114.
My head turned reflexively at the call filled with deep earnestness.
Chae Yoo-jeong, with a flushed face, was standing in front of the front door of the hotel, probably because he had rushed over. Chae Yoo-jeong’s eyes met mine and he hesitated, looking pale, but then he looks to have made up his mind and walked towards me.
Chae Yoo-jeong is approaching in front of me, and Kim Da-hee is waiting for me behind her. At that crossroads, I made a decision.
“………Noona.”
I opened the passenger car door, slightly lowered my upper body, and spoke to Kim Da-hee.
“I met someone I knew.”
“Oh my, is that so?”
“Yes. I think we should talk for a bit and then go. Go first. I’ll go back on my own.”
“Is that okay? I’m so sorry. It’s cold and I can’t even take you back to your home.”
“I will be fine. I enjoyed my meal today.”
“Okay. If you meet someone you know, there’s nothing you can do. I’ll go first, so be careful when you get home. See you again next time.”
“Yes. See you next time.”
After saying goodbye and closing the car door, Kim Da-hee left.
While I was talking to Kim Da-hee, Chae Yoo-jeong’s face, which had been hesitant to come closer, became a little brighter. I guessed that Chae Yoo-jeong thought I would just get in the car and leave.
As I sent my gaze to Chae Yoo-jeong, the guy who was only watching me narrowed the distance between them. I slowly looked at Chae Yoo-jeong, who was standing in front of me with a very nervous expression on his face, from his head to his toes.
Wearing a beige turtleneck knit t-shirt that covered his neck and a black suit jacket, he was dressed similar to me but slightly different. Turning away from the bright hotel building light, Chae Yoo-jeong’s hair, as he stood, sparkled like a jewel.
It was their first meeting in 8 months. The last time I saw him, he was pitifully thin, but now he looks much better.
‘I’m glad.’
When I realized that, I felt fortunate and at the same time smiled bitterly.
It was right that I shouldn’t be around Chae Yoo-jeong. I don’t know how it is now, but back then was not the right time. It wasn’t a good situation for Chae Yoo-jeong, who was overly obsessed with me, and for me, who felt betrayed by him.
Even though I just watched in silence, Chae Yoo-jeong was just waiting patiently, and he never opened my mouth first. I stared at Chae Yoo-jeong’s face for a while, and then I slowly questioned.
“Why.”
“What?”
“You called me. Why did you call me?”
“Ah……”
Chae Yoo-jeong’s long eyelashes fluttered as he lowered his head slightly. He stiffened, licking his lips, and finally spoke.
“Hyung, if it’s okay with you… Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Weren’t you having dinner with your family?”
“It’s over.”
It ended in that short period of time? Are you really lying again?
When I glared at him suspiciously, Chae Yoo-jeong added hastily.
“I’m not lying. It’s real. We didn’t come here to eat in the first place.”
“Then?”
“Originally, my aunt owned this place. Gyung-seok’s mother.”
Then…That was Chae Yoo-jeong’s mother and aunt. Was he saying that he was forced into a meal with the three of them like this to meet at the restaurant?
The face of the woman I saw came to mind. A face that bore a striking resemblance to Chae Yoo-jeong, and cool eyes that did not show the slightest hint of affection.
‘He didn’t seem to get along very well with her.’
The conversation between Chae Yoo-jeong and the woman I heard at the restaurant was not an ordinary conversation between parents and children. Since Chae Yoo-jeong told me and I had heard the story from when he was young, I expected it, but...………….
“Okay.”
I didn’t necessarily want to reveal Chae Yoo-jeong’s family history in a place like this. I sighed and checked the time on my watch. I saw it was 8:12 at night.
“Follow me.”
“Yes, yes.”
First, we went into the alley next to the hotel. The idea was to move to the back and enter a cafe suitable for conversation.
As I was walking down a short alley in the dark and deserted, Chae Yoo-jeong, who had been following me at some distance, called out to me.
“Hey, Hyung.”
“Say it.”
“Marriage… are you gonna do it?”
“What?”
When I looked back at him in surprise at the sudden mention of marriage, Chae Yoo-jeong, who had a relatively normal expression compared to the absurd question, continued.
“The woman you ate with… Are you getting married to her?”
“Why is marriage coming out of nowhere?”
“I was wondering if you were going to choose furniture for the newlyweds together. Ah, I didn’t overhear...…that… I heard it because the place was close. Sorry.”
“Hu…………… “
I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. I expected him to hear a conversation between me and Kim Da-hee at the restaurant because I also heard the entire conversation from Chae Yoo-jeong’s side.
Even so, I never thought people would misunderstand that I would marry Kim Da-hee. This guy surely hasn’t forgotten my age, right? I narrowed my eyes and looked closely at Chae Yoo-jeong’s reaction.
There was no sign of jealousy on his part, although he seems to be worried that I would be offended by his question. So it was even more absurd.
“Are you just asking out of curiosity? Do I have to answer this?”
“No, no. sorry. I was rude.”
“……… You say that. Why did you call me here?”
The question I had been holding back until I arrived at the cafe suddenly popped out. Right after spitting it out, I thought that I had made a mistake, so I bit my tongue for a moment. But I couldn’t come and pick it back up now.
“Ah… It’s nothing special.”
Despite my harsh attitude, Chae Yoo-jeong opened his mouth with a shy smile without any sign of offense.
“I wanted to apologize to Hyung if I ever see you again.”
“You wanted to apologize to me?”
“Yes.”
Chae Yoo-jeong paused for a moment with his gaze down as if to organize his thoughts, then opened his mouth again.
“Now I understand what Hyung told me at the hospital back then.”
“…….”
“At that time, I was too obsessed with catching Hyung right in front of me… I didn’t even consider the harm it would cause to Hyung. Relieving my anxiety was more important than my feelings for Hyung.”
His calm words continued to bring back the regret Yoo Ji-han felt earlier.
‘I should have waited until I got to the cafe.….’
It wasn’t a conversation worth having in a narrow, dirty alley like this.
“I received counseling right away after I was hospitalized. I started taking medication again…As expected, the medicine was a bit strong, but it was much better than not taking it at all.”
“Are you still taking strong medication?”
“No. After receiving regular counseling, I felt better again. And,”
Chae Yoo-jeong, who seemed hesitant about whether to speak, cautiously took a step toward me.
“I told you all this time… It may be hard to believe because I keep lying, but it really is... I tried to forget just like what Hyung said.”
Chae Yoo-jeong, visible in the darkness, looked at me and smiled with difficulty, pulling up the corners of his mouth.
“I cut off everything related to Hyung. I deleted your number and reduced my contact with Seo Tae-young and Kang Ji-hye just in case... I didn’t do anything, even the smallest thing, that would remind me of Hyung.”
The more Chae Yoo-jeong spoke, the more his voice began to shake uneasily and become wet.
“Forget about Hyung... You told me to give up on you, right?”
“…….”
“But, Hyung… I just can’t do it. I really tried. Because I wanted to follow what Hyung said. But the words to forget… I really can’t do it. Sorry.”
As Chae Yoo-jeong smiled, he let his big tears fall, just like a painting.
“Even as more time passes… I can’t do that. I just can’t. Sorry. I really can’t do it...………….”
“Chae Yoo-jeong.”
“I’m not asking you to forgive me right away… But even later... It doesn’t matter how many years it takes, Hyung will forgive me even just a little bit.:
Once he started to shed tears, they came down in such a large amount that it was surprising how he had held them back for so long. Chae Yoo-jeong continued his words without hesitation even while crying.
“Just this once… Can you please forgive me just once? You can accept it out of pity, not forgiveness.”
“…….”
“Therefore… Just once. Please give me one more chance. I’m definitely not asking for a lot. Just… Hyung, sometimes when you have free time... Please send me any message. Because that’s enough...…………….”
Chae Yoo-jeong lowered his head and covered his eyes with his hands. His tears were still dripping down his hands.
Something hot filled my chest. The sight of Chae Yoo-jeong crying breathlessly in front of me was similar yet different from what he had been like eight months ago.
Just like before, he gave me a choice. What should I do now?
It was true that I felt sorry for Chae Yoo-jeong, who was crying and begging for one more chance. As the guy said, I also heard his earnest apology. Likewise, I also had a lot of regrets about Chae Yoo-jeong.
But that didn’t mean I could accept it hastily.
Am I ready to trust Chae Yoo-jeong again? If I clumsily continued my relationship with Chae Yoo-jeong without such determination, it was obvious that the ending would end up being the same. So I had to decide carefully.
I stood with a complicated expression in front of a crying Chae Yoo-jeong. The air that settled between us became cold.
I stepped forward, slowly opened my mouth and kissed him.
HM: I’m reminded that I’m obsessed with this novel so much I don’t want to finish translating wwwwwwwwww because of YC… I wished it continued forever…. I wished they showed how MC struggled cuz it does happen. I was at chapter 117 when I realized this was actually a kissing scene aaaaa. I’m so dumb for real.
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Credits:
Translator: Hoshi Miya
Editor/Proofreader: Meimei, Ghostx
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