Who is she?
With his emotions shifting from confusion to curiosity, Go Hoon stared hard at the girl’s face. He had no idea who she was. Sure, she had a pretty face, but it didn’t spark a single memory.
Go Hoon had always been like this. He was terrible with faces. Back in his freshman year, people used to say he was rude on a daily basis. He couldn’t help it—life was just too busy.
They say the human brain starts erasing the most useless memories first. If that’s true, then what was he supposed to do about the fact that those people had ended up in the trash bin of his mind? Well, seeing how quick he was to rationalize things, maybe they were right. Maybe he really was just an asshole.
“You don’t remember me? We’re classmates.”
The girl looked straight at him, eyes wide. That kind of blunt question was new. Usually, people just got flustered by his vague reaction and blushed.
While Go Hoon hesitated, she tilted her head with a smirk.
“Guess my name.”
“…Mijin?”
“Mijiiiin~?”
She drew the name out, arms crossed now. Go Hoon looked genuinely thoughtful for a second before trying again.
“…Yeonjin?”
“Are you kidding me? Want me to smack you? If you don’t know, just say so! Why act like you do, huh?”
She had a surprisingly bold and easygoing personality. It made sense—very few people spoke so casually with him. Maybe it was because of his fierce looks. Or his cold personality.
“I’m Kang Soo-yeon. Remember the name. I’ll quiz you next time we meet. Got it?”
Her confident tone made Go Hoon nod automatically.
“Anyway, never thought I’d bump into you like this. Kinda cool.”
She seemed amused by the coincidence, but Go Hoon didn’t feel anything in particular. In truth, something else was bothering him.
Bae Jung-yoon hadn’t moved, so why was Kang Soo-yeon here? If he gave it even a second of thought, the situation was painfully obvious.
Last time it was a guy, and now it’s a girl, huh. The idle speculation drifted lazily through his mind. His gaze shifted toward the inside of the apartment. Then it suddenly stopped.
In the middle of the living room—perfectly visible—were cat supplies. All the same ones he used to use.
Still left everything exactly the way it was. Isn’t it about time to clear it out? Just as the thought crossed his mind, Bae Jung-yoon’s voice came from inside.
“Is that the delivery?”
The previously relaxed Kang Soo-yeon suddenly looked flustered. She darted her eyes around and quickly shouted back,
“Yeah! Jung-yoon, the delivery’s here—I’ve got it! Just stay inside, I’ll bring it in!”
Her tone was unnaturally cheery, almost staged. She winked at Go Hoon.
“This stays between us, okay? Don’t tell anyone.”
Another secret, huh. A lot of people seemed to be asking him for those lately. Though, unlike Bae Jung-yoon’s quiet plea, Kang Soo-yeon’s request felt more like she wanted him to go spread it around.
If it was really supposed to be a secret, she could’ve just avoided saying his name. Why pretend to cover it up now after saying it out loud?
“Sure. Got it.”
Setting aside his cynical thoughts, Go Hoon gave a brief reply and turned around.
“Uh, hey—”
Kang Soo-yeon tried to call after him, but he didn’t care. He walked down the hallway and stood in front of the elevator. He pressed the call button, and moments later, the sound of the front door closing echoed behind him.
Go Hoon turned his head belatedly. He stared into the empty air for a second, then stepped into the arriving elevator.
***
“Jung-yoon.”
“……”
“Bae Jung-yoon.”
“……”
“…Bae Jung-yoon!”
Only after being called three times did Bae Jung-yoon finally lift his head from his phone.
“Huh?”
His voice was slow and unconcerned, which only deepened the frustration in Kang Soo-yeon’s eyes.
She had begged him to let her come over under the pretense of watching the Korea-Japan soccer match, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. He hadn’t even looked at the game playing live on TV or the fried chicken laid out in front of them. He’d just been glued to his phone the entire time.
“Did you even hear what I said just now?”
“Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. What did you say?”
Bae Jung-yoon gave her a sheepish smile. That soft, smiling gaze instantly melted the frustration she’d been building up. Still, she kept her pouty face and muttered complaints under her breath.
“What’s with you? You’ve been staring at your phone this whole time we’ve been hanging out.”
“Sorry, my group members for the team project were messaging me. I had to respond.”
Bae Jung-yoon smoothly offered the lie, his tone casual and unfazed. As he spoke, he picked up a piece of chicken with a fork and held it out to Kang Soo-yeon.
Her expression softened at last. Taking the fork, she nibbled at the chicken while looping back to what she’d said earlier.
“Anyway, I’m kind of thirsty. Could you get me some water?”
Instead of replying, Bae Jung-yoon stood up right away. He walked to the kitchen, grabbed a cup from the drying rack, and placed it under the water purifier. As the sensor activated, the top slid open and touch buttons appeared. Watching him, Kang Soo-yeon’s eyes went wide.
“Whoa, that’s such a cool purifier. Never seen one like that.”
By the time she finished marveling, Jung-yoon was already back, handing her the cup.
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
She smiled in gratitude, and he returned a faint one of his own. But as soon as he sat down again, he reached for his phone.
Not wanting to lose his attention, Soo-yeon quickly spoke up.
“Oh, right! I totally forgot—I was so shocked earlier. Jung-yoon, do you know who delivered our chicken?”
“Hmm, no idea. Who was it?”
He responded automatically, already staring back at his phone. He still wore a polite smile, but he was thoroughly disinterested.
Lately, Jung-yoon hadn’t been in the best mood. Ever since his cat vanished, a dull sense of irritation had been lingering—and recently, it had been worse than ever. Wondering if something was off with him, he’d tried to trace it back.
That’s when a particular memory came to mind: Go Hoon, looking awkward as Kim Yeo-jin handed him a drink. That image had been stuck in his head.
The more he thought about it, the more confused he got.
‘Why am I like this?’
Then a theory occurred to him.
‘Now that I think about it, it’s been ages since I last dated anyone. And the last time I had sex was with Choi Joo-won. So maybe… this is just sexual frustration?’
It didn’t take long for Jung-yoon to arrive at that conclusion.
‘Maybe I’m just not living the way I used to.’
Right. People aren’t meant to be “fixed.” Playing the role of a righteous saint had its moments—it was peaceful, even amusing. But maybe he was getting sick of it.
And just then, his eyes landed on Kang Soo-yeon. She’d been openly showing interest in him, making it obvious she wanted to come over. So he brought her here. But the moment she stepped inside, he felt… nothing.
Everything she said bored him. His interest was fully absorbed by the small screen in his hand.
Meanwhile, the person he really wanted to hear from hadn’t even read his messages in over thirty minutes.
[Busy?]
He typed a new one.
“Go Hoon.”
Just as his finger hovered over the send button, Kang Soo-yeon spoke—and his hand froze in midair. Lifting his head, Jung-yoon looked straight at her.
“Go Hoon?”
His black eyes bore into her. Finally catching and holding his attention, Soo-yeon perked up, her voice bubbling with excitement.
“Yeah! Go Hoon. You know, our classmate—the one who just got back from the army. Oh! Didn’t you have your profile pic set to him a few days ago?”
The longer she talked, the more subtle Jung-yoon’s expression became.
Soo-yeon read that reaction as curiosity. Since she’d brought up another guy, she figured he might be getting jealous.
“Anyway, he was the one who delivered our chicken. I think he was taking a photo of it for the app or something. It was so awkward running into him.”
She clearly had no plans to stop there. Taking a sip of beer, she continued, practically chirping.
“Don’t you think he’s insanely hard working? I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who takes part-time jobs that seriously. It feels like he’s done everything. Now he’s delivering, I guess? Maybe he rides a scooter?”
As she shared what she’d heard from others, she stole a glance at Jung-yoon.
“But… I think I might’ve messed up in front of him. What do I do, Jung-yoon?”
“Messed up?”
“Yeah. I accidentally said your name in front of him earlier. I mean, we’re just friends, but he might get the wrong idea, right?”
She trailed off with a sheepish smile. And sure enough, it worked—Jung-yoon’s lips curled into a faint grin, like he found her a little cute.
That smile completely disarmed her. He always looked so sweet when he smiled. There was a kind of catharsis that came with watching his cold features soften like that.
“Yeah, you’re right. Wouldn’t want Hoon to get the wrong idea about us.”
He spoke softly, almost in a murmur, then casually toyed with his beer can before taking a sip. His Adam’s apple bobbed visibly as he swallowed.
Soo-yeon stared at him, mesmerized. She swallowed dryly.
‘What would it be like to date him?’
She could already picture it—two good-looking people in a picture-perfect couple, the kind everyone admired.
Soo-yeon wasn’t the clingy type. But for some reason, she felt completely unraveled around Jung-yoon.
Since his discharge, no one had managed to get close to him. This was her chance. He had the looks, the money, the personality—he was the whole package. Not to mention, being with him would draw every envious eye around.
She knew she was attractive. That’s why she believed—no, knew—that she deserved to be by his side. Compared to his ex? She was a level—or two—above.
Ever since breaking up with her last boyfriend, she’d been waiting for the perfect timing. But it was impossible to find. Like reaching for a star.
She’d finally given up and started making obvious moves. He had to know what she was doing. And yet, he didn’t show any sign of giving in—nor did he reject her outright.
That vague, teasing attitude… it was infuriating. Maybe he knew exactly what he was doing.
If it were anyone else being this indecisive, she would’ve called them pathetic. But when it came to Bae Jung-yoon, it was different. In fact, it only made her want him more.
“But you know,” she added casually, “even in the most basic clothes, Go Hoon still looks amazing. Must be that face of his. He was sweating like crazy, though.”
Today was her chance, and she wasn’t about to waste it. She decided to push harder—see how far she could get.
There weren’t many people she could compare to Jung-yoon. Still, by her standards, Go Hoon wasn’t bad. He had his flaws, sure—but he wasn’t lacking either.
It was a rare opportunity. And she was going to use it.
Jealousy. Nothing works better between a guy and a girl. You ignore someone for ages, but the moment they talk about someone else? Suddenly, you’re interested.
And it worked. Perfectly.
This time, there was no doubt. The faint smile lingering on Bae Jung-yoon’s lips faded away.
After a brief silence, he finally spoke.
“Is Go Hoon the kind of guy girls usually go for?”
