Chapter 19

“Please give us plenty of black pork, some beer and soju, ……and a bottle of bokbunja wine.”

Kiwon ordered confidently, but added the last item after glancing at Jiyeon. It was obvious who liked bokbunja. Jiyeon, not knowing what to say, avoided his eyes and picked up her water glass.

Just then, a napkin was laid out before her, and a spoon and chopsticks were set down. Minhyuk, as if it were routine, did this for everyone. Jiyeon smiled gratefully at Minhyuk, who sat beside her. From Kiwon came a low, hollow laugh. Jiyeon’s sharp gaze shifted to her ex-husband.

“If you two keep this up, I’m just going to leave. I feel sick before I’ve even eaten.”

Finally, Eunjae stepped in to mediate. If she didn’t, she could already see how this dinner would go. At Eunjae’s warning, Kiwon and Jiyeon each looked away.

Divorce hadn’t changed anything. Even when they were married, the two always bickered in front of Eunjae and got scolded for it. Eunjae could only shake her head again.

It was Wooseok who changed the heavy mood. He started talking to Kiwon about work, and asked Jiyeon about the next day’s travel plans. His questions didn’t reach Minhyuk, but whenever Minhyuk’s glass emptied, Wooseok refilled it right away.

The black pork, sizzling and mouthwatering, was cooked just right, and everyone started eating in a hurry. Only Eunjae ate a few pieces before setting her chopsticks down. She couldn’t seem to work up an appetite. After lunch and Wooseok’s accident, her nerves were still so shaken her digestion hadn’t recovered.

“Why aren’t you eating?”

Wooseok asked, as if he’d been watching Eunjae’s chopsticks all along.

“Oh, I’m eating.”

Even when Eunjae answered simply, Wooseok didn’t care and placed more meat in her bowl. Everyone at the table watched his tongs as he picked up the pork belly. Jiyeon laughed it off, saying it wasn’t the first time, and Kiwon didn’t seem to mind. Only Minhyuk paused his spoon and watched them. When his eyes briefly met Wooseok’s, he quickly scooped up some soybean paste stew.

‘One of them definitely has feelings, don’t you think?’

Suddenly, a conversation with Gayeon in the break room came to mind. They’d talked about Team Leader Jung Wooseok and Assistant Manager Shin Eunjae’s relationship. It was Minhyuk who’d brought it up, having realized his feelings for Eunjae were deeper than mere admiration. He wanted to know everything about her.

She didn’t have a boyfriend, but Wooseok was always by her side. Weren’t they said to be friends for twenty years? Minhyuk wasn’t one to insist men and women couldn’t be just friends. He still kept in touch with elementary school friends, but not as inseparable as Eunjae and Wooseok. He’d only meet up with other friends occasionally.

‘One day it’ll explode, you’ll see. Watching it happen is the real treat.’

Gayeon saw their relationship as more than just friendship. Minhyuk looked back at Eunjae and Wooseok. He’d figured out Wooseok’s feelings in the break room not long ago. Everything was written in his eyes. So was it just one-sided?

“Don’t eat this. It might not be good for your wound.”

Eunjae quietly picked out the side dishes near Wooseok. Minhyuk felt like he’d been given confirmation. The hope that it wasn’t mutual was just his wish. Anyone could see Eunjae’s attention was focused on one person.

Ever since entering the restaurant, she hadn’t looked at Minhyuk even once. Any hope was just that—hope. Seeing them so tuned into each other, yet calling it friendship, seemed almost silly. Or maybe, without him knowing, they’d already admitted their feelings.

“Auntie, could we get one more bottle of soju here?”

When Minhyuk suddenly ordered more alcohol, Kiwon gave him a strange look. This trip to Jeju seemed destined to mean a lot to several people. Kiwon quietly looked at Jiyeon across the table. She poured herself a glass of bokbunja and gazed at the seaside outside the restaurant as if it were an appetizer.

[Do you want to step outside for a bit?]

After eating enough, the table naturally turned into a drinking session. Wooseok, sipping only soda, said he was going to the bathroom but didn’t return for a while. Worried, Eunjae was about to text him when, as if by magic, she received a message from him.

[Why? Is something wrong?]

Eunjae looked up toward the restaurant’s entrance.

[I really want a cigarette, but I shouldn’t, right?]

“What?”

Eunjae blurted out her thoughts in surprise.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

Jiyeon, slightly tipsy, responded to Eunjae’s words.

“It’s nothing. Unnie, I’m just going to the bathroom….”

Eunjae left her bag and headed for the entrance. Now only three people remained at the table. What would they talk about? With Eunjae gone, it felt like their common ground had disappeared. Minhyuk was already so drunk he was almost dozing off. It seemed time to wrap things up.

“I’ll finish this and head in first.”

Jiyeon said to Kiwon.

“This guy’s drunk too, so let’s take him in. Let’s just get up.”

Kiwon grabbed the check and stood up.

“What about Eunjae and Wooseok?”

He looked at Jiyeon as if to ask why she was asking. Jiyeon had a sense of what was going on. Wooseok had intentionally called Eunjae out, and it didn’t seem like they’d be back soon. She picked up her sister’s bag and stood up.

Turning to look, Minhyuk had collapsed onto the table. Was he really that weak with alcohol? He hadn’t even finished a bottle, yet couldn’t handle it. In contrast, Kiwon, who’d had several bottles, looked perfectly fine. Had he only gotten better at drinking after the divorce? Jiyeon realized she’d become the same.

Kiwon practically carried Minhyuk into the taxi, sitting beside him, and Jiyeon took the passenger seat. They arrived at the hotel quickly and, struggling, carried Minhyuk into their accommodation. Jiyeon helped Kiwon lay Minhyuk on the bed, thinking he couldn’t manage alone. Just as she was about to leave,

“I’m going to drink a bit more.”

Kiwon suddenly spoke.

“Want to join me?”

Jiyeon stood there quietly, looking at him.

“Minhyuk is really drunk, so everyone went in first.”

Eunjae relayed Jiyeon’s text to Wooseok. He, walking ahead along the beach, nodded indifferently. Eunjae had come out to stop him from smoking, but ended up walking by the seaside in front of the restaurant.

His excuse was that he needed to walk because he hurt so much. Eunjae could only laugh at his shamelessness. If he was so insistent on a ‘beach walk,’ she might as well let him have it. Stepping out of the restaurant, thick with the smell of grilled meat, she felt her frustration melt away.

It felt like so much had happened in just one day. Above all, she sensed that it was time to clearly define her relationship with Jung Wooseok. Eunjae had already made up her mind.

“It’s nice being injured.”

Wooseok suddenly spoke as he walked.

“What?”

“You listen to everything I say without arguing, Shin Eunjae.”

“…….”

“You don’t run away.”

He turned abruptly to face Eunjae. She stopped walking, as if to keep her distance. Their relationship had always been exactly this far apart. It was an unspoken ‘rule’ they both kept. Maybe not for Wooseok, but definitely for Eunjae.

She didn’t want to lose their friendship.

“Wooseok.”

When she called him, Wooseok smiled bitterly, as if he knew just from her voice.

“So, Shin Eunjae, you’re going to decide it like that?”

Eunjae said nothing, only stood there. Wooseok looked at her quietly. This time, he wanted to push further. He didn’t want to have any more regrets. He wanted to get what he wanted, no matter what, but Eunjae, as if to say that was selfish, kept her distance.

He understood those feelings. So, he couldn’t act one-sidedly anymore.

“…Fine. I won’t make things harder for you.”

He spoke as if making a final decision.

“…….”

“Let’s just stay friends.”

Wooseok, sounding resigned, turned away. Eunjae watched his back as he walked toward the beach, feeling a sting in her chest. In the end, she was the one who made him say they should just be friends again. Right now, she felt she was the worst person.

The distance between them did not close, but grew farther. To catch up with it, Eunjae had to walk again. It was foolish, stupid. Because she didn’t want to lose him, she had to let him go. Eunjae stopped again. Wooseok, not knowing, kept walking farther away.

Her eyes suddenly grew hot. Was it the alcohol? Was it always because of alcohol? And yet, when she sobered, she would pretend it wasn’t, retreat, and still foolishly chase after his retreating back. Wooseok, realizing Eunjae wasn’t following, turned around and looked for her. Spotting her standing far away, he sighed softly and came closer. The distance between them closed once more. No—this time, it shrank until not even a handspan remained.

“Maybe because it rained. The night’s cold.”

Wooseok gave Eunjae a sad smile, meeting her gaze.

“Let’s go back.”

His eyes seemed to avoid hers, not really looking at her directly. He took the first step, moving away. Wooseok started walking from the seaside toward the restaurant. The distance that had grown close now stretched out again. Only then did Eunjae clench her fist tightly and shut her eyes hard.

“You’re not just a friend to me.”

“…….”

At Eunjae’s words, Wooseok, who was walking away, stopped in his tracks.

“I’ve seen you as a man… for a long time now.”

She confessed the truth as if spilling it out. He turned to look at her, but in the darkness, his expression couldn’t be read. Eunjae felt the ache at the end of her heart now burning away.

“…….”

Seeing Wooseok remain silent, Eunjae gave a brief smile. It was a secret she’d wanted to take to the grave. But now, she wondered what meaning that really held. Even if they returned to being friends, it would only be a shell.

Eunjae had watched all the ups and downs of love through her sister’s divorce. She’d seen their feelings at their peak, watched them plummet endlessly into despair, and witnessed the final ending of their separation. They had been a couple she thought would never end that way.

Their ending made Eunjae think of Wooseok. She feared the conclusion and tried to maintain a cowardly peace, believing this was the only way to keep seeing him forever. But now, there was no turning back.

“That’s why I tried going on blind dates. To try and get over my feelings.”

Wooseok slowly approached. Only then could she see his face. Still, she couldn’t read his expression. He seemed a little dazed, or maybe as if he’d known everything all along.

“But… it turned out like this. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”

Wooseok asked back.

“I mean, I can’t meet you just as a joke.”

At Eunjae’s words, Wooseok could only let out a baffled smile.

“Who said it was a joke?”

“It seemed like you were taking it too lightly.”

“And what does it mean to take it seriously?”

Wooseok asked another question she couldn’t quite understand.

Eunjae’s neck was already flushed red from embarrassment and shame. She thought something would change after saying it, but nothing did. It was still hard to act calm in front of Jung Wooseok.

“Think about it seriously and let me know.”

“What?”

“I’ll hear your answer when we get back to Seoul.”

Eunjae quickly walked past Wooseok.

“Hey! Shin Eunjae!”

He called after her, but she broke into a run. Perhaps it was she who needed time most of all. She hurried toward the beachfront and hailed a passing taxi. Wooseok followed, but he was a step too late. She saw him standing there, looking at the taxi in vain, reflected in the rearview mirror. Eunjae’s heartbeat pounded so loudly it rang in her ears, but a relieved smile was already spreading across her lips.