episode_0003

Min Chaewon was a woman as impenetrable as a fortress.

So meticulous.

Even after meeting me several times, she never exhibited any behavior that would reveal her home address.

If I offered to take her home, she would flatly refuse, insisting on taking a taxi.

She never fell for leading questions like, “How long does it take to get to your place if we leave now?”

That’s why I have no idea where Min Chaewon lived three years ago. I won’t know where she lives in three years.

If I did, I’d be a stalker.

“If I…”

I need to buy time to find out her home address.

There was only one way I could think of right away.

“It feels like a misunderstanding, but this isn’t our neighborhood.”

“Home…? Oh, then?”

“I changed my mind about eating. Sorry, Chaewon, I’m ruining things for you.”

In my memory, you were definitely a presence like the magpies raised by Sinseon.

Now you’ve become a cat-like woman.

But let’s not lose the concept.

The cheerful appearance must be maintained.

I must show Xiwoo the bright-eyed spirit I remember.

“By the way, was this your neighborhood? It’s a place I used to stop by for meals often.”

Still, considering how hastily I came up with it, I think it was quite a decent improvisation.

Because just one or two bus stops from where I lived, there was a bustling area full of popular restaurants that often appeared on Instagram.

“Oh, haha! I see. Um… uh.”

With things turning out this way, Xiwoo ended up overreacting to my actions.

Xiwoo blushed and averted his gaze.

Success. Crisis averted.

“I need to somehow find out her home location while having a meal.”

Did it hurt less than expected when the rib bone broke?

I remember it being extremely painful.

At this rate, isn’t Min Chaewon’s presence almost like a narcotic painkiller?

“I did… like her a lot.”

I gave up cleanly without leaving any room till the end.

If Chaewon had used me like Yoon Jiyu, who knows what she could have sucked out of me, maybe even down to the marrow.

“So, is there something you want to eat? I know many places around here.”

Xiwoo trying to lead us to a good restaurant somehow.

“Let’s keep it simple. You seem to be in pain with your rib, so let’s not go all out.”

Me trying to somehow block his spending.

A rather intense mental battle continued until we reached the restaurant after getting off the bus.

“There are many other options…”

“Just something simple. You seem to be in pain with your rib, so let’s not go all out.”

Trying to somehow block his spending.

Ultimately, I chose tteokbokki.

Not from a brand, but from a market stall.

“Not here, they have really crispy fried food and the tteokbokki is chewy and delicious—.”

“Here.”

“But still…”

“Here. Absolutely here.”

I firmly blocked Xiwoo, who was trying to cut the lifeline in front of me.

Don’t spend money. Payment is on me.

Of course, there was still a problem to solve.

Chaewon didn’t bring her wallet, so she had to pay with her phone…

“Why doesn’t she use her fingerprint?”

Even the Apple Pay quick payment requires a password.

She seems to prefer analog in unexpected areas.

Using an iPhone but not using biometric authentication methods is something new.

“A four-digit code…”

This is bad.

I don’t know anything.

Chaewon’s birthday? Don’t know.

Home address? Don’t know.

Parents’ number? Birthday? Don’t know.

If each wrong attempt takes 30 seconds, typing them all would take roughly 60,000 seconds. 1,000 minutes.

Starting from 0000, it’s too short a time for a meal to try them all.

Chaewon’s memories remaining within me.

Gather the energy of the universe and give me the answer.

Anything will do.

“……”

Nothing came to mind.

“I don’t know.”

No matter how much I think, there won’t be an answer, so I end up pressing the familiar password.

Tap tap tap tap.

[ Unlocked ]

… It opened.

“What? Chaewon couldn’t have known my birthday.”

The number pressed was 0409.

My birthday and today’s date.

Chaewon never told me when her birthday was, so I could only see it as a miracle that our birthdays coincided or an unbelievable coincidence.

I should have been this lucky when I lived as Jung Siwoo…

“Why so serious?”

Was he starting to relax a bit?

Or did he instinctively realize that the Min Chaewon in front of him wasn’t ‘real’?

Three years ago, I couldn’t even speak properly to Chaewon, which should be normal. Somehow, he seemed to relax a bit.

“What is it?”

“Oh. No, my mistake.”

As I curtly replied, he looked embarrassed and avoided eye contact.

Yet, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off me, constantly glancing at me.

“Eat a lot~.”

“Thank you….”

But this time, Jung Siwoo’s criticism was justified.

I am Min Chaewon.

The miraculous angel who came to save Jung Siwoo.

“I will eat well!!”

I must always be cheerful.

I must always be clear.

I must always shine.

Because that’s who Min Chaewon is.

***

“Damn it.”

I hastily covered my mouth with both hands.

Even though there was no one to hear inside the bathroom, I cursed for no reason.

But the situation warranted nothing but curses.

“Where does she live, damn it…?”

Honestly, I thought finding her house wouldn’t be difficult.

Why? Isn’t it common for your address to be saved on your phone?

It’s saved on delivery apps.

It’s saved on shopping apps.

Even on navigation or map apps.

If not there, it’s in notes, or even in messenger apps.

But, but.

“Min Chaewon…!!”

There were no clues to pinpoint her address.

She didn’t even have KakaoTalk installed.

Could it be that she doesn’t have a home? Is that possible?

If she returned from abroad today, she would have her passport.

And if she stayed at a hotel, she would have a hotel key card.

It doesn’t make sense that she had nothing.

It feels like I’m dreaming.

“I’ll wait….”

A sick person is waiting outside.

The longer I delay, the more it will negatively affect Jung Siwoo.

But places where Chaewon can spend a late night are limited.

Thinking of Chaewon going alone to places like PC rooms or saunas made them seem dangerous like slums.

I want her to stay in a safe place no matter what.

Her health is important.

“Should I stay at a hotel, even if it’s a bit expensive?”

Yes, it’s all for Chaewon.

For a safe night for her, she’ll understand.

Let’s pay for the tteokbokki first and then find a nearby hotel.

It’s a weekday evening, so there should be available rooms.

I never knew that the experience of booking a hotel when traveling with Professor Eunsa to the provinces would come in handy now.

“How much is it?”

“Oh, this guy already paid.”

“… What?”

Looking inside the shop, Siwoo was smiling proudly.

He probably wants to say, “Did I do well?”

Is spending ten thousand won on tteokbokki a joke?

You’ll starve if you keep doing that!

“I’ll pay again. With a card.”

“Huh? But I already paid, why are you doing this~.”

I whispered to the shop owner like a secret.

“I have to pay. He doesn’t have money…!”

Upon hearing that, the lady owner blushed shyly like a young girl.

There seems to be a misunderstanding, that’s not the case.

Really, it’s not.

The lady smiled and operated the card reader.

“It reminds me of twenty years ago~.”

I don’t know what kind of beautiful love she had, maybe something close to calling it narcissism, I’m just on a mission to save a pitiful guy.

“… Oh my.”

Beep beep.

The card reader made an ominous sound.

Shocking news came from the lady’s mouth.

“It says ‘exceeded limit’?”

“Huh?”

Not even enough money to pay ten thousand won.

Was Chaewon broke?

‘That can’t be true…?’

The Chaewon I remember was undoubtedly a rich man’s daughter.

I didn’t use the word “golden spoon” for nothing.

As if she wanted to, Min Chaewon was a child who had grown up like a princess, to the point where one might mistake her pre-elementary school home for a castle.

But this was beyond limits.

Unbelievable.

Just in case, I checked if there were any other cards registered on my payment app.

After searching and even turning on the banking app to confirm the balance connected to the registered debit card, I succeeded in checking the account balance.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[ Cocoa Bank ] 198292-993-****18

Balance: 8,180 won

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I fell into despair.

No other accounts, no other cards.

And the remaining money was a mere 8,180 won.

All options except for the PC room had vanished,

Even by today’s standards, the PC room was barely affordable.

“Chaewon… huh?”

As Siwoo’s voice drew closer, I hastily put my phone in my pocket.

Maintain the concept. Maintain the concept.

Even if Min Chaewon’s account balance was 8,180 won, she had to appear noble and cool as if she had 81 million 800 thousand won.

“Yeah? Siwoo, what’s up?”

With a bright expression, trying to act as if nothing was wrong.

“Ever since the bus earlier… you seemed uneasy. Is there nowhere good to go today…?”

With a face full of worry.

It was just too hard to let words that dug into a person’s weakest points slide by.

Jung Siwoo was indeed a fool when it came to understanding women.

If there was a test for turning phrases around, he would have scored the lowest, Grade 9.

Therefore, he had never successfully carried out a proper romantic endeavor, stumbling over his words at crucial moments.

“Tomorrow, do you want to come to my place?”

“I have a lesson tomorrow. Sorry.”

Even a shy word spoken by a friend who was the school idol in fifth grade, on the eve of Valentine’s Day.

“Siwoo, my dad said he’ll buy me a piano. Could you help me choose one tomorrow?”

“Sorry, I have a lesson tomorrow.”

Even a cautious word brought up by a friend who was contemplating high school entrance exams in third grade.

All about piano lessons. He managed to dodge them all by spending time with our doomed professor. It’s really ridiculous how clueless he is.

But he simply couldn’t interpret female language.

This quick-witted guy was too kind-hearted to a fault.

Always eager to help someone, he was an eccentric who couldn’t sit still.

So, he could casually say such things.

He could even bring it up in front of a girl he liked.

“If you’re okay with it, do you want to stay over at my place just for tonight?”