Between Us is X - Chapter 2
Ki Woo’s film PR company was located on the second floor of an old commercial building.
In the space of about ten pyeong, Eun Soo sat at her desk, resting her chin on her two fists stacked like a stone tower, lost in thought. Her expression was quite serious.
‘……Should I have ordered pork cutlet instead?’
After contemplating lunch menus all morning, she had finally ordered jajangmyeon but was slightly regretting it.
But it was already too late, as the delivery speed of this Chinese restaurant they always ordered from was truly…
“Your meal is here!”
The sound of the door opening and the delivery person’s shout were heard simultaneously. It seemed to take less than a minute for them to familiarly set out the dishes on the table in the middle of the office and say ‘Enjoy your meal’ before heading back to the door.
“Thank you!”
Eun Soo sat down after politely thanking the delivery person who was already halfway out the door.
Now that she smelled the jajangmyeon, any regrets about not ordering pork cutlet vanished. Though she might regret not ordering a large portion.
Eun Soo neatly opened the wooden chopsticks and began mixing the jajangmyeon.
It had been about two weeks since she started the part-time job Ki Woo asked for.
The work wasn’t as simple as she had thought.
It involved dusting off and organizing jumbled scripts, synopses, proposals, and presentation materials by work and time period, creating lists and dividing them into folders. With nearly 10 years’ worth, the volume was enormous.
At first she wondered if she could do it all alone, but now she could see the end in sight. While feeling proud, her anxiety also grew.
‘Should I have worked more slowly? When this is done, I’ll really be unemployed…’
The interior design magazine company she used to work for was a place she had struggled to join after living as a job seeker for quite a while after graduating college.
Everything was good except for one critical problem. Her relationship with her direct superior, Team Leader Gye, was terrible. In particular, he seemed to try to break Eun Soo’s spirit, leading to constant clashes.
Still, she endured for a year out of stubbornness and determination, but then something happened recently.
She was given an unreasonable task and said she absolutely couldn’t do it, leading to a huge fight and a tense office atmosphere.
Then a team dinner was scheduled, and the drunk Team Leader Gye sat down next to Eun Soo. As she looked at him warily, he made the terrifying statement that he had actually been so prickly because he liked Sun Eun Soo.
The confession attack she had only heard about.
As soon as she heard it, goosebumps broke out and she blurted out harsh words she couldn’t hold back. Boss or not, she really hated it.
There’s a limit to endurance.
At that moment, that was her only thought. In the end, a fight broke out and it ended with her resignation letter.
‘The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get. How can a person be as unhelpful in life as a mosquito’s proboscis?’
Whether Team Leader Gye’s threat about the industry being small wasn’t just bluster, or if rumors really did spread in the small industry, no matter how many resumes she sent out, she didn’t get any calls from any magazine companies.
Eun Soo, who had suddenly become depressed, snapped out of it. This wasn’t something to think about in front of jajangmyeon that was swelling by the minute.
‘Let’s eat first. We do all this to live anyway.’
Just as Eun Soo was about to put a large chopstick-full of glistening noodles in her mouth, there was a knock followed by the sound of the door opening.
When there was no one expected to come.
Startled, Eun Soo only raised her eyes and froze.
A man was standing holding the door.
A man whose height and shoulder width brought to mind the phrase ‘as big as a door’.
The black hair calmly covering his forehead, the long eyes with faint double eyelid lines, even the very small mole on his cheek were all familiar features.
Her ex-boyfriend appearing at this timing…
Really? Suddenly? Like this?
Unable to swallow or spit out the jajangmyeon, Eun Soo just froze with her mouth open as Joo Han, who had been staring at her, spoke.
“……I’ll come back in 30 minutes.”
No, ah…!
Before Eun Soo could react, the door closed again.
By the time Eun Soo’s body finally moved and she hurriedly put down her bowl and chopsticks to stand up, Joo Han’s shadow had already disappeared into the distance.
“Ugh…!”
Eun Soo held her forehead with one hand.
He should have just come in. Or come back in 30 minutes from the start!
No, the door is open from 10 AM to 6 PM, so why! How could he possibly open it right at this moment!
After writhing in embarrassment, Eun Soo flopped back down and picked up her chopsticks and bowl again.
She inhaled the jajangmyeon aggressively, cleaned up at the speed of light, brushed her teeth in anger, and even opened the door for ventilation. Glancing at the clock, 25 minutes had passed.
‘Wait. Just because he said he’d come back doesn’t mean I have to wait, right?’
Why did that thought only occur to her now?
Without further deliberation, Eun Soo headed for the entrance. It’s not like anyone would say anything if she left before closing time anyway.
But as soon as she grabbed the handle, she made eye contact with someone standing beyond the glass.
“Gasp…!”
Joo Han holding takeout cups from a nearby cafe in both hands, and a moment of silence.
Eun Soo, who gave up on escape because the man as big as a door was blocking it, had no choice but to pull the handle. Joo Han strode in through the open door.
“I didn’t expect you to open the door for me.”
Eun Soo was about to say she hadn’t particularly opened it for him, but thought it might sound too tsundere so she stopped. Joo Han put the cups down on the table, now clear of any traces of jajangmyeon, and sat down in a chair. Eun Soo also sat across from him.
“Here.”
Joo Han pushed an iced Americano towards Eun Soo. It was a familiar gesture, as if there was no chance she would drink anything else.
The thought that her tastes might have changed in the meantime flashed through her mind, but knowing it would be pointless bickering, she silently accepted it.
“…I’ll drink it well.”
Slurp.
In the awkward atmosphere, the sound of sucking the drink through the straw seemed unusually loud.
Eun Soo spoke first.
“If you came looking for senior Ki Woo’s office, it’s not here…”
“No. I came because I have something to say to you.”
Joo Han gently cut her off. Eun Soo frowned almost imperceptibly.
“How did you know I was here?”
“Senior Ki Woo.”
“…”
“I didn’t go around asking on purpose. I had something to contact him about and he told me first.”
What a loose-lipped person. He really needs a discount on his mouth.
How much did he say? If he said I was here, he probably mentioned I quit my job too, damn it.
As Eun Soo was grumbling internally, Joo Han cleared his throat softly and said,
“Thank you for coming then.”
Instead of answering, Eun Soo just nodded slightly. She immediately understood that ‘then’ referred to Joo Han’s father’s funeral, which was almost a month ago now.
Since Eun Soo and Joo Han had gone to high school and college together before dating and breaking up, she ended up hearing various news about him whether she wanted to or not.
When she saw the obituary Ki Woo left in the group chat, Eun Soo was very troubled. Given that it was his father’s passing, not just any event, it weighed on her mind.
After much deliberation, she ended up paying her respects briefly before the funeral procession on the last night. No matter how they broke up, it felt like the right thing to do in this situation.
But surprisingly, the man in Joo Han’s father’s memorial photo was someone Eun Soo knew.
Kim Kyung Hoon, a first-generation vintage furniture collector in Korea and the owner of the vintage furniture shop .
All Eun Soo had heard from Joo Han about his father was that he divorced his mother when Joo Han was young, so they were practically strangers. Joo Han didn’t say more, and Eun Soo didn’t ask. So she couldn’t have imagined that man and Joo Han were father and son.
‘Is he doing a bit better now?’
Eun Soo glanced sideways at the opposite seat. Joo Han’s profile came into view as he looked around the office.
‘He seems thinner.’
She noticed his jawline below his ear, which had looked gaunt at the funeral home and now appeared even sharper than in her memories.
Joo Han turned his head. Eun Soo, who had flinched and averted her eyes, thought that seemed stranger so she met Joo Han’s gaze again. Then she said as nonchalantly as possible,
“Did you come all the way here to say that?”
“To say that, and to say something else.”
“Something else?”
For a moment, Eun Soo recalled something and internally gasped.
She had completely forgotten. The phone call she made to him in the early morning after drinking with Sol Hee before.
‘Surely he’s not going to bring up that conversation now?’
Eun Soo’s hands started trembling. Just as she thought the ice in the Americano might start rattling audibly, Eun Soo preemptively struck.
“Sorry, but I don’t remember.”
“What?”
“That, me calling you recently. I don’t remember why I did it or what I said. That’s why I didn’t reply to your text.”
Joo Han, who had been staring at Eun Soo, made an expression that seemed like he was smiling but also not.
“Ah, is that so?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Eun Soo straightened her back to look as dignified as possible.
“Since it came up.”
“Yeah?”
“What did I say then…?”
Joo Han leaned back in the chair he was sitting in. He crossed his long legs, folded his hands on his knee, and tilted his head slightly.
“Well. I don’t remember either.”
“What?”
Is he mocking me, or is he trying to play along?
Eun Soo’s eyes narrowed. Joo Han replied with eyes that looked slightly languid, as if he didn’t care much.
“I was sleeping when I answered. You know, when I sleep…”
Joo Han trailed off, realizing they weren’t close enough to casually talk about his sleeping habits. Of course, Eun Soo understood well enough by that point.
It was Joo Han’s sleeping habit. He would answer calls and respond when spoken to while asleep, but not remember anything when he woke up.
It was a fairly plausible reason, but a sliver of doubt arose.
“Then why did you send that text?”
“What did I send?”
“…Never mind.”
Eun Soo gave up at that point.
Joo Han might really not remember, or he might not want to tell her. Either way, talking more would only make her look pathetic, so she decided to let it go even though it bothered her.
With an inscrutable gaze fixed on Eun Soo, Joo Han opened his mouth.
“What I wanted to say wasn’t about that day.”
It wasn’t?
Then I brought up something I didn’t need to first?
Just as the rising embarrassment was about to turn into irritation, Joo Han’s voice reached Eun Soo’s ears.
“Let’s work together.”
“What did you say?”
Eun Soo asked again, thinking she must have misheard. Joo Han adjusted his posture and said once more.
“You’re not going to keep working here, right? I’ll pay you a salary, so let’s try working together.”
Eun Soo, who had been staring at Joo Han, suddenly frowned.
“Are you in your right mind? Why would I work with you?”
“Why do people work? To make money. To pay into savings accounts and pay off loans.”
Eun Soo’s gaze grew even fiercer.
“Are you looking down on me for being unemployed? Do I look so desperate that I’d put up with this kind of talk?”
Joo Han replied that it wasn’t like that, and continued calmly.
“I’m going to try running my father’s shop.”
Eun Soo’s fierce gaze softened slightly and a look of puzzlement crossed her face.
From what she had heard through the grapevine, after breaking up with her, Joo Han had gone to America and was working at his mother’s business consulting company. She remembered seeing a wreath with that company’s name at the funeral home too.
“…What about the work you were doing?”
“It didn’t suit me anyway. I want to properly try the vintage furniture business, but I need someone who knows a bit about it. Senior Ki Woo said you’re perfect among the people he knows. No, that you’re the only one.”
Is that senior really in his right mind? There are other people he could introduce. What kind of crazy person in this new country is he!
Did he forget that this guy and I used to date? If it’s Yoon Ki Woo, that’s not impossible. Joo Han said carefully,
“I can match the conditions as much as possible. I’d like you to answer without personal feelings.”
Eun Soo replied almost reflexively.
“I don’t have any personal feelings for you.”
She quickly added,
“But separate from that, I’ll decline.”
After a moment of silence, Joo Han took something out of his pocket.
“I didn’t want to use this, but…”
“This?”
Joo Han held out a small piece of paper to the puzzled Eun Soo.
Eun Soo unconsciously took it and read it, then screamed.
“Aaagh! You crazy person!”
Male lead is reincarnated to save his wife
I’ve also read this one twice already. The female lead is kinda soft and gets embarrassed easily—not really my type, but the plot is definitely worth reading. Hurry up and read it, y’all!
Intro
When Shen Yuan encountered Su Jin again in his previous life, she had already become the Prime Minister of the current dynasty. As for him, the former top young master of the capital, he had long since fallen into the abyss, becoming a singer on a pleasure boat.
After a song ended, he was redeemed and sent to the Su Residence.
Su Jin respected and cherished him, gave him a roof over his head, and bestowed him with warmth. Shen Yuan fell deeper and deeper, but before he could express his feelings, Su Jin passed away.
Shen Yuan died to follow her in death, but instead, he returned to when he was fifteen years old.
At that time, he was not yet engaged, and Su Jin was just a poor scholar.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth, casting aside all his pride, and thought of ways to coax and entice her every day.
The colder and more indifferent Su Jin was towards him, the more proactive Shen Yuan became.
He was not afraid of being mocked by the world, only wanting to marry his Wife-master early, to hold her hand and never let go for a lifetime.
[Note: This story will not specifically point out the male lead’s reincarnation time point; it’s all in the details. Whenever you feel that the male lead is acting strangely, he has most likely been reincarnated.]
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
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