As Ha Joon hit the brakes, Ji An’s body jerked forward.
Squeak.
The car, making a noise as if tearing the tires due to the friction with the road, gripped two lanes and came to a halt.
He, bracing his toes, turned to look at Ji An and asked urgently.
“Why? What do you mean by ‘I should’ve done that’? Did something happen?”
“No. …I misspoke. It seems my face isn’t that intimidating. Everyone was kind. So I had a good time.”
The honking from the cars around them, irritated by the sedan parked diagonally across the lanes, was loud.
Ji An twisted and turned her body to check out the traffic situation outside the window. What an inconvenience this was causing.
“Get going. People are waiting.”
Ha Joon lifted his foot onto the accelerator and turned the steering wheel to straighten the car. As his car moved, the traffic flow swiftly returned to normal.
As Ha Joon’s car stopped, Ji An laughed incredulously. The place was a familiar spicy chicken feet restaurant, its gothicstyle red signboard unmistakable.
She opened her eyes wide and asked.
“You want to eat this? At this hour? And in place of a meal?”
“You were dozing off last time and we couldn’t come, remember? It’s been bothering me ever since.”
“What do you mean?”
Seeing Ji An’s face and hearing her voice, just as usual, Ha Joon finally realized that she was really here.
All that was left now was to untangle the mess he had made.
With a somewhat lighter heart, he managed a faint smile and said,
“What else can it mean? I just remember the things I couldn’t do for you.”
“So you’re really going to eat this?”
“Yes. Let’s eat.”
Ha Joon walked into the restaurant, skillfully navigating through the maze of tables to find a spot.
When the ordered food filled the table and the server had left, he handed Ji An an apron and plastic gloves.
Ji An, after putting on the gloves, pointed at Ha Joon’s clothes and asked.
“Are your clothes okay? They look expensive, what will you do?”
“It’s fine. …Eat quickly.”
Ha Joon shaped the crumbling rice balls into bitesized pieces and placed them on Ji An’s plate.
He carefully scooped the spicy chicken feet mixed with sauce onto her plate and then cautiously spoke.
“I need to find a new apartment. The person who moved into 902 has no intention of vacating.”
Ji An lowered her hand that was reaching out and stared at Ha Joon. She wondered whether to listen to his next words or to lay out her plans first.
Regardless of her dilemma, Ha Joon added on.
“While I’m finding a new place, you can stay in 901. I can stay in the office.”
“You said you hadn’t eaten yet. Eat quickly.”
Replacing her reply with another comment, Ji An took the tongs and filled Ha Joon’s plate.
Her decision to leave for Jeju was an impulsive choice, but this wasn’t. Even so, it was right to explain her decision.
Ha Joon asked again. It was a question filled with a will to hear an answer.
“Are you going to do that?”
“……No. I’m not going to do that.”
Ji An’s response came short, making all her previous worries seem pointless.
As his anxiety became a reality, the faint smile vanished from Ha Joon’s face. His voice was low and stern, with a sense of rigidity.
“Kim Ji An.”
The surrounding air turned chilly, as if someone had gulped down a cooling agent all at once. Without anyone taking the initiative, they just stared at each other without speaking.
The one who broke the tense silence first was Ji An.
She wanted to say it wasn’t because she was angry or upset. And it was even less because she hated Ha Joon.
She wasn’t trying to distance herself, she wanted independence, and it was a decision she had made after countless thoughts in Jeju.
And more than anything, she wanted to hear Ha Joon say, ‘You can do well if it’s you.’
She decided not to mention that she was a little scared. That would only sound like a plea for attention.
Ji An brought up as much emotion as she could and smiled brightly and clearly. Then, she opened her mouth with an innocent face.
“Why bother with that? You keep living there. It’s convenient for going to the law firm, it’s a new building so it’s clean, and the security is good, isn’t it?”
“……”
“And I’ll take care of the house I’m going to live in. Yu Jin agreed to help me.”
Ha Joon’s gaze lingered on Ji An’s hand, which was brightly smiling.
She clenched her fist tightly, but unusually, her thumb was hidden beneath the other four fingers.
Ha Joon’s eyes, focused there, blinked slowly.
You might not know, but I know. It’s a habit you have when you force a smile, afraid your feelings might be exposed.
After all, hearing such a phrase as ‘parasite,’ who could be okay.
It was a phrase he didn’t want to utter again, but Ha Joon couldn’t help but ask.
“Is it because of that ‘parasite’ remark? It was a thoughtless comment. Still, I’ll apologize. I swear, I’ve never thought of you like that.”
“That remark was quite a shock to me. I was angry, and even cried.”
“I was sensitive because I was taking on a new case. It wasn’t sincere, it was a mistake. Don’t hold onto it.”
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
