Chapter 47

Click, the front door opened, and Haji trudged in, taking off her shoes.

On a weekend evening, Haji finally came home when the sky was gradually turning dusky.

She plopped down on the sofa and sorted through the houses she had visited at several real estate agencies since the morning.

“The distance is good here, as are the nearby facilities, even the water supply. And the price is right, isn’t it? But the move-in date is too late.”

Would the second place be better?

The conditions are all similar, but the move-in is the fastest.

Muttering to herself while scribbling on a piece of paper, Haji glanced out the window.

“It’s late, why isn’t he coming?”

Seojin had been busy with overtime every day lately. So busy that even on weekends, he left before Haji woke up and returned home late.

“He said we’d have dinner together…”

As she bit her lip in disappointment and reached for her phone, a call came in just in time.

“Hello?”

– Where are you?

“I’m home. Are you on your way?”

– Sorry, I don’t think I can make it for dinner today.

“Are you very busy?”

Unconsciously, Haji’s voice carried her disappointment. Maybe it was because she felt that there would be less time to spend together as she looked for a new home.

– The meeting is running long.

“Alright. Be careful coming home.”

Haji sighed softly as she stared at the disconnected call screen.

“If I move out, we won’t be able to see each other like this every day.”

We should at least spend weekends together.

***

After a hectic lunchtime, there was a brief moment of calm.

“Since the weather’s getting warmer, it seems like there are more people even in the evenings.”

“That’s true.”

As Sehee mentioned, more people were coming into the café until late these days. Previously, the main customers were employees from inside the building, but recently the customer base seemed to have diversified.

She was contemplating whether to extend the operating hours.

“Haji!”

Lost in thought for a moment, Haji turned her head at the bright voice.

Seonghee was seen playfully scolding Woobae, who was in the hall on her way into the café.

“Clean it thoroughly! Okay? Thoroughly.”

When Woobae turned his back in annoyance, Seonghee lightly tapped his back and hurried inside.

“What brings you here all of a sudden?”

“I missed you, so I came. You said you were busy, so I had to come.”

Seonghee had been persistently contacting her to meet up, but Haji, who had been staying late at the café recently, couldn’t set a proper date.

“Is it a free time now?”

“Yeah, did you know?”

“I figured it would be since lunchtime is over. You haven’t eaten, right?”

When Haji nodded, Seonghee quickly grabbed her hand.

“Let’s go, have a meal with this unnie.”

“What?”

“Let’s go, let’s go.”

***

Dragged by Seonghee’s sudden appearance, Haji was led into a nearby Chinese restaurant and slowly sat in the seat they were guided to.

“When did you even make a reservation?”

“I didn’t. A man with shared blood did.”

“Seojin oppa?”

Seonghee nodded, then waved her hand as if it was ridiculous.

“He could just come himself, but he told me to bring you. Is Ki Seojin pretending to be busy these days?”

“Not pretending, he seems really busy. I haven’t seen him much lately either.”

Since returning from Jeju Island, the number of times Seojin came home to have dinner with her could be counted on one hand. Even communication had become sparse.

“Tsk, why is he pretending to be so busy?”

Seonghee pouted cutely, not seeming annoyed. Watching her, Haji realized it had been a while since she heard Seojin’s voice.

“When did he contact you?”

“Last night. He suddenly called and told me to make sure you eat.”

“Last night?”

She recalled waiting in the living room the previous night, determined to see Seojin’s face. When she woke up in the morning, she was in her own bed.

Seojin must have moved her. It was frustrating that she couldn’t stay awake to see him.

“Haji, have you lost weight?”

“Have I? Maybe I lost some because I’ve been busy.”

Though it wasn’t the real reason, Haji spoke evasively. She didn’t want to make her worry like before.

“Eat a lot. Oppa said he’d cover the bill.”

Thanks to Seonghee, who brought each course dish to her, Haji’s stomach was full.

Seonghee glanced out the window and furrowed her brows.

“It’s raining again?”

“Yeah…”

The weather was unpredictable before summer arrived. Even on sunny days, rain would fall unexpectedly, and sometimes it would drizzle as if a shower was imminent.

“Is it a sunshower?”

Haji focused her gaze on the rain falling from the sunny sky.

It seemed to be around this time.

“Haji!”

“…Huh?”

“What are you thinking about? You didn’t even hear me calling right in front of you?”

“No, nothing. The weather is just strange.”

Seonghee nodded in agreement. Starting with the recent weird weather, Seonghee talked about the fashion show she was preparing.

“This time, it’s planned to be held overseas, so I’ll be out of the country starting next month.”

“By then, I might have moved too.”

“Are you moving?”

Seonghee was startled, as if she hadn’t expected it, and put down the spoon she was holding.

Seeing the puzzled look in her eyes, Haji tilted her head as well.

“Didn’t you decide to move in when you came to Seojin oppa’s house?”

“That was then.”

“That was then?”

Seonghee looked at Haji’s face as if something was strange.

“Your relationship with oppa has changed now, hasn’t it?”

Hasn’t it?

With a face turning red, Haji nodded slowly. Although she hadn’t spoken about her relationship with Seojin, it seemed like everyone already knew.

“So I thought you two would continue living sweetly together?”

“Sweetly…”

“Looking at how oppa acts, it doesn’t seem to fit, but he seems to treat you well.”

“That’s true… That’s why I’m moving out.”

Haji spoke firmly, as if she had already made up her mind.

“So you’re moving out?”

“The café hasn’t been open long, and I feel like I can’t keep relying on oppa. But oppa is so good to me.”

Being together made her want to lean on him more. Her weak feelings kept emerging, clouding her mind.

Seonghee shook her head at Haji’s serious demeanor.

“In that sense, you and oppa seem similar in some ways.”

“In what way?”

How am I similar?

“You both have a strong sense of responsibility. Oppa is like that too. If something comes up, he tries to handle it no matter what.”

“Really?”

“He’s been like that since I can remember. Like he was born that way?”

Seojin was always solid. Like nothing could break him.

“But at some point, I started thinking, is it because of me?”

“Why?”

“I used to be very demanding and greedy as a child. Though I hate to admit it, oppa was mature.”

Seonghee took a sip of the cinnamon punch that came as dessert.

“Oppa always did everything alone, so it seemed natural, right? Everyone at home accepted it that way. But nothing is natural in this world, right?”

Haji nodded. Nothing is natural in this world. It’s just that people and circumstances make it so.

Just like she did.

“So in some ways, you and oppa seem similar?”

“Maybe…”

Maybe there are indeed similarities between him and me.

***

Haji, watching the rain drizzle outside the window, wrapped her arms around her chilly body.

“It’s starting again.”

It was the cold she started experiencing around this time. Every year, her appetite disappeared, and she began to feel slightly unwell.

She had come to accept this tendency, which began at some point, as an annual event.

“Boss, we’re leaving first.”

“We’ll head out now.”

Sehee and Woobae, having changed clothes, came out to say goodbye.

“Take care.”

Haji waved her hand lazily. With a few customers still around, she ended up working late again.

After they left, Haji felt an inexplicable emptiness and picked up her phone.

“He still hasn’t read it.”

Seeing that the ‘1’ from the text she sent in the morning hadn’t disappeared, she felt even more dejected.

“Who said they wanted to have lunch? At least show your face.”

A sigh escaped from her lips in disappointment.

Even living in the same house, if they couldn’t see each other like this, it would be even harder once she moved out.

Tap, tap, Haji’s foot tapped the floor.

“Should I not move out?”

Startled by her own sudden question, she shook her head. Just hours ago, she had told Seonghee she needed to move out to stop relying on him, yet here she was, flipping her decision.

“Let’s work, work.”

Checking the inventory, Haji noticed the muffins were running low.

“The bread is selling well these days.”

As she reviewed the inventory checklist, Haji got lost in thought.

Tap, tap, the showcase with the bread was tapped, and Haji’s head shot up.

“Welcome…?”

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Oppa…?”

“You missed me, didn’t you?”

Seeing the small smile on his face, the feelings of disappointment she’d had melted away.

“I really did.”

“Really?”