Chapter 28. Lee Jaeheon (8)

“Could you stop yelling? And seriously—why do you care so much about her?”

That crawling sense of irritation returned. The image of Eunkyo crouched in the supply room pissed him off, but the thought of Haeda being the one to find her? That made him angry.

—You don’t know what’s between me and Eunkyo?

“Oh, I know. ‘Friends,’ right? But isn’t that just her calling you a friend? Not the other way around?”

—What?

“You never planned to be just friends, did you? So what’s with the whole good-guy act?”

—Hey… watch your mouth.

“You’re the one out of line. Did you already forget what you did while she was sleeping? I saw everything. It’s pathetic—this beast pretending to be a loyal friend for years.”

—It was a kiss, asshole. Just a kiss!

“I know. If it had been anything more… I would’ve killed you. Right there. I’m serious.”

He switched the call to speaker mode and walked into the kitchen.

Jaeheon knew Kim Haeda understood—this wasn’t a joke. He said nothing. Jaeheon opened the fridge, took out an apple, and leaned against the kitchen island, biting into the crisp, sweet-sour flesh with a sharp crunch.

“Let’s be honest with each other.”

—Ha…

“You don’t want to lose her as a friend, but you do want to break the rules. You want to cut off every guy who gets near her, erase them, sweep them away. That shit’s psycho, and you know it.”

His eyes were curved gently, almost smiling—but the light in them was ice cold.

From a long time ago, Jaeheon had no intention of destroying the mask Haeda wore. Kim Haeda would always have to remain Eunkyo’s friend—to the end. And Jaeheon? He would make sure that title stayed intact.

Which meant Haeda could never take it off himself, either.

If there was even a shred of romantic affection growing from that so-called friendship, Jaeheon hoped Haeda would bury it deep under layers of thick, unshakable “brotherly” loyalty.

“I wonder… What kind of guy does a bastard obsessed with Jung Eunkyo introduce to her? Should I guess?”

With a low chuckle, he bit down again, shattering the apple’s red-and-white flesh.

Swallowing the sharp tang that made his brows twitch, he continued.

“He’ll probably choose guys just like Lee Dohyun—clones, practically. Just to make her sick of them. Just to leave a bad taste in her mouth. So she’ll reject them on her own. Fucking hell… why are people so twisted?”

The call abruptly cut off.

Jaeheon wiped the juice from his lips with the back of his hand, a dry laugh leaving his throat.

The apple was sweet—but his insides burned.

His head felt cool. His heart? Blazing hot.

Kim Haeda would never let go of Jung Eunkyo. That clever bastard knew their bond was fragile—one wrong word and it could all shatter.

Finishing the apple down to the stem, Jaeheon washed his hands at the sink. Just then, a message came in from the father he hadn’t seen in a while.

「I’ll send a car. It’ll be there soon. Bring your mom for your birthday. Let’s have dinner together.」

Jaeheon checked the date, then typed out a reply.

「I’m sorry, Father. I have a screening that day. Thank you for the gift. I’ll make sure to visit with Mom another time.^^」

He deleted the smiley face he had added at the end before sending the message. Then he refreshed the messenger, but Jung Eunkyo’s name still hadn’t appeared.

He slowly rubbed his temple, lips curling with a bitter twist.

***

“I’m heading out first. Got some writing to do.”

For the fourth day in a row, Eunkyo packed up before closing. Kim Haeda’s mood had hit rock bottom around the same time. Poor Seontae had been caught between them, doing his best to focus on work while avoiding the tension.

She peeked outside.

Jaeheon’s car was parked out front again.

With a quiet breath, she hurried up to the second floor. The front door slammed behind her, and her heart sank for no reason at all.

I feel stupid.

Now she was avoiding Lee Jaeheon. There wasn’t a concrete reason—just a tangled mess of emotions she didn’t want to sort through. She didn’t want to see him, not right now.

If she were honest, the real reason was simpler: She was afraid she might cross a line. So she kept her distance. That made sense.

It was the smart thing to do.

So she’d started going home earlier than usual. On her days off, she stayed holed up writing, refusing to leave the house.

But of course, this day had to come.

—Don’t be late, okay? Seriously, the film looks amazing on screen.

For the first time in a while, she let her hair down. Put on light makeup. Traded her usual student-like outfit for pleated slacks and a sleeveless top, layered with a cardigan.

She looked in the mirror and liked what she saw—more mature than usual.

“Okay. I’m heading out now.”

—Oh, and you can come with Jaeheon.

“…Lee Jaeheon? Why would I—”

—He said he’d bring you. What? You two aren’t close now?

Biting her lip, Eunkyo forced a smile and said okay.

If Jaeheon said he’d take her, that meant he was already waiting.

Sure enough, she could hear the low hum of his engine below the building.

5 p.m.

Friday, 5 p.m.—the worst time to be going anywhere in the city. Eunkyo, now fully determined, grabbed her leather handbag—a rare choice—and even wore high heels.

Click, click.

Her heels echoed down the stairs.

Jaeheon looked up from where he waited near the building. His eyes narrowed slightly when he saw her.

He was dressed formally today—not his usual casual wear. One hand tucked in his pocket, he stepped toward her.

A fresh, clean cologne surrounded him. His neatly styled hair made him seem a bit unfamiliar, more polished than usual.

Eunkyo bit the inside of her lip and took one more step down. Jaeheon looked up and said.

“…Long time no see, sunbae.”