Chapter 12
by Gideon“Kim Jin-myeong’s mother? She came again?”
“Yes. It was absolute chaos. Hyewan, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. But why did she even come?”
“I was with Min-suk at the time. She just started spewing whatever she wanted, completely ignoring everyone else. I couldn’t believe someone could be so awful,” Gyeong-ae said, shaking her head in disbelief.
“She acted like a madwoman. The things she said… and her expression was so fierce and venomous. I’m afraid she’ll haunt my dreams.”
Hyewan’s hanging hand slowly clenched into a fist, trembling slightly.
“Min-suk is taking it really hard. She keeps saying she’s ruining your future.”
“Please, Auntie, tell her that’s not true. I’m counting on you.”
“Why wouldn’t I? I’ve already told her.” Gyeong-ae’s voice was heavy with worry. “But you know how parents are. They can never truly let go.”
“Honestly, I understand how Min-suk feels,” Gyeong-ae continued. “She’s always been like this, even when she was raising you. She used to worry so much that you’d end up repeating her own life’s mistakes.”
Hearing those words, Hyewan instantly regretted ever meeting Kim Jin-myeong. She also regretted her own arrogance—the foolish belief that she would live a life completely different from her mother’s.
“I can’t go right now, but I’ll visit Mom in a few days,” Hyewan said. “I’m sorry to ask this, but could you please look after her until then? I’m counting on you, Auntie.”
“What do you mean, ‘sorry’?” Gyeong-ae replied. “Don’t say that. She’s my friend—I’ll take care of her. You just focus on finishing your urgent business and come see us when you can.”
“Thank you so much.”
Hyewan’s gratitude was sincere.
Min-suk could endure physical hardship in silence, but she couldn’t handle emotional pain. Gyeong-ae had been a source of great strength for her. Hyewan felt reassured knowing Gyeong-ae was by Min-suk’s side.
That day, Hyewan conducted a trial tutoring session for one of the students who had sent her a DM. The student was a high school sophomore, a girl with an extremely introverted personality. However, her focus and comprehension were excellent; Hyewan felt that once she mastered the basics, her grades would surely improve. The student said she would contact Hyewan after discussing it with her parents.
Another wait.
Waiting for the results was always the hardest part for Hyewan. She could never get used to the feeling of being chosen by someone else, rather than being the one making the choice.
But what else can I do? I just have to wait.
The world kept turning, regardless of her anxiety. Things that were meant to happen happened, and things that weren’t, simply wouldn’t—no matter what she did.
After getting off the bus, Hyewan turned into the alley.
It was late afternoon. The sliver of sky visible between the skyscrapers was turning a pale orange. She paused for a moment to gaze up. She wasn’t the sentimental type, but the sky looked especially beautiful today.
Just then, Yundo’s voice called out from behind her.
“Ko Hyewan.”
Startled, she spun around to find Yundo leaning against his car.
“What are you doing here? How did you even get here?”
“Um, I drove?”
“No, I mean why are you here?”
Hyewan waved her hand dismissively, flustered by the unexpected encounter and his absurd answer. Yundo found her reaction adorable.
“It’s not because of what we talked about this morning.”
He reached through the open car window and pulled out a plastic bag emblazoned with a convenience store logo.
“I just thought we could grab a drink.”
Hyewan looked from him to the plastic bag and shrugged.
“My mom always told me that people who lure you in with food are bad people.”
“The bad ones are the ones who ask you to go somewhere. The ones who ask you to eat something are fine.”
That sounds like the same thing, she thought, but decided not to overthink it. She desperately needed a cold beer herself.
“Fine, I’ll drink with you.”
“I’m honored. Should we drink over there? I saw a place that looks like a playground.”
“It is a playground. It’s just empty right now.”
The swings were nothing but frayed ropes, and the slide was on the verge of collapse, its metal rusted through. But around midnight, the playground transformed into a festival ground for adults. Loud arguments were a given. Fights broke out so often that the police were called almost every other day.
Hyewan and Yundo sat on a worn-out bench, cracking open cans of beer in unison.
“Rough day?”
“It wasn’t easy. How about you, Cha Yundo?”
Hyewan had placed a distinct emphasis on the Cha in his name. To him, it felt like a deliberate effort to keep him outside the boundaries of her personal space. Yet, Yundo didn’t feel slighted. Instead, he felt a pang of curiosity and sympathy, wondering how much pain she must have endured to build such walls for self-protection.
“Is a vice president allowed to leave early? It’s barely six o’clock.”
“He’s not, but what can I do? I’m already out.”
“Did Kim Jin-myeong do something at the office?”
Was that why Yundo had left the company so early? She had wanted to ask him the moment she saw him, but she had put it off, dreading the answer she might receive.
“I thought so too, but it wasn’t what I expected.”
“…That’s impossible.”
Kim Jin-myeong was the kind of pathetic man who jumped to conclusions and always played the victim whenever things went south. He held grudges, too—never the type to just accept things and move on. So what had happened?
If I’d known this sooner, I never would have dated him.
“I mean, seeing someone’s true colors.”
Yundo took a sip of his beer, his gaze fixed on her.
“Why do we only find out at the very end? Couldn’t I have known sooner? There must have been signs, so why did I miss them?”
“Because you don’t have a dirty side.”
“What?”
“Isn’t that how everyone is when they meet someone? They believe the other person likes them with the same heart they have.”
“That’s why we date, isn’t it?”
“You must have been the same. You expected Kim Jin-myeong to show you at least a minimum of courtesy and respect when you were dragged down to rock bottom, because you believed he felt the same way.”
In a gesture that clashed with his philosophical words, Yundo rummaged through a plastic bag and pulled out some dried squid. He continued, “The conclusion is that you are a good person, but Kim Jin-myeong wasn’t. Just remember that. There’s no need for unnecessary self-blame when you’re already in a difficult situation.”
His tone was cool, but the comfort it held was gentle. Hyewan grumbled for no reason, trying to hide the fact that her nose was tingling.
“I’m not a good person. I’m just not bad enough to get caught.”
“Is that so?”
Yundo looked at her with surprise, then smiled. “Alright. I’ll trust that you’re moderately bad and keep my guard up. Want some squid?”
Hyewan felt strangely disappointed by his answer. “You don’t need to do that with me, but if you have a girlfriend, you absolutely have to tell her you’re a good person.”
“Got it.”
His smile deepened. “Want some squid?”
Yundo tore off a plump piece of the body and held it out to her.
Hmph. Hyewan pulled the plastic bag closer and took out the can of peanuts inside. She stuffed several of the peanuts she didn’t even like into her mouth and chewed them loudly. The dryness made her throat tighten before she could even swallow, but she couldn’t stop because he was watching her.
So cute.
Yundo found Ko Hyewan’s sulky expression adorable. She reminded him of a squirrel stuffing its chubby cheeks with acorns.
“I’m not going to take a sip,” Yundo said, handing her the beer.
Hyewan glared at him, her throat still feeling tight, but she took the beer and drank. She didn’t know why she was acting so childish with him. It’s because Cha Yundo-ssi is so indulgent with me, she thought. They say a bird settles where it finds a comfortable perch. Cha Yundo-ssi is the one who’s bad.
Yundo leaned back, draping his arm over the backrest as he sipped his beer. Watching the sunset burn beautifully across the sky, he felt a rare sense of peace. In a world where everything always had to have a reason, this moment of effortless comfort was precious.
As Yundo relaxed, Hyewan found her own peace returning. Nothing had actually been solved, yet the beer and the sunset-painted sky made her forget her worries.
Worrying about making a living, worrying about her studies, the stress of Kim Jin-myeong…
Only after she could finally breathe freely did she realize how many burdens she had been carrying.
Yundo offered her another piece of squid.
“If I give you the body, I’m giving you everything.”
His easygoing charm made Hyewan laugh.
“Alright. I’ll eat it all.”
The sunset was truly beautiful that evening. If life were always like this, she felt she could find the strength to face even the hardest situations. She felt she could live well.
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