“We’re here.”
Jiho got out, opened the passenger door, and unbuckled Lee Soo’s belt.
He sat, folding his legs, and took her hand.
“Lee Soo, look at me.”
Lee Soo opened her eyes, gazing up at Jiho with puppy-like innocence.
It was hard to believe those eyes could lie.
The look Jiho gave her seemed genuinely desperate.
“Are you still very drunk? Should we talk another time?”
In the face of his gentle gaze and voice, the day’s troubles seemed to ease for Lee Soo.
“Your legs must be aching. Stand up.”
As Jiho stood up, still holding her hand, Lee Soo exited the car.
Soothe by Jiho’s tender gaze and voice, Lee Soo felt her troubled heart ease a bit.
“Your legs must be sore. Stand up.”
Holding her hand, Jiho slowly stood up, and Lee Soo got out of the car.
Lee Soo pondered what to do next.
Should she simply say, “Thanks for the ride. Take care,” in a plain manner?
She actually had different things she wanted to say…
‘Did you lie to me? Were you really with Yumi on her birthday? Why?’
Fearing that tears would spill the moment she uttered those words, Lee Soo bit her lip and remained silent.
“Can I come in for a bit?”
Speaking on behalf of the hesitant Lee Soo, Jiho broke the silence.
After a moment’s hesitation, Lee Soo nodded and led the way.
[Star Icon][Star Icon]After washing her hands, Lee Soo sat on the sofa with a warm cup of lemon tea.
“I made it because I wanted some, but try it.”
The steaming lemon tea emitted a refreshing scent.
“I’ll enjoy it.”
Following Lee Soo’s lead, Jiho also sipped the lemon tea.
The delightful aroma filled his mouth.
Lee Soo finished her tea, trying to drive away the remaining effects of alcohol.
She didn’t want to be the only drunk one in front of a sober Jiho.
Feeling the warmth spread through her body, she became calmer, both physically and emotionally.
“Last time I came, I didn’t get a proper look, but your home really seems to reflect you.”
Jiho glanced around, taking in the space.
The atmosphere was neat, calm, and sophisticated.
“It’s decorated to my taste.”
Burying the words she really wanted to say, Lee Soo engaged in emotionless small talk.
Not crying was the best she could do.
She pressed down her day-long suspicions and feelings of betrayal.
She didn’t want to show Jiho her tears again, especially not while being this drunk.
“You can go now that you’ve finished.”
Lee Soo, fiddling with her empty cup, didn’t look at Jiho.
The longer they stayed together, the harder it seemed to hold back her emotions.
“Lee Soo, are you mad at me?”
Jiho couldn’t think of any reason for her behavior.
Just yesterday, she wasn’t like this, but now she wouldn’t even meet his eyes.
“Huh? Are you mad at me?”
Lee Soo remained silent, so Jiho asked again.
“What happened today?”
Staring at Lee Soo, who responded only with silence, Jiho’s expression hardened.
His throat felt constricted. Why was she suddenly like this?
Was she so angry that she drank herself into this state?
“Did I do something wrong?”
Despite her apparent unwillingness to speak, Jiho still asked.
His expression was anxious and uneasy.
“Is it because I contacted you late?”
Jiho longed for any kind of response, whether through her eyes or gestures.
He felt he couldn’t leave without resolving this.
It was the first time Lee Soo had been this cold and distant, and Jiho felt his blood freeze.
“Or… have you suddenly started to dislike me?”
At those words, Lee Soo tightly closed her eyes.
Jiho sensed something was terribly wrong.
Overwhelmed with frustration and anxiety, he ran his hand over his dry face.
After a deep sigh, he spoke to Lee Soo again.
“Lee Soo, please talk to me.”
Lee Soo wished Ji Ho felt as hurt as she did, as shocked, as if his heart had sunk just as much.
Ji Ho, too, should have felt the same.
But seeing Ji Ho, who seemed more lost than she had anticipated, didn’t sit well with her heart.
“It’s not like that,” Lee Soo said, shaking her head once.
She didn’t trust herself to speak without crying, but Ji Ho didn’t seem ready to give up easily.
“Then why are you acting like this? If I made a mistake without realizing it, please tell me honestly. Only then can I do something about it.”
There must be a definite reason why Lee Soo had changed so suddenly, but why wasn’t she speaking?
The longer it took, the more Ji Ho felt his heart being squeezed.
What could be so significant?
Something serious enough to be indescribable?
“Just be honest with me.”
Ji Ho said, looking at Lee Soo.
Who was he to tell her not to hide things?
Lee Soo, with a rush of emotions, raised her head with a complex expression.
‘Can I talk without crying? If only I hadn’t drunk… it would have been better.’
She clenched her fists tightly.
Looking down at her clenched hands, Lee Soo opened her mouth with a trembling voice, struggling to speak.
“Why… did you lie? You said you were going to be with your mom today. Why then…”
Tears began to well up in Lee Soo’s eyes.
She pushed back the tears that filled her eyes with the back of her hand.
She didn’t want to say it, fearing this would happen.
“The place where Ara worked today… was in the same building. The place where we first had a meal together. I was unnecessarily happy, thinking of that day, but you… were there with another…”
Her voice trembled more as she spoke longer.
She wanted to speak calmly and collectedly, but her emotions were uncontrollable.
Thinking that Ji Ho had gone there to celebrate another girl’s birthday made her eyes burn again.
“How could you do this to me?”
The thought that Ji Ho had gone there to celebrate another girl’s birthday made her eyes burn again.
“How could you do this to me?”
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
