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No one has ever cursed at her directly in her life.
Jung Eungyo’s life was utterly uneventful. She wasn’t very personable enough to look hateful to someone, and her sociability fell short of attracting a diverse circle of acquaintances.
Eungyo perceived herself as achromatic, akin to a photograph that appeared blurred.
So, of course, she has never exchanged cursing words with anyone, nor has she ever been reprimanded for using curse words.
At least that was the case until now.
Eungyo, on the brink of collapsing in shock, mustered a smile when she saw him tightly gripping her shoulder.
“I’m sorry.”
The man tenderly brushed the back of Eungyo’s hand with his large, slender fingertips as he cradled her injured neck.
“It-It’s alright.”
“If I had known you were here, I wouldn’t have done that.”
Is he being mistaken for someone other than her?
Whenever someone hurled foul language at her, the man would furrow his eyebrows and feel at a loss for how to respond.
“I am fine.”
Lee Jaehyun anxiously grabbed her wrist and looked under her chin, which was bruising.
She should have taken a step back, but she was quite surprised, and his face and scent that came closer were too much for her liking, so she couldn’t do that. No, she didn’t.
“You are not okay. It looks a little red.”
“I’m really fine. By the way… You are Lee Jaehyun, right?”
Gently, she removed Lee Jaehyun’s hand from her wrist and pulled her hat down low.
A smirk escaped the man’s lips as he gazed shamelessly, confessing, “You don’t know me very well.”
“You recognised me as soon as the light turned on.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m not good at remembering people.”
Eungyo lied, pretending not to be embarrassed.
They only exchanged glances a few times, and their conversations were filled with awkward statements. In a relationship where people were hesitant to even call each other acquaintances, let alone seniors or juniors, maintaining this level of distance felt appropriate.
“But why are you here?”
As she took a step back, the person who had moved out of her way smiled sheepishly.
“This is my studio. I have signed a contract.”
“Here…?”
“Yes. I will be moving in tomorrow morning.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
She felt momentarily disoriented, as though someone had struck her in the back of the head with a blunt object. She tried to conceal her surprise, but her light brown pupils darted uncontrollably. She appeared to mutter, “This doesn’t make sense,” without realising it.
“What about you, senior?”
“I am… To get rid of the luggage piled up here…”
“Ah.”
Kim Haeda came down just in time. Kim Haeda, who had opened the door while calling for Eungyo, appeared visibly surprised upon discovering Lee Jaehyun instead.
However, Kim Haeda quickly grasped the situation. And he slyly brightened the mood by saying, “What brings you here at this hour, Mr. Tenant?”
“This is yours?”
She came to her senses when Lee Jaehyun mentioned that the items were mistakenly assumed to be hers. Eungyo stuttered as she rummaged through the baggage.
“It’s not mine. No, it’s true that I collected it… I meant to say that it wasn’t my belongings.”
He understood the lame excuses perfectly well.
“Then just leave it alone. I will handle it tomorrow while also bringing in the moving items.”
“No, it’s not. It should be bothering you. I’ll clean it up.”
“You said it wasn’t your stuff.”
“Exactly… Well, it’s mine. Thank you for your consideration, but I’ll do it.”
“I’m not being considerate towards you.”
What the…?
There was a strange interest in Lee Jaehyun’s eyes as he looked down at her, who was embarrassed. Eyes that were dark, deep, and narrowed felt unfamiliar.
“Honestly… I don’t like others invading my space.”
It was only a moment, but the man’s real face was visible.
Sensitivity and irritation were hidden in a polite tone. The kindness with which he treated the people in the recording studio went nowhere, and his pessimistic appearance seemed like Lee Jaehyun’s true self.
“But still.”
“Okay. Anyone can just clean it up, right? We will be comfortable and happy if the renter cleans up. I need to do you a favour. Instead, drinks will be free for a week.”
Kim Haeda, who was unable to perceive the situation, intervened and abruptly interrupted her speech. With an unexpected display of cunning, he grabbed her shoulder and forcefully pulled her away. Eungyo discreetly put the ring case in her pocket.
“Then, let’s just throw it all away.”
Lee Jaehyun slipped his hands into his pockets, a mischievous smile on his lips. His gaze shifted back and forth between his hands, as if he already knew the outcome of the game. Her gaze held a gentle touch, yet her laughter exuded an air of pretentiousness.
“You’re really going to throw them all away, right? Dispose of waste all at once.”
“I’m not going to do illegal dumping.”
After some hesitation, she reluctantly agreed.
Yes, that sounds good.
If it weren’t for Lee Jaehyun, she probably would have had a hard time disposing of the trash today. Actually, she didn’t want to unearth the grave of memories she didn’t want to touch with her own hands.
“May I go now?”
“Would you like to come upstairs?”
Kim Haeda, who was quietly looking at Lee Jaehyun, turned his head and asked. Eungyo took off her hat and brushed her sweaty hair.
“Yeah, I’m going to take a shower. I smell sweat all over my body.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
“Noisy, go wash up. Excuse me…. Also, good luck moving over there. Thanks for taking out the trash.”
She said a fairly polite goodbye and left without glancing back. Suddenly, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. The pace of the footsteps was neither fast nor slow.
“Do you also live here?”
Lee Jaehyun, who was following her from behind, asked her. Upon observing his height, even after ascending two steps, she speculated that he must be approximately 190cm tall.
“Yes. I live up here.”
“Do you work at a cafe?”
Her palms began to sweat as she was being asked interrogation-like questions.
“Strictly speaking, it can be viewed as a partnership.”
“I heard that you are a writer.”
“…I am also a writer. I will do it only when I feel like it.”
“Ah.”
Not only was he tall, but he also had broad shoulders and clear, smooth features that seemed to serve as his protective armour. Additionally, the soothing and melodic voice that introduced her to new tastes is a bonus.
Lee Jaehyun nodded a few times before quietly returning to his studio without bidding farewell. Eungyo raised her head and caught sight of Lee Jaehyun’s back.
Feeling a sense of warning, she shook her head. She did not want to be involved with a man who was five years younger than her.
Eungyo hurriedly returned home and promptly took a shower, as if trying to escape from something. She used the hot air from the hair dryer to dry her wet hair, and then she turned on an OTT drama that she had been waiting for more episodes to accumulate.
Then she remembered the ring she brought from the warehouse.
“How come? Why did I bring this?”
Eungyo took out a mint-coloured ringcase from the laundry basket. In the spot where a pair of rings should have been, there sat a single ring, its partner nowhere to be found.
He threw away everything else without any regrets, while the hidden regrets she had held onto, thinking that he might remember them someday when it became difficult to make a living, came out.
That doesn’t work anymore.
She let out a long sigh and sank down on the soft sofa.
She tried on a ring for the first time in a long time. Several years had passed, but the ring still fits perfectly on her fingers.
Eungyo, with her left hand outstretched towards the dark ceiling, took out the ring and carefully placed it back in its case, as if she had come to her senses.
“I’m crazy; I really am.”
After turning on the fan with her toes, she opened the large window on the left side of the living room. It was a window that she usually didn’t open because it didn’t have a screen, but it was the only window in the building that gave a view of the basement.
Eungyo slightly leaned forward.
A bright light came from the basement window, as if he hadn’t gone home yet. Even though she witnessed the scene every day, it somehow felt distinct this time.
She took a deep breath and closed the window. In that short period of time, she felt an itchiness on the edges of her lips, as though she had been bitten by a mosquito.
***
The box, which was stepped on gently, was crushed, and its shape was distorted. Lee Jaehyun’s gaze darkened as he rubbed his thick, straight eyebrows.
He gazed intently at images of both men and women. To be precise, Jung Eungyo and her ex-lover. It was a photo of Lee Dohyun.
He held the cell phone to his ear, listening to his mother’s sleepy voice as she continued to whine.
– I will create a space for you in an art centre, so why bother upsetting mom by going into such a neighbourhood, huh?
“I like it because it’s close to school, Mom. You had too much wine. Who did you drink it with? With uncle?”
In contrast to his cold and subdued expression, his voice when he answered was gentle and kind.
– That’s right. Your dad—don’t you see that he is getting better at cooking? Today, he served sashimi instead of Director Bae.
“Wow, Mrs. Roh must have been in a good mood. Anyway, don’t worry about me. I was in need of a comfortable workspace rather than a secluded location.”
– Still, the excuse is untenable…..
Jaehyun half-heartedly listened to his mother’s affectionate nagging while absentmindedly tapping Jung Eungyo’s belongings with his toe. When he opened a fairly useful steel drawer, he found several intact spring notebooks.
He realised that the smiley mark drawn on the cover of an ordinary office notebook belonged to Jung Eungyo.
As he opened the notebook, he was greeted by an abundance of round and unusually small letters. As he carefully flipped through each note, he discovered a photo tucked inside, serving as a makeshift bookmark.
That was one summer day. The photo captured the back of Jung Eungyo tying up her hair at a bus stop.
Maybe it was about 5 years ago.
Both then and now, Jung Eungyo has a fair complexion, a slender figure, and a gentle and delicate demeanour. She was as soft as a freshly sprouted shoot.
– Are you listening to me? Son, are you upset if I keep doing this?
His teeth, which took pictures with notes, made him laugh.
“I will be moving tomorrow morning. I’m a little bit out of my mind right now. Mom.”
– Ugh, alright! Let’s plan to have a meal with Mom sometime this month. I would like to see my son’s face after he became independent following his discharge from the military.
“Alright. Good night! I will contact you.”
– Yes, son. Please contact me often. Did you understand? Mom hangs up.
After ending the call, Jaehyun tucked his phone into his back pocket.
Then, he casually opened the remaining drawer and found a half-empty box of condoms. He burst into laughter, exclaiming an expletive. However, his eyes quickly grew cold as he scanned the piles of luggage scattered about.
Jaehyun checked the time on his watch before turning off the light and leaving the studio.