Chapter 11

Sunday was spent entirely in bed. It was always like this. Especially, she felt unwell. It was her first time doing such a thing, and without knowing how, she felt she hadn’t handled it well. After taking a painkiller, she slept all day. Neither her sister nor her parents disturbed her. Eunjae didn’t know what Jiyeon had said, but it seemed they’d decided to just leave her be.

She knew her parents would be curious about the blind date, but right now, she didn’t have the energy to keep up a string of lies. Groaning, she checked her phone every so often, even as the medicine made her drowsy. Wooseok hadn’t contacted her at all since then. If Eunjae drew a line, he never crossed it; that had always been his way. Maybe that’s why their relationship had lasted until now.

Eunjae tossed and turned, falling asleep again. At some point, she felt the cool touch of a hand on her forehead and slowly opened her eyes. Through blurry vision, she saw someone sitting by her bed.

“There’s no fever.”

With just the voice, Eunjae instantly knew who it was—her sister Jiyeon. Even so, Eunjae felt oddly foolish, as if she’d been hoping for something else. Jiyeon seemed worried and had brought a wet towel. Eunjae, feeling awkward lying down, sat up.

“I’m just lying here because I like my bed.”

“You shouldn’t like it too much.”

Jiyeon’s scolding made Eunjae laugh.

“Sorry.”

“If you’re alright, that’s good. Get up and come out. Wooseok bought you porridge, so eat some.”

“Huh?”

At the casually mentioned name, Eunjae’s heart dropped. By Wooseok, did she mean Jung Wooseok? She looked up at her sister with questioning eyes.

“I told him you were sick and couldn’t get up. So he bought porridge, medicine, and a bunch of things.”

“He… came here?”

Eunjae’s throat tightened as she asked, breaking up her sentence. Jiyeon looked down at her, sensing something odd. Her eyes seemed to ask, ‘What are you two doing?’

“He just dropped it off and left. Said he had to go to work today. Your President… ah, never mind. Just come out and eat something. Dad was so worried about you, he barely ate breakfast. He’s anxious about his second daughter.”

Jiyeon left, and Eunjae got out of bed. She checked her phone by the pillow—no messages, no calls. If he’d come, he could’ve at least sent a message. Making people feel guilty was just another one of his talents. Maybe it was these small, unexpected gestures that had built up her feelings for him.

“Hoo…”

Eunjae forced a smile onto her pale face and opened the door. Yooncheol, sitting in the living room, finally looked relieved and headed off toward the master bedroom. At the table, Kyunghee had already heated up the porridge and set the table.

“Come eat. Seok went all the way to the old neighborhood to get it.”

It was her favorite abalone porridge. Whenever she was sick or felt strange, eating this porridge always helped her recover, so someone would go out of their way to buy it. Jung Wooseok knew this, of course. Eunjae let out a small sigh. Both Kyunghee and Jiyeon watched her closely.

“Why? Was the guy you met yesterday not good?”

Kyunghee, knowing nothing, naturally assumed it was about the blind date. As Eunjae sat at the table, Jiyeon answered for her. How could she know after just one meeting? But after looking into it, he didn’t seem like a good person. Jiyeon got even more upset, saying, “Our Eunjae isn’t for just anyone.”

“If someone heard you, they’d think you were the one on the blind date.”

Kyunghee’s biting remark made Jiyeon laugh awkwardly. Eunjae, meanwhile, said nothing and blew on her abalone porridge before eating. The warmth inside her made her feel a bit stronger. Whether it was because of her favorite porridge or the thoughtfulness of the person who bought it, she couldn’t tell. Her feelings were tangled and complicated, but she knew now there was nothing she could do.

She’d just have to face it.

* * *

She hadn’t expected it to come so soon. Monday morning. Eunjae woke up earlier than usual and got ready for work. When her mind was restless, working hard was the best remedy. Checking the bus times on her phone, she walked toward the apartment entrance—where a familiar car and figure were waiting.

“You’re out early.”

Her words caught in her throat, and she stopped walking.

“Get in.”

Wooseok casually opened the passenger door, waiting for her. It wasn’t often, but sometimes they’d commuted together when their destinations matched. Wooseok would pick her up in front of her house. But he’d never just shown up unannounced like this.

“What’s… going on?”

“What do you think? Let’s go to work together.”

When Eunjae hesitated, he seemed ready to drag her over, so she quickly got into the car. Seeing her swift movement, Wooseok smiled blandly, closed the passenger door, and walked to the driver’s seat.

Eunjae glanced at him, almost sneaking peeks. For some reason, it was hard to meet his eyes. It was just a drunken mistake, she thought. If she pretended nothing happened, maybe things could go back to normal.

But facing him made her realize how hard that would be. Thump thump thump thump. Her heart wouldn’t slow down. How could they work at the same company like this? Before, they had the shield of friendship, but now… now…

Click.

The driver’s door opened. Wooseok got in and fastened his seatbelt. An awkward air filled the car. She thought he’d start the engine right away, but he just sat there quietly. Eunjae felt her heart burning like a candle wick.

“Aren’t we going?”

She finally urged him.

“Shouldn’t we talk?”

Wooseok turned to look at her, and Eunjae felt her breath stop for a moment.

“Well, um…”

“Let’s just try dating.”

Da…ting? Eunjae’s eyes widened. What was he saying? It felt like a bomb had gone off in her chest. He was saying things she’d never imagined, while just calmly watching her, a small smile on his lips. Was this something to smile about?

Was it that easy for him…?

“Wooseok.”

“Should I say it for you? ‘It was just a drunken impulse, let’s forget it. Let’s go back to how we were. Twenty years of friendship, don’t you care about that?’ That’s what you’re going to say, right?”

Did he have a crystal ball?

Eunjae felt trapped, unable to see forward or back.

“I don’t think I can just forget it ever happened.”

His firm words made her heart tighten again.

“So I thought about it. Why not? You said you need to meet a guy to live independently, right? Your parents don’t seem to distrust me that much. Am I wrong? My family keeps pushing me to meet someone too. I want to be a good son for once. They keep nagging for a formal introduction.”

Ha… So that was it.

Eunjae couldn’t force a smile anymore.

“So… you mean we’re just using each other?”

“Yeah. As you want.”

Wooseok’s eyes took on a subtle look.

“So… like a contract relationship?”

“Contract relationship?”

Wooseok echoed.

“Yeah. We act like a couple when we need to, that sort of thing? And when we get what we want, we end it cleanly. Go back to being friends, that’s what you mean?”

That’s what Eunjae thought he meant. That seemed manageable. Pretending to be lovers wasn’t hard. What mattered was whether they could go back to how things were. Anyway, it was her kiss that started all this, so she felt she should take responsibility.

“Shin Eunjae.”

Wooseok paused, then seriously spoke her name.

“Huh?”

“You… need to watch fewer dramas.”

Ouch. Wooseok raised his hand and gave her a playful flick on the forehead. He hadn’t done that since college, so Eunjae glared at him. But Wooseok just smiled, then suddenly leaned in close. His face was right in front of hers, making Eunjae hold her breath. He was just fastening her seatbelt.

“Hey, you could’ve just asked me to do it…”

“It’s not a contract relationship.”

Wooseok carefully fastened the seatbelt and spoke.

“Then what?”

“It’s real dating. That’s what I mean.”

He said what he wanted and started the car. Eunjae, still dazed and unable to process the situation, only realized what was happening when they arrived at the company and he cheekily declared, “Today’s our day one.”