I Don't Recommend a Blunder with a Male Friend (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5
“Baek In Ha. Do you want to go to the cafeteria first?”
“Huh? Why?”
Baek In Ha asked, eyes wide with surprise.
“I’ll make a quick call and catch up with you. Go ahead and start eating.”
“Hmm… You’d better come quickly. It’s awkward eating alone.”
Looking disappointed, she repeated that I should hurry and headed toward the cafeteria. I watched her until she disappeared from sight, then grabbed my phone and dashed swiftly into the supply closet.
Truuurrrr.
The ringtone hadn’t lasted long before he picked up.
“You—what the hell do you mean by that?”
“I’m near your office.”
“Your office? Did I ever tell you our company’s name?”
No matter how hard I tried to recall, I couldn’t remember ever telling him the company name.
“No, you did. You said your office was near the one I was going to join. Anyway, I’m right in front of S.T Corporation.”
Good grief. Panic flashed through me at the thought of him standing right outside the building. I didn’t have the power to send him back now that he’d already come this far. So I’d have to deal with him outside…
“Uh—not there. From Exit 1 of the subway station, turn into the alley beside the drugstore, and there’s a small café. Wait for me there. I’ll be right over.”
“What’s the café called?”
I gave Ji Seo Jun the café’s name and hurried toward the company lobby. In the elevator, I left a message for Baek In Ha, who might be waiting for me, saying I had an urgent errand.
Once in the lobby, I hid behind a large sculpture and scanned every corner. That oversized eyesore—usually cursed for being useless—was now perfectly suited to conceal me.
There was no way I could’ve missed him if he were standing around. Just following the gaze of nearby women would’ve led me straight to him. Thankfully, not even a single strand of his hair was in sight.
I quickened my pace toward the café where I’d told him to wait.
It was close to the station but tucked away in a corner—only regulars knew about it. I sometimes came here when I needed solitude away from my coworkers.
Hastily, I unhooked my employee badge from my neck and shoved it into my bag.
Jingle.
As I entered, the café owner greeted me warmly.
“Welcome! It’s been a while since you’ve dropped by.”
“Yeah, it really has, huh? Haha.”
I greeted the owner and glanced around the café. There, in a corner, he sat leisurely with coffee in front of him, reading a book.
Seriously, trying to look cool?
I shot him a sidelong glance, ordered my coffee, and sat down across from him.
“What are you doing all the way here?”
He looked up from his book at the sound of my voice and closed it.
“Do I really have to ask?”
“You didn’t need to come all this way… We could’ve met after work…”
I scanned the café again, just in case someone from the office might be here, but thankfully, no one was.
“Do you still not remember?”
“…”
Would nagging me make my memory return? I let out a heavy sigh and shook my head.
“Look, is that really true? That thing you said I said—about me actually saying that… like you mentioned.”
“Yes. Not a single word of it is a lie. Why? Do you want me to say it again?”
I covered my face with both palms. Just what exactly did my drunken alter ego want from this guy?
“First of all… we used protection, right?”
Aaargh!
What did he just say?
I jumped in shock, wanting to cover his mouth—but my arms were too short to reach. I felt like a pathetic, short-armed creature. If I believed him completely, I really must’ve been a beast last night.
“Why? Isn’t it an important issue?”
Well, yes, but…
“Still, can’t you tone down such blunt expressions a little? Hmm?”
Since I couldn’t cover his mouth, I pressed my palms firmly over my own ears instead.
“Your iced Americano is ready.”
My coffee order rang out clearly—even with my ears covered, it was no use.
I stood up, took the drink, and returned to my seat. Agitated, I jammed the straw into the cup and stirred it violently. The ice clinked and spun rapidly.
“Did you come all this way just to talk about that?”
“No.”
He lifted the espresso in front of him and took an elegant sip.
“I just want to wrap this whole thing up.”
“What kind of ‘wrap up’…”
Anxiously, I stared only at Ji Seo Jun’s beautiful lips, wondering what deadly words might come out next. Then—
“Hey! Ji Seo Jun! Just because you’re handsome doesn’t mean you’re that handsome… Well, I guess you look a bit cute when you’re eating nicely. You silly, pretty mouth.”
What? What just came back to me?
More memories began surfacing again.
“Hey! Noah! Eunna?”
It sounded like, “Hey, let go! Won’t you let go?”
In my hazy recollection, Ji Seo Jun glared at me, jaw clenched, his mouth firmly held shut. Clearly, I’d been gripping his pretty lips between my thumb and index finger.
I lowered my gaze to my own fingers.
Was this memory manipulation? Or just some fantasy born from my desire?
I tried to avoid it for a moment, but the memory was too vivid. Had I really grabbed Ji Seo Jun’s lips and shaken them? Me?
“Hold on. Did I actually grab your lips and shake them?”
“Do you remember?”
No way.
So that memory that just surfaced… it was real.
“Why didn’t you stop me?”
The usual Ji Seo Jun would’ve easily shoved me away. There was no way he’d have let me shake his mouth like that and done nothing.
“Not stop you? You wouldn’t let go, so I ended up yanking your lips hard. But then you laughed? Are you some kind of pervert? Just thinking about it still gives me goosebumps.”
After finishing his sentence, Ji Seo Jun thrust his arm toward me. Sure enough, goosebumps covered his skin. I shot up from my seat.
I couldn’t let Ji Seo Jun’s charm get to me anymore. A warning alarm blared in my head.
“No. That couldn’t have happened. I don’t want to hear any more. I’m leaving first.”
“Sit down. I’m not done talking yet.”
Another warning bell rang in my mind. If I ignored Ji Seo Jun now and walked out… well, I didn’t even want to imagine what might happen.
Hesitantly, I sank back into my chair.
“Looks like you don’t remember everything… Of course, even if you do recall Moon Da Yul, you’d probably still deny it.”
I didn’t argue—everything he said was spot on.
“I was drunk too… but not as completely out of it as you were.”
My throat had gone parched, so I took a sip of the coffee in front of me.
“Even if you came at me relentlessly… it’s still my fault for not refusing all the way through. I’m sorry.”
For a second, I wondered if my ears were playing tricks on me—or maybe there was alcohol in this coffee.
“Did you just say you’re sorry? Ji Seo Jun?”
“Yeah. I said I’m sorry.”
“Say it again. Say it one more time.”
He narrowed his eyes at my request.
“K-keep saying it…”
When I backed down, he relaxed his eyes again, placed one hand on the table, and lightly tapped it with his index finger.
“How about we start seeing each other?”
My mouth fell open. What… what was this guy saying right now? I was so stunned I couldn’t form words.
Seeing me speechless, just opening and closing my mouth, he let out a deep sigh and ruffled his hair wildly—completely unconcerned about messing it up.
“Just say something.”
I took a deep breath through my nose, trying to regain my composure. After wetting my throat with a sip of coffee, I finally spoke.
“You don’t even like me.”
“…I do.”
“Not as a friend—I mean as a woman.”
“…”
“If this is just you feeling responsible for your actions, then I’ll pass.”
He frowned, apparently displeased with my words, and sharply turned his head away.
“You don’t need to take responsibility. We’re both adults… and even though I don’t remember everything clearly, if we willingly spent the night together, there’s absolutely no need for you to feel obligated.”
I wasn’t just acting cool—I genuinely believed that. It was my first time sleeping with someone who wasn’t my boyfriend, but I didn’t want to tie Ji Seo Jun down over something I couldn’t even recall.
Starting a relationship just because we spent one night together wouldn’t make either of us happy.
“So then.”
“So what? I’m not dating you.”
Smart guy—why couldn’t he get it? I sucked hard on my straw, draining the nearly empty coffee.
“Then… what are we supposed to be now?”
“What do you mean, ‘what are we’? We’ll just go back to how things were before.”
Ji Seo Jun looked slightly surprised, staring at me.
Ah. So he’d been anxious—clearly worried our relationship might change. That’s why he’d rushed all the way to my office like that.
Escaping Ji Seo Jun’s shadow had always been my dream, but cutting ties with him as a friend was something I’d never even imagined. Our relationship had always been like this.
“Get up. I haven’t even eaten yet. I skipped breakfast, and now because of you coming here, I’m about to go back without eating anything.”
Embarrassed, I stood up and urged Ji Seo Jun to hurry. When I pushed him, he picked up the book from the table, tucked it into his bag, and slowly rose.
We stepped out of the café and onto the busy main street.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“No time. I’ll just grab some bread from the convenience store.”
“Okay. Got it.”
After exchanging a quick “Be careful!” as our parting words, I turned to leave—when suddenly—
“Watch out!”
An electric kick scooter zoomed past right beside me. I narrowly avoided it—not thanks to my reflexes, but because Ji Seo Jun had wrapped his arms around me and pulled me aside.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing—riding so dangerously?!”
Ji Seo Jun shouted.
“Sorry.”
The rider offered an utterly insincere apology—devoid of even a gram of soul—and vanished again in a flash.
“Are you okay?”
I tried calming my pounding heart, but the scare still had my pulse racing hard.
“Y-yeah. I’m fine.”
“Fine, my foot—you’ve gone completely pale.”
Apparently, I’d tensed up without realizing it. When Ji Seo Jun patted my back, my tension eased, and my body relaxed.
“It’s not like I was just going to let this go…”
Still clearly angry, he huffed in frustration—but his touch remained gentle and warm.
“Seo Jun, Seo Jun-ah. Wait just a sec… okay?”
“Huff…”
Another memory surfaced.
When I flinched suddenly, Ji Seo Jun stopped patting my back and met my eyes.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Did you bump into something earlier?”
He asked me, worry filling his eyes.
“Hurt?”
This was a different memory. Fragmented clips flickered through my mind.
“No! I’m fine! Really, I’m okay! Lunch break’s almost over—I’m going first! You head back carefully too!”
I swatted away his hand gripping my arm, turned around, and quickly walked in the direction of the office.
My heart pounded, and my face burned hot.
My mind grew chaotic from these sudden flashes of memory. Ji Seo Jun hadn’t changed from before—this Ji Seo Jun in front of me was the same as always.
But the Ji Seo Jun in my memories was different.
Ji Seo Jun was a man. And not just any man—a very attractive one.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
_____
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