TEOTW - 5

It was quiet for a few days, as if a storm had passed. I woke up as usual, greeted Choi Sung-hee when I saw her, and finished getting ready for work while having breakfast as if nothing were wrong. Unlike Yiseo, who was trying to act calm as usual, Choi Sung-hee was definitely different. It had been like that ever since that day.

Choi Sung-hee was the one who made a slip of the tongue, but Yiseo was the one who had to be careful. Yiseo found the house uncomfortable, so she left earlier and came home later.

For some reason, she also felt awkward seeing her brother, so she deliberately avoided him as much as possible. Suddenly, a call came from Yiheon. It was a while after she had finished work and was lost in thought in her car in the art center’s parking lot.

“Oh, brother.”

• Are you done with work? “No, you know. I’m busy with work these days.”

Work had already ended at 5 p.m. However, Yiseo had been spending time in her parked car for over an hour. It was partly to avoid the heavy traffic and partly because she felt more comfortable spending time here than on the road or at home. Without any suspicion, Yiheon continued with what he had to say.

• Okay. I called to remind you about our appointment this week.

At the mention of the appointment, Yiseo finally remembered the event that Yiheon had told her about months ago: a charity concert on Saturday evening. It was a social gathering that they attended once a quarter.

“Do I really have to go?”

• Of course. You always have.

Yiseo let out a shallow sigh. If she went to that event, she would have to face people she didn’t want to see. The social gathering’s core was the children of corporate executives. Since they were all people of a similar social standing, they usually knew each other.

It was already annoying and bothersome. The thought of going to a place where no one welcomed her was a burden, but Yiheon always brought Yiseo along to such events. Yiseo’s first time at a social gathering was also at Yiheon’s insistence.

As if he was aware of Yiseo’s situation of being an outcast, Yiheon intentionally took her to such events and introduced her to people, impressing upon them that they were close siblings. It was his way of showing consideration so that his sister would not be socially isolated.

• I’ll see you on Saturday. It will be better than staying at home. “Okay.”

After hanging up, Yiseo looked down at her bandaged finger. It was a finger she had cut a few days ago while showering. The bleeding had stopped quickly, but the wound in her heart remained.

“Phew.”

Yiseo tried to lift her spirits by thinking of Yiheon, who was a grateful presence in her life. She was not sure if she could have come this far without Yiheon.

‘Probably not.’

Yiheon, a man with a righteous heart despite his appearance, was also the only person who tried to understand Yiseo.

It was the same that day. A day when she couldn’t catch her breath, just going back and forth between home and school.

Yiheon abruptly pulled Yiseo, who was holed up in her room, and took her to Gyeongbokgung Palace. She was curious as to why he was suddenly dragging her to the crowded city of Seoul, but as she walked around every corner of the grand palace, her mind strangely calmed down.

“How about you do something you want to do?”

She listened quietly to his unexpected words as he spoke from under a big tree.

“If you just stay still, others might look down on you. I’m not saying you’re laughable, but if you just keep taking it, you might be seen as weak. If you’re angry, get angry. If something’s not right, say it’s not. You also need to be able to say you don’t like something. And if you’re really annoyed... you can even storm out of the house.”

She thought he was saying something strange. She knew her mother would hate it, but for some reason, Yiheon’s words felt like an encouragement.

It was in front of Geonchunmun, the eastern gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, which signifies the beginning of spring.

Yiheon was the most adult-like adult Yiseo knew. He was the one who taught Yiseo, who only knew how to endure loneliness, how to catch her breath and even encouraged her to rebel if necessary.

So, on the day she was inspired by his courage and left home with just a small bag, she had no idea where to go or what to do. Her attempt to run away was a first in her life and ended after eight hours when she returned home.

Choi Sung-hee, who was always cold, didn’t scold her teenage daughter who returned after midnight but simply told her it was late and to go to bed. Only then did Yiseo realize the important truth she had been trying to ignore.

This was the best she could do within this family.

She could never be a family with them. As she stood frozen in this realization, Yiheon approached, ruffled her hair instead of saying hello, and left.

She wanted to believe it wasn’t true, but it seemed she had hoped for something maternal from Choi Sung-hee during their time together. That’s why the cold attitude must have caused her such heartache that she couldn’t sleep.

After that, she never even dreamed of running away. Her half-hearted rebellion would only make Yiseo tired. Choi Sung-hee was the kind of woman who wouldn’t even look for her if she went missing.

“You really... endured for a long time in a house like that.”

Yiseo, who was stroking her neck, slowly put her hand on the back of her head, where Yiheon’s warmth seemed to linger.

‘You did well.’

On that day, she cried uncontrollably for no reason, as if the touch was comforting her.

‘Don’t live in silence so much.’

She thought she was the one who turned away before being ostracized, but did she look lonely to others? She had promised Yiheon not to live in silence, but sometimes she would cry quietly. She thought that living a predetermined life was so natural and that living as Yoon Dae-myeong’s daughter was a task she had to endure. So, even while she lived her life, she sometimes let out a cry like a sigh.

Then she would feel better again. Her suffocated mind would get better after a while, but this time, for some reason, it was not easy to get a grip on herself. What was the meaning of all this? A sense of powerlessness enveloped her whole body.

Her face, as she looked at the empty parking lot with light seeping through, was filled with emptiness. Should I run away again like that time? Should I try to properly rebel now? But the thought did not last long.

“A pushover.”

She realized her situation from a word someone had said to her one day. It was a rude remark from Ryu Tae-jo, who lived in his own world of arrogance. The funny thing was that what he said was not wrong.

“A pushover.”

A bitter smile spread across her face. They say a person’s life is not set in stone, and that a long life is filled by the person who leads it. But the end of this long tunnel of a life is not in sight. Should I just let go? The impulse sprouted like a thorn.

Regret for the path she had taken, doubts about an uncertain future, and resignation and self-mockery covered her mind and filled her head. Then, anger at herself began to rise from various directions and become intertwined. If the result of her hard work to please everyone was just this, and if she would be denied no matter what she did, then what if she just fell apart?

Even though she knew she couldn’t, a thin smile bloomed on Yiseo’s lips at the useless fantasy.

________________________________________

The concert hall for the charity event was bustling with a large crowd. Everyone who appeared at the event, hosted by Hankyung Ilbo, was familiar.

With Seo Jun-won, who was dressed handsomely in a tuxedo like a new groom, at the center, other familiar faces could be seen.

Yiheon, wearing a handsome dark blue suit, was accompanied by Yiseo. Yiseo wore a cream-colored mini dress and carefully followed her brother.

The mermaid-line dress, tailored with high-quality silk, was stylish and elegant. The design, which showed off her shoulders slightly, gave volume with a rich ruffle below it, and as Yiseo walked, the ruffles below her shoulders and the hem below her knees swayed like a wave.

It was a restrained style that looked graceful without being too conspicuous. She held a small jeweled clutch in one hand, and a hinged bangle studded with circular diamonds was worn on her wrist.

Yiseo put her long, brown hair behind her ear. The daisy-shaped diamond earrings sparkling on her earlobes went well with Yiseo’s innocent image. She felt people’s gazes sticking to her as soon as she entered, but as usual, she didn’t care about the attention.

As soon as she entered, she was busy following Yiheon, who greeted all the familiar faces, starting with Seo Jun-won of Hankyung Ilbo.

This was a place where the so-called upper class gathered to implicitly rank and follow a certain order. More than just a place to raise money for charity, which was the original purpose, it was a place where people socialized or formed more meaningful friendships. It was a perfect opportunity for businesspeople and entrepreneurs, and also a good time for finding a spouse.

Fortunately, unlike the passive Yiseo, Yiheon quickly became the center of the group as he always had, and thanks to him, Yiseo was able to get through the difficult time without much trouble.

It was natural for people to gather around Yiheon, who was always upright and reliable. He was kind and polite to everyone and was the same on the inside as on the outside. It was an open secret that families with unmarried daughters coveted Yiheon as a son-in-law. Because of this, Choi Sung-hee was somewhat laid-back about Yiheon’s marriage and was even arrogant at times.

As she watched her brother exchange soft greetings and well wishes with those who approached him with friendly smiles, Yiseo suddenly thought how lucky she was to have Yiheon by her side. It was then.

“Who do we have here? Isn’t this our Yoon Yiseo?”

A sudden voice pierced Yiseo’s ears. The man with a pleasant look on his face approached with a big smile. It was Han Jae-won, Yiheon’s best friend.

“Oh, hello.”

“You’ve gotten prettier since I last saw you.”

At the boisterous voice, Yiheon looked at Jae-won and smiled. Jae-won, who had turned down the path of inheriting his father’s company and instead started a small startup and grew it into a medium-sized enterprise, was an eccentric. He was a person who trusted only his own choices, no matter what path he took. He must have achieved such results because he jumped into a barren land.

“You’ve become a complete woman now.”

Yiheon’s eyes met Jae-won’s in a warning as he stared at Yiseo, who exuded maturity.

“I know, I know. Our Yiseo was always pretty. And that’s not what I meant, you fool.”

He laughed heartily, soothing his friend, who was suspicious that he might have had a crush on his friend’s sister.

“Have you been well?”

“Of course. Every day is a struggle. Ah, what sin did I commit in my previous life to only work like this?”

“I know. It would have been easier if you had taken over the family business.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. If I had gone into my father’s company, there would have been a bloody war. The war of the brothers. Don’t you know about that? I don’t like that kind of thing. And you shouldn’t work with family.”

It was a value Jae-won had held for a long time.

“Yiseo, you must have had a hard time coming with your brother. I bet this guy dragged you here against your will.”

He winked at Yiseo as if he knew what was going on without even looking. At the playful gaze that seemed to understand everything, Yiseo smiled for the first time since she had arrived.

“No. It’s nice to get some fresh air for a change.”

“You’re just pretending to be okay. I know your heart. What’s all this about connections and maintaining a reputation? This is boring. Isn’t it?”

When he laughed as he saw Yiseo, who just smiled instead of answering ‘yes,’ a commotion suddenly arose at the entrance. It seemed like someone was entering, and people’s gazes all turned to them as a path opened up. Yiseo turned her attention to where the eyes were focused.

Ryu Tae-han and his wife from Haeshin Group entered first, and a familiar face followed behind them.

Was it just a feeling that the room was getting quieter? Just their entrance alone seemed to change the flow of the air. The reason for all the attention must be the same.

Ryu Tae-han, accustomed to such attention, calmly turned his head and greeted everyone one by one. His greetings were polite and respectful. Next to Ryu Tae-han, who was shaking hands firmly and asking how everyone was doing, his wife smiled brightly as if she were a supportive partner. And behind them, a man followed his older brother silently with a very bored look on his face, as if he had no interest in anything.

“Ryu Tae-jo.”

Unlike the last time she saw him, Tae-jo was impeccably dressed. Despite the sweltering summer heat, his face, which didn’t have a single drop of sweat, was solid. A smooth face and a languid gaze. It hadn’t even been a minute since he entered, but he looked bored, as if wondering when this tiresome event would end.

He wore a dark blue suit that looked black, with a pristine white handkerchief tucked in, and a vest of the same tone underneath. He wore a clean white shirt with a soft, water-colored silk tie, and on the cuffs were cuff links shaped like nails studded with diamonds.

He was a man who wore flamboyant and bold accessories without any sense of awkwardness. Everything he wore seemed to have been made exclusively for him.

No one present was not dressed to the nines, but when it came to fashion, no one could compare to him. His presence was so powerful that it overwhelmed the entire room. When he was greeting people, his demeanor was textbook perfect. It was a well-practiced etiquette that had become ingrained in him.

Finally, it was Yiseo’s turn. Ryu Tae-han and his wife had spotted Yiheon and were making their way through the crowd with welcoming expressions.

Yiheon, whose eyes met theirs, also quickly walked toward them with Yiseo.

“It’s been a while, Director Yoon. I heard you’ve been busy lately.”

“Yes. I’ve been busy. But I still have time to attend gatherings.”

Tae-han smiled warmly at Yiheon’s polite reply.

Yiheon was a year younger than Tae-han and a university alumnus. It wasn’t strange that they had a connection, but Yiseo was secretly surprised by their familiarity. The way they exchanged friendly greetings was polite yet unreserved.

‘Were they that close?’

Just as she was thinking that this was probably what the common denominator of socially successful people looked like, Yiheon nudged Yiseo, who was quietly standing by his side.

“Ah, I’m sorry for the late introduction, Yiseo. This is Mr. Ryu Tae-han, Vice President of HS International, and his wife.”

“Hello. I’m Yoon Yiseo.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Yiheon introduced Ryu Tae-han and his wife to Yiseo, who bowed her head.

Tae-han’s gaze, which scrutinized Yiseo’s neat face, sharpened for a moment, but he soon smiled politely. He was a man with a generous smile. The small and lovely woman next to him was the same.

It was a moment when Yiseo was entranced by her relaxed and elegant demeanor, as if she was a person whose entire life was filled with happiness or just seemed that way.

“Wait a minute. The youngest also came with us.”

When he called out “Tae-jo,” Ryu Tae-jo, who was standing a few steps away, took his hand out of his pants pocket and approached. His footsteps were full of force as he walked straight toward them. Perhaps it was because of his swept-back hairstyle, but his expression looked sharper than usual today.

Yiseo cautiously looked at Ryu Tae-jo. His expressionless face gave off a cold feeling.

“Hello.”

Tae-jo bowed his back and greeted Yiheon respectfully. When Yiheon offered his hand, he grabbed it and straightened his back. Perhaps he was conscious of his older brother, who was with him, but he was meticulously polite. Yiheon smiled good-naturedly, unaware of the look of curiosity on Yiseo’s face.

“I heard you were here, but if I had seen you outside, I might not have recognized you. I heard you’re preparing for the city duty-free shop bidding this time?”

“Yes.”

“You must be busy as soon as you get here.”

“So far, I’m managing.”

“I’m sure you’ll do well.”

Tae-jo chuckled at Yiheon’s words of encouragement. Tae-han, who stood beside them, smiled expertly and proudly. Then, Yiheon subtly pushed Yiseo, who was quietly standing by his side, forward.

“Ah, I’m late to introduce you. This is my sister, Yoon Yiseo, and this is Ryu Tae-jo, the team leader of Haeshin DF’s new business team.”

‘Team leader?’

Yiseo looked at Tae-jo with a curious gaze.

“This friend is in charge of Haeshin’s duty-free business. Come to think of it, Tae-jo, you also went to Hansung High School, right?”

“Yes.”

“You two have probably seen each other a few times.”

“Yes. I know her well. Right?”

Tae-jo replied with an unusually sociable smile. Their gazes met in the air, deepening in a strange way. It was a gaze that, for some reason, made her feel tense. Yiseo unconsciously moistened her lips.

“You haven’t seen each other in a long time. Say hello.”

Yiheon’s voice, as if he was stepping away, took a step back, and Yiseo’s and Tae-jo’s gazes met a little more closely.

His eyes, which had been fixed on Yiseo since he first saw her, slowly scanned her from top to bottom. Yiseo, wearing a cream-colored dress with her long hair down and her shoulders slightly exposed, was dressed appropriately for the place, but there was a sense of dissonance.

Like a scared cat, Yiseo, who didn’t want to leave her brother’s side, bit the inside of her lip without it being obvious. Tae-jo’s gaze, which watched her twitching lips, deepened.

“Has it been a long time?”

Tae-jo suddenly opened his mouth. His expression, as if he was asking “what do you think,” was strange. It had been a few weeks since they had run into each other on the way out after having dinner with Kim Sung-hyun at a Korean restaurant.

It was a period of time where you could say “a long time” or “not.” However, even when she tried to smile, her lips wouldn’t move as if they were broken. But her heart was pounding chaotically.

“It’s nice to see you.”

When Yiseo finally forced her mouth open, his eyes looked up with interest. A glint appeared in his pitch-black eyes.

“Really?”

“...”

Yiseo chewed on the inside of her lip as she looked at him smiling languidly.

No. No way.

He, who had immediately read her true feelings, smiled more clearly, stretching his lips. ‘I knew it.’ The condescending gaze in his narrowed eyes rippled over, unpleasantly touching Yiseo.

“Our Yiseo works as a curator at the Haeshin Art Center...”

“Ah, I think I heard that. You work at our art center?”

It was a gaze like a cage. It felt as if an inescapable iron cage blocked her on all sides. Just the touch of Ryu Tae-jo’s gaze was enough to make her feel that way. But he was acting as if nothing was wrong, and just with his eyes, he was oppressing Yiseo.

“Pardon? Oh, yes. I’m still learning, but I’m working hard. And please speak comfortably with me.”

She almost missed Tae-han’s words because she was so focused on Ryu Tae-jo. Yiseo responded to Tae-han, who asked her respectfully, as kindly as possible, and lifted her head.

“Please take good care of her in the future.”

“Yes, I will work hard.”

‘Is this what it’s like to meet a boss outside of work?’ As she answered politely, she felt like a fool who was pledging loyalty and showing company pride. And the reason she felt that way was because Ryu Tae-jo was watching the whole thing right in front of her.

Even after she had finished greeting them and his gaze had moved away, his eyes remained fixed on Yiseo as if frozen. It felt like her breath was being choked by his persistent gaze that followed her movements, as if he was watching his marked prey.

She knew why he was looking at her like that. The obvious gaze, as if he had something to say, was clear in its meaning.

“Want to sleep with me?”

On that absurd day, that one rude memory suddenly popped up during their conversation. Ryu Tae-jo’s lips were tightly shut, but he was just piercing her with his gaze. However, his unyieldingly persistent eyes intended to break her calm expression and shatter the peace of this place.

At the unpleasant memory, the corner of Yiseo’s eye twitched sensitively.

“We’re going to sleep together on our third meeting.”

Like the boast he made that day, his quick eyes, which had caught Yiseo’s thoughts, smiled knowingly. He had the same look on his face as when he had uttered those indiscriminate words without remorse.

“Want to sleep together?”

‘No.’

Yiseo squeezed her eyes shut at the voice that rang like a ringing in her ears. She hated how she was reacting to his pitch-black eyes that felt nothing. She also hated how her throat was getting dry from the intense tension she felt on her cheeks from just his gaze.

Most of all, she hated the way he was watching her with an expressionless face as if nothing were wrong.

“Director Yoon, I need a word with you.”

“Yes, of course.”

Ryu Tae-han called Yiheon aside.

“Yiseo, can you wait?”

Heon asked kindly, as if he were worried about a child. Yiseo unconsciously grabbed his arm in a hurry. Heon, who looked down at her clasped hand, said gently to reassure her.

“Just stay with Tae-jo for a moment.”

________________________________________

At first, they just stood there without a word. The thought that she only had to avoid his gaze was too naive. As Yiseo stared hard at the spot where Heon had disappeared, he was the first to speak.

“Bro-com?”

His eyes, which were asking if she had a brother complex, were filled with ridicule. Instead of answering, Yiseo ignored him and turned away. His voice continued persistently, like a gaze fixed on Yiseo’s subtly raised, rounded eyebrows.

“Didn’t you hear what your brother said earlier? That you should stay with me.”

“I’m going to the restroom. Follow me if you want to.”

Yiseo snapped at Tae-jo, who was speaking as if he knew she was trying to escape, and hurriedly left. She hated being left alone with him. She was too uncomfortable with Ryu Tae-jo’s eyes, which tightened around her as if he were pressuring her, whether others were there or not.

She wondered why she was reacting like this to just a gaze, but you wouldn’t know unless you’ve experienced it. That feeling of your heart plummeting with the sense of a crisis, as if your neck might be ripped off when his penetrating eyes and your gaze meet.

“Hah.”

She turned on the water in the sink and stayed there for a long time. How long had she been staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror? It finally felt like she could breathe. Yiseo washed her hands with cold water and looked at the mirror. Her face was pale, contrary to her cheeks, which felt flushed.

She hadn’t wanted to appear in a place with so many familiar faces from the beginning. She knew why Yiheon had brought her here, but she felt like she had come for no reason. Her head was already throbbing with fatigue even though the concert hadn’t even started yet.

“It will be better than staying at home.”

Maybe Yiheon was right about that. Since then, Choi Sung-hee had not exchanged a single word with her, as if she were on a vow of silence. She was the one who had made a slip of the tongue, but now she was acting as if Yiseo didn’t exist at all. Her heart was hurt by her attitude, which suggested there was nothing to lose anymore, but she had grown to accept it.

The voice that criticized Yiseo for resembling her birth mother sometimes rang in her head like a warning bell. When that happened, she would often fall into a daze of thought. But she had to snap out of it. She couldn’t be caught up in such thoughts forever.

After a long time, Yiseo left the restroom. She had about 15 minutes before the concert started. ‘Has my brother returned?’ It was the moment she started to walk back to the seat where she was told to wait with Tae-jo.

“Did you see that? Yoon Yiseo came with her brother.”

Yiseo’s steps stopped at the whispering voices. The consecutive voices sounded familiar.

“I wouldn’t have come. Everyone knows they’ll meet people here.”

“Ga-eun, did you contact Yoon Yiseo?”

“No? I don’t even have her number.”

“Right. Anyway, my brother asked me how much longer we’re going to keep meeting with Yoon Yiseo.”

The voices she heard were from her friends from high school.

Han Ga-eun, Lee Seung-ah, Yoo Da-hye.

They had been maintaining their relationship by meeting once a month, so it was easy to distinguish whose voice was whose.

“Hey, you should still contact her.”

Yiseo’s ears perked up at the endearing voice that cut through the others. It was the voice of Jeong So-yoon, the friend who was closest to Yiseo. She was a friend with a lovely impression and a generous personality who would tell Yiseo that she was the only best friend in the group of five.

“Yiseo has no other friends besides us. Don’t talk like that about her. We’re all friends, aren’t we?”

So-yoon, with an innocent and cheerful voice, tried to persuade the other friends.

“Hey, since we’re on the subject, I’m only meeting her because of you, So-yoon. I really don’t like her. I mean, what is a bastard child, no matter what...”

“It’s just a rumor. Yiseo didn’t say it herself.”

“It’s already everywhere. You think she’d say it herself?”

“But she’s a kind kid. She does what she’s told.”

“That’s true.”

The other friends giggled at So-yoon’s words. Yiseo leaned against a pillar and quietly listened to the scattered ridicule.

‘So that’s what they thought.’

She had known it, but hearing it directly was a new experience. Well, these kinds of words were bound to be said somewhere, but they were people she had meals with and exchanged gifts with as if they were happy to see each other.

However, she didn’t feel wronged or resentful. Even if they were friends, they were just a little less awkward than others, and to call them close, there was a clear line that they couldn’t cross. So maybe she was just indifferent, as if she had known this would happen someday and was meeting a prepared farewell.

But why was her heart so empty? Was she shaken?

It seemed so. Even though she had expected it, it seemed to have hurt and shaken her. Of course, she was an expert at composing her expression and grinding her emotions, as she had always done, as if nothing had happened.

The reason she became friends with them was no different from the reason this group was formed. It was due to the social structure that naturally formed in school, where people with similar connections, reputations, and backgrounds gathered in groups. The history of class structure doesn’t change even when they become adults. If anything, it becomes more distinct and detailed.

In the first place, there was no such thing as a relationship without a price. So there was no need to feel let down. However, having to suppress her feelings to avoid a confrontation instead of responding with dignity and having to just let this time pass like this felt increasingly ridiculous.

Yiseo quietly exhaled the unknown emotion that weighed on her chest. She had grown up to a point where insults and truths no longer hurt her, yet she still had to calmly let the gossip of her childhood friends pass her by.

And it felt a little strange that she no longer got angry about such things. ‘Did the part of me that controls emotions break?’ As she calmly breathed out, as if she were dealing with someone else’s business, and stared blankly at her toes, a pair of high-quality leather shoes suddenly entered her view. The straight tip of the black leather shoes had a glossy sheen. She felt a sense of déjà vu. The scent that settled in as if it were a premonition was also not unfamiliar.

Yiseo slowly lifted her eyes. At the end of her upward gaze, she saw a familiar arrogant face. The gaze that tilted his head and stared down at her as if to ask what she was doing was black. It was Ryu Tae-jo.

The silent gaze was secret. Ryu Tae-jo’s eyes wouldn’t leave Yiseo, like a person who had finally found something they had been searching for for a long time. When their eyes met, Yiseo’s eyes trembled. It was only for a moment.

“...”

“...”

His pitch-black eyes were glossy, as if onyx had been meticulously and carefully processed for a long time. Their gazes interlocked at the end of her blank stare. She watched him for a moment. The entangled gazes in the air simply looked at each other without any wavering or agitation.

When Yiseo held her breath, he let out a low breath. The short breath broke as it collided between their gazes.

“...”

“...”

A heated breath grazed her cheek. Yiseo held her breath a little more and slowly closed her eyes without a word. He took one more step closer to Yiseo. A large pillar blocked her back, so she had nowhere to retreat. As his shoe pushed in a little more between Yiseo’s shoes, his large shoulder completely blocked her view.

Tae-jo’s gaze, which stood in front of her, was a little more overtly and askew, shooting down. It was a search. It was a gaze that was nothing more than an observation, not out of curiosity or anything else. So she stood with her head held high, like an exhibit. There was nothing to say, nothing to reveal. At the end of their silent agreement, his lips twisted into a sneer.

‘How pathetic.’

It was a look that seemed to be scanning a trophy. Suddenly, her cheeks flushed at the light gaze. ‘Would I flush this much even if I were caught naked?’

In a moment filled with only faint breaths, a sense of camaraderie, no different from an insult, was building up. ‘Is such a thing even plausible?’ Yet, as if they had made a promise, the two said nothing, and a tense atmosphere continued in the strange silence. Above it, the voices of her friends could be heard again.

“But at this point, hasn’t Yoon Yiseo caught on? She seems to be slowly starting to not show up for gatherings.”

“They say she’s busy with blind dates these days.”

“Blind dates? Would that work? It seems like her family is trying to get her out there to avoid people talking, but the rumor is already out there. It’s funny how she’s still so picky.”

“Well, no matter what the circumstances are, her family is loaded.”

“Anyway, I really don’t like her.”

Yiseo, who didn’t even flinch at the criticism, was like a mannequin. The gaze watching Yiseo being insulted was also calm. Not out of pity or sympathy, but just so.

What welled up in her throat was shame. What suppressed it coldly was the last bit of anger she had left. But that didn’t last long either. The patience she had been diligently learning easily organized her emotions, as she had always practiced, and soon the anger disappeared without a chance to be released.

At the end of his downward gaze, her shame was burning out. Sharing things that should not have been shared, Yiseo was silent and detached.

She had decided to accept it. The eyes that had trembled for a moment when she found Tae-jo no longer had a sincere desire to hide somewhere or feel embarrassed. Her face was just blank, and the interest in Tae-jo’s eyes, which was observing her face intently, was palpable.

He knew that what you wait for eventually withers.

He willingly joined in the act of watching Yoon Yiseo, who hoped his gaze would also wither away and who thought of the insults she was hearing as a piano performance.

“...”

“...”

Her long, full eyelashes, strand by strand, lifted and closed like a machine. Her cheeks were pale and bloodless, and her lips were still plump enough to be coveted. He had learned, through quiet observation, that she had a habit of biting the inside of her lips when she was deep in thought.

The inside of her slightly parted lips was bitten several times by Yiseo’s neat teeth. The habit was blind, not even knowing that blood was seeping through.

While the man’s gaze was exploring Yiseo, Yiseo, who stood close to him, was also observing him. It was a fair opportunity for them to explore each other.

As if to erase the traces of each other that had permeated the space, the light floral scent Yiseo emitted and the dark forest scent Tae-jo emitted fiercely intermingled.

It was strange. It wasn’t help, and it wasn’t not help. Yet, it was definitely weird that they were listening to the gossip together without separating and keeping their distance. It was as if they were sharing a secret that shouldn’t be revealed.

Yiseo calmly stared at the neatly water-colored tie in front of her. The tie pin that held the tie tightly sparkled chaotically. At the end of the pin, which was densely set with diamonds, were the initials T.J. Ryu Tae-jo’s initials. It was excessively flashy and beautiful. As she was looking at the diamond pin, which was scattering light, a short breath escaped from his mouth.

When she looked up, Ryu Tae-jo frowned with an expression as if to say, ‘Is that the right time for that?’ ‘He must be frustrated. I’m pathetic, too.’

The look in his eyes, which seemed to ask what she was going to do now, was sharp. But for some reason, she didn’t feel like fighting. She felt like she had already used up all her energy for the day just by standing like this. ‘I’ll just go back to my seat once those kids are gone,’ she thought.

When she lowered her eyes again, Ryu Tae-jo raised his hand and touched Yiseo’s shoulder. The fingertip that poked her was surprisingly hot. When their eyes met, he moved his lips and said without making a sound.

‘Pushover.’

After confirming it, his gaze tilted gently, as if asking her intention. ‘I’d rather he just sneered. Then I’d turn away because I couldn’t stand the sight of him.’ The sneering gaze he shot at her felt strangely softer than before. Was that why? She just laughed incredulously as she looked at him.

‘Yes, I’m a pushover.’

Tae-jo’s eyes contorted in a displeased manner at her laugh, which she let out with a nod as if to say, ‘Did you just find out?’

‘Go ahead and laugh all you want. I’m thinking the same thing.’

As she stared at his briefly wavering gaze, she suddenly thought that she wished it would all just fall apart. And yet, the faint smile on her face wouldn’t stop.

________________________________________

“Where are you going?”

The summer air grazed her cheeks. The humid evening air of summer was stuffy. The ground, which had been intermittently sprinkled with rain late in the afternoon, was wet. Seeing the red glow of the sky spread out in some places, it seemed like it would start raining again soon.

Yiheon had returned to the company as soon as the first half of the concert was over. He looked like he was in a hurry as he left the concert hall with news that something had happened. Heon seemed reluctant to leave Yiseo alone here and asked her several times if she would stay to watch the rest of the concert. Yiseo was the one who reassured him that she would find her own way back and pushed him to go home.

And Yiseo, who was left alone without Heon, wandered around the concert hall before the second half of the concert began and then left. Tae-jo was following behind her.

“I said, where are you going?”

A slightly rough voice caught Yiseo again. The moment she took a big step forward without any answer, her path was once again blocked by him. A straight tip at the end of his long leg once again blocked her way.

“What’s it to you?”

Ryu Tae-jo had one hand in his pants pocket and was staring down at her with a crooked look.

‘Why don’t you just watch the rest of the concert you were watching? Why did you follow me out and interfere?’ She showed her annoyance and looked him straight in the eye.

“If you leave like this, what does that make me?”

“Why does that matter to you?”

Yiseo frowned, unable to understand the meaning of his indifferent words. Yiseo just wasn’t in the mood for the concert. Yiheon leaving first was also a reason for her to leave the concert hall, but she just quietly left because she didn’t feel like watching any more. But what did her leaving have to do with Ryu Tae-jo?

His eyes, which met hers, drew a question mark as if to ask if she had forgotten. Black light gathered in his long, parted eyes.

“We decided we’re going to sleep together today.”

‘Ah.’ It was an unexpected voice. Yiseo froze on the spot as if she had been hit in the back of the head. Her cheeks, which were instantly frozen with bewilderment, trembled because Tae-jo’s gaze was too upright and too honest. She quickly cleared her expression, but he, who had read her momentary emotion, pulled his lips back and smiled.

“That’s a shame. Did you forget?”

“Who said that? That I’m going to sleep with you.”

“Did you not?”

Tae-jo answered cheekily, looking at Yiseo, who was asking back in disbelief. The lips that were questioning her in return were outrageously brazen. Yiseo let out a short, hollow laugh. She let out a few short laughs because it was so absurd.

“I’m not kidding.”

“It seems like you are. I can also tell that you’re still not in your right mind.”

Yiseo pushed him and started walking again. She was annoyed by the absurdity of him being serious about what she thought was a joke, a casual offer to sleep together.

Raindrops were beginning to appear. The summer street was getting wet. It seemed like a passing shower was about to start. As she passed a path filled with hydrangeas, the scent of the wet summer flowers grew stronger. Some were blurry, and some were thick.

Above the sound of her quickening footsteps, she heard a ‘clink’ and the sound of something lighting up. Soon, a acrid smoke wafted in, billowing. The moment she passed a flower-filled path with clumps of blue and white flowers, Yiseo suddenly stopped walking.

It was around the same time that Tae-jo, who had been following her slowly, also stopped. The moment her brown hair, which had been swaying in front of him, stopped, the rounded back of her head, which he had been seeing throughout the first half of the concert, slowly turned to look at him.

“Are you really going to break my pride?”

There was a lot of force in the eyes that asked again. ‘When were you ever making such a boring face all the time?’ He looked a little angry, and also a little unhinged.

‘How much fun is this bet going to be?’

Her sharp look was etched in his mind. Tae-jo smiled with interest as he exhaled smoke. His eyes were straight, as if what he had said wasn’t just a throwaway remark. Suddenly, he felt like he wanted to scratch those eyes, those lips, that skin.

“What if I do?”

“If I sleep with you once, will you stop following me around?”

Her face, which asked the question surprisingly easily, was innocent. Tae-jo frowned slightly and took a deep drag from his cigarette.

“You’ve always been like that. Saying ‘let’s sleep together.’ Wasn’t that why you were following me?”

He listened to her chattering voice with one ear and gave her a cold stare. ‘Is this a compromise?’ No, it was a rebellion. It was a moment when Yoon Yiseo, who rarely showed her emotions, was pouring out something similar. Soon, his lips tilted in a languid smile.

“I guess this isn’t the first or second time that guys who are desperate for sex have been bothering you.”

“But no one was as blunt as you about sleeping together.”

There was not a single trace of the gentle aura that other people felt when they saw Yiseo in her eyes as she pointedly said, ‘You’re the most vulgar of them all.’

“Want to sleep together?”

Yiseo’s lips opened again. The words, which didn’t suit her, were so plain. It was clearly an act of spite. She was provoking him with a fierce look in her eyes, as if to say she could also do something as low-class as this. It was a response that was worth responding to, even though he knew that.

“Did you suddenly want to?”

“I’m a pushover, after all.”

Her face, which was replying, was sharper than before. He wasn’t curious about what kind of change of heart had occurred. He just thought it was ridiculous that she was bravely brandishing a knife, as if she could also have this kind of low-class affair. Her cheeks, which had hardened as if his vulgar jokes were no longer an insult, were firm with a certain resolve. It was a moment when he felt a faint, fiery emotion in her eyes, which had been dead all along.

“If you don’t want to, then don’t.”

“Who said I don’t want to?”

Tae-jo grabbed Yiseo’s arm as she was about to turn away.

“The car is over there.”