Chapter 19
by GideonThey had met to prepare for the wedding, but in truth, Hyewan had very little to do. For things like the wedding rings and the dress, she only had to choose from the best options his secretary’s office had already meticulously curated. They said couples fought a lot while planning their wedding, but that was never the case for Hyewan.
Today, they had agreed to meet to make their final decision on the venue. And, of course, to use it as an excuse for a date.
“Hyewan!”
The man, who had promised to call her from a nearby cafe after parking, ran toward her, calling her name.
“Yundo, why are you running?”
“Just… a second.”
Yundo, gasping for air, bent over with his hands on his knees.
“The traffic was backed up all the way from the office. I figured running would be faster, but it’s been so long since I’ve done this… I’m completely out of breath.”
“You should have just called and taken your time. I could have waited.”
Hyewan took out a handkerchief and gently wiped his forehead.
“I knew you’d wait outside even in this stifling heat, so I was in a hurry.”
“What?”
“You hate the air conditioning, Ko Hyewan.”
She asked again, startled. How did he know? I never told him.
“How did you know that?”
“I noticed you always turn the vents away when you get in the car.”
Hyewan had a sensitive respiratory system; a blast of cold air would immediately give her a sore throat. She was prone to catching colds in the summer because of the air conditioning.
“You just… noticed that?”
“I’m surprisingly observant.”
He grinned, looking as fresh as an early summer morning.
“I like you.”
I like you too.
Hyewan was certain now.
This wasn’t a marriage she was entering just to escape Kim Jin-myeong. A marriage between a man who paid attention to her smallest habits and a woman who cherished it for could never be unhappy.
“Still, let’s go inside. Your forehead is soaked.”
“It’s fine. It’ll dry on its own.”
“Hurry up and get inside. It’s not like you had to run to park anyway.”
She practically pushed him into the cafe.
“I’ll get it.”
“Just sit there.”
Hyewan knew Yundo’s go-to was espresso, but today she ordered him an iced americano.
“I figured you’d be hot, so I got it iced.”
“Thanks.”
Hyewan watched him pull the straw out of the cup and take a long drink. Her gaze was fixed on his Adam’s apple bobbing with every swallow.
“What are you staring at?”
“I look like a drowned rat when I sweat, but you look so… fresh. What’s your secret?”
“You’re calling me ‘fresh’ while glaring at me like that?”
Hyewan straightened up from leaning on the table.
“Me?”
I was admiring you!
“Yeah, usually isn’t a refreshing husband a good thing?”
Ah… I just said what was on my mind way too bluntly! Her face flushed hot.
“I’m just like this,” Hyewan replied primly, averting her gaze.
“Got it,” Yundo said, smiling as he finished his coffee. “What should we eat today?”
He knew he always brought up food every time they met, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted Hyewan to gain weight. She needed to put on some weight to have energy, and only then could she exercise. That was the only way she’d be able to withstand the high-intensity, high-pressure studying.
“This is like Hansel and Gretel,” she said, smiling.
Whenever Hyewan smiled, her large eyes curved into crescents. Seeing them turn into slender slits always lifted Yundo’s mood.
“I guess I’m the witch then. But today, I’ll let Gretel choose.”
Hyewan, now in charge of the choice, thought for a moment before asking, “There’s a place I really like around here. Should we go there?”
“Is it within walking distance?”
Hyewan nodded. “It’s only about a ten-minute walk.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
He stood up first and picked up the tray.
Yundo had learned something new about Hyewan today: her taste in food was extreme spiciness, and her favorite dishes were spicy tteokbokki and spicy chicken feet.
“Why…”
The sight of the red, trident-like chicken feet made his throat tighten for some reason. Why are the gaps between the toes so wide?
He cleared his throat and continued, “You eat this stuff? There’s barely any meat on it.”
“The best part is always what’s attached to the bone.”
He had always detested poultry dishes where the head and feet were still attached. For the same reason, he never touched samgyetang or duck. Staring at the towering pile of chicken feet, his only thought was: How many chickens had to give up their feet for this?
And they even have claws!
Yundo barely managed to keep his face neutral as he recoiled in horror.
“I’d rather have ribs,” he muttered.
“Oh, you don’t like chicken feet?”
Chicken feet were a polarizing dish. Hyewan, who frequented this place for its signature spicy and savory sauce rather than the feet themselves, realized her mistake too late.
“I’m sorry. I should have asked you beforehand.”
As she looked troubled, Yundo waved his hand dismissively. “It’s not that I can’t eat them. I just don’t enjoy eating them.”
“That’s the same thing,” she retorted.
Hyewan didn’t want to put Yundo in a difficult position. She knew all too well how it felt to be pressured into eating something you didn’t like. The fact that she felt both awkward and annoyed made her feel like the bad person here.
“Let’s just go eat galbi, like you said.”
“I’m telling you, I can eat this.”
He pulled on a plastic glove and picked up a chicken foot. But the moment he took a bite, the searing heat knocked the breath out of him.
“This isn’t a matter of whether I like chicken feet or not.”
He immediately surrendered and gulped down his water. How could anyone eat something this spicy when they barely even eat rice? Won’t their stomach just give out?
“How do people eat this? It’s so hot I can’t even tell if I’m chewing the chicken foot or not.”
“That’s the whole point. Water won’t help. Drink some milk.”
Yundo had tried just about every kind of food imaginable, but he’d never encountered anything this spicy.
“I think I’m gonna die,” he muttered, his brow furrowed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
I really didn’t need this reminder that spiciness is actually a form of pain…
Hyewan sprang up and grabbed a pineapple-flavored drink from the refrigerator.
“Sir, we’ll take one of these drinks!” she told the owner.
She filled a cup with ice, stuck a straw in it, and poured the drink.
“Don’t chug it all at once. Take a small sip through the straw, hold it in your mouth for a moment, and then swallow.”
“Will that stop me from dying?”
“You won’t die.”
Following Hyewan’s advice, Yundo took a sip through the straw. He’d never had a drink that wasn’t freshly squeezed juice before. How can anyone drink this stuff? It tastes like pure synthetic flavoring.
He was only drinking it because he had no other choice, but he knew he could never actually like this taste.
As if reading his mind, Hyewan spoke up. “Just drink it. It’s better than dying.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You told me more without a single word than a thousand could.”
“Do you like spicy food?”
“I do. My mom used to scold me all the time for it. She’d say it would ruin my stomach.”
Yundo understood that feeling all too well. Every time Hyewan casually ate chicken feet drenched in spicy sauce, his own stomach seemed to ache in sympathy.
“That’s why I hold back as much as I can and only eat it once in a while. Only on days that were harder than usual, or when something happy happens.”
“Your reasons for eating it are too extreme.”
“That’s just how life is. Do you feel any better?”
At Hyewan’s question, Yundo looked down at his cup. He’d finished his drink while talking to her.
“Yeah. I don’t think I’m going to die now.”
Having recovered his strength, he grabbed an ice cup just as Hyewan had and poured her a drink.
“I’m sorry for my terrible manners today. I guess you really have to be pushed to your absolute limit to see what you’re made of. I was so desperate to survive I didn’t even think to fill your glass.”
“It’s every man for himself,” Hyewan said casually.
But Yundo didn’t take it that way.
“That sounds terribly disappointing.”
“I meant it in a good way. These days, living your own life to the fullest is the best way to help those around you. After all, it’s not an easy world to live in without causing worry or asking for help.”
He chewed over her words. I shouldn’t be thinking about this, he thought, but his mind immediately went to Madam Park and Yun-woo, who always seemed to be weighing down his chest. They were family he constantly worried about, even though they provided no practical help. Hyewan was right.
“You’re right.”
He had learned a life lesson at a chicken feet restaurant. Yundo lifted his cup, shaking out the last drops of juice. Hyewan smiled and clinked her glass against his.
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