Chapter 5

A few minutes later, instead of Jiyeon, a text came from the blind date man. Just a simple apology. Rather than feeling angry, Eunjae let out a hollow laugh. There was no explanation for why he couldn’t come. Obviously, it was something he couldn’t say himself. Sure enough, Jiyeon called right away. Eunjae couldn’t avoid it and pressed the answer button.

“……Yeah.”

—Hey, that crazy jerk, I can’t even speak. What kind of person is that… whew. I’m really getting mad for the first time in a while.

Jiyeon’s report was this: after some digging through a close connection, she found out the man had a long-term girlfriend. They’d even lived together, but after a fight, they broke up—and today, he got a call from her. Even the teacher who’d arranged the blind date for Jiyeon didn’t know this.

He always had a clean, upright image and a good reputation at school, so no one could believe it. He always claimed to be lonely without a girlfriend, but no one imagined he was living with someone. Jiyeon’s colleague kept apologizing to her, saying she had no idea.

Eunjae heard all this but let it pass in one ear and out the other. It didn’t really affect her. She was just worried about the pouring rain outside the window. And her swollen foot from wearing the wrong shoes.

“Got it. I’ll just go home.”

—Hey, it’s pouring outside and you didn’t even bring an umbrella. I’ll come get you. Just wait a bit.

“I’m okay…….”

Beep. The call ended on its own. She thought about texting Jiyeon that she could just buy an umbrella at the convenience store, so there was no need to come—but Eunjae stopped herself. She couldn’t stop Jiyeon from acting out of guilt. Her shoes were uncomfortable anyway, and somehow, she didn’t want to walk out of the lounge alone.

Looking back out the window, the rain was coming down in torrents. When she checked the news on her phone, everyone was complaining about the weather service. How could they not forecast such heavy rain? Even her usual weather app had shown only a big yellow sun, not even an umbrella icon.

Unexpected things happen in life, but why did it have to be today? Her mood sank even further. There was no one to blame. What was the point of resenting the man who ruined the blind date?

She decided to just drink her coffee, but the cup was already empty. Jiyeon was taking longer than expected. 

‘Should I just leave?’

As she debated, she glanced toward the lounge entrance—and saw a familiar silhouette.

She hadn’t even been drinking, but it felt strange.

Wooseok, dressed in a sharp suit just like her, strode toward her.

“Get up.”

His hair was slightly wet, as if he’d run to get there. His breathing was a little rough. Most of all, the way he looked down at her was harsher than usual, almost as if he was angry. She could feel curious glances from people nearby.

“How… how did you know I was here?”

“Jiyeon.”

Ah… hearing the situation explained made Eunjae’s neck burn even hotter. Her chest ached with embarrassment. This was the last person she wanted to see her like this. Life really wasn’t easy.

“Aren’t you busy?”

Eunjae glanced at Wooseok’s outfit.

“I’m not busy.”

He still sounded angry. What was he annoyed about? She was the one embarrassed here. It would have been better if he’d just laughed and teased her. In the end, Eunjae watched Wooseok’s reaction and got up. As she grabbed her bag, she lost her balance, but Wooseok caught her arm with a firm grip.

“Are you okay?”

Could she get any more embarrassed? Eunjae’s face turned bright red.

“Ah, yeah. It’s because I wore heels.”

“Hold onto me.”

Wooseok moved beside her, waiting for her to link her arm with his. She was about to say it wasn’t necessary, but her arm was already hooked around his. Nearly dragged along, she left the lounge with him. When she realized she’d forgotten to pay, Wooseok said he’d already taken care of it and stared at the elevator numbers.

“I’ll transfer you the money…”

At her words, his gaze dropped. Today, his eyes were especially sharp and fierce. Was something wrong? Seeing him in a suit, she wondered if he’d just come from something important. Suddenly, she remembered: today was Minwoo’s memorial day.

“Ah…”

“What?”

“Did you go to Yangju?”

How could she have forgotten? After visiting the columbarium, Wooseok always met Eunjae for drinks. At least on those days, he drank without worrying about tomorrow. If the memorial wasn’t on a weekend, he’d take a day off, but this year it was Saturday, so Eunjae had missed it.

“Let’s get in.”

The elevator had arrived. Wooseok signaled to Eunjae. He waited to make sure she wouldn’t stumble again. Eunjae quickly grabbed his arm and stepped inside.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You ignored my text this morning.”

Wooseok’s brusque reply left Eunjae speechless. She wondered why he’d texted so early, which was unlike him. She really wasn’t good at multitasking—she’d been so focused on the blind date that she’d neglected everything else. She still wanted to keep her distance from Wooseok, but didn’t want to stop being friends. Lately, it felt harder than ever to find a balance.

“Did everything go well?”

“As you can see.”

Wooseok still didn’t look at her as he answered coldly.

“Doesn’t look like it went well.”

At Eunjae’s retort, he finally looked down.

“You look like you could kill someone with that expression.”

Ha… finally, Wooseok’s face softened a bit in disbelief. He knew why he was angry. He’d been ignored, and then heard that the person who went to a blind date was stood up and left sitting alone in a hotel lounge. He was both annoyed and worried as a friend.

Whenever this happened, Wooseok looked at her with the face he had at twenty. The immature, rough side of Jung Wooseok that only she knew. The side he never showed as the Vice President of Seum Architecture Office. Sometimes, she missed that. Wooseok started hiding his feelings after losing his older brother at twenty.

“Since we’re both down, should we go for a drink?”

Eunjae suggested first. Wooseok nodded, his expression relaxing as if he hadn’t been angry at all. Then he looked down at her high heels with a pitying gaze.

“How tall did you get with those?”

Wooseok was taller than most men, so when they stood together, he always looked down at her. But today, it was different—probably because of the heels she wore like armor. With her unusual makeup, clothes, and shoes, he might not have recognized her at a glance. Only now, after twenty years of friendship, was he seeing a new side of her. Wooseok wondered if he should be happy or sad about that.

“Heels make me feel more confident.”

“Why do you need confidence for that guy?”

“Can you stop? I’m barely holding in my embarrassment right now.”

“Then why wear heels? Your ankles aren’t even good shape.”

“I wanted to look pretty.”

Eunjae said firmly. Wooseok’s face was surprised, almost comical. Even she found it ironic—she’d dressed up for someone she didn’t even meet. And the man she wanted most to look pretty for had shown up unexpectedly, only to get angry instead of complimenting her.

“Do you even understand how women feel?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t be like this.”

“What?”

Before she could hear Wooseok’s grumbling, the elevator reached the lobby. Before the crowd entered, Wooseok led her outside. He hadn’t parked in the garage, it seemed. Maybe that’s why he was wet from the rain. Before Eunjae could ask, they reached the hotel entrance. Wooseok draped his jacket over her head.

“Can you run?”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, his face was very close.

“Want to wait here? I’ll bring the car. Your shoes…”

“It’s fine. Let’s run. Let’s go.”

Driven by the urge to escape, Eunjae dashed out first. The pouring rain soaked her clothes, and she could hear Wooseok’s breathing beside her. Maybe because the summer monsoon hadn’t started yet, the weather was hot even in the rain. Heat rose in her chest, and Eunjae clenched her fists tightly.