CH 9.2

“Car.”

“Do you like cars?”

“I’m just looking.”

“Well, you said Audi suits me.”

He nodded and turned his body to the side, then he put his legs on the sofa. As he leaned backward like that, his back touched my arm. I never gave him permission, but Yeon Woojeong used me as the back of a chair as he liked.

“How did you know about the brands and such?”

“I saw a magazine.”

“A magazine?”

“It was in the school library… Seems like someone hid it there and forgot about it.”

“Was it fun?”

I nodded, and Yeon Woojeong laughed. As he laughed, my body that was in contact with him also shook. That vibration wasn’t bad.

“Should I buy you a toy? Sport car.”

“Don’t make me annoyed.”

His laugh got louder. Yeon Woojeong put the coffee cup on the table, then he laid down using my thigh as a pillow. He looked up at me. I also looked at him, then I put my hand on his forehead. It was warm, but it felt like his usual temperature.

Yeon Woojeong closed his eyes. It’s cool. His small muttering made me feel good.

“Aren’t you lonely? When you’re alone.”

It was a question out of nowhere. He opened his eyes. Looking at the blinking eyes, I thought about it, then shook my head.

“Really? I’m glad then.”

“Why did you ask that?”

“Well. I’m just curious. What do you do in the house without me…”

Yeon Woojeong closed his eyes again. There was fatigue filling his face. When did he have such a thought? Does he think of me when I’m not with him?

How did Yeon Woojeong live in the house without me?

“Were you lonely?”

“No.”

The corner of his lips faintly moved up. I couldn’t know the meaning of that smile. Yeon Woojeong grabbed my hand, then pulled it down. My hand covered his eyes. 

“Are you going to sleep?”

“No.”

After saying that, Yeon Woojeong didn’t move. I wanted to check if he was sleeping, but I didn’t take my hand off his eyes. I liked this peaceful time. Even in the time he wasn’t with me, he filled me in. So, it was impossible for me to be lonely.

***

“Jiho. Do you think you’ll get some chocolate?”

“Chocolate?”

“Yeah, it’s Valentine’s Day soon.”

Ah. A lot of chocolate came in from a couple of weeks ago, and it was put on display. I did hear about it back then, but I forgot. The day when a woman gives chocolate to a man she likes? Things like this are all sales gimmicks after all. 

When I shook my head, Seo Jihee took out a small box from under the counter.

“Ta-da!”

She handed the box into my hand. As I saw it blankly, she opened the cover instead. There were wrapped cookies inside. The cookies decorated with chocolate looked delicious.

“I wanted to treat you to a meal, but you said you are busy. It’s a gift instead of a treat. Try it.”

As Seo Jihee urged me, I took a cookie and put it into my mouth. I thought it would be hard, but it was soft, and the chocolate was rich, so the aroma filled my mouth.

“Delicious, right? Right?”

Looking at me eating the cookie, Seo Jihee clapped her hands happily. It was indeed delicious, so I nodded.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Do you know where I bought this? You know the café next door? I bought it there, and everything sold there is sooo tasty.”

“Is there anything else?”

“There are cakes, cookies, and breads. There are also a lot of not sweet things, but anything not sweet is meh, right? So I bought sweet things. It’s okay, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“They also wrap it well as a gift, so if you have something to give as a gift, go there.”

I nodded and put away the cookies. Does Yeon Woojeong like things like this? First, he doesn’t look like he likes sweet things, but won’t he eat it if it’s not sweet? This also looks good to eat with coffee.

“Ah, it will soon be a month since you started working here. Time went fast. What will you do once you get your salary?”

“I don’t know. What did you do?”

“I bought underwear for my mom and dad. They liked it.”

Underwear? I imagined giving Yeon Woojeong underwear as a gift. He’ll laugh at me. He certainly will laugh at me. 

Even if I bought him a bright red underwear, he wouldn’t be embarrassed and would rather proudly and shamelessly catch the chance to ridicule me. It irked me to think about it.

Salary. Come to think of it, this would be my first time getting a proper salary. I’m looking forward to it. For Yeon Woojeong… if I got a chance, I wanted to buy him something delicious. Something that could properly fill his stomach.

I spent the day thinking about what it would be. There was a lot of work, and Seo Jihee also talked a lot, so the time went fast without any boring moments.

“Great job today.”

“Yes.”

After bowing and saying farewell, I left the convenience store. It was cloudy, and it looked like it was going to rain. If it rained, it would be the first rain in a long time. I was about to cross the crosswalk, but then turned around.

The café next to the convenience store was quite big. I saw it every time I went to work, and even though it was in a close distance, I never went there. I remembered the taste of the cookie I ate earlier. Should I buy some and share it with Yeon Woojeong?

After thinking about it, I turned my steps and headed to the café. It was quite wide inside. There were a lot of cookies, cakes, and breads on display, and each of them looked delicious. When I saw the menu, it seemed like they also sold food besides beverages and bakeries. There was pork cutlet, pasta, salad, and such on the menu. 

I still had some of the chocolate cookies Seo Jihee gave me, so I chose another cookie, and bought sandwiches for dinner. I looked around while paying for it. There were a few people…

Uh?

There was Yeon Woojeong. Feeling happy to see him, I tried to approach him, but then I found a woman in front of him. The woman was holding a baby.

The woman shook the hand of the baby in her arms. She looked down at the baby and laughed. Yeon Woojeong… smiled as he looked at the woman.

My heart beat loudly. It felt like my heart dropped. I didn’t know there would be another expression I would see for the first time from Yeon Woojeong. What should I call it? It was certainly a different face from when he saw me.

“Excuse me, sir?”

I glanced away when the employee called me. After accepting the bag, I looked at them again.

The woman took something out from her bag, then handed it to Yeon Woojeong. After looking at it, Yeon Woojeong furrowed his brows and smiled. It was a flashy chocolate that kids would eat. It was something I saw while organizing the display. He put it inside his inner pocket.

My feet couldn’t move, but I was afraid he would find me, so I quickly left the café. When I just crossed the crosswalk, I realized where I saw the woman. 

That man. She looked similar to that man. So similar that I could believe it if she was his daughter… Daughter.

“By the way, Damwoo noona’s doing well, isn’t she?”

“Of course. Although she’s busy taking care of her child and working.”

I turned my head. They were inside and couldn’t be seen from here. I clenched my fists tight. The plastic bag in my hand rustled.

Soon, the café’s door opened, and Yeon Woojeong and the woman walked out. They walked to a car parked at the side road. Yeon Woojeong opened the passenger door, and as soon as the woman got in, Yeon Woojeong also got in the driver’s seat. The car left.

It was a strange feeling. A feeling of being left alone even though Yeon Woojeong didn’t do anything. What is this?

I stood there like that for a while, then I slowly moved my steps to the house. After sitting on the sofa, I put the bag on the table, then I took off my coat. 

I wasn’t hungry even though it was time for dinner. I took out my phone and left it on my side. Should I call him? I thought about it, but then I stopped. If he didn’t answer the phone, it felt like that would put me in a foul mood.