Their Anxious Hearts
Kang Iseor sat silently on the bed in her room. It was Tuesday night—two full days since her second encounter with Park Yuna. Even so, she still hadn’t recovered from the shock of that moment.
‘Jihoon’s other partner is Yuna…’
Her heart still refused to accept it, but she knew all too well that denying the truth any longer would be pointless. The two of them lived in the same building. The familiar scent that always clung to Yuna whenever she held her. Yuna’s story that matched her own situation perfectly, and the oversized swimsuit that had fit her body exactly. Every circumstance screamed that the true identity of the cow girl was Park Yuna.
“…”
The day she had confirmed the truth by dressing the sleeping Park Yuna in that swimsuit. She had been so mentally overwhelmed that she barely remembered what happened afterward. What she did recall was thinking she needed to hide the evidence, so she had struggled to put Yuna’s clothes back on her. After that she must have fallen asleep from exhaustion and worry, because when she woke up, Park Yuna had already returned to her own home. She had left only a single message.
“Haaa.”
A sigh so heavy it felt like the floor might cave in filled the room. Even now, two days later, she remained in this state. Her face was blank with despair, the same expression one might see on someone who had lost their entire fortune gambling.
She had somehow managed to finish her Sunday stream, but she had been so distracted that she couldn’t remember any of the details. ‘What am I supposed to do…? To Yuna right now, both Jihoon and I are her entire world.’
Thanks to all the conversations they had shared over the past few days, Iseor knew that Yuna had grown up lonely under an indifferent mother. That meant if she claimed Han Jihoon for herself, she would be condemning Yuna—who had already lived in loneliness for so long—to the same fate once again.
Yet she couldn’t possibly yield Jihoon to Park Yuna. To Iseor, that man was far too precious to ever give up.
‘No. That’s not the real problem.’
In truth, right now she should be worrying about herself, not Yuna. The most attractive woman she had ever seen in her life had turned out to be her romantic rival. Jihoon might see her only as a little sister for now, but Yuna was so lovable that it wouldn’t be strange if his feelings changed at any moment.
‘If I really lose Jihoon to her…’
Just imagining it made her chest ache sharply. Normally, whenever Iseor felt troubled or restless, she would go straight to Han Jihoon. Breathing in his scent and sharing his body heat would melt away even the most complicated emotions like snow in spring.
But from the day she discovered Park Yuna’s identity until today, she hadn’t met him even once. She had no idea what expression she would make when she saw him. Afraid she might show him an ugly side of herself, she had even cut their last call short with the excuse that she was busy.
‘…I know this isn’t right.’
Of course she hadn’t been in contact with Park Yuna either. For some reason the daily messages and calls from her had suddenly stopped, but the current Iseor didn’t have the mental energy to wonder why.
“What the hell am I supposed to do…?”
Iseor muttered, burying her face in her palms. Still unable to find an answer, she sank once more into the endless swamp of thoughts, just as she had done for the past two days.
While Kang Iseor wrestled with her turmoil, Park Yuna lay face-down on the sofa in her own living room, equally lost in thought. She kept replaying what had happened in Iseor’s room two days earlier.
“Mmm… Iseo Noona…?”
When she had woken up, she found herself lying in an unfamiliar bed. She didn’t need long to figure out where she was. Kang Iseor was sleeping right beside her, looking utterly exhausted. It was obvious that her Noona had carried her home after her memory cut out and tucked her into bed.
“Ow, ow… my head hurts…”
She groaned from the hangover she had only ever heard about, then quickly clamped her mouth shut. She didn’t want to wake Iseor, who must be tired because of her. Whether from her drunken habits or not, her clothes were a mess, so she straightened them and quietly rose from the bed, thinking she should at least wash her face.
‘…What is this?’
Something brushed against her bare foot. She looked down and saw a long white string. Dragging it out from under the bed with her foot, she picked it up and felt her stomach drop the moment she recognized it.
‘Why is this here?’
It was the bikini she had worn to show Han Jihoon. When she checked the size, it was exactly the one she had bought. She hadn’t seen it since leaving it at his house, and he had claimed he didn’t know where it was. Finding it here was completely unexpected.
‘The person Jihoon Oppa likes… is Iseo Noona?’
Her legs trembled as she forced them to move. With a dazed expression, she began searching Iseor’s desk for any other evidence. It didn’t take long before she found an old diary in one of the drawers. Hoping against hope, she opened it—only for her expectations to shatter completely.
‘It’s the same handwriting…’
She remembered the note that had been tucked into her panties with perfect clarity. The consistent letter sizes, except for the unusually large ㅇ and ㅎ. The diary was written in exactly the same style.
‘It really is Iseo Noona…?’
With shaking hands she returned the diary and froze in place. Her brain had shut down; rational thought was impossible. But one instinct remained clear: she had to get out of there before Iseor woke up.
She left only a single message and fled. Two days had passed since then, yet the shock she received that day had not faded in the slightest.
‘Why does it have to be Iseo Noona?’
Han Jihoon was the person who had changed her life. She had sworn she would win his heart one day. And Kang Iseor was the same-sex friend and colleague she had always longed for—someone she could share her true feelings with. Even though they hadn’t known each other long, she was just as precious to Yuna as Jihoon was.
Yet the person competing with her for that man turned out to be Iseor. It was only natural that she felt wronged.
‘Why does the person Oppa likes have to be Noona of all people…’
To win Jihoon’s heart, she would have to abandon her friendship with Iseor. There was only one choice, but the thought of ending her relationship with the Noona she adored hurt more than she could bear. Besides, there was no guarantee she could even win against Iseor. The older woman possessed the mature, elegant charm that Yuna felt she herself lacked.
“Uuu… I’m so sad…”
Sprawled on the sofa in a gloomy mood, she pulled up Han Jihoon’s number on her phone. It wasn’t out of competitiveness or a desire to see him before Iseor could. She simply wanted the person she loved most to comfort the gaping hole in her chest.
Her feelings had been too complicated since last Sunday to contact him, but suffering alone had finally become unbearable.
“Uh, Yuna.”
His welcome voice came through the speaker, but Park Yuna’s own voice remained sunken.
“Jihoon Oppa…”
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“Can you come over to my house right now?”
The feeling that a new week had just begun still lingered in the Tuesday night air. I sat in front of my computer, staring blankly at the desktop. Normally I would have been gaming or editing videos, but I had too many thoughts swirling in my head to focus on anything.
“…”
Both during the maid play with Iseo Noona and when I visited Yuna’s house last week, both women had shown signs of being conscious of the other. I had personally hoped it wasn’t true, but it clearly meant they were all feeling anxiety or discomfort from the fact that there were other partners besides themselves.
I had done my best to ease their moods on the spot, but since it wasn’t a fundamental solution, the issue continued to weigh on me.
“Hmm…”
Come to think of it, ever since last Sunday, the number of times I had been in contact with either of them up until this Tuesday night could be counted on one hand. We used to message each other every day, even if it was just a casual text when nothing special was happening. This was the first time in nearly three days that our communication had gone this quiet.
‘Iseo Noona said she had some project she was planning at the company. Is she busy with that?’
Since it was an internal matter, she hadn’t given me the details. Yuna had also been quiet, so it seemed she had something keeping her busy too.
‘Maybe I should text them tomorrow.’
The moment the thought crossed my mind, my phone rang. The caller was none other than Yuna. Marveling at the perfect timing, I answered with genuine pleasure.
“Hey, Yuna.”
—Jihoon Oppa….
Her voice after several days sounded completely deflated.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
—Can you come over to my house right now?
The unusual atmosphere in her voice set off alarm bells. Without even asking why, I stood up from my chair.
“Got it. I’ll be right there.”
Even as Han Jihoon headed toward Park Yuna’s house, Kang Iseor remained trapped on her bed. Her worries multiplied endlessly. The more she racked her brain for an answer, the darker her expression grew.
‘…I miss Jihoon.’
Because her heart felt so heavy, thoughts of him kept rising to the surface. Feeling empty, she pulled out the T-shirt she had taken from him from her closet. She pressed it to her nose, but his scent had long been overwritten by the smell of her own room. The longing to see him only grew stronger.
‘Should I go to Jihoon’s house…? But…’
She was afraid her worries would only burden him. Yet if she stayed like this, she felt she would be completely swallowed by depression. After hesitating for a long time, Iseor finally pressed his number with trembling fingers.