Do Not Feed Recklessly - Chapter 4. Part 2

Then his deep, sad voice slowly pierced the silence, landing in her ears like a heavyweight.

“Jia, what exactly have I been to you?”

A shiver ran down her spine, and goosebumps formed on her arms.

‘Why is he here, saying things like this?’

Jia couldn’t wrap her head around how things had escalated to this point, with Ethan suddenly delivering such dramatic lines out of nowhere. It all felt surreal and so unlike the Ethan she had known.

“Honestly, we weren’t close enough to call ourselves best friends.”

Jia finally managed to reply, attempting to push Ethan away. But he stood firm, refusing to budge.

“I thought we were.” he said, his voice laden with disappointment.

“…Well, that’s unfortunate.”

Jia muttered, her frustration barely masked.

“At the very least, you should have told me you were leaving.”

Ethan pressed on, his tone becoming more insistent.

Jia couldn’t comprehend why he was acting this way, especially after all this time.

Overwhelmed, she desperately tried to make sense of it and ease the tension.

‘Why is he bringing this up now?’ she wondered, still grappling with the unexpected emotional outburst.

“What if I hadn’t come?”

Ethan pressed, his tone heavy with seriousness.

“Huh?”

Jia blinked, caught off guard by the intensity of his question.

“Would you have just vanished from my life without a word?” he asked, his voice strained.

Jia hesitated, unsure how to respond. She felt the weight of his gaze, filled with a mixture of hurt and determination.

“Would that have been the end of us?” he asked, his tone unexpectedly serious.

Jia, feeling uneasy with the sudden shift, tried to lighten the mood.

“Why are you thinking in such extremes?”

“Because that’s the reality of the situation.”

Ethan replied, frustration creeping into his voice.

His mood showed no signs of improving.

“I came all the way here, and you don’t even seem happy to see me. All you care about is when I’m going back.”

Jia, unable to find a proper response, simply nodded, pretending to agree. But her mind was elsewhere—this whole conversation felt surreal. It was awkward and uncomfortable, and she couldn’t understand why they were even having this talk.

Her thoughts drifted to the bossam, which was surely getting cold by now.

‘I guess I can’t eat this while it’s still hot.’ she thought.

Seeing her distracted, Ethan’s expression soured. 

“…This really sucks, you know?” 

“I’m sorry.”

Jia replied, her voice lacking sincerity. 

“Forget it. At least now I know. 

“Know what?”

Jia asked, genuinely puzzled. 

“That you never really considered me a friend.” 

“No, it’s not that serious…”

Jia began, but she could sense that Ethan had already given up, his frustration shifting to a quiet resignation.

Jia fell silent, taken aback by the icy look on Ethan’s face—one she had never encountered before.

Instead of offering a more thorough explanation, she found herself just repeating.

“I’m sorry,” like a broken record. 

Ethan ran a hand through his hair in frustration, exhaling deeply before stepping back, as if accepting the situation.

“Do you mind if I stay for a while?”

“Uh, sure, of course. Stay as long as you need.”

Jia replied awkwardly, forcing a smile as she pulled out a chair for him at the table. 

‘It’s not like he’ll be here for long.’ she reassured herself.

‘At most, a week or two.’ 

As Ethan sat in the chair she had offered, his sulky expression lingered, and his tone remained tinged with frustration.

“Yes, thank you. How generous of you to show kindness to someone who isn’t even your friend.”

“Come on, it’s not that bad. We were friends… you know, just friends going through a rough time, right?”

“Most people would call that worse than strangers,” Ethan replied, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

His sulking expression and piercing gaze felt so intense that Jia began to feel cornered, struggling to manage the tension between them.

“Come on… why do you always have to think so negatively? Just… stop it! I said I’m sorry, okay?”

Jia said, hurriedly placing the Bossam bag on the table.

“Look, this is good food! It’s Korean food! Let’s eat first… we can sort everything else out later”.

Despite his sullen demeanor, Ethan couldn’t help but glance at the Bossam with intrigue. Though his pride prevented him from admitting it, his eyes kept flicking to the food, revealing his curiosity. Jia noticed this shift in his attention and seized the opportunity.

Smiling to herself, Jia took her time arranging the bossam, makguksu, and side dishes appealingly. She even set out two small glasses of soju, completing the perfect dinner setting.

“How about a nice meal to lift your spirits?”

Jia teased, trying to lighten the mood.

‘Normally it would just be a glass of soju, but who cares?’ she thought, trying to make the evening a little more enjoyable.

She had been feeling exhausted from the stress of work, but seeing Ethan unexpectedly in front of her brought a sense of relief. It was as if a part of her childhood had resurfaced, reminding her of simpler times. A sudden wave of longing made her eyes well up with unexpected emotion.

“It’s kind of nice to see you again.”

Jia muttered the words so softly, but Ethan didn’t miss it. His expression instantly brightened and he smiled slightly, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at her.

“Good to know you’re actually happy to see me.” he teased.

“Of course I am. We’ve known each other for so long…”

“Right. And yet you left without a word?” Ethan countered, though his tone was softer now.

Feeling guilty, Jia avoided his gaze and cleared her throat awkwardly as she poured soju into his small glass. He squinted at it, inspecting the tiny glass with curiosity.

“Is this alcohol?” he asked, genuinely intrigued.

“Yeah.” Jia replied.

“But you never liked alcohol.”

“I didn’t before, but… now that I’ve started working, I drink a bit more.”

Jia laughed softly, clinking her glass against his.

Ethan stared at the soju glass for a moment before downing it in one gulp. After a brief pause, he looked mildly disappointed.

“Seriously? It just tastes like watered-down liquor.” he commented, clearly unimpressed.