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chapter 9
Yoona, staring at Yeongwon hesitantly, asked cautiously,
“Why… aren’t you coming in?”
“…Are you off work?”
“Yes… no! What can I get you?”
Embarrassed at the thought of having caused a scene while drunk, Yoona hastily gathered the applications she had spread out on the table and stood up. Just as she was about to head to the counter, Yeongwon walked into the café and sat down.
Without even meeting Yoona’s eyes, he rummaged through his backpack and asked,
“It’s not that… Did you change your course registration? You didn’t say anything.”
“Ah…”
It seemed he wasn’t going to mention yesterday at all. Only then did Yoona feel a little relieved and sat across from him.
“The correction period… isn’t it until tomorrow?”
“That’s true, but a spot opened up in a liberal arts class that looks okay.”
Yeongwon pulled out his laptop and placed it on the table. When the screen lit up, he rested his long fingers on the touchpad, swiping back and forth as he began searching for something.
Yoona, staring at his handsome face, finally spoke.
“Your girlfriend must be lucky.”
“…Excuse me?”
Yeongwon, who had been staring at the monitor, finally looked at Yoona, surprised. The moment their eyes met, Yoona’s gaze softened.
“Her boyfriend is not only this handsome, but also kind. And smart, too.”
“….”
Yeongwon didn’t reply and simply lowered his head. Fortunately, it seemed Yoona genuinely didn’t remember anything. If he acted suspiciously, it would just advertise that something weird had happened. He pretended to be completely unaffected.
But had he acted like he had a girlfriend? Even looking back, he couldn’t figure out where he had gotten such an impression.
Even when working together, Yoona had often praised him with an innocent face, without hesitation.
Words like “smart” or “amazing” were thrown at him more than ten times a day for trivial things.
Having never considered himself remarkable or intelligent in his life, Yeongwon had always awkwardly bowed his head in response, unsure how to react. Compared to his older siblings, he felt like nothing at all.
The word “kind” was a new addition. He had no idea where she got that impression from either. Again, uncertain how to respond, he opened the syllabus he intended to show her.
“…It’s a liberal arts class called Understanding Korean Traditional Architecture.”
“Oh, yes, yes!”
Yoona responded brightly and suddenly leaned toward him. Startled by how close she got, Yeongwon straightened his back and stepped back.
“There are no regular classes during the semester. You only need to go once or twice for brief guidance. The midterm is replaced with a research report, and the final is a report after a field trip.”
“…That sounds perfect.”
“But the field trip is overnight during the vacation, and you have to consider that your grade is decided by just two reports. Many upperclassmen take it, so spots are often dropped by underclassmen.”
“Hmm…”
Yoona furrowed her brows unconsciously as she leaned close to the screen, reading the syllabus carefully. Looking down at her long, thick brown eyelashes, Yeongwon hesitated for some unknown reason before finally speaking.
“…No girlfriend—”
“Do we have to get to Andong on our own then?”
They spoke at the same time. Yeongwon nodded in agreement. Judging that this was a good course, Yoona placed her hand over Yeongwon’s on the touchpad.
“Sorry, Yeongwon. I just need to register for this quickly. I’m in a hurry.”
“…Okay.”
The moment her cool, soft skin touched his, Yeongwon withdrew his hand.
In the passenger seat, Seoyeon checked the side mirror while watching Yoona steer with one hand and spoke in a muffled voice.
“Driving well is so sexy, unnie…”
“…Anyone can do it once they have a license, you know?”
“No… dollar…”
“Hmm…”
The compliment felt awkward, so Yoona pressed her flushed face into her hand and coughed awkwardly. After driving for her socially active mother for so long, she had become quite proud of being a skilled driver.
The backseat was stacked high with boxes. Today was Yoona’s moving day.
Seoyeon said,
“Next time I move, introduce me to that realtor lady. Being well-connected really pays off.”
“Sure, I will. She’s very kind.”
Yoona smiled softly, happy to provide useful information to a new friend.
“Thanks so much for helping me move. I’ll get you something really delicious. I can even make it for you.”
Seoyeon had suggested going to buy keychains that weekend, but Yoona said it might be difficult because of the move. Seoyeon had immediately offered to help.
Using a moving company would have been expensive and the amount wasn’t enough, but moving alone was still too much. Yoona had been mentally preparing herself. Worried about being a burden, she hesitated, but Seoyeon called her and simply told her to set the time and place.
As they talked about college life, the car entered the underground parking lot. When it got dark, Seoyeon suddenly spoke,
“What happened with that ignorant guy, Dohyeon or whatever? Is that it?”
“…How do you know about that…?”
Unconsciously slowing down, Yoona turned her gaze to Seoyeon.
“I was at the convenience store too. I went to buy jelly because I lost a drinking game. That store had something special.”
“….”
“The ginseng keychain I found was also in front of the convenience store. Made me feel so refreshed.”
“…So that’s where you lost it.”
Apparently, he had said she had a strong personality. Yoona finally understood and awkwardly smiled.
Yoona took her foot off the brake and looked for a parking space. She parked as close to the elevator as possible. As she turned off the engine, Seoyeon held out her phone with the screen on. Yoona took it, saw it was a video, and pressed play.
It was footage taken from inside the convenience store, showing outside the glass window. They couldn’t hear the words clearly, but it was obvious he was threatening her.
Although she had stood up to him in drunken courage, her hands had been trembling. But when Dohyeon mentioned Yeongwon, she felt like she could slap him.
Seeing Yeongwon’s face, which she hadn’t expected, was such a relief. She realized she had relied on him a lot.
She had also been teaching a blank-minded boss, which must have been frustrating. She vowed to stay alert.
“If you keep this, you could get sued if it’s found. Better to delete it.”
“Yeah, I know. I have a ton on my personal cloud.”
Yoona widened her eyes in surprise. Why would she keep videos of others on her personal server?
“…Why?”
“I’m a motel owner’s daughter. From the neighborhood up, there are five or six big motels our family owns. Many people ask to see CCTV. Since it’s unmanned, my dad entrusted it to me. Technically, it’s on my account.”
“Why keep it separately? Won’t the recordings automatically delete after a while?”
“My dad, being righteous in his own way, wants evidence of bad people preserved as much as possible. After three years, we delete it.”
Seoyeon took the phone Yoona offered. Shaking her head, she continued,
“Seeing how much you know, I guess I understand why you got divorced. If you’re going to be messed with downstairs, you shouldn’t even get married. Crazy people are everywhere.”
“…How did you know I’m divorced?”
Startled, Yoona stammered and gripped the steering wheel tightly. Seoyeon also looked surprised.
“…Didn’t the kids know? I only found out because they told me…?”
