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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: A Lump of Complexes
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As soon as she opened the front door, a pungent alcohol smell stung her nose.
Drinking again...
It was the same tiresome scene every time, and Cho-hee squeezed her eyes shut in utter exhaustion.
It was better not to look.
"How long are you going to keep this up?"
"Just until today, sweetie. I won't drink anymore. Promise."
Yesterday had been "today," and the day before that too.
It was just an empty lie anyway.
"I'm going to bed."
As Cho-hee turned to head to her room, her mom called out to her.
"Daughter! Come sit here. Keep your mom company for a bit."
"No."
"Don't be so cold. You're all I have."
She was sick and tired of alcohol.
The thought of the smell soaking into her own body was horrifying.
But at her mom's plea, Cho-hee pretended to relent and sat down in front of her.
She pitied her mom, a woman who hadn't been loved, but at the same time, she couldn't understand it.
Did it have to be Dad's love?
Her mom had been popular.
Plenty of wealthy men had lined up for her, yet she stubbornly clung to Dad alone, and Cho-hee couldn't fathom why.
But she kind of got it now.
For her mom, Dad might have been less about love and more about possession.
Wanting desperately what she couldn't have.
Just like her.
"I'm really sick of alcohol. Can't you quit for my sake?"
"If that's what my daughter wants, I have to. Sweetie. I won't drink anymore. I'll even go back to work at the shop."
"Isn't Aunt mad?"
"Not at all. Come back whenever you want."
Cho-hee's mom had worked at a nail salon run by a senior from her hometown whom she called "aunt."
"Daughter, thank you."
"For what?"
"For staying by my side."
"What are you talking about?"
"At least I raised my daughter right. She's pretty, good at studying, and has a great personality to boot."
Personality? She'd gotten slapped around plenty because of her temper.
"And so popular."
Popular? Sure.
Just with all the wrong flies.
"Cho-hee, make sure you find someone who really likes you for you. Don't ruin your life chasing appearances like I did."
"What do you mean you ruined your life? It's not too late!"
"I've gotten too old to turn back. By the way, why hasn't A-jin come over lately?"
The sudden mention of A-jin's name left Cho-hee momentarily flustered, unable to hide it.
"Third year starts soon. She's got to study. No time to come over."
"Is that so? A-jin's such a good kid. Get closer to her. Don't be so prickly just because she puts up with you. Do you know how hard it is to find a friend who truly gets you?"
That was exactly the problem—they clicked too well.
Even their tastes matched.
Thinking of Kang A-jin made her chest tighten.
Nothing complicated, yet her mind felt tangled and dizzy.
"I'll go get some air."
She'd never felt so restless.
Even when jealousy had gripped her and she'd tormented A-jin, it hadn't felt this rotten.
All the bad stuff had piled up at once, clinging to her relentlessly.
In times like these, meeting up with A-jin, gossiping, and venting everything had always left her feeling refreshed, like nothing had happened.
"She was useful, at least."
She scrolled through her phone contacts, but there wasn't a single person she could bare her soul to.
Just a bunch of worthless guys' numbers.
Her life, without a single real friend, felt empty, and she irritably turned off the screen.
Not that she wanted to admit she'd brought it on herself.
Wandering the night streets alone, she came to her senses to find herself near A-jin's house.
"Am I insane? Why'd I come here?"
She turned to leave, only to crash into something with a thud, her body shoved backward.
She'd collided with a motorcycle rounding the corner.
It wasn't a hard hit—she didn't go flying—but the impact still sent her screaming to the ground.
The rider, rubbing his scraped leg, approached Cho-hee.
"Hey, kid, you okay?"
A wave of grievance suddenly welled up.
Tears felt ready to burst.
Cho-hee waved the rider off, telling him to just go.
Crying in front of a guy was nothing, but she didn't want him seeing her really break down.
"Yeah. I'm fine, so just go."
"You should still go to the hospital."
"I don't need to, so just go."
"You gonna report me for hit-and-run if I do?"
"I'm not. Just go."
"Go to the hospital anyway."
The rider grabbed Cho-hee's arm, trying to help her up.
Annoying.
Why couldn't he just leave?
Cho-hee shoved his arm away and yelled.
"Just go!"
Startled by her outburst, the rider scolded her.
"Hey, why are you yelling? If anything, you're the one at fault here, right? You ran out without looking."
"That's why I said just go! Want me to record it? I'm not reporting you? Yeah, I'm not. I'm not reporting. Absolutely not. Happy?"
Cho-hee screamed, and the rider stared down at her in stunned silence.
That's when someone stepped between them.
"What's going on?"
At the familiar voice, Cho-hee looked up from the ground.
It was Jun-woo.
"Why are you here?"
His appearance flustered her.
He must have seen everything—the crash, her screaming her head off.
Fighting with guys, yelling at the rider. Why did he always see her like this?
Cho-hee bowed her head, hiding her face.
Mortified enough to run, but her ankle hurt too much to stand.
With Jun-woo's help, she ended up at the hospital.
He'd stepped in, gotten the delivery guy's number, called a taxi, and brought her here.
His embrace, even briefly, had been so warm, but the embarrassment was stronger, keeping her head down.
While waiting in the waiting room, he went to handle registration.
His stuff was next to her.
Wallet, phone.
His phone had been ringing nonstop.
She didn't need to check to know who it was.
It rang, stopped, rang again.
Kang A-jin must be freaking out.
Should she let her worry?
Or prove she was with him?
She went with the latter.
"Hello?"
-...Uh...
She could hear A-jin's expression stiffen from here.
-That's Jun-woo's phone, right?
Cho-hee kindly confirmed it.
Purely for A-jin's sake.
-Why are you answering Jun-woo's calls?
"Why? Because we're together."
-Together...?
Her shocked face was vivid in her mind.
Teasing A-jin was the best.
Cho-hee smirked on one side of her mouth.
"Don't worry. He just brought me to the hospital because I got hurt."
-You got hurt?
Worrying about her even now.
Pathetic.
"You're worried about me?"
-Why would I be? No way.
"You could worry a little. That hurts my feelings."
-Where's Jun-woo?
"He went to register."
-Okay? Tell Jun-woo to call me when he... No. You wouldn't relay that. Just don't pick up his phone anymore!"
"I picked up because I was worried you'd fret alone if he didn't answer, with that personality of yours."
-Didn't think it'd worry me more if you answered.
Maybe that's exactly what she wanted.
Cho-hee smiled leisurely.
"Is that so?"
"Give it here!"
Jun-woo returned from registration and snatched his phone back, reassuring A-jin.
From the call, it seemed he'd heard about the accident near A-jin's house and come over.
His voice brimmed with affection and care for A-jin.
It made her stomach churn; she wanted to plug her ears.
* * *
Luckily, Cho-hee's injuries weren't serious.
Just a sprained ankle and a toenail knocked loose from the impact—nothing major.
While getting treated, she called her mom.
Jun-woo shouldered his bag and stood.
"She should be here soon. I'll head out."
"Wait..."
Cho-hee called out to him as he turned.
"What?"
"Thanks."
"Forget it."
He brushed it off indifferently and turned again.
But Cho-hee had questions.
"Why'd you help?"
"Huh?"
"You hate me. But you helped anyway."
"Doesn't mean I can just ignore someone hurt."
"So you do hate me."
"I don't like you. Why do you hate A-jin so much? What did she ever do to you?"
His question hit deep.
Cho-hee couldn't answer easily.
"......"
"I'm going."
He didn't wait for her reply.
As he turned to leave again, Cho-hee rushed to respond.
"I don't know either. Sometimes I hated her, sometimes she annoyed me. Sometimes I even liked her..."
Jun-woo turned halfway back to look at her.
Cho-hee kept going.
"A-jin's a good person, yeah. But that makes it worse somehow. She forgets bad stuff the moment she turns away, laughs off scoldings, gets happier about others' wins than her own. I'm prettier, more popular—why does she act like she got all the love in the world, all bright and carefree? It pissed me off so much."
"You're a lump of complexes. Why feel miserable with a friend like that? Shouldn't you be grateful?"
"Spot on. I'm twisted. But there was one thing I had over her, and she took even that."
"Me?"
"Guys always looked at me, not her."
"So all the guys' attention is yours?"
"Not all, but if you'd liked me, it'd have been fine."
His gaze toward her was like looking at a hopeless case.
"Then it's hopeless. I'd never like you. You can't help hating A-jin—that's your heart—but don't bully her. Please."
It was more warning than plea.
After Jun-woo left, Cho-hee was alone in the ER.
Patients, doctors, nurses everywhere, but she was by herself.
Left alone in the bustling chaos.
Tears fell late.
Whether from earlier or new emotions, she couldn't be sure, but one thing was clear: they wouldn't stop easily.
