Impure Among Friends (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14

Instead of slippers, she wore white sneakers; instead of a tracksuit, a short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans.

Her long hair, usually tied up loosely, now fell softly past her slender shoulders.

Or was it just her mood? Today, Min Tae Hee seemed a bit different from usual.

When Sa Jun silently stared at her, Tae Hee offered an answer to a question he hadn’t even asked.

“I spilled something while eating, so my clothes got dirty—that’s why I changed.”

It didn’t seem like she’d only changed clothes. Sa Jun’s gaze shifted to Tae Hee’s face.

Her complexion, clear as faint moonlight, was tinged with a soft blush, and her lips—lovelier in color than usual—glistened as if coated with oil.

Had she just eaten scrambled eggs or something? Was that why a one-minute touch-up turned into twenty?

For Min Tae Hee, who absolutely couldn’t stand hunger, that was entirely plausible.

Without thinking, Sa Jun reached out and gently rubbed Tae Hee’s glossy lips with his thumb.

“There’s something on your lips.”

That was just an excuse, really.

He just wanted another chance to feel those lips—even if only with his fingertips—since he couldn’t kiss her himself.

But Tae Hee sharply swatted his hand away.

“It’s not food—it’s lip balm! Moisturizing lip balm!”

After glaring at Sa Jun with stunned eyes, she shook her head slightly, got into the car, and slammed the door shut.

Staring at the firmly closed door, Sa Jun remembered how Min Tae Hee used to dress up only when coming to Geo.

Tight dresses that accentuated her slim figure, deeper eye makeup with fuller lashes, dewy glowing skin, and vividly colored lipstick.

Even when she spent time alone upstairs—never stepping onto the stage—she always arrived looking that way.

Compared to then, today’s Min Tae Hee couldn’t even be said to be wearing makeup.

Yet a trace of red remained on his thumb—slick from her lips.

She had… worn makeup, after all.

Even tinted lip balm still counts as makeup.

Not seeing it as a bad omen, Sa Jun recalled advice he’d read in a group chat:

Women get more flustered when you casually, nonchalantly do something thoughtful.

So as he got into the driver’s seat, Sa Jun kept silently repeating to himself:

Casually. Nonchalantly.

Today, he was determined to make Min Tae Hee’s heart skip a beat—somehow.

[This is the timeline separator]

After about forty minutes of driving, Sa Jun’s car exited the congested streets of downtown Seoul and headed toward a quiet outskirts area. He spoke to Tae Hee, who was gazing out the window at the scenery.

“If you see a restaurant you like on the way, let me know.”

At that, Tae Hee turned toward him.

“Are there even restaurants around here?”

“Jin Won said there are lots of hidden gems in this area—affordable, high-quality places.”

Was it the quality she liked, or the value? A gentle ripple passed through her hazel eyes as she looked at him.

“Do you think there’s a driver’s diner around here?”

“Keep your eyes wide open and look.”

“What if we miss it?”

“We’ll just make a U-turn.”

Despite his nonchalant reply, the way he gradually slowed down showed his consideration.

So Tae Hee couldn’t take her eyes off him for a while.

She glanced at his long fingers gripping the steering wheel, the firm forearm revealed beneath his short sleeve, his handsome profile—then turned her gaze back outside.

Yet the vibrant green landscape failed to register; all she could hear was the steady thumping of her own heartbeat.

All because of Kang Sa Jun, doing things he never used to do—why did he have to call out of the blue, show up at her doorstep, and drag her out for food?

Grumbling inwardly, a sudden thought crossed her mind: If she’d accepted Kang Sa Jun’s earlier proposal, would this now count as a date?

But Tae Hee had refused that offer, and now this seat she sat in, this quiet consideration—soon it would all belong to another woman.

She hated that. Really hated it.

Her earlier excitement about finding a hidden gem vanished instantly.

[This is the timeline separator]

It wasn’t Tae Hee who found the driver’s diner—it was Sa Jun.

There was no proper sign; just a rough hand-written note saying “Driver’s Diner” propped casually like a makeshift signboard, which he spotted.

And this unmarked restaurant truly was a hidden gem.

Run by an elderly couple, it served delicious food, and the side vegetables were remarkably fresh.

They proudly explained that they grew everything in their own backyard garden without using any pesticides.

While the ordered pajeon and dwaeji-gukbap were tasty, Tae Hee became utterly enchanted by the tender lettuce leaves that melted softly in her mouth.

Without her needing to say a word, Sa Jun noticed her empty plate and brought over a refill of lettuce, placing it right in front of her as he said,

“Are you a rabbit? Why do you keep munching only on greens?”

“This lettuce is seriously tender and delicious. With just this, I could eat well all week. You should try some.”

When Tae Hee offered him a leaf with an encouraging look, Sa Jun frowned.

“I don’t eat grass.”

“If you keep being so picky and only eat meat, you’ll drop dead young.”

Tae Hee gave him a bright, teasing smile as he stared at her incredulously.

“I’m only saying this because I worry about you. My absolute boss must stay healthy and live long, so we can stick together for ages.”

His frown smoothed out at her persistent attempt to feed him vegetables, and he fixed his eyes steadily on her.

Confused, she held his gaze silently until he slowly spoke.

“If you insist so much… then feed it to me yourself.”

Even as Tae Hee stared at him as if he’d lost his mind, his eyes remained unwavering.

After a brief internal debate, she stacked two lettuce leaves, added multigrain rice and ssamjang neatly on top,

then carefully folded it and held it right up to Sa Jun’s lips,

her eyes sending a very firm message: Don’t you dare refuse.

And Sa Jun really did open his mouth and take the bite. As he chewed slowly, his eyes locked onto hers, Tae Hee asked,

“How is it?”

“It just tastes like… grass.”

His indifferent reply sparked an irrational urge in Tae Hee—to track down something Kang Sa Jun would actually admit was delicious.

After the meal, as Sa Jun handed over his card and Tae Hee stood beside him, the elderly female owner looked back and forth between them.

“You’re at such a lovely age—are you two dating?”

“We’re not…?”

Before Tae Hee could finish saying “just friends,” Sa Jun calmly cut in,

“Thank you, we enjoyed the meal very much, madam.”

Watching him bow deeply, Tae Hee muttered under her breath: Enjoyed, my foot—you didn’t even take a bite.

[This is the timeline separator]

Before getting back in the car, Sa Jun said he’d go back into the restaurant quickly.

Tae Hee had been about to ask why, but the vibration from her phone in her pocket made her simply nod in agreement.

As she watched Sa Jun re-enter the restaurant, she checked the caller ID and frowned.

It was her half-sister, Yeon Seo.

If someone forced her to choose which she disliked more—“that woman” or her half-sister—Tae Hee would pick Yeon Seo without hesitation.

At least “that woman” was openly hostile, but Min Yeon Seo was the most insufferable faker in the world.

She pretended to be kind and caring on the surface, yet behind Tae Hee’s back painted her as both pitiful and cruel.

Still, Tae Hee never ignored Min Yeon Seo’s calls—because every call always had a reason behind it.

So once again, she answered calmly instead of avoiding it.

[Tae Hee noona.]

The innocent, affectionate tone calling her “noona” made her skin crawl.

“I’m busy—just get to the point.”

[Did you know? Dad’s looking into matchmaking meetings for you.]

Of course she didn’t know. Seon Tae had blurted it out in anger back then, but she never thought her father would actually push her into blind dates after giving up on Sa Jun.

[You know your… background isn’t ideal, so Dad’s targeting families where he can invest heavily. Most are divorced men, way older than you. Oh, and one was even a gangster.]

She couldn’t be calling just to provoke her—that wasn’t the point.

“So what exactly do you want to say?”

[Unlike you, who hates me, I love my one and only noona. How could I sit still while Dad picks such awful matches for you? I already stopped him from going with the violent ex-con or the gangster. Aren’t you grateful?]

Min Yeon Seo, of all people—if she’d teamed up with “that woman” to pick those, maybe it’d make sense.

Misreading Tae Hee’s silence, Yeon Seo continued sweetly,

[So why didn’t you just charm Sa Jun a bit better? You told Dad yourself, right? That you’re too cheap to ever be more than a second option with Sa Jun. But if you help me and Sa Jun end up together, I’ll convince Mom to stop those matchmaking meetings for you.]

Finally, Min Yeon Seo revealed her true motive.

But once again, she had no idea what damaging information she’d just leaked.

It was always like this.

She thought she was being clever, but her poor reasoning meant she constantly spilled secrets—thirteen years ago, intel about Kang Sa Jun; now, about these blind dates.

Granted, the news was always terrible, but at least she’d learned in advance.

And that was enough.

She didn’t have to listen to this nonsense anymore.

“My dear little sister, Yeon Seo.”

[Huh?]

“I’d love to help you, really. But Sa Jun says he’d rather choose me—a cheap person—over you, a fake like you. What can I do? It breaks my heart that I can’t help you.”

She heard Yeon Seo’s frustrated huff clearly through the line.

But a few seconds later, after composing herself, Yeon Seo spoke again,

[My heart hurts too, noona. No matter who the match is, you have to go on that blind date. If you refuse, Dad will send that woman to…!]

Tae Hee abruptly hung up and ground her teeth as she muttered,

“Why do you all get to decide my matchmaking behind my back?”

Just as she closed her eyes and took deep breaths to calm her rising anger—

“What are you doing with your eyes closed?”

She opened them to find Sa Jun standing there, holding a black bag—apparently he’d already come out.

Quickly composing her expression, she asked casually,

“What’s in that bag?”

“Lettuce.”

“…Lettuce?”

“You said you could eat well all week if you had this.”

“Oh. Yeah.”

“Don’t forget to take it with you when you go home.”

Watching Sa Jun walk back to the car with that nonchalant tone, Tae Hee thought: His timing was impossibly perfect again.

At the exact moment when her own father and half-sister were furious they couldn’t get rid of her, this man—who shared not a drop of her blood—went out and bought lettuce just because he’d casually overheard her words.

After placing the bag in the car, Tae Jun returned and stood before her again.

“The owner said there’s a small café behind the house with great coffee. The road’s too narrow for cars, so we’d need to walk a bit—want to go?”

Instead of answering, Tae Hee just looked up at Sa Jun quietly.

She’d clearly rejected his earlier offer, so why was he doing this again? She wanted to demand an answer—

Yet part of her didn’t want to take out her frustration on him, especially after Min Yeon Seo’s call had completely wrecked her mood.

“Since we’re already here, let’s go.”

But Sa Jun said nothing and instead looked up at the blazing sun.

Curious, she followed his gaze upward—

“The sunlight’s no joke.”

With that nonchalant remark, he suddenly placed a cap firmly on her head.

Before she could say it was fine, he’d already shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking ahead.

With no choice, Tae Hee obediently followed behind him, her mind swirling with countless question marks.

Somehow, today’s Kang Sa Jun felt both exactly like himself—and utterly different.

He’d always been kind, yes—but passive. Today, he was strangely… proactive.

She hadn’t noticed before, because he was so casually thoughtful—but now that she thought about it, that’s exactly what it was.

Tae Hee hurried her steps and tugged on Sa Jun’s jacket hem.

When he stopped and turned with a questioning look, she asked bluntly,

“Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?”

Kang Sa Jun doing things he never used to do scared her.

That was her honest feeling right now.

She’d rejected him out of pride, yet here she was again—shaken by something as trivial as lettuce.

That was the problem.

If only he’d been a little kinder, a little gentler, if only he kept making her heart waver like this—

“What’s your real motive for being nice to me even after I rejected you?”

She wanted him to stop—so her resolve wouldn’t falter again.

That’s why she spoke sharply, pretending to be angry.

“Are you trying to flirt with me right now? Trying to make me fall for you?”

Sa Jun looked up briefly at the blazing sun, then lowered his eyes and stared quietly at Tae Hee.

He held her gaze firmly, slowly leaned down to match her eye level,

and with his handsome face haloed by sunlight, he wielded it like a weapon as he asked in a low, smooth voice—

“If I told you I was flirting with you…”

Casually, nonchalantly, he added,

“Would you go out with me?”