Reunion - Chapter 35

Early in the morning, I heard that there was a call informing us that the car to pick up Seo Hyejin had departed. Seo Hyejin pouted her lips several times because she really didn’t want to go back, and asked me to cook her black bean ramen one more time as if she was still sad. She said she couldn’t eat it at home.

It was not a difficult request so I opened the cupboard and decided to cook it for her. The girl who just had her breakfast excitedly put the noodles in her mouth and asked as if she had just remembered.

“Unnie, how long are you here for?”

“Me?”

In the meantime, Seo Hyejin stuffed her mouth again and nodded instead of answering.

“I don’t know when I’ll be kicked out.”

At the words of being kicked out, Seo Hyejin opened her eyes wide and swallowed the noodles in a hurry.

“Are you being kicked out?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It’s just…I guess so I will be.”

So vague, I rubbed my face with my dry hands. It seemed so ambiguous when I said it out loud in front of the girl. Even my voice was full of anxiety. Seo Hyejin felt sorry for me so she held the spoon in her mouth and looked at me with large eyes.

“Why? Do you want to meet me?”

“If you’re kicked out, come to my house. I’ll introduce you to my Oppa. He’s in the States right now but he’ll come soon if I call him. Even if he isn’t as good-looking as Jang Yoonsung, my brother is handsome in his way…”

Even before Seo Hyejin could stop speaking, someone covered my ears.

“Who’s being kicked out?”

However, covering my ears didn’t mean that I couldn’t hear him. As if Jang Yoonsung knew it well, those harsh words were directed toward me and not Seo Hyejin.

“Why? Jiyoung can go out with my Oppa and she will be close to me as well.”

“How do you put it? Does your brother know that you’re selling him out like this?”

“My brother will like her too. Since Jiyoung is tall, she is totally my Oppa’s ideal type.”

“What’s so tall about him? He’s stuck to the ground. Anyway, I’ll take care of this Unnie of yours so hurry up, eat that, and go.”

Even if I was not very tall, I easily exceeded the average height for women in Korea but Jang Yoonsung denied Seo Hyejin’s words.

“Oh no.”

Seo Hyejin frowned once but she obediently started using her chopsticks again at the sound of the car coming.

“Hey, my ears, my ears.”

Even if I struggled, I couldn’t take off Jang Yoonsung’s hand that was covering my ears so Jang Yoonsung finally took it off once I groaned in annoyance.

“I can hear everything, why are you covering my ears anyway?”

In the meantime, I tilted my head to and fro and Jang Yoonsung sat next to me and said.

“Even if you hear it, don’t put it in your ears.”

Jang Yoonsung’s expression and voice seemed lighter than yesterday. Was he feeling better? Jang Yoonsung noticed my obvious gaze and told Seo Hyejin as if for her to see.

“Look at this. Your Unnie loves my face so much. Your brother’s face on the other hand…”

Seo Hyejin pouted again. While gobbling the noodles in a hurry, she slurped several times and as soon as her bowl was empty, she stood up with her bag.

Jang Yoonsung and I went to the front of the car to see her off. Seo Hyejin tried to get into the car with a dissatisfied expression and held out her phone to me. It was to exchange numbers.

“Can I call you?”

“Not too often.”

It was a number that would disappear after my role as Han Jiyoung would be over.

While Jang Yoonsung tried to bring Poongjak back inside the door, Seo Hyeji9n whispered to me in a voice that only I could hear.

“Make sure to call me when you get kicked out. I’ll introduce you to my Oppa.”

“Sure.”

“You’ll be in big trouble Seo Hyejin.”

At some point, Jang Yoonsung approached her and lowered his voice. Seo Hyejin got into the car again. As the car departed, Seo Hyejin opened the window and swung her arms.

“Bye!”

I also waved my hand until I could no longer see her.

Silence subsided again after the guest who caused some fuss left. I folded my arms awkwardly and examined Jang Yoonsung’s face. It was difficult to estimate whether the attitude shown earlier was because he was not angry anymore or because Seo Hyejin was there.

Jang Yoonsung’s face returned with an unknown expression. Indeed, if there was a reason to be angry, there was no way to solve the reason for it. Jang Yoonsung grabbed my arm as soon as I tried to turn around, at a loss for what to do.

“Where’s the ring?”

“Huh?”

“The 300 won ring. Where did you leave it? Hanging around empty handed like that…”

“I didn’t put it anywhere…”

I quickly took out the ring I had put in my pocket. Somehow, I thought Jang Yoonsung wouldn’t allow me to wear that ring anymore so I was just carrying it around. Jang Yoonsung put the ring on my finger and said.

“Always put it on. You can take it off if there’s a problem.”

I wondered what use it was now. It seemed like there was a high and thick wall already standing between Jang Yoonsung and me. When I couldn’t answer anything, he wrapped his hands around my face and laughed bitterly.

“I lost. I think I have to admit it now.”

He declared defeat as if he had fought for me on a subject, for which he was angry. Jang Yoonsung’s face was so close that there was no place to look.

As I darted my eyes elsewhere, Jang Yoonsung’s hands slowly came down and held my hand. It was not until his eyes turned to my hand that I could look at Jang Yoonsung’s face. His lips which were closed for a while as if he was hesitating, slowly opened again to speak.

“I like you. More than I thought.”

It was a strange confession. At first glance, there was a mixture of resignation in his calmly chosen words. Still, Jang Yoonsung raised his head and continued to talk as if something inside him was overflowing and could no longer be suppressed.

“Your name, your age, where you live…even if you don’t tell me those things, I have no choice but to like you.”

As if confessing his love would not take him anywhere, Jang Yoonsung sounded as lonely as the season.

Why was it autumn? There was only mean cold surrounding us. The words he uttered stuck to my neck and chest. I couldn’t answer regardless of what was on my mind.

Jang Yoonsung laughed as if such silence was okay.

“I’ll wait. If it’s not this season, then next season, next year if not this year and I’ll wait until you’re okay with it. Let me know when you feel like it. Who you are, who you like…”

Looking me in the eyes, Jang Yoonsung added his last words as if placing a spell on me.

“Let me know the day you would come to love me.”