LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 11
Chapter 11
In the room with faint sunlight streaming in, Ki Seo-jung’s eyes slowly opened.
Seo-jung reached for his phone out of habit. It was 4:40 AM, even before the alarm was set to go off. His mind felt hazy, perhaps due to falling into a light sleep.
Not even two hours of sleep. The thought of continuing this lifestyle for a while made him feel like a headache was coming on. Seo-jung, who would toss and turn all night even with the slightest change in his sleeping environment, had no chance of getting a good night’s sleep sharing a room with Cha Yoon.
But he couldn’t change rooms or run away. Let’s start with getting ready for work. Seo-jung struggled to lift his heavy body.
“…He’s not here.”
Before he could even register the unfamiliar room, dry air, and the rather cool early morning temperature, Seo-jung’s gaze landed on the opposite bed.
The bed where Cha Yoon should have been lying was empty. Even as he stretched, turning his neck this way and that, Seo-jung’s eyes wouldn’t leave Cha Yoon’s bed.
Maybe it’s for the best. It was better not to see him at all than to face him first thing in the morning. Seo-jung was too tired to deal with an energetic 22-year-old troublemaker from the start of the day.
Deliberately averting his gaze, Seo-jung headed to the bathroom. He closed his eyes as lukewarm water poured over his head, hoping it would wash away the useless thoughts threatening to chain together.
“Ki Seo-jung?”
Seo-jung, who had been moving as quietly as possible due to the early hour, froze. The voice belonged to Song Joo-ah. Joo-ah was sitting cross-legged on the living room sofa, eating cereal. Her posture perfectly reflected her free-spirited personality.
Of all people, it had to be Song Joo-ah. Seo-jung’s eyes darted around, unable to settle.
“You’re leaving for work really early.”
Unlike Seo-jung, Joo-ah’s voice showed no signs of discomfort as she struck up a conversation. If anything, she sounded rather pleased.
“Yes, my workplace is quite far.”
“Oh. Me too. Which direction are you headed, Seo-jung?”
Joo-ah gestured with her chin towards the seat next to her. It seemed she was inviting him to sit. Ah…. While letting out a faint exclamation, Seo-jung took a seat next to Joo-ah. His gaze briefly touched his wristwatch before looking away.
“If we’re going in the same direction, let’s go together. Your car broke down, right?”
Which direction did Song Joo-ah say she was going to work… Seo-jung smiled faintly and rolled his eyes slightly.
Ki Seo-jung had no intention of carpooling with Song Joo-ah. It wasn’t just because Joo-ah was Cha Yoon’s ex. Seo-jung would have felt the same way even if it were someone else. Not letting others drive was one of the compulsions he developed after the accident.
Seo-jung frantically tried to recall details to naturally decline, but nothing came to mind. The sound of Joo-ah crunching her cereal seemed unusually cheerful.
“Seo-jung, aren’t you going to tell me?”
“Ah, I’m going to Seoul Station. I can take the subway directly from there.”
So there’s no need to worry about me, Seo-jung quickly added.
“Then at least let me give you a ride to Seoul Station. It must be tiring to take public transportation.”
“…”
“Okay? It’ll be fun to chat about various things on the way.”
Joo-ah didn’t back down even when he tried to decline indirectly. It was unreasonable to resist any further.
“…You don’t have to go out of your way like this, but thank you.”
Ki Seo-jung forced a smile, crinkling his eyes. He even added his characteristic hearty laugh while covering his mouth. It’s only a 10-minute drive to the station from here. Even though it’s early, if there’s traffic… Seo-jung’s mind was racing. Whether aware of Seo-jung’s thoughts or not, Joo-ah said with a grin:
“If you’re grateful, grant me one wish later.”
“A wish?”
“Yes, I won’t ask for anything difficult.”
Not only an unwanted companionship but now he had to grant a wish too. It was a losing deal for Seo-jung, but he didn’t want to make Joo-ah uncomfortable by refusing. Seo-jung finally nodded, saying he understood.
Click-
At that moment, the sound of a door opening drew both Ki Seo-jung and Song Joo-ah’s attention. The person who appeared beyond the door was Cha Yoon.
This is bad. Seo-jung’s expression froze for a moment. At the same time, his eyes met Cha Yoon’s, who was brushing back his hair.
“What’s… going on?”
An awkward voice and an equally awkward posture that anyone could see. The 22-year-old Cha Yoon was transparent, to the point where his thoughts were clearly visible. Seo-jung pretended to adjust his position and moved a bit further away from Song Joo-ah.
“Looks like you went for a workout?”
Song Joo-ah was the only one maintaining composure in the quiet living room. Cha Yoon trudged into the living room. There was a faint wrinkle between his brows. His face showed no intention of hiding his displeasure. Seo-jung immediately turned his head away. No matter how handsome the face, it was better for his peace of mind not to look.
“Yes. The bed was a bit uncomfortable.”
“Ah, I see. You must be a bit sensitive.”
“It’s because I was raised as delicately as I look.”
After delivering this nonchalant response, Cha Yoon naturally plopped down on the main sofa next to Song Joo-ah.
“I don’t think I said you could sit there.”
“I wasn’t planning to ask for permission either.”
What kind of relationship did they have to be able to treat each other so casually? Whatever it was, it couldn’t have ended as terribly as the relationship with me. Seo-jung gazed out the window, lost in thought. Or rather, he tried to lose himself in thought.
“So what were you talking about?”
“Ah, we were planning to carpool.”
“Carpool?”
Even though he tried not to listen, the conversation between Cha Yoon and Song Joo-ah kept catching his ear. At the same time, he could feel Cha Yoon’s gaze flicking towards him occasionally.
“You know Seo-jung’s car broke down and is being repaired, right?”
“The two of you… look like you’d be going in completely different directions for work.”
Cha Yoon hastily changed the direction of his words. What does he mean by ‘look like they’d be going in different directions’? Joo-ah barely suppressed a laugh at Cha Yoon’s attempt to cover up his slip of the tongue for the sake of the broadcast.
“Cha Yoon, can you read faces too?”
“…No, that’s not what I meant.”
“You’re quite talented.”
Cha Yoon ducked his head, seemingly embarrassed, and rolled up his sleeve. As a moment of silence fell, Joo-ah added an unnecessary comment.
“Anyway, I said I’d give Seo-jung a ride, and he promised to grant me a wish in return.”
Cha Yoon, who had been looking at the end of his sleeve, raised his gaze again. His brows were deeply furrowed.
“You’re granting a wish for something like that?”
His tone suggested, ‘Who are you to say such things to Song Joo-ah?’ Seo-jung felt like a criminal even though it wasn’t something he had wanted. As Seo-jung remained silent, Song Joo-ah naturally interjected, taking his side.
“Isn’t this how people usually get closer? Cha Yoon, you must not have much dating experience.”
Cha Yoon didn’t react to her teasing words. Joo-ah didn’t seem to feel any embarrassment at his non-response and continued eating her cereal. She had almost finished her bowl by now.
“I have some business in that direction too, so let’s go in my car.”
Cha Yoon spoke after a long pause.
“Business? Suddenly at this hour?”
Joo-ah couldn’t help but laugh at Cha Yoon’s nonsense. It was clearly a mocking laugh, but Cha Yoon didn’t even blink.
Seo-jung was equally puzzled. It was barely past 7 AM. What kind of business could have come up at this hour? He felt perplexed.
“Why, is there a problem?”
“No. Well, I suppose sudden business can come up in life.”
Song Joo-ah’s voice cracked as she tried to suppress her laughter. Clearing her throat, she put down her empty cereal bowl on the table and said:
“But what kind of business is it?”
Cha Yoon’s eyes had been fixed on the side of Ki Seo-jung’s face the entire time. Seeing those pitch-black eyes that never once looked at him and those full lips that had remained tightly closed since he entered, faint veins appeared on Cha Yoon’s smooth forehead.
“After finishing my morning workout, it’s my routine to go for a drive in that neighborhood.”
Joo-ah finally burst out laughing at this nonsensical statement. Who goes for a drive at a time when the sun hasn’t even fully risen? What a truly funny guy.
In contrast to Joo-ah, Seo-jung’s expression, who was listening nearby, quickly hardened. The thought of Cha Yoon behind the wheel… Suddenly, a ear-splitting screech and the thunderous sound of everything shattering invaded his ears.
The terrible memory attacked Seo-jung as if it would devour him. He dug his nails into his palm hard enough to bruise. Only after repeating this several times was he able to escape from the nightmare-like memory.
Seo-jung bit his lip as he finally regained his senses. He knew that the talk about enjoying a drive after morning exercise was a lie. It must be to prevent him from carpooling alone with Song Joo-ah. Cha Yoon seemed to despise the idea of him being involved with her.
If that was the only reason, all he had to do was remove himself from the situation. Ki Seo-jung stood up.
“I think I might be late, so I’ll just go on my own.”
“Why are you leaving first? Let’s go together.”
“No, it’s okay. You two have a nice date.”
Ki Seo-jung curled up the corners of his mouth and gave a slight bow. He turned around and walked towards the entrance.
“Cha Yoon, you ruined my chance to have a cozy chat with Seo-jung.” “What? Cozy?” “Yes, cozy.” “Cozy my foot.” “Why are you nitpicking? As if you’re jealous?” “But are you really going to give him a ride?” “Hey, Mr. Sudden-Business Cha Yoon. Why aren’t you answering?”
The conversation between the two continued without interruption. Nevertheless, Ki Seo-jung didn’t stop walking. He just walked blindly.
“…”
Only after the front door closed behind him did the voices that had been tormenting Seo-jung stop. Seo-jung also stopped walking. He let out a deep sigh.