Do Not Feed Recklessly - Chapter 5. Part 2

“You said I could stay here as long as I want remember?”

A wave of regret washed over Jia. She had said that, but…

“I thought you were leaving soon!” she mentally screamed.

“A language study program? You’ve got to be kidding me…” she muttered, starting to piece things together.

No wonder he had brought so much luggage. She should’ve questioned it earlier. Letting out a sigh of despair, Jia rubbed her face in frustration.

Meanwhile, Ethan, with that annoyingly smug smile, looked like the happiest person in the world.

‘I’ve been played.’ Jia thought.

‘Completely played!’

Just then, her phone vibrated. She glanced at the screen and saw a flood of unread messages from her parents. It felt like a ray of hope, a lifeline she desperately needed.

With a renewed sense of urgency, she unlocked her phone and quickly scrolled through the messages, hoping for something—anything—that could help her escape this absurd situation.

Jia stared at her phone in disbelief. Each message was like a fresh wave of defeat crashing over her. Her mom’s cheerful texts about Ethan coming to Korea as a surprise and expecting her to help him settle in felt like the final blow.

‘Of course, Mom had to be in on this too.’

Jia thought, feeling a mix of frustration and disbelief. She let out a deep, exasperated sigh and rubbed her forehead.

Ethan, noticing her reaction, grinned even wider.

“What’s wrong? Something important?”

Jia shot him a sharp look and muttered under her breath.

“Great. Just great. Now I’m stuck with you, and apparently, it’s my ‘responsibility’ to help you with your little adventure in Korea.”

Ethan chuckled.

“Sounds like your mom agrees with me being here.”

“Don’t push your luck, Ethan,” Jia warned, trying to figure out a way out of this mess.

She could barely believe her eyes as she re-read the messages from her mom. Each word felt like another nail in the coffin of her peaceful life.

“Of course”

Jia muttered, glaring at Ethan, who was now sitting on her couch, looking completely content with the chaos he’d caused.

“You’re not just staying for a couple of days, are you?” she asked, her voice filled with resignation.

Ethan grinned mischievously.

“I told you. I’m here for a while. And it looks like your mom has given me her full support. I guess you’re stuck with me.”

Jia groaned, flopping onto the couch beside him.

“This is a nightmare.”

Ethan nudged her playfully.

 “Hey, it won’t be that bad. We’ll have fun. Who knows? You might even start enjoying my company.”

Jia rolled her eyes.

“Doubt it.”

“Well, you’ve got no choice,” Ethan teased, leaning back. “Let’s make the best of it.”

Jia sighed again, resigning herself to the fact that there was no easy escape from this situation.

[Mom: Ethan said he’d come as a surprise, did you meet him well? ^^] 

[Mom: Thanks to you, Jia, Ethan is very interested in Korea. You’ll be in charge of his life during his study abroad, okay? Mr. Taylor helped me a lot, I’m still grateful. So be nice to Ethan!]

Jia shut her eyes tightly, feeling a wave of betrayal after reading the long message from her mom.

‘A surprise? What kind of surprise is this?’ she thought bitterly.

And the part about Ethan feeling lost and struggling? That was the final blow. Jia shot a glance at Ethan, who sat comfortably beside her, looking anything but lost or overwhelmed.

His face radiated satisfaction, contentment, and an annoyingly smug sense of victory. Not a hint of hardship in sight. It was infuriating.

But how could she explain this mess to her mom? There was no way she could talk about it without revealing the chaos Ethan had brought into her life. With a sigh, Jia resigned herself to her fate and sent a short reply:

[“Yes, we met. Everything’s fine.”]

Her phone felt heavy in her hand as she put it down, knowing that this was only the beginning.

And that wasn’t all. Ethan even showed up to pick her up outside the subway station after work. With a handsome foreigner standing at the entrance, it wasn’t surprising that he attracted everyone’s attention.

“What is this? Why are you suddenly doing things you never did before?” Jia asked, narrowing her eyes.

“If I want to upgrade from a d*ldo to a real boyfriend, I have to make a good impression, don’t I?” Ethan grinned.

“Oh, come on. What are you talking about, and why now of all times…” Jia groaned.

“How’s work? Is it bearable?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Ugh, don’t even get me started. It’s driving me crazy,” Jia replied, feeling the weight of her day crashing down on her.

No matter what, having Ethan around – someone she felt comfortable with – gave Jia much-needed emotional support. When she lived alone she had no one to confide in, but now being able to talk to Ethan gave her a sense of relief.

‘I can tell my parents back home…’ she thought.

They’d just end up worrying about nothing, and that didn’t feel right.

As they walked from the station to her apartment, Jia chatted away, unburdening herself of all her frustrations and questions about work.

“I mean, it’s not good… but I don’t think other companies would be much different…” she said with a sigh.

Throughout the walk, Jia could feel the eyes of passers-by drawn to Ethan. Some stared openly, while others stole glances, curious about the handsome foreigner walking beside her.

Although Ethan was undeniably handsome, he hadn’t attracted as much attention in Sydney. It seemed that being a foreigner here made him stand out even more. Ethan must have noticed the stares too, because he leaned down and whispered in Jia’s ear.

“Hey, do people in Korea always stare like this?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, everywhere we walk, people keep looking…”

Although the reason was obvious – it was his face – Jia didn’t want to tell him that outright. She certainly didn’t want to say, ‘Oh, it’s because you’re so handsome!’

“Uh… yeah, people tend to stare a bit more here.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, it’s just a cultural practice. Don’t worry about it.”

She replied casually, trying to make it seem like no big deal, and then quickened her pace towards home, suddenly eager to be out of the spotlight.