Between Us is X (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
Seon Kyung quietly passed on the message. She said that Eun Su had happened to see the accounting ledger listing her salary, which had been cut to the bare minimum for the past few months. She hasn’t said anything, but she seems really worried.
Could it really be because of that…?
If Eun Su had suddenly changed her mind because of , that would be even less acceptable. She couldn’t possibly burden Eun Su like that.
So after much deliberation, she contacted the staff member behind Eun Su’s back, hoping to renegotiate under different terms—anything besides appearing on TV. But the staff member replied,
“Actually, headquarters was leaning more toward , but I strongly advocated for it to be you two with . The moment I saw the two of you together in , I just had this gut feeling—this is it. I’m sure the broadcasting station that approached you felt the exact same certainty. Honestly, I’m personally really looking forward to that show.”
She didn’t know what exactly they’d seen or felt, but one thing was clear: the sole and decisive reason the staff member had changed their mind was precisely that TV appearance.
At this point, Ju Han had no choice but to give up and accept it.
God wasn’t on his side in this matter—God was on the broadcaster’s side.
“Sigh…”
Ju Han let out a deep, earth-shattering sigh and rubbed his face with his dry hands.
[This is the timeline separator]That evening, Ju Han and Eun Su sat across from each other in a restaurant a short distance from the office. The place had been chosen entirely based on Eun Su’s preference.
Since this meeting was meant to meticulously coordinate their story for the broadcast, he’d assumed they’d at least go somewhere quiet. Yet Eun Su strode in confidently and sat down at a packed, bustling dakgalbi restaurant.
Ju Han spoke up.
“Why on earth would you want to have this conversation at a dakgalbi place?”
“Because I wanted to eat dakgalbi.”
“Right, like it’s some grand discussion.”
“Do you want some too?”
“No, thanks.”
Eun Su held out a green apron, but Ju Han firmly turned away. Eun Su calmly tied on the apron, which read ‘First Time,’ and raised her hand to call a server.
“Two-person set, please, plus extra side dishes. Oh, and extra cheese too.”
Having quickly placed the order, Eun Su turned back to Ju Han and added,
“We’ll stir-fry rice later, so I kept the main order light.”
“Light… sure.”
While the side dishes arrived and the pan heated up, Eun Su started speaking.
“You saw what Sol Hee sent us, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s fill it in, one by one. First, our anniversary. How about we say we got back together on May 1st last year?”
“Why?”
“No reason. It’s the reopening day—easy to remember.”
Eun Su split a rolled omelet on her small plate in half with her chopsticks and added,
“We all drank a ton that day for our one-year anniversary… we could say things got out of hand then.”
Ju Han scowled deeply. Then he looked Eun Su over as if she were some wild beast.
“Is that something you’d say for the broadcast?”
“If you instantly think it’s fabricated, you won’t ask any follow-up questions.”
True? That actually made sense.
Ju Han nearly fell for it before snapping back to his senses and shaking his head.
“No. We’ll say it happened while completely sober.”
“If you do something while sober, isn’t that not an ‘accident’ anymore?”
“Who said anything about doing that first? I mean the confession—the confession!”
“The two-person set is ready.”
At the most exasperating timing, a staff member cut in abruptly.
Ju Han and Eun Su fell silent and stared at the delicious sight before them. The server’s hands deftly poured the dakgalbi onto the well-heated pan and began stir-frying with dazzling skill.
“You added extra cheese, right? Just a moment.”
The server stepped away briefly. In that gap, Ju Han quickly continued,
“Let’s just say we clearly confessed while completely sober. Nothing ‘accidental’ happened. And the date was May 11th.”
Eun Su froze in place. Meeting her silent gaze, Ju Han added,
“That date would be easier to remember, I think.”
Eun Su’s eyes slowly narrowed.
‘Of course it’s easy to remember. That’s the day we actually started dating.’
Just a few digits were enough to summon a cascade of memories—the season, the weather that day, the faint scent of acacia in the wind, even the clothes they’d worn.
Ju Han couldn’t possibly not know that. Such things weren’t about forgetting or remembering the past—they were automatic reflexes. He’d clearly recited that date on purpose, just to be spiteful.
Eun Su opened her mouth to say something, but the server returned. With a flourish like Moses parting the sea, they split the well-cooked dakgalbi right down the middle, piled on a generous heap of cheese in the center, and finished with a dramatic torch flambe.
“Oh, wow!”
She’d been about to get upset just a moment ago.
Seeing Eun Su’s eyes instantly soften as they followed the sizzling, melting cheese, Ju Han swallowed a defeated laugh.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Thank you.”
Eun Su smiled sweetly and reached for the serving spatula. Ju Han tapped her hand gently but firmly.
“Hey, why?”
“Finish what we were talking about first.”
But the cheese would harden if they didn’t eat it soon. Grumbling under her breath, Eun Su reluctantly sat up straight and stared intently at Ju Han.
After holding each other’s gaze for a while, Ju Han spoke softly.
“Do you ever regret breaking up with me?”
Eun Su was momentarily speechless, able only to look at Ju Han. His calm, offhand question dropped heavily somewhere inside her chest like a stone.
“I do. Every single day without fail—but I want to stop now.”
What is he even saying right now?
Does he really have to look so sincere while saying that…?
“Can’t we get back together?”
To say something… like that…
Right then, Eun Su felt an overwhelming urge to echo Ju Han’s earlier words exactly:
Why on earth would you say something like that at a dakgalbi place…?
Ju Han lowered his eyes, watching Eun Su sit frozen. Then he picked up the spatula she’d tried to grab moments before and said,
“Let’s call this your confession—inviting me out for dinner after work and saying all this.”
“Y-yeah. Not bad.”
Ju Han served food onto Eun Su’s plate first, then filled his own. Eun Su, lost in thought, reached into her bag beside her and pulled out a work tablet.
“Wait, but around that time…”
She flipped through something and then said,
“You were in Finland on May 11th last year?”
“Then we’ll say we did it over the phone.”
“Oh, right.”
Eun Su pulled out the pen docked in her tablet and immediately started taking notes: May 11th, phone call, calculate time difference.
“You’re writing all that down?”
“Yes, CEO. It’s important, so I’ll tidy it up nicely and send it to you later.”
Responding in full work-mode tone, Eun Su suddenly lifted her head.
“Actually, no—it’s top secret. Let’s write it on paper and burn it right after reporting.”
“What, are you gonna eat it?”
“I don’t eat paper. It’s tasteless, and I can’t waste my digestion on that. Let’s eat this first.”
Eun Su set her tablet aside and picked up her chopsticks.
After that, they barely spoke at all, focusing entirely on finishing every last bite of food before them.
So full they felt they might burst, they left the restaurant and headed home in Ju Han’s car. The remaining conversation in the car came in sparse fragments.
“Anything else we need to go over?”
Eun Su asked on Ju Han’s behalf while he drove.
“Our first date—where was it?”
In retaliation for Ju Han bringing up their real anniversary, Eun Su now mentioned their actual first date.
“The exhibit in Insadong, right?”
Ju Han answered with a completely unaffected expression.
“But that exhibit is different from the one a year earlier. In case they ask details, let’s just say we took a walk along the Han River.”
“Fine. Then what about our first trip?”
“A trip… we’ve never actually been anywhere together. If we make something up, we might slip up. Better to pick somewhere we both know.”
“Right. Then let’s say we took a train to Taean. Remember, our departments had MTs there on the same day.”
“Oh, that place. There’s an arboretum nearby.”
“Yeah.”
The story came together surprisingly easily.
Just as they were almost home, Ju Han said,
“Oh, by the way—when did we decide to hold the team dinner next week, Wednesday or Thursday? We’ll talk about it then, right?”
“…”
When no answer came, Ju Han glanced over. He thought she might’ve been distracted, but Eun Su had already closed her eyes. No wonder her speech had been slowing down—she’d dozed off.
The car stopped in front of Eun Su’s house.
Watching her sleep soundly without the slightest movement, Ju Han turned off the engine. After waiting a little longer, he carefully reached over and undid her seatbelt. Still, Eun Su didn’t wake.
The car was unusually quiet and warm. Understanding exactly why Eun Su had fallen asleep, Ju Han’s mind grew unusually clear.
Maybe… this was an opportunity…? No, definitely not.
Stop entertaining useless hopes and get a grip. Don’t ruin everything.
Ju Han tore his eyes away from Eun Su’s profile with difficulty and recalled the coffee table he’d repaired that morning.
The soft solid wood tabletop bore marks from hot items and countless tiny scratches. He could sand them all away as if they’d never existed—but doing so might also erase the wood’s natural grain. ‘Moderation’ was always the challenge.
He could make it look as close to new as possible, but he couldn’t make it truly new again.
He could cover up the scars so they’d be as unnoticeable as possible, but he couldn’t erase the fact that they’d ever been made.
So what I can do is…
A rustling sound came from beside him. Eun Su, now awake, blinked dazedly, realized she was in Ju Han’s car, and abruptly straightened up.
“When did I fall asleep?”
“Why are you asking me? I was waiting to ask you the same thing.”
Eun Su shot Ju Han a quick, sideways glance, yawned widely, and mumbled,
“I was full and warm—must’ve dozed off without realizing…”
Ju Han clicked his tongue in mock annoyance.
“From now on, if you ever ride in my car again, you’ll pay for overnight lodging.”
“Deduct it from my salary.”
Eun Su tossed out the utterly careless reply while hastily gathering her bag.
“Anyway, sorry—and thanks. I’m off.”
“Go on in. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
Back in her apartment, Eun Su stretched. Despite dozing off in someone else’s car, her body felt refreshingly light.
‘Well, those car seats probably cost more than my mattress anyway.’
Reaching this thoroughly capitalist conclusion, Eun Su took a shower, then picked up her tablet. As she began organizing the story points she’d aligned with Ju Han, a strange feeling washed over her.
‘Do you ever regret breaking up with me?’
Ju Han’s face as he’d asked that suddenly flashed in her mind.
‘I do. Every single day without fail—but I want to stop now.’
His tone and expression in that instant had felt so genuine it startled her. The goosebumps from earlier rose again.
To some extent, Eun Su’s prediction had been correct. Given the mood, old memories were bound to surface—and if they’d had that conversation in some dimly lit place with soft music, or somewhere intimate and secluded, things could’ve gotten out of hand.
That’s exactly why she’d chosen the bustling dakgalbi restaurant—yet he’d said that there of all places.
‘When you used to stubbornly refuse and protest, where was this acting skill? Guess I don’t need to worry about the broadcast after all.’
Clearing her throat with a soft “Hmm,” Eun Su forced out a light mutter to herself.
“I just need to do my part. That’s all—just me.”
[This is the timeline separator]Wednesday evening, held its team dinner.
“Excuse me for a moment. Before we leave, I have one announcement.”
Staff members who’d finished getting ready to leave gathered back around as Eun Su spoke. Aware of Ju Han quietly coming to stand behind her, she continued,
“Next month, will be filming a TV program.”
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
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