Chapter 53
Chapter 53
“Instead of money, think of what is most important in your life right now. Because I like you more, because from the beginning I was the one chasing after you since I liked you, that’s why I’m holding back. But how long do you think it will last? Other women live the opposite way you do. No matter how much time may change, family and the man you love will always come first…”
“…Are you talking about your mother? What century are you living in?”
“I mean, think about where a woman’s happiness really lies. I hope you don’t get too worn out later and you don’t regret it. At that age when you should be joyfully dating for the last time before getting married, I wonder if work is so important for a woman to just give it all up—”
“Although I don’t know if I will marry, not to mention having kids, are you expecting me to organize my life based on the sole possibility of it?”
“To me it’s not a possibility, it’s a certainty. I will marry you. You can believe it, Na-Yool.”
Despite knowing he liked her more than she did, Sang-Hoon was persuaded she wanted to marry him and would accept his proposal. He was convinced she wanted him to the point that she would cry over what to do if he were not to marry her later.
Na-Yool slowly started to wonder what else this could be but a nightmare. It did not feel like a dream; it really was a dream. Both her mouth and Sang-Hoon’s one, gibbering according to her set memories. She could not willingly make them say anything else than what had already been said. She could not make their lips move differently, nor slap Sang-Hoon’s…
“Who said you were the problem, oppa?”
“Then what’s the problem? Are you saying you don’t want to marry me?”
“Is that whole talk supposed to make me want to? I have no thoughts of marrying you as of now. But why are you already thinking about how I will raise your kid?”
For a moment, he had a blank, wounded expression.
“…You’re really immature. Think about your age. You’re already 28. For a woman, 28 is not that young.”
“Mind your own age.”
“Hey, is a woman’s age and a man’s age the same?”
“What’s the difference?”
“Do I really have to say it for you to know…”
“Do you seriously think it makes sense for me to quit my work just to make it easier for you to meet a few times more after your work?”
“Who said it was to make it easy for me? You’re already having a hard time, so…”
“So that was your reason for telling me all this time that, since I had it tough with my wacko boss, I should change workplace?”
“Na-Yool.”
“You just need me to be ready to come out whenever you have time to spare, is that it?”
“Na-Yool… look, I think you’re misunderstanding something…”
“Do you think you’re that great? You said you would keep working and meet me when you have time, while I should give up my salary to live just on love dating you. That’s what you said just now. With that face.”
“Did you just diss my face…”
“Who bashed whose life first? You just said that the final reward I would get from investing my life like that would be to marry you and that’s it. That giving birth to and raising a child with your face would be my happiness.”
“Hey! Do you know how happy my mother is?”
[T/N: End of flashback]
Even in the middle of dreaming, Na-Yool’s blood pressure rose. Far from moving her body, she struggled with the harsh reality that she could not even move her fingers at will. How nice it would be if only having her eyes closed would make Sang-Hoon’s face go away for good. But even that was impossible. All of it was forced beyond her control.
She forcefully focused her strength at the tip of her paralyzed fingers. I beg you, move. Please move and slap that damn chattering mouth…
“Get up.”
“……?”
“You looked like you wanted to be woken up from an awful dream.”
Si-Jin’s black eyes, detached as if uninterested whether it was indeed the case or not, stared down at her. Still laying down, Na-Yool blinked. What was going on?…
Her eyes twitched. She then tried to move her fingers which had tightened in her dream. As if waking up after suffering from sleep paralysis for a long time, a feeling of liberation took over her whole body. Of liberation, yes, liberation… But strangely, she also felt an excessive sense of freedom. Of course the feeling was delightful, but truly oddly felt a bit excessive.
“Breakfast?”
“What?”
“Will you have it?”
“Sorry?”
Na-Yool’s confused consecutive questions laid a longer one: “Why the hell are you asking me that now?”. As Na-Yool was still in a disoriented state, Si-Jin’s hands propped her up. Now absently sitting on the bed with half of the blanket down, she realized that she was not wearing anything on top.
And not even down.
No wonder she felt excessively free!
Na-Yool drew the blanket with trembling hands. The sole sensation against her bottom was enough for her not to check, but she still could not believe it. Like her upper half, she was totally naked below.
Completely naked without a shred of clothing. This was the reason behind her excessive sense of liberation.
With eyes trembling like the hands which had lifted the blanket, she stared at Si-Jin who had just picked up his cellphone and was peering through his work mails. Quickly swiping the screen with his thumb, he did not seem to have any interest in the half-naked body she had inadvertently exposed outside the blanket, nor the despair she was feeling at this moment.
Na-Yool’s lips twitched a few times as she wanted to pester him further, but the helplessness of not knowing what to say made her close her mouth again.
Soon after, Na-Yool’s gaze eventually turned away from the face engrossed in his phone’s business and wandered anxiously all around the large bedroom. Everything looked unfamiliar. It was not a hotel, and certainly not a motel either… The room was too spacious, and she did not feel any sense of living, but it seemed like a house where people live.
And judging from the presence of the pervert in front of her, chances were high that it was said to be this pervert’s house.
But the fact that she figured out where she was did not mean she understood why she was here. She once again glanced at Si-Jin with a complex look.
Her mind was all clouded. The last thing she remembered was lamenting all kinds of embarrassing stories to Si-Jin in front of the bar. Even with a foggy memory, she could not forget his face mocking her. Rather than being angry about it, she felt a bit miserable now. She also wanted to laugh at herself, so she could understand how, with his wicked personality, he could not help make fun of her. She therefore let it go with no hard feelings.
Even though she worked so hard yesterday to conceal everything, had Si-Jin not ended up witnessing it all with his own eyes? In addition to that, Na-Yool had unraveled to him with her own mouth all sorts of embarrassing secret stories he did not need to know about.
“…… I must have gone crazy…” muttered Na-Yool while nervously wiping her face.
It was the first time she had blacked out like this. No matter how drunk she was, she would at least be able to go home, but not even that this time. Even if some memories were missing, she always was able to recall most of the timeline once she awoke back home, but this time it truly was impossible…
“Good. At least you know it.”
Done in the meantime with what he was doing, Si-Jin put down his phone for good on the side table and looked at Na-Yool. More precisely, around her chest. Na-Yool had already pulled up the blanket to cover it, but his eyes seemed to peer into it. His mighty gaze had a hint of reproach, as if to rebuke her not to persist in hiding something that he had already seen so many times.