Chapter 7 (Part 3)
On a sunny weekend, In-ah shuffled in her slippers toward the convenience store in front of her house.
As she entered, she spotted Jinwon standing in front of the displayed lunch boxes.
“The one on the far left is the tastiest.”
He turned in surprise to look at her, and she hurriedly offered a non-excuse.
“Just saying.”
Without a word, he picked the lunch box she pointed out and moved toward the refrigerator.
She quickly grabbed a triangle kimbap and ramen, then headed to the refrigerator.
Seeing him open the fridge to take out water, she intervened.
“Cold water isn’t good for your stomach.”
He looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“Well, just saying.”
He tilted his head slightly but put the water back. Pretending not to watch, she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
He glanced at her and picked room-temperature water instead. Satisfied, she stood behind him at the checkout.
As they waited, he stared straight ahead. She leaned forward and asked,
“How’s the dog that ate the paint doing?”
Her potentially misleading comment drew the attention of the people at the checkout.
“Oh, the dog that ate the paint. Is it okay now?”
“It’s at my parents’ house and doing fine.”
“That’s a relief.”
Having said what she wanted, she stood with her hands behind her back, leisurely waiting her turn.
After paying, he left the store but suddenly stopped. She, following behind, stopped as well.
He looked at her intently and asked,
“Why, do you have something to say?”
She gulped, maintaining eye contact.
“No, nothing.”
He turned away, puzzled.
Though she was dying to know if he really had cancer, she couldn’t bring herself to ask. So she decided to keep her question to herself for now.
***
Hye-yoon, who had arrived at work, first headed to the break room for a caffeine boost.
But for some reason, she couldn’t find any coffee, only various teas.
Sang-wook, who had just entered the break room, saw her searching and tipped her off.
“They removed all the coffee, saying it’s bad for health.”
“Seriously? Who suggested such nonsense?”
“Our dear In-ah did. Isn’t her thoughtfulness for her colleagues so beautiful?”
“Why’s she suddenly like this? She can’t last half a day without coffee.”
As Hye-yoon grumbled and left the break room with green tea, she spotted Jinwon entering the office.
Both he and Kang Cheol were carrying coffee.
Then, out of nowhere, In-ah appeared and snatched the coffee from Jinwon’s hand.
“Thank you~ I’ll enjoy it!”
She shouted cheerfully.
Jinwon and Kang Cheol stood there, bewildered, watching her walk away.
“What’s up with her?”
Even Hye-yoon, who had known her for a long time, couldn’t hide her surprise. Sang-wook, watching her leave, murmured,
“Was she always like that? It’s refreshing~”
Hye-yoon shook her head at Sang-wook’s words.
***
“Do you really have to work here?”
“Why don’t you think about why I have to do this, little brother?”
In-kyung and In-woo were bickering again beside their still-hospitalized father.
She was focused on her laptop, typing intently, while he pouted and defended himself.
“How was I supposed to know the schedule would change suddenly?”
“Maybe you could have known an hour ago? Then I could have reduced my travel time.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll be quiet now.”
“Please do.”
She replied without taking her eyes off the laptop.
After a while, she glanced at him, suspicious of his sudden silence. He was sitting by their sleeping father, gazing out the window.
Following his gaze, she saw a small butterfly fluttering outside.
“Are you looking at the butterfly?”
“Where’s the butterfly?”
“Never mind.”
“Why are you suddenly talking about butterflies? It’s not like you.”
Of course, he wouldn’t let a single comment slide.
As she returned her gaze to the monitor, she glanced at him.
“When kids used to catch butterflies and torment them, what did you do?”
“Not sure. I can’t remember.”
She was about to lose interest when he spoke again.
“I probably thought they were foolish and pitied them.”
She asked him with curiosity.
“Did you ever feel sorry for the butterfly or want to apologize?”
“Would I have done that?”
“No.”
“Then why ask?”
She sighed softly, feeling no need to reply, and stared at the butterfly outside.
Wondering what kind of soul would apologize to a butterfly.
At that moment, In-ah arrived at the hospital earlier than expected.
She stood there, blankly watching the people waiting in the cancer ward.
From those with visible signs of illness to those quietly wiping tears and those sobbing. They all seemed defeated by the invincible foe called ‘cancer.’
If one isn’t alive, hating or forgiving all becomes meaningless.
No matter what intentions someone had when they threw love away or how they returned, all those moments and memories would be erased from the world.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she watched them.
Someone approached and spoke gently.
“It’s hard, isn’t it?”
In-ah, not realizing the words were meant for her, turned her head. A woman with a worried expression was looking at her sympathetically.
“It might be as hard, or maybe even harder, for the family than for the patient.”
The woman seemed to be a family member of a cancer patient.
Not knowing how to respond, In-ah just listened. The woman continued speaking to her.
“No matter how well you treat them or stay with them, once they’re gone, you’ll regret not doing more.”
Tears quickly fell from the woman’s eyes.
“So, do everything you can. So you won’t have regrets later.”
The woman patted her arm and left.
She looked down at her arm, which the woman had patted. The stranger’s words echoed in her ears.
***
Seong-jun was surprised by In-ah’s visit to the Director’s office. Her words surprised him even more.
“Why the sudden change?”
“Sorry for being indecisive.”
She bowed deeply. He waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s okay. These things happen.”
“When will I know about the reassignment?”
She asked cautiously, and he reassured her with a gentle tone.
“If you don’t want to go to the U.S. branch, there’s nothing more to say. The person going is the most important.”
“Thank you.”
She bowed again.
He couldn’t immediately judge if this was good or bad, so he decided to handle it in a way that made him a good boss to her.
As she left the Director’s office and entered the hallway, she paused. She had spotted Jinwon waiting for her.
He approached her hesitantly.
“Can we talk after work?”
“Sure.”
Her easy acceptance seemed to surprise him more.
***
Following Jinwon’s lead, In-ah sat down in a spicy tteokbokki restaurant.
‘What is this? Is he protesting? A cancer patient eating spicy tteokbokki? Is this a last supper?’
Her mind was filled with endless questions.
“What do you want to say?”
“Let’s order first.”
Unlike her, he seemed relaxed.
“After we broke up 7 years ago, I became a regular here.”
This place was their favorite during their campus couple days.
He couldn’t handle spicy food but always came here with her, suffering through the tteokbokki.
So it was a special place for both. He looked at her and said,
“…I hoped I might see you.”
She tried to maintain a neutral expression.
She hadn’t come here since they broke up.
She hated him so much that she feared coming here might make her reminisce about their good times.
Hiding her true feelings, she spoke casually.
“Then you must be good with spicy food now.”
“Of course~”
Confidently, he crumbled at the first bite of tteokbokki.
He gasped for air, guzzling water.
She sighed and got up, returning with a fruit drink to soothe his burning mouth.
She poured the drink into a cup and handed it to him. He, still gasping, grabbed her wrist instead of the cup.
Caught off guard, she looked at him in surprise.
Despite the spice, he finally said what he had been meaning to.
“I’m sorry. For not asking you back then. For deciding on my own.”
Her face hardened instantly. Expecting this reaction, he continued.
“If there’s anything I can say other than sorry…”
“Enough, just eat.”
She cut him off, and he flinched.
“Okay. You should eat too. You’ll miss this in the U.S.”
“Oh, right. You should eat too. You’ll miss this when you’re in the U.S.”
He put down the tteokbokki and gulped the drink she gave him.
Then his phone rang. It was a work call, so he excused himself and stepped outside.
She finally looked at the tteokbokki in front of her, picking up a fork with an eager expression.
“Well, look who it is! What are you doing here?”
It was Jeong Shin-hye. She seemed not to have noticed Jinwon outside on the phone.
“This is my regular spot. You have good taste.”
Ignoring her, she took a bite of tteokbokki. Shin-hye didn’t give up and sat across from her.
“I’m here for takeout. Who are you with?”
“None of your business.”
“Ahahaha.”
Shin-hye laughed exaggeratedly, then stared directly at her with a smile.
“But you’re funny. You said you weren’t going to the U.S., right?”
She began chewing the tteokbokki without even glancing at Shin-hye.
“Why did you lie to me? Do you have something against me?”
“…?”
Even without a response, Shin-hye seemed to have a knack for one-man shows.
“Do you have a rivalry with me? Oh my, you’re so diverse~”
She looked at her with newfound curiosity while she ate.
“Can you leave now? My companion should be here soon.”
In-ah’s words were not the reaction Shin-hye had hoped for. Annoyed, Shin-hye retorted.
“Why won’t you answer? You were so eager to tell me you were going to the U.S., so why aren’t you going?”
“Do I have to tell you everything?”
“I’m asking, so answer.”
Instead of replying, In-ah poured herself a fresh drink and took a refreshing sip. Waiting for an answer, Shin-hye felt her insides burning with impatience.
“In-ah, are you not going to the U.S. anymore?”
Jinwon’s sudden question startled both In-ah and Shin-hye. They turned to see Jinwon standing there, looking at In-ah in surprise.
At that moment, Shin-hye deliberately knocked over the tteokbokki bowl toward herself.
“Oh no!”
Her blouse and skirt were stained red with the sauce.
In-ah and Jinwon’s eyes turned to Shin-hye. She, in turn, looked at In-ah with a scolding expression.
“Be more careful~”
As if it was nothing new, In-ah picked up napkins and wiped the table. Shin-hye, wiping her clothes, turned to Jinwon with a pitiful look.
“Jinwon, can I borrow your clothes? How can I go out like this?”
Jinwon glanced at In-ah. She pretended not to notice his look.
He handed his suit jacket to Shin-hye, who pouted and extended her arms as if to be dressed. Jinwon draped the jacket over her arms.
Shin-hye quickly put on the jacket, avoiding In-ah’s gaze.
“Thanks, Jinwon. Can you give me a ride?”
“No. I’m in the middle of a conversation.”
Shin-hye glanced at In-ah and clung to Jinwon’s arm, whining.
“You can talk later. I didn’t bring my car. How can I go alone like this?”
“Please give her a ride.”
Both Jinwon and Shin-hye turned to look at In-ah.
“She insists she can’t go alone, so you should take her. Auntie! One more serving of tteokbokki, please!”
Dragged away by Shin-hye, Jinwon left the restaurant.
Alone, she took a bite of the freshly served tteokbokki and chewed contentedly.
Facing a barrage of questions from Jinwon seemed less appealing than this.
‘Did I do the right thing?’
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
