Chapter 66. The Sound Youth Makes When It Drowns (22)

On the still-connected call, there was only silence. Dohyun stared at the ongoing call screen, then finally hit the end button.

Behind him, a realtor who had been waiting politely asked with a bright smile,

“So? What do you think? This is one of the best listings in the area. These days, with the interest rates, owners aren’t putting many places up for sale. I worked hard to find this one.”

Dohyun stood by the window, looking out at the view of the mountain. He liked that the light was just right, that you could see trees and forest from any window. The building wasn’t tall, but the land was elevated, so from the other side, you could see the city and the Han River.

“Yes, I like it. I think the person I’m marrying will like it, too. She’s always tired—her eyes especially—so I wanted her to be able to look at something green.”

He muttered as he opened the window that had been shut. The greenery deepened with the breeze, carrying the scent of rain.

“Oh my, are you perhaps looking for a newlywed home?”

Clients with clear intentions are more likely to seal the deal. Maybe that’s why the realtor leaned in more enthusiastically.

“We haven’t set a date yet. We’re planning to start by living together. The wedding will probably be next year.”

“Oh wow! Your girlfriend must be so happy. You’re so thoughtful and capable.”

“Not sure if she’d see it that way. Anyway… I’ll take it. Let’s sign.”

At Dohyun’s decisive response, the realtor’s face lit up, and she excused herself to prepare the paperwork. Dohyun, out of habit, reached for a cigarette—but paused when he saw the name on his phone screen.

The call was coming from +1-213—Los Angeles.

When he didn’t pick up, the caller gave up quickly. But right after, a few photos of a child and a string of messages came in.

「Seowoo’s asking for her dad.」

「To Seowoo, you’re the only dad.」

「You really gonna do this after everything we’ve been through?」

「If you keep this up, I’m coming back to Korea.」

「I may be a bitch, but you’re a fucking bastard too.”

Dohyun scoffed, and without hesitation, deleted the photos and messages.

The woman who sent them was Jo Yeonju. The same woman who, three years ago, had ruined his life by saying she was pregnant with his child. But it had all been a lie. From the beginning, she’d approached him with a plan.

She knew the child wasn’t his. Still, she used Jung Eunkyo—Dohyun’s weakness—as leverage. At first, he had no choice but to believe her.

He had been somewhat drunk, and when he woke up, there was a naked woman beside him—no signs of contraception either.

So when she said she was pregnant, the first thing he did was send Yeonju to the U.S. and wrap up his life in Korea.

Yeah… Honestly, he didn’t think he loved Jung Eunkyo to the point of dying for her. He thought he didn’t love her at all. He didn’t even realize it was just a phase of indifference.

He tried to take responsibility for the woman who claimed to be pregnant, but when he found out everything was a lie—that’s when his world started to crumble.

Suddenly, Jung Eunkyo’s name and face took over his mind again.

Like a madman, he repeated them to himself over and over, until she became his sole, absolute purpose.

“Today, you’ll pay the deposit, and we can sign the contract four days later. That should give you enough time to prepare the rest,” the realtor said with a cheerful tone as she returned from the call.

Dohyun nodded as he closed the window.

“That works. Oh, but before the final payment, I’d like to show it to my girlfriend. Is that okay?”

“Of course! Just contact me anytime. I’ll send you the building code.”

“Thank you.”

Dohyun slowly looked around the house again. He’d seen a lot of properties, but this one stuck with him.

He already had it all planned out—the couch by the windows, the TV in the bedroom, and the room with the best view of the forest would become her studio.

At first, she’d be angry and emotional, but he was confident that he knew her better than anyone.

He’d already broken through that wall once. Starting again would be easy. After all, they were never officially over. All he had to do now was erase the traces of others from the past three years and make her his Eunkyo again.

It had always been her who bore the heavy love, not him…

‘So, Jung Eunkyo. You can’t change now.’

Leaving the house, Dohyun got into his car parked in the lot and tried calling Eunkyo again.

But the call just rang endlessly—she didn’t pick up. As he tapped lightly on the steering wheel, his phone rang. The caller wasn’t Jung Eunkyo.

With a firm expression, Dohyun answered.

“Hello.”

— “Oh? Wow, it’s really Lee Dohyun.”

He furrowed his brow, trying to place the voice, until the caller saved him the trouble.

— “Ah, it’s me. Woo Jaecheol. Man, long time no see. Heard you’re back in Korea?”

“Ah… Jaecheol. Yeah, it’s been a while. What, like… four years?”

The name of his old college class president slowly came back to him. Smiling politely, Dohyun responded warmly.

— “Man, it’s been forever. What kept you so busy all this time?”

“Yeah, I know. Everything good with you? I’ve heard things here and there—seems like you’ve been doing well?”

— “Well, just another guy working the daily grind, you know. Anyway, the guys told me to call you, so I figured I’d go for it. Even after graduation, looks like I’m still class rep, huh?”

Right—class rep, Woo Jaecheol. The memory clicked, and Dohyun’s face relaxed.

“You were always good at that kind of thing. So what’s up? Some kind of reunion?”

— “Not exactly. It’s because that bastard Geunwoo’s getting married. We’re all meeting before the wedding. Are you free this weekend?”

‘This weekend…’

Dohyun took his time answering, planning to decline. A wedding for someone he barely remembered—sounded like a waste of time to him.

— “Oh, right. Are you still seeing Eunkyo? The bride’s apparently an old classmate of hers. You guys should come together.”

Just as he was about to say no, Dohyun let out a laugh.

His hand stopped tapping on the steering wheel, and a satisfied smile crept across his face.