TLR 09

Chapter 9 …

A heavy silence descended upon the table.

Seol stared straight at the man sitting across from her without even blinking.

His expression was as bone-dry as if he’d just read off a grocery list instead of confessing his feelings. There wasn’t a trace of fluttery excitement or shyness on his face—not even if you looked with a magnifying glass. He was truly a specimen of human being she had never encountered before in her life.

All she knew about him was his name and his job. What she had gathered so far was that he was ridiculously blunt and didn’t really listen to a word anyone else said.

Is it because he works at a major corporation? Is this what people mean when they talk about a typical “BM Man”?

Come to think of it, as soon as one of her upperclassmen got accepted into BM, he walked around with his chin held so high she wondered if his neck was going to snap.

So what if I’m taking a gap year to job hunt? Seol gave a short nod to herself.

She hadn’t committed any crime, so there was zero reason to tiptoe around him. He was the one who said he liked her, and he was the one dropping big money to buy her an expensive dinner, so why should she play the meek, humble submissive?

There was absolutely no reason to stress herself out trying to figure out what was going on inside his head.

“You don’t get along very well with your father, do you, Junhyuk?”

Seol intentionally brought up a prickly topic.

“What makes you think that?” “You keep insisting that I leave out your last name. It made me wonder if you hate it because it’s your father’s.” “Fair point. We didn’t exactly have a great relationship.”

Junhyuk accepted the comment with an utterly blank face.

Seol immediately lobbed another question his way.

“When did you start liking me?” “Hard to say. I only realized it pretty recently.” “Did you… really not recognize me at first? Back when you asked to borrow a lighter?” “I didn’t recognize you. I wasn’t entirely sure.” “So coming to the café was a total coincidence?” “Pure coincidence. I live nearby.” “Where do you live?” “The Eclat Studio Apartments.” “Oh, over there.”

It was a bit of a stretch to call it “nearby,” but it was in the same general neighborhood.

Still, there was a café right on the ground floor of those apartments, so why on earth did he drive all the way out to her apartment complex?

Seol spoke up again.

“There’s a café on the first floor of your building.” “I wanted to avoid running into my younger sister.” “Do you live together?” “No. She just drops by unannounced sometimes.”

After a barrage of rapid-fire Q&A, the conversation came to a sudden halt.

Seol leaned her back against her chair, feeling a strange sense of deflation. She got the feeling that if she asked him about tomorrow’s weather forecast right now, he’d probably answer that, too.

“Feel free to ask if you have any more questions.” “Tonight’s blackout… did you cause it?”

For the very first time, Junhyuk was left speechlessly caught off guard. Lowering his gaze, he let out a quiet laugh before looking back up at her, his face devoid of amusement.

“I don’t possess that kind of power.” “Then what kind of power do you possess?” “Well… a pretty decent amount?”

Contrary to his modest choice of words, the faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips looked exceptionally confident.

Seol stared at him quietly before firing off her final question.

“The phone. You left it behind on purpose, didn’t you?” “Yes.”

Junhyuk admitted it outright.

She waited a moment, but an apology for lying never came. His handsome face remained as icy as ever.

Seol lowered her eyes. By all rights, she should get up in anger for being toyed with like that, but she didn’t actually feel like storming out.

“…Excuse me.”

There was no door; the arched entrance opened directly out to the main dining room. A server stepped in, offering a hesitant greeting.

“I’ll clear these plates for you.”

The server cleared the table and set down a brand-new dish.

“This is Jeju tilefish accompanied by Burgundy scallops. We recommend enjoying it with the bisque sauce and caviar.”

Seol stared at the piping hot, mouthwatering dish before picking up her fork. Since I’m already here, I might as well finish the meal.

The man, who hadn’t touched a single bite of his dessert, picked up the bill.

For a second, Seol braced herself in suspense to see what kind of face he would make, but he didn’t even look inside the presenter—he simply slid a credit card into the slot and set it back down.

Seol took a sip of her Earl Grey lemon tea and placed the teacup back on its saucer. Now that the meal was over, it was time to wrap up the conversation.

“Um, you mentioned earlier that you like me.” “Yes, I did.” “You seem like a really wonderful person, Junhyuk. You’re handsome, and as you said yourself, you’re capable.” “Thanks.” “The thing is, I’m just really not in a position to date anyone right now.”

Seol furrowed her brows with a troubled expression.

Junhyuk gave a slight nod to show he was listening—though he was already well aware of what kind of “position” she was in.

“I’m really sorry.”

Seol bowed her head slightly in apology.

Junhyuk clenched his hand into a fist on top of the table. He had made the confession fully expecting to be turned down anyway.

It wasn’t like he had confessed out of true, deep love in the first place. You date casually, and when it’s over, it’s over. That was all he wanted from the woman sitting in front of him.

To date her, the natural order of things required a confession. So yeah, that was the only reason he did it.

Sure, it would have been great if she took the bait on the first try. But hey, it’s not like he was dying of desperation here, right?

He kept telling himself it was no big deal, but his mood sank as if every drop of blood in his body had suddenly turned to ice water.

He must have been clenching his fist ridiculously hard, because his knuckles turned bright red in his field of vision. Junhyuk pulled his hand back and finally spoke.

“There’s no need to apologize.” “Pardon?” “When your situation improves, I’d just appreciate it if you thought of me first.” “Okay.”

Seol nodded, her cheeks flushing slightly.

“Shall we head out? I’ll drop you off.” “…Okay.”

Seol agreed after a moment’s thought. He had bought her a delicious meal and acted like a complete gentleman the entire time, so it was hard to draw a cold, harsh line right away.

The ride back was quiet.

Oh, the power’s back on.

Seol gazed out at the brightly lit, familiar streets. Then again, between the meal and the drive back and forth, over three hours had passed.

When my situation improves… Seol chewed on the words Junhyuk had spoken.

Maybe that day would come sooner than she thought. Once she landed a job, her situation was bound to improve, even if it wasn’t anything dramatic.

But still, how should she handle things? Would it really be okay to keep her family situation a secret?

Not just with Junhyuk, but she had no idea how to navigate future relationships with people she’d meet down the road.

Sure, with coworkers or casual acquaintances, there’d be no need to spill everything. But what about someone who wanted a deeper, more special connection—like a romantic partner?

Should she tell them, or keep it to herself? And if she did tell them, at what point was she supposed to bring it up?

She had just received a confession of love, yet her heart felt heavier than ever. It hurt her heart a little knowing she couldn’t even allow herself to feel proper butterflies.

Junhyuk pulled his car over onto the shoulder at the base of the hill leading up to her house. Seol unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door.

She stepped outside and turned back to thank him through the cracked door, but Junhyuk got out of the car, too.

“Thank you so much for today.” “Sure. Get home safely.” “Okay.” “My cell phone number is on the business card, so if you ever run into any trouble, feel free to call me anytime.” “Thank you. I’ll be going now.”

Seol bowed her head politely and turned around.

After walking up the hill for about ten minutes, she arrived home.

“Mom, I’m home,” Seol whispered as she slipped off her sneakers.

Seeing the single bedroom door closed and Donghee’s shoes sitting in the entryway, it seemed her mother was asleep inside.

Scattered across the short-legged table they used for meals were empty, overturned soju bottles and half-eaten bags of snacks.

Her mother didn’t even bother trying to hide the booze anymore. Seol stared at the scene for a moment before picking up the bottles and standing them upright.

One million won a month. That was the cash allowance she handed over to Donghee under the guise of living expenses.

Seol went to the bank herself every month to pay the utility bills and rent. On top of that, she barely ate any meals at home.

So realistically, that one million won was less of a “family living expense” and more of Donghee’s personal food and spending money.

When she first discussed the amount with Donghee and settled on a million won, she naturally assumed that given their dire circumstances, Donghee would cut back, stretch the money, and save whatever was left over.

‘I’m out of money.’‘Wait, already?’‘Are you pulling rank on me just because you’re earning a little money now? Is that what this is, over that tiny pittance?!’‘…’‘Do you have any idea how much all my designer bags you sold were worth combined?!’‘…I’ll go withdraw some more today.’

This month, before even half the month had passed, she had to cough up an extra 300,000 won.

The money came out of her emergency savings account—a fund she had sworn to herself she would never touch.

“What am I supposed to do…?” Seol muttered in a faint voice.

Logic told her she needed to cut down the allowance, but she was terrified of the volatile, razor-sharp reaction Donghee would unleash.

‘You sold my precious bags just to get us a pathetic little dump like this!’ Just remembering the loud, bitter rants Donghee made sure she overheard made Seol feel suffocated.

For now, I won’t cut the amount—I’ll just hand it over in ten payments of 100,000 won instead. And then I’ll try having another proper talk with her, Seol resolved as she headed toward the bathroom.

After finishing her shower, she meticulously wiped down every drop of moisture left in the bathroom. After washing up with hot water, a wave of exhaustion washed over her.

Thinking she’d just quickly prep for her weekend tutoring session before collapsing into bed, Seol pushed the bathroom door open.

“Ah! You scared me…!”

Seol’s grip tightened on the towel in her hands. Donghee was standing right outside the door.

“Sorry, Mom. Did the sound of the water wake you up?” “You… what is this?”

Donghee abruptly shoved Junhyuk’s business card right into her face.