episode_0032

One.

The large cosmetics store where Hyeji works was particularly crowded today.

Although it was the weekend, it was the last day of a sale event that started a few days ago, so many customers came to the store late.

The line waiting to check out is long and shows no signs of abating. There is no room to move as customers somehow manage to squeeze through the crowded crowd.

“Thank you, come again!”

Hyeji shouted empty greetings behind the backs of customers coming and going from the store. About one or two people out of ten would occasionally nod and accept a greeting, but most of them just hurried on without even listening.

I smiled bitterly as I thought it was similar to a signboard in front of a store with no one paying attention.

In my head, I had been desperately thinking about leaving work. I wanted to quickly fall into my brother’s arms and whine that I had a hard time today.

When Hyeji thought of Hyunwoo, she took out her cell phone from her pocket. Originally, the use of cell phones while working was prohibited in principle, but there are sometimes exceptions.

“Ha…”

I had some expectations, but there was still no reply. With a deep sigh, her fair forehead was slightly wrinkled.

It’s already been over four hours since I sent the KakaoTalk message, but I’m concerned that I haven’t even read the message yet.

Holding the cell phone in my lowered hand, I glanced down to find the call button and pressed it. However, only a harsh beeping sound came to my pricked ears.

‘Yes, you might be tired. A person who used to sleep in late every day woke up early in the morning, and he even sent me off.’

Hyeji consoles herself by twisting her neatly tied ponytail hair over her shoulder. I calm my mind by thinking about the happy morning.

Just as I was putting my phone in my pocket and trying to focus on work again.

Wow –

A short vibrating sound rang in my ears. She immediately took out her cell phone without any hesitation.

The manager, who had been eyeing him earlier, seemed to click his tongue with a disapproving expression, but he paid no attention.

[Hyunwoo is my destiny♡: I’m sorryㅜㅜ I put it on silent and forgot… I didn’t even know there was a callㅜㅜ I was sleeping all this time and now I woke up… Are you very angry?]

A bright smile appeared on Hyeji’s frowning face as if it had never happened before. It was Hyunwoo’s KakaoTalk message that I had been waiting for so long.

As expected, I guess I couldn’t overcome my fatigue and stayed asleep.

When he asked me if I was angry at the end, I felt like I was hearing his soft tone, which made my heart feel warm. I was heartbroken for hours waiting for a call, but I wasn’t angry at all.

The precious boyfriend I started dating yesterday. After a quick lunch, I changed his name saved in my phone to ‘Hyeonwoo is my destiny♡’.

She couldn’t find anything else to say about Hyunwoo other than fate.

He was a pitiful person with wounds similar to his own, and there would be no one who could understand him as well as he could.

Hyeji moves her fingers quickly while carefully observing the manager’s thoughts. Since I worked diligently without doing anything else, I thought that he might understand my temporary situation.

[Jeong Hye-ji: Hehehehehehe you idiotㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I was so worriedㅠㅠㅠ He thought he was deadㅜㅜ Thank goodness!!!!! Did you sleep well????? Are you refreshed?]

But she was so caught up in the reply that she didn’t notice the manager trotting over with a frown on his face.

“Hyeji, what’s going on today?”

Hyeji is startled, puts down her phone and raises her head. The manager was standing in front of me with a cold expression on her face.

At first glance, it seemed like a question to say hello, but even a child could tell that the intention behind it was scolding.

“Ah… I have a call I’ve been waiting for. It’s just been finished. Sorry.”

“You’ve been staring at your phone since a while ago, but you know you shouldn’t do that, right? Haven’t you received any training?”

“Sorry.”

I kept not seeing it… I kept holding it in and brought it up just once… Hyeji swallowed her words and bowed her head to the manager.

“Didn’t you receive training?”

“… received.”

The manager glared at her for a while, then turned around and told her to be careful from now on.

From the looks of it, Hyeji was in a mood where she shouldn’t have taken out her phone anymore, but Hyeji started laughing without realizing it.

I had to get off work in a little while, and I also received a call from my brother.

Hyeji shouted with a voice so lively that it was incomparable to before, with pride welling up in her heart.

“Thank you, come again!”

Hyeji’s white face sparkles with a fresh smile under the bright lights of the store.

Those who were just leaving the entrance also turned their eyes to the cheerful voice and glanced at her fair face.

A bright smile that makes even those who see it feel good.

It was a beautiful smile blooming from a woman who was in fateful love, or rather, believed to be in that kind of love.

2.

“Thank you for your hard work~ I’ll go in first.”

Hyeji walked around the store and politely said hello to other part-time workers. Because she had recently changed jobs, she was the youngest here.

After quitting her part-time job that lasted from afternoon until closing time and switching to her current job, she was able to get her evening life back.

Of course, most of the time I gained was spent just lying around with Hyunwoo.

“Hyeji, where is your home? Are you going by bus?”

“Oh, I just walk. What about Jiyoung…?”

“Phew. If it’s awkward to call you Jiyoung, just call me unnie.”

As Hyeji left the store, she happened to meet a colleague and ended up walking side by side. I knew our working hours overlapped, but this was our first time leaving work together.

Since he was 4 years older than me, I couldn’t bear to say the word ‘~’, but he seemed to realize that and made me feel comfortable first.

“Yes, then from now on I will call you unnie.”

Hyeji answered with a smile and looked sideways at her phone. The person who said he was going in to take a shower didn’t hear from me even after a while. I didn’t even know I had fallen asleep again.

“Hyeji, I think that guy is really cool.”

As I was typing a message with a sullen expression, Jiyoung tapped my shoulder and whispered.

“Yes?”

“A man across the street wearing a white short-sleeved t-shirt. In black slacks. Can you clearly see who it is?”

Hyeji raised her head and looked across. There, the man who had crossed this crosswalk with her this morning was standing there, looking at Hyeji. When our eyes meet, he waves his hand.

“Recognize that you are handsome? Wow… I guess he looks handsome even though he’s dressed casually like that.”

Hyeji could no longer listen to the fuss being made next to her. No matter how many times I closed and opened my eyes, Hyunwoo was right.

I thought I was just sleeping, but it looks like another surprise event was prepared for me in the morning.

No, if you think about it, it wasn’t even a surprise event. The words he asked me if I would pick him up at night while dropping him off in the morning. Those words weren’t just empty words.

The signal changes. Hyunwoo gestures as if to hurry and run to his arms. His face was filled with a mischievous smile.

Hyeji quickly ran away, completely forgetting about her sister next to her. As the face got closer and closer, I shouted loudly with joy flowing through my whole body.

“Oppaaa!”

Then, he fell into Hyunwoo’s arms and rubbed his face. my person. my man. Although we were only apart for a few hours, it was nice to see each other as if we hadn’t seen each other in years.

Jiyoung, who had been standing blankly and caught up late, only made a puzzled expression. There is no resemblance whatsoever to say they are siblings…

Are they really dating? With this guy, with this guy?

Although Hyeji was pretty, the thought crossed her mind that she was a bit out of class. That’s because the man in front of me not only had his face but also his physique made the viewer happy.

“Hello, this is Hyeji’s boyfriend, Hyunwoo Kim.”

Even his voice was good. A hand held out politely, folding its kind eyes into a half moon. Jiyoung was startled and grabbed his hand.

“Ah… yes.”

Jiyoung was staring at Hyunwoo’s face so blankly that she didn’t even feel that the hand that had been in contact for a while was slipping away.

I knew him from across the street, but when I saw him up close, I realized he was a handsome face. The eyes, nose, and mouth that were tightly packed into her small face were flawless.

“Ah, then, I’ll go first. I hope you two have a nice date.”

Jiyoung quickly came to her senses and bowed her head deeply. I was embarrassed because I thought my red cheeks would be discovered.

“Oh, sister, please go in carefully. See you again tomorrow!”

Ji-young said hello to Hye-ji, but quickly turned his back on her. Then, after taking a few steps, I glance back again.

I thought it was a little strange that the man had been hiding his left hand behind his back, but there was a beautifully wrapped rose in his hand.

It’s probably a gift for your girlfriend. A flower that was handed to me while waiting for me to get home from work. And with a face like that.

Jiyoung actually felt excited and took out her phone. It was a shame to keep this hot news to myself. I told what had just happened in a group chat room with four or five part-time workers.

[Awesome!!! My new boyfriend is amazing!!!]

[Newbie? Hyeji him?]

[ㅇㅇㅇㅇ My boyfriend bought flowers and picked me up in front of the store hahahaha. We just met while getting off work together!!]

Surprisingly, the conversation in the group chat room, in which she talked about how handsome the man was and how embarrassed she was, led to gossiping behind Hyeji’s back.

This was because the words the manager started talking about as soon as Hyeji got off work had already spread widely throughout the store.

[But the manager says he’s like that??? I heard you were asking what kind of person I was…]

[ㅇㅇ They keep looking at their phones while workingㅁㅊ Haha. Has it been over 2 weeks now?? I’m already crazy haha]

[LOL When I saw that and said something, I heard that I was acting so rude and I was so upset…]

‘I didn’t think he looked like that…’

Jiyoung couldn’t help but be momentarily taken aback by the unexpected flow of conversation.

[ㅇㅇㅇㅇ Thank you. I could hear you shouting all the way inside the store. Why did you do that all of a sudden?ㅠㅠㅠ]

[After getting scolded, he said he split it to show off haha. When I heard that, I thought he was a bitch haha]

The sarcastic comments that had been pouring out little by little became uncontrollable. Jiyoung, who had been quietly watching, also quietly joined in.

[Wow, I had no idea he was like that ㅠㅠㅠ Somehow haha. We were walking together and when I saw my boyfriend, I didn’t pay any attention and ran out alone haha. It was a bit odd…]

Jiyoung sent off the chat just now and looked back once more. Although the distance was now quite distant and blurry, I could see the rose in Hyeji’s hand. The back of a man stretched out straight.

[But my boyfriend is really greatㅠㅠ It’s a waste of a man…]

[In the first place, those guys are good at seducing men hahaha. Men don’t even know what they’re doing.]

In that way, Hyeji’s image changed from ‘a silent and quiet girl’ to ‘a bitch bitch’ in an instant. It didn’t matter whether it was true or not. Twisting their fingers lightly and giggling was good entertainment for them.