Chapter 47

“And while you are ‘listening to more’, just keep listening. You were the one who asked me to talk to you whatever it is about, anyway.” said Na-Yool as she stood up.

“You got me wrong, I didn’t mean that kind of offensive talk—”

Sang-Hoon tried to protest while following her, but Na-Yool’s jabbering mouth was much faster and more accurate. She took her coffee, went back to her seat, and continued.

“Finally, here I am, ranting as much as I want in front of you for one last time. Thanks to you, my wish came true.”

“Wow… what the fuck, I’m speechless…”

“Don’t speak. Don’t – just listen.”

Even though Na-Yool’s endless ranting seemed to be said in a trance, it could not compare to the one-sided message bombing done by Sang-Hoon over the week.

“Hey, Kim Na-Yool. For real, how did you turn like this? You feel like a stranger…”

“What did you expect?” Na-Yool coldy asked as she sat down.

Sang-Hoon stroked his face with a deep sigh.

“Me, I just…”

“That I would thank you for coming back to me as if nothing happened?”

“…Is it that hard?”

“Is it easy for you?”

“If we really like each other, how hard could it be? Do we have to argue and try to make right everything that has already happened?”

“I want to argue. And then, to never meet you at all. Never ever.”

“Na-Yool…”

“What in the world were you hoping for, coming here?! Why are you doing this?”

Sang-Hoon stared at Na-Yool with a hurt expression.

“I want to start over with you.”

Even though his intention did not come out much as a surprise, Na-Yool inevitably felt goosebumps rush along her back. As she was left at loss for words, Sang-Hoon prudently went on.

“I will fix my wrongdoings. I was impatient. I just kept on being upset about you, things just piled up… and I ended up making a mistake.”

“…So now you’re calling it a ‘mistake’?”

“……If I knew we would end up like this, I wished I felt a little sorrier towards you. I know I was wrong. I understand what you’re saying. And me too, I know how much I’m lacking…”

“So are you acknowledging the moocher in you?”

“The word moocher is kind of… I’m being serious here, Na-Yool.”

“That’s the only thing I’ve been talking about until now. That you are a calculating moocher.”

“I will show absolute understanding. From now on, I will accept all of you. So please, give me a second chance, Kim Na-Yool.”

“Since we are on the subject, please ‘understand’ that I don’t have time to waste on you.”

“You will find time eventually. If you marry me and stop working—”

“In your dreams?” scoffed Na-Yool but Sang-Hoon’s wall was high and sturdy.

“I have the ability to take responsibility for you. You know it. You saw it – that I’m an earnest worker.”

“Oh yeah, so earnest that even buying me a cup of coffee is a big deal.”

Ironically, Sang-Hoon’s expression remained stern despite the sarcastic remark.

“Don’t wear yourself out working anymore, just take care of the housework—”

“How is taking care of the housework in any way relaxing? I’m saying it for your own good, but…”

“Yeah?”

“If you’re gonna lose your mind please shut up and be crazy by yourself… Don’t bother other people.”

“Would you come back to me if you break up with that guy you’re currently with? Should I wait for you? Would that do?”

“How many times do I have to repeat it has nothing to do with you whether I am with someone or not—”

“Fuck, so are you, or not?!”

It took only a few seconds for his noble and charitable ‘understanding’ to fade away as he once again brought up the matter at heart. Na-Yool looked at Sang-Hoon as if she was looking at the world’s most pathetic human being and clicked her tongue.

“Well, here he is. The man.”

Na-Yool and Sang-Hoon’s heads turned to the side at the same time. Si-Jin was smiling, his face as clear as a spring day without a single shadow.

Chapter 11 – Friday evening 10:00 p.m.

In the bustling noise of the coffee shop, an awkward silence floated for a while, like a world of its own. Sang-Hoon was staring at Si-Jin, Si-Jin at Sang-Hoon, and Na-Yool was nervously looking somewhere into space between the two of them.

10 seconds passed.

“…Is it this bastard?”

Sang-Hoon’s flimsy mouth was the first to break the silence. Na-Yool instinctively put her hand on her forehead from the coming fatigue. Losing his temper, Sang-Hoon slammed the table.

“Kim Na-Yool, I’m asking if he is the bastard!”

All eyes in the shop instantly converged towards them. What they saw was the proud and mighty face of ‘the bastard’, Sang-Hoon’s plain face full of resentment, and the face of Na-Yool who had suddenly become a woman caught two-timing…

Na-Yool quietly warned Sang-Hoon in a low voice.

“…People are looking.”

“People are looking, so what. Oh, are you embarrassed? Looks like you also feel guilty about something, huh? Is it? Yeah, I’m right! Fuck…!”

“It’s you that I’m embarrassed about. Be quiet.”

“I’m embarrassing? Huh? You’re embarrassed that this bastard sees me, is it? Yeah?!”

“You are embarrassing!” Na-Yool eventually snapped and shouted back. Several tables suddenly turned quiet.

“…Why are you yelling at me? We can talk calmly about it.” awkwardly muttered Sang-Hoon, shrunk by Na-Yool’s sudden burst.

As she pressed her temples with her fingertips, Na-Yool’s eyes anxiously wandered towards Si-Jin. He lightly shrugged his shoulders…

“So this is what it sounds like with the audio.”

…together with a simple review, expressing how enjoyable it was this time as well to witness their ridiculous state.

Na-Yool let out a deep sigh.

“…Mr. President, you are attracting people’s attention, so either go on your way or sit to be less noticeable, I don’t care, but please do at least one or the oth‒…”

“I will sit.”

Si-Jin sat next to Na-Yool before she could finish. Although she was still staring at Sang-Hoon with a slightly crooked expression, Na-Yool whispered to Si-Jin so that Sang-Hoon could not hear her.

“…I was asking you to leave.”

“I know, but you gave me two options to choose from.”

“It was just out of politeness…”

“Politeness? What kind?”

“It was a reluctant invitation, out of politeness towards my superior.”

Get up and leave. Her meaning was clear.

At least, to someone who can actually take a hint.

“So you want me to screw off?”

“I would not dare say it this way, but yes.”

“Ms. Na-Yool, don’t you think your superior could be hurt by these words?” Si-Jin cheekily jested, way far from being hurt. His gaze wandered from Na-Yool’s anxious face to her fretting slender fingers.

Si-Jin was simply looking at Na-Yool with his chin resting in his hand, finding her futile tentativeness to shake him off endearingly. As if he could not see San-Hoon sitting in front of him, almost as if he did not even exist to him, only Na-Yool filled his eyes.

There was no way this man was looking at her with no secret design, and even less possible that the slightest endearment shined in his hard gaze. He probably just intended to provoke Sang-Hoon to double his personal enjoyment.

Like a ventriloquist, Na-Yool coldly spoke through her tight-clenched teeth.

“Leave.”

“I can’t hear you.”

“I told you to leave.”

“Your voice is too low.”

Feeling a big lump in her throat, Na-Yool nervously rubbed the tip of her straw with a napkin instead of spurting out the obvious words stuck in. With much natural ease, Si-Jin quietly grabbed Na-Yool’s fretting hand and gently pressed it, stopping its anxious twitching.

Along with patting the back of her hand to indicate she could calm down now.

“……What are you and this bastard doing?” asked Sang-Hoon, twisting his head. It seemed the only reason for his silence was his resigned observation of them.

But as he was not clear about their relationship yet, his sullen eyes were glowing with a sharp light.

“As you can see, we are holding hands.”

While Sang-Hoon’s heart skipped a few beats at the overly simple and clear answer, Si-Jin slid his long fingers between Na-Yool’s and gave Sang-Hoon a polite business smile.

The hand that was covering the back of Na-Yool’s hand reached to the inside of her palm and grabbed her hand completely like a vine. She faintly tried to wiggle her hand out, but his caress, soft yet strong, prevented her to.

“… No, that’s not what I’m asking about—”

“I see. Could it be you are so stupid that you did not understand something?” asked Si-Jin with an absolutely charming voice and no sense of incongruity despite bashing Sang-Hoon in the process. Sang-Hoon realized he did belatedly.

“Our relationship is exactly as it looks.”

“……”

“So you just have to accept what you are seeing as a fact.”

Accept what you are seeing as a fact.

Sang-Hoon rigidly shifted his gaze. His eyes, which barely moved from Si-Jin to Na-Yool, then to their hands tightly locked together, shook violently in utter disbelief.

“…Kim Na-Yool, you tell me.”

“……”

“Explain yourself what in the fucking world this is all about.”

Who cared for an explanation… Right now Na-Yool only wanted to disappear. To get away from the curious glances coming from other customers, from the looks of reproach, from those two hopeless men, from all these damn things…