Chapter : 12
It was the day of the study group.
Although it had been a lie, after telling Kyungmin that she had a boyfriend, Se-a had received no personal messages from him.
She was relieved about that, but at the same time, she had worried that things might become awkward between them. Yet Kyungmin was exactly the same as usual.
“Se-a, you’re here early! Let’s do our best today, too!”
It seemed she had been worrying for nothing.
As always, the study session proceeded in a relaxed atmosphere.
But then.
An unexpected problem arose.
After the study session ended smoothly, while everyone was packing up their belongings, Yena approached her.
“Se-a, can I ask you something?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“I have dry skin, and no matter how much moisturizer I put on, it still feels dry.”
Yena asked her to recommend some cosmetics, so Se-a carefully suggested a few products while putting on her bag.
“Oh, you use that one? I knew it! Your skin is so, so nice. You should share your beauty tips with us sometimes, okay?”
“Haha. Sure.”
“Oh, right. Do you have a boyfriend? If you don’t, would you like me to set you up with someone?”
“What?”
“He’s a really close guy friend of mine. He keeps begging me to introduce him to someone, you know? And he’s actually a really decent guy.”
“Ah……”
Caught off guard by the sudden proposal, Se-a’s mind went blank.
Did she have to lie again and say she had a boyfriend?
She was hesitating because she didn’t want to keep making up stories about something that didn’t exist.
“You didn’t know, Yena? Se-a has a boyfriend.”
Gasp.
Se-a’s widened eyes turned toward Kyungmin. His voice had been so loud that everyone in the study group turned their attention toward them.
How could he reveal something like that without even asking her permission? Was he really this loose-lipped?
She was so shocked that she couldn’t get a word out.
“Se-a, is that really true? But how does the leader know about that?”
When Yena asked, Kyungmin rubbed the back of his neck.
“I just happened to find out. Pure coincidence.”
His shameless expression didn’t change in the slightest. Se-a let out a hollow laugh.
For an instant, she caught the corner of Kyungmin’s mouth curling upward before quickly returning to normal. It almost looked as though he had been waiting for this exact moment.
Se-a bit down hard on her lip. She wanted to ask what right he had to blab about her private life, but she didn’t want to cause a scene.
“I only caught a glimpse of him, but he was really, really handsome. You know the expression ‘a perfect match’? It suits the two of you exactly. And on top of that, you’re dating within the same company, and your boyfriend is incredibly considerate……”
Kyungmin continued talking as though he knew everything.
“Dating someone from the same company? Wouldn’t it be a huge pain if you broke up later?”
“How old is he? Is he around the same age as Se-a?”
“If he’s older, isn’t Se-a getting the short end of the stick?”
“Exactly. Whether you’re a man or a woman, office romances are kind of… Se-a, you should think about it again. I bet there are tons of men who would love to date you.”
Without anyone knowing who started first, everyone began offering unsolicited advice.
Se-a squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before opening them again.
She didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere, so she simply smiled until the subject changed.
However, the meddling continued even afterward, and eventually she could no longer attend the study group.
She could have rejected them nicely or politely, but she wanted to put some physical distance between herself and them.
[Se-a, it’s a shame our connection was so brief. If you ever change your mind, feel free to contact me anytime. I’ll welcome you with open arms ^^]
Se-a didn’t reply to Kyungmin’s message.
“You’ve been going out every Saturday, so what’s with you staying home today?”
It was Saturday morning.
Se-a’s eyes widened when she ran into Junhee, who practically slept in every day despite being a civil-service exam candidate.
“What about you, Oppa? Where are you going? Don’t tell me… you’re meeting a friend this early in the morning?”
“Hey. What do you take your big brother for? I’m going to the bookstore.”
“The bookstore?”
Was there a word that suited him less?
Junhee usually bought his civil-service exam books online. Naturally, Se-a found it hard to believe that he was visiting a bookstore this early in the morning.
As if he had read her thoughts, Junhee became indignant.
“I want to look at them with my own two eyes before buying them. What’s wrong with that?”
“Who said anything?”
“Your eyes did. Anyway, why are you home?”
“……Just because.”
“Just because? You mean you’re not going out today?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Hey, perfect. Since we’re talking about it, come with me. I’m probably going to buy quite a lot, so you can help me carry some.”
Why me?
Se-a was just about to ask exactly that when Hyemi opened the bedroom door and came out.
“Why are you two standing there like that? Are you going somewhere?”
“Auntie, I—”
“Oh, Mom. I’m taking her to the bookstore with me. Hey, go get ready and come out.”
This was ridiculous. When had she ever said she was going?
She missed the chance to protest, and before she knew it, Se-a had no choice but to leave the house with Junhee.
Since the two of them rarely went out alone together, the awkwardness seemed to be doubled.
“Hey. Nothing’s happened with that guy, right?”
Junhee’s question came the moment he got behind the wheel, and Se-a couldn’t immediately understand what he meant.
“The director who gave you a ride home that time.”
Ah……
Why was he bringing that up again?
Already dreading the lecture that was about to begin, Se-a felt exhausted.
“Doesn’t it bother you? It sure as hell bothers me. You might not think anything of it, but there’s nothing wrong with drawing a line in advance.”
“……”
“If you knew how often sexual harassment happens in the workplace, you’d be shocked. If he offers you another ride, just say no, no matter what.”
“……”
“The more you give him an opening, the more he’ll come on to you, you know? What if you get entangled with him for no reason, he takes advantage of you, and then you don’t get converted to a permanent employee?”
She couldn’t understand why he kept taking something that hadn’t even happened and blowing it up into such a serious matter. Anyone listening would think he cared about her tremendously.
“I’ll handle it myself.”
She thought that would be enough to make him stop, but Junhee wasn’t the type to back down so easily.
“Handle it yourself? What are you going to handle, you little brat?”
Sigh.
Se-a let out an irritated sigh. She couldn’t just sit there and listen anymore.
“Why are you assuming that the director would do something like that?”
“You think your big brother is old for nothing? I’m not studying to become a police officer for no reason. I can see these things, I’m telling you.”
See what?
Se-a muttered sullenly.
“If you ever get a boyfriend, then bring him straight to me and our older brother… No. Our older brother is busy, so bring him to me first. Got it?”
“Why are you being like this?”
“Why? Because I’m your brother, that’s why.”
Anyone who didn’t know them might have thought they were an affectionate brother and sister.
Junhee had never even said a genuinely kind word to her before, yet he worried about her to this extent. From Se-a’s perspective, it was incredibly out of the blue.
“Anyway, don’t just ignore what I’m saying. Even if our older brother had seen what happened that day, he probably would’ve said something similar, you know?”
Unlike Junhee, who spoke without filtering himself, Junseong was more reserved.
Se-a hadn’t had many opportunities to talk with Junseong, and after he moved out on his own, it had become even harder to see him than Junhee.
So if she had encountered Junseong instead of Junhee on the day Jae-eon had driven her home, she wouldn’t have had to suffer through this much nagging.
Whether they were entering the bookstore, leaving it, or even on the way home, Junhee continued warning her over and over to be careful around men.
By the time they got home, Se-a’s ears were practically numb.
[Se-a, how have you been? If you’re not busy, can we talk on the phone for a little while later?]
Several days passed before Se-a received a message from Yena.
She didn’t have any particular bad feelings toward Yena, but she wasn’t especially eager to have a private phone conversation with her either.
Still, she couldn’t simply ignore the message, so she called Yena on her way home from work.
—Se-a! I’ve been waiting to hear from you. How have you been?
“I’m just working and getting by. How about you, Yena?”
—I’m the same. The reason I contacted you is because I was wondering how you’ve been, and also……
Yena suddenly let out a sigh.
—I spent a long time wondering whether I should tell you this or not. I really don’t like being the one to pass along this kind of thing, either…… But I feel like I should tell you.
