Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Resolution
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I told her to wait somewhere else.
She must not have seen the text because she was in such a hurry.
Anyway...
"Why would you assume the only thing I'd be curious about is your age? That's kind of funny."
"So, are you curious about how, when, or why I met him? Or maybe what our relationship is? It's all meaningless, isn't it?"
"Haha, I guess it is meaningless."
"Honestly, I have nothing I'm curious about you. There's nothing more I need to know."
Does she mean what I think she means?
Like, since she's older, there's no need to know her exact age?
I never knew Hye-na had this side to her...
"Lee Chang-woo. You sort this out."
Choi Ji-soo crosses her arms and looks at me.
I'm flustered.
Not "explain," but "sort this out."
What am I supposed to sort out?
"Is it me, or her?"
My brain cells are spinning.
Two women having a war of nerves in a public place with me in the middle.
I had many fantasies while I was sick, but this genre wasn't one of them.
Most of them involved multiple women happily playing with my dick.
I reached for my coffee.
What the, it's empty?
I hadn't even had half of it, but that woman, Choi Ji-soo, had gulped it all down.
Suddenly, I felt a gaze from the counter.
He didn't look like a part-timer, more like a young owner, and the way he was staring at us was unusual.
A sudden thought made me feel embarrassed.
I can't believe I'm causing this kind of ill-mannered scene.
"Let's order first."
"...What?"
"Excuse me?"
"It's one drink per person here. We're taking up a four-person table with only one drink. That's a nuisance to the cafe."
"Heh. What's this? Since when did you care about things like that?"
Choi Ji-soo smirked, then took a card from her wallet and placed it on the table in front of me.
"I'll have a large caramel macchiato. I tried it for the first time today, and it's good."
"...I'll have a caramel macchiato too."
Jung Hye-na spoke a moment later, also holding out her card to me.
"And four random slices of cake."
"You're getting drinks for the two of you, but you're telling me to go?"
It's not that I mind running an errand.
It's that I don't think I should leave these two alone.
Choi Ji-soo shrugged and glanced at Jung Hye-na. Jung Hye-na also gave a slight nod.
What is this? This is strange.
Did they just communicate something with their eyes?
"If I go order, it'll just be the two of you left. I can't stand to see that."
"Me neither. And I don't want to go order with you, all friendly-like. I'm afraid our shoulders might brush."
"Same here. Hey, we're on the same wavelength."
"I know. It's not a good thing."
"Yeah, I don't like it either."
If that's the reason, then it's better if I just go.
I pushed both women's cards back toward them.
"Put them away. I'm paying."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The cafe owner had also, at some point, become a spectator, watching table 6 with bated breath.
The part-timers, too, were working with their hands, but their eyes and ears were all focused on table 6.
"Hey, doesn't the girl in the baseball cap look familiar?"
"I know, right? Wow, she's so pretty. She has to be a celebrity."
"The Chanel girl might lose out a bit in the face department to the cap girl, but her physique is completely Western."
"I thought there'd be water-splashing and hair-pulling the moment she arrived. I'm surprised it's so civilized."
"I guess when a guy is that handsome, even if he gets caught cheating, the women will fight over him with such desperate elegance."
"I think I get it. If you scream and cry and pull the other person's hair, he'll be turned off and won't want to see you again."
"Exactly. The thought of that would stop you from doing anything rash. You have to smile more."
"They say the one who smiles more when things are tough is the winner."
Just then, the man from table 6 approached the counter.
His languid walk seemed to suggest he found the entire situation bothersome.
The owner and staff were inwardly impressed.
This was clearly not his first time dealing with something like this.
Such a composed attitude.
"Two caramel macchiatos. And all the cakes you have here. Please pack them up, split into two bags."
"Sorry? Are these for takeout?"
"Yes."
"..."
"..."
It's ending so abruptly?
A silent sigh escaped from the cafe owner, the part-timers, and the customers at the tables relatively close to the counter.
"...I'll ring you up."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I deliberately stood at the counter and waited.
Choi Ji-soo and Jung Hye-na stared holes into my back, but I steadfastly pretended to be looking at my phone.
"Your drinks are ready."
"Thank you."
As I walked back to the table, my heart was pounding for some reason.
I desperately controlled my expression so they wouldn't notice my thumping nervousness.
"Here, take one each."
"What? Are we moving tables?"
"No, let's get up and go our separate ways."
"Aha, so this is how you're sorting it out? Fine."
Surprisingly, Choi Ji-soo stood up without a fuss.
She picked up the pastry bag and, as if to show me, dangled it with a smile.
"Coffee and cake hand-picked by Lee Chang-woo himself. How precious. I'll enjoy it."
"Thank you, Oppa."
Choi Ji-soo glanced over Jung Hye-na, then turned and walked out of the cafe with a click-clack of her heels.
She got into a car parked in front... was that a Volvo?
She's as tough as she looks.
After her car disappeared, we left the cafe as well.
"I'm sorry. I sent you a text."
"Ah, I'll check now. Oh, you did. You told me to wait in another cafe. I'm sorry. I didn't see it because I was in a rush."
"No, it's okay. It happens. You're pulling an all-nighter until tomorrow?"
"Yes."
I thought she was just a sweet and delicate girl.
I never imagined she'd be able to stand up to the formidable Choi Ji-soo without being the least bit intimidated, saying everything she needed to say.
I guess being a former idol and having been in the professional world from a young age means she's not just a pushover.
"Oppa, are you... a little disappointed? That I acted like those other women in front of her...?"
"I have no memory, so how would I know how other women acted?"
Beneath the deeply pulled brim of her cap, her two shining eyes were as beautiful as black pearls.
"I thought it was cute. Don't you think? It's better to be able to speak your mind and take care of yourself than to be pushed around in every argument. I liked seeing that side of you."
"Really?"
Her face brightened, which made me happy too.
I don't know where I got the courage.
I pulled Jung Hye-na into a tight hug with both arms.
We were in the middle of the street, but who cares? The place was overflowing with couples hugging and linking arms.
"The day after tomorrow..."
"Yes?"
"It's really over then, right?"
I wanted to see her expression.
But I was even more embarrassed now and didn't want to show my own face, so I just kept hugging her.
Still, we're at a stage where I can say this, right?
She was the one who brought up her period ending the day after tomorrow, with all its sexy implications.
"I-It's over. The day after tomorrow, for sure... No, I'll make sure it's over by then."
"What do you mean, 'make sure it's over'? It's not a work assignment."
I couldn't bring myself to kiss her in the middle of the street.
I stroked Hye-na's head a few times and walked her to the front of the studio building.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After Lee Chang-woo and Jung Hye-na left.
The customers at the other tables all exhaled the breaths they had been holding.
They were like an audience at an orchestra, taking the brief pause in the music as an opportunity to let out coughs they had been suppressing.
One extremely handsome man and two extremely pretty women.
The live, one-act play the trio had shown them.
It was far more thrilling than a blockbuster movie.
And it was overflowing with more dopamine than any political news that crushed all comedy shows.
The ending was a bit too sudden, though.
But live performances are always prone to unexpected broadcast accidents.
The audience at each table shared their feelings with silent glances and smiles.
'That was fun, wasn't it?'
'Yes, it was incredibly fun.'
'So exciting. What am I going to do with all this dopamine?'
'I don't think I'll ever see a more stimulating romantic comedy in my life.'
'Reality is so much more entertaining than dramas.'
The feeling lingered for a long time.
Cruelly, it was cut off at the most interesting part.
And now, they would never get to see the next episode.
Still, the brilliant performances of the lead actors would live on in their hearts.
The customers, having returned to their own realities, finally opened their mouths, which they had kept shut for several minutes.
"That guy was seriously handsome. He didn't seem like a celebrity."
"I've seen Choi Seong-min up close in person, and that guy would totally put him to shame."
"Is he really that good-looking?"
"Yeah, he is. It's insane."
"So my eyes weren't deceiving me. I was just thinking, if an unknown celebrity is that handsome, I can't even imagine what top stars are like."
"No way, even A-list celebrities aren't on that level. That guy absolutely has to be a celebrity."
"Putting all that aside, wow, his skin and proportions were just, wow."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I thought I should check out Lee Chang-woo's house.
Seeing his personal belongings would give me a better idea of what kind of person he was.
So far, all I knew was that women were flocking to him like crazy.
I checked my call history and saw that dozens more missed calls had piled up.
I can't even use my phone without Do Not Disturb mode on.
A moment of silence for Lee Chang-woo, who probably had a hard time even watching a YouTube video in peace.
[Me] I think I should stop by your place. Send me the address.
[Jung Hye-na] It's Samsung-dong Road Attraction, Building 101, Apartment 1901! You can get in with your fingerprint, Oppa!
What's with the instant reply?
Is she not working and just staring at her phone, waiting for me to contact her?
If so, that's just too damn cute.
I checked the map app; it was about four stops from here.
I decided to walk slowly and do some people-watching.
Since I spent my last four months confined to a hospital bed, I miss people.
To be precise, I missed healthy people, people far removed from death and disease.
That's why I like this noisy street.
I like this night street, overflowing with health and youth.
"Excuse me."
"You're so my type."
"Can I get your number?"
"Do you have a girlfriend? No, it doesn't matter if you do. Won't you give me a chance?"
I was asked for my number four times while walking four stops.
Is that one per stop?
It must have been hard for Lee Chang-woo to even walk around outside.
When I arrived at the apartment complex, a gasp escaped my lips.
"Wow, Lee Chang-woo. You lived in a really nice place."