Chapter 2

They were old friends, knowing each other’s personal lives better than anyone. That’s why she brought up the blind date.

“When I said I wanted to move out, my parents said if I met a proper guy, they’d let me.”

The lies kept growing. It wasn’t entirely made up—her mom, not her dad, had actually said it.

Once her sister moved in, her mother’s nagging got worse. When Eunjae said she’d move out, her mom told her to find a man first. Not necessarily marriage, but if she brought home a decent guy to introduce, they’d let her live independently.

“Were you ever the type to listen to your parents so well?”

‘This guy, seriously.’

Well, he wasn’t wrong. So Eunjae couldn’t help but get emotional.

“Hey, I’m thirty-three. I can’t just work forever. If I meet someone good, I want to date and enjoy life a bit, using my parents as an excuse if I have to. Even if it’s not marriage, if Mom and Dad’s wish is for me to date, why not grant it?”

“Any guy is fine?”

Wooseok asked seriously.

“What?”

“As long as he’s a guy, it’s okay?”

His piercing gaze made Eunjae’s toes tingle again. That cold look that seemed to see right through people was Wooseok’s specialty—and what Eunjae feared most. Facing him made her feel like she was suffocating, dizzy in the head. But she also knew too well how to escape.

“Yeah. As long as it’s not you, I think I’ll be fine.”

Eunjae deliberately joked. Of course, Wooseok didn’t laugh. He didn’t get angry either. The atmosphere kept freezing over, and unable to bear the suffocating tension any longer, Eunjae stood up.

“Let’s go. We have work tomorrow.”

“……”

Wooseok looked at her with a briefly sad expression. But that was it. He headed to the counter before her, paid, and walked outside. Whew… Eunjae let out a long sigh.

After purposely stopping by the restroom, Eunjae finally left the bar. She assumed Wooseok had already called a driver and left. She was about to open a taxi app, thinking he’d just texted her goodbye, when the smell of cigarette smoke drifted by.

“Ride with me.”

She looked up to see Wooseok approaching. The cigarette smell was coming from him. Eunjae was surprised again. Hadn’t he quit? It felt like years ago. Suddenly, she felt a pang of betrayal.

It was Eunjae who’d urged him to quit smoking. Architecture meant lots of late nights and mental work, so health could suffer easily. Her brother-in-law—President Han—used to be a chain smoker, but after a huge fight with Jiyeon, he quit for good. Jiyeon became pregnant, so it was only natural. Seeing that, Eunjae had talked to Wooseok about it too.

‘Let’s live long and see each other for a long time.’

She’d said it as a passing joke, but Wooseok took it seriously. Quitting wasn’t a bad thing, so Eunjae appreciated his effort.

President Han picked up smoking again after divorcing Jiyeon, but Wooseok didn’t follow his lead. He was the type to stick to his decisions, so Eunjae was grateful. With a life full of overtime and site visits, smoking on top of that was just asking to die young.

“Are you… smoking again?”

Eunjae blurted out before anything else.

“…Well. These days, occasionally.”

Wooseok avoided her gaze as he answered, then stepped toward the street to flag down a passing taxi. Eunjae couldn’t understand him. Was he leaving his car behind to take a taxi with her?

“What about your car?”

Eunjae approached Wooseok and spoke.

“Anyway, it’s right in front of the company. I can find it tomorrow.”

He was waiting with the back seat door open. With no other choice, Eunjae got into the taxi. At that moment, because Wooseok tried to sit next to her, she had to quickly move her body aside.

“Sit in the front.”

“I’m dizzy from drinking.”

What? She couldn’t even force a laugh at his shameless answer. She wondered why he was acting this way today. Eunjae kept staring at Wooseok’s profile, and he kindly told the taxi driver her home address.

Eunjae, as if giving up, moved her body toward the window and looked outside. She felt him glancing at her, but tried not to care. What was the reason for this? Maybe it was because she had also drunk a little, but Eunjae found it hard to think rationally.

Right. It was always like this. Everything about him was twisted and tangled, and there were no answers. This time, she really needed to break away perfectly. Even if it wasn’t because of this blind date, she recently realized she needed to keep a proper distance.

During the whole taxi ride, Wooseok said nothing. He folded his arms and buried himself deeply in the seat, closing his eyes for a while. Thanks to that, Eunjae could sit comfortably. Why did he have to squeeze into her seat like this?

At some point, Eunjae started trying to keep a proper distance from Wooseok. She stopped casually touching or holding him like before. As if he noticed, he seemed to get closer to her. But whenever she became serious, Wooseok would give a bitter smile and maintain the distance she wanted. She needed that now, too. Eunjae wished the taxi would arrive at her house quickly.

“Thank you.”

As soon as they reached the apartment entrance, before Wooseok could act first, Eunjae handed her card to the driver. She had been preparing and acted swiftly. Seeing her speed, Wooseok, who was about to take out his card, let out a small laugh. Then he got out first and waited for Eunjae to come out.

It was only natural, given how they were seated. Eunjae thought he would take the taxi home again. But as soon as Eunjae got out, Wooseok slammed the back seat door, and the taxi sped off in front of the apartment. Surprised, Eunjae looked back and forth between Wooseok and the taxi.

“Why did you send it away?”

“Let’s walk a bit.”

Wooseok walked outside instead of into the apartment entrance. Eunjae nervously grabbed her hair. She could have just ignored him and left, but her hands felt empty. Feeling strange, she saw him smiling while holding her bag.

‘Ha, that guy really…’

Grumbling, Eunjae had no choice but to follow Wooseok.

“Here, gum.”

Wooseok waited for Eunjae to approach and held out his palm. The anti-drowsiness gum was in his hand. This was her routine. Living with her parents, whenever she drank, she tried to sober up before coming home.

Her father was a single-minded civil servant, and her mother, a former nurse, was very health-conscious. Neither of them drank, so they didn’t look kindly on their daughters drinking. Since Jiyeon moved back in, she would sometimes buy beer, but that was an exception allowed because of her divorce. Since she was forced to move back in, their parents just let it go.

Because of that, Eunjae tried not to make her parents worry. Drinking because of work was unavoidable, but when she did, she always chewed gum and walked around the park a few times to sober up before coming in. Of course, Jung Wooseok knew about this. Eunjae followed behind Wooseok, letting out another quiet sigh.

‘He’s a guy who knows me so well. How can I drift away?’

“When’s your blind date?”

As they entered the small park next to the apartment, Wooseok suddenly asked. Eunjae felt dazed, like someone attacked out of nowhere. When was it? She hadn’t even listened properly to the guy’s job, much less the date.

“This, this week?”

“Where?”

Eunjae was lost for words again. Why was he so interested? She wanted to retort, but his eyes were serious. Was he upset? Maybe. They’d been friends for a long time. Sharing everything, it was only natural to want to know.

“Why? Are you going to come and mess it up?”

Eunjae deliberately asked with a playful smile.

“Mess it up?”

He didn’t laugh, just asked again.

“Are you upset because your noona is meeting a guy, Wooseok?”

She had no choice but to deflect like this. She even grabbed his shoulder, showing skinship she never did before. But that touch meant there was not a single ounce of emotion in it.

“Don’t worry. Even if I date a guy, I won’t abandon you.”

While Wooseok looked blank, Eunjae snatched her bag and turned back toward the apartment. She felt him standing there, but didn’t look back.

“Get home safe. See you tomorrow.”

Eunjae waved her hand quickly, eager to get away from Wooseok. She hadn’t lied, but felt guilty for some reason. Guilty for what? She shook her head to clear her mind. She just wanted everything to flow smoothly.