Part 23

Jiwook had left for a business trip. It had almost been two weeks now. It was about time he came back.

With him traveling to New York, and due to the time difference, they could only text each other.

Last night, she had been so deep in sleep that she didn’t hear the phone ring. She tried calling in the morning, but he seemed to be busy, as the call went unanswered.

“Jung-ah.”

“Hmm?”

“So, with Seung-min oppa…”

As soon as she started speaking, Jung-ah glanced around subtly and put her index finger near her lips. 

Seowoo bit her lip and smiled awkwardly.

Afterward, Jung-ah acted as if nothing happened, but Seowoo knew.

Seowoo knew how hard it was for Jung-ah. It wasn’t just a year or two that she had liked Seung-min; so the sense of loss was quite significant.

“And what about you? Are you really not having something with Sung-hyun?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

“Give it a try. He’s better than Kwon Jiwook, what are you afraid of?”

“It’s really not like that.”

Jung-ah kept pushing her to try things out with Sung-hyun, especially since she didn’t like Jiwook very much. Seowoo knew it was because Jung-ah wanted her friend to be happy.

But that was all there was to it. Seowoo only sees Sung-hyun as a colleague, a senior-junior relationship.

“He’s genuinely nice, and so mannered. Not to mention his looks. Really, it’s almost cheating how perfect he is.”

“Really now.”

“I’ve been around this industry long enough, and usually, the good-looking ones have something off—terrible personality, rude, living off their own ego. But he’s not like that. It’s rare to see someone like him, really.”

Jung-ah’s words were true. Throughout the shoot, Sung-hyun was kind and friendly, even to the staff.

‘Tomorrow, after the schedule, make some time for me.’

‘What’s up?’

‘It kind of hurts my feelings when you ask what’s up. I was thinking we could have dinner after the radio show.’

‘Ah…’

Tomorrow, she had a live radio broadcast scheduled with Sung-hyun.

The schedule was in the afternoon, so it was perfect timing to have dinner afterward. While she was mulling over their earlier conversation, In-ryul announced that they had arrived.

Seowoo, Jung-ah, and In-ryul got out of the van and headed towards the restaurant.

****

“This is so delicious.” 

Jung-ah exclaimed in amazement.

The three had decided to have dinner together at a newly opened Korean beef rib restaurant that came highly recommended. They ordered both raw and marinated ribs and beef tartare and were currently enjoying the meat cooked by the staff.

“Noona, this is really delicious.”

“Eat a lot. You’ve worked hard following the filming.”

“It’s so tender, it’s tenderly melting in my mouth.”

Watching the two of them enjoy their meal brought a smile to Seowoo’s face.

She looked at the beef tartare in front of her and popped the yolk. Normally, she didn’t care for raw eggs, and even less so for tartare.

She usually couldn’t eat sashimi or raw meat before.

However, today, for some reason, it looked irresistibly appetizing. Just looking at it made her mouth water.

“Try it. The seasoning is done well, it’s tasty.”

Jung-ah encouraged her as Seowoo hesitated. Finally, Seowoo took some pear slices and meat together and popped them in her mouth.

“Wow.”

“See? I told you it was good.”

Contrary to her expectations, the meat melted in her mouth as soon as she ate it. The flavors were well-balanced, and the meat had a rich umami taste. Seowoo quickly finished her portion of the beef tartare.

“Do you want some of mine? I find the ribs tastier today.”

“Should I?”

“What a surprise. The food here must really be good. Even Yoon Seowoo, who doesn’t even eat beef tartare, is having some.”

Seowoo smiled with narrowed eyes as she took the plate offered by Jung-ah.

***

“Thanks. Be careful going home.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“In-ryul, drive safely.”

“Noona, get some rest!”

After dropping Seowoo off, the van quickly exited the parking lot. Seowoo watched until the van disappeared and then started walking, feeling tired.

“Ah, I’m stuffed.”

She had a big appetite today and ate quite a bit of food. Enough to consider it overeating.

Her own and Jung-ah’s portions of beef tartare, the ribs, neatly prepared side dishes, and even the miso stew.

She had even finished off the bibim naengmyeon that came at the end.

“Maybe I should take a digestive.”

She felt a heavy fullness in her chest, perhaps due to eating too much. Seowoo patted her chest as she headed home.

“Yawn.”

Another yawn escaped her. Although filming had ended, her schedule was still packed, and she hadn’t had a proper rest at home yet, but it wasn’t like she was pulling all-nighters since there was no all-night filming.

When she got home, she dropped her bag on the couch.

Seowoo began to undress one item at a time, thinking that she should at least get into the bathtub with some warm water.

Just then, the cell phone in her bag started ringing loudly. Seowoo paused while taking off her shirt to check the caller.

“Yes.”

• Where are you?

A soft voice came through immediately. Seowoo smiled slightly at the sound of his voice, which she hadn’t heard in a long time.

“I just got home.”

• You came home late. I thought you finished earlier.

“Ah! I was having dinner with Jung-ah and In-ryul.”

Standing was too hard, so Seowoo flopped down on the sofa. She was so tired that her eyes closed automatically. Lying on the sofa, she used a cushion as a pillow.

• I thought I’d stop by for a while.

“Huh? Where are you?”

• Near your place. I’ll be there in about 20 minutes.

He was coming without a word.

She had thought he was still in the US.

“Are you in Korea now? When did you arrive?”

• An hour ago. I stopped by the office on my way. Is there anything you want to eat?

Anything I wanted to eat…

It had been a long time since he asked her that. Or perhaps it was the first time. Blinking her bleary eyelids, she spoke.

“I’d like some sparkling water.”

• Sparkling water?

“I think my digestion is a bit off and I happened to be out of sparkling water at home.”

• Uh. Okay. I’ll be there soon.

Seowoo responded then and closed her eyes for a moment.

She decided to take a quick nap before he arrived. She quickly drifted off to sleep.

***

“Hey.”

Jiwook, having entered the house, saw Seowoo lying on the sofa and took off his jacket.

“Seowoo.”

“Mmm.”

He had wanted to have some wine together since it had been so long.

He shook her to wake her up, but she didn’t stir at all.

She must have been very tired.

She looked like she was completely groggy.

“I almost couldn’t get in.”

Jiwook chuckled and loosened his tie. He had taken her house card key last time, which allowed him entry.

If not for that, he might not have gotten in at all.

He had gone to buy the sparkling water Seowoo wanted and some simple desserts. Worried about her indigestion, he also stopped by a pharmacy to buy some digestive medicine. Contemplating as he looked at her sleeping form, he walked into the kitchen, put the items in the refrigerator, and then returned to her.

“Not even removing your makeup.”

Her clothes were still on, halfway undone.

Seeing her exposed pale skin made him feel a heaviness below his belly that he couldn’t control. Jiwook furrowed his eyebrows and fought back impure thoughts.

“……”

He reached out and took her left hand in his.

While fiddling with Seowoo’s hand, Jiwook pulled out a small jewelry box from his right pocket.

Pressing a button, the lid opened to reveal a diamond ring.

They’d gotten married without a proper proposal and when they divorced, Seowoo had left her wedding ring in the room they shared in the main house. Thus, Jiwook had a new ring made for a proposal.

“When should I give this to you?”

His eyes, looking at her small, white hand, grew somber.

There were many hurdles to overcome before reconciling with her properly. He didn’t mind, but he doubted if she’d ever open up her heart to him.

It had been a difficult time for her, after all. He understood that.

It would take a lot longer than he thought for her wounded heart to heal. And maybe it would never fully recover.

If I were to propose…

“Sigh.”

The mere thought made his chest tighten. Jiwook sighed and slipped the ring case back into his pocket.

Jiwook looked at Seowoo with affectionate eyes, gently stroking her cheek as she slept soundly.