There was no answer indicating that she wouldn’t see Ochaewon again. Dajeong realized that she needed a more specific answer and began to feel disgusted with herself. Having decided to leave one way or another, why was she hoping for so much? Her own feelings, but she couldn’t understand her true intentions.
“Yes.”
Dajeong nodded. Yes, it was Jaeho’s life to live in Seoul. Whether it was Ochaewon or any other woman, it had nothing to do with Dajeong.
Jaeho keenly sensed Dajeong’s mood. Dajeong, whom he met after returning from Seoul, was always low-spirited and didn’t smile much. He roughly knew what she was thinking, but he didn’t bring it up.
The trip was coming to an end. Perhaps she was thinking about parting.
Preparing to return to reality as she first said with her own mouth.
Jaeho didn’t have the slightest intention of adding a single opinion to that thought, so he pretended not to know. And he had the Director Jung contract an officetel in a place convenient for commuting to the hospital and prepared a suitable car.
Dajeong would never leave him.
Only three days were left.
He had prepared to fill the remaining time with the happiest memories.
As they approached the accommodation, the smell of burning firewood filled the air. When Dajeong looked puzzled, Jaeho entered the yard and said, “It seems like Ms. Yoon Dajeong is not in a good mood, so I prepared camping.”
“Camping?”
“Casually in the yard. Byunghoon probably prepared it.”
“Why suddenly…”
“Because of the fire.”
Not long ago, Dajeong confessed her fear of fire to Jaeho, and he was internally shocked. While he was aware of the nightmares she had due to the posts she wrote on the community board, he didn’t know that the actual source of her fear was fire. He didn’t even know that she had fainted at the sight of real fire.
Thinking that Dajeong was raising a monster of the same size as herself, he felt a pang of unease. He knew better than anyone how terrifying that fear could be.
“How about overcoming the fear of fire?”
Jaeho had started camping for the same reason, wanting to overcome his fears and see the reality clearly. After about two years of effort, he could now chop firewood calmly. It was thanks to Byunghoon and Director Jung’s efforts.
Jaeho wanted Dajeong to become like them.
“No, I’m scared of fire…”
Dajeong took a step back instinctively. But because Byunghoon came running with a loud greeting, she couldn’t step back any further.
“Nuna! Nuna! Dajeongi nuna! Have you been well? Wow, nuna looks even more beautiful than last week!”
Byunghoon, who greeted her warmly as if he were a close younger brother, had run over. Unable to hold back a smile at his approaching face, Dajeong smiled awkwardly.
“Hello, Mr. Byunghoon. When did you arrive?”
“Just now! I prepared everything myself! I had some work, and I was so excited!”
Dajeong’s eyes widened as she looked around the yard.
A perfect glamping setup with a large tent, tarp, camping table, and barbecue. Gas lanterns and LED bulbs, known as the flowers of camping, sparkled and greeted Dajeong.
“Wow, Mr. Jaeho. Where do you see this as modest?”
“Oh! It’s modest! I set up everything in a minimal way!”
Byunghoon replied instead and piled firewood on one side. Then he said that if they had set up properly, they wouldn’t have been able to spread everything in the yard. Dajeong was inundated with difficult camping terms she didn’t know.
“Wow…”
Dajeong, who was admiring, was seated by Jaeho, who carefully lit the firewood. Byunghoon was already placing meat on the prepared grill. Somewhere, a soft ballad was playing.
“Since you’ve been through a lot, I’ll feed you. Kim Byunghoon.”
Jaeho said in a low voice. Dajeong nodded.
“Yes, please. You can stay and play more.”
“I don’t like that.”
Jaeho said decisively. Ignoring Jaeho, who seemed not to have heard, Byunghoon cheekily rolled his eyes.
“Oh. I’m disappointed. I might just go and sleep.”
Jaeho blatantly ignored him as if he hadn’t heard.
“Next time, come properly with my camping car. Ms. Yoon Dajeong. It’ll be much better than today.”
While doing so, he handed a soft knee blanket to Dajeong. Dajeong wrapped herself in it and smiled faintly. She hoped her laughter didn’t seem too artificial.
Jaeho, who returned from Seoul, kept mentioning ‘next.’ Although she understood the meaning behind his words, she was somewhat puzzled. If his purpose was just for fun, wouldn’t it be natural to end it here?
Jaeho acted as if he had promised a more distant future between them. As if anticipating the ‘next’ was a rather easy task.
“Why aren’t you answering?”
While cutting and serving the meat that Byunghoon handed over, he asked again. His expression momentarily looked earnest, and Dajeong was captivated by a strange impulse. What if she asked what kind of relationship they had, how far they intended to go?
Taking advantage of this sentimental atmosphere, she musters up the courage…
“Yeah? Camping.”
However, the man interrupted, cutting off Dajeong’s musings.
“Sure.”
Finally hearing the answer, the man’s face brightened.
After Byunghoon left following the meal, Jaeho added a few more pieces of firewood. He emphasized several times that Dajeong was currently quite far away, and he had complete control over this fire.
Tense, Dajeong nodded.
“It’s called ‘fire watching.’ Looking at the fire. It can be quite healing.”
“…Yes.”
“It can be healing for Yoon Dajeong too. The fire is confined. The fire trapped in the furnace is safe.”
Crackle, crackle.
The firewood caught fire. Like the color of autumn, or perhaps like her own feelings.
Dajeong stared silently at the reddish light.
As the flames flickered and danced in the wind, it was a bit frightening, but it was certainly a fire that didn’t grow beyond a certain point. Jaeho’s expression of being ‘confined’ seemed to convey a meaning she understood.
Flattening and sprawling in various shapes, sometimes straightening the waist vigorously, but the flamboyant dance never left the fireplace. Even when a strong wind blew, it shook briefly and returned to the fireplace. After staring at it for a while, she felt a bit more relieved.
“…It’s trapped.”
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
