Chapter 4
“Yes, I dated Iseong for a year. It wasn’t a short time. But we never slept together. He avoided intimacy.”
He avoided intimacy? Why would something like that happen? She stared at Seoyeora with a mix of confusion and disbelief, and Seoyeora reacted to her gaze.
“Do you think I didn’t try everything, even throwing away my pride? But he always avoided it. I even met with his ex-girlfriend to ask. Turns out, that’s why he always breaks up. She said they never did it either. If it’s not erectile dysfunction, then what is it?”
He never slept with any of his girlfriends? Erectile dysfunction? Ha. Even in this ridiculous moment, the news of her best friend’s supposed dysfunction was equal parts pathetic, absurd, and infuriating.
“Are you out of your mind? So you went so far as to track down his ex? Blabbed his private issues everywhere? And then seduced my boyfriend?”
As she laid out Seoyeora’s sins one by one, the snake that had been coiling its tail now fully unfurled.
“Yeah, that’s it. Jeonga, I didn’t even understand why I was doing this—but that’s it. I felt sorry for him. I mean, erectile dysfunction? Isn’t that pitiful?”
“Shut your mouth. Seoyeora, you had absolutely no consideration, respect, or even the tiniest bit of decency toward your boyfriend. Erectile dysfunction—so what? And that’s your excuse for cheating? If it was such a problem, you should’ve broken up. Instead, you clung to some pitiful excuse while screwing someone else’s man. Did it feel good? Did it excite you?”
Finally, Seoyeora’s face flushed red and twisted in rage. Her temples and the corners of her eyes pulsed with tension.
“I… didn’t like you. No, I was fine with you when we were just college classmates and friends. But when I started dating Iseong, you being there all the time as his ‘girl best friend,’ his ‘real bestie,’ whatever you call it—it disgusted me. You being more important to him than me—I hated that. A guy and a girl being just friends? Ha. Watching you two made me sick.”
“That’s… your reason?”
“Goh Dohun, tell her. You agreed with me. You said the dynamic between Iseong and her was messed up. That’s why you and I got drunk and rolled around together, right?”
“You two… really are something. Masters at making a fool out of your friend behind their back.”
Goh Dohun ran his hand through his hair and let out a deep, short sigh.
“I won’t deny it. I was shitty. But Jeonga, I know what I did was wrong. Can’t you give me a chance, just once, to fix it?”
“What the hell are you saying? How were you planning to marry someone you call disgusting? Forget it. It’s pathetic. You two can do whatever you want—stick together or play around. Goh Dohun… just cancel the wedding and clean up your mess.”
“I will clean it up. I’ll take care of it. But… instead of canceling, let’s postpone. I’ll make it up to you until then.”
“Why the hell are you so confident? What are you even trying to atone for? You think I’m going to forgive you? Ha. Do whatever you want with your redemption arc. Just wire the money once the house sells.”
She couldn’t stand to be in that wretched space any longer. The betrayal and hurt tore her apart—she couldn’t endure it.
She quickly turned away. Chanting ‘Hold your head high, stay strong’ under her breath, she stormed out of the house that was meant to be their newlywed home—but her chest was collapsing.
A booming thunderclap echoed like a tragic overture in her heart. Heavy raindrops pelted her eyelids like tiny fists. Her sobs were drowned in the sound of the rain.
She wanted to disappear into the downpour—just like her tears, like her very being.
The stifling summer had begun with the monsoon.
Gamjeong (Jeonga) looked at him with a solemn expression, but her words stumbled out.
“You… really… really…”
“…?”
What ridiculous thing was she going to say this time? He figured nothing could surprise him anymore.
“You really…”
“Just say it. I won’t be shocked.”
He sipped from his can of beer, waiting for her words. But he wasn’t ready for the most absurd thing she’d say all day.
“You’re really… impotent?”
“Cough!”
The beer caught in his throat, and he choked.
“Cough—what the hell kind of nonsense is that?”
“She said that was her excuse… God, it’s so dumb. That she was frustrated because you never slept together, that even your ex didn’t do it with you. She said you couldn’t—erectile dysfunction, basically called you impotent. Not my words—hers. Ugh, listen to me. What kind of bullshit am I even repeating?”
No matter how ridiculous the story, if it weren’t true, Iseong would have corrected it. But he said nothing. Not a word of denial.
So she had to ask again.
“Are you really… impotent?”
“Ha. The part about never sleeping together? That’s true.”
Of course, it was Iseong. He described his private life with cold, logical objectivity—as if he were talking about someone else.
She’d known he’d had girlfriends. Yet he’d never slept with any of them? A thirty-year-old man she’d known all her life—this was a part of him she’d never known.
She shook her head in disbelief and muttered with a voice sharp from alcohol and disbelief.
“My best friend… is impotent? My friend Iseong is impotent…”
She’d held it together through everything, even laughed at her own misery. But somehow, this truth hit the hardest.
Which one of us is more miserable?
The woman who was cheated on and dumped three days before her wedding? Or the man who might never experience deep intimacy in his life because of a sexual issue?
If misery were a contest, there’d be no clear winner.
No—you win.
She thought she was the most miserable person on earth today. But in the face of his misfortune, her tragedy seemed pitifully small. Practically comedic.
Her misfortune was a one-time event, but his might be a never-ending drama.
They say from the perspective of the universe, every tragedy is a comedy. But can something be a comedy if it never ends?
She glanced at Iseong’s handsome face again and murmured, still struggling to accept it.
“You look so perfect. You’re the hottest rising actor in Korea, a sexy star, young and rich… you’ve got everything. And you’re… impotent? That can’t be right. Look at your face. Your body. How could you not…? It doesn’t make sense.”
Iseong casually brushed his hair back and corrected her.
“I said I’ve never done it. I didn’t say I was impotent.”
“Wait—so you can, but you just… haven’t?”
Ha. Earlier she claimed she wasn’t drunk, but this conversation was a mess. These questions were giving her whiplash.
Then again, even if she looked calm on the outside, her insides must’ve been in turmoil—grief and alcohol tangling together. Maybe she just wanted to shift her focus to something else.
He had no choice but to go along.
“There’s nothing wrong with the function or the performance.”
“Then you really never slept with a woman? Not even once?”
He hesitated but didn’t deny or excuse it. He didn’t lie.
“Wow. We’re almost thirty, and you’ve never… that… not even once? You’re really a vir…gin? My friend Iseong is a virgin… Wow…”
She couldn’t believe it. Of all the unbelievable things that had happened today, this was the ultimate twist.
Iseong, the hottest star in Korea, sexy as hell—never even touched a woman?
He looked like someone who could have any woman he wanted.
As a kid, he was smaller than her—white and fluffy like a pocket puppy.
Then during puberty, he shot up 10 cm a year—freakishly tall. It was hard to adjust.
His once-cute face became sharp, with chiseled features—too handsome, almost alienating. Being next to him felt like being the manager of a celebrity.
In high school, he wasn’t just the best-looking guy at school—he was the best-looking guy in the entire district.
Scouts handed him cards on the street. People came to the school to recruit him. He could’ve played cards with all the business cards stacked at home.
Girls begged her for introductions, photos, anything.
Being Iseong’s friend was exhausting.
And resisting the temptation of such a gorgeous guy was even more exhausting.
She’d had to remind herself constantly: Don’t fall for the face. Don’t let your heart flutter when he’s sweet.
She’d fought through those struggles and finally reached a point where she could see Iseong as just Iseong—no romantic feelings, just reason.
Sometimes, when drunk, she’d waver. But she held firm.
And yet, now…
“My best friend is a virgin… My friend Iseong is impotent…”
“I told you. I’m not impotent.”
His indifferent reply carried an ominous footnote.
