Chapter 3 …
“Long time no see, everyone.”
Within her blurred vision, Haebum’s face suddenly became unbelievably clear.
“Wow, our school’s idol even showed up at this shabby reunion. Thanks a lot!”
His face was small, only palm-sized, which made his broad shoulders and tall frame stand out even more.
His clear skin still caught the eye, and the dimple that appeared on his left cheek whenever he smiled…
Even after rubbing her eyes and looking again, it was definitely Ji Haebum.
Uju’s lips parted in shock.
She thought she had forgotten everything.
Haebum didn’t particularly acknowledge Uju and simply followed the classmates’ lead to sit down—at the seat farthest from her.
Just his presence warmed up the atmosphere instantly. Even after all these years, Haebum’s presence remained undeniable.
“While we wait for the new appetizers, eat this. Uju ripped it all up, so it’s basically a mess now.”
A large plate was placed in front of Haebum. It was the seafood pancake that Uju had been tearing apart so enthusiastically just moments ago.
Finally, Haebum’s deep eyes landed on Uju.
Their gazes intertwined in the air.
Uju’s brown eyes wandered through the strands of hair messed up from lying down all this time.
Haebum, staring intently at her unresponsive face, picked up a piece of the torn pancake with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
“Delicious.”
Then, his familiar smiling eyes reached her, making Uju’s heart ache.
Haebum’s arrival made the atmosphere even livelier.
The classmates acted as if a celebrity were right in front of them.
They asked him everything—how he had been, what he was doing, why he had come to Korea. Questions about Haebum never stopped.
“So you’ve been in contact with Bae Jiseung all this time? You two last long.”
“Didn’t you know? Haebum likes me.”
“Ew!”
Among the noisy chaos, Uju quietly chewed on her spicy fish cake.
Yet she was still secretly listening to her friends’ conversation. Naturally, she was curious about Haebum’s recent life too.
Haebum said he had been in the U.S. so far. Now he was in Korea as a company employee on a business trip, and after his contract ended, he would return.
When they heard the contract was only for a year, sighs of disappointment escaped here and there.
“I-I! I have a question for Haebum!”
At that moment, Yuri raised her hand, her eyes sparkling.
Dressed in flashy designer clothes from head to toe, Yuri was well-known among the classmates for constantly dating men.
Everyone knew that during school, she had a long-standing crush on Haebum.
She had even pestered Uju to help her get closer to him.
“You sly fox… just look at those eyes opening.”
Next to her, Hajung, chewing on dried pollock, squinted and muttered. Having lost to Yuri in the past over a crush, Hajung had always disliked her.
“Do you have a girlfriend now?”
Yuri’s high-pitched voice carried over the table.
Uju paused mid-chew.
In her slowly moving gaze, Haebum merely smiled faintly.
Her classmates’ voices buzzed in her ears, pushing him to answer immediately.
“No.”
The simple answer caused an uproar at the table.
From disbelief to excitement asking about his ideal type, classmates reacted in various ways. But none looked as shocked as Uju.
…What?
Uju’s shoulders stiffened.
It seemed like he had just answered her.
‘No, it’s probably just my imagination.’
Brrring.
At that moment, her phone vibrated on the table. Frozen for a moment, Uju finally snapped back to reality.
Giuk Oppa
Almost there, so come out.
The sender was Giuk.
She had barely gotten in touch with him just before entering the pub. He acted like he would come flying right away, but it had been two hours since their call when he finally arrived.
“I’ll step out for a bit.”
“Alone? You’re drunk.”
“Oppa said he was nearby, so I should come out.”
“What? Hey, tell your boyfriend to come in! Isn’t he going to greet us?”
Hajung, as drunk as Uju, raised her voice despite trying to whisper.
All eyes quickly turned toward her. Uju, cheeks flushed, raised a finger to cover her lips.
“Shh, shh! Be quiet.”
She had a reason to leave. Greetings were one thing, but she needed to speak with Giuk alone first. It was an instinctive feeling she couldn’t explain.
“I’ll be back soon.”
For some reason, Uju couldn’t even glance toward Haebum as she put on her coat and left the pub.
Outside, the cold wind hit her flushed cheeks. Her heart pounded from the rare overdrinking.
She crouched far from the entrance, trying to curl up and escape people’s attention.
Uju buried her head in her knees, waiting for Giuk to call her name.
At the same time, she remembered Haebum.
The Ji Haebum who ate the pancake she tore apart, who occasionally glanced at her despite the classmates’ questions, and who had no girlfriend.
His relaxed expression, mannered gestures, and calm, deep voice carried a maturity that could make people half his age seem like children.
“Still so cool, Ji Haebum…”
That was all she could think after seeing him again in twelve years.
She wanted to ask why he left earlier than planned that day, feeling that the mood would allow her to.
Do you know how many years she struggled with motion sickness from that last memory?
But words didn’t come out, as if glued to her lips. That made her a bit sad—like she was the only one being genuine, both then and now.
Then.
“Are you okay?”
A gentle voice suddenly came from above.
Startled, she lifted her head and saw a long pair of legs in her view.
“Hello, Yu Uju.”
Her lips parted in surprise.
It was Haebum.
He crouched beside her, knees bent, sitting in the same posture, a slight smile on his face.
The yellow light from the pub’s entrance dimly illuminated his face.
Thick, neat eyebrows, a sharp nose, red lips—Ji Haebum looked exactly the same as before.
His dark eyes reminded her of the day they met on the bed.
“Aren’t you going to say hi?”
“……”
“Earlier, we couldn’t greet each other.”
“…Hi.”
Uju answered bluntly, turning her head straight in embarrassment. It felt as if he had seen the thoughts in her head.
“Why are you out alone? It’s cold.”
“Waiting for someone.”
The evening air was chilly, but the heat rising in her chest made her ears burn and feel dizzy.
“You’re getting married.”
Uju stubbornly kept her gaze forward.
“The kids just said you came out to hand out wedding invitations today.”
True. For now.
But she neither confirmed nor denied it, keeping her eyes fixed on the spot where Giuk would appear.
Haebum quietly observed her, then suddenly placed a large hand on her head.
“What… what are you doing?”
Only then did Uju react, and Haebum’s neatly shaped eyes carried a teasing warmth.
“You’ve grown so much. In my memory, Uju was still in her school uniform.”
“When was that…”
“Every day with a mark pressed on one cheek, threatening to show me your homework.”
“T-That wasn’t much different for you either.”
“That’s why I don’t marry. Still a kid.”
With no words to respond, Uju pushed his hand off her head.
Luckily, it was dark, but the heat from his touch had spread to the crown of her head.
A cold voice then cut through the night.
“Don’t get married.”
