Jaein, feeling somewhat lonely amidst the festive atmosphere, consciously avoided looking at the Christmas tree as she passed by the Water Tower.
{Hey, if it’s okay, can you help me for a moment?}
Jaein looked up at the man blocking her way. A large white man wearing a fur hat was smiling down at her. And behind that man, a black man was laughing heartily.
Jaein was familiar with this kind of situation and atmosphere. So, she quickly discerned that he wasn’t genuinely asking for help. Suppressing a sigh that almost burst out of her lips, Jaein raised her straightforward gaze at him.
“What’s up?”
“Uh… well, you’re really pretty.”
“Thanks. But could you quickly tell me what I need to help you with? I’m freezing right now, I feel like I’m going to freeze to death.”
“You’re good at English, huh? Did you come for sightseeing? Or are you a student?”
She was familiar with these misunderstandings too. Born and raised in Chicago, she spoke English as her native language. However, foreigners often confirmed Jaein’s English proficiency and asked about her origin and how long she had been speaking English.
Even if she said she was from Chicago, they would inquire about where she was before that. They seemed to think that all people with an East Asian appearance in the United States were either tourists or students.
“Neither. What can I help you with?”
“Oh. You see, if that guy over there asks me to have dinner with you, it’s obvious that I’ll lose. So, I bet. Will you help me not lose a hundred dollars?”
Perhaps wanting to appear sophisticated, the man smiled broadly, squinting one eye. Jaein looked at him quietly and chuckled.
“Sorry, but I’m married.”
“Liar.”
“Really. I’m on my way to meet my husband right now.”
She hadn’t married, but she had received a proposal, so it wasn’t a lie. Jaein nodded her head without a hint of falsehood and took a step back.
There was no need to take out her hand to show the ring. It was because she thought that the other person might recognize an expensive ring and harbor ill intentions.
Instead, Jaein quickly withdrew to refresh the atmosphere and shouted to the black man standing behind.
“Congratulations! You’ve earned a hundred dollars!”
Upon hearing her words, the black man laughed, approached Jaein, and pushed aside the disappointed-looking white man, extending his hand.
“Thanks. Thanks to you, I earned a hundred dollars. How about it? I know a really great Italian pizza place. It’s a place only locals in Chicago go to. It’s not far from here; want to go together? I’m not trying to take you to a weird place. It’s just across the bank over there.”
Jaein stared at the hand he offered, then stepped back a bit more. The black man, as if taken for granted, treated Jaein as an outsider.
“Sorry. It’s too cold; I can’t even take my hand out. And I don’t want to leave my husband alone to eat a lonely dinner on Christmas Eve.”
“…Married?”
“Yeah. And that pizzeria? It’s closed.”
“Oh, really…?”
“The owner went to his daughter’s wedding in Pasadena. It should reopen next week.”
The two men, with eyes widened in surprise, nodded in understanding as if they grasped the nuances of a well-known local restaurant regular.
{Well, then, not there… Ah, what do you like?}
{It seems like you didn’t understand what I said at all, but I don’t care about the menu. I meant that I have no intention of having dinner with either you or you. You’re married?}
{Ah, don’t think about leaving your husband alone on Christmas Eve. Playing with us wouldn’t be so bad, right?}
{I’ll pass. My husband is quite jealous. Have a good time!}
Politely rejecting the approaches of the men, Jaein quickly crossed the street and headed towards the crowded area in front of the Water Tower.
She glanced back to see if there were any signs of them following, but thankfully, the men just shrugged and continued on their way.
“Phew…”
When refusing advances from men, it was best not to let the conversation drag on, and reacting too sensitively wasn’t good either. Keeping a certain distance, she smiled faintly and clearly drew the line. Jaein knew this from experience.
There were men who would boldly pull out a weapon, and others who, for some reason, persistently followed her. Therefore, Jaein tended to stick to main roads as much as possible during her time in the United States.
Today, even though she had wrapped her face tightly with a scarf, she found it amusing that they approached. Perhaps the two men didn’t bother to check her face and simply approached because she was a woman walking alone.
Lost in her thoughts, Jaein suddenly realized the bright surroundings and stopped.
“Ah…”
She was right in front of the Water Tower’s Christmas tree. Suddenly, she recalled the man who had made the last January a meaningful Christmas for her at the Kangsun Art Center.
{I’ve been watching you since a while ago. If you have time…}
“Ugh…”
The voice of another man interrupted her thoughts, disturbing the time when she missed her lover in Korea. Jaein, unable to hide her annoyance, sighed and turned around.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
