004. Lunch

Just as she went to wash up, I washed myself too, and waited on the first floor. Seo Haeun, having changed her clothes, came down from the elevator.

A gray hoodie and thick jeans, fitting for the chilly March weather.

There wasn’t a trace of accessories, and her shoulder bag wasn’t slung across her chest but rather just draped over her shoulder.

If you added a hat and mask to this, she’d look just like a celebrity hiding their face, but the sight of her slightly damp hair tousled also had its charm.

It was a casual outfit that wouldn’t look out of place on me, but seeing her wear it, you could feel the curves even in the baggy hoodie.

As they say, clothes are wings, or whatever, the foundation is the body. The body.

I have broad shoulders too, so clothes fit well, but if I’d just had a lot of muscle, I don’t think I would’ve been able to date girls back when I was a player.

“…What is it. You waited?”

“You said you’d give me an autograph. I thought you’d be the one waiting.”

“Haaah…. Alright. Ye-eun…, ah. I’ll give you Jia’s autograph.”

To her, who scowled the moment she saw me, I gave a simple wave, and she scowled even more but trudged over to me.

Then, she rummaged through her bag, pulled out an album, and handed it to me.

“Here. Autograph. Take it.”

“Ah, thank you.”

I figured I’d get at most a signature on an A4 sheet of paper, but that wasn’t the case.

I broke the wax seal and took out the letter inside. There was an idol-like signature, and letters written in a cute font, pressed down firmly with the pen.

On top of that, though they were standard lines, like ‘Thank you,’ or ‘I’ll work hard for fans like Kang Joo-hyuk-ssi,’ a few lines were included as a bonus.

…Honestly, if I were a real fan, I probably would have been quite moved, but since I wasn’t really interested, I found myself unexpectedly flustered.

“…You wrote this yourself? Seo Jia?”

“Yes.”

“Wow…”

“I kept my promise, so you keep yours.”

Perhaps mistaking my stunned reaction for delight, Seo Haeun, looking slightly triumphant, began to speak in a firm tone.

Her confident-looking face reminded me of her from a few years ago, which made me feel a bit unpleasant, but realizing that back then, unlike now, her face was filled with venom, I shook off the disgust.

…That was then, and this is now.

Back then, I picked a fight with her for professional reasons, and now, I’m hitting on her for personal reasons.

Well, then or now, the fundamental cause being her chest is pretty much the same.

“What promise.”

“I told you not to bother me.”

“I won’t bother you. I don’t have your number, or your address?”

“Hey, that’s scary, so can you not say things like that?”

“I’m kidding, just kidding.”

“I’m genuinely scared. I’ve actually had experiences like that.”

“Ah…. I’m sorry.”

“Fine, as long as you understand. We won’t be talking much from now on anyway.”

While badmouthing that fly-like bastard who wasn’t entirely blameless, I forged a bond with her again. There’s nothing better to hear than someone badmouthing someone you dislike for you.

Seo Haeun, though muttering ‘Don’t do it’ and ‘Don’t talk to me,’ was consistently answering my questions.

“Still, can’t we at least exchange greetings sometimes? Do we really have to pretend not to know each other when we know each other?”

“If you talk to me again, I’ll report you, so don’t.”

“Yes, yes.”

She’ll probably still say that in the future.

Her words, ‘If you talk to me again, I’ll report you!’ actually mean she won’t report me if I talk to her appropriately. As long as I don’t act annoyingly, our relationship can continue to develop.

“Anyway, thank you so much for the autograph, perhaps as a return…”

“I’m not going.”

“Why not? It’s lunchtime. I wanted to treat you to a meal.”

“…Hey. Kang Joo-hyuk-ssi. I can totally see you hitting on me like that?”

The reason that woman pushes me away isn’t just because she dislikes me, but also because she feels I’m sexually dangerous. No matter how much I try to hide my gaze, I can’t stop my eyes from drifting to her chest.

So, I have no choice but to mix in a little white lie.

“I’ve seen guys like you plenty of times…”

“Hitting on me? What are you talking about. I have a girlfriend.”

“What?”

Having a girlfriend doesn’t mean you can’t cheat, nor does it mean you won’t hit on others, but it’s the best excuse for plausible deniability.

“How old do you think I am? Of course I’m dating someone.”

“…”

In reality, my mental state was shattered during rehab, so I couldn’t date anyone, but. Even when I looked decent, I never actually had a ‘girlfriend’. They were all just sex friends.

And if I were to clean up that debauched lifestyle and find a girlfriend, the sex friends I was seeing then were too good to let go. If I tried to have both, honestly, my conscience bothered me.

“I’m genuinely grateful, so I want to treat you to a meal. Don’t misunderstand, just accept it graciously. I know some great places.”

“…Just this once.”

“I wasn’t planning on treating you twice anyway. Ah, if you give me one more autograph, I’ll treat you to another meal. How about it?”

“Not gonna happen.”

“Aw, come on. Is there anyone else among the members you’re close with…”

“We’re not close.”

More importantly. Acting this pathetic and clingy just to pick up a girl, honestly, I hated it. For relationships based purely on physical attraction, there was no need for such formalities or lies.

…Unlike the relationship I want with this woman.

---

“The karaage here is delicious. I make it at home often too, but it never tastes quite like this.”

“…At home?”

“It’s not difficult. Just bothersome.”

Playing nice with someone I dislike isn’t something I hate, just something I don’t particularly enjoy. I did it relentlessly during my team days, and even all sorts of cheesy and slick remarks felt manageable if I thought of them as flattering my seniors.

“…”

“What’s with the suspicious stare? I’ve lived alone for a long time and I’m a good cook.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I’m serious, really.”

It’s just bothersome.

But Seo Haeun was a woman worth the bother.

“Do you use Instagram?”

“Huh?”

“Ah, I saw you taking pictures of the food. Just wondering.”

“…No. I don’t. Nowadays.”

“So you used to, back in the day.”

“Just, well… When I started working, it became a hassle.”

It would be a lie to say this woman harbors no ill will, but I don’t hate her enough to want her dead. Likewise, I have no desire to date Seo Haeun by constantly yielding to her.

I have no interest in her heart.

What I want is her body, and to resolve the bad blood between us.

“You must have been really popular. Didn’t you have a lot of followers?”

“Not really.”

“I find that hard to believe. Your younger sibling is popular too.”

“…She stopped after becoming famous.”

“Aha.”

It’s a bit grand to call it revenge. If there’s an overwhelmingly beautiful woman among your colleagues, everyone tries their best to seduce her, it’s something everyone does. Whether she’s the boss or the director, if she’s the daughter of someone high up, it’s even more enticing. What’s more, if she has a bitchy personality and even caused me trouble, you desire her several times more.

I want to lay her down in bed.

…Literally.

I want to possess her.

“Ah, the steamed egg here is delicious too. It has a pudding-like texture.”

“…It’s quite sweet.”

“Japanese food is like that, isn’t it? Salty and sweet. I didn’t used to like strong flavors, but after eating things like that so often with my girlfriend, my palate became a bit childish.”

“That really doesn’t suit you.”

“You mean it doesn’t suit me with my girlfriend?”

“No, no, I mean liking sweet things doesn’t suit you. Based on your looks.”

“Well, I guess I do look like someone who only eats chicken breast. I really ate like that when I was a player.”

Her breasts, which felt full even through the hoodie, breasts that wouldn’t fit entirely in my hand, which is twice the size of an average woman’s hand, even the soft texture palpable just from the skin’s appearance, I want to savor each part and grab them roughly.

“But anymore, there’s not much point in managing my body super strictly. Since I’m seeing someone, I’ve stopped being picky about food. I don’t think they’d break up with me just because I lost some muscle.”

“…You must be very close with your girlfriend?”

“Ah, not that close. It’s more like the comfortable relationship lovers have. Haeun-ssi, you know what I mean, right?”

“I don’t really know.”

“There you go lying again. You must know.”

“I really don’t know. Seriously.”

“Was the only person around you someone like that trainer?”

“I worked for the team.”

“Ah, right. I get it.”

“Shouldn’t you not say you get it? You were included in that too.”

“I’m not a baseball player anymore? It’s true I was popular with guys back then.”

This woman, who doesn’t seem to have much luck with men.

“Kang Joo-hyuk-ssi, you speak quite harshly. I didn’t know you had that kind of personality.”

“What kind of personality did you think I had?”

“If I say it, you might get angry, so I won’t.”

Falling for the mere mention of a girlfriend so easily, I want to give this woman, who lets her guard down immediately, a taste of betrayal.

“You said that to make me angry, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re too much.”

Until even that sense of betrayal melts away, I want to turn that subtle expression into a panting face.

…Someday.

Apologizing with her own mouth.

Until she spreads her legs for me.