Minsu stared at the closed door for a long moment before standing up.
He walked over, placed his hand on the knob, and tried to turn it.
"Open the door," he said firmly.
"Seol Hyo stood with her back against the door. 'Screw off. I don't want to talk to you.'"
He stopped trying and let his hand fall to his side.
After a moment, he sighed and slowly leaned his back against the door, sitting down.
"…I"
He closed his eyes and rested his head against the door.
"Maybe my way of doing things was wrong. Some people understand better after one punch than ten conversations… and honestly, I still kind of think that way. Maybe that's just me."
There was a pause before he continued.
"As long as you're not messing around too much outside… not drinking or smoking or anything like that. As long as your boyfriend behaves himself… if it's nothing like that, I won't interfere anymore."
Behind the door, Seolhyo's voice came again, tired but firm.
"That's it? What about the guy you beat up?"
"…He ran off," Minsu replied.
"Seojin won't report you," she said. "But if that other guy does… deal with it yourself. I don't care."
"…Yeah," Minsu answered quietly.
Seolhyo clenched her teeth, her voice trembling with anger.
"Don't you feel any guilt toward Mom?! Walking around like that still acting like the same guy everyone used to be terrified of just by hearing your name?! Wow, you're amazing, aren't you?"
Her voice cracked as tears welled up.
"You're not doing this for me, oppa! You're just being ignorant!"
For a moment, the house fell into a painful silence.
Then Minsu spoke, his voice low and heavy.
"I'm sorry… I think I ruined everything."
Hearing that, Seolhyo's chest tightened.
She bit her lip, then slowly turned the doorknob.
The door creaked open.
Minsu sat on the floor with his back turned to her.
He didn't even look back when she opened it.
She stood there, staring at him, her vision blurring as tears began to form.
Her voice shook with each word.
"I told you to stop doing those things already… please…!! You think I'm angry just for anyone else's sake? You know your whole life can fall apart in an instant… is that really what you want?"
She squeezed her eyes shut, tears falling freely now.
"It's not right…! Please… just live a normal life."
Minsu lowered his head.
"…Yeah."
He stood up, walked past her, and went into his room, closing the door behind him.
Seolhyo just stood there, watching his back as she wiped her tears.
After some time, she finished washing up and went back to her room.
She opened her drawer.
Inside was the plastic envelope of photos from the mountain stream the tape slightly peeled, as if it had been opened and then put back.
She paused, then gently placed it back.
So… he saw it…
Even after seeing it… he still said that?
She lay down tiredly on her bed and pulled the blanket over herself.
"…I don't know… I'm tired…"
But the moment she closed her eyes
Images of what happened with Seojin flooded her mind.
Her face turned crimson instantly.
She shot upright, her hair falling over her face.
I can't stop thinking about it…
Groaning, she flopped back onto the bed and buried her face into the pillow, her muffled voice whining.
"Why did I even do that…!"
-
Sunday — Suwon South Gate
He stood by the street, checking his watch for the third time.
He slipped his hands back into his black jacket and took a deep breath.
Let's not get nervous.
-
At that same moment, Irina stood in her room, facing the full-length mirror.
A few discarded clothes lay scattered on the floor.
"Umm… it's fresh and cute, but…"
She took it off and tossed it aside.
"No… it's our first day. This is way too laid-back. Isn't there anything a little more… sparkly? Something different from usual?"
She changed again.
Now she stood in a fitted black turtleneck, a sleeveless dress of red and gold triangles draped over it, a strand of turquoise beads resting at her collar.
She stared at her reflection.
"…T-Too much. I'd look like I've been waiting for this day my whole life."
She quickly took it off.
Let's not forget I'm the one who got confessed to.
She walked over to her dresser, both drawers open.
Gotta look just a little indifferent.
She changed again and stepped in front of the mirror.
A loose gray shirt layered over striped sleeves, a black skirt brushing her thighs. Knee-high socks and dark shoes framed her legs, and a small yellow watch added a bright pop.
Irina's eyes sparkled.
"This is it! This looks like I tried… without trying. Like I've got taste without overdoing it!"
She glanced at her wristwatch.
"Should I get going now? I still have time until 2, right-"
2:20 PM.
Her eyes widened.
"…It's past 2 already?!"
She bolted out of her room.
In the living room, her parents sat on the couch watching TV, both turning to her in surprise.
"I'm heading out now!!" she shouted without looking at them.
I-It's okay… he won't be mad!
Because I'm the one who got confessed to!!
When she arrived, she saw Park Dong tapping his foot, glancing around impatiently and checking his watch.
Nervously, she walked toward him.
The moment he spotted her, he shouted,
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! You're an hour late!?"
Irina flinched, then immediately went on the defensive.
"Y-You scared me!! Why are you yelling?! What, did you crawl here or something?! You should've at least called!! I… I thought I'd get here quickly…!!"
"I've been out here for an hour, not able to go anywhere!!" Park Dong snapped. "No matter how late you are, isn't an hour too much?!"
"I-I had my reasons…!!"
"I even went to a concert and came back!"
"Hey, I-I was…" She blushed slightly, unable to admit that she'd been late because she was stressing over what to wear.
"Just shut up!! It just happened, okay!!"
"Look at you acting all proud!"
People passing by started glancing at them, drawn by the noise.
Irina and Park Dong noticed the stares at the same time.
"…Let's go."
"…Yeah."
They turned away and started walking, still bickering under their breath.
Soon, they arrived at the restaurant Park Dong had planned to take her to.
They stood across from each other at the table.
In front of them were a chicken breast cutlet and a sausage-and-kimchi fried rice.
"Let's share both," Park Dong said.
"Alright."
Irina pulled the cutlet closer and picked up the fork and knife, trying to cut into it.
Why is this so hard to cut…
Park Dong suddenly stopped her and reached for her plate. "You're just butchering it at this point. Gimme."
Irina blinked as he took the plate and began slicing the cutlet neatly.
"Wow… how can you cut it like that?" she asked.
He didn't answer.
He still seems a bit upset…
She studied his face.
His jawline looked sharper now, and there was a quiet confidence in the way he moved.
Now that I think about it… this guy's changed a lot.
Before, his features had been softer his nose standing out more but now everything looked more defined.
She rested her chin on her hand, elbow on the table, staring at him.
Even his freckles are gone somehow…
And now that he dresses better… he's kinda decent, I guess.
Park Dong noticed her staring.
"…What."
"Nah~"
Irina reached into her bag.
What am I thinking… I didn't even check a mirror once.
She pulled it out and looked at her reflection.
I can't have my hair looking messy
I'm the one who got confessed to.
She brought her hand up to fix her bangs but accidentally hit the glass.
Thunk.