PBWY - 12

The sky was overcast.

Yeonhee walked through the streets of Hong Kong, casually browsing around. She spotted familiar items like broccoli, carrots, and something that resembled spinach, and for some reason, it made her feel cheerful.

It had already been a few months since she arrived in Hong Kong. When she first came, the place felt entirely unfamiliar, but now, having adjusted a bit, the streets felt quite endearing.

As the weekend came, Yeonhee was wandering the streets alone.

She brushed her hair aside in the wind and walked into a narrow alley, heading toward a famous tart shop. She had grown accustomed to the main streets, but the tangled backstreets of Hong Kong were still a little unfamiliar.

She turned her phone to check the map and soon found herself close to a bakery famous for egg tarts. From a distance, she could see a line of people waiting, so it seemed like it was indeed a popular spot.

Though she hated waiting in lines, she typically preferred local eateries, but for some reason, she had a sudden urge to visit this place. It reminded her of Junghoon.

‘I’m so silly.’

Yeonhee chuckled softly and joined the line behind the tourists.

The night before, she had dreamed of Junghoon. He had been someone she had consciously tried to erase from her mind, but she couldn’t stop him from appearing in her dream.

It was a rainy day. After a fight with her mother and feeling heartbroken, Junghoon had come over with cookies and pudding.

The sound of the rain in her ears and the soft music playing in the background. His deep eyes gazing at her lovingly as he leaned on the driver’s seat. It was a memory that felt almost dreamlike, and yet, it had appeared again as a dream.

The moment Yeonhee locked eyes with Junghoon in the dream, she immediately realized a sad truth.

Ah, it’s just a dream.

But even then, she couldn’t push him away.

"Now, kiss me," he said with a smile.

In the dream, Yeonhee carefully placed her lips on his, and they softly kissed, wrapping their arms around each other’s necks.

His strong embrace, his warm body, the sound of rain tapping against the car window—everything felt so real that the dream became even sadder. She spent a long time recalling the dream after waking up.

That was why she had come here. She was reminded of Junghoon, the one who used to bring cookies, brownies, and tarts.

After waiting in line with the tourists for a while, she packed up just four egg tarts and stepped outside.

The streets of Hong Kong were hot and humid. She draped her cardigan over her arm and strolled around, looking at her surroundings. How much time had passed? She found herself standing in front of a store window filled with shoes, staring at the display, when she heard a familiar language from the side.

“Excuse me, are you Korean?”

Yeonhee straightened up and turned her head. Two men holding a tourist map were standing there.

“Yes, I am. Is something wrong?”

“Wow! We’re so lucky! We’re looking for XXX bakery, and we saw you holding their packaging. Do you happen to know where it is?”

Yeonhee turned her body fully and pointed toward a nearby alley.

“Go that way, and if you turn left twice, you should find it… but I’m not very familiar with this area. It might be more accurate to follow the map.”

“Thank you! But... we’re still not sure where it is… Could you possibly walk us there?”

One of the men, the one with a slightly larger face, asked with a wide smile. Yeonhee stared at him for a moment before firmly shaking her head.

“No, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

His expression seemed a little surprised at her blunt response. However, after glancing at his friend who was pretending to look elsewhere, he took a step closer to Yeonhee.

“Ah… actually, the thing is, my friend here is interested in you.”

Yeonhee’s brows furrowed in discomfort.

“So?”

“If you’re free, would you like to have a meal with us? If you’ve already eaten, coffee would be fine. We’ll treat you.”

“No. I don’t want to.”

This time, she rejected them firmly, with a hint of displeasure in her tone.

No matter whether his friend liked her or not, what did it matter to her? They asked for directions, and she answered them, only for them to start making an attempt. She ended up wasting time for no reason. As she tried to ignore them and walk past, the man rudely blocked her path.

"We're not weird people, really, my friend—"

It was then.

"What do you mean, friend?"

A deep, rough voice came from behind Yeonhee.

Startled, Yeonhee jerked her shoulder up. The sound of Korean being casually spoken in the streets of Hong Kong was oddly familiar and unnerving.

Her heart dropped, and as she slowly turned around, she almost dropped the paper bag she was holding when she saw who it was.

"What do you mean, friend? You asshole... "

The man muttered a crude curse under his breath as he took off his sunglasses and slowly approached. He then stopped beside Yeonhee, turning his intense gaze toward the man who had been talking to her, glaring at him with a menacing look. The silence was heavy and oppressive.

The large man, whose head seemed to be a bit taller than others, glared fiercely at the man who had been trying to flirt with Yeonhee. With that intimidating stare, the man seemed to shrink back, glancing nervously at his friend. His lips moved but no words came out.

"Well... that’s..."

He trailed off and quickly turned to leave without a word of farewell or an apology.

The two men walked off side by side, disappearing down an unknown path.

Yeonhee stared blankly at their retreating backs. Only when their backpacks were no longer visible did she slowly turn her head.

Her heart was still pounding, as if she had just run through the streets of Hong Kong for thirty minutes.

Junghoon was standing there, smiling at her with a bright, white smile.

"Some idiots, huh?" he said.

It was Junghoon. Really, it was Min Junghoon.

He stood there on the hot and humid streets of Hong Kong, his face glowing with a refreshing energy as he smiled at her.

Why was he here? Why, of all places, at this time, in front of me? Could it be a hallucination?

Yeonhee, her lips trembling, tried to speak but couldn't find the words. She felt silly asking.

"Team Leader?"

"Yes, it's me, the team leader."

His voice was casual, with a lazy tone.

"What... what are you doing here?" she asked.

"What do you mean, what? I came because I missed you."

He responded as if they had just been chatting yesterday, unabashedly.

He was dressed in a comfortable-looking t-shirt, well-fitted jeans, and even the casually worn sandals looked stylish on him. With one hand in his pocket, he stood there leaning slightly and smiling at her.

Confused by the situation and unsure how to react, Yeonhee barely managed to get a question out.

"Did you... come to see me?"

She wanted to ask if he had come specifically to see her, but the question felt absurd, so she couldn’t bring herself to ask. She just kept her mouth shut.

It was Junghoon who picked up her broken sentence.

"Yes. I came to see you, Yeonhee."

"Excuse me?"

"I've been here for two months already. Didn’t you notice? I actually wanted to come earlier, but as the team leader, I had some work to finish up. I had to wrap things up before I could leave."

He said this while combing his hair back, still smiling calmly at Yeonhee, who was still frozen in place.

"Did you really not know? I’ve been following you around secretly all this time. You’re more oblivious than I thought, Yeonhee."

“……”

Yeonhee couldn’t respond. She couldn’t make sense of the conversation. Or maybe, she wasn’t even sure if it was a conversation. He was the only one throwing out incomprehensible words, swimming in his own confusion.

With a complicated look in her eyes, Yeonhee turned her back on him. She just wanted to escape the situation for now.

“Are you turning your back on me again? It really makes me sad seeing your back, Yeonhee.”

He called out from behind her. His words, lightly thrown, sounded like a hurt voice.

Whether he spoke or not, Yeonhee hurriedly moved her feet. He, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care about her reaction and simply followed her lazily.

They passed by several shops and alleys. Yeonhee turned sharply, glancing back at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Why do you keep following me?”

“Isn’t it my right to be wherever I want?”

His answer was straightforward and unbothered.

“What about work? Why are you here?”

“I’m on unpaid leave. I was forcing myself to go to work just to see you anyway,” he replied casually.

“……”

The barrage of unexpected responses made Yeonhee dizzy. She swallowed dryly and quickly moved her legs again. But no matter how fast she walked, her pace couldn’t seem to separate her from him, thanks to their difference in leg lengths.

Junghoon tilted his head and looked at her with a smile on his face.

“Ah, don’t worry about me. I have plenty of money. Unpaid leave doesn’t affect me at all.”

“I know you have money…” Yeonhee began, only to stop herself halfway and let out a sigh. She felt like she was being swept up in his rhythm. Her pounding heart had calmed, but now her head was starting to ache.

“This is stalking, Team Leader.”

“Then report me.”

“I could’ve handled it by myself earlier. Please don’t interfere in my business anymore.”

“I know. You handle things well on your own. But earlier, those guys attacked you two-on-one. I didn’t like the odds, so I stepped in.”

“……”

She had occasionally felt this way when meeting him before. That he could sometimes feel as distant as a wall. And now, in this unfamiliar place, she felt it more strongly than ever.

Her mind was a flurry of questions.

He came here because he missed me? She had thought his feelings had faded. She had thought he had given up. Hadn’t he treated her cleanly without any lingering attachment, even at work?

Even when he signed off for her to come to Hong Kong, he had done so calmly, without any emotion. So what was all this?

Yeonhee suddenly stopped walking, catching her breath from the pace she had been walking at, then turned into a quiet alley.

Junghoon, with his hands in his pockets, asked leisurely as he followed her.

“What about your boyfriend? Is he still in Korea? How come he hasn’t come here once in two months?”

Boyfriend? For a moment, Yeonhee didn’t understand what he meant, but quickly realized he was talking about Junjae. There was no need to clarify that he wasn’t her boyfriend, so she just brushed it off.

“It’s none of your business, Team Leader.”

“Why leave you alone? You don’t know what strange guys could stick to you, like earlier.”

“Honestly, you’re more strange than those guys.”

“Is that so?”

She heard his laughter from behind. "Am I really more strange than those guys?" His voice, playfully asking, sounded refreshingly clear.

Yeonhee kept walking. The alley grew narrower and more silent with every step.

She had no idea where she was. As if it was a duty, she kept moving, and after a while, Junghoon, who had been following her, spoke in a lowered voice.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t do that. I’d never leave my girlfriend alone like a fucking idiot.”

“……”

Only then did Yeonhee stop dead in her tracks. With a stiff expression, she quickly turned around.

She had expected him to be laughing, but he was staring at her with a face completely devoid of humor. The light atmosphere from before was gone.

He took his hands out of his pockets and walked toward her. Yeonhee, trying to distance herself, stepped back, but Junghoon stopped when he noticed her resistance. He didn’t pursue her further.

The heavy air seemed to weigh down on the surroundings.

Junghoon quietly muttered as if breaking down.

“You said it’d take a year.”

“……”

“You said you’d forget me in a year.”

His calm words were hollow.

The sun was sparse due to the dense buildings. In the narrow alley, which seemed coated with a thin layer of darkness, Junghoon clenched his lips and slowly lowered his head. His face, looking down at his feet, appeared full of pain.

The carefree, relaxed demeanor from before was completely gone as he fell silent.

Clouds covered the sun slowly drifting overhead. The dim light filtered through the cracks between the buildings before disappearing again.

After a long silence, Junghoon finally whispered.

“You said it was your first time feeling this way. You said it would go away in a year. Why did you say that to me?”

His words, heavy and burdened, were thrown with pain.

Yeonhee stared at him blankly for a moment before turning away. The words he had spoken, the pain they carried, lingered in her mind. But she couldn’t face them, so she turned away and fled.

“Why… why did you lie?”

His voice, trembling at the end, pierced through her. It was a difficult sentence, desperately trying to hold onto rising emotions.

Yeonhee inhaled sharply, swaying as if in a trance, and quickly moved away from him.

In the dark alley, Junghoon was left standing alone.

Once he had shown himself, Junghoon didn’t even try to hide his presence anymore.

From time to time, he spent time at a café near Yeonhee’s office, reading books. Occasionally, he would lazily follow her after work and make playful remarks.

“I know a great place that serves spicy Sichuan food since you like it. Want to go together?”

Of course, Yeonhee never responded. Was that how rich unemployed people acted—so leisurely and carefree? It was nothing short of absurd.

Even though it had been a year since they broke up, his actions still felt strange, as if he was approaching her so casually, despite the walls he once built around himself. Now, he was expressing his feelings recklessly, like an eighteen-year-old boy suddenly in love.

Junghoon’s behavior remained just as enigmatic.

On a bright weekend afternoon, Yeonhee was at a café, typing away on her laptop, working on a pamphlet translation that Junjae had asked for. Junghoon, strolling in leisurely from somewhere, sat on the café terrace, basking in the sunlight while drinking coffee.

His well-groomed hair glistened in the sunlight, and beneath his elegant lashes, there was a soft shadow as he read a book, lounging comfortably.

Who would believe it? That someone with such a charming exterior could be half twisted on the inside, and that the reason he was here was simply to see her.

Still, recently, he hadn’t tried to engage her in conversation. He seemed content to simply be in her presence, without expecting any response.

He would cross his legs and read, but now and then, he would glance up at Yeonhee. His face full of things he wanted to say, he would silently stare at her. When she eventually looked up and caught his gaze, he would smile gently.

Yeonhee sighed and lowered her head again. After drinking coffee, eating some bread, and having a sandwich, she left the café three hours later. Junghoon, too, closed his book and got up from his seat.

Yeonhee walked slowly through the quiet street. Despite Hong Kong being a city full of tourists, the areas not around major attractions were still relatively calm.

She could feel the warm sunlight on her body as she heard the sound of Junghoon's footsteps following her like a shadow.

Should I tell him to go...? Yeonhee briefly considered this but shook her head. He wasn’t really causing any harm, and he had kept his distance. When she seemed visibly uncomfortable, he had sometimes taken the hint and disappeared.

So she decided to leave him be. The weather was nice, and her mood was good.

Moreover, trying to engage in conversation with him would probably only stir up trouble, like poking a beehive. Waiting for him to tire himself out seemed fine, but recently, she had begun to wonder if she should change her approach.

Junghoon had a persistence she hadn’t expected.

As they passed a blue wall and turned a corner, Junghoon suddenly spoke.

“Did you know? You’re my first love.”

Yeonhee, taken aback, responded almost reflexively.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

It was such a ridiculous statement that she blurted out the words without thinking.

First love? How old are you? Of course, she too had never had a boyfriend before Junghoon, and he was someone everyone paid attention to, but wasn’t their situation a bit different?

Junghoon, pleased by her reaction, smiled and moved closer. He still kept a half-step distance, but it felt like the gap between them was insurmountable.

“It’s true. I liked you even when I was in New York.”

“Are you the type to fall in love easily? Falling for someone after a one-night stand?”

“No. We didn’t meet for the first time that night.”

Yeonhee’s pace slowed slightly.

The first time they met was at a party in New York. Their relationship had started from that night. But if that wasn’t the first time, what was? She tried to search her memory, but nothing came up.

Junghoon tilted his head and looked at Yeonhee.

“Are you curious?”

“No.”

Though she was curious, Yeonhee firmly shook her head.

“If you accept me again... I’ll tell you everything then.”

“……”

“When we first met, how I liked you all by myself, and how we met again in Korea.”

“I don’t need to know.”

It’s all a lie. He’s probably trying to stir my curiosity to get me to fall for something. Yeonhee thought to herself as she quickened her pace.

The sky had grown darker, and the horizon was starting to turn a beautiful shade of red, as if painted with red dye. The streetlights had already been softly lit. She walked along the riverside, enjoying the peaceful evening air. The lights reflecting on the river rippled gently, adding to the charm of the moment.

Before she knew it, she had forgotten about Junghoon and was lost in her thoughts, staring at the gently flowing river.

Min Junghoon. From his house, where he had followed her, the Han River had been visible as well. She had once sat in his arms, sipping coffee while watching the river, or had sat across from him with chicken spread out on the table, drinking beer together.

Looking back, there were so many warm memories, enough to bring tears to her eyes.

But she couldn’t turn back and face him because the pain he had caused her was too great. She couldn’t trust him fully. She couldn’t bear the thought of standing beside him like a fool, only to wilt again.

Lost in her own thoughts, she passed under a flickering streetlight.

Junghoon’s soft voice reached her.

“Lim Junjae. Why hasn’t he come?”

“Why would Junjae come here?”

The sudden question caught Yeonhee off guard, and she responded without thinking.

She immediately regretted it, but Junghoon continued, his voice low, almost like he was grinding his teeth.

“Break up with him.”

“……”

“Break up with that guy.”

There was an order in his voice. Yeonhee turned around and glared at him.

“Why should I?”

“Is he really your boyfriend? How come he hasn’t come here even once?”

“He’s busy.”

Yeonhee half-heartedly made an excuse but fell silent. She was just lying, saying he would come eventually. She had only given him a chance to attack her.

Junghoon, now visibly angry, approached her and stared at her with eyes that seemed to burn.

“Why are you even with a guy who never comes to see his girlfriend? I can’t get through a single day without seeing you, how can he do that?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Break up with him. I’ll wait until you’ve sorted out your feelings.”

Yeonhee clenched her fists as she glared at him.

Min Junghoon. What right do you have to say this? When you had me on my knees, playing with my heart, what right do you have to say these things now?

She hated that he had chased her this far and was shaking her like this, and even more, she hated that she was showing him any vulnerability at all.

The reason she couldn’t push him away harshly, the reason her heart kept softening when she saw him, the painful memories that surfaced every time she faced him, and the lingering regrets inside her—it was all because of that. And she hated it, with all her being.

Yeonhee spoke firmly to him as though making a vow to herself.

“I think you’re mistaken. Even if I break up with Junjae, I won’t be with you.”

Her words, cold and sharp, only made Junghoon smile faintly.

“Finally, you called me Junghoon. You’ve been calling me ‘team leader’ all this time.”

A sigh slipped out from Yeonhee’s lips, betraying her stoic demeanor. Junghoon in front of her felt like an immovable wall, someone she couldn’t communicate with.

Yeonhee turned her back and started walking alone again. Junghoon followed her like a shadow. Their shadows twisted together under the streetlight, then separated, grew distant, and overlapped again.

“You can meet someone else. You can meet as many people as you want, just come back to me in the end.”

“……”

“Five years from now, or even ten years, it’s fine. I’ll wait. As long as you come back... anytime.”

His once confident voice now began to tremble with pain.

Yeonhee didn’t respond. She turned her head to look at the distant glowing city lights, trying to ignore him. The light spread faintly. She bit her trembling lip and pretended nothing was wrong as she continued walking.

She walked along the riverbank, almost as if running from someone, passing by a few bicycles and smiling couples.

“I lied when I said I’d forget in a year... I made myself into an idiot who can’t live a single day without you, Yeonhee. You have to take responsibility for that.”

Junghoon’s words were thrown like a curse between the flickering lights, filled with resentment.

Yeonhee recognized the pleading mixed in his words, but she turned away.

She exhaled, unsure whether it was a sigh or a sob, and simply walked on. That was all she could do now.