung’s efforts with his words about behaving properly. Even Seo-jung, who had tried to let things slide thinking it was for the best, couldn’t help but feel upset.
“Alright then. I’ll do as you want.”
Seo-jung turned around and started looking for something. What’s he doing all of a sudden? Cha Yoon frowned as he watched Seo-jung’s back rummaging around the room.
After searching the room for a while, Seo-jung straightened up as if he had found what he wanted. In his hand were paper and a marker. Seo-jung took these and immediately went out of the room.
Where are you going in the middle of our conversation? Surprised by Seo-jung’s sudden departure, Cha Yoon also got up and followed him.
Stepping into the hallway, he saw Seo-jung busily writing something. Unable to understand what he was doing, Cha Yoon felt puzzled. Just then, Seo-jung finished writing the last letter and put a period.
Seo-jung stuck the completed paper on the room door.
“Is this okay now?”
“…”
Cha Yoon read the paper stuck on the room door with his eyes. Soon, a mirthless laugh escaped his lips.
“Please refrain from knocking or entering except for room owners.
Cha Yoon is very uncomfortable.”
