Chapter 6
I bit down on the softest flesh inside my mouth to keep myself together.
To him, everything seemed easy, like handling a toy—did that mean I looked easy to him too?
That I was worked up because of Jung Jaehyun? Ha.
Shame washed over me.
“Where did you pick up that habit?”
I looked straight into Sunwoo’s heated eyes.
As calmly and rationally as possible, I spoke to the unbearably rude Sunwoo.
Whether he was surprised by my words or by his own behavior, he just moved his lips soundlessly, wearing a blank expression.
Was he, for once, trying to come up with an excuse?
I felt the strength drain from his arm.
Not missing the moment, I stepped back from him.
What words would be most effective against that arrogant Kim Sunwoo?
I couldn’t let him speak to me carelessly like this today. Absolutely not.
“Seeing Jung Jaehyun in front of you made you lose confidence in winning?”
“What are you—”
“To the point you’re losing your mind and trying to control me like this?”
Sunwoo’s face crumpled without a trace of composure.
More effective than I thought.
As I tried to close the distance between us again, he grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.
As if telling me not to come any closer.
Perhaps uncomfortable with how close I was, Sunwoo inhaled sharply.
I placed a hand on the open collar of his shirt, fastened the buttons, and straightened the tie hanging loosely at his collarbone.
“Ha, as if.”
Smack—he roughly slapped away the hand holding his tie.
A dull sound rang out as it collided with his large, bony hand.
He looked quite offended.
Even his neck had turned red.
“That’s a relief. I almost would’ve regretted coming to find you.”
Sunwoo turned his head and let out a long breath, as if releasing the air stuck in him.
Right in front of me, his sharp jaw twitched as though he were swallowing his anger.
He wiped his dry lips once, then turned back to meet my gaze.
“I’m not sure who’s the one in a desperate position right now.”
A refined voice slipped through his teeth.
“Your fee doesn’t include this kind of drunken behavior, does it? You seem pretty wasted, counselor. If you need a woman to entertain you, how about checking this place out? Seems like your type.”
I pressed a business card into his hand and pushed the elevator button.
The doors opened immediately, and I stepped in without hesitation.
“What the… Lee Yujin.”
It was a business card from an illegal adult entertainment place that had once been stuck carelessly under my car’s wiper.
I’d kept it in my coat because I couldn’t just litter it on the street—who knew it would be used like this.
The card crumpled in Sunwoo’s fist as if it would be crushed to pieces.
As though splitting the cold glare in his eyes and my indifferent gaze, the elevator doors closed.
“Ha…”
Kim Sunwoo’s drunken antics are really something.
It had been a long, exhausting day.
I was so tired I could collapse at any moment, but I didn’t let my guard down.
The actress Lee Yujin in the mirror stood upright and composed.
Who would’ve thought I’d leave home wearing Sunwoo’s coat?
Shaking my head, I pushed thoughts of him away.
I got off the elevator and walked down the hallway.
With each step, the motion-sensor lights flickered on one by one.
Even knowing no one was watching, I kept my posture steady.
Life isn’t like a top-tier drama with a clear outline and a guaranteed happy ending after a brutal climax.
Sometimes, for the sake of even the smallest peace and normalcy, you have to give up pieces of yourself.
All you can do is move forward, believing your choices are right, even in the face of an uncertain future.
If I open that door, I just want to fall into a deep sleep without thinking about anything.
Just for today.
Bang—the front door slammed shut.
Thud.
Another loud noise followed.
As if venting his anger, Sunwoo threw his large frame against the closed door.
Then he squeezed his eyes shut, letting out an incoherent sound.
Bang, bang.
This time, he hit the back of his head against it.
Recalling what he had just said to Yujin, Sunwoo looked like he wanted to die.
Just when he thought his temper had settled down, it exploded in front of Yujin of all people.
If only he’d blacked out instead—this wouldn’t feel so humiliating.
[If you want, say the word. I can handle that much.]
“I can handle that much,” huh?
What a joke.
Sunwoo was busy fighting his past self.
A man who’d never even dated—let alone kissed—had almost swallowed Yujin’s lips whole.
Like a clueless rookie blinded by desire for the first time.
The unbearable shame and sense of defeat felt etched into his whole body like scars.
Thud—after hitting the door once more, he staggered a couple of steps and kicked off his shoes.
Biting his lower lip until it turned white, he walked inside.
He’d shown too much excitement in front of Yujin.
And ended up clashing with her unnecessarily.
He thought he had washed away all the stains, but every time he faced her, sealed memories resurfaced—
of the time he had lived at rock bottom.
He quickly took off his sweat-soaked shirt and tossed it into the basket by the utility room.
The muscles along his straight spine shifted subtly.
From the nape of his neck down his right shoulder blade, chest, and arm, a Polynesian tattoo formed a patterned design over his burn scars.
It had been a life-threatening accident.
If he’d had money back then, maybe the scars wouldn’t have been so severe.
Missed treatment turned them into a permanent part of him.
Only after passing the bar exam had he been able to cover them with tattoos—but he couldn’t bring himself to ink even the back of his hand.
He stripped off the rest of his cumbersome clothes and stepped into the bathroom.
The cold air made his skin prickle.
Shhh—the strong stream from the shower poured over his body.
The cold water, enough to make his head ache, cooled his overheated body.
Even in freezing weather, he never used hot water.
On the rare occasions he did, he’d suffer from unexplained itching all day.
It had been diagnosed as a psychosomatic condition.
The chill made his jaw clench involuntarily.
His teeth chattered as he roughly dried off and threw on a robe.
As if waiting for him, the phone on the small table rang.
<Huh Mingi>
It hadn’t even been that long since they last met—why was he calling?
Maybe I should just ignore it.
“Yeah, what is it?”
—Sorry for calling so late.
“Get to the point.”
—The defendant just submitted a counterclaim.
Of course Jung Jaehyun wouldn’t just sit still and hand over his son.
Sunwoo’s posture slouched.
He figured his foul mood must somehow be Mingi’s fault.
No—he decided to think of it that way.
“Let’s talk tomorrow. Prepare for the afternoon meeting.”
—Will you be coming in tomorrow afternoon?
“Yeah. Thinking of slacking off a bit.”
—If you don’t have other plans, the morning meeting—
“If it bothers you, let the office manager handle it. I’m hanging up.”
The counterclaim was expected.
What wasn’t expected was Lee Yujin.
She was supposed to be bait to catch Jung Jaehyun—not a variable.
Was there a way to control her?
[Seeing Jung Jaehyun in front of you made you lose confidence in winning?]
Yujin’s face flashed in his mind like a streak of light.
Something churned inside him.
Who? Me, Kim Sunwoo?
He let out an incredulous laugh and chugged a bottle of water.
His Adam’s apple bobbed prominently.
“Ha… ha…”
Wiping the water from his mouth with his fist, he exhaled deeply.
Yujin’s face came to mind.
She had tried to mask it well, but she couldn’t hide her trembling eyes and lips.
Thinking she fully trusted him had been pure arrogance.
She still looked at him with suspicion.
Her gaze lingered like a stain that wouldn’t come off his white shirt.
This lousy feeling would probably be gone by tomorrow.
[Instead of plotting revenge on a world that doesn’t care about you, try being good to the grandmother who only has you.]
He stopped in his tracks on the way to the bedroom.
Yeah… that look.
The Yujin from the past—who saw him as a problem child—and the Yujin who had just handed him that sleazy business card overlapped in his mind.
So in your eyes, I’m still nothing but trouble.
Still wearing his bathrobe, he lay down on the bed.
He needed to think of his next move, but Lee Yujin wouldn’t leave his mind.
If only there were a switch to turn her off like a light.
Now he was even summoning memories of her from the past.
At this rate, he should just quit drinking.
Damn it.
