Chapter 24: Not Yet
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 24: Not Yet
Choi I-seo and I saw Min-ji off at the police station. I stepped outside after giving a brief statement of my own, only to find I-seo with tears welling in her eyes.
“I told you, it’s no big deal. At most, she’ll just have to pay a fine and that’ll be the end of it.”
“I know that, but still…”
She had been cheering Min-ji on earlier, telling her to stay strong and promising to be her friend forever. It seemed all that bravado had been a front.
Normally, I would have teased her, but doing that now would just make me look like a jerk who couldn't read the room.
“You worked hard acting tough,” I said, giving her shoulder a light pat.
She let out a sniffle and hung her head low. It seemed my words had finally let her emotions overflow.
“Hic, ugh…”
I-seo covered her face with both hands, trying her best to hold it back. Since she wasn't my girlfriend, I couldn't exactly offer her my chest to cry on or pull her into a hug.
Instead, I just kept patting her shoulder.
“It’s for the best. This is honestly the best possible outcome.”
I offered her what simple comfort I could.
I-seo’s tears didn't last long. In truth, her crying was partly out of relief—relief that Min-ji had admitted to her mistake and that the whole incident was finally over.
“Ugh, how embarrassing.”
Once she finished crying, she naturally regained her composure.
She was back to the usual Choi I-seo.
“…”
“It’s a good thing, like you said. But seeing Min-ji walk into the station made me feel all restless.”
“…”
“Should we wait for her?”
I looked down at I-seo as she asked if we should wait for Min-ji to finish her questioning. I gave her a deadpan look.
“I wish you’d shown half that much concern when I was crying earlier.”
I brought up how she hadn't even spared me a glance when I was wailing in genuine agony earlier, but she just looked at me with pity.
“In my entire life, I’ve never seen someone cry just because they ate something spicy.”
“My tongue felt like it was splitting in half! Who wouldn't cry when their tongue is literally splitting apart?!”
“Good grief.”
I-seo let out a sigh and shook her head. The heavy atmosphere had cleared up instantly, as if her crying just moments ago had been a lie.
Maybe it was because I’d voiced my own grievances, or maybe it was just because the night breeze felt so refreshing.
Yes, a cool darkness had settled over us.
The scattered streetlights cast a pleasant, warm glow over the path.
“Hey, you’ve got a pretty good friend, don't you?”
“Yeah, Min-ji is a good friend.”
We chatted as we walked along the dark but atmospheric street on our way home.
“What are you talking about? I was talking about me.”
“Honestly, do you have to say it out loud? I would’ve said it eventually even if you hadn't.”
“Tch.”
“I’d never say this under normal circumstances, but…”
I-seo stopped in her tracks and looked at me with a bright smile.
In that moment, I finally understood why Ahn Hyun-ho had fallen for her. Her smile was enough to make even my jaded heart skip a beat.
“You’re a really good… no, you’re a cool guy, Woo-jin.”
Bathed in the moonlight and the glow of the streetlights, she possessed a refreshing charm that was hard to look away from.
I grinned back, trying to hide the fact that my heart had just fluttered.
Before long, we arrived in front of I-seo’s house.
I gestured for her to go inside, but she lingered, hesitating for some reason.
‘I guess being home alone would feel pretty lonely right now.’
There was no telling when Min-ji would be back from the police station, and there was even a chance she might have to stay in the detention center.
‘She probably won't end up in a cell, but I-seo must still feel lonely.’
The friend she’d just been eating Malatang and chatting with was now at a police station; it was only natural for that restless feeling to come creeping back.
I-seo kept glancing at me, unable to bring herself to walk away. I gave her a little nudge on the back.
“Call me if you’re bored. A lot happened today, so you probably won't be able to sleep anyway.”
“Okay.”
“I’m not saying you have to call! I need my own time, too!”
“What ‘own time’? You’re just going to watch something weird again, aren't you?”
“…”
“No answer? Really?”
“…Just go inside already.”
Only then did I-seo finally turn and head into her house. After waving her off, I started heading home at a brisk pace.
I had a feeling she’d be calling me very soon.
*
“Phew.”
The first thing Choi I-seo did upon entering her house was take a shower. She washed up and dried her hair, trying to cool down her heated head and emotions.
Since her hair only reached her shoulders, it took her less time to dry than most other girls.
“Sigh…”
A faint breath escaped her lips.
She was all washed up and had changed into her pajamas.
I-seo stared down at her phone, lost in thought.
She needed time to organize her feelings, but it wasn't because of Min-ji.
It was because of Kim Woo-jin.
‘What was that?’
I-seo replayed the conversation she’d had with Kim Woo-jin earlier.
‘You’re a really good… no, you’re a cool guy, Woo-jin.’
“Why did I say that?”
She had intended to call him a "good friend."
But for some reason, she suddenly didn't want to use that word, so she changed the ending.
Because of that, she’d called him a "cool guy" instead…
She felt bad, worried that it might have sounded like she was trying to distance herself.
‘Should I call him?’
She’d spent quite a while lost in thought while showering; she wondered if it was too late.
In the end, she couldn't figure out why she’d suddenly changed her words, but she knew she wanted to talk to him.
‘What should I do?’
He was probably asleep…
‘I’ll hang up if it rings more than three times.’
With that thought, she dialed his number.
Ring.
One ring.
Ring.
Two rings.
The moment it rang for the third time—
—He-hello?!
Kim Woo-jin answered, his voice thick with sleep. It sounded like he’d scrambled to pick up.
“Were you sleeping? Sorry, I’ll just hang up.”
Feeling guilty for waking him, she tried to end the call, but—
—No? I wasn't sleeping.
“Your voice is all raspy, though. It’s not like I had anything important to say anyway. I just called because I was bored.”
—I told you, I wasn't sleeping! I was bored too. I was actually debating whether to watch some porn.
“…”
—I mean, that’s how bored I was.
“…Pfft.”
Despite her reaction, I-seo felt good deep down. It was obvious he’d been dozing off, but the fact that he’d forced himself awake just for her brought a smile to her face.
Since when?
What was the trigger?
I-seo briefly wondered at what point spending time with Kim Woo-jin had become this fun and comfortable.
But no answer came.
And she didn't try particularly hard to find one.
*
“Look at this. I recorded the nonsense you were talking in your sleep.”
“Hey, if I fell asleep during the call, you should’ve just hung up. Why would you go out of your way to record it?”
Tuesday.
For Kim Woo-jin, it was a miraculous day with a 9:00 AM lecture followed by a massive five-hour gap from noon to 5:00 PM.
He was having lunch with Choi I-seo and Seo Ye-rin, whom he’d met during the 9:00 AM class.
I-seo, sitting next to him, suddenly played a recording from her phone.
It was a recording of the sleep-talking Kim Woo-jin had done after eventually passing out during their call last night.
—Spicy… so spicy…
“The Malatang must have been really spicy, huh? You were still complaining about it in your dreams.”
I-seo laughed brightly, finding it hilarious, while Kim Woo-jin grumbled for her to delete it immediately.
Watching the two of them from across the table, Seo Ye-rin was quite bewildered.
‘Didn't he say he got rejected after confessing?’
She’d been certain they would be awkward around each other today and wouldn't be able to eat together.
On the contrary, the two of them seemed incredibly close. Almost like they were dating.
“A-Are you two dating by any chance? Am I being a third wheel?”
Feeling a bit left out, Ye-rin asked cautiously.
“No, not at all,” Kim Woo-jin replied, waving his hand dismissively.
“Oh, you must be misunderstood because of what I said at the pork cutlet place. That was just a lie to get Ahn Hyun-ho off our backs. Why would I ever confess to Choi I-seo?”
“O-Oh! I see! So that’s what happened!”
Ye-rin’s shoulders relaxed as she finally understood. Her expression brightened instantly, and she leaned forward with a radiant smile.
“Is that Woo-jin sleep-talking? I-seo, let me hear it too.”
“Oh, u-uh, sure. Here.”
With a somewhat lukewarm expression, I-seo handed over her phone and let her listen to the recording.
—Spicy… so spicy…
“So you can't handle spicy food, Woo-jin? Should we go try something like the Killer Pork Cutlet later?”
“I’ll kill you.”
As Ye-rin joined the conversation, the atmosphere at the table became lively once again.
Today’s lunch was at a brand-name kimbap shop.
It was Ye-rin’s pick after she won at Rock-paper-scissors.
Kim Woo-jin wondered why he had to shove a seven-thousand-won roll of kimbap into his mouth. He suspected they might have added gold flakes to the rice to justify the price, but he ate it anyway.
“Woo-jin, you said you have a free period after this, right?”
When Ye-rin brought up what she’d heard last week, I-seo smirked and answered for him.
“He does. A five-hour gap.”
“Ha.”
“Kim Woo-jin is Iron Man. He’s got a hole in his chest.”
Kim Woo-jin glared at the teasing I-seo as he stuffed kimbap into his mouth.
For some reason, it tasted even worse now.
Even though it was a seven-thousand-won roll.
It was supposed to be "healthy kimbap," but he felt like the stress was going to make him sick instead.
Ye-rin, who seemed delighted to hear about his five-hour gap, immediately made a suggestion.
“Then do you want to go to the PC Bang? There’s a character I’ve been practicing lately.”
Ye-rin, eager to go to the PC Bang again, asked with a fluttering heart.
However, Kim Woo-jin scratched the back of his head and declined.
“Sorry, I have plans during my break.”
“What plans?”
“Who are you meeting?”
Startled by the simultaneous questions, Kim Woo-jin quickly explained.
“I called it a ‘plan,’ but it’s more like I’m just dropping in on someone.”
“…”
“…”
The two girls fell silent at his answer. Since he wasn't giving details, it clearly meant he wanted to keep it a secret.
“That’s too bad. I was going to carry you, Woo-jin.”
Kim Woo-jin barely suppressed the urge to snap back at her "carry" comment.
Regardless, he had something to do.
Min-ji and Choi I-seo might think the story had ended there.
But for Kim Woo-jin, there was still an epilogue left.