Chapter 240: Reason and Emotion
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 240: Reason and Emotion
"…I-seo, you said it’s finals week. Is it really that hard on you?"
The cafe was bustling with people.
Choi I-seo tilted her head at the question from Oh Yun-ji, who was sitting across from her.
"No? Why?"
It was indeed finals week, but this semester’s exams were generally manageable.
Usually, she spent a lot of time hanging around Kim Woo-jin. Because of that, she had been reviewing late into the night well before the exams even started, which actually left her with some breathing room now that finals were here.
"Your expression doesn't look great."
"…."
"There’s a shadow over your face. I’m the one who called you out, so I feel like I should be the one listening to your worries."
"Did you call me here for a counseling session?"
The cafe was crowded, yet it felt strangely quiet—almost peaceful.
That was because so many students had claimed the cafe as their study spot. It wasn't intentional, but the atmosphere of the shop had shifted to accommodate the reality of finals week.
Pointing that out, Choi I-seo continued.
"You called out a college student during finals for a counseling session?"
"You said you were fine. Besides, since it’s you, I figured you’d have enough breathing room for this."
"…."
"And if it were really too much, you would have turned me down. Unlike the old you."
That was true.
The Choi I-seo who couldn't say no to a friend’s request or who got swept up in the atmosphere was gone.
"You’ve always been like this."
Proactive, perhaps?
That confident attitude, always acting with herself at the center, was both Oh Yun-ji’s strength and her weakness. It was never strange to see her naturally become the center of any group.
"…I wonder."
But they say people change as they get older.
In the brief glimpse of Yun-ji’s expression, that old confidence seemed somewhat faded. Of course, "getting older" only meant a year or two had passed.
"So, what’s this counseling about?"
I-seo deliberately ignored the change and kept her response vague. Yun-ji had always hated showing her weaknesses to others, so this was I-seo’s own way of being considerate.
"What about you? Why are you like that?"
Instead, Oh Yun-ji turned the question back on her.
"You don't need to know."
"Is it that I don't need to know, or that it’s better if I don't know?"
"It’s better if you don't know."
"It’s about Woo-jin, isn't it?"
Having a friend who was too quick on the uptake was always something worth reconsidering. Then again, it was also because Choi I-seo didn't have a single ounce of talent for lying.
"Ahem. Let’s just drop it."
Realizing she couldn't hide it, I-seo spoke with her own brand of consideration.
"Tell me. I might be able to help."
"…Don't you think asking an ex-girlfriend about something like that is a bit much?"
When I-seo pointed out that it felt morally questionable, Oh Yun-ji paused for a moment.
Whether she was organizing her thoughts or calming her emotions, I-seo couldn't tell.
"Then, are you okay even if I don't help?"
I-seo let out a deep sigh at Yun-ji’s words.
Just as she said, I-seo did want help. She wanted to vent these suffocating feelings to someone.
"I’m fine."
Still, right was right, and wrong was wrong.
I-seo straightened her back with a dignified air and replied. Her voice trembled as she said she was fine, making it obvious she was lying, but Oh Yun-ji didn't pry further.
Choi I-seo had always been this way.
"Whenever your reason and your emotions fight, your reason always wins."
"…Is that a compliment?"
"Maybe."
Suddenly, Oh Yun-ji wondered what I-seo was like when she was with Kim Woo-jin, but she let it go, figuring that was a secret between the two of them.
"Then, can I tell you my problem?"
"Yeah, go ahead. That’s why I came here."
I-seo expected a heavy topic, given how much Yun-ji was building it up.
"You agreed to work with us this break, right?"
"Yeah, I did."
"I want to change your duties a bit, and I wanted to see what you thought."
"…That was your big worry?"
It seemed surprisingly trivial.
"What do you want me to do?"
"The broadcasters at our company are all suffering from a lack of exercise. I was wondering if you could help them out."
"Can't you just hire professionals for that?"
"Sigh, that’s the problem. Broadcasters all have different wake-up times, start times, and finish times, you know?"
She began to complain about how they were forced to live such irregular lives.
"So it’s awkward to attach a professional trainer to them. Their schedules are all over the place, and sometimes they can't even wake up at the agreed time."
"Ah."
"You’re not a professional trainer, but you’ve been working out for a long time. Min-ji told me you even took a Body Profile. Can you show me?"
"…Let me pick a photo first."
Some of them were a bit provocative. She needed to find one with as little exposure as possible, something normal.
When I-seo picked a single photo from her phone and showed it, Oh Yun-ji let out an impressed "Oh."
I-seo expected some kind of comment, but Yun-ji immediately pivoted back to business. She lowered her head and spoke in a humble tone.
"To be honest, the cost of hiring a trainer is also an issue. That’s another reason I’m asking you."
"Um, is it okay to be that honest about it?"
"Because I know this approach works best on you? You’re rational, but you’re weak to emotional pleas from others."
How sly.
But she wasn't wrong, and it didn't feel that bad to hear.
"I’ll pay you way more than Min-ji’s part-time wage. Plus, I won't make you do any grunt work; you just have to take the kids and work out."
"Well, that’s not bad."
It wasn't just 'not bad'; it was great. She personally loved exercising, and now she could get paid to do it with others.
"Right? I’ll even get you a separate membership at a gym near our company building. The equipment there is amazing. I go there to work out sometimes, too."
Listening to Yun-ji, I-seo started to get excited. She searched for the gym’s name on her phone and marveled at the interior photos and the equipment.
'Oops.'
She realized she had been so focused that she’d ignored Yun-ji. She looked up.
"Yun-ji?"
"…."
The atmosphere was strange.
Yun-ji’s eyes were open, but they seemed to be looking at something else, somewhere else.
Her gaze was dull and vacant. No matter how many times I-seo called her name, there was no answer.
"Yun-ji!"
"Huh—? Oh!?"
Only after I-seo urgently shook her did Oh Yun-ji snap out of it, letting out a long breath. It was as if she had forgotten to breathe.
"What was that? Are you sick? What happened all of a sudden?"
"No, no. It’s nothing. Really."
Oh Yun-ji laughed it off, saying it was nothing.
I-seo was genuinely worried, but Yun-ji intentionally changed the subject.
"Anyway. Once summer break starts, take two days off and then come straight to work. With Min-ji."
"…."
"I told you, I’m fine. I was just tired and dozed off for a second."
Could that really be called dozing off?
It didn't feel like she was simply broken. It was a chilling sensation, as if Oh Yun-ji’s body was here, but her soul had departed somewhere else. It felt like it would be perfectly natural if, at any moment, she simply failed to wake up.
But Yun-ji smiled and quickly wrapped up the conversation, as if refusing to talk about herself.
"Then, that’s it for today. I’m counting on you during the break. The kids in our company have pretty mellow personalities, so it won't be hard."
"Okay…."
"And."
Oh Yun-ji slowly stood up.
I-seo had planned to stay and study anyway, so she looked up at her from her seat.
"As a senior, let me give you one piece of advice."
Senior.
The resonance and meaning of that word made a bitter smile play on I-seo’s lips.
"The fact that you’re agonizing over it means you still have lingering feelings. The fact that you’re regretting it means you love him."
"…."
"Determining whose fault it is, blaming each other, fighting—all of that is only possible when you’re by each other’s side."
Yun-ji’s clear voice pierced I-seo’s chest.
"No one knows what kind of ending is waiting there after time has passed."
Watching Yun-ji’s retreating back, I-seo chewed over the words she had given as advice.
"Sigh."
It wasn't that she didn't know the history between Oh Yun-ji and Kim Woo-jin.
There was something she wanted to ask. She wanted to ask if Yun-ji was truly okay with her developing this kind of relationship with Kim Woo-jin.
But.
I-seo didn't have the courage to step that far.
All that remained was a heavy lump in her chest.
"Phew."
She wanted to clear her complicated head. Meeting Oh Yun-ji had only made her feel more dizzy.
Before she knew it, her fingers were tapping a number into her phone—a number she had already memorized and had typed and deleted countless times.
A short while later.
"Haa… haa… I-seo?!"
Kim Woo-jin stood before her, out of breath as if he had raced there on a bicycle.
"I told you that you didn't have to come so quickly."
I-seo spoke, trying to hide her gloomy mood, but he replied with a bright smile.
"I wanted to see you sooner."
Even though it was just a single sentence, she felt the damp, heavy lump in her chest begin to dissolve.
Kim Woo-jin naturally sat down beside her.
She had called him to return his clothes, but the moment she reached into her bag to pull them out—
Kim Woo-jin gently caught her hand.
He didn't say anything else.
Holding her hand carefully as if asking for permission, he calmly leaned toward her.
And gave her a tender hug.
"…!"
There were no words. That was it.
The atmosphere was so different from usual that she wanted to ask if something was wrong.
But that wasn't it.
The one who was different from usual was herself.
"Is it really hard for you?"
Woo-jin’s voice carried comfort, not forgiveness or apology.
Perhaps that was why. Without realizing it, I-seo hugged him back tightly and gave a small nod against his chest.
"What was so hard?"
"Because of you."
"That stings. Anything else?"
Since her face was buried in his chest, she couldn't see him, but she felt like he was probably wearing a bitter smile.
"It’s complicated. My head is so messy it hurts."
Was it wrong that she hadn't forgiven him?
Was it wrong that she met Yun-ji?
Or should she have just strongly denied this entire relationship from the start and left?
All sorts of thoughts swirled.
"Then just say whatever comes to mind."
At Woo-jin’s words, I-seo spoke the very first thought she had.
"You jerk."
"Ahem. And?"
"How could you do that with Ah-rin when you said you were studying? What do you think happens to my trust in you when you lie?"
"I have no excuse. And?"
"I waited because I wanted to have lunch with you. But you spent that time with Ye-rin?"
"…Oof. There’s more, right?"
"Idiot. You’re annoying. Why do you make things so hard for me?"
"And?"
"If you’re going to be cocky enough to date three people, shouldn't you at least be good at it on your own?"
"It’s my first time dating three people, too. And?"
"It’s embarrassing doing this in a cafe."
"It’s okay, we’re in a corner so no one can see. Everyone else is studying. And?"
"…It feels good to be with you after a while."
"Me too."
"Why did you suddenly hug me?"
"Because you looked like you were struggling?"
"Why are you only quick-witted at times like this?"
"Because I don't want to lose you?"
"Don't answer a question with a question."
"My apologies."
"I want to have dinner together."
"Let’s eat something delicious. Whatever you like."
"Are you really nothing with Yun-ji now?"
"It’s all over."
"Is this really okay? Yun-ji is my friend, and you’re my friend’s ex-boyfriend."
"It’s not a meeting between Oh Yun-ji’s friend and Oh Yun-ji’s ex-boyfriend. It’s a meeting between Choi I-seo and Kim Woo-jin."
"I know that letting go of you would be the most peaceful thing for my mind."
"I respect whatever choice you make, but I’m going to keep trying so that you can't let go."
"…."
I-seo fell silent, her lips pressed together.
Looking down at her, Kim Woo-jin gave a soft smile.
"Is that all?"
"…."
With every word she spat out, it felt like the worries associated with them were vanishing.
Perhaps that was why. Before she knew it, what remained inside her wasn't rational thought.
It was an emotion close to purity.
Suddenly, she remembered what Oh Yun-ji had said earlier. That she was a rational person. That in the battle between emotion and reason, reason always won.
She didn't deny it. She knew it herself.
And the one who was changing that part of her was undoubtedly the man in front of her.
That was why, once the tangled web of rational thoughts was cleared away, the clear emotion that found her began to shout wildly.
"I think… I love you so, so much. Enough to want to forgive you."
As I-seo whispered those final words, Kim Woo-jin hugged her a little tighter and grinned.
"Me too."
Usually.
He usually breaks down like that at the end.
He usually pours out such nonsense at the very, very end.
'Why… only at times like this?'
Feeling Kim Woo-jin press a kiss to her forehead, I-seo let out an absurd laugh at herself for falling for him all over again.