#61. I don’t know.
Jena’s words that sounded like pushing a child who didn’t listen, Lee Ji-eun stopped encouraging her.
“I’m sorry… Mr. Inwook.”
“No… Well… I’m going to apologize. Anyway, I’ll refrain from learning.”
Actually, she didn’t have to apologize because she was so exhausted, but I thought she was glad she gave up.
Jena, who turned her head away from the apologizing Lee Ji-eun, got up from her sofa.
“Come here. Choi In-wook.”
Jena’s long, white fingers gently wrapped around my wrist.
With a little bit of strength, she led me to the place where she was always drawing.
Jena, who sat me down, brought out her sketchbook containing the unfinished drawings I drew last time.
“This. I’ll tell you again. Listen carefully.”
Jenna explained to me the explanations that she had given me at least 5 more times without showing any sign of annoyance.
There was no change in the contents.
There is only one difference.
It was the distance between her and me.
Jena, holding the pencil, was standing behind me, not next to me.
She leaned slightly and bent her waist, her face as if she could touch it if she turned her head.
The scent of sweet peaches emanated from her hair.
As I was doing this, the past of us came to mind.
* *
[Mr. Jena. How long does it take to make this?]
[Um, I think it will be completed in about 30 minutes?]
8 P.M. It’s a bit early for the cafe to close.
It was always open until 9 o’clock regardless of the presence of customers, but not today.
The light in the shop was brightly turned on, but the sign at the entrance had been changed to [CLOSED].
Because today…
[Mr. Inwook. It’s my birthday and I’m sorry that I spent the whole day at the store.]
[There is nothing to worry about. I’m here because I like it.]
Because it was my 32nd birthday.
[But… I did go out and eat something delicious with other people.]
[There are people I know in this town.]
In fact, in this town, I have a number of people I have a relationship with.
Even that is a shallow relationship. They didn’t even know when my birthday was.
[I guess I should have said not to be open today.]
Sorry poured out from Jena’s face.
But I didn’t want her to take a break from work because of me.
She asked me not to do that even though she asked me beforehand.
If I want to see Jena, when I go to a cafe, she just stops.
[Is there anything different about a birthday? It’s just like any other day. What.]
I was too old to miss her birthday party.
Jena, who was busily moving her hand, raised her head for a moment at my words and looked at me.
[I’m not the same. Mr. Inwook.]
[What does that mean?]
[This is the first day I celebrate Inwook’s birthday. It’s special to me.]
Her cheeks were slightly reminded of what she was ashamed of talking about.
I was sitting with my chin crossed at the table across from the counter, and I got up.
[Not yet. Don’t come this way.]
Jena tried to stop me from approaching her kitchen.
[I don’t like it.]
[I told you not to come. This is quite a surprise!]
But I didn’t mean to listen to her.
I climbed over her counter and wrapped my hands around Jena’s waist.
[Really… I’ll wait a bit…]
Jenna whined in a low voice.
An unfinished cake caught my eye.
White base. Strawberries finely sliced for decoration.
[It’s pretty, but why do you keep telling me to hide it?]
When I buried my head in her neck, the sweet peach scent tickled my nose.
[Then you will feel less impressed.]
[Is this moment moving enough?]
Jena slowly turned her body.
Jena, who was looking at me tiredly, sighed for a moment and then opened her mouth.
[Close your eyes. Mr. Inwook.]
I meekly followed her words and closed her eyes.
Page.
Soft feel on my lips.
This is…
[Happy birthday. Mr. Inwook.]
When I opened my eyes, there was Jena, who was smiling shyly.
* *
“Are you listening to me?”
Perhaps she noticed that she had lost her concentration for a moment, but Jena opened her eyes and looked at me.
“Yes. I was listening.”
In fact, it was something everyone knew.
I didn’t think that the problem with my drawing skills came from a lack of theory.
It’s just a flaw in my hand that lacks the ability to perform.
“Ha…”
Jena took a deep breath.
“I. I can explain more than once. If you don’t know, ask.”
“Thank you.”
“…Don’t go and ask Lee Ji-eun.”
She leaned back a little.
Does Jena not like Lee Ji-eun?
She thought that there could be a number of reasons why she doesn’t like it.
The manager was chatting with Lee Ji-eun while Jena explained to me when she arrived.
“So, you think it would be cooler to draw this Cradia?”
“It seems that it will take a long time to draw Criadia, but she doesn’t look stylish.”
“What! Are you saying that I’m the manager now, and I’m wrong!”
“If you want to display it like that, draw it yourself!”
As expected, Lee Ji-eun was talking back and forth, unlike me, who gave up quickly.
As I and Jena were listening to their conversation, the manager began to appeal to this side as if it was unfortunate.
“It’s Jena. Inwook-ah. As expected, you are the best freshman!”
It seems it has not been long since I praised Lee Ji-eun as the best person to join Deforme. Senior.
“Your brother is not the best.”
Jenna just cut off and rejected the approaching him.
“Ah! You are the best! Inwook-ah!”
I wasn’t happy at all, but I smiled and nodded my head.
The manager put his hand on my shoulder and smiled with a happy smile as if he was satisfied with my reaction.
“Anyway! Until the exhibition, I hope that each of us will work until we can do it! There’s only so much left! Fighting!”
The manager lifted his fist up as hard as he could in his boy’s cartoon.
Is it hard to appreciate that I am a very consistent person?
I thought so.
* *
[On the topic that was rejected!]
I remembered the boy who scratched my insides with a loud voice.
It’s a face I’ve never seen before…
Actually, it wasn’t that there were only one or two people I didn’t know because I wasn’t interested in other people.
The name is definitely… Lee Ji-eun. My name is Ji-eun Lee.
Contrary to her curly look, she was bowing down to Choi In-wook in the middle of her hallway.
And Choi In-wook watches it with a puzzled expression.
It already smelled suspiciously.
Are you saying that the woman is twisted again?
Choi In-wook might not actually be interested in her, but she didn’t seem like Lee Ji-eun.
My intuition as a woman was sending me countless warnings.
Harin Yoon. She thought Hayena was enough…
They were women who had already married Choi In-wook once.
Whether I admit it or not, they are people who have succeeded in winning Choi In-wook’s heart.
I thought you were on the same starting line as me.
I thought that if there were only two people, there would be no opponent, but I felt as if I had been hit in the head by a newly rolled stone.
“Choi Inwook…”
I thought I would suffer so much because of a man.
I became a completely different person from the 20-year-old Yoo Shi-hwa in my previous life.
I didn’t know about love, nor did I know about parting.
I never thought it was important, and I thought it was a story that didn’t apply to me.
Overwhelming strength. Challenge to the limits.
I thought that there was nothing as useless as wasting my youth on trivial love games.
From n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Now, I was drooping with my face in the pillow.“I have to go to the gym…”
Still, I couldn’t give up the habits of my previous life, so I made the self-management tighter in this life as well.
Unconditional training on days when there is no schedule related to Choi In-wook. It was training again.
Because that’s how I can become a woman that suits Choi In-wook.
Because I thought I could stand next to him who was called the strongest without shame.
But recently, I’m starting to feel skeptical about it.
Because the first-year pair competition finals.
It was because Choi In-wook appeared in front of me with shabby skills compared to his active days.
Looks as if he hasn’t been trained.
His movements are just trying to get over the situation with accumulated know-how.
I was puzzled throughout the match.
Is he even looking after me?
Is he not really dealing with me?
But that wasn’t the case.
He was simply not trying.
Isn’t he looking for strength in this life? Why?
The image of him who studied technologies more seriously than anyone else came to mind.
The days when you didn’t leave the gym all night long, asking me for advice.
Has he lost interest in getting stronger?
If that’s true…
Does the current me also look unattractive?
The fear that I might have gone in the wrong direction came over me.
Then what do I have to do to change your mind?
The compass in my mind lost its direction and was spinning constantly.
I don’t know…
I don’t know. Honey.