The Unintended Confession
Taegon picked up the dish soap. He twisted off the cap and squeezed a generous amount onto the sponge.
— Squelch.
Nothing came out.
Narrowing his eyes, he squeezed the bottle again.
— Squelch, squelch.
Still, nothing.
He turned the bottle upside down and pressed it with both hands with all his might.
— Squelch, squelch, squelch, squelch, squelch, squelch!
Far from producing any soap, the bottle just let out pathetic, airy noises as it expelled nothing but gas. He held the nozzle up to his eyes and peered inside. It was completely empty. It seemed he had used up every last drop.
"……"
He set the empty bottle down on the sink with a dull thud.
"Taegon, is something wrong?"
He turned to see Ihyeon, who had stopped wiping the dining table and was tilting her head in curiosity. The squelching noises must have been quite loud.
Taegon held up the empty bottle.
"I think we're out of dish soap."
"Oh? Really?"
Ihyeon hurried over to the sink. She took the bottle and tried squeezing it herself.
— Squelch, squelch.
Only the sound of empty air followed.
"It really is empty…… when did we use it all up?"
"It was working just fine when I washed the pot earlier."
"Then that must have been the last of it. I thought we had a spare……"
Ihyeon opened the cabinet under the sink and rummaged through it. Her hands swept through the empty space in vain.
"It's not here. I guess that was the spare."
"Then should we go buy some?"
"Oh…… I suppose we have to, right?"
Ihyeon wiped her hands on a dish towel and glanced at the clock. Seven-thirty in the evening. There was still time before she had to leave for work.
"I'll run to the mart and grab some. It's not even a five-minute walk from here."
"Then let's go together."
Taegon said, pulling off his rubber gloves. Ihyeon blinked.
"Together?"
"Yes. I'll accompany you; it’ll be nice to get some fresh air."
"Ah, yes…… that sounds good!"
After quickly adjusting her clothes, they headed toward the entrance. As they stepped out of The Villa, the orange streetlights had just flickered on beneath a sky where the sunset was fading away. The light cast circular pools on the alley floor, and their shadows walked side-by-side through them.
Ihyeon walked a half-step ahead, pointing the way with her finger.
"It's this way. You'll see it right after we turn that corner."
"Do you come here often?"
"Sometimes. It's the perfect distance to run to when I'm in a rush. Plus, the owner is a very kind woman."
"I see."
The evening breeze brushed between their shoulders. Ihyeon liked walking with Taegon. Whether it was when the sunset was glowing, when they walked through the shopping district, or even when they walked through the rain—whenever she walked with him, the most meaningless distance turned into a landscape she wanted to remember.
'……Is it a bit much to turn a trip for dish soap into a cherished memory?'
Ihyeon thought to herself, letting out a self-deprecating giggle.
"What’s so funny?"
"Ah, it’s nothing!"
Taegon tilted his head.
Once they rounded the corner, the Mart came into view. It was a typical neighborhood shop with a half-faded sign and wooden sliding doors. Ihyeon pushed the door open and stepped inside.
— Creak, shhhhhh.
Ramen, snacks, and daily necessities were packed tightly along the narrow aisles. The sound of a television flowed softly from behind the counter. A drama rerun was in full swing. The woman sitting at the counter turned her head. She had a round build, short permed hair, and eyes that sparkled behind thick magnifying glasses. When she made eye contact with Ihyeon, she broke into a bright smile.
"Oh my, it's the young lady from the villa! Welcome~"
"Hello, ma'am."
Ihyeon bowed and headed inside. Taegon held the door and followed her in. The woman’s gaze shifted from Ihyeon to Taegon.
"Oh my……?"
She pushed her glasses up to the tip of her nose and scrutinized the two of them, back and forth.
Ihyeon searched for the soap while Taegon stood naturally by her side. Ihyeon picked up a bottle of dish soap from the shelf.
"Will this do?"
"Yes. Anything is fine."
"You say 'anything' again. There are different kinds of soap, you know. This one is good for grease, and that one is gentle on your hands."
"Then let's go with the one that's gentle on your hands. Ihyeon’s hands are precious."
"……W-what are you saying?!!"
"Hahahaha. Since I’m the one who does most of the dishes, it wouldn't be fair to only worry about your hands, though."
"That’s true, but…… ugh, never mind. I’ll buy this one!"
Ihyeon grabbed the hand-protecting soap and hurried to the counter. The woman scanned the item and kept her eyes on the pair.
— Beep!
"That'll be 3,500 won."
As Ihyeon handed over her card, the woman took it and glanced up at Taegon. Her eyes behind the magnifying lenses flashed.
Just as she was about to return the card, the woman spoke.
"By the way, young lady."
"Yes?"
"Who is this young man?"
The woman asked, gesturing toward Taegon with her chin. Ihyeon glanced back at Taegon.
"Ah, he’s the person who lives next door."
"Neeeeeeext door?"
The woman tilted her head, then broke into a sly grin and waved her hand.
"Oh my~ young couples these days are so affectionate! Coming all the way here together just to buy a bottle of dish soap~"
Ihyeon’s body stiffened as if it had been bolted to the floor.
"My husband never leaves the house, let alone goes out. He’s been like that since he was young. If I ask him to go to the mart with me, he says it’s a bother and just lies down~ Compared to that, you two look so good together!"
The woman continued, lost in her own nostalgia. Ihyeon’s face exploded like a firecracker. A crimson flush started at her neck, raced across her cheeks, and reached her forehead in an instant. She felt as if all the heat in her body was concentrating in her face.
"W-we’re not a couple!"
Ihyeon’s voice rose to a near-scream. She waved her hands frantically.
"He’s just someone who lives next door! We’re neighbors, just neighbors!!"
The woman pushed her glasses up and looked back and forth between Ihyeon and Taegon.
"Is that so~?"
The corners of the woman’s mouth curled up playfully.
"You look like you’re dating to me? If you’re coming all the way here to buy dish soap together, you can’t just be neighbors, right?"
"W-we’re not dating, I told you!!!"
Ihyeon stomped her feet where she stood and shouted. Her ears felt like they were steaming, and even her hands had turned bright red.
"It’s really not like that! We just live on the same floor!"
"Sure, sure, same floor? I get it~"
The woman nodded as if she understood, but the smile on her lips didn't fade at all.
"But young lady, for people who just live on the same floor, this young man looked at you very affectionately just now."
"A-ah, ma'am!"
Ihyeon lowered her voice, giving her a look of pure desperation.
"Please, don't say things like that anymore…… I beg you……"
"Oh my, look at you blushing~ I guess I wasn't entirely wrong."
The woman chuckled heartily. Ihyeon could feel her heart pounding as if it were about to break through her ribs. And throughout this entire situation, Taegon kept his mouth shut. He didn't say a single word. He was just staring blankly at a set of sponges in the soap aisle.
He didn't deny it, nor did he confirm it. Taegon’s refusal to react to the woman’s words made Ihyeon even more frantic. She snatched her card back and turned around in a hurry.
"Thank you, ma'am, I’ll come again!"
— Shhhhhh!
She pushed the wooden sliding door open roughly and bolted out of the mart. The bag containing the dish soap rattled against her arm. Ihyeon’s heart was in full runaway mode.
Taegon gave the woman a light nod and followed her out with a leisurely pace. He could hear the woman calling out, "Next time, come with your arms linked~ I'll give you a discount! Ho ho ho!" but Ihyeon pretended not to hear.
#
Under the alley streetlight, Ihyeon stopped and whipped around. Taegon was walking toward her at a relaxed pace, two steps behind. With both hands in his pockets, he wore an expression as if nothing in the world had happened. Ihyeon crossed her arms and glared at him. Her flushed face and puffed-up cheeks looked more cute than angry.
"Taegon!"
Her voice trembled slightly. Taegon stopped and faced her.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Pardon?"
"Back at the mart! When the woman was calling us a couple and all that!"
"Ah, then?"
"Yes, then! While I was turning bright red trying to deny it all by myself, why were you just standing there watching?!"
Ihyeon’s voice grew louder. Taegon tilted his head slightly with a calm expression.
"Then what should I have said?"
"You should have denied it with me! Even if I said 'no' a hundred times, what would the woman think if you just stayed quiet? She’d think, 'Oh, they’re just shy because they started dating recently!' That’s what she’d think!"
"Aha, I suppose that’s how it could have looked."
"It’s not 'could have looked,' it definitely did! No matter how much I denied it, because you didn't say a word, the woman was even more convinced!"
"Hmm……"
Taegon took a slow step forward until he was right in front of Ihyeon.
"I suppose I am sorry about that."
"If you’re sorry, why did you stay quiet? If you had just said one word, it would have been over!"
"That is……"
Taegon paused for a moment. Ihyeon looked up at him, waiting for an answer. The streetlight cast its glow over the alley, and a pleasant breeze blew by. Taegon opened his mouth.
"I just didn't see the need to deny it."
Ihyeon’s focus wavered.
"Pardon……?"
She doubted her ears. She had heard him clearly, but her brain couldn't process it.
"W-what did you just say?"
"I said I didn't see the need to deny it."
Taegon repeated it calmly. Ihyeon’s mouth opened and closed.
"W-what is that supposed to……"
"Whatever that woman thinks, it’s not really a problem, is it?"
Taegon took another step closer. He asked with a faint smile.
"How about you, Ihyeon?"
"Pardon? W-what about me?"
"Did you hate being misunderstood as being with me that much?"
Ihyeon gasped. Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her ears.
"N-n-no…… that, that is……"
Her mouth opened, closed, opened again, and closed once more. She needed to choose her words, but everything popping into her head was a mess. If she said she didn't hate it, it would sound like a confession, which was embarrassing; if she said she hated it, it would be a lie.
"I-I don't hate it, but…… I mean……"
"I mean?"
"That’s, that’s just…… if you ask me so suddenly, I don't know how to answer……"
"You can take your time thinking about it."
"How can I take my time when my heart feels like it’s going to explode right now!"
Ihyeon covered her mouth with both hands and thought, 'What did I just say!!!'
Taegon’s eyes widened slightly, and his ears turned a faint shade of red. Ihyeon retreated a step, holding the bag of soap in front of her chest like a shield.
"A-ah, never mind! Please pretend you didn't hear what I just said!"
"It was a bit too memorable to pretend I didn't hear it."
"F-forget it! Please!"
Ihyeon stomped her feet, her face bright red. Taegon couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
"Alright, alright. I'll pretend I didn't hear it."
A wide smile bloomed on his lips. Ihyeon gritted her teeth and strode forward. The bag of soap rattled against her arm. Taegon followed, matching her pace.
How many steps had they taken?
Taegon added in a low voice.
"I didn't really hate it, though."
Ihyeon’s feet felt glued to the ground.
"……"
Her walking stopped, her breathing stopped, and it felt as if time itself had stopped. I didn't really hate it. Those words struck Ihyeon’s mind like a lightning bolt. She turned around slowly, very slowly. Taegon was standing under the streetlight with one hand in his pocket. His expression remained calm, but the tips of his ears were subtly red. It was too vivid to blame on the streetlight.
"Th-th-th-th-that means……"
Ihyeon asked back in a trembling voice. Taegon looked into her eyes for a moment before turning his gaze away.
"I just meant what I said. There was no deeper meaning."
"……Hic, h-hic!"
"It feels a bit hotter today, doesn't it?"
"I-it does seem so. Hic!"
Ihyeon calmed her racing heart and stopped her hiccups. An awkward silence settled between them. The streetlight stretched their shadows long across the ground. Ihyeon looked away first and hurried her pace.
"L-let's go quickly!"
"Yes, let's."
There was no conversation on the way back, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. The dish soap inside the bag rattled particularly loudly.
#
Ihyeon leaned her back against the door and gasped for air. The bag slipped from her hand and fell to the floor, but she didn't have the energy to pick it up. She stood in the entryway for a long time without even taking off her shoes. Her heart was pounding as if it were trying to break out of her ribcage. She took a deep breath and stumbled toward her bed. She collapsed onto the mattress, burying her face in a pillow.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuu……"
A moan of unknown meaning escaped her. Ihyeon kicked her legs while keeping her face buried in the pillow.
— Thump, thump, thump!
She kicked off her blanket.
"He didn't hate it…… what does that mean…… he didn't hate it!!!"
She screamed into the pillow.
"What is that supposed to mean!!!"
Ihyeon flipped over and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't see the light fixture. Taegon’s face was floating everywhere in her vision. The expression he wore under the streetlight, the face with the slightly reddened ears.
'I just didn't see the need to deny it.'
Taegon’s words kept coming back to her.
'Did you hate being misunderstood as being with me that much?'
Her heart sank.
'I didn't really hate it, though.'
Ihyeon pressed her face into the pillow and thrashed her legs.
"Ahhhhh, what do I do! Was he saying that out of consideration for me? Or was it sincere?! What does 'no need to deny it' mean?! Does that mean he’s okay with being misunderstood as dating me?!"
Ihyeon’s thrashing on the bed was a scene that, if there were a CCTV in the room, could never be shown to the world. After rolling around for a long time, she finally caught her breath and sat up halfway. Her hair was sticking out in every direction, and her cheeks were still as red as the sunset. Just then, Ihyeon jumped up and shouted.
'Ah! I need to get ready for work!'
Ihyeon scrambled to open her closet.
#
Taegon was sitting on the sofa in his room, staring at the ceiling. The living room lights were off, and only the light from outside faintly illuminated the interior.
"Why did I say that?"
Taegon covered his face with both hands and let out a deep sigh. The words he had spoken under the streetlight replayed in his mind one by one.
'I just didn't see the need to deny it.'
That was the truth. It didn't matter what the shop owner thought.
'Did you hate being misunderstood as being with me that much?'
This could be framed as a strategic remark to lower the target’s defenses. That much was fine.
The problem was the last part.
'I didn't really hate it, though.'
Taegon leaned his forehead against the armrest of the sofa and furrowed his brow.
"Why on earth did I say that? Was it a necessary remark to maintain a relationship with the target as a monitor?"
It wasn't. It was a completely unnecessary comment. A statement that offered no strategic or tactical advantage whatsoever. Taegon ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh.
'What was I thinking……'
He remembered her face as she scrambled, her cheeks bright red. Her stomping feet, her hands that couldn't find a place to rest, the way she couldn't meet his eyes even while raising her voice. She was cute.
He tried to push the thought of Ihyeon away, but it was already too late. A strange vibration continued to echo deep within his chest.
'In times like this, physical activity is the best.'
Taegon started doing push-ups to shake off his thoughts. One. Two. Three. His upper body rose and fell with his rhythmic breathing. As his muscles were quickly stimulated, the distracting thoughts that had been clouding his mind were pushed away little by little.
Fifteen. Twenty. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and heat rose in his forearms.
Thirty.
But even while doing push-ups, Ihyeon’s face flickered before his eyes. The expression she wore when she was puffing out her cheeks to argue. The moment she shouted that her heart felt like it was going to explode. The way she turned her head to hide her reddened ears.
Taegon’s arms bent a beat too late.
"……I can't focus."
He clicked his tongue softly.
Fifty.
He didn't stop the push-ups. Until the thoughts disappeared. Or at least, until he thought about them less. Only his heavy breathing echoed rhythmically in the room. And in between each breath, Ihyeon’s smile kept cutting in.
'I didn't really hate it, huh…… to be confused by my own words. Truly……'
Taegon sighed while keeping his arms bent. He had passed a hundred push-ups, but Ihyeon’s face still wouldn't be erased.