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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: What Did You Want to Eat the Most?
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“Since your regular dentist is on vacation today, the director will be taking care of you instead.”
Following the nurse’s guidance, A-jin climbed onto the dental chair and lay back.
She stared at the monitor screen displaying her name, blinking slowly.
Today was finally the day.
The day that marked the end of her three-year odyssey.
The day she’d finally say goodbye to those godforsaken braces.
There had been so many foods she couldn’t eat, and even more days when she could eat them but still couldn’t.
Faded colors were absolutely off-limits, and anything too hard was impossible to even touch with her lips.
Especially on checkup days, once a month, the tightened braces tormented her for days.
Whenever she lost her self-control and snuck a caramel, the braces would inevitably come loose without fail.
Nothing was as annoying as that.
Yet humans are adaptable creatures—over time, the braces started to feel like part of her own teeth.
Sometimes she even forgot they were there, the discomfort fading away.
Today was the day she could finally touch her own teeth, whole and unburdened.
All this time, she hadn’t been able to smile brightly for fear of exposing the wires and looking ugly.
But now, she could bare her gums without a care.
It was ridiculous how excited she felt, her heart pounding like crazy.
The dental chair tilted back, and a bright light shone overhead.
The light dimmed slightly as the nurse draped a green cloth over her face.
A-jin opened her mouth wide, as much as the hole in the cloth allowed.
The doctor rolled over on a wheeled chair and sat beside her.
“Hello.”
“Eh.”
With her mouth propped open, her pronunciation was a mess.
“You go to Seowon High School?”
The doctor asked, glancing at her uniform.
“Eh.”
“My son goes there too.”
“Ah…….”
Dental doctors always did this—set up a situation where replying was impossible, then hit you with questions.
She had to answer, but couldn’t enunciate. A-jin just blinked her eyes beneath the covered cloth.
“Do you know Park Jun-woo?”
The familiar name made A-jin mumble back questioningly.
“B-Park J-Jun-woo?”
“Yeah. He’s top of the school.”
Top of the school and Park Jun-woo? There was only one at her school.
‘His dad’s the director here?’
Caught off guard by running into Jun-woo’s father like this, A-jin felt embarrassed at the thought of him seeing her with her mouth gaping open.
She also debated whether to act like she knew him.
“Alright! All done.”
While she pondered, all the wires attached to her teeth were removed.
Her lips bore clear marks from the tools used to cut the wires.
“You know the stuff bonded inside stays on, right? But it won’t be as uncomfortable as before.”
“Yes.”
A-jin checked her teeth in the hand mirror next to the tissue box.
Her white, even teeth, free of obstacles, lifted her spirits and made her feel great.
“Now you can chew meat or gum without worry. You did well enduring three years.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
A-jin bowed her head in thanks and turned to look.
‘Right, he’s Jun-woo’s dad.’
She’d briefly forgotten amid the excitement of getting her braces off.
A-jin gazed at the director in wonder.
Park Sung-hoon—his name was embroidered in blue on his gown.
His sharp features, tall stature, and broad shoulders vaguely resembled Jun-woo’s, but the traces of time made him look even more intellectual and gentle than his son.
It was hard to believe he had an 18-year-old son; his youthful looks weren’t fully hidden even by the mask.
He was so handsome, she half-joked to herself that he could make cavities appear out of nowhere.
“But you really don’t know my Jun-woo?”
“Oh! I do. We’re in the same class.”
“Really? I don’t see many Seowon High kids since he keeps his distance at school, but to think we’d meet someone from the same class? What a nice surprise.”
“Ah, yes.”
A-jin smiled awkwardly in response.
“My Jun-woo doesn’t have friends, does he? He’s so standoffish.”
“He is standoffish, but he has a lot of friends…… Ah! Sorry.”
A-jin clapped a hand over her mouth, mortified at her honest slip.
“It’s fine, it’s true. His mom doesn’t find it amusing either. Just one son, and he’s so curt.”
“But he has a warm side too.”
“Really? That’s a relief. Kang. A. Jin.”
Sung-hoon smiled kindly and read her name from the chart, enunciating each syllable as if committing it to memory.
“Pretty name. I’ll remember it. Come by anytime if something’s uncomfortable, not just for regular checkups. Since you’re Jun-woo’s friend, scaling’s free for life.”
“Thank you.”
A-jin could now flash her white teeth freely, but habit made her cover her mouth as she smiled shyly.
* * *
“Hello.”
The automatic door to the dental clinic slid open as someone greeted, and the nurses’ smiles grew even warmer.
“Jun-woo, you’re here. It’s been a while.”
“Yes.”
Jun-woo, here to see his father, nodded at the nurse and glanced toward the director’s office.
“The director’s with a patient right now. Want something to drink?”
“No.”
He shook his head and signaled with his eyes that he’d wait in the office.
“We’ll send checkup reminders every six months.”
“Yes.”
Just then, A-jin was stuffing the toothbrush and floss she’d received from the nurse into her bag and heading toward the counter.
“What are you doing here?”
He asked A-jin, his expression showing he hadn’t expected her at all.
Her face mirrored his surprise.
They stared at each other in mutual astonishment, asking and answering.
“Me? Today was my braces removal day. So what about you…….”
‘Oh right, he’s the director’s son.’
She’d forgotten again so quickly.
A-jin didn’t pry further, assuming she knew why he was here.
Instead, she gave him a nod as if to say “see you at school” and turned to leave the clinic.
“Where are you going?”
Jun-woo asked urgently.
“Me? Home.”
“You just got your braces off.”
“It’s already done. Look.”
A-jin proudly bared her neat teeth and flashed a bright smile.
Without the braces, her once-protruding lips had settled back, and her smile brimmed with newfound confidence.
She somehow looked even prettier than usual.
‘Why’s she smiling like that…….’
Choi Jong-min’s words flashed through his mind at the sight of her adorable grin.
His mood soured instantly.
‘No way I’d like a girl who smiles like an idiot.’
Hiding his feelings, Jun-woo grumbled curtly.
“So what?”
Her smile deflated at his blunt toss-off, vanishing completely.
“You asked first. Guess I’ll head out then.”
With a huff, she stormed past him and out of the clinic.
* * *
Sung-hoon was focused on the monitor, reviewing patient charts.
Still, he shot sidelong glances at his son, feeling guilty for making him wait.
“Sorry. Five minutes.”
“…….”
But his son seemed lost in his own worries.
His brow furrowed a couple times in a serious expression, then he glanced anxiously at his watch.
“Something bothering you?”
When Sung-hoon asked, Jun-woo raised an eyebrow.
“You look like you’ve got worries.”
“Ah…… Dad.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll head out first.”
“No dinner? I’ll be done soon.”
“Something urgent came up. See you at home.”
Sung-hoon felt a strong curiosity about what the worry or urgent matter was but didn’t pry.
“Okay.”
He knew from experience that his son, who took after him so much, wouldn’t say even if asked.
* * *
A-jin’s sulky departure nagged at him.
It wasn’t like he’d teased her just once or twice, but today it bothered him more than usual.
“Already gone?”
He hurried out of the clinic building.
Looking around, he didn’t see A-jin anywhere.
Jun-woo dashed to the nearest bus stop.
Fortunately, she hadn’t boarded yet and was sitting on the bench.
He approached and called her name.
“Kang A-jin.”
But with earphones in, she didn’t seem to hear.
He sat beside her and gently removed the earphone from her left ear.
Startled, she whipped her head around.
“What?”
Her wide startled eyes grew even larger upon seeing him.
Jun-woo gave her a look like “why so surprised?” and held out the left earphone.
“I called you.”
“You did? Why? Did I forget something again? My phone?”
Worried she’d dropped something else, A-jin rummaged through her bag.
Jun-woo let out a hollow chuckle and grabbed her hand, holding it in front of her face.
He had her phone in his palm.
“Here.”
“Oh! Right! I was listening to music.”
A-jin grinned sheepishly in embarrassment, and Jun-woo smirked along with her.
“But why’d you call me?”
She seemed over her sulk.
No need to bring it up then.
After a pause, he spoke.
“Uh…… Let’s eat.”
“Eat? With me?”
“You got your braces off. Nothing you’ve been craving?”
“Craving?”
A-jin thought it over.
“There’s tons I wanted to eat. Jelly, caramel, gum.”
“Not snacks. Real food.”
“Real food? Like braised short ribs? Potato stew? Oh! No, I want curry.”
A-jin clapped her hands, startling Jun-woo into blinking.
“Curry?”
“Yeah. Mine are resin ones, so they said curry would stain them yellow. Haven’t had it in three years.”
“Really? Then let’s go.”
“Now?”
He stood up first.
A-jin looked puzzled by the situation but perked up at the thought of curry and hurried after him with eager steps.
Her excited footfalls somehow made his own clumsy strides seem lively too.
* * *
Cho-hee deliberately sought out a payphone.
She didn’t want to leave a trace of her new number.
Her fingertips trembled faintly from tension.
She found Lee Min-hyuk’s number on her phone and punched it into the bulky payphone buttons.
As the ringtone droned on, her heartbeat amplified.
‘Maybe he won’t pick up…… No, better to get it over with quick.’
How could she dodge this moment unscathed?
Could she persuade him?
She racked her brain amid the ringing.
Finally, the call connected.
With a click, her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard.
“H-Hello?”
-Yes. Hello.
A woman’s voice came through the receiver.
An older woman’s voice.
Not Min-hyuk’s—she panicked but forced herself to stay calm.
“Is this Min-hyuk oppa’s phone?”
-Min-hyuk? He’s back in service.
“Ah……. Yes, got it.”
Back in service……
One corner of Cho-hee’s mouth twitched upward.
-But who is this?
“A school junior. Just calling to check if he settled back in okay.”
Cho-hee was quick on her feet.
She spun a plausible excuse and ended the call with Min-hyuk’s mom.
She’d been tense.
Anxious too.
She’d agonized over how to sweet-talk him despite not meaning a word of it.
But now there was no need.
With him in the military right now, there was nothing he could do to her.
Relief washed over her, lightening her heart.
She stretched her arms high, then flopped backward onto the bed like she was flying.
A broad grin spread across her face unbidden.
Staring at the ceiling, she sneered as if mocking Min-hyuk.
“Yeah…… What could a punk like you do anyway. I got scared for nothing.”
She picked up her phone.
“Wonder what Kang A-jin’s up to?”
