Chapter 67. The Sound Youth Makes When It Drowns (23)

Jaeheon walked down to the parking lot and started his car, calling Eunkyo one more time. The phone rang, but she didn’t pick up.

He felt uneasy. 

‘What if something had happened to her in the meantime? What if her emotions had shifted in that short span?’

Frustrated, he tossed his phone onto the passenger seat and muttered bitterly,

“You said you wanted to go on a date—what am I supposed to do if you just ghost me?”

Right. A date. Such a simple word, but it had made his heart race like a roller coaster.

Jaeheon found his own reaction ridiculous and embarrassing.

Of course, deep down, he was happy. So happy that he’d asked for a bit of time, worried he might act like an overexcited child.

He pretended to be calm, saying he’d come back after changing and getting ready properly.

But maybe he shouldn’t have done that. Maybe he should’ve just shamelessly stayed with her all day.

As he exited the apartment complex and merged onto the road, he picked up speed. The sky had turned cloudy, like it was about to rain.

The weather changed multiple times a day—sun, rain, clouds, and wind sweeping across the seasons. Just like a fickle heart.

「MT confirmed with the money we raised at the festival.」

「They’re choosing between a beach and a valley. Jaeheon, let’s gooo!」

「Hey, you ignoring me?」

Ignoring the messages from Byungjoon, Jaeheon leaned his elbow on the window frame and rubbed his temple slowly. Though his eyes were on the road, the traffic lights, and the passing cars, his mind was full of Jung Eunkyo.

‘What could’ve happened? Could it be… had Lee Dohyun returned after all? Maybe he triggered something in Eunkyo.’

Imagining the two of them standing side by side, Jaeheon let out a deep sigh. His dark eyes grew cold and heavy.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened. After a while on the main road, he turned into a narrow alleyway.

The street was jammed with illegally parked cars, but when he finally reached the front of the studio, he saw Eunkyo standing at the building’s entrance.

She wore a flowing, knee-length flare skirt and a blouse that gently clung to her slender figure. Her hair fell around her face as she tucked it behind her ear. Her lips looked a little red—had she put on makeup?

She looked different than usual—but beautiful. Her light pink ankles peeked above her flat ballerina shoes, and her dainty legs led Jaeheon’s mind straight back to the morning, when he’d kissed and touched her skin.

But what was she doing?

Even with the loud engine, Eunkyo didn’t react. She held her phone up to her ear with a troubled expression, shaking it slightly like something was wrong.

Jaeheon parked and got out, slamming the car door deliberately loud. 

*Clunk!*

The sound echoed sharply in the quiet. Only then did Eunkyo flinch and look up.

“Ah…”

Whether she knew how anxious he’d been, unable to reach her, she looked unfazed.

With an awkward smile, she tucked her hair behind her ear again.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

Standing one step below her, Jaeheon asked with a casual yet sharp tone. Eunkyo sighed and held out her phone.

“It shut off. I dropped it in the tub, and now it won’t turn on.”

“The tub?”

“Yeah. I came outside because I was stuck. I figured… you might worry.”

‘Why did that make him laugh in disbelief?’

Seeing her expression—worried that he might worry—melted the simmering irritation inside him.

Jaeheon took the phone from her and pressed the power button himself. As she said, it wouldn’t turn on, and when he gave it a little shake, he thought he heard faint water sloshing inside.

“We’ll wait until it dries completely. Use my phone for now.”

“It’s fine. I don’t really have anyone to call today. I’ll just go without it.”

“All right then… Where should we go?”

Instead of handing the phone back, Jaeheon stepped up and wrapped an arm around her waist. Had she put on perfume for once? A sweet scent lingered at the tip of his nose.

For some reason, that made his mood worse.

“Looks like it might rain…”

Eunkyo murmured, extending her hand out as if to feel for raindrops. Jaeheon laced his fingers with hers, leaned in slightly, and locked eyes with her.

“You said we’re going on a date.”

“I just… meant I didn’t want to be alone.”

“Ah…”

There it was. Jaeheon pressed a kiss to the back of her hand, still interlocked with his.

Her eyes widened, and the tips of her ears flushed red.

He liked the sharp, sarcastic Eunkyo—but this slightly off-kilter version of her was lovely, too.

Of course, Eunkyo being pretty and him being in a bad mood were two separate things. What mattered now was why she was like this.

What had left her so dazed? Why were her eyes a little red, her energy so low?

“…Honestly, I didn’t have a plan.”

She looked away as she spoke, as if embarrassed.

Following her gaze, Jaeheon noticed a nearby café with its doors shut. He leaned in and whispered,

“Then… how about we start with coffee, sunbae?”

***