CHAPTER 14 – New Year’s Gathering (Part 1)

Her alarm went off, reminding her it was time to get up. Seo-yeon reached out and fumbled for her phone. She switched off the alarm and slipped back into the sheets.

Her head was throbbing and her throat was dry from a hangover. Unable to open her eyes, she curled up under the sheets. She didn’t drink much in anticipation of New Year’s Gathering, but even a small amount had left her quickly intoxicated.

I need to get up. 

She thought, but she couldn’t muster the will to rise. As she lay there with her eyes closed, fragmented memories from yesterday came back to her. The warmth of his body against her. The sound of her own moans filling the closet. Hwang Dojun’s scent.

Ugh. 

Seo-yeon curled up even more tightly in the sheets. Even in that short moment, more memories surfaced. Dojun’s sidelong gaze as he lifted her chin, and the sturdy shoulders she had clung to.

Closing her eyes tightly, Seo-yeon shook her head. 

Why can’t I get rid of these memories, even after all the alcohol? Please go away.

I need to think about something else.

Seo-yeon consciously diverted her thoughts.

The alarm had rung, so it must be 7 a.m. The Yeonwoo House opens at 6 p.m., and so I needed to leave by 5:30 p.m. at the latest… Nail salon appointment at 11 a.m, Hair appointment at 2 p.m.

Her face must be all puffy, so she’ll have to take a half-body bath in the morning, which means she has to get up now. Seo-yeon let out another grunt of pain and pushed herself up.

She pulled her disheveled hair up into a rough bun with a hair tie, grabbed her phone, and stumbled out into the living room. With no intention of eating, only thirst, she opened the fridge door and pulled out a bottle of water. As she drank straight from the bottle, her phone vibrated with a message.

[Are you awake?]

It was Sehyun. She sighed briefly before her phone vibrated again.

[I’ve been busy and couldn’t contact you properly. Sorry.]

[You know it’s the New Year’s gathering today, right?]

[I’ll pick you up at 5:00].

[Please bear with me until today. Sorry once again. Sorry.]

The last message made her chuckle. It was typical of him to say whatever he wanted and then add two ‘sorry’s’ at the end. It must not be hard to casually throw around apologies like that.

Seo-yeon turned her attention to the TV. In the first drawer of the TV cabinet was a USB with the dashcam footage. She hesitated whether to delete it or not, but decided to keep it as insurance, leaving it there just in case. It seemed like a good decision now.

I can’t wait to get rid of that USB.

Seo-yeon thought as she ran a hand through her hair. The reason she hadn’t informed anyone about the breakup yet was because she didn’t want things to get complicated. She didn’t want the topic of their breakup to arise during the New Year’s gathering where everyone was gathered.

After today, she planned to give it about a week or so before quietly informing their family. She plans to tell her family that she and Sehyun have been busy with each other for a long time and that they parted ways on good terms.

She’ll say that she has tried to make it work, but it’s a relationship that doesn’t always work out the way they want it to.

Once everything was officially sorted out, she planned to discard the USB that had been lingering uneasily in her living room cabinet.

Time would fly and that day would come.

Seo-yeon flipped her phone over on the dining table as messages continued to come in. Seo-yeon flipped her mobile phone face-down on the kitchen table as she received a series of messages. She wasn’t feeling well, probably because of the alcohol she drank last night. She felt like she needed to soak in hot water for a long time.

* * *

Sehyun sat in his car and drove around the apartment car park. Seo-yeon’s apartment was old, so the car park was narrow and inconvenient.

Why on earth would she live in such a crappy neighborhood when she could be in Jamsil or Banpo?

Sehyun clicked his tongue as he slowly scanned his surroundings. Old apartments, ordinary cars. He had felt it every time he dropped her off, but it still didn’t sit well with him. Well, Seo-yeon was always strange and stubborn.

He had fallen for her at first sight because she was so refined and beautiful. Her reluctance to open up easily was charming, and her calm personality was nice. He had wanted to open the door to her hardened heart and make her his girlfriend. So, he had diligently approached her slowly over the course of a year, not wanting to make things too burdensome.

But once they started dating, all those good qualities turned into flaws. Her reluctance to allow physical affection. Her stoic reactions, where “thank you for everything” were all she’d say no matter what he did. Her lack of affection, and so on.

Sehyun liked women who were full of affection. He sometimes enjoyed it when they acted cute and whined. With them, he could love them, adore them, and comfort them as much as he wanted.

Well, he didn’t necessarily want a woman who acted cute all the time and was always fussing. He liked a woman who was wise enough to know when to be loving and cuddly and when to be mature.

But Seo-yeon was, for him, she was dry and calm. She didn’t even show a wide smile. If a man meticulously planned a date and made reservations at a restaurant, he would expect appreciation and praise, but Seo-yeon hardly reacted.

When he explained to her how hard it was to get a reservation and how popular the place was, she would only thank him for his efforts, and that was it.

That’s why he can’t help but fall for Haewon.

Sehyun thought of Haewon as he gripped the steering wheel. Naturally relying on him from the beginning, eagerly expecting him. The pure smile, the cute face that cheered for even the smallest things.

She was his fiancée’s half-sister. It was a forbidden relationship, but because it was forbidden, it was even more precious.

Although they hadn’t been in touch much lately because he had been busy, and he was not sure if she was pissed or what, but still he found her shallowness endearing. 

I’m sure she’s pouting, waiting to hear from me. I’m sure she’ll be smiling and hugging me like she always does when I surprise her with a gift.

After circling around once, Seo-yeon’s car was nowhere to be found in the above-ground parking lot. 

Damn this old apartment complex. 

Sehyun turned the car around and drove down to the underground car park. He was halfway around when he saw a familiar car. Sehyun parked in the empty space opposite Seo-yeon’s car, switched off his lights and waited for her.

But still, they were going together to the gathering.

Sehyun checked his face in the rearview mirror. He swept up his neatly arranged hair once more and pulled a lip balm from his inside pocket.

My lips have been a little rough lately.

Thinking that, he applied the lip balm to his lips. Smack, smack. After finishing, he put it back in his pocket, but he caught sight of Seo-yeon’s reflection in the mirror.

Wow.

Sehyun’s eyes widened. Seo-yeon was walking towards him from a distance. Unintentionally, a gasp escaped his lips. A little bit of glamour makes her look even more striking.

Had her features always come alive so brightly with just a little extra makeup and more glamorous accessories than usual?

She had simply let her long hair down from its usual neat style, added a bit more makeup, and donned more dazzling accessories than usual, but it was a little embellishment that made her eyes sparkle. Coupled with her characteristic poised demeanor, she looked incredibly elegant.

What a waste. Should I reconsider?

Thinking like that with a slack-jawed expression, Seo-yeon’s car suddenly lit up with a beep. Seo-yeon was almost at her car. Sehyun quickly opened his car door and called out to her.

“Seo-yeon.”

Over here. Get in.

Sehyun waved at Seo-yeon with a bright smile.