Recently, Cha Jae-woo had been unusually free. He was sitting on the sofa in the living room, leaning back, seemingly ready to go out but with an air of leisure. He hadn’t moved from that spot for nearly an hour.
“Um, hey,” I started.
“Yeah?” he responded.
Since Cha Jae-woo wasn’t busy today, I couldn’t use that as an excuse anymore. I had to face him. No matter how embarrassed I felt, avoiding him for over a week was not right.
I need to do the guiding. It’s my responsibility. Even if I felt awkward seeing Cha Jae-woo’s face and had been pretending to sleep whenever he returned, I couldn’t avoid it forever.
Maybe Cha Jae-woo wasn’t in a hurry either. In the past, he had woken me up to guide him, but not this time. Maybe he was considering my feelings. I wanted to believe that.
“Sigh…”
As soon as I realized this, a sigh escaped my lips.
“Why are you sighing after calling me?” Cha Jae-woo asked immediately, tilting his head. His gaze had been fixed on me even before I called his name, and it didn’t seem like he was going to look away. The intense stare made it hard for me to approach him.
“Oh, I was just thinking about something else…” I mumbled.
“You disappear for a while, and now you’re back, lost in thought?” he asked.
What was this feeling? It seemed like he was a bit upset.
His voice was as calm and steady as ever, but to me, it sounded like he was sulking.
I quickly shook my head.
“No, it’s not that I was thinking about something else, it’s just… I was thinking about you, Cha Jae-woo, and, um…” I stumbled over my words.
“Why think about me when I’m right here?” he asked.
No matter how I thought about it, Cha Jae-woo’s voice sounded hurt to me, which was unusual for him.
“Are you feeling okay?” I blurted out.
“No,” he replied immediately, as if to say, “What are you talking about?” I laughed awkwardly, thinking I had said something silly, but—
“Why? Do I seem out of my mind?” he asked.
Of course not.
“Haha… I didn’t think that,” I lied.
“You did,” he stated, not as a guess, but as a fact. Naturally, I felt wronged. I hadn’t thought that at all!
“I didn’t, really!” I insisted.
“You did,” he repeated.
“No, really, I didn’t!” I argued.
“Then what were you thinking?” he asked.
“I just thought you were acting a bit strange…” I admitted.
“…”
“So, what I was thinking was—” I tried to explain.
“Thinking I’m out of my mind or acting strange, isn’t that the same thing?” he pointed out.
My attempt to explain only dug me deeper into a hole. Even to my own ears, it sounded the same.
“Are you busy today?” he asked suddenly.
Fortunately, he didn’t press the issue further. I nodded, relieved by the change of subject.
“I was thinking of going to the library to study for exams,” I said.
Originally, staying at home would have been more comfortable, but being there made it impossible to concentrate because of thoughts of Cha Jae-woo. With final exams just around the corner, I decided it would be better to go out.
“Should I give you a ride?” he asked.
“Huh?” I replied, confused.
“To school. Should I give you a ride?” he repeated.
It was an unexpected offer. I looked at him, puzzled.
“Do you really need to?” I asked.
Wait, did that sound too harsh? I quickly added, “I mean, the driver always takes me, so you don’t have to. And… aren’t you busy?”
“Not really,” he said.
“But it looks like you’re about to go out,” I pointed out.
“I got ready to give you a ride,” he explained.
“Uh…” I was at a loss for words.
He got all dressed up just to drive me? That didn’t make sense. Although, he was just wearing a simple knit top and black pants. Still, his face made anything he wore look amazing.
“Don’t want to?” he asked, breaking my train of thought.
He was leaning comfortably against the sofa, but there was an air about him that made it hard to say no. Or maybe it was just my imagination. Either way, I felt like I couldn’t refuse.
“No, it’s fine…” I mumbled.
I still thought it was a bit strange, but I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. Plus, it would be a good chance to talk to him.
My chest tightened as I remembered the conversation I needed to have with him. I wanted a specific answer, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to hear it.
“I’ll go get ready,” I said, standing up.
I needed to talk to him, and this was the perfect opportunity.
* * *
“Aren’t you getting out?” he asked.
Why did we get here so fast? I swallowed hard, trying to hide my nervousness. I thought we would talk on the way, but we barely said a word the whole ride.
Cha Jae-woo focused on driving, and I was too busy stealing glances at him to start a conversation. At first, I was waiting for the right moment, but eventually, I got lost in admiration.
How could someone look so good just driving? His hands on the steering wheel, his profile as he looked straight ahead—everything about him was captivating.
“I should go…” I muttered, snapping out of my daze.
I swallowed hard, feeling a bit embarrassed. I shouldn’t be drooling over someone like this. It’s not like I’m a cannibal or something.
“When are you coming home?” he asked.
I felt a pang of guilt, but Cha Jae-woo seemed unfazed. Thank goodness he couldn’t read my mind.
“Um… probably after dinner,” I said.
“After you eat?” he asked.
“Yeah, probably,” I replied.
“With who?” he asked.
“…Kim Geon-ung,” I answered, feeling a bit flustered.
What was with this interrogation?
I scratched my cheek, feeling awkward. Cha Jae-woo tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable.
“Why?” I asked, curious about his sudden interest.
Did I do something wrong? Maybe I should come home earlier? I started to overthink every little detail of his behavior.
“Should I come home earlier?” I asked tentatively.
Cha Jae-woo turned to look at me, his gaze intense. I flinched slightly, even though I wasn’t scared. I just wasn’t used to his full attention yet.
“Yeah,” he said simply.
Wait, what? That was it? I was overthinking this whole situation.
“O-okay…” I stammered, feeling flustered.
Should I just study for a couple of hours and then go home? But if I was going to do that, I might as well study at home—
“Ah.”
All the random thoughts that had been swirling in my head vanished in an instant. My phone started ringing, breaking the spell.
I pulled out my phone and saw that it was Kim Geon-ung calling. We had plans to meet, so he was probably calling to ask why I was taking so long.
“I should go in now,” I said to Cha Jae-woo.
“Why?” he asked, his expression innocent.
“Huh?” I replied, confused.
We had arrived at school, and there was no need to linger any longer. I thought it was time to go, but Cha Jae-woo seemed to have other ideas.
“Why are you leaving already?” he asked.
How long did he expect me to stay? I was confused by his question. What was I supposed to do if I didn’t go inside?
As I hesitated, the call ended. A flurry of messages from Kim Geon-ung popped up on my screen. He was wondering where I was and said he was going inside because it was cold.
I glanced at the messages and then looked back at Cha Jae-woo, unsure of what to do. Should I ask him when I could leave?
“Don’t you have something to say to me?” Cha Jae-woo asked, breaking the silence.
I realized then that he knew I had something to talk to him about. He had been waiting for me to speak up.
‘He gave me the perfect opportunity, and I still couldn’t find the words.’
I should have known something was up when he offered to drive me to school and waited patiently in the living room. I had been so oblivious.
“I do have something to say…” I admitted, my voice trailing off.
But the words just wouldn’t come out. If I could have said it easily, I would have done so already.
I wanted to ask him about what he had said before. Did he like me? Did he want to be in a relationship with me? But I couldn’t find the courage to ask him directly. I had never said anything like that to anyone before.
“Go ahead,” Cha Jae-woo urged.
My lips moved, but no sound came out. I wanted to speak, but I was also afraid of what he might say. What if he said no? What if he said yes? My mind was a mess.
“Can we talk about this later?” I finally asked, unable to find the right words.
Cha Jae-woo let out a small laugh, as if he found my hesitation amusing.
“You used to say whatever was on your mind,” he said. “Why are you holding back now?”
I knew what he meant. In the past, I had always spoken my mind without a filter. But this time, it was different. I couldn’t find the words to express what I was feeling.
“Fine,” he said, thankfully not pressing the issue further.
I nodded and reached for my seatbelt, which I hadn’t yet unbuckled. But Cha Jae-woo was faster. He leaned over and unbuckled it for me, his face inches from mine.
It was such an uncharacteristically kind gesture from him. But what really caught me off guard was how close he was.
“Th-thank you…” I stammered, my face flushing.
Cha Jae-woo smiled, and my heart skipped a beat. His smile was dangerous, and I felt like I might have a heart attack.
“Lim Haeyul,” he said, his voice low.
Hearing my name from his lips at such close range was too much. I couldn’t even respond. I just stared at him, frozen in place.
“Come back soon,” he said.
Before I could react, he leaned in and kissed me. It was a soft, brief kiss, but it left me reeling.
My face felt like it was on fire, and I could barely move. Cha Jae-woo pulled back and returned to his seat, leaving me in a daze.
“Aren’t you going?” he asked, his eyes crinkling with amusement. “You should hurry up and study.”
He looked at me with a smile that was almost angelic. I couldn’t believe what had just happened.
“Ugh…” I groaned, still in shock.
Cha Jae-woo had to be crazy. Either that, or he was trying to drive me insane with his charm.
