Before long, the taxi had entered the neighborhood where Ina lived.

After a while, when the convenience store near the villa where Ina lived came into view, Ina told the driver to stop there.

As the taxi stopped in front of the convenience store, Ina took out her wallet, but Juwon held out his card.

“What? No, it’s okay. I’ll pay. And you need to keep going, right?”

“It’s fine.”

Juwon answered briefly, took the card from the driver, and opened the taxi door.

Juwon got out first, held the taxi door, and looked at Ina, who got out of the taxi in a daze.

As soon as the taxi left, Ina looked up at Juwon.

“Why did you get out? You’ll have to catch another taxi.”

“Catching a taxi is easy. It’s nothing.”

Juwon answered as if it was no big deal and looked at the convenience store in front of him.

“Wait a minute.”

With that, Juwon went into the convenience store and came out a moment later with a black plastic bag.

“Here.”

When Juwon held out the bag, Ina took it with a tilt of her head.

Inside the bag were hangover pills, ion drinks, and ice cream.

“Oh… Why did you buy so much? I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s nothing. Take the hangover pills before you sleep in case you get a headache.”

Ina, who was about to thank him for his thoughtful consideration, quietly looked at the mango ice cream in the bag.

It was the ice cream Ina used to eat every day when she was in middle school.

“This is my favorite ice cream… How do you remember?”

“I can’t help but remember. You used to buy a ton of this whenever you came over to our house.”

At Juwon’s words, Ina laughed.

“Right. I did.”

Ina smiled at the memories that were coming back to her.

As she looked up at Juwon to say thank you, she felt strangely ticklish in one corner of her heart.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy them. But I feel like I keep receiving from you today.”

“It’s not a big deal. Let’s go. Where’s your house?”

When Juwon asked, sticking his hand in one pocket, Ina pointed ahead.

“If you go that way and turn right, you’ll see it right away.”

Juwon nodded and gestured for her to go.

Ina, holding the black plastic bag, took a step, and Juwon also moved his feet, matching Ina’s steps.

Walking side by side with Juwon, inhaling the chilly October night air, somehow felt strange.

Even in middle school, they had never walked alone together…

No, they had never been alone together at all…

But now, 13 years later, walking together like this as adults, she felt an indescribable feeling.

Juwon also walked without saying a word, but he seemed to be lost in thought.

After walking side by side with Juwon for about 5 minutes, the villa where Ina lived appeared.

“Here it is.”

When Ina said, standing in front of the villa, Juwon glanced up at the villa.

“Which floor?”

“3rd floor.”

Juwon nodded and looked down at Ina.

“Okay. Then. You must be tired, so go in quickly.”

“Yeah. You must be tired too from driving me. Go quickly. Thank you so much for today.”

Instead of answering, Juwon stared at Ina for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Don’t think too much and just sleep well. Got it?”

“Oh? Yeah… I should.”

“Then go in, and if anything happens tomorrow, call me right away.”

“Something happens?”

“If that bastard comes looking for you or makes a scene, call me.”

“Ah. I’m going to stay at a friend’s house tomorrow. Just in case.”

“Good. That’s better. Then stay at your friend’s house tomorrow, and if anything happens after that, call me right away. Understand?”

Ina looked up at Juwon’s serious face and nodded.

“Yeah. Thank you.”

“Okay. Then. Go in quickly. Sleep well, and I’ll see you on Monday. I’ll call when I get off work.”

“Okay. Got it. You be careful going back too.”

When Ina waved, Juwon nodded for her to go in first.

“I’ll go after I see you go in.”

At Juwon’s words, Ina hesitated for a moment, then nodded and turned around, slowly moving her feet.

Just as she was about to go through the front gate, Juwon called out, “Seo Ina.”

When Ina looked back, Juwon stared at her silently for a moment before opening his mouth.

“It’s really nice… to see you again.”

At those words, Ina looked at Juwon blankly and smiled faintly.

“Yeah. It’s really nice to see you too.”

Juwon smiled and nodded for her to go in quickly.

Ina waved again and went through the front gate of the villa.

Juwon, who was looking up at the villa from a few steps away, moved his feet only after confirming that the light on the 3rd floor was on.

* * *

On Saturday morning, Ina, who woke up after 10 o’clock, opened the window, inhaled the fresh air, and checked her cell phone.

There was no contact from Jeonghun as she had blocked his calls, texts, and chat, but there were 3 unknown phone numbers.

She didn’t need to look to know it was Jeonghun.

Ina sighed deeply, put down her cell phone, and walked to the kitchen.

After drinking cold water from the refrigerator, she tied her hair tightly and started cleaning.

After vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, and doing laundry including the bed sheets, it was 11:30.

Ina, who sat at the table after making toast and a cup of coffee, looked at her cell phone.

She stared at Juhee’s number that Juwon had told her yesterday, swallowed hard, and with trembling hands, dialed the number.

As the dial tone started, Ina’s heart began to beat fast.

Will Juhee recognize my voice? Will she be happy to hear from me? Will she resent me for not contacting her all this time?

As she was thinking about this and that alone, there was a clicking sound on the other end, and a voice came through.

“Hello?”

At the unfamiliar voice of Juhee after 13 years, the nervous Ina swallowed hard.

“Hello?”

When Ina didn’t say anything, Juhee spoke again in Japanese.

“Hello? Excuse me… Is this Juhee’s cell phone?”

“Huh? Who is this?”

Juhee asked in a surprised voice.

Ina’s throat suddenly felt choked up, unable to say anything.

On the other end of the phone, Juhee was also quiet for a moment, then carefully asked.

“Could it be… Ina? Is it you, Ina?”

With reddened eyes, Ina bit her lip and nodded.

She nodded vigorously as if Juhee on the phone could see her, and a tear fell.

“Yeah. That’s right. It’s me, Ina.”

At Ina’s sobbing voice, a surprised sound was heard from the other end of the phone.

“What? Oh my gosh! Really? Is it really you, Ina?”

“Yes. That’s right. It’s me, Ina. Seo Ina.”

When Ina said, sobbing, a sobbing sound was heard from the other side after a while.

“Oh my gosh. Ina? Is it really Ina? My best friend Ina from middle school?”

“Yes. That’s right. It’s your best friend Seo Ina. Sniff.”

At the sound of Ina’s crying, the other side also burst into tears.

“Sniff. Ina. I missed you so much, I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you. I suddenly came to Japan, so I couldn’t even contact you. Sniff. I tried to contact you later, but it said the number was unavailable, so I couldn’t reach you. I’m really sorry. Sniff.”

With that, Juhee suddenly started wailing and sobbing loudly.

The startled Ina was about to tell her not to cry when suddenly a man’s voice was heard on the other end.

The man asked something in Japanese in a surprised voice, and Juhee answered while crying. They exchanged a few more words, and soon the sound of Juhee blowing her nose was heard.

“I’m sorry. Sniff. My husband was surprised when I suddenly started crying.”

“Oh. I see. Juhee. Don’t cry. If you cry too much, the baby in your belly might get startled.”

“Huh? How do you know I’m pregnant?”

The surprised Juhee asked, and Ina told her about meeting Juwon yesterday.

She only told her that they ran into each other on the street by chance, without mentioning Jeonghun.

“What? Oh my gosh! How can something like that happen? You met Juwon in the middle of the street?”

“Yeah. Isn’t it amazing? I was really surprised too. I wanted to call you right away, but it was too late at night, so I couldn’t.”

“No. If it was your call, I would have gotten up to answer even at 3 in the morning.”

At Juhee’s words in a nasal voice, Ina smiled.

She couldn’t believe she was talking to Juhee.

It felt so much like a dream that she pinched her cheek hard to see if it hurt.

The vivid feeling of pain made her happy, and Ina smiled brightly.

“Juhee. I really feel like I’m dreaming. Hearing your voice feels just like a dream.”

“Me too. Ina. I’m so scared this might be a dream. We’re not dreaming, are we?”

“Yeah. No, it’s not a dream.”

Ina answered with a big smile.

The two of them talked on the phone for a long time, sharing stories of their lives, and made a promise to meet soon before hanging up.

Even after hanging up, it took Ina a long time to calm her pounding heart.

Her eyes were quite swollen from crying throughout the call with Juhee.

Ina went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, laughing at her appearance.

“Long time no see, swollen-eyed Rudolph.”

Ina giggled and washed her face with cold water.

* * *

“Hey. Seo Ina. What’s wrong with your lips?”

Hyunju’s eyes narrowed when she saw Ina’s lips as she walked through the front door.

When Ina silently took off her shoes and came in to sit on the sofa, Hyunju’s eyebrows twitched.

“Don’t tell me… That bastard Park Jeonghun hit you?”

When there was no answer from Ina, Hyunju took it as a yes and stood up with eyes that looked like they would pop out.

“Is this guy really crazy? He’s using violence now? I’m going to kill him!”

Ina pulled the excited Hyunju, who sounded like she would rush out at any moment, to sit back down.

“Calm down.”

“Hey! Is this something to be calm about? This is really crazy. How dare he lay a hand on you?”

“He didn’t directly hit me… Something happened on Friday.”

“What happened?”

Hyunju asked, fuming.

Ina briefly told her what had happened on Friday night.

After hearing the whole story, Hyunju’s eyes widened in surprise.

“This crazy bastard, really… What? He asked how many men you’ve slept with? Wow. This is really trash that can’t even be recycled.”

Hyunju frowned and clenched her fists.

“Argh! Really! I should go after this bastard right now and break his legs!”

“There’s no need for that since I won’t be seeing him anymore.”

“But still.”

Hyunju suddenly sat up straight and looked at Ina with sparkling eyes.

“How can something like a drama happen? The man who helped you when you were being dragged away turned out to be your friend from middle school?”

“Well, to be precise, he’s the twin brother of my friend.”

“Anyway, a friend is a friend. Isn’t this like a drama? How do you meet like that in the middle of the street? In that kind of situation too?”

“That’s why I was so surprised too. I was thanking him, and he seemed familiar. But when he looked closely, he recognized me right away.”

“Wow. He’s really amazing. At first, he helped without even knowing it was you, just because a woman was being dragged away, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“Wow. Who gets involved in other people’s business like that these days? Isn’t he a real hero?”

“I know… Considering his personality in middle school, he was definitely not the type to get involved in other people’s business… So I was even more surprised.”

“So, what happened after that? Did you exchange contact information?”

“Yeah. After Park Jeonghun left, I was having a drink with him when you called.”

“Ah. So the friend you were meeting at that time was this friend?”

“Yeah.”

“I see.”

Hyunju was lost in thought for a moment.

“Well, the dramatic reunion is really surprising too… But we need to put out the urgent fire first. That Park Jeonghun might come looking for you, so do you want to stay at our place for the time being?”

At those words, Ina paused for a moment before opening her mouth.

“Actually, Juwon said he’ll take me home after work for the next week.”

“What?”

Hyunju asked with wide eyes.