Chapter 3

“It’s over there! We’re finally here.”

After walking for more than twenty minutes, her right leg throbbed painfully.

“Go inside, change your clothes, and take a taxi home.”

She could not refuse. To get from here to her home, she would have to take the bus, but she could not get on a bus with her whole body drenched.

Seohyeon, who had been telling her to just sleep over, closed her mouth as if she had remembered Soyoon’s younger sibling. The officetel where Seohyeon lived looked luxurious even at a glance. Luxurious enough that Soyoon felt embarrassed walking in with sneakers made filthy with mud and water.

The security guard’s eyes widened when he saw the two of them appear looking like drowned rats. Then, recognizing Seohyeon, he bowed his head. Soyoon awkwardly bowed her head to the guard as well.

Seohyeon, who was walking ahead, called her name and told her to hurry up.

“Brr- Aren’t you cold?”

“I’m fine.”

“Fine, my foot. Your lips are blue.”

It was strange. She definitely was not cold, and yet her body was trembling. Just when she had been saying the rain felt hot, now she had no choice but to admit that she seemed quite drunk after all.

“You wash here. I can wash in my room.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll leave clothes and underwear in front of the door. The underwear is new, so don’t worry.”

She even winked as she smiled, and Soyoon asked for pants instead.

“What should I do? All my clothes are skirts. I do have a long dress, though. Do you want to wear that?”

“Okay. Thanks. And my clothes……”

“I’ll give them back to you the next time we meet. It would be nice if you could dry them in the dryer before going.”

“……I have to go because of Hayoon.”

After lying once again, she felt sorry toward Seohyeon and averted her eyes.

The stream of water pouring down from above was so warm. She did not know how long it had been since she had bathed so leisurely.

The cramped bathroom had long since gone rotten because water splashed all over the door every time she showered. Even when she curled herself up as much as possible to wash, the water still splashed, and it had not caused trouble only once or twice.

After drying her hair with a towel and even cleaning up neatly afterward, Soyoon cracked the door open a little. She saw the clothes and underwear Seohyeon said she would leave. Gathering them up, she closed the door again.

While putting on the bra, she let out a long sigh.

The chest Seohyeon had envied so much was spilling out over the top because the bra was too small. On top of that, the bright red underwear was impossible to look at. Even though no one was there, her cheeks grew hot with embarrassment.

And the panties?

The lace panties were so sheer that her skin could almost be seen through them. At this point, she even began to wonder whether her friend was teasing her.

She lifted the dress.

The luxurious dress, whose feel was different from her own clothes she had taken off from the very texture onward, made her hesitate for a moment. But remembering her friend’s voice saying that this was the longest thing she had, she had no choice but to put her head through it.

It was too tight. So tight that even breathing felt uncomfortable.

I’ve lost much more weight than in senior year of high school, so why is it this tight?

With Seohyeon, aside from their chests, they used to be the same size to the point that they shared clothes. They had laughed so much, saying only their shoe sizes and chest sizes were different.

Had Seohyeon lost weight?

Then suddenly, the scar running from below her knee to her ankle caught her eye.

When she pulled down the dress that had been bunched up around her thighs, the scar could no longer be seen. Hugging the clothes to herself with the towel wrapped around them, she came outside. The house was quiet, perhaps because Seohyeon was still washing.

Not knowing where the laundry room was, she set the towel down in front of the bathroom.

She waited for Seohyeon to come out, but even after ten minutes, she still had not emerged.

Rustle.

At the sound, she lowered her head. It was coming from the pocket attached to the dress. She put her hand in and took out the rustling object, but her hand slipped.

Huh?

She tried to catch it with her hand as it was about to fall to the floor.

Ah!

But it struck her hand and instead flew far away.

D*mn.

She went toward the entrance to pick up the object that had flown off. Because of the too-tight dress, she bent her waist awkwardly, and at the same time, the door opened.

What Soyoon saw when she lifted her head slightly was a man’s shoes and long legs.

“……”

Without even thinking of picking up the object, she sprang upright. Was it Seohyeon’s boyfriend? Seeing as they even shared the passcode……

!

Soyoon’s eyes widened as far as they could, and her mouth fell open. She barely managed to stifle the groan about to burst out with her hand.

The person who had entered the house was.

None other than, Cha Do-ha.

Soyoon’s heart went wild as though it were out of control.

She was not glad to see him. Not at all.

She had wished and wished never to see him again.

As Soyoon looked at him, still maddeningly handsome and even more manly despite the passage of time, she bit the inside of her cheek until it bled.

“You’re all grown up……?”

She quietly looked at him, his eyebrow twitching as if something about this displeased him. Then she lowered her eyes and looked at the hand he held out in front of her. She must have been so out of it that she had not even realized he had bent down and picked up the object.

When the darkness clouding her vision returned to normal, she saw the object resting neatly in his palm.

Soyoon’s eyes shook violently.

Gasp! That’s……

“You even carry condoms around with you? Lee Soyoon, not bad.”

“That’s……”

She was about to say it was not hers, but,

“I’m going to borrow this.”

She had no choice but to nod at a man asking to borrow not just anything, but a condom. The fact that she had dropped a condom when seeing him again after six years, and that the man was asking to borrow it. The timing was so absurd she almost laughed.

There had once been a time when she looked only at that man. And for quite a long time at that.

From a very, very young age, she had wanted him. From before she even knew the difference between liking someone and loving someone. She had wanted so badly for that man to become her man.

He was such a perfect person that there was nothing he could not do, whether in studying, sports, or even his personality. And yet that man was holding a condom. She could not believe it.

“Soyoon, that dress. Huh? Oppa?!”

“Cha Seohyeon…. You really don’t come home early, do you? And what’s with the clothes?”

“Huh? It’s nothing. What brings you here?”

Seohyeon laughed awkwardly. Perhaps she had only just remembered that she had put the condom there, because she gave a subtle glance as if trying not to make it obvious, and Soyoon gave a slight nod.

“Running an errand for side dishes.”

“Ah……. I see. I was going to go this weekend, but Mom really is something.”

Both of their eyes turned toward Soyoon as she lifted her bag.

“Are you going home?”

“Yeah. I’ll bring the clothes back next time. Thanks.”

“No need to thank me. You have to contact me when you get home, okay?”

As Soyoon was saying goodbye to her friend, who yawned as though she were sleepy, a low voice burrowed into her ear.

“I’ll take you.”

“Ah, no. It’s okay.”

“Come out.”

Without even waiting for an answer, he went outside, and Soyoon stared blankly at his back. She had definitely seen him, through the crack of the door, slip the condom into the back pocket of his pants.

“I’m going. See you next time.”

“Make sure you contact me when you get home!”

Soyoon hurriedly put on her shoes and went outside. She had thought he would already be far away, so she hesitated when she saw him standing right in front of the door. As if he had been waiting for her. Soyoon smiled weakly.

There was no way that could be true. Because he had never once waited for her.