Chapter 4 …
“Don’t do it. Don’t get married.”
Uju’s lips parted in shock.
Just as she was about to ask Haebum what he meant,
“Uju.”
Kiuk appeared, walking toward them.
Uju straightened up awkwardly. She had thought he’d come straight from the hospital, given the number of patients, but he looked as if he’d come straight from a date, neatly dressed and groomed.
Kiuk alternated his gaze between Uju and Haebum as he approached, his eyes full of suspicion directed at Haebum.
“Who’s this?”
“Come in and talk.”
Haebum didn’t even glance at Kiuk. Instead, he lightly draped his arm over Uju’s shoulder and turned away.
Kiuk frowned, clearly irritated by Haebum’s dismissive attitude.
“You had a classmate like that?”
“Why are you so late? You said you were leaving earlier.”
“I got lost. The alleys are a bit complicated. Tch, you always have to go to places like this even when you’re out having fun…”
Kiuk muttered, then, noticing Uju’s gaze fixed silently on him, he cleared his throat awkwardly.
Up close, Kiuk’s neat appearance wasn’t just about clothes—his hair was also styled.
Whenever they met, he always looked tired and disheveled. Uju found her boyfriend in front of her oddly unfamiliar, almost like he belonged to someone else.
“Did your business trip go well? Where—was it Japan?”
Uju pressed her lips tightly together, not replying “Malaysia.”
Even classmates she only met twice a year seemed to know her business trip destination. Indifference had its limits—this was too much.
“So… what do you want to talk about?”
Uju’s voice was colder than ice, her mood visibly soured.
“My invitation is in the car, but I left it at the company. If you’d called a little earlier, I would’ve taken care of it…”
“Let’s postpone our wedding.”
The sudden statement left Uju momentarily speechless.
Kiuk exhaled deeply, moving his awkward lips.
“To be honest, I tried really hard. Because you and your mother wanted it so badly, I forced myself to give it a shot.”
“…What?”
“But I just can’t do it.”
In Kiuk’s eyes, a flicker of resentment seemed to surface.
“I’ve been depressed lately. Because of this wedding.”
He was saying he was already exhausted, even though he hadn’t done anything.
Haebum returned to the bar and immediately poured himself a drink, gripping the bottle a little too tightly.
Uju crouched there, forlorn and alone.
Uju, her nose red from the cold.
Uju, who had wavered in front of her boyfriend like a fool…
She wanted to yell at him—at someone who seemed no better than her—but it didn’t even take a second to realize she had no right to.
It felt absolutely disgusting.
“Are you drunk? Why are you going overboard?”
Jiseung came out of the bathroom, shaking his wet hands, and plopped down in front of Haebum.
“Tired from the long flight? I guess asking you to come straight here was too much?”
“No.”
“Still, it’s nice the others are happy to see you. Did you greet Uju earlier? You’ve been curious about her…”
“What? Haebum wasn’t drinking much before, and now suddenly he’s going all out?”
Yuri, who had just returned after fixing her makeup, took the empty spot beside Haebum and quickly slid next to him.
“Haebum, if you mix drinks, your stomach will hurt tomorrow. Want some soda instead?”
“I’m fine.”
“Then I’ll drink with you. That way we can pace ourselves.”
“Yah, Chae Yuri. Don’t stick too close to Ji Haebum. You already have a crush, right? Why are you acting like this?”
“Pft, whatever. We’re just friends who met again after 12 years! Big deal!”
Haebum let out a dry chuckle at their conversation.
Friends, huh.
Would Uju think the same about her?
He hadn’t returned to Korea just to be friends with her.
He came back to end this long-standing, bitter pain he’d carried for so many years.
“Oh? Uju! Are you okay?”
Jiseung suddenly stood up.
Turning around, Uju was entering the bar, looking as if her soul had left her body, her expression blank.
Seeing her, Haebum’s eyes darkened.
“Your boyfriend is here, right?”
“Uh… yeah…”
“Aren’t you going to introduce us? I need to know the groom’s face to give a gift.”
“See my face and… my…”
Haebum, watching Uju lean naturally on Jiseung as she walked, slammed his glass down with a loud clack.
The emotions he thought he’d managed to control surged up again, stabbing at his throat.
“Haebum, where are you going?”
Ignoring Yuri’s call, Haebum stood up, passed by Uju supported by Jiseung and Hajeong, and walked straight out of the bar.
He had long known that Uju had a fairly serious boyfriend. Jiseung had already told him that she might marry him.
The feelings were more than ten years old. Time had passed—enough to dull the pain.
But seeing it with his own eyes, it wasn’t as easy as he’d imagined.
He hadn’t expected to feel anything, but the sight of her ignited a hot, uncontrollable feeling, taking him back to the awkward, impatient teenage years.
Haebum’s steps halted as he walked through the alley outside the bar.
His eyes fell on something, and they flashed intensely.
“Let’s go for round two, round two!”
The gathering didn’t break up until past 11 p.m., but the excitement of the group didn’t die down easily.
Uju was among them.
“Ugh, you’re heavy! Walk straight or I’ll leave you behind!”
Haebum watched quietly from the side as Uju, supported by Hajeong, wove through the noisy crowd.
Hajeong shook Uju’s shoulders back and forth, they hugged, and their gestures constantly shifted.
No matter how they looked, it was better than sitting crouched in front of the bar earlier, and Haebum felt slightly relieved.
“Haebum, you’re coming too, right?”
Jiseung approached, putting an arm around Haebum’s shoulder. Haebum didn’t take his eyes off Uju as he spoke.
“I’m tired.”
Uju and Hajeong looked at each other and laughed loudly.
Her smile was still the same.
Haebum chuckled quietly without realizing it.
“You said you’re tired, so why are you laughing? Scary.”
“Just…”
“Well, you haven’t adjusted to the time difference either. What to do? If you leave, they’ll all be disappointed.”
Haebum continued to stare in one direction, and only then did Jiseung notice where his gaze was fixed and tapped his shoulder.
“Don’t worry about Uju. She’s weak with alcohol. She’ll be fine getting home on her own.”
“You know her drinking habits?”
“Of course. I know the songs she sings and even the moments she jumps around when she’s wasted.”
…Right. I’m the only one who doesn’t know.
“Huh? What did you say?”
Haebum exhaled sharply, brushing his messy bangs from the cold wind.
“Do you know anything about Uju’s boyfriend?”
“Huh? Suddenly?”
Jiseung shrugged, watching Haebum’s silent gaze.
“He’s a doctor, isn’t he?”
“Doctor?”
“Ah, not a full doctor yet, just an intern. He works at Seongsan Hospital in Gangnam. I think there’s a five- or six-year age gap…”
Seongsan Hospital, huh.
As Haebum’s eyes sharpened in thought, Yuri jumped over and approached him.
“Haebum! You’re going for round two too, right?”
She tried to subtly link her arm with his, but Haebum turned his upper body and answered coolly.
“I’m tired.”
“Eh? It’s too soon to leave. Can’t you come along? Huh? Huh?”
Haebum walked past Yuri.
Uju was gradually getting closer. From afar, it looked like she was talking, but now he saw she was singing.
Haebum approached Hajeong.
“I’ll take Uju.”
“Huh?”
Recognizing Haebum, Hajeong suddenly looked him up and down and sharply refused.
“Unfortunately, Uju only finds comfort in my arms. Hey, Bae Jiseung! What are you doing? Come quickly and support her! She’s losing discipline!”
“So I…”
Before Haebum could finish, Jiseung quickly ran over and, with practiced skill, half-lifted Uju, greeting him.
“Take care, Haebum. I’ll contact you.”
“Huh? You’re leaving already?”
Hearing that, the classmates around began to look at Haebum.
“Guys, Haebum’s tired and leaving first! Say goodbye!”
Momentarily flustered, Haebum barely moved his lips before Jiseung’s intervention made sure he was sent off properly.
