TLR 12

Chapter 12 …

“Anyway, I bought you a souvenir from my business trip.”

“A gift?” Seol’s eyes widened at the unexpected words.

“Here, take it.” Junhyuk held out a shopping bag.

“Oh, no. You really don’t have to give me anything.”

“It’s no big deal, so just take it. It hardly cost anything anyway.”

The hand holding the bag kept inching closer until it stopped right in front of her nose.

After staring at his handsome fist—which was sculpted so well it could have served as a textbook reference for a perfect punch—Seol finally took hold of the bottom of the shopping bag with both hands.

“Thank you.”

“So, are you just about to start cleaning?”

“Yes.”

“If I help out, we’ll finish much faster. Can you spare me just that much time?”

“Pardon?”

“I came here straight from the airport. I just wanted to talk with you for a bit, even if it’s only for a short while.”

Straight from the airport. Seol felt as though the shopping bag in her arms had suddenly grown twice as heavy.

“What should I start with?”

Before she could even agree to let him help, Junhyuk took off his suit jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair. He then unbuttoned his cuffs, slipped them into his pants pockets, and rolled up his sleeves.

Seol stared at his flexing forearm muscles for a beat before finally speaking up.

“…You must be exhausted, so please just sit down. I can clean by myself.”

“I’m not stupid enough to actually sit around after hearing you say that.”

Junhyuk slipped his tie out from underneath his collar entirely, set it on top of his jacket, and unbuttoned his shirt with one hand.

Why does he keep taking off his clothes? He stopped after undoing just two buttons, but Seol hurriedly averted her eyes toward empty air.

“I’m really okay, but… well, in that case, could you vacuum for me? Make sure to get every nook and cranny clean.”

“Sure thing. Every nook and cranny.” Junhyuk parroted her words, locking his gaze on her.

She felt like his stare was going to burn a hole right through the side of her face. Unable to handle the pressure any longer, Seol hurried off toward the utility room where the vacuum was kept.

Cleaning didn’t just wrap up a little faster—it finished a whopping 80% quicker than usual.

While tidying up around the counter, Seol kept stealing glances at Junhyuk. She realized that having long arms and legs was a massive advantage when wielding a vacuum cleaner and a floor mop.

“Looks like we’re all set.”

Instead of retying his tie, Junhyuk shoved it into his pants pocket and put his jacket back on.

“Thank you so much for your hard work.” Seol bowed politely, took off her apron, and walked over to the spot where Junhyuk usually sat.

Junhyuk spoke up first.

“It feels a bit stuffy in here, plus it’s someone else’s closed business, so let’s head somewhere else.”

“Ah, sure. There’s a convenience store right next door.”

“A convenience store.”

“Yes, it has outdoor seating. Isn’t that perfect?”

Without waiting for Junhyuk’s reply, Seol headed for the door.

After walking just a few meters, they reached the convenience store. Junhyuk pulled the glass door wide open, and Seol stepped inside first.

“Well, since we came to this ‘perfect’ convenience store, grab whatever you want to eat. I’ll buy.”

“No way. Let me buy something for you instead. You bought me dinner last time, and you even gave me a gift today.”

A brief smile flickered across Junhyuk’s face before he nodded. Taking that as a sign of permission, Seol scanned the display shelves.

She picked up a tuna mayonnaise triangle kimbap. Looking back at Junhyuk standing behind her, she saw that his hands were completely empty.

“Haven’t you picked anything yet?”

Without warning, Junhyuk snatched the triangle kimbap right out of her hand.

Before Seol could even process his sudden move, Junhyuk took long strides toward the register and stood in front of it.

“I said I’d pay!”

“Sure. You can do that after I’m dead.”

Seol rushed over to the register to try and pay, but she couldn’t get past Junhyuk, who stood blocking her like a massive brick wall.

“Here.” Having finished paying, Junhyuk handed her the triangle kimbap with an utterly blank face.

“…Thank you for the food,” Seol replied, her voice choked up.

If it was going to turn out like this, she felt it would have been better to just gracefully accept his treat from the start. The cashier was giving them awkward glances as if thinking, What on earth are these two doing over a 1,200-won item?

“Sure. Enjoy.”

“Yes… Um, aren’t you going to eat anything, Mr. Junhyuk?”

“I spent way too much, so I’m thinking of starving myself until tomorrow.”

“Pardon?”

“1,200 won for a single kimbap. Inflation is really hitting home.”

“…”

“No need to look so tragic. I’m going to get something to drink.”

“…Okay.”

“Go sit outside. I’ll be right out.” Junhyuk whipped around.

He’s completely unpredictable, Seol muttered to herself against the cool night breeze.

Still, considering he was the kind of person who would dump water on his younger sister while she was asleep drunk, maybe this was just his own way of showing affection.

As she sat there waiting, curiosity about the souvenir suddenly struck her. She peeked inside the shopping bag and found three boxes of macadamia chocolates.

Did he go to Hawaii for his business trip…?

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

A low voice sounded from above her head. Seol froze instantly and straightened her slouched back.

“I didn’t know what you liked.”

Water, energy drinks, various types of milk and juice, canned beer, and more. Junhyuk pulled a mountain of drinks out of his plastic bag and lined them up endlessly across the table.

“If you buy all this… aren’t you going to have to starve until next year?”

“My savings account matures next month,” Junhyuk said, taking a seat across from her. “I only have to starve for a month.”

“…Good luck with that.”

It wasn’t even that funny, but Junhyuk let out a genuine laugh. His sense of humor seemed to operate on a totally different wavelength from most people.

Seol watched him for a moment before picking up her triangle kimbap. She unpinned the wrapper and was just about to take a bite when he spoke.

“Ms. Seol.”

“Yes?” Seol raised her eyes.

The cheerful laugh was gone, replaced by a sharp, piercing stare so intense it felt as though it could slice right through her skin. The triangle kimbap automatically moved away from her mouth.

“What’s your ideal type?”

“…What?”

“Go ahead and eat first. I’ll stay quiet while you eat.”

“Okay.”

Seol lowered her gaze and moved her hands. As she took a bite, the satisfying, crisp crunch of the seaweed echoed in her ears.

She felt a little ridiculous for actually eating just because he told her to, but she certainly welcomed his silence. Her head was a jumbled mess, and her feelings were completely unsettled—she desperately needed a moment to think.

Gulping down cold kimbap in the chilly night air made her choke up a bit. After a moment’s hesitation, Seol reached for a bottle of orange juice. Junhyuk let out a soft chuckle.

“…Thanks for the drink.”

“Sure thing.”

Seol drank about half of the orange juice before setting it back down.

“You asked about my ideal type earlier, but I don’t really have one.”

“So that means you don’t have a thing for ugly guys, then.”

It was the most absurd thing she had ever heard, making the corners of her eyes droop in disbelief. Even if someone with a fetish like that actually existed in this world, it certainly wasn’t her.

“No, I don’t,” Seol said, making a deliberate effort to sound firm.

She didn’t know why, but the intense, searching look Junhyuk gave her—as if questioning how that could possibly be true—felt intensely overwhelming.

She tried to dodge his gaze by pretending to drink more juice, when a sudden realization flashed through her mind.

“Wait… Are you thinking I rejected you because I prefer ugly guys?”

“Well, it seems I at least look handsome in your eyes.”

“…I told you last time. You are handsome.”

“So there’s nothing wrong with your eyesight, then.”

Junhyuk let out a slight sigh before following up with another question. “Have you ever been in a relationship?”

“Yes, I have.”

“What was your ex-boyfriend like?”

“He was just… average. But I really don’t understand why we’re talking about this…” Seol shook her head slightly.

“Should we talk about something else then?”

“Yes, please.”

“Do you believe in Creationism or Evolution?”

“…Excuse me?”

“What’s your stance on same-sex marriage?”

“…”

“Which political party do you support?”

Religion, gender, politics—he had just dragged out all three topics that should never be brought up in polite conversation, all in one breath.

Seol stared at Junhyuk with her mouth hanging slightly open.

Junhyuk slowly closed his eyes and opened them again, as if silently signaling, Now it’s your turn to answer.

Taking a deep breath, Seol finally opened her mouth.

“His looks were average, and I thought he was kind of funny as an upperclassman, but once we actually started dating, he turned out to be pretty boring.”

“And?”

“And… he really was just totally average. We barely even met up before it ended. We only started dating near the end of the semester anyway.”

“How thrilling. A ‘semester’ romance.”

“When we met, we just watched movies, ate food, and drank coffee. It was completely ordinary. And we split the bill fifty-fifty.”

Even those dates were few and far between. Between Donghee demanding she tutor Jiwan, track his academy commute times, and feed him snacks on schedule… and then Iju’s death throwing the entire household into total chaos, things had collapsed quickly. Seol let out a soft sigh.

The ambient noise of the city seemed to fade away instantly, plunging their surroundings into complete silence.

Junhyuk, who was in the middle of twisting open a water bottle, froze mid-motion and stared intently at her.

“Did you just say… you split the bill fifty-fifty?”

“Yes.” Seol nodded with an unbothered expression.

Junhyuk popped the cap open and chugged the water in a single gulp. His chest felt so intensely hot it felt as though his internal organs were catching fire.

Fifty-fifty? With that battered eggplant? Is she a little bit naive, or just dense? Why would she spend her own hard-earned money to date a loser like that?

Junhyuk narrowed his eyes and inspected Seol, wondering if maybe he wasn’t the one whose vision was impaired after all.