Chapter 3.4

“What?”  

“Or is there something you want from me?”  

In reality, he had come out with the intention of marrying Jung Cho-ah. If so, she could only interpret Ki Seung-jo’s behavior—using their past as an excuse to get involved with her—as insincere.  

“Is it, perhaps, because you want to sleep with me?”  

“…What?”  

Ki Seung-jo, who had been staring at her in disbelief, furrowed his brows slightly.  

Su-eon knew that her personality could be off-putting to people. But she couldn’t help herself; she needed to know. What lay at the bottom of the kindness he was showing her?  

Ki Seung-jo’s hand moved toward Su-eon’s face. Her pupils gradually hardened with tension. His long fingers pressed against the center of her forehead. With that insignificant amount of force, Su-eon lost her balance and landed on the ground with a thud.  

“…Ouch! What was that for?”  

Holding her forehead, Su-eon burst out in irritation.  

“I said you were pretty when you were younger, but I never said you’re pretty now.”  

“…!”  

Su-eon was slightly taken aback. Even though she knew it was a lie, her eyes instinctively sharpened for a moment.  

“Such distrust in your eyes. Don’t tell me… am I the first man who’s ever told you you’re not pretty?”  

“Of course not. Do you think I have some sort of princess complex?”  

Her voice sharp, Su-eon glared at Ki Seung-jo. He stared back at her for a moment, then rubbed the corner of his mouth with his hand.  

“…You’re acting really cute right now.”  

Heat suddenly rose to Su-eon’s cheeks. Soon, her expression disappeared entirely from her face. This was the end. She resolved never to associate with this man again. With a determined look in her eyes, she braced her hands on her knees to stand up. Ki Seung-jo’s broad palm gently pressed down on them.  

“I’m planning to eat with you because it’s been a while since I’ve seen a junior.”  

“……”  

“I wouldn’t say I was particularly nice to you. But if that’s how you felt, then maybe…”  

As if deep in thought, he tilted his head and smiled. Feeling the heavy weight of his hand pressing down, Su-eon waited for him to continue.  

“Maybe because you’re my fan?”  

“…What?”  

Seung-jo nodded as he laughed, his expression clearing up as though he had solved his own question.  

“Yeah, that must be it.”  

“Excuse me? Who… What are you even talking about?”  

Su-eon stared at him in disbelief.  

“You. You were my fan back in middle school.”  

“What? No, I wasn’t!”  

“You weren’t? But you even wrote me a fan letter.”  

He smiled slyly, lifting only the corners of his mouth.  

“What? You don’t remember that either?”  

“It’s not that I don’t remember—it never happened! Who on earth are you confusing me with?”  

Leaning one arm on his knee and resting his chin in his other hand, Ki Seung-jo stared at Su-eon, his face full of mischievous amusement.  

“It’s from so long ago. Are you embarrassed about it now?”  

“It’s not embarrassment! I’m telling you, it never happened.”  

“Alright, let’s say it didn’t.”  

Su-eon looked at Ki Seung-jo incredulously.  

“You can’t just end it like that. You need to correct yourself properly. I’m telling you, it’s not true.”  

“Okay, I got it.”  

“‘Got it’? Are you even listening to me properly…?”  

Before she could seize the chance to set the infuriating conversation straight, he grabbed her hands one by one and helped her stand up.  

“Let’s go. If we stay here any longer, we’re going to melt.”  

Su-eon barely managed to stand, her body feeling as though it had already melted completely. Meanwhile, Ki Seung-jo remained as composed as ever.  

“There’s dust on you.”  

He gestured with his chin at the back of Su-eon’s pants. Su-eon glanced casually behind her and gave her hip a light brush.  

“Not there. A little higher.”  

Watching her lightly pat her pants again, this time with slightly more irritation, he gestured with his chin once more.  

“On the left.”  

“……”  

Noticing her growing frustration, Ki Seung-jo smiled brightly.  

“I’d help you out, but after being accused of having ulterior motives for your body, I don’t think I can touch you.”  

Unbelievable. What did he use to pull me up earlier, his feet? 

Furious, Su-eon smacked her pants harder, her palms turning red. Seeing this, Ki Seung-jo grabbed her arm.  

“There’ll be wet wipes at the restaurant.”  

The man who gently restrained Su-eon held her wrist and cast his gaze beyond the city alleys.  

“I feel like eating something cool. Do you like cold noodles?”  

“No, I hate cold noodles the most.”  

“Then let’s go for something warm.”  

“No, thank you. I’ll just head back to the hotel…”  

“Come on, let’s go.”  

Without even listening to her, Ki Seung-jo started walking. Su-eon’s feet moved to follow him. With no strength left in her body, she was practically being dragged, barely able to extend her steps.  

Unlike her, Ki Seung-jo walked briskly with a solid, unwavering energy. Following his broad back, Su-eon stopped thinking altogether. She just wanted to sit down somewhere—anywhere—for now.  

Seung-jo quickly found their destination and opened the door. A refreshing breeze swept in, brushing past Su-eon’s cheeks along with the scent of his cologne. She turned her panting face toward the window as he guided her to sit down.  

Streetlights flickered on above the cars trying to leave Yeouido, signaling the beginning of a new night.  

* * *  

Ah, this was life-saving.  

Silently spooning up the milky broth over and over again, Su-eon’s chest heaved quietly. When she was handed a steaming bowl of noodles in this weather, she had regretted stubbornly refusing the cold noodles. But as the hot broth seeped into her stomach, soothing the intermittent sharp pains, she felt as if her life was being restored.  

The restaurant they had entered, breaking through the oppressive heat that had pushed the thermometer’s mercury up to 30 degrees, specialized in Andong-style noodle soup and was located in front of Gukhoe-daero.  

“Excuse me, could we get some more broth here?”  

At Ki Seung-jo’s voice, Su-eon paused her spoon and looked into her bowl. The broth was gone, leaving only the noodles behind. Before she could even express her embarrassment, a bowl of broth was brought out. Seung-jo took it and poured it into her bowl.  

“It’s hot, so be careful.”  

“……”  

Su-eon stared blankly at the milky broth rising in her bowl. Knowing that Ki Seung-jo wouldn’t hold her accountable for anything related to the matchmaking, she no longer felt the need to maintain a professional smile. Still, she didn’t want to feign familiarity by calling someone she had never even exchanged greetings with in the past her “Senior.”  

And being called a fan? What a ridiculous excuse.  

But this man was still a “superior” in this world, and Su-eon had yet to figure out how to deal with him. As the cold air from the air conditioner cooled her sweat, her overheated rationality returned to its place, forcing her to think about tomorrow.  

“Eat.”  

Seung-jo picked up his chopsticks and spoke. He placed a perilla leaf, which had been served as a side dish, on top of the noodles, rolled a large portion, and put it all into his mouth. With just a few slurping sounds, his bowl was emptied in no time. He also picked up thinly sliced beef brisket two pieces at a time, eating heartily.

He eats so well. He had been so insistent about eating earlier, and it seems his true purpose really was the meal. When he ordered almost everything on the menu, she wondered what he was up to. Good thing she only pretended to stop him; if she had seriously tried to stop him, it might have been a disaster.

Su-eon adjusted her grip on her chopsticks. After swallowing a few strands of noodles, she reached for the plate of perilla leaves. The stem of the leaf slipped out from between her chopsticks. As she tried to grab it again, Ki Seung-jo gently pressed the bottom of the leaf with his chopsticks.

“……”

Su-eon looked at Seung-jo silently and removed the perilla leaf. Then, impulsively, she placed it on top of her noodles. Mimicking what he had done, she wrapped the thin noodles with the leaf and put them into her mouth. The salty seasoning spread a savory flavor throughout her mouth.

After swallowing the noodles, Su-eon picked up another perilla leaf and placed it on her noodles. The reddish seasoning spread faintly over the white broth, but she ignored it and took another bite the same way. It was something Su-eon, who usually hated making her bowl messy, would never have done.

Though there was a long silence, neither felt obligated to engage in conversation. They continued their meal at their own pace. Seung-jo’s gaze occasionally lingered on Su-eon’s face as she diligently picked up and ate the brisket, but she didn’t notice.