Chapter 22
22. Uncontrollable 2021.07.14.
Having heard that Lee Jung-oh and Jeong Ji-heon had left ahead for a client dinner, Eun-bi hurriedly wrapped up her work and searched for the restaurant. Five people were at the spacious table in the bar: two clients, the account executive in charge, Jeong Ji-heon, and Lee Jung-oh. Confirming Jeong-o's voice, Eun-bi harshly frowned.
'Did he put a bell on somewhere? Why is he jingling like that?'
She was displeased with Lee Jung-oh, who was incessantly cracking jokes for the clients. Not to mention Ji-heon, who was quietly smiling as he watched.
"We're so late, aren't we? Work suddenly piled up."
Eun-bi cut in between Jeong-o and Ji-heon, taking a seat and greeting the clients. Soon, the remaining seats were filled, and Jeong-o silently moved away from the center, settling at the edge. Only then did Eun-bi feel relieved. The client, whom she had briefly encountered at the company before, was talkative. Moreover, he kept making such unfunny jokes. Eun-bi managed a few smiles before giving up and escaping to the restroom.
'I should leave quickly.'
Ji-heon, who disliked boredom, had been there for a long time, so he must be feeling stifled.
'Should I call Oppa?'
She recalled that her Oppa Chae Eun-yeop had said he had errands nearby today. Eun-yeop and Ji-heon were old friends. If she asked Ji-heon to leave without a reason, he might refuse, but if she used Eun-yeop as an excuse, he would probably agree. She was glad that Ji-heon was her older brother's friend. This connection couldn't be easily broken. Eun-bi sent a text message to Eun-yeop, asking him to meet her and Ji-heon nearby. Eun-yeop, quick-witted, replied that he would contact Ji-heon himself. Eun-bi came out of the restroom with a satisfied expression. However, Ji-heon's seat was empty.
"Where did Director Jeong go?"
She asked the employee sitting next to her.
"He went outside a while ago."
A chill ran down her spine. The voice that had been grating on her ears until recently was gone. Eun-bi immediately turned her head. Lee Jung-oh's seat was also empty. Jeong Ji-heon and Lee Jung-oh had disappeared.
\ In front of the convenience store. Her hand, reaching out to touch him, felt like it was kneading his heart instead of his cheeks. The fingertips on his cheeks were hot. Lee Jung-oh was very drunk. Even though it was a game he had started, Ji-heon was no longer amused. His chest felt tight. He felt sorry for her, as if she had truly believed he was her father's spirit, with that desperate look in her eyes. He wanted to empathize with her pitiful heart, but his body was rejecting it. He didn't want to be drawn in as her father, with that sacred emotion. And even in this moment of wanting to reject it, he was furious because she, who had come so close, who was laying bare her emotions with tears in her eyes, was eerily beautiful. The impulse to hug her and kiss her was pushing reason aside. The existence of a father... He wanted to shatter her cherished illusion and take its place. Ji-heon needed to end this game quickly.
"Lee Jung-oh, pull yourself together."
To be serious after starting the game himself was a pathetic sight.
"Your father is dead."
"......"
"If you try to lure people like this, will you fall for anyone?"
At his words, the color drained from her face. Her hand slowly fell. She seemed too shocked to say anything. Her eyes trembled painfully, like a leaf left alone on a branch, enduring the wind.
"......What are you?"
"What else would I be? I'm Lee Jung-oh's superior."
Ji-heon needed to be a little more brazen.
"Not your father, just a man. A living person. Jeong Ji-heon."
"......Are you playing a trick on me right now?"
"Isn't it more ridiculous to believe it?"
He had inflicted shock and disillusionment on the woman he had liked for the first time in his life. Nevertheless, his heart was racing wildly, as if the brakes had failed. The twisted desire to erase the word "father" from her was not fading. He clenched his fist tightly and turned away abruptly.
"I feel sorry for your situation, but be careful. This world is full of people who take advantage of the kind-hearted, like Lee Jung-oh."
That was enough. He had reminded her of how vicious people in the real world could be. He was relieved to have the excuse of "advice."
"Let's go. I'll take you home."
He moved his feet slowly, but there was no sound of footsteps following him. After only two steps, Ji-heon turned back and saw her walking away in the opposite direction.
"Jeong..."
Before he could even say her full name, she hailed a taxi and left. \ Eun-bi hurriedly came out of the bar and called Ji-heon. Ji-heon didn't answer. Just in case, she even found out Jeong-o's phone number and called him as well. All she got was a message saying that both of them were unavailable. Eun-bi was anxious.
"Chae Eun-bi."
Eun-yeop approached from afar, calling his sister's name. As he had replied, he would come to the bar, her own Oppa had arrived.
"Did you come out alone? Ji-heon isn't answering his phone."
Eun-yeop, unaware of anything, asked Eun-bi.
"Um... Ji-heon Oppa disappeared."
"What is it? Did you call me without even checking properly?"
"No, he disappeared when I came out of the restroom."
"He disappeared without even telling you?"
Eun-yeop frowned and pressed her. Eun-bi couldn't say anything. Eun-yeop, who had taken out a cigarette, blew a rough sigh in Eun-bi's face.
"Chae Eun-bi, can't you even do that one thing?"
"......"
"How many years has it been, and you still can't properly win Jeong Ji-heon's heart? Even after I've paved the way for you like this?"
Eun-yeop's influence was a big reason why Eun-bi was so fixated on Ji-heon. Eun-yeop wanted Eun-bi and Ji-heon to get together and spared no support. It was Eun-yeop who had encouraged Eun-bi, who was studying abroad in the United States, to transfer seven years ago, and it was also Eun-yeop who had bought the room in the officetel where Ji-heon lived. Eun-yeop put more effort into his relationship with Ji-heon than Eun-bi did with Ji-heon's parents. Eun-yeop was a person with clear ideals and goals.
"Father is preparing for the general election next year. You need to get married before then. That's the only way Father will feel at ease."
"......"
"You have to do that well, at least, to help Father. Right?"
I'm investing so much in you, who can't do anything well. Oppa's words, the reprimand behind them, tightened Eun-bi's heart. The only thing she, who was not good at anything because she was not smart and could not help the family with her studies, could do was marriage. That's why Eun-bi had no choice but to be more obsessed. She would get married. She had to marry Jeong Ji-heon. Eun-bi clenched her fist tightly.
"That's the only thing I'm asking of you. Do well, Chae Eun-bi. Okay?"
At the encouragement that followed the harsh words, Eun-bi nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. *
'Bastard.'
Jeong-o, who had returned home without even taking her bag, lay down next to Yena, who was already asleep, and suppressed her anger. Where did he get off lecturing her? Without even knowing anything. Bastard, bastard. She almost fell for him and blurted out everything she had and didn't have. If he hadn't quickly ridiculed her, she might have even talked about Yena. Still, how could he do that? She had said her father had passed away, and he imitated her father? To make fun of that, how could he? Her disappointment only grew with each passing day. Should she even show her daughter to a man like that? Wouldn't it be better to just pretend that she didn't have a father for her daughter, like now? Jeong-o counted "bastard" about a thousand times in her head, like counting sheep, and fell asleep. The next morning, Jeong-o barely managed to lift her heavy body and came out to the kitchen. After running in the rain and drinking all sorts of alcohol yesterday, she seemed to have a hangover and a cold at the same time.
"Did you drink a lot? Sit down quickly."
Guk-soon said. The clear smell of dried pollack soup drew her in, but Jeong-o didn't have the strength to pick up a spoon. Guk-soon scooped up a spoonful of dried pollack soup and put it in Jeong-o's mouth, who was looking weak. To Guk-soon, Jeong-o was a thirty-year-old baby. Jeong-o took a spoonful like a baby bird before finally picking up the spoon herself.
"How much did you drink?"
"Just moderately."
"You call that moderate?"
"Mom, please be quiet. Yena will hear."
"You're ashamed in front of your daughter? Tsk, tsk."
Guk-soon clicked her tongue and scolded her.
"Eat up! How are you going to get rid of your hangover like that?"
"No, it's not a hangover, it's a cold."
"A cold in May and June?"
"It rained yesterday. I got a little wet, so I feel a bit off."
"Tsk, tsk. What a great thing to do!"
"......"
"You like getting things so much, you even got a cold? Tsk, tsk."
She didn't even have the strength to retort to her mother's nagging. Seeing her listless appearance, Guk-soon's voice quickly softened.
"Take a day off from work and lie down."
"How long has it been since I changed jobs to take sick leave?"
"So, are you going to go to work like that?"
"It's the weekend tomorrow anyway."
"Tsk, tsk!"
Guk-soon sighed deeply, as if her chest was about to burst, and stood up from her seat. Jeong-o lowered her head like a sinner and ate the dried pollack soup with difficulty. Thanks to her mom's loving dried pollack soup, her nauseous stomach had calmed down a lot. As her stomach settled, the events of last night suddenly flashed through her mind above the clear soup. Jeong Ji-heon tricked me. That bad guy. As her memory returned, her anger surged up as well. But a moment later, she hiccuped.
“There were lovers who loved each other.”
Oh my god... I made such a mistake. Me. Because Jeong Ji-heon nagged about limits or whatever, she got angry and said such nonsense. She wanted to say that there are no limits for a mother, so she told her story in the third person! I'm crazy! Even though the light that filled every corner washed away the darkness, the past could never be washed away. To think that she has to go to work today with this past. It was so terrible. Jeong-o roared inwardly. Ah! I don't want to go to work! * Ji-heon, who arrived at work early, quickly scanned the company. After confirming that Jeong-o had not yet arrived, he went straight down to the first floor. After waiting for a while, he saw Jeong-o. Before he knew it, Ji-heon had become someone who could recognize her even from afar. Jeong-o, who saw him approaching, paused, avoided his gaze, and hurried away. But her gait and expression seemed somehow precarious.
‘Is she having a hard time because she drank too much yesterday?’
That was all he could guess. He followed her and got on the elevator, but he couldn't get close. The elevator was full, and Jeong-o was trapped at the very end. Ji-heon couldn't move either. The elevator stopped on the 9th floor. He got off first, thinking he could talk to her for a moment after getting off the elevator, but she didn't seem to want to come out. After a while, a hand gestured from among the people. She was sluggishly fidgeting in the back. Somehow, she seemed less energetic than usual. The people didn't cooperate either, so Ji-heon had to grab Jeong-o's hand firmly and pull her out of the elevator. It was a movement beyond the control of reason. It was always like that. Whenever Ji-heon faced Lee Jung-oh, he would do something unexpected beyond his plans, as if he were hypnotized. The moment a small scream of 'Eek' was heard, the elevator doors closed harshly. Eek. Thud.
Lee Jung-oh, whom he had hastily pulled out, was already in his arms. Small, weak, and somehow soft... A hot body struggled, using him as a support. Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump. His heart also felt out of control. An unknown emotion dyed his body like ink spreading. It was an unfamiliar excitement, but somehow a feeling of vaguely longing...
‘Because of that dream back then?’
She raised her head, leaning against his body, and looked at him with a red face. He felt like he knew this hot, distorted face. He also felt a throbbing somewhere. Everywhere they touched became hot.
