Chapter 36: Changing Relationship(8)

“Wasn’t this originally a tteokbokki place?”

“Oh. That’s right. It changed when you took a leave of absence. It’s an instant tteokbokki place.”

A large instant tteokbokki place with a strong franchise feel.

Since the arcade is near the station, this is the closest place, so we came here.

Yu-ah looked up at the building as if it was new.

It seemed that Yu-ah hadn’t been to the station area since she took a leave of absence.

I didn’t come here often either, but I often saw it when I passed by because of school.

“Let’s go in.”

“Yeah.”

As we went inside, the cute and clean interior caught my eye.

Since it was in front of a university, it was mainly aimed at girls.

It seemed natural to do this.

“Welcome!”

All I could hear was the greeting of an employee busy doing something.

It seemed like there were other part-time jobs nearby.

I could definitely feel that the store was large.

I sat down at the table and ordered using the small kiosk.

“How about two servings of tteokbokki, fried food, and sundae? Call?”

“I can’t eat that much.”

“What’s this much?”

There won’t be much fried food or sundae since they’re served as a side dish anyway.

“Okay. Order. Instead, you can eat all the leftovers.”

“Okay!”

Yu-ah ordered as if she was satisfied with what I said.

I thought that was what she had been hoping for.

The only reason Yu-ah, who knew that I was a newbie, ordered a lot was because she wanted to eat a lot.

“This seems like a good place for couples.”

It was clean, and the staff and seats were completely separated.

The lighting and interior were pretty, so it was good for taking pictures.

It was a good atmosphere for couples or friends to come and eat together and chat.

When I looked around and said that, Yu-ah replied, “Yeah. But honestly, I don’t like it.”

“Really?”

“Slightly instant tteokbokki should have a chewy taste. It feels like the kind of auntie who comes out of a 30-year-old snack shop and makes it.”

“Oh, I admit that.”

“These days, the place is so sentimental. There’s no romance.”

Romantic. Yu-ah really liked that word.

It’s usually a word that touches men’s hearts, but Yu-ah was a famous romantic.

“I admit it, but your comment just now really stinks. It’s like dog poop.”

“You’re not old enough to hear the word dog poop yet?”

“What good is it if your body doesn’t age? Your mind is old.”

“How young do you think you are?”

It sounded like something middle-aged men would say when they were drunk.

It was like kiosks don’t have any feelings, and employees have to serve you.

Stores these days have no feelings because you talk to machines.

Sometimes, when I was working part-time, there were people who would mutter things like that.

“Anyway, I’ll go to the bathroom.”

“Uh. Go ahead. Come back a little later. I’ll finish the fried food by myself.”

“Hey! If you do that, you’ll die!”

Yu-ah got up from her seat, gave me a half-threat, and headed to the bathroom.

Then, with nothing else to do, I sat on my phone and quietly waited for the food to come out.

Soon, a female part-timer with a serving cart came in front of our table.

“Let me help you set up first.”

A pot filled with water and tteokbokki that had been boiled for a while.

The moment I looked up to confirm that and clear the table…

‘…Does this voice sound familiar?’

With that thought, I glanced at the part-timer’s face.

As soon as I saw her face, my expression froze as if I had rotted on the spot.

“… Lee Cheong-ha?”

It was an unforgettable face.

We had seen each other often at school, and we had been dating for at least a few months.

…Sba. Why on earth was she working here?

My luck was just awful.

Of course, it wasn’t strange for a college student from nearby stores to work there since it was a large store near my school.

But it felt like some kind of trick of God that she was working here at the exact time I arrived.

“Huh? Isn’t that Ji-bin? Long time no see?”

She smiled indifferently at me.

It was like meeting a school friend I hadn’t seen in a long time.

She really seemed unfazed.

I clenched my fists under the table without realizing it because of her shamelessness.

‘…It must have been nothing to her.’

Yes. Now, I didn’t even feel a sense of loss.

This situation might not have been all that embarrassing to Lee Cheong-ha, who changed men so naturally.

I don’t know about that woman’s past.

I just think that she must have experienced this situation a lot while changing men countless times.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be so calm.

However, I couldn’t help feeling unpleasant.

Just the fact that I was in the same space with that woman made me feel uneasy.

“Can I get a refund right now?”

I asked Lee Cheong-ha, who was busy carrying water to the table.

If I could, I wanted to go out of the store.

I didn’t want to eat where Lee Cheong-ha was.

“What is the reason for the refund? Customer?”

“The employee made me feel uncomfortable.”

“I didn’t do anything?”

“Your very existence is unpleasant to me.”

“Hmm. I can’t have a simple change of heart like that.”

I don’t know if it’s before the food comes out.”

She said, pointing to the tteokbokki pot on the table, on the burner.

Then she came next to me, turned on the fire, and started cooking the tteokbokki on the spot.

As she did so, she provoked me unnecessarily.

“Are you breaking up with me and meeting her? With Na Yu-ah?”

“What?”

“I saw you going to the bathroom earlier. I was wondering if it was true, but it seems like it was true?”

‘…Are you just trying to flirt?’

She’s still a smooth talker.

That’s why I got gaslighted by her.

I didn’t want to talk to Lee Cheong-ha anymore, so I cut her off.

“Stop talking nonsense and get to work. If you spit in the food, I’ll report you.”

“Wow. You’re cold. You used to tell me you loved me all the time.”

“Shut up.”

I wanted to flip over the table just because of her sly attitude.

But I’m a human with common sense.

I can’t cause trouble for the store staff and other customers because of my personal grudge.

I just held it in by pressing down on the chair with my fist.

She said to me while flipping the tteokbokki here and there with a ladle, “Don’t hate me too much, Ji-bin. We didn’t end well, but isn’t that what dating is all about?”

“…”

“You meet each other based on the conditions. I was just attracted to your looks. You were honest, right? No?”

I didn’t want to answer.

Well, honestly, it wasn’t completely wrong.

It was true that I was attracted to her looks.

Her appearance was pure and fresh, like the epitome of Korean beauty.

If that wasn’t my style, I wouldn’t have even paid attention to her.

“So when a better deal comes up, I just move on. It’s like changing part-time jobs, right?”

Lee Cheong-ha’s words clearly showed her thoughts.

At least that woman didn’t take dating seriously.

She seemed to lack the concept of respecting and sharing affection for the other person.

She probably thought of it as a means or a toy.

That’s why it was even more horrible.

… Why did I stay with a woman like that for so long?

If I could ride a time machine, I would go to my past and tell myself not to do it.

I pretended not to hear and just stared at my phone, but she kept talking anyway.

“Nayua, do you think she’s any different from me? You said she’s your old neighborhood friend, right? It’s obvious why she’s still by your side.”

“…”

“There’s one reason why men and women stay friends for a long time. Especially women. She must have been after you from the beginning. Of course, it’s because of your face. And that too.”

It scratched me.

It scratched me so much.

I was going to ignore her when she talked nonsense a little, but I just couldn’t stand seeing her put down Yua, not just criticize me.

I finally opened my mouth.

“Yeah. That could be true. Yu-ah could have been attracted to my looks.”

“But you’re different, Lee Cheong-ha. At least she’s different from a rag like you who thinks of men as decorations and gives them away here and there.”

The smile on Lee Cheong-ha’s lips disappeared at my rough tone.

It was disgusting to see her trying to rationalize herself by bringing in even a child.

Lee Cheong-ha seemed flustered, as if she didn’t know I would speak so harshly.

“Hey, rag. You’re harsh to people. You. But we used to date.”

“What you did to me wasn’t that bad? If you’ve done everything you wanted to do, then get out. I don’t want to see your face.”

I said coldly and turned my head back to my phone.

It meant that I was done with everything I had to say.

I didn’t have the energy to talk to Lee Cheong-ha anymore.

She turned down the heat of the burner, as if she was done cooking.

“Hmm. Yoon Ji-bin, you’ve gotten colder, right? Well, there’s nothing I can do. You probably still resent me.”

“…”

“But don’t hate me too much. We’ll see each other often at school anyway. I don’t want to be uncomfortable with you just because we broke up.”

“It’s already uncomfortable enough.”

“I’m not that uncomfortable? You? We can be friends again if you want.”

“Stop whining and just go away. Unless you want to drive away a customer because of me.”

“Okay. Calm down. Calm down. Oh my. There’s that amazing childhood friend over there. I’ll go now~! Enjoy your meal!”

‘… Shameless girl.’

Lee Cheong-ha said that and walked away with her cart.

Even her back was annoying.

She was a face I never wanted to see again, and the fact that I’d have to see her again when school started was horrible.

I really wanted to take a leave of absence; the thought welled up in my chest.

Yu-ah, who returned to her seat, glanced at the cart moving away and then asked me, “… Was that Lee Cheong-ha just now?”

Yu-ah’s face looked like she couldn’t believe it.

Yeah. I don’t really want to believe it either, so why would you be any different?

“Oh, yeah. I was suspicious too, but you were right.”

“Hey, I’m so lucky today. No matter how many stores I choose, I always end up going to the one that’s there.”

“Yeah.”

“Should I just leave this and go? I don’t care if you’re uncomfortable… or should I go and grab your hair?”