Do Not Feed Recklessly - Chapter 5. Part 4

“Absolutely! There’s even a joke among matchmaking agencies that suggests avoiding Korean women who have gone on a working holiday in Australia. Haha!”

Both Choi and the manager burst out laughing, clearly amused by their conversation. Some of the other team members, hearing them, joined in with their own laughter. Meanwhile, Jia stood there, unable to hide the look of shock and disbelief on her face.

‘Are they even hearing themselves right now?’

Jia’s mind went cold. Until now she had tried to give people the benefit of the doubt, but this time there was no way to see things positively. The things that had once left her unsure had now solidified, filling her with frustration. Yet there was nothing she could do about it.

She couldn’t respond to the nasty jokes or show her discomfort. Even as the conversation shifted, her face remained tense. She knew she should control her expression, but her muscles refused to cooperate, almost as if they had malfunctioned.

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. Those responsible for Jia’s sour mood were too drunk to notice her strained expression. They were far too lost in their haze to realize the effect their words were having on her.

“Shall we move on to round two? Round two, anyone? Yu, you can leave if you want to,” the team leader slurred, stumbling as he rose from his seat, his face flushed.

Jia didn’t hesitate and immediately gathered her things as if she had been waiting for this moment. She gave a quick bow, ready to make her exit. Just as she was about to leave, she heard a voice behind her.

“Jia!”

It was Park, the assistant who had been chatting with her earlier, rushing to catch up with her.

“I’m not going to round two today either.” Park said.

“Oh… okay,” Jia replied, not really knowing what to say.

“I’m sorry about earlier. It must have been uncomfortable.”

“No, it’s not your fault.” Jia responded.

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“Still…”

All Jia wanted was to go home and rest. She sighed, her exhaustion palpable as she walked towards the subway station. But Park followed her, walking beside her. The awkwardness was overwhelming. Unable to bear the discomfort any longer, Jia quickly opened her taxi app.

“I’m sorry, but I think I’ll take a taxi today. I’m too tired. Let’s walk home together another time.”

“Oh, in that case, why don’t we share a ride? I’m pretty tired too. I’ll pay the fare and you can get off near your place. What do you think?”

Had he completely missed the signals? Normally Jia wouldn’t have been so harsh in her thoughts, but today she was on edge. She suppressed the sigh that threatened to escape and forced a smile.

“No, no! It’s okay. You don’t have to change your plans because of me.”

“Still, you’ve had some drinks, so just in case, maybe we should—”

“No, really, I’m fine,” Jia cut him off more firmly this time.

Thanks for the offer, but I’ll head off on my own.”

She bowed quickly and hurried off, putting more distance between them. Jia ran until she reached a major intersection, finally slowing down and taking a deep breath. A glance behind her confirmed that Park was nowhere in sight. Luckily, there were plenty of taxis near the busy street.

‘Wow, I’m exhausted. How do people handle this every day?’

She flagged down a taxi and said.

“To XX-dong, 233-19, please.”

Jia couldn’t relax until she was comfortably seated in the back seat. She sighed deeply, feeling the weight of the day, and pulled out her mobile phone. After a moment’s hesitation, she sent a short message to Ethan.

[Yu Jia: I’ll be home in about 20 minutes.]

As soon as Jia stepped out of the taxi, the first thing she noticed was a familiar figure—tall, well over six feet, with glossy blond hair. It was Ethan. Just seeing his back gave her an unexpected sense of relief.

“Ethan!” she called, running toward him.

As if waiting for her, Ethan turned around with a grin.

“Ah, there you are, you little rascal.”

“Shut up.” Jia shot back playfully.

“Did you drink a lot?” he asked.

“I did, but I’m not even tipsy,”

Jia replied confidently, shrugging her shoulders to emphasize her point. Moments ago she had felt as if she couldn’t take another step, but now her spirits were rising.

“Ugh, I’m seriously so exhausted.”

“Come on, let’s get home. It’s late.”

With that, Ethan gestured for them to leave, and the weight of the day seemed to melt away a little more.

* * *

As they walked, Ethan casually took Jia’s hand, as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Jia gave him a look of disbelief.

“Why are you holding my hand?”

“Why not?”

“You think that’s okay?”

“Come on, let me hold it.” Ethan said, pulling a mock-pitiful expression and leaning closer to her on purpose.

“He knows exactly what he’s doing. He definitely knows.”

Jia thought as his perfectly handsome face drew closer and the familiar scent of bergamot filled the air. Undeterred, she stepped back, as if she had anticipated his move.

“I’ve been looking at your face for years. You really think that’ll work on me?”

“Worth a try,” Ethan sighed dramatically.

Despite his words, he didn’t let go of her hand. Instead, he intertwined her fingers more tightly.

“Ugh, this is so cheesy.”

“Well, I like it.” Ethan replied, completely unfazed.

Jia couldn’t help but roll her eyes, although a small smile tugged at her lips.

“Seriously, Ethan, this is ridiculous.”

“Maybe, but it makes the walk home more fun.” he said, grinning.

“Fun for you, maybe,” Jia shot back, trying to sound annoyed but failing.

They continued walking, hand in hand, and with each step, the tension from earlier began to fade. Jia found herself enjoying the moment more than she had expected.

“Do you always make things so complicated?” he asked, glancing up at her.

“Only when I’m around you,” Jia couldn’t suppress her laughter this time.

“You’re impossible.”

“Yeah, but you love it,” she teased, and as much as she wanted to argue, she knew there was some truth to it.

With their fingers intertwined, they made their way home, the city lights twinkling around them, and for the first time that evening, Jia felt light-hearted.

Ethan’s surprise was obvious. He opened his mouth in disbelief and shook his head. 

“Are you serious? Are you an idiot? There’s nothing ugly about your face. Even a stray dog passing by would say you’re beautiful!”

He continued, his words coming out in a rush. Jia, listening quietly, blinked slowly.