Chapter 48
The frozen atmosphere in the living room instantly heated up with Shin Da-bin’s arrival. What was once a routine drinking gathering transformed into a “Shin Da-bin Welcome Party”. All the excited contestants focused their attention on her.
“Da-bin, do you drink? If you can’t, we have soft drinks too, so feel free to say,” Joo-ah said, pointing to the soft drink bottles in front of her. Da-bin looked at the colorful drinks and shook her head.
“I drink because I can’t resist.”
“Oh, you must be good at drinking.”
“Enough not to skip out on occasions like this?”
“Give me some quickly.” At Da-bin’s playful tone, Joo-ah’s lips curled up in response. Da-bin emptied her filled glass cleanly. As she made a “whew” sound, Seo-jung, sitting next to her, pushed a plate of snacks towards her.
“Da-bin, make sure to eat some snacks too. Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for you.”
“Wow, thank you.”
Da-bin smiled brightly. The only one who couldn’t melt into the warm atmosphere was Cha Yoon. His consistently stiff expression turned even more grim at Seo-jung’s kind voice.
His already hot insides seemed to burn even more. Cha Yoon gulped down half of his remaining beer as an emergency measure. Even while tilting his head back to swallow the beer, his eyes never left Ki Seo-jung.
Cha Yoon deliberately set the empty can down on the table with a loud noise. But until the taste of beer in his mouth completely faded, there was no one to take care of him. It was natural. Seo-jung’s gaze was fixed on Da-bin the entire time.
Right, I’m probably not even on his mind. Ki Seo-jung had always ignored him, not even treating him like a person. Moreover, now that his ex had arrived, why would he even notice him?
His hand tightened. The can crumpled with a crunch.
“…Shit.”
Cha Yoon muttered quietly to himself. Even though the faint smell of beer had completely disappeared, his mouth tasted bitter.
Cha Yoon realized as soon as he saw Shin Da-bin enter the X House. That she was Ki Seo-jung’s ex. He couldn’t not know. In Cha Yoon’s memory, Shin Da-bin was a senior from the same club and Ki Seo-jung’s girlfriend. If someone with such a title appeared among unfamiliar people, anyone would have thought the same as him.
That’s why he reflexively looked at Ki Seo-jung. He needed to confirm if his guess was correct. And the expression on Ki Seo-jung’s face and his gestures proved that his thought was correct.
Afterwards, the sight of the two sitting side by side and their friendly conversation, as if determined to show off. All these signals made his already bad mood hit rock bottom.
To quell his unsettling feelings, Cha Yoon grabbed a new beer can. As he roughly opened the can, Seo-jung glanced at Cha Yoon.
Seo-jung swallowed a sigh that was about to escape. The beer cans strewn around and his particularly downcast expression. Even though he didn’t want to care, contrary to his intentions, his eyes naturally turned towards Cha Yoon.
He inevitably turned his body completely towards Da-bin. Cha Yoon couldn’t miss this movement of Ki Seo-jung. Anger blazed in Cha Yoon’s eyes as he stared at Seo-jung, who was half-turned away from him.
“Da-bin, what’s your job?”
“What do you think I do? Try to guess.”
Min-wook asked, leaning his upper body forward. Da-bin, not missing the attention given to her, smiled and asked back.
“I feel like you might do ballet.”
Ji-yoon answered. As Ji-yoon said, Shin Da-bin did have a ballerina-like feeling. She had a thin, long neck and graceful body lines. Her hair, tied neatly without any loose strands, emphasized this impression even more.
“Oh, that’s right! She also gives off a flight attendant vibe!”
Min-ha clapped her hands suddenly as she agreed. At those words, Shin Da-bin smiled freshly and looked at Seo Min-ha.
“Min-ha, you’re quite perceptive, aren’t you?”
“Huh? Did I guess right? Are you a flight attendant?”
“Yes, that’s right. Min-ha got it right.”
At Da-bin’s confirmation, Min-ha playfully made a V sign, saying “Yes!” At the mention of flight attendant, Sae-young’s eyes widened as she looked back and forth between Cha Yoon and Ki Seo-jung.
“Wow, then there are already three people here who work near the sky?”
At Kim Sae-young’s words, Jung Soo-ho, who had been quiet, immediately narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Cha Yoon’s expression. A co-pilot and a flight attendant. The connection between the two seemed suspicious no matter how he thought about it.
“Didn’t Cha Yoon and Da-bin work together?”
At this, Cha Yoon frowned. Although they had attended school together, they had never worked for the same airline.
“What are you talking about? We didn’t.”
“Suspicious, suspicious! No matter how I look at it, they’re exes! I’m not the only one who thinks so, right?”
Despite the grumpy voice, Jung Soo-ho looked around, seeking agreement. Perhaps because of the alcohol, Soo-ho’s excitement was at its peak. Even with the irritated response, Soo-ho’s volume increased. He was originally the type to charge ahead without considering the consequences, but the fact that he wasn’t minding Cha Yoon’s mood made it clear he was drunk.
“Can’t you understand Korean? I said we’re not.”
Cha Yoon, upset, scolded him in an even more irritated voice. Jung Soo-ho blinked rapidly, seemingly flustered.
While the other contestants who had been living in the X House for a week were used to such situations, Shin Da-bin, who had just arrived today, was not. Nevertheless, she didn’t panic and stepped in to smooth over the atmosphere. She made eye contact with Jung Soo-ho. Her eyes were curved in a crescent shape.
“We didn’t work together, but Cha Yoon was famous.”
“Wow! Da-bin, did you know Cha Yoon?”
“Of course. Cha Yoon is so handsome, after all.”
“Well, with visuals like Cha Yoon’s, it would be hard not to know him.”
Jung Soo-ho, who was about to be deflated, revived at Da-bin’s cheerful response. The atmosphere that was about to be doused with cold water was revived. The contestants started chattering again.
Cha Yoon felt a surge of irritation. Shin Da-bin’s composed and mature handling of the situation really grated on him. It was because the face of someone with a similar personality to hers came to mind.
He replayed his words to Jung Soo-ho in his head. His violent and irritated response seemed childish compared to Shin Da-bin’s.
Cha Yoon turned his eyes to Ki Seo-jung, who was in charge of that ‘someone’. Although his face wasn’t clearly visible as his back was turned, it was certain that his gaze was on Shin Da-bin.
Fucking hell, they must be happy to meet their own kind. Cha Yoon’s fist clenched. Somehow, the gap between Ki Seo-jung and himself felt stark.
“What’s Da-bin’s dating style like?”
“Oh, since it’s Da-bin’s first day here, shall we do something like that? You know, like a balance game.”
Meanwhile, the flow of conversation moved to Shin Da-bin’s views on dating. Min-ha chimed in on Joo-ah’s question. Da-bin nodded, her eyes sparkling with interest.
“Sounds good. I like those kinds of things.”
“Well then! Who’s better: someone who’s had a very long-term relationship or someone who’s had several short relationships?”
Min-ha asked. Cha Yoon stared intently at Shin Da-bin and swallowed dryly.
“Actually, I don’t mind either.”
Da-bin shrugged and replied without hesitation. Cha Yoon’s eyes narrowed.
“What kind of answer is that? Choose one.”
Then he spoke in a serious voice as if this were some crucial matter. As the person who had been killing the mood by just drinking until now suddenly stepped up, the other contestants chimed in as if they had been waiting for this. Only Ki Seo-jung kept his lips tightly sealed.
“Hmm, just one?”
“Yes, assuming the person in the long-term relationship dated for about 7 years.”
Ki Seo-jung reflexively curled his fingertips. Seven years. If no one else, Seo-jung knew. That Cha Yoon was targeting him.
“If you put it that way, I prefer someone who’s had a long-term partner.”
“Why?”
It looked almost like a debate between Cha Yoon and Shin Da-bin. Cha Yoon immediately asked back, seemingly unsatisfied with Da-bin’s answer.
“I like consistent people.”
“……”
“And is it easy to break up with someone you’ve dated for 7 years? If they still decided to break up, it means they really have no lingering feelings for that person, right?”
“I think I’d feel more at ease, actually.” Da-bin smiled at Cha Yoon. At those words, Cha Yoon’s expression hardened. As Shin Da-bin’s answer ended, the other contestants filled the gap by sharing their own views on dating.
Cha Yoon somehow felt shocked, as if he’d been hit on the back of the head. Shin Da-bin’s words about having no lingering feelings made him recall a scene he had pushed to the back of his memory.
Shin Da-bin’s words were accurate. Ki Seo-jung’s expression when he bid farewell to him seemed emotionless, as if he had no lingering feelings.
It was a direct hit. Cha Yoon barely managed to control his boiling emotions.
