#038
During that short time returning home, I dozed off quite deeply. Dozed off? When I opened my eyes in what should probably be called a state of having slept and woken up, Woo Dohwan was leaning against the steering wheel, staring intently at me. As soon as our eyes met, his straight eye shape curved smoothly as if he’d been waiting.
“Hello.”
Woo Dohwan acted charming out of habit. Still, that was a bit cringeworthy just now. Ugh, it’s only to this degree because his face is handsome. I pretended not to notice the heat spreading to my face and pulled down my coat.
“Wh-why didn’t you wake me when we arrived?”
“You were sleeping well. And if you wake someone up while they’re sleeping, they get tired.”
Is that so? I yawned once and raised the seat that had been reclined all the way. I kept pressing the button until the seat that came up with a faint whirring noise reached an appropriate firmness, and when it became similar to the driver’s seat, I released my hand from the button.
I handed over the coat that had been covering me and pressed the belt clip, and Woo Dohwan straightened his languidly leaning posture.
“Going?”
“Mm… yes.”
“How’s your stomach?”
“The medicine seems to have worked well. I’m fine.”
“That’s good.”
Sticky, wistful eyes clung to my hands unbuckling the belt. I hesitated a bit before placing my hand on the door trim.
“Then I’ll go in. I had a good dinner today.”
“Buy me some next time.”
“I was going to buy today too.”
“See you again. Don’t forget that I like you.”
Ah, shameless. He was originally quite honest, but he was especially honest today. It was embarrassing how he said such things so casually while smiling slyly. I had no appropriate response, so I muttered “I’m a man though” and gripped the door handle.
“Honey.”
“Ah, really! That, that… stop that…!”
“Are you from the Joseon era?”
“Are you perhaps crazy?”
“But what does it matter that you’re a man? What’s important is that I like you.”
Heat rushed to my face. As if delivering a finishing blow, Woo Dohwan continued with a mischievous smile.
“I may look like this, but I don’t lack in face, height, or personality.”
“That’s right. Someone who lacks nothing, why do you like me?”
“You’re asking something obvious.”
“What?”
“A pretty person making pretty things, how could I not like that?”
My words were blocked at his natural answer as if I’d asked something too obvious. Really, I should get surgery to become ugly or something. It was absurd how naturally he spoke, so I just kept making sounds like “huh, well, ha, ha” when I was about to pull the door handle. Something caught my eye.
“Huh…?”
Something very familiar was hanging on the thin necklace string hooked to the rearview mirror.
“This.”
I just noticed it now. Earlier I was too awkward and uncomfortable to think about looking around the interior, just staring outside, so I didn’t know such a thing was hanging there.
“You got the ring. How could I not like you after receiving even this?”
Woo Dohwan giggled. Then he reached out his straight hand and gently touched the well-dried flower ring.
“I even go over speed bumps very carefully because I’m afraid the petals might fall off.”
“……”
“Sleep well.”
The hand that had been caressing the petals settled on top of my head and carefully ruffled my hair. I only rolled my eyes to glance at Woo Dohwan, then opened the door as is. The door closed with a heavy thud and the window rolled down exactly halfway.
It was awkward to greet or not greet, so I just bowed my head and turned around. Woo Dohwan’s car started with a sound that shook the ground. All my attention was focused on the back where no sound could be heard. Even when I arrived at the officetel door, Woo Dohwan’s car hadn’t left.
When I hesitated and looked back, his gaze was still directed at me. We made eye contact for quite a while at a distance that was neither close nor far, then I turned and entered the building. Only then did I hear the sound of Woo Dohwan’s car moving. The sleek, well-built car left making noise as loud as it looked.
***
After returning home, I immediately showered and flopped down on the bed. I ran my fingers through my hair and carefully retraced what happened today. Yeo Dongju, who hadn’t broken up with Gyoyeon, came as if showing off and bought lunch. And I heard things from Woo Dohwan and Ju Isin that I shouldn’t have heard.
“Hmm…”
Gyoyeon and Yeo Dongju, Woo Dohwan and Ju Isin.
I had to set priorities between the two, but before I could even think, my heart leaned to one side. Gyoyeon comes first, after all. The person I should spend time on was definitely Gyoyeon first, rather than the latter two.
I decided to solve the Yeo Dongju issue first, then think about the two men, and fumbled around the bed. I grabbed my phone connected to the charging cable and familiarly looked for Gyoyeon’s number. Have they broken up by now? What if they’re together when I call?
With Gyoyeon’s number displayed, I couldn’t readily move my finger due to scattered thoughts, then pressed the call button with a “whatever” attitude.
The dial tone continued through the receiver. What time is it now? Just as I was taking the phone away from my ear to check the time.
– Rano!
“He-hello?”
– Yeah, Rano.
“Gyoyeon.”
As soon as I called her name, a worried voice asking what was wrong came through the receiver.
“Nothing’s wrong… I just called… are you home?”
– Yeah, I’m home. You surprised me. You’re not the type to call at this hour, suddenly…
“Ah, really? Sorry. It’s nothing big… did you have a good date with the team leader?”
At the sudden question, I could hear Gyoyeon laughing through the receiver. Calling in the middle of the night just to ask about a date.
– Of course it was good. Dongju-ssi is so sweet. He said I shouldn’t stay out late and brought me home punctually as soon as the sun set.
“Really? That’s good. Right, you should go home when the sun sets.”
– Anyway. I played well, ate well, and came home, you know.
“Good, that’s good. That… that… about Yeo Dongju-ssi,”
– Ah, right. Dongju-ssi said he went to your flower shop a few days ago? He said he couldn’t buy flowers and asked me to speak well of him to you. What happened between you two?
It seems Yeo Dongju left out what he did and only told her about me not selling flowers. Ah, I should have thought more about what to say before calling. How can I suddenly call and say that Yeo Dongju seems to have someone else? And he knows best why I didn’t sell flowers, yet he acted pitiful? I really hate this. Ah, I really hate it.
“That day, well… it wasn’t anything, there weren’t many flowers left that day.”
– Ah, what. Really? Dongju-ssi was really dejected. He said you didn’t seem to like him much. He said you told him to go buy somewhere else.
How much did this bastard tell her? And I told him to go elsewhere because he said he was buying flowers for someone else.
“Well… so the flowers! The flowers weren’t pretty, that’s why. And what good does it do if I like him? It would be trouble if I liked him. Anyway, forget about that. Do you like Yeo Dongju-ssi a lot?”
– What, so suddenly.
There was a laughing sound. Then a quite serious voice followed.
– I like him, so I’m dating him. Actually, I’m even thinking about marriage.
“No!!!”
– What?
Ah, shit…! I was too flustered by the word marriage and blurted out “no” immediately.
“No, you haven’t been dating that person for very long, what marriage? Huh? They say when you date someone, you should experience all four seasons together. You haven’t even been together for a few months yet?”
– Ranho, you sound exactly like my mom.
“Listen to your mother. She’s not an adult for nothing.”
– Stop nagging. And shouldn’t I experience it? I can tell he’s a good person just by looking.
Where is there a good person you can tell just by looking! You know-it-all! He’s obviously a bad guy just by looking. My insides boiled. Why is Gyoyeon like this? She’s not usually like this, but she seems to be completely smitten with Yeo Dongju.
“Gyoyeon, where is there a good person you can tell just by looking? You should take more time and meet people around him too.”
– Our Dongju-ssi doesn’t need that. He’s not a strange person.
“How do you know? It’s only been a short time since you met—”
– Ranho. Our Dongju-ssi isn’t that kind of person. He’s really kind.
“What…”
What’s this, Gyoyeon said something too familiar. What’s going on?
– He’s really kind. If he makes even the slightest mistake, he spends the whole day just watching my mood, being anxious.
“No, of course he’d watch your mood if he makes mistakes. How can you call that kind?”
– Ranho. Why are you suddenly like this? Don’t you like Dongju-ssi?
“What? No, there’s no liking or not liking. I’m not the one dating him. I just wish you’d be more… careful. You haven’t been meeting long, and… what you see isn’t everything. Look at me. Did I know those bastards were bad guys at first?”
I explained using examples of the men Seo Ranho had dated in the past. They were all consistently trash, but they weren’t like that at first.
“You have to experience more to know. I really want you to meet a truly good person, Gyoyeon. Really.”
– Ranho. Do you perhaps like me?
“What?”
What is this sudden question? Why does that come up here? I sat up from my lying position at Gyoyeon’s sudden question and her lowered tone.
“What—”
– Dongju-ssi was a bit worried. He said even if you and I are friends, all men are similar.
“Gyoyeon.”
– To me, you’re a friend, Ranho. Let’s not make things uncomfortable between us.
To me, you’re also a friend. What did I just hear? Words wouldn’t come out easily, so I was just moving my mouth when I finally called Gyoyeon’s name.
– Let’s contact each other later. I’m hanging up.
The call ended before I could say wait. I froze in the position with the hot phone still against my ear. What exactly did she hear to ask if Seo Ranho, who only dated men, liked her? The fact that Gyoyeon, who knows Seo Ranho’s sexual orientation better than anyone, said such a thing…
“Crazy, what is this…”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
