A Taste to Spit Out - Chapter 18

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“See? He couldn’t wait and came to pick you up again.”

“He cherished and loved you so much. He always guaranteed that,” Ju-young patted my shoulder as she said it.

“So don’t be too anxious.”

Eventually, the door of the café opened, and Kang Yeol-Jin walked in.

“Sweetheart.”

His face looked tense. It was only after seeing me that he forced a smile, raising the corners of his lips. To others, he probably looked like a man greeting his beloved partner.

It was nothing but disgusting. What on earth is he plotting?

The cigarette he always had in hand was absent. Even though it was clear he had been waiting a long time, his shoes were spotless.

It was that unnervingly clean aspect, almost obsessive in its neatness, that made the whole claim that we were a perfectly happy couple feel unsettling. I wonder if he knows how uncomfortable that makes me.

Kang Yeol-Jin rushed toward me and was about to wrap his arm around my shoulder, but then he quickly dropped his hand.

Distance. He sensed it from the look in my eyes.

“Let’s go now, to our house.”

On the way back home, I stared out the car window, forced to confront the lingering unease in my chest for reasons I couldn’t quite grasp.

What is this feeling?

This slippery, moss-like sensation, and this damp, swampy feeling…

And what on earth was that talk about studying abroad earlier? I wanted to ask more, but just as

I was about to, the sight of Kang Yeol-Jin distracted me, abruptly cutting off the conversation.

In the end, I arrived home and pulled out my phone. Ju-young picked up shortly after.

“Hey, Hee-jae. Did you get home safely?”

“Yeah, I made it back okay.”

When she asked what was up, I carefully broached the subject.

“Hey, Ju-young…”

By any chance… When did I say I was going abroad to study?

“Oh, that… It was not long after your dad passed away.”

I was fully focused on the voice piercing into my ear when, suddenly, I felt a silent gaze on me.

“At that time, you asked me not to tell anyone, so I really kept my mouth shut.”

“Oh, I see.”

“But actually… there’s something I couldn’t tell you earlier. One time, Kang Yeol-Jin came to the department office asking where you were. I assumed, of course, he already knew, so I said, ‘Don’t you know? She took a leave of absence to study abroad.'”

“…Ah.”

“But his expression at that moment… You know how he doesn’t exactly have a scary face, right?

Still, it was unsettling. I was worried that maybe you two had a fight because of me.”

As Ju-young’s voice continued to flow into my ears, I felt chills creep across my entire body.

“…”

I subtly rolled my eyes to the side, stealing a glance. There, standing by, was Kang Yeol-Jin, who had been changing his clothes since earlier.

I thought he would have left by now, but he was still standing behind me.

Completely motionless.

He slowly pulled his tie out from his shirt, but made no further movements.

For some reason, I had a feeling I shouldn’t let him know about this phone call, so I cautiously glanced at Kang Yeol-Jin.

“…”

And then, our eyes met.

How long has it been?

How long had he been staring at me like that?

I thought he was just changing his clothes, but all his attention was fixated on me. Not a single movement. Just frozen in that state.

But why are there so many mirrors in this house?

Even when I turned my head to the left, not wanting to meet his gaze, his eyes tangled with mine through a reflection. Turning my head to the right did the same, our gazes locking again.

“…”