Chapter 8 Part 1

Under normal circumstances, he would have acted shamelessly, but today, apologies came naturally. Minjoo still said nothing. Minjoo’s silence made Gihyun uneasy.

Minjoo sighed. She looked at Gihyun with lonely eyes. Suddenly, the image of his mother drinking came to mind. The melancholic eyes longing for his father. For that moment, Minjoo seemed to resemble his mother more than Yoonjung did.

“…It’s okay.”

Contrary to her sad gaze, the words that came out of her mouth were, “It’s okay.”

“I was worried something might happen on your way home.”

“…….”

“It’s fine as long as nothing happened.”

Minjoo turned her head and picked up a mop. Seeing Minjoo’s back as she headed for the bathroom, Gihyun’s chest suddenly felt uneasy. He rushed towards Minjoo.

“Cha Min-joo!”

Before Minjoo could say more, he hugged her from behind. Minjoo’s shoulders shook slightly. Even though she was not someone easily swayed by tears, Gihyun felt his heart drop.

He released his arms and went in front of Minjoo. Minjoo turned her head away. Her attempt to avoid eye contact made Gihyun more anxious. He cupped her face with both hands. He leaned in to kiss her. Minjoo shook her head vigorously. The person who seemed like they would never refuse was now rejecting him, making Gihyun feel like he was going to lose control.

“I’m sorry.”

“…It’s okay.”

“Minjoo.”

He reached out again and hugged Minjoo tightly. Minjoo, who had been squirming in his embrace, finally spoke.

“Let go…”

“If you kiss me.”

To show that his anger had subsided.

Minjoo granted Gihyun’s request. She gave a dry kiss and tried to pull away. Gihyun covered Minjoo’s cheek with his palm. He inserted his tongue. He held onto Minjoo’s attempt to escape. During this, all his focus was on his lower body.

He headed straight to the bed. He pulled away from the kiss and pushed Minjoo down. Minjoo’s eyes were wet. It seemed more provocative. He urgently reached into Minjoo’s shirt. With his other hand, he pulled down her pants and underwear in one go.

Starting from her cleavage, he traced his fingers down her stomach. He lightly scratched her sides as he moved up. Each time he touched her, Minjoo responded by arching her body. His persistently probing fingers moved down to Minjoo’s most sensitive area. As he touched her flesh, Minjoo’s waist buckled.

“Stop…”

The voice was moist. The entrance twitched and became damp. There was no way to stop. Gihyun tugged at his pants. His p*nis, veins standing out, was protruding as if it would pierce through his underwear. He urgently grasped it and aligned the gl*ns with the entrance.

The thick column entered Minjoo. The familiar flowing fluid made it slippery, allowing Gihyun to enter smoothly. The interior twitched, firmly gripping Gihyun. From the gl*ns to the base, it felt like it would melt and collapse. Despite having done it so many times with Cha Minjoo, the pleasure was always overwhelming.

“Minjoo.”

“Uh, yes, yes….”

“Minjoo….”

He looked down at his member half-buried in Minjoo’s v*gina. Seeing the connection visually brought a great sense of pleasure. Gihyun fully pushed in. Minjoo made lewd sounds as she felt the man inside her. Seeing the perfectly matched junction, Gihyun felt a sense of security. Cha Minjoo was allowing him.

He grasped her hips. With only the head remaining, he pulled out and then pressed in strongly until the pubic hair was brushed. Unable to endure the range of movement, he thrust quickly and forcefully.

“Ugh, ugh, uh, ah! Ah, ahh! Huh, ugh….”

“Ha, Cha Minjoo, Minjoo.”

Minjoo’s face was wet with reflexive pleasure and emotional tears. The feeling was strange. Gihyun intermittently kissed her, changing the movement of his hips to the side. At the same time, familiar pleasure surged up his spine as he hit a dead end.

He came deep inside Minjoo, holding her tightly as he released. After s*x, Gihyun continued to hold Minjoo.

What happened today should never be spoken of. So once again, Gihyun kept silent. If left alone, Minjoo would calm down on her own and come to Gihyun.

***

For a while, Gihyun kept an eye on Minjoo’s reaction. He made sure to contact her regularly, something he hadn’t done before, and even borrowed money from Won-jun to buy a somewhat expensive meal for her. Fortunately, Minjoo treated Gihyun as usual. However, the liveliness in her eyes when she looked at him had faded. Still, Gihyun believed time would fix things.

Occasionally, he received messages from Yoonjung. He ignored every single one. He had become what you might call a trashy guy. Still, he felt that showing himself with Yoonjung in front of Minjoo would make even a kind-hearted pushover leave forever.

But he couldn’t avoid Yoonjung forever. One day, a month later, he ran into Yoonjung right after leaving the classroom.

“Did you just use me?”

When Yoonjung spoke so bluntly, even Won-jun next to him widened his eyes. Gihyun could only stay silent. Yoonjung gave him a look that suggested he should follow. Gihyun had no choice but to comply.

“I’m pregnant.”

As soon as they settled into a café, that was the first thing Yoonjung said. Gihyun’s face crumpled in shock. Yoonjung calmly pulled a stick out of her bag and handed it to him.

“The doctor said I’m 5 weeks pregnant.”

“……”

“Counting the days, it seems to have happened around the time we were together.”

Gihyun was unable to respond due to shock. He looked up with cold eyes and said:

“So what?”

“You’re such a joke. You need to take responsibility.”

“What have I done?”

“Men are so quick with their words. You slept with me. So what, should I just get rid of it? What about my body? Didn’t you say something like that? Your father didn’t take responsibility when he messed around with your mother.”

“……”

“Are you going to be the same way?”

Yoonjung sneered with a lot of disdain. He felt choked. He couldn’t believe that he had done the same thing he hated most about his father. Yet, what was in front of him was reality.

He now knew it was something he couldn’t avoid.

After parting ways with Yoonjung, Gihyun sat on a park bench. He dredged up memories from his childhood.

His mother, who was too weak to care for her young son who wore sandals to school in the middle of winter. His mother, who would lie in bed or drink alcohol. His mother, who wanted to jump out of the window whenever she saw it. His mother, who smiled and said they should study hard to visit his father. His mother, who slapped him when his test scores were bad.

Although he didn’t like children, imagining his own child living like he did made him feel calm. Above all, there were mixed feelings of love and hate for his mother who raised him, but only hatred for his father. He couldn’t follow the same path as his father. Even though it was an unwanted child, he had to take responsibility.

But one thought stood in his way.

Is there anyone else who would treat him as well as Minjoo did?

“If you have at least a shred of conscience, break up with Minjoo quickly.”

“If you’re going to move on to Kang Yoonjung, then finish things up quickly.”

He didn’t really want to hear Hyekyung’s words, but he felt he needed to be respectful to Minjoo. Determined, Gihyun slowly got up.

He entered Minjoo’s studio apartment as usual. Minjoo was sitting at a small table, working through problems in a workbook. It seemed she was preparing for tutoring. As soon as she saw Gihyun, she greeted him with a gentle smile.

“Gihyun.”

The sight of Minjoo’s fresh smile suddenly made him feel strange. It was as if his whole body had a heartbeat, pounding heavily. A woman who had never been difficult now felt difficult for the first time. Minjoo only smiled brightly.

“You came at just the right time. I have good news.”

“…What news?”

“The student I’m teaching had a huge improvement in their mock exam scores. The student’s mother said she would give us more money as a kind of bonus. How about we go out for some meat today?”

Gihyun, who had come to deliver bad news, found himself at a loss for words. He just stared at Minjoo with a gloomy expression. Minjoo, who had been smiling, now looked at Gihyun with concern.

“Is something wrong?”

She reached out with a worried expression. Minjoo, who always treated Gihyun with kindness and tenderness, suddenly seemed delicate.

He couldn’t endure the gap between those conflicting emotions. Gihyun took a step back and quickly said the words he had prepared.

“Cha Minjoo.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s break up.”

At the sudden words, Minjoo blinked as if she didn’t understand. In response, he enunciated each word.

“I came to say we should break up.”

“…Did I do something wrong?”

Minjoo asked back, seemingly bewildered. Desperation appeared in her eyes. It looked like she might burst into tears at any moment. Gihyun was suffocated by that gaze. He revealed the truth.

“…Yoonjung is pregnant.”

“……”

“I was drunk once…. I guess it was a mistake.”

“……”

“…I have to take responsibility.”

Minjoo stared at Gihyun with her mouth open. Her shoulders shook, and her face began to be streaked with tears. Seeing her more vulnerable than ever shook his heart. He turned his head away. Then, for the first time, he revealed the past he had hidden.

“…My mother was a single mother.”

“……”

“My father abandoned my mother and me.”

He couldn’t bring himself to mention that his mother had lived with depression all her life and eventually committed suicide.

“I don’t want to be like my father.”

Gihyun recalled his childhood. The nights walking with his drunk mother. The smell of soju seeping through her school uniform. Spurred by these memories, he finally spoke harshly.

“Thank you.”

Perhaps due to the confusion between his head and heart, he felt choked as he spoke.

“Thank you for loving someone like me.”

Gihyun began to speak words intended to sever his ties.

“I’m just grateful.”

“……”

“That’s it. That’s all I feel for you.”

Minjoo, who had been crying, looked at Gihyun in utter disbelief.