After Story 88

After Story 88

She was definitely being made fun of. That must have been intentional.

Dawoon sat down on the bus stop chair and barely stopped her arms and legs from shaking.

Maru, you know, apparently has someone he’s seeing — the words Seungah said to her echoed in her ears.

She knew that and didn’t tell her yesterday. Had she notified her through text last night, all of this would’ve never happened.

Dawoon took out her phone. On the cracked screen, she could see the conversation she had with Maru yesterday.

“How taken aback must he have been?”

He must’ve known everything. That must’ve been why he tried to smoothly overcome the situation by saying he had celebrity disease.

How kind was that? How considerate was that?

Compared to him, unni was totally malicious. She toyed with a person’s feelings.

She didn’t send a text because she felt like it was better to say it in person?

Lies. She must have hidden it to humiliate her.

Seungah took her feelings lightly. She looked down on a person's emotions.

How could she be like that? After the sacrifice, she made for the sake of unni?

Had she not taken care of Seungah’s profile and thrown it away alongside the other competitors’ profiles, then Seungah would’ve never even had the opportunity to do the audition. It wasn’t something she did expecting appreciation. She only helped out because Seungah was her unni, and because she was a thankful person. And yet, what she got in return was mockery.

For a moment, it crossed her mind that she didn’t do what she did for the sake of unni, but Dawoon shook her head and cut off that train of thought. Regardless of the intention, Seungah was the one who ultimately benefited from it. Seungah was indebted to her. But she paid it back like this….

Dawoon looked at the bus coming towards the bus stop in a daze. It was a bus that headed towards Suwon. The bus stopped right in front of her, opened its door, and let out its passengers.

Dawoon got on that bus headed for Suwon like she was enchanted. The moment she paid her fare and sat down, she thought ‘why’.

Her question was resolved soon though: Maru was in Suwon.

What am I supposed to do there? — Dawoon rubbed her face.

Rationally speaking, it wasn’t even that big of a deal. It might be a moral problem to like someone who has a partner, but it was definitely not something illegal. It was just a cute mistake, something she could just laugh over. However, she was mentally too exhausted. Everything was a first for her, whether it was feeling attracted to a member of the opposite sex or the fact that she expressed it directly. There might be people who do that easily, but she had an extremely hard time making a decision and putting it into action.

She mentally exhausted herself so much that she wasn’t even able to sleep properly last night because of a headache. Throughout the night, she even felt like vomiting and frequented the bathroom.

While she was tossing and turning in bed, she kept hearing an unknown person’s mockery: Dawoon, you know, she tried flirting with a man who has a girlfriend already. But she got dumped. She’s so funny.

It was today she found out the identity of the unknown person. It was Seungah.

She must have laughed at her. She must have been looking forward to the introverted junior sister falling into a predicament.

How funny must it have been to her? The more Dawoon thought about it, the more creeped out she was. Her eyes felt hot. She realized that if her anger got to the top of her head, she would start crying.

The tears were not symbolic of sadness. It was just a passage of uncontrollable emotions. She wiped her tears.

First, she had to save herself from mockery.

Maru probably knew everything, so she had to talk to him first about it. She could do it over the phone, but since she was on the bus, she had to meet him in person.

Someone as considerate and warm as him would console her mistakes wholeheartedly. If she got to see his smile, she might feel a lot more relieved. She might even end up shaking it off and even forgive Seungah on the spot.

She arrived at Suwon station. As she got off, she got herself together. It was finally time to make a call. She would probably feel awkward if they met, and she also had to say sorry.

Just as she took out her phone while thinking, she saw a familiar face in the distance.

Even under the darkening sky, she could make out that face in an instant.

She felt like this was a drama. Just as she was about to make a call, she saw Maru on the other side of the road. It felt like God was whispering to her that this situation was nothing and that she was still okay.

She would hate to be in an awkward relationship with Maru. She was going to revert their relationship into that of friends; one where they would greet each other, ask what they were up to recently, and sometimes have nice meals together.

Perhaps he might insult Seungah’s pettiness with her. He was a kind person after all.

Just as she was about to approach him while putting her phone down, she saw Maru turn his head and wave his hand in the air.

Dawoon flinched and looked in the direction that Maru was looking at. There was a woman who was eye-catching even in the crowd of people flooding out of the train station. Even at this distance, that woman was something else, whether it was her facial features or her body figure.

No way — she hid behind the traffic light pole. She didn’t know why she had to hide, but she wanted to hide for now.

The two of them met in front of a pedestrian bridge. The way they looked at each other and held each other’s hands looked natural. When the woman’s mouth moved, Maru smiled brightly.

They lightly jabbed each other and pushed each other mischievously. They were a pair of lovers without any gaps to exploit at all.

The two of them looked like fragments that became whole together.

Dawoon turned around. Maru and the woman were approaching.

She put on the hood that was on her jacket and pretended to look at her phone.

Maru walked past her.

Dawoon slowly raised her head. Why couldn’t she step up? It wasn’t like she did anything wrong. She just had to say what she had to.

Her face was reflected on the cracked screen. The face that she felt didn’t lack anything now looked terrible like the phone screen that needed repair.

She was startled and let go of her phone. People around her looked at her and the phone she dropped on the floor.

Dawoon slowly bent down to get her phone. Meanwhile, Maru and the woman had walked even farther away. The two of them were talking to each other while pointing at the advert banner on Suwon station.

She watched them for a while before turning on her phone.

“Oppa, are you okay with taking a phone call right now?”

She saw Maru pick up the phone in the distance.

-Yeah, I’m alright.

“About yesterday.”

-Yesterday?

“You actually knew about it, didn’t you? That I sent you a text with feelings more than just goodwill.”

-Somewhat. There was the matter of Seungah’s questions too.

“Sorry I made you bothered.”

-It’s okay. It’s not a sin to hold someone in a good light. But why do you sound so powerless?

“Nothing. I’m just a little embarrassed.”

-Don’t be. You know that there’s no need for you to feel bad at all, right?

“Thank you for telling me that.”

-Nah. It’s evening, have you eaten dinner?

“No, I was just about to eat.”

-Alright. Have a good meal and practice hard. I don’t feel uncomfortable about you at all so don’t worry about something unnecessary.

“Yes.”

-I think we said everything we need to each other, so I’ll hang up now. Don’t act awkward the next time you see me.

“Uhm, oppa!”

-What?

“Promise me, don’t act awkward next time.”

-Okay.

“And one more thing. The person you’re dating, what kind of person is she?”

-Why do you want to know that?

“Asking as a friend. I think I’ll feel less awkward this way.”

-Geez.

Maru turned his head to look at his girlfriend.

-She’s a cool person. She’s competent and has a great personality. I really can’t find a flaw to her. Wait, did I boast too much?

“You must really like her.”

-It’s more than just that.

“Haha, okay. I hope you last a long time.”

Dawoon hung up.

While she was laughing, her eyes weren’t smiling at all.

So it was possible to sound cheerful without smiling. She was surprised at herself.

Maru and the woman looked at each other and spoke. What would they be talking about? Perhaps about Dawoon herself?

Dawoon focused on the woman rather than Maru. A woman acknowledged by him….

She bit on her thumb. She was desirous of that position. What would it feel like to stand in the place that Maru was looking at directly? It wasn’t the feeling of wanting to receive love. She just wanted to be acknowledged. She felt like her pride would return to normal if Maru admitted that she was just as good as the woman standing there.

Dawoon grabbed the back of her neck with her hand. She could feel some flesh. Her body figure was pathetic compared to that woman who had a sleek neckline. If she lost more weight, she would look more slender.

She probably had to start working out. That wasn’t a body that simply losing weight would allow her to achieve.

Dawoon turned on her phone camera. Then she took a series of photos of the woman next to Maru. The woman’s clothes, makeup style, hairstyle… she noted down everything without missing a single one.

She then looked down at her own sneakers and jeans. They looked out of date. They were clothes she cherished, but they looked insufficient.

She could no longer stay in Suwon. She felt like she would continue to shrink and disappear into a dot if she kept staying in the same space as Maru, and especially that woman.

She grabbed a taxi. She did not have the confidence to get on a bus. She didn’t want to show her pathetic figure and clothes to the others.

On her way back to Seoul in the taxi, a cosmetics shop by the street caught her eye.

“Driver, wait a second.”

Dawoon got out of the taxi. She saw Maru’s girlfriend there. She was looking at an aromatherapy product in her hand with a beautiful gaze.

She walked over and looked at the large poster. ‘Friendly Aroma’ official model, Han Haneul.

She went into the store and asked if she could get a flier. The employee smiled and gave her a flier about Friendly Aroma.

Dawoon returned to the taxi. She looked up Han Haneul on her phone inside the taxi, her eyes wide open.

She gulped and looked through the photos. She could see the ideal self that she had been imagining.

“So only like this….”

Dawoon started looking up everything related to Han Haneul. She got a call from Seungah midway, but she did not pick up. For that bad bitch, she would give her a proper lesson later. A bitch who pays her grace as revenge would only get herself together after getting the same thing done to her.

* * *

“Have a look.”

“I said it’s okay.”

He was about to leave, but Haneul grabbed him. Maru pouted and turned around. Haneul scanned him from top to bottom with her arms crossed.

“Your hair is a little not to my liking, but I guess they’ll touch you up there if they don’t like it.”

Haneul reached out and stroked Maru’s eyebrows.

“Don’t you think you should get an eyebrow tattoo?”

“I’m okay right now. I didn’t have one more often than I did.”

“It’s okay, but your eyebrows look quite empty if you have them trimmed, sweetie.”

Maru pointed at the clock in the living room.

“What excuse am I supposed to make if I’m late?”

“Who cares? You’re going to have to wait even if you go. You aren’t in the first scene, are you?”

“That’s true. That’s also why I’m bringing three books to kill time.”

“It must be tough since it’s cold. Did you get some hot packs ready?”

“I have plenty.”

“Watch out so that you don’t catch a cold. No wait, should I go with you? I have a company car.”

“Use your company car for the right purposes, okay?”

Maru put on his trainers.

After hiking a few times, they looked like they were used for everyday life. It would be rather strange if a crime investigator’s shoes looked too clean.

“When are you going to contact president Lee Junmin? You should do it as quickly as possible.”

“Hun, I’m really going to be late.”

“No you won’t. That won’t work on me when I know Seoul’s geography better than anyone.”

“Knowing a lot isn’t the best thing at times huh? I’m going to contact the president after the drama shoot ends.”

“Don’t miss this opportunity. The agency that suited Han Maru the best was always JA.”

“Of course, of course.”

Maru pulled his wife in by the waist and kissed her.

“I’m off.”

“Have a good day. Also, I’m going to stay here for two days. I don’t have any schedule.”

“That’s fine with me. Play around with our princess too.”

“That’s a tall order. She hates me,” Haneul pointed at the cat sitting on the door sill to the bedroom.

Maru smiled and opened the door.