Do Not Feed Recklessly - Chapter 7. Part 2

As she shared her frustrations, Jia suddenly realized something and quickly added, “Oh, and just keep this between us. Don’t tell my mom.” 

“Why?” 

“I know she’d be worried if she knew…”  

Ethan nodded slightly in understanding.

“Sigh, but what can I do? I still have to go.”

Jia sighed, as if trying to reassure herself. Why do weekends fly by so quickly, while the weekdays seem to drag on forever?

On Monday morning, she reluctantly got out of bed and started getting ready for work.

“Be careful out there.”

Noticing Jia’s tired expression, Ethan clicked his tongue in concern.

* * *

Jia’s weekdays followed the same repetitive routine. She left for work early in the morning and returned home late at night – repetitive and boring. As if that weren’t enough, a series of frustrating situations had recently added to the burden.

“Hey, Jia! Let’s go home together!”

It was none other than the oblivious Park. She couldn’t understand what was so great about leaving work together. But with no more excuses to refuse, Jia forced a smile and nodded.

“Ha ha, sure…”

She reluctantly put her AirPods back in her bag, just after placing them in her ears. The subway, perfectly timed for the final rush hours, was packed with people. It was already uncomfortable having to go with someone she didn’t want to, and now she had to squeeze in right next to Park.

‘Ugh, this is just the worst.’

Jia swallowed her frustrations as she glanced at Park, who was smiling brightly right in front of her. 

‘What’s so good about this?’ she thought, annoyed.

Completely unaware of her true feelings, Park continued chatting cheerfully in the crowded subway. 

“By the way, isn’t it scary living alone?” he asked. 

“Huh? What do you mean?” Jia replied. 

“I just thought it might be a bit frightening for a woman to live by herself, considering the possibility of crime.” 

Hearing the phrase living alone, Jia let out a brief sigh. She couldn’t help but imagine Ethan lounging around in her apartment. However, not wanting to explain her situation to a co-worker, she forced a smile and casually brushed it off, replying that it was fine.

“I still live with my parents.”

“Oh, I see…”

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before Jia reached her stop. Her expression brightened noticeably as she nodded to Park.

“I’ve got to get off here, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As she merged with the crowd exiting the subway, Jia glanced back and noticed Park being swept along with the flow of people. Even though he could easily grab a handle to steady himself, he appeared to have no intention of doing so.

“Oh no, what should I do… I accidentally got off too.” Park said with a sheepish grin.

Though it wasn’t a transfer station and wasn’t particularly crowded, Jia couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling of settling in.

“Looks like you’ll have to catch the next train.”

Jia smiled politely and bowed slightly.

“Well then, I’ll head inside now.”

Just as she was about to leave, Park suddenly grabbed her arm. 

“Well, since we’re both here, should I walk you home?” 

“Wait, what? No, that’s okay,” Jia replied, startled, unable to hide her reaction. 

She quickly swatted Park’s hand away and hurried her steps.

“I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” 

Her firm refusal left Park confused and frozen. Not wanting to linger any longer, Jia quickened her pace. Fortunately, as she climbed the escalator, she spotted a familiar figure. 

“Jia!” 

Ethan approached her at the subway exit, a beaming smile on his face. Seeing him, Jia felt an unexpected wave of relief and smiled back. 

“Good job today.”

Ethan said warmly, casually wrapping his arm around her shoulder while subtly glancing behind her.

As usual, they made their way home together after work. It wasn’t until they reached the elevator that Ethan, still glancing behind them with a puzzled expression, asked. 

“You came alone, right?” 

“Huh? Yes of course.” Jia replied, finding the question strange but not giving it much thought. 

The next day, however, she quickly understood why Ethan had asked. 

“Hey, Jia, do you have a foreign boyfriend?” 

The unusual question boomed from their team leader as soon as the lunch break began. Startled by the sudden remark, Jia blinked in surprise and asked for clarification. 

“…What do you mean?”

At that, Park, who was standing next to the team leader, jumped in surprise and hurriedly whispered something to him. Thankfully, there were no more strange questions that followed, but… 

“Tsk, tsk, you’re not living together or anything, right?” the team leader added, giving Jia a scrutinizing look. 

“Just don’t go around acting too careless, okay?”

What on earth was he talking about? Jia felt completely lost, not even sure how to respond to his absurd remarks. Her mouth went dry as she forced out a hollow laugh, suppressing the urge to lash out at him.

“Let’s be mindful of each other,” he added, as if giving advice.

But when the team leader tapped her on the shoulder as if to warn her, Jia lost her composure. 

“What exactly do I need to watch out for?” she asked in a sharp tone.

“What?” he replied, taken aback. 

“What have I done wrong? What’s all this random talk about my foreign boyfriend?” 

Her frustration had reached its peak, and Jia’s words flew out like bullets as she stepped closer to the team leader and locked eyes with him. 

“And why do you care if someone lives with a foreigner, a woman, or a transgender?”

“Jia! Have you lost your mind?” he shouted. 

“No, I’m just curious. Am I not allowed to ask questions? Does that make me crazy?” she shot back.

“It’s inappropriate for a grown woman to be wandering around like that! Huh? I thought that after living in Australia, you’d adjust well to life in Korea and settle down nicely with a Korean man. But why are you getting involved with a foreign guy on your way home, to the point where I’m hearing about it?”

At the mention of “on the way home,” Jia instinctively glanced at Park. He jumped and quickly looked away. That’s when Jia started to put the pieces together. 

“Park, don’t tell me you were following me yesterday?” 

“Wha—what? No, I wasn’t following you…” he stammered. 

“Wow, I thought you were a decent person. This is seriously creepy.”