Jeong Ha-yoon....? (2)
At first, I really thought she was Jeong Ha-yoon. The double eyelids, the round face shape, the plump nose tip like ripe fruit paired with a sharp bridge, the full lower lip. Her cute features fit perfectly where they should, and her body had that perfect volume where it needed to—curves in all the right places. It was enough to fool anyone into thinking she was Jeong Ha-yoon at a glance.
But when I looked closer, picking her apart detail by detail, there were a few clear differences. The size of her eyes and lips, her height that seemed about 5cm shorter than Jeong Ha-yoon's, her slimmer build, and skin even whiter than mine. The woman in front of me definitely wasn't Jeong Ha-yoon. She just looked eerily similar.
"Vicky, this is Theo. He's from Korea, plays on the same club team as me. He's only been here a short time, but his Spanish is pretty damn good."
Vicky turned to look at me at Tiago's words. Now that I noticed, her hairstyle was different too. Jeong Ha-yoon had kept her bob the whole time we dated, but Vicky had her long hair tied back in a ponytail.
"……."
We just stared at each other for a moment. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Vicky, who kept reminding me of Jeong Ha-yoon the more I looked. And Vicky... she looked shocked by something.
"Vicky. Didn't you say you were from Korea?"
At Tiago's question, Vicky finally pulled her gaze from me and shook her head.
"Huh? No, I'm Japanese."
"Ah! Right, Japan. Sorry about that."
"No worries."
Vicky flashed a bright smile and waved her hand dismissively in the air a couple times. Even that smile had an uncanny resemblance. Down to the dimples that dimpled deeply on both cheeks.
"Hi?"
Vicky turned back to me and greeted first.
"Yeah. Hi."
A curt reply slipped out. I couldn't help it. I knew the woman in front of me wasn't Jeong Ha-yoon, but every time I looked at Vicky, a storm of complicated emotions churned inside me. It was so disorienting that I turned into a wooden puppet.
...The kind that spits out greetings on command. And that was the extent of our conversation.
"Vicky!"
"Yes!!"
At the call from the Gorgeo bar owner, Vicky hurried toward the kitchen. She must have been pretty thrown off by my cold reaction.
"Whew…."
I let out a quiet sigh and squeezed my eyes shut. My brain was shoving that final day with Jeong Ha-yoon in my face, refusing to let me forget, sharpening the memory against my will to bury it.
"Theo…?"
It was pathetic. After hearing the absolute worst breakup excuse from my girlfriend, I still couldn't let go of these feelings for Jeong Ha-yoon. I'd had those thoughts, sure. Thanks to the goblin, I'd become a monster down there—maybe I could get back with her and fix things in bed. Wishful thinking, of course. I shut it down quick. If it was just lingering affection, maybe. But mixed in was a hefty dose of hatred for her too.
"Hey, Theo!"
Tiago's call finally snapped me out of it.
"What's up with you all of a sudden?"
"Ah… shit. I think I just fucked up big time with Vicky…."
"Yeah, your face was grim. At first I thought you'd fallen for her at first sight, but nope."
He read my mood shift just from my expression? This guy's sharper than he lets on.
"What's the deal? You know her or something? She looked like it was her first time seeing you…."
"Nah, first time. If she was someone I knew, you'd just say her name and I'd get it."
"Then why'd you go all serious on her?"
"Well…."
I hesitated, about to spill the truth, when—
"Here's your order."
Vicky approached our table with a bright smile, balancing a plate in each hand. I turned back into the wooden puppet, stiff in my chair, silent as she set down the plates and walked away.
"Anyway… wanna eat first?"
"Yeah. Food, then talk."
The food was great. I hadn't been in Spain long, but it suited my taste overall. As we polished off our plates, Tiago pondered for a sec and asked,
"Cocktails? Just one light round?"
"Sounds good."
Heavy talks needed a little alcohol lubrication. After a sip of our cocktails, I finally opened up. About Jeong Ha-yoon. Of course, I fed him the same white lie I'd told Kim Hyo-jin about the breakup reason.
Tiago listened quietly the whole time, then nodded slowly once I'd finished, like it all clicked.
"So that's why you stared at her like that…."
"Yeah. Keeps popping into my head every time I look."
"Is that why you came to Spain?"
"Nah. Soccer's the real reason. Not really chasing romance right now. Better to focus on going pro quick than rebounding with someone new. I'm already 22."
23 in a few months. Pro contract or not by then, I'd at least land on a pro club's reserve team. No doubt.
"Still, don't be cold to Vicky. She's a great person. Kind to everyone. Always smiling bright."
As Tiago rattled off Vicky's praises, I tossed out a joke to lighten the mood between us.
"You got a thing for her?"
"Huh? No. Well, yeah, she's great. You can tell after just a month working together."
Tiago took a sip of his cocktail and added,
"Plus, I'm like you. Going pro is my top priority. No time for dating."
We definitely clicked on that level.
"Actually… there's someone I like."
"Oh? Who? Anyone I know?"
One woman popped into my head right away. Elena Gomez. No guy could hate that face and body.
Tiago smirked like he knew exactly who I meant and shook his head.
"Not Elena."
"Damn. Too bad."
"Haha! Why's that a bummer? Even if I liked her, no shot. She's got a trail of hot guys chasing her, and none stick."
"So who?"
"Friend from middle school. Lives in Getafe. We grab food sometimes."
"Oh! She into you?"
Tiago's face soured at my question.
"…Doesn't seem like it."
"Ah. Gotcha."
"But I'll confess someday. She's my first love."
"Not to overstep, but don't drag it out too long. They say love's all about timing."
"Love's about timing… Yeah, rings true."
Tiago downed his cocktail in one go.
"Pro first. Then confess like a boss. Rejection's fine. Staying 'just friends' is getting harder anyway."
"Rooting for you. For real."
"Thanks."
That's when—
"On the house."
Vicky set three cocktails on the table and looked at me and Tiago.
"Mind if I join if that's cool?"
Her sudden request turned me into the puppet again. Tiago handled it for me.
"Work over?"
"Yeah. Grabbing a quick drink before heading home. Supposed to meet Elena, but she's running late."
Tiago kept glancing at me, like he'd send her away if I seemed uncomfortable. But I decided against rejecting her.
"I'm good with it."
Tiago was right. Vicky wasn't Jeong Ha-yoon. No reason to be rude to an innocent girl killing time before meeting Elena.
"Thanks. Tiago, scoot over?"
"Oh? Yeah, sure."
Vicky sat across from me. She intuitively chose opposite to avoid making me uneasy.
"Thanks for the service. Cheers."
I raised my glass with an awkward smile. Tiago and Vicky followed suit. After a sip, Vicky blurted a question at me.
"Name's Theo, right?"
"Yeah."
"Korean name?"
"Tae-oh. Cha Tae-oh."
"Cha Tae-oh?"
"Yep. You? Victoria's probably not your real name."
Vicky grinned.
"Nishida Yuko. Yuko's fine, or Vicky like Tiago."
"Which you prefer?"
"Hmm… Locals calling me Vicky feels natural, but you give off a different vibe."
"Yuko it is."
"Cool."
Yuko—no, Vicky—giggling, picked up her glass again. After a few exchanges, that tangled mess of emotions from before started fading. Her face still triggered thoughts of Jeong Ha-yoon, but her distinctly different voice highlighted the gap between them.
We three chatted about light, everyday stuff. Didn't dive deep into Yuko's life with Tiago there—we stuck to topics we all related to. Once the free cocktails were gone, Yuko checked her phone and stood.
"Gotta head out. Elena's done with her thing."
Tiago checked his watch and said to me,
"Us too?"
"Yeah."
As Tiago handled the bill, Yuko waved goodbye to us.
"Fun tonight. See you around."
I nodded instead of replying. She said bye to the owner and left. Tiago and I split soon after—his place was a 10-minute walk, so he headed off on foot. I politely turned down his offer to wait for my taxi and sent him ahead. I wandered the alley a bit, then headed to the main street to call a cab.
About to open the app—
"Hey… Tae-oh!"
Yuko's voice from behind. Alone.
"Not meeting Elena?"
"Oh… uh… she got held up again. Hehe."
Obvious lie.
"Heading home now?"
"Yeah. Gotta."
"Ah… okay…."
She looked like she had something to say.
"Hey… um…."
"Ah, cab's here."
"Oh…."
I cut her off on instinct. The awkwardness from earlier had eased with her joining us, but I wasn't keen on getting close and seeing her face often.
Until the cab arrived, Yuko fidgeted beside me. I didn't strike up conversation. As the taxi lights appeared in the distance—
"Um… wait…!"
Yuko bowed her head deep and thrust her phone at me, voice trembling.
"C-can I get your number?!"
Seeing her like that, my face froze again. Me hailing a cab, her shyly asking without looking up in the darkening night sky after sunset.
Goddamn it… too damn similar to the day I first met Jeong Ha-yoon.