The weekend evening at the barbecue restaurant was filled with lively chatter, leaving no gaps.

Yeon-woo also immersed herself in the noise, chatting with friends and releasing stress. The conversation shifted between Kyung-ah’s honeymoon story, stocks, skincare, work life, and various other topics.

“I broke up.”

In the midst of the noise, Yeon-woo took advantage of the quiet moment to make a sudden confession.

As casually as sharing daily routines like “I went to work today” or “I had lunch,” she confessed.

The hands that were busy flipping the meat on the grill suddenly stopped. The sizzling sound of pork belly filled the momentary silence.

However, as if nothing happened, the friends quickly flipped the pork belly, as usual.

“Going separate ways.”

“Hey, scissors. Yeon-woo, want more soju?”

Her friends showed no signs of concern. Yeon-woo tilted the soju bottle, emptied the remaining drink, and ordered another bottle.

“She said they broke up.”

“Why?”

“Just. It didn’t feel right.”

“Having trouble with wedding preparations? Your boyfriend seems indifferent. Feels like dragging him along alone, holding him by the scruff of his neck?”

Kyung-ah spat out her words, topping the pork belly and onion pickles onto the lettuce.

How does she know so accurately? This time, it was Yeon-woo’s turn to be taken aback.

“That’s how it usually is. Beep, normal.”

Kyung-ah’s judgment exuded the dignity and composure of someone who had gone through marriage. Next to her, Ji-hye chimed in.

“Yeah, Kim Yeon-woo. Isn’t everyone like that? Just reconcile.”

“Why reconcile? We broke up.”

“Where is a perfect man like your lawyer? Oh? His stomach must be bloated by now.”

The teasing began again. Yeon-woo’s big and small dating problems were always treated as minor inconveniences that someone with a ‘capable and excellent man’ should deal with.

“He’s good-looking. Rich. Capable. Such a person only has eyes for you, just enjoy it.”

“When you get past it, wedding preparations are nothing special. I don’t even know why I clung and whined so much. And when it comes to deciding, the man’s opinion doesn’t matter. Just do whatever you want. It’s okay to go your own way.”

“No, it’s not such a simple issue… really trying to stop.”

Yeon-woo lightly nodded and swallowed the soju.

If she said this around, maybe she could acknowledge the breakup in a cool way.

“Not even contacting him.”

“How many days has it been?”

“A week.”

Oh, come on. Amidst the pouring jeers from her friends, Yeon-woo poured another glass of soju.

“What kind of breakup is that! Just had a little argument.”

“Is that so? Then you might be in the middle of breaking up.”

Did we have a cold war for a few days because of Kim Seung-ho last time? I don’t remember. What would I do if I think about it now?

With a slightly flushed cheek, Yeon-woo laughed bitterly.

“Maybe he doesn’t understand you well?”

Having sensed the seriousness of the situation from Yeon-woo’s gloomy expression, Kyung-ah brought up the topic in a slightly more serious tone.
“I mean, I’ve just gotten married, so I might not be the right person to talk about this, but still, I’ve come to realize something. It seems like it’s all about adjusting to each other.”

“Yeah, you’re right, Kyung-ah. That’s true. But…”

I’ve also tried a lot. It didn’t go well.

Because that person shines even on their own, sometimes I feel like I look pathetic. It seems fine for them to be with someone other than me.

She swallowed the unspoken feelings she couldn’t bring herself to say.

“······.”

Did I bring up this conversation for no reason? Regret surged as she looked at her suddenly silent friends. Yeon-woo tried to change the topic.

“Did I mention? I’m going to Jeju Island.”

“What? When?”

“Next week. Departure is on Monday night. It just occurred to me, and there were tickets available.”

Yeon-woo pretended not to notice the secret glances exchanged between her friends.

“Why didn’t you ask me? I can adjust my schedule.”

“Going alone to Jeju Island. It’s more fun to go to such places together. Can’t you cancel? Let’s reschedule with us.”

“No, this time I want to go alone. To organize my thoughts a bit.”

Trying to change the atmosphere, she brought up a different topic, but now her friends started worrying about Yeon-woo.

“Going alone, won’t you get a lot of hunting approaches?”

Picking up a piece of grilled pork belly and placing it on a perilla leaf, Yeon-woo asked cheerfully.

“Your dreams are quite big.”

“Talking about those things is for fresh college students or those in their early 20s. It doesn’t apply to us.”

It’s better than receiving sympathy. Yeon-woo laughed as she added more meat to the grill.

Surrounded by comfortable people in a comfortable place, laughing and chatting tirelessly, it felt like returning to Kim Yeon-woo’s everyday life.

“Ha······.”

A quiet country road in Jeju Island.