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Chapter 2
I could no longer say, “Hello.”
Because I heard Jinho’s voice.
The loud music and the chatter of laughing people coming through the phone told me immediately that he was in a bar.
Then I heard Jinho’s sharp voice, talking to someone.
“Hey! I heard you even gave your girlfriend money for her trip? That’s not like you.”
“Haha. When you’re throwing away a piece of chewed gum, you wrap it up nicely before you toss it.”
…Chewed gum?
Who was he talking about?
“What’s with the gum analogy? Your girlfriend?”
“Yeah, gum! You guys should remember this. If you treat it carelessly and just throw it away, it sticks to everything and makes a huge mess.”
He sounded unbearably smug, as if he were revealing some great life secret.
The Jinho I knew would never talk like this…
But there was no mistake.
It was definitely his voice.
He must have been drunk, because he was shouting at the top of his lungs.
Calling me a piece of gum.
“Hahaha! You’re crazy. You’re still the same. Don’t overdo it. What if another girl threatens to kill herself like back in college?”
After what Jinho said next, my mind went completely blank.
“I want to break up with her, but she just won’t stop clinging to me. She’s literally like gum. She has absolutely no sense. Why do you think I gave her money? It’s so she’ll take it and disappear.”
“Man… what if she just takes the money and still doesn’t get the hint?”
“No. She’ll understand. I’ve done everything I needed to do. You’re listening, aren’t you, Min Harin?”
The phone slipped from my hand.
Jinkyung, who had been listening beside me, froze as well.
The two of us stared at each other in complete shock.
Recovering first, Jinkyung quickly picked up the phone and answered in my voice, pretending the earlier “hello” had been hers.
“Hello, Jinho? It’s Jinkyung.”
“…”
The noisy laughter on his end stopped instantly.
“Harin’s in the shower right now. Should I tell her to call you back when she’s out?”
“…”
Without saying another word, Jinho simply hung up.
He had never imagined I’d be with Jinkyung at this hour.
That was why he’d carelessly said all those horrible things.
Maybe he wasn’t afraid of me or Jinkyung.
But workplace gossip?
That, he was definitely afraid of.
I remembered hearing that his family had thrown a huge celebration when he got this job.
“Haha… ha…”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
What Jinho had done was so absurd…
…and so horrifying.
I felt humiliated that Jinkyung had witnessed it all.
Had he hated me that much?
“Jinkyung…”
“Uh… Harin…”
“Wow… Did he really hate me that much?”
Seeing how pitiful I looked, Jinkyung came over with sympathy written all over her face.
“Harin, everything that trash just said is nothing but stinking garbage. Don’t listen to a single word.”
She was right.
No matter how much he’d fallen out of love with me, this wasn’t something any decent person would do.
Jinkyung was absolutely right.
He was trash.
If anything, I should be grateful that someone like him had disappeared from my life now instead of later.
Then I suddenly remembered—
The envelope.
I jumped to my feet.
Thinking I was about to chase after Jinho, Jinkyung grabbed my arm.
“What’s wrong? Where are you going?”
“I’m not going anywhere. I just want to see how much money is in that amazing envelope.”
Still furious, I dumped the contents of my handbag all over the table looking for it.
Jinkyung watched me with surprise.
Normally, I was the cautious one—the type who overthought everything.
She was the bold, straightforward one.
Seeing me act this impulsively must have been shocking.
But there was one thing she didn’t know.
The calm, patient version of me had been built through years of effort.
“…This is driving me crazy.”
Even opening the envelope made me sigh repeatedly.
My hands shook uncontrollably.
It felt as though the words “Your Price” were written across the middle of it.
Taking a deep breath, I finally opened it.
Inside were six ₩50,000 bills.
₩300,000.
Three hundred thousand won?
What was I supposed to think this money meant?
Was it ridiculously little as compensation for breaking someone’s heart?
Or was it simply enough money to say,
“Take this and disappear.”
Or…
Was it actually generous, considering he only wanted to get rid of me?
No matter how I looked at it, there was no answer.
And that was the most frustrating part.
* * *
“Passengers traveling to Narita, please proceed…”
We left for the airport before dawn.
Neither of us had slept.
There was no way Jinkyung would leave me alone after what had happened.
Sitting by myself at home only made me feel worse, so we took the first bus to Incheon Airport.
As we waited in the freezing morning air for the airport bus, my anger toward Jinho only grew.
Did he really have to ruin the first trip I’d taken in years?
Did he have to break up with me in such a psychopathic way?
If he’d fallen out of love, he could have just told me.
Treating me like a beggar…
Comparing me to chewing gum…
That was what hurt the most.
What part of me was “gum”?
Was I gum because I didn’t disappear first?
Normally, I treasured even a single ten-won coin.
But if this money was meant to tell me to disappear—
I didn’t want it.
I still couldn’t believe it.
Was the man I’d loved really the same person who made that phone call yesterday?
…I still couldn’t believe it.
If I’d been the only one to hear it, I would’ve thought it was a nightmare.
“Ha…”
The cold dawn air helped clear my head.
Finally, I started thinking rationally.
At the end of the day…
It was just a breakup.
A horrible one, yes.
But still…
For now—
I decided to forget it.
I refused to let that disgusting psychopath ruin this precious trip.
Jinkyung had done nothing wrong.
The pain of the breakup and the betrayal…
I would deal with those alone after I got home.
“Jinkyung.”
She looked at me carefully.
She probably thought the trip was over.
“Yeah, Harin? Should we just go back? You don’t feel like traveling anymore, do you?”
“No! Not at all! I’m sorry I almost ruined your mood because of me. Let’s enjoy every second of this trip!”
Even though my face was pale, I forced determination into my eyes.
She still looked worried.
“Are you really okay?”
“Of course! Once we get our boarding passes, let’s hit the duty-free shops first!”
I confidently waved a book of duty-free coupons.
Understanding what I was trying to do, Jinkyung linked arms with me.
“Alright. Let’s go! Forget everything and enjoy ourselves!”
Together, we explored the airport before finally boarding our flight to Narita.
As soon as the environment changed, so did my mood.
Passing through immigration finally made it feel like we’d truly arrived in Japan.
As I gazed out the window of the limousine bus heading into Tokyo, my worries about work and my anger toward Jinho felt strangely distant.
“Jinkyung, you slept like the dead.”
“You’re one to talk. I even checked to see if you were breathing.”
We looked at each other—
and burst into laughter.
That’s right.
This was how I’d forget.
Slowly, little by little.
* * *
Our first stop was the hotel.
After checking in and leaving our luggage, we spent the day wandering around Tokyo.
Jinkyung enthusiastically surrendered herself to the shopping bug.
Meanwhile, I spent the day trying to keep her spending under control.
After shopping, dieting became a forgotten concept.
We ate everything we wanted, tasted everything we could, and enjoyed ourselves without restraint.
By the time we returned to the hotel, we were practically zombies.
“My legs are killing me… Harin, I’m taking a shower first.”
“Go ahead. I’ll call my aunt.”
The moment she got back, Jinkyung kicked off the high heels she’d insisted on wearing despite my recommendation to wear sneakers and disappeared into the bathroom.
Ring… Ring…
“Moshi moshi.”
A voice that sounded remarkably like my mother’s answered.
“Aunt, it’s me. Harin.”
“Oh? Harin? Are you in Japan? I recognized the number.”
“Yes. I came with a friend. Since I’m here, I wanted to visit you and Jihyun, too. Are you free tomorrow?”
“I’m at the shop all day, so come whenever you like. I’ll let Jihyun know.”
“I want to see Minwoo and Junwoo too. I’ll come over tomorrow evening.”
“Alright. See you tomorrow.”
After hanging up, I started organizing the gifts I’d brought from Korea for Minwoo and Junwoo.
Jinkyung came out of the bathroom, steam trailing behind her.
“Did you call your aunt?”
“Yeah. But are you sure you’ll be okay by yourself tomorrow evening? You could come with me.”
“It’s only a few hours. If I suddenly show up too, your family will feel obligated to entertain me. I’ll stay here and rest, so don’t worry.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“For what? Go take your shower.”
Leaving her alone made me feel guilty.
But bringing her along would’ve been awkward too.
There were family matters I didn’t really want even my closest friend to know.
When I came out of the shower, Jinkyung was glued to the TV.
“What are you watching? Wow… what’s this?”
She grinned.
“I think it’s a program introducing clubs. Every floor has different music and themes. Looks fun…”
Her eyes sparkled.
From experience, I knew exactly what that meant.
She really wanted to go.
Unlike her, I’d never been to a club in my life.
I couldn’t dance to save myself.
Still…
Maybe I should go for her sake.
Determined, I searched for the club featured on TV.
After everything with Jinho, my emotional state was already shattered.
And I felt guilty about leaving Jinkyung alone tomorrow to visit my aunt.
Under normal circumstances, I never would’ve suggested something like this.
But tonight…
I felt like I could do anything.
A few moments later, I found the famous club the show had mentioned.
Nine.
Looking at Jinkyung, I spoke with determination.
“Jinkyung… let’s go to that club, Nine.”
