“Lingering feelings…?”

Tae Sung asked.

The black eyes, from which emotions could not be rashly judged, were precisely directed at Ji Wan.

Ji Wan, looking into those eyes, became perplexed about how to answer.

At that moment, a subtle crease formed between Tae Sung’s brows.

At that reaction, which could never be a good sign, Ji Wan’s heart sank.

“Yes, lingering feelings. Do you know how much trouble I’m having trying to comfort that now?”

Hwa Young added unnecessary words without understanding the situation.

It seems such words could come out even after seeing that frowning expression.

Although Tae Sung glared at Hwa Young as if to kill her, he had no particular response to this jab.

The tightly closed lips only stung Ji Wan. Damn it.

“Huu… This is really driving me crazy.”

Having nothing more to say in this situation, Ji Wan finally stood up.

Hwa Young and Tae Sung’s gazes simultaneously followed her.

Ji Wan first bid farewell to Hwa Young, who was relatively easier to deal with.

“Hwa Young, thank you for treating me to expensive drinks today. Despite various things that happened, let’s forget everything we talked about here…”

Then she turned her head towards that person who was more difficult than anyone else at this moment.

Though she felt breathless as soon as she faced him, Ji Wan deliberately spoke with a forceful voice.

“Tae Sung, you should go back to your home. You must have a lot you want to hear… but we’ve had too much to drink now, so let’s just talk tomorrow.”

In any case, no matter how much time she bought, the answer she had to give was already determined.

‘The divorce talk was accidentally revealed.’

‘The talk of lingering feelings is just nonsense from Do Hwa Young.’

‘I have absolutely no lingering feelings about the termination of our contract.’

The reason for not saying it now was because she wanted to speak properly when sober.

Because if she showed even the slightest weakness to a man like Joo Tae Sung, he would mercilessly see through even the innermost feelings she wanted to hide.

Ji Wan moved her feet without hesitation.

“Lee Ji Wan!”

Hwa Young’s sharp voice was heard from behind, but she only hurried her steps.

“Hey, Lee Ji Wan…!”

Hwa Young abruptly stood up to follow her.

At that moment, Tae Sung’s hand, which had been still, firmly pressed down on Hwa Young’s shoulder to sit her back down.

This clearly meant not to follow and stay put.

“Ah, what! Where are you touching!”

Hwa Young burst out angrily and swatted his hand away.

Though Hwa Young was the one getting angry, Tae Sung’s attention was entirely focused on the door through which she had disappeared.

It was perhaps natural that he immediately followed after Ji Wan.

“Joo Tae Sung! Hey! Joo Tae Sung! You…!”

Hwa Young’s voice was heard behind Tae Sung’s back.

But Tae Sung left the bar without even looking back.

Left behind so abruptly, a disbelieving chuckle escaped between Hwa Young’s lips.

“Did they both put on a filter that only blocks my voice or what?”

What she picked up was the bag Ji Wan had left behind.

Hwa Young’s face showed annoyance at suddenly being burdened with the luggage.

“How dare they use me as a lost and found center? Ha, just wait and see. I won’t return this until they treat me to an expensive meal.”

Grumbling like that, Hwa Young was still completely unaware.

Of the fact that hidden in this bag was a contract containing a secret far more tremendous than the divorce papers.

* * *

Ji Wan, who had been walking as if running while looking only ahead, emerged from the building.

The downtown area, which had been bustling with people getting off work until she entered, was now quiet.

That’s why the following footsteps seemed particularly loud.

Knowing the owner of the approaching presence, Ji Wan was hurrying her steps while clenching her innocent fists tightly.

But those steps were forcibly stopped before going far.

It was because Tae Sung firmly grabbed her wrist with all his might just before crossing the traffic light.

“Lee Ji Wan.”

Tae Sung pulled Ji Wan’s body forcefully.

Unable to resist, Ji Wan’s eyes, turned towards Tae Sung, wavered helplessly like a candle in the wind.

Looking straight into her eyes, Tae Sung let out a deep sigh.

“Haah…”

That damn forehead was still furrowed.

“Didn’t you hear me say to go home?”

Ji Wan asked in a sharp voice.

Though it wasn’t a question asked for an answer, Tae Sung opened his mouth while looking straight into her eyes.

“I heard.”

“Then why did you follow me?”

“Because I couldn’t just let you go.”

“Why?”

“I need to hear from you what Do Hwa Young’s words meant.”

Tae Sung’s face, speaking directly to the point, showed none of his usual composure.

Usually quick to smile with his eyes for no particular reason, now his face looking at Ji Wan was just stiffly tense.

Facing this, there weren’t many answers Ji Wan could give.

“I said let’s talk tomorrow. I told you I’m very drunk.”

“How did you meet Do Hwa Young?”

“Huu…”

But it seemed Tae Sung was determined to start an interrogation.

Realizing he wouldn’t just let it go, Ji Wan reluctantly gave her best answer in a voice mixed with a sigh.

“Huu… I met her by chance on the street.”

“How does she know about our divorce?”

“The divorce papers were visible when I dropped my bag. Since we’re going to divorce anyway, I didn’t think there was any need to keep it a secret, so I just admitted it.”

“…What do you mean by lingering feelings?”

But she couldn’t give a casual answer to the last question.

Unable to acknowledge the ‘lingering feelings’ that Hwa Young had arbitrarily defined, Ji Wan’s heart sank just hearing that word from Tae Sung’s mouth.

“It’s not.”

Ji Wan denied it outright.

Tae Sung’s gaze looking down at her deepened even more.

Those eyes seemed to not believe the previous answer at all, so Ji Wan uttered once more in a firm voice.

“It’s absolutely not. Lingering feelings or whatever.”

“…”

“Frankly speaking, what kind of relationship do we have for me to have lingering feelings? Have you forgotten how I’ve been singing about divorce all this time? Hwa Young doesn’t know anything about us. Don’t attach meaning to what someone like that says arbitrarily.”

Fortunately, despite her unprepared heart, the answer flowed out without hesitation.

This should be enough to convince and move on, but Tae Sung’s eyes looking down at Ji Wan did not relax even a bit.

Ji Wan wanted to escape from that suffocating gaze as soon as possible.

It was quite burdensome to show her disheveled appearance, clearly having cried, in front of a man who became so chilly at the mention of lingering feelings.

“Ha, are you worried?”

Ji Wan said, deliberately letting out a scoff.

Only then did Tae Sung, who had been silently staring at Ji Wan, lower his gaze with a low sigh.

“What are you worried about? That I might have fallen deeply into your newlywed play-acting? Or that I might suddenly say I like you and cling to your pants leg? Or that I might find living as a prosecutor’s wife not bad after all and refuse to divorce?”

“…”

“I assure you, that won’t happen. So if you’re in the middle of unnecessary worry, let it go.”

This should be enough to drive the point home.

Though I don’t know why my heart aches while saying such obvious things.

Just then, the traffic light right in front of them changed to green.

Ji Wan, having nothing more to say, quietly shook off Tae Sung’s hand to break away from him again.

But this time, what held her two legs in place was his low voice.

“I’m still worried.”

“…”

“You cried.”

The moment she heard those words, Ji Wan’s heart dropped once again.

It was a completely different feeling from when it had coldly dropped earlier.

The heart that dropped now felt like it was burning hot inside her chest.

Ji Wan clenched her innocent fists tightly and tensed her whole body.

Then, deliberately ignoring the heat rising in her chest, she burst out shouting.

“I didn’t cry because of you, so stop looking so serious!”

With that shout as her last words, Ji Wan abruptly turned her body away from him.

Tae Sung reached out his hand to grab her again, but Ji Wan ran across the crosswalk with the blinking green light before he could reach her.

“Lee Ji Wan…!”

Hearing his voice calling from afar, Ji Wan moved her two legs even faster.

From behind, it would look like she was running away to anyone watching, but she had to do so or else she felt she would become strange like this.

He was the one who had frowned at Ji Wan’s lingering feelings that Hwa Young had arbitrarily conveyed.

He was the one who hadn’t said a word while looking down at the flustered Ji Wan.

So those words he just said must mean he’s worried about Ji Wan’s emotions that had made her cry…

But this crazy heart wants to interpret that meaning completely differently.

That he’s worried about me, not my one-sided feelings.

That he’s only concerned about the fact that I cried, not about Do Hwa Young’s words or the divorce papers.

“I’m crazy! I’m really crazy! Lee Ji Wan, you’ve gone mad!”

Constantly spinning hopeful circuits for something that couldn’t be.

This was indeed lingering feelings.

Then Hwa Young’s words that it wasn’t the person but the end with that person that I disliked must also be correct.

At this rate, even the nonsense about liking the damn Joo Tae Sung to a damn degree seemed about to be marked correct.

“This is all because of Do Hwa Young! Just wait and see if I ever associate with that person again!”

Ji Wan desperately ran through the quiet night streets, blaming all of this on Hwa Young.

Of course, doing this wouldn’t make today’s emotions she faced become someone else’s, but if she didn’t do this, she felt she would helplessly sink into these absurd emotions.

But the further she got away from him, the hotter the heat enveloping her whole body became.

It seems a big fire has started deep in her heart.

Seeing how it grows this much from just a passing word, the day when it burns down the whole thatched house isn’t far off.

Though the only one who will be helplessly burned to ashes is me alone.