Chapter 21

After getting on the elevator, Eunjae checked her reflection in the mirror while no one was around. It was the same face she saw every day, but she fussed over it anyway. Wooseok had seen her bare face countless times, so there was no point in pretending now. Still, she couldn’t hide her desire to look pretty.

She took out her lipstick and dabbed it on, trying not to make it obvious. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, like she’d put on blush, and she laughed quietly to herself. Just then, the elevator arrived and the doors opened. She locked eyes with a man standing in front of the mirror.

“You’re already pretty, even without looking in the mirror.”

Wooseok said something so cheesy, as if it was nothing. Eunjae blushed even more, turning bright red. Covering her face in embarrassment, she rushed out of the elevator. As she passed by Wooseok, he grabbed her by the nape of her neck.

“Let’s go together.”

Then, naturally, he held her hand. Eunjae looked around in surprise. It was a little past quitting time, but there were still plenty of people around. She glared at Wooseok, thinking they shouldn’t be so obvious, but he just calmly led her along.

“No one’s going to suspect anything just because we’re holding hands.”

“What?”

“When have we not held hands?”

She had no comeback for that. They’d held hands from time to time before. It wasn’t a big deal for them. Wooseok had always insisted that friends could hold hands, and had brainwashed Eunjae into believing it. She thought it was strange that she didn’t do the same with her female friends.

But now things were different. She’d confessed, and they’d even slept together. Physical affection was naturally leading in that direction. When Eunjae tried to pull her hand away, Wooseok added another comment.

“If anyone sees, they’ll think I was the one who confessed to you.”

“What?”

“I like holding hands with you.”

He stepped closer and said it right in front of her. When their eyes met, Eunjae’s heart pounded. Jung Wooseok’s words had a way of shaking people. Maybe it only worked on her, but whenever he acted this way, Eunjae felt butterflies in her stomach and like she was committing a huge sin. She’d always told herself that she shouldn’t feel this way about a friend. Old habits didn’t change easily.

“When you’re happy… I find it so annoying and unbearable.”

“What?”

Wooseok burst out laughing.

“Just kidding, just kidding.”

Eunjae, as always, changed the mood with a joke. Wooseok understood why she acted this way. After all the years as friends, suddenly switching modes wasn’t easy. The confession had been so hard to get. Even though he tried to wait patiently, he couldn’t help but want more. Sometimes, the words she’d said by the seaside still felt unreal.

“Go quickly. The hospital will close soon.”

Eunjae spotted Wooseok’s car and hurried to the passenger seat. Wooseok unlocked the car with the remote and showed a brief, happy smile. So there were days like this. He had always lived worrying that Shin Eunjae might run away, but now he had received her confession. 

He wanted to speak up right away, but another part of him wanted to savor this moment. It felt like it might never come again. But Shin Eunjae was unpredictable; who knew what emotions she might be digging up without his knowledge? Today, he resolved that he needed to reach a clear conclusion between them. He had already prepared everything for that.

Wooseok got into the driver’s seat and immediately started the car toward the hospital. The wound treatment could have been handled quickly between fieldwork, but he wanted to make time with Eunjae. If he suggested dinner or a date, she might tease him in some unpredictable way. He knew her better than anyone. He needed a custom formula for affection.

“The wound has healed a lot.”

“It still throbs a little.”

When Wooseok answered, Eunjae looked at him with concern.

“Does it hurt a lot? You should’ve said so at the hospital. If you’d asked for painkillers, they would’ve given you some.”

“It’s not that bad.”

Wooseok smiled briefly as he drove. Arriving at the hospital and getting his wound treated was so quick that Eunjae felt almost silly for coming as his guardian. Still, she felt more at ease than if she’d let him go alone. Seeing his wound heal bit by bit, her guilt seemed to fade as well.

“I’m hungry.”

Wooseok spoke abruptly.

“Should we eat dinner before we part? Hmm, is there somewhere to eat nearby?”

Eunjae answered, pulling out her phone. Just then, the light turned red and Wooseok looked at her.

“Should we order tteokbokki at my place?”

“Your… place?”

It was a place she visited all the time, but suddenly Eunjae hesitated.

“This is exactly your tteokbokki timing. The last time you had it was two weeks ago. If you don’t eat it today, you’ll get stressed and take it out on me, right?”

Eunjae laughed awkwardly at Wooseok’s words.

“Hey. When did I ever take it out on you…”

She felt a little guilty saying that. Ever since she was young, Eunjae had loved tteokbokki so much that she felt she needed to eat it at least once a week to feel normal. After eating spicy and sweet tteokbokki, nothing else in the world mattered. She felt pure happiness, almost like being in a trance. In other words, she was completely addicted.

Once, she became so obsessed with spicy food that she ate it every three days and ended up in the ER with stomach problems. That’s when Wooseok started managing her addiction. He told her she could eat what she wanted, but only once every two weeks. Since then, Eunjae had become someone who ate tteokbokki with Wooseok every two weeks.

“So… where would we order from?”

“How about Auntie’s place?”

Just hearing the shop’s name made Eunjae’s mouth water. That tteokbokki was only spicy, so Wooseok only allowed it occasionally. She didn’t know why she needed his permission, but thanks to his management, she was able to control her addiction.

“Should we order chicken, too?”

“Sure!”

Wooseok’s cheerful voice made Eunjae laugh.

“Why?”

“I just wonder what I would do without you.”

Wooseok looked at her with gentle eyes at Eunjae’s words. She quickly clarified that she didn’t mean it that way, but Wooseok’s smile didn’t fade.

“Same here.”

As the light changed and the car started moving, Wooseok spoke up again.

“…What is?”

Eunjae glanced at him, secretly hoping for something.

“…It’s a secret.”

Wooseok answered late, enjoying her attention. Eunjae got annoyed and hit Wooseok’s arm. He grabbed his shoulder with one hand for a moment. She had forgotten he was injured. Eunjae quickly held his arm instead.

“Oh, sorry. Does it hurt?”

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

“I haven’t even been able to wash my hair lately.”

“What?”

Suddenly, she wondered what he meant.

“You should wash my hair for me.”

The light stopped again, and Wooseok met her gaze. There was a strange sparkle in his eyes. What kind of man asks so tenderly and playfully to have his hair washed? Eunjae’s heart pounded at his suggestion. She felt a warm heat rising from her lower belly.

“Ah, fine. I’ll do it… okay?”

Eunjae avoided his gaze and sighed softly.

“Go up first.”

When the car arrived at Wooseok’s officetel basement, the two got out naturally.

“What about you?”

Eunjae looked at Wooseok pressing the elevator button.

“There’s no beer. I’ll go to the convenience store.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“The tteokbokki will arrive soon.”

“Oh.”

Since they’d ordered from the car, she worried they might miss the delivery. Wooseok said he’d pay through the delivery app, but Eunjae insisted on buying it herself. She’d been treated too often lately, and it bothered her.

“Alright. I’ll set the table.”

“Okay. I’ll be quick.”

Eunjae dropped Wooseok off on the first floor and went up to the floor where his apartment was. Since they shared the password, it was nothing unusual. Whenever Wooseok went on long business trips or she had to work late, she often slept at his place near the office.

She’d once told him to let her know if he ever started dating someone, since it wouldn’t be right to stay over then. Wooseok only ever gave her a mysterious smile. She’d felt a bit hurt by his lack of denial. Thinking back, Eunjae got a little sentimental.

Soon, she arrived at Wooseok’s door and entered the familiar password. As she opened the door and stepped inside, she suddenly stopped. At the entrance, there was a pair of unfamiliar shoes. Eunjae hesitated, unsure what to do.

“Wooseok?”

A middle-aged woman’s voice came from inside. Eunjae realized it was Wooseok’s mother. She quickly took off her shoes and went into the living room.

“Hello, Ma’am.”

Seonjeong stood up from the table when she saw Eunjae.

“Oh… it’s you? …It’s been a while.”

The two hadn’t met since Wooseok’s older brother, Minwoo, died. Eunjae had attended Minwoo’s funeral and painfully witnessed what it was like for parents to lose a child. Fourteen years had passed since then, and Seonjeong had become a middle-aged woman of that age.

Eunjae still remembered the moment Seonjeong looked at her with empty eyes. For reasons she couldn’t explain, Eunjae found it difficult to face Seonjeong after that. When Eunjae used to visit Wooseok’s house for homework, Seonjeong was always kinder than anyone else. But something in the air had changed. Maybe it was only natural after such a tragedy. Eunjae accepted that. After that, Wooseok’s parents moved to the countryside and he moved out, so she didn’t visit as often.

She thought they might run into each other by chance, but years passed. Now, Eunjae couldn’t see Seonjeong as just her friend’s mother. If she ever dated Wooseok, she’d have to think about what came after. She became automatically cautious.