Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: First Meeting
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Chapter 33. First Meeting.
With the weekend here, Woo Ji-hyun did some long-overdue cleaning around the house.
Thanks to the rain from yesterday that had washed away all the fine dust, he flung open every window in the place and got down to some serious cleaning.
Living alone in an apartment meant it took a while and was pretty taxing physically, but Woo Ji-hyun quietly ran the vacuum and mopped away.
“But the most annoying part is sorting the recyclables. Especially the food waste.”
Sweeping and scrubbing every corner wasn’t too bad.
He had a vacuum cleaner, and he could take his time wiping things down as he tidied up.
Sorting recyclables, though, came with its own built-in hassle.
He had to separate the cans, plastics, paper, and bottles into their respective categories.
“It’s enough volume that I’ll have to make at least three round trips.”
Standing in front of the door, Woo Ji-hyun furrowed his brow.
No matter how he crunched the numbers, it looked like he’d need to head down to the recycling area on the first floor at least three times.
“Should I order a little cart?”
There was a limit to what he could carry by hand, but a cart would change everything.
If he loaded it right, he could knock out this whole pile in one go.
The problem was he didn’t have one right now.
“Sigh.”
After eyeing the sheer volume and variety for a moment, Woo Ji-hyun sighed and picked up the paper first.
He planned to haul the boxes to the recycling area one type at a time.
“Huh?”
As he lifted a box with both hands and stepped out the door, Woo Ji-hyun’s eyes suddenly went wide.
He’d noticed the noise outside since morning but hadn’t expected movers.
“Huh?”
But the middle-aged woman who was heading into the apartment with the packing crew spotted him and jumped in surprise.
Her shock, however, was nothing compared to his.
“…No way, how…?”
“You’re that young man from Mansu-dong, right?”
“Ah, yes. President.”
Woo Ji-hyun gave a wry smile at the middle-aged woman standing right there with her eyes just as wide as his.
He never could have imagined that a connection he thought was done and dusted would loop back like this.
On top of that, as far as he remembered, she was supposed to be living in Nonhyeon-dong in Incheon.
Not here, in Seo-chang 2 District.
“Mom! What if you block the hallway like that!”
“You silly girl. What if you yell like that in this short hallway? You’ll burst my eardrums.”
“That’s because you’re blocking the way… Huh?”
Jeong Mi-ri appeared behind the president, who used to run the Big Bang video rental shop in Mansu 6-dong.
She’d been carrying stuff with her mom and bumped into her when she stopped short.
Then she spotted Woo Ji-hyun holding the box and froze, looking like she’d seen a ghost.
Just like him, this was the last meeting she’d ever expected.
“Hello.”
“Ah, hi!”
“Then, I’ll be off.”
Woo Ji-hyun, who’d been standing there blankly for a second, gave a quick greeting and hopped into the elevator that had just arrived.
He timed it perfectly, swapping places with the movers as the doors opened.
But even after the elevator doors closed and Woo Ji-hyun vanished, Jeong Mi-ri couldn’t move.
“Oh my goodness. What are the odds? You were looking everywhere for him, and now that we’ve moved, he turns out to be our neighbor.”
“…When did I say I was looking for him like that?”
“Ever since that guy sniffed when I asked him to fill in for a bit and help out, but then suddenly started doing part-time work on his own?”
Her mom wore a playful expression.
But Jeong Mi-ri couldn’t argue with her tone or face.
Everything she said was spot on.
And she was still pretty shocked herself.
“Must be nice for our girl. Now you can just ring the doorbell whenever you want to see him.”
“What are you talking about? It’s not like that.”
“Then why are your eyes shaking like that? Is it because you’re lonely after breaking up with your boyfriend the other day?”
“He wasn’t my boyfriend.”
Jeong Mi-ri said it with a straight face.
They’d met up a few times, eaten, grabbed coffee, but they were never anything special.
“Then a fling?”
“Not even that. I just met him a few times because he kept begging.”
“See? Just like your mom, with that killer look of yours.”
“…I didn’t take after Dad.”
Jeong Mi-ri replied with a helpless look, thinking of her shorter dad compared to her mom.
Even if he was her dad, facts were facts.
And personally, she was relieved she didn’t look much like him.
“So this time, go for it properly. Now you can see him anytime you want.”
“Mom. ‘Neighborly friends’ is an old saying these days. People don’t get chummy like they used to. At best, it’s a nod hello.”
“You. Everything depends on how you make it. So, fighting!”
“It’s heavy. Let’s get inside already.”
Jeong Mi-ri didn’t respond.
Instead, she pouted and hurried into their new place.
“Grown girl getting all shy. But it really is amazing. Who’d have thought we’d run into him like this.”
After glancing at her daughter bustling into the crowded apartment, she stared at the firmly shut door next door.
It was just too uncanny a connection.
“At twenty-three, it’s prime time to be dating around anyway.”
If he were some weirdo, she’d grab him by the hair and set him straight, but from what she’d heard, Woo Ji-hyun was a rare good egg these days.
Sure, going to a club underage was a huge mistake, but still.
“I should bring over some red bean rice cakes later. Have Mi-ri do it.”
It wasn’t on her schedule, but she looked amused instead.
Teasing her daughter lifted her spirits.
And even if times had changed, there was no harm in getting along well with the neighbors without any drama.
“Hee hee hee!”
Imagining Jeong Mi-ri’s horrified face, she headed into the new apartment herself.
* * *
Woo Ji-hyun, who’d brought out his car for the first time in ages, parked in a paid lot near the meeting spot and headed into the café where he’d agreed to meet Kim In-hu.
A blast of cool air hit him as he entered the quiet interior.
“Over here.”
“Oh, you put some effort into your style?”
“Only because of someone, I had no choice.”
“Keu-keu-keuk!”
Woo Ji-hyun flashed a wicked grin at Kim In-hu, who shook his head with a deep sigh.
The more miserable Kim In-hu looked, the more fun it was for him.
“You’re loving this, huh? Not even thinking about my feelings?”
“There’s that saying: if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it. Your mom’s doing this for your own good, so just take it in stride. You know you can’t say no anyway.”
“Should I move out? Go independent? I’ve got a proper job now.”
“Even if you did, you’d still be near your parents’ place. Doesn’t seem like it’d change much from my view.”
From the Isaac Apartments in Mansu 6-dong to his workplace at Namdong District Office, it took under ten minutes walking at a normal adult pace.
So Woo Ji-hyun didn’t think moving would make much difference.
“Should I put in for a transfer?”
“I hear that’s not easy. Unless it’s some isolated island short on applicants.”
“You nuts? Me, twenty-eight, shipped off to an island? No way in hell.”
“Exactly. So just accept it. You never had a real choice to begin with.”
“You heartless bastard…”
Kim In-hu’s head drooped forward.
Just like his friend said, he knew he was stuck in quicksand he couldn’t escape.
“Might as well think positive since it’s come to this. Meeting doesn’t mean you have to marry on the spot, right? If it doesn’t click, just say so—your mom won’t push. She’s not expecting miracles from a first date anyway.”
“She’s got huge expectations. Kept drilling into me that it has to go great and bring back good results.”
“If that worked, you’d have changed ages ago.”
“You know me too well. I’m seriously glad you’re coming with. If I went alone… Ugh.”
Kim In-hu shuddered like the mere thought gave him goosebumps.
He could already picture the awkwardness.
“What about me? I got dragged into this out of nowhere. Your mom called me directly. You know how shocked I was?”
“What’s to be shocked about? She’s not a stranger. We saw her at the gym all the time back in the neighborhood.”
“That’s different from this.”
“Either way, it’s not bad for you, right? Your mom went out of her way to set this up because you’re holed up writing at home.”
Kim In-hu said it with a sly undertone.
Like he was making it clear this was all thanks to him.
But Woo Ji-hyun saw it differently.
“Doesn’t it feel like you got played by your mom? She pulled the ‘me’ card because you wouldn’t listen.”
“Huh?”
“Sure, you figured you couldn’t dodge forever, so you compromised. One or two times gives you an excuse. But from where I’m sitting, this whole setup is already her design.”
“Whoa.”
Kim In-hu’s pupils shook wildly.
Hearing it laid out, it totally made sense.
Plus, his mom had always been sharper than his dad academically.
She had that cunning edge too.
“So quit complaining and accept it humbly. That’s all you can do. Who knows? You might meet your dream girl today. Your mom knows your type inside out.”
“Sadly, my tastes don’t matter to her. She just wants a daughter-in-law she likes.”
“Same old.”
“People don’t change easy…”
“Still, you gotta find some middle ground. No choice.”
“Easier said than done.”
Kim In-hu squeezed his eyes shut.
That was the biggest reason he hadn’t wanted to show up.
Meeting a girl was fine.
It was an introduction, after all.
The issue was it definitely wouldn’t reflect his tastes at all.
“No helping it. Can’t cancel now. Just think of it as a casual meal. If you’re lucky, it ends with coffee.”
“This won’t do. If it sucks, I’ll go with the pathetic guy concept.”
“Then I’ll have to secretly record it.”
“What?!”
Kim In-hu yelled at Woo Ji-hyun, who said it dead serious.
The Woo Ji-hyun he knew was exactly the type to do it.
“It’s a rare sight. Gotta document it. Might come in handy later.”
“Y-You vicious prick. Just like that Jangsudong madman.”
“Keu-keu-keuk!”
Kim In-hu’s face flushed at Woo Ji-hyun’s devilish words.
At the same time, he scrapped one of his backup plans.
It’d work, but he’d lose too much in the process.
“Are you a real friend or my enemy?”
“The two are the same, usually. Can’t be helped. You know my dark history too.”
“The problem is there’s no proof. It’s just in my memory.”
“Anyway, how much time until the meetup? This is the spot, right?”