TUW | CHAPTER 26

Chapter 26

“You’re Really Deluded, Aren’t You?” 

“Out of nowhere, you want to meet at a dumpling hotpot place?”

Jihoo had only sent the location right before quitting time, and the choice was completely unexpected.

Yeon arrived first, sliding into the seat across from him.

“You don’t know that dumpling hotpot is the best drinking food?

You love dumplings.”

Jihoo poured a glass of water and placed it in front of her, smiling broadly, his eyes fixed on hers with unrelenting focus.

The intensity of his gaze made her uncomfortable, and Yeon turned her head away.

“I’m not drinking with you.”

“Some things are a little embarrassing to say while sober.”

That was his problem, not hers.

“If you don’t like it, I won’t drink.”

And if only he wouldn’t say it in that nauseatingly smooth tone.

Their eyes met again.

This wasn’t the same Jihoo she had known in their greener years.

He seemed sharper now, more persistent, more blunt.

The hotpot had already been ordered, bubbling fragrantly when Jihoo ladled out a portion into Yeon’s bowl before his own.

“So.

What is it you wanted to say?”

Yeon wanted him to get it over with so she could return to the safe haven of home, where Do-hyun was.

Just thinking of breathing in the same space as Dohyun felt like the only cure to this suffocating discomfort.

“Eat first.

I’m starving.”

Unlike her, Jihoo seemed utterly relaxed.

Relaxed enough that Yeon wanted to smack him with that ladle.

Completely oblivious to her thoughts, Jihoo scooped up a dumpling and bit into it with satisfaction.

Fine.

Yeon lifted her spoon, deciding she would focus entirely on eating.

Her goal was simple: finish quickly, and get rid of Jihoo just as quickly.

But while she concentrated on her food like she was competing in a dumpling-eating contest, Jihoo slid a napkin toward her.

“You’ve got something on your mouth.”

Yeon wiped her lips carefully with the napkin.

“That time… my sudden confession must’ve startled you.

I’m sorry.

Honestly, I’ve regretted it ever since that day.”

She set the napkin down and looked straight at him.

“Yeon, from the very beginning, I always saw you as a woman.

I never thought of you as just a friend.

Every time you looked at me with those pretty eyes, it drove me crazy.”

The confession itself wasn’t the issue.

But her uncle had been right: Did she really think any man around her stayed by her side with pure intentions?

And Jihoo had proved it snapping up the chance to confess at exactly the wrong moment.

She had been thrilled to have her first male friend.

But the boy she thought had been her friend for three years claimed he never saw her that way.

“Ah… I still remember the way your hand felt on my shoulder that day.”

Jihoo scratched his head, embarrassed.

He downed his water in one gulp and slammed the empty glass on the table.

“So yeah… I regret it a lot.

Being rejected was humiliating, sure, but more than that it was just… empty.

Three years of one-sided love gone in a flash.

I thought maybe, after some time passed, we could go back to how we used to be.

So I waited.”

His eyes didn’t waver as he spoke.

“But then you just vanished.

No one could reach you.

Eventually, I realised I’d lost you as a friend, and that’s what I regretted most.

If I were you, I’d have hated it too getting confessed to and touched out of nowhere.”

“……”

“I missed you.

I wondered so much about how you were.

I never expected to run into you again like this.”

Neither did she.

She had assumed their connection was permanently cut.

Yeon couldn’t even figure out what to say.

“You must have felt betrayed too… losing a friend like that.

I bet you cried a lot back then.

I should’ve apologised right away and handed you a napkin like this.

I’m sorry it’s so late.”

The words flowed too easily, but Yeon didn’t think he was lying.

“Yeon… can we be friends again?”

…What?

That came out of nowhere.

“You really think we can just go back to being friends?

Absolutely not.”

Once a string snapped, you couldn’t simply tie it back together.

Even if you glued it, it would break again with the slightest pull.

How could she possibly go back to being friends with a man who had harboured a three-year crush on her?

And more importantly, she had only just realised her own feelings for Dohyun.

Her heart was already too full.

There was no room for anyone else.

Giving Jihoo space beside her again, even under the label of friendship, would only betray those feelings.

She knew now.

Between a man and a woman, true friendship didn’t exist.

“I know it won’t be easy, but I’ll try.

I’ll keep your secret too.”

Jihoo clung to her like a man desperate to unload his guilt.

But Yeon couldn’t understand why he was so intent on apologising the moment he saw her, or why he wanted so badly to be friends again.

The real problem was that she had to keep working with him and keep her secret safe.

And when she thought of that, she realised what this was really about.

Did I just get politely blackmailed?

If she refused his apology, would he spill her secret?

“Are you blackmailing me right now?”

“No!

No, you’ve got it wrong.

I just meant I’d protect your secret.”

“So if I don’t agree to be your friend, you’ll expose me?

That’s what you’re saying.”

Jihoo waved his hands frantically, insisting that it wasn’t him, before dropping his eyes with a guilty look.

Either way, Yeon saw through it.

“Honestly, going back to being friends is impossible.

That’s just how I feel it’s not something I can change at will.

But I’ll keep things professional.

I’ll treat you as a colleague, and nothing more.”

Don’t expect anything beyond that.

Her voice was firm.

Jihoo, oddly enough, grinned widely at her answer.

“Great! That’s fine.

Just give me a little room.

Work friends are friends too!”

That wasn’t what she meant at all.

Yeon ignored him, grabbed her bag, and got up.

“Wait, Yeon.”

Jihoo called out quickly, stopping her.

“Why are you living like this?

It is a disguise, isn’t it?

Since we’re sharing a secret, can’t you tell me why?”

“……”

“It’s not because of me, right?”

“Something happened before that.

Sure, you made things worse, but you weren’t the cause.”

You’re really deluded, aren’t you?

“If you’re finished eating, let’s go.

You’re paying tonight, Mr. Uhm Jihoo.”

Yeon smiled brightly as she spoke, then turned on her heel with a blank face.

“Hey, Yeon!

Why the sudden formality?

What’s with ‘Mr. Jihoo’?

That’s weird.”

“I told you I’ll treat you strictly as a colleague.

Uhm.

Ji.

Hoo.

Ssi.”

Work friends?

Stay in your lane.

“Alright, alright.

Just treat me comfortably, like any other coworker.

I misspoke.”

“My line is drawn at colleague.

If you try to cross it, you’ll be worse than an enemy to me.”

She sounded playful, but every word was dead serious.

“I’m going.”

“No ride with me.

I’ll drive you home.”

“Why would I get in your car?”

“Because coworkers can give each other a ride.

It’s dangerous these days.”

Which is exactly why I won’t.

“Your hands are the dangerous ones.”

There was no way she could reveal where she lived with Do-hyun.

“I didn’t even drink.

See you tomorrow at the office.”

With a clean goodbye, Yeon walked straight toward the taxi stand without looking back.

She got out of the taxi and lingered outside her home, rubbing her aching temples.

If she walked in like this, her headache would only worsen.

She sat on a nearby bench, pressing her hand against her chest, trying to calm the restless weight inside her.

For now, Jihoo’s mouth had been shut.

But for how long would her secret be safe?

What did he really want from her?

He said he only wanted to go back to being friends.

But Yeon couldn’t shake off the unease.

Life was already chaotic enough with Dohyun.

Now Jihoo was going to stir it up even more.

After cooling her head for a while, she finally moved again toward the place where Do-hyun was waiting.

When she stepped inside, she saw him sitting on the living room sofa, watching TV.

She had seen him on the sofa a few times before, but never watching TV like this.

It struck her as strangely peaceful.

He looked more at ease these days.

His hand rested on his chin, his eyes distant, lost in thought.

He didn’t even notice Yeon had come in.

What could he possibly be thinking about so deeply?

Buri-buri.

Buri-buri.

“…What is that sound?”

Yeon turned her head toward the TV.

A cute little red-shirted character was wiggling its butt and chanting “Buri-buri.”

It was an old cartoon from her childhood.

“Vice President, you’re watching this?”

So he had grown up with the same shows she had.

“I never knew you liked anime.

If you’d told me, we could’ve watched some together.”

The contrast of Dohyun with cartoons was so mismatched, it was… almost cute.

Startled by her voice, Dohyun turned abruptly, eyes wide.

He really hadn’t noticed her coming in.

“When did you get here?

And what’s this?”

“You turned it on.”

“I

was watching a movie…”

Looking genuinely confused, he searched for the remote.

Whether it was a mistaken button press or whether he had been watching the cartoon, Yeon didn’t care.

She was exhausted, her body at its limit.

“Well, enjoy your show.

I’ll head upstairs first.”

She was about to climb the stairs when Dohyun stood from the sofa.

“So… how was your friend?”