The Temperature Difference with Him (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
Ha Jun’s eyebrows twisted as they shot upward.
His index finger, which had been scratching his furrowed brow, pressed the door lock’s password buttons again—firmly, insistently. But that same unpleasant sound came back once more.
Now it was crystal clear why that man who’d been tailing him since the parking lot had grated on his nerves.
How dare he walk right into Ji An’s apartment so boldly, right in front of Ha Jun’s eyes? Of course he looked like an utterly ridiculous fool from the very start.
The word “thug” slipped out of his mouth without restraint.
“How does she even know scum like that?”
Not only did she know him—she went so far as to invite him into her home.
No matter how little she feared strangers, this was absolutely unacceptable.
“Damn it.”
The fact that his heart felt this impatient meant Ji An had already won this fight completely.
Veins bulged on the back of his clenched fist, and his eyes, fixed on the steel door, were razor-sharp.
Fine. Maybe I was too harsh.
So just this damn door. For God’s sake, please, just this damn door.
Ha Jun’s voice echoed loudly through the hallway.
“Kim Ji An. Open the door. Are you seriously not going to open it?”
Thud thud. Bang.
The heavy steel door and his hard fists collided, creating a deafening racket.
Ha Jun kept pounding without pause, but the door showed no sign of opening, and desperation crept steadily into his voice.
“Ji An. Kim Ji An.”
Beep-beep-beep.
Finally, the sound of the door lock disengaging came through. Ha Jun stopped pounding and took a deep breath.
But the person who opened the door wasn’t Ji An.
Rage instantly flooded Ha Jun’s eyes.
The man asked with a displeased, sharp glare, “What do you want?”
“You tell me—who the hell are you? Just because a woman invites you, do you think you can barge into anyone’s home?”
Ha Jun roughly grabbed the man’s arm, who was blocking the doorway, and shoved him out.
He was acting in ways he’d never normally consider—and on top of that, he even felt betrayed by Ji An for casually letting in such a thug and not even bothering to check on him afterward.
Behind him, the man’s voice boomed loudly, pushed backward by Ha Jun’s force.
“Hey!”
“You wait right there for a minute. I’ll talk to you after I see Ji An.”
The man rubbed his arm and asked irritably, but Ha Jun stepped into the entryway and called out for Ji An.
“Ji An? Who the hell is that supposed to be?”
“Kim Ji An! What on earth are you doing? Talk to me.”
The man grabbed Ha Jun by one shoulder, spun him around, then seized him by the collar. He continued,
“I don’t know what kind of punk you think you are—”
But the man never finished his sentence. Ha Jun had already grabbed both his arms and slammed him to the floor.
As Ha Jun looked down at the entryway floor while straightening his tie knot, he froze cold.
Her sturdy slippers were gone—the ones Ji An wore all year round. And all he saw were men’s shoes.
What the hell?
Ha Jun opened the interior door slightly and peered inside, letting out a short sigh.
What greeted him was a room packed tightly with Tottenham Hotspur football memorabilia.
Gone, too, was the chiffon curtain Ji An had loved for its soft, diffused sunlight. Missing as well were the ashwood desk by the window and the fabric sofa that had sat right beside it.
Stunned, Ha Jun stepped backward and asked the man,
“What’s going on here?”
The man, now clearly holding the upper hand given Ha Jun’s baffled expression, answered with newfound confidence.
“What exactly are you talking about, kid?”
“I’m asking why you’re in this apartment.”
“I moved in. I needed a place urgently, and this one happened to be empty. Satisfied?”
The man gave Ha Jun a condescending look, as if reluctantly granting him a favor, and pushed his chest with an open palm.
Seeing Ha Jun’s dazed face, the man added knowingly,
“I’ll consider your apology accepted. You can console yourself alone.”
The heavy steel door slammed shut with a loud bang. Only then did the electronic beep of the door lock sound unfamiliar.
Ha Jun stared blankly at the number “902” on the steel door.
He suppressed his emotions to seriously reassess the situation.
What on earth had Kim Ji An done this time?
At first, he’d stayed quiet, thinking she’d come to him within a few days.
When that period stretched longer, he’d dismissed it lightly: “Guess this one’s lasting a while.”
Even when things grew strange, he’d assumed she must be helping her older sister with her schedule.
Back in his own apartment, 901, Ha Jun looked down at his phone.
Her name and eleven digits were on the screen, accompanied by a message saying the phone was turned off.
He wiped his anxious face, then removed his shirt cufflinks and watch, placing them on the display cabinet.
“You won. I was just surprised.”
His gaze drifted toward the perfume bottle sitting on the vanity.
When he’d briefly dropped by after returning from Sokcho, he’d found a shopping bag containing perfume left right outside the interior door.
That’s exactly why he’d calmly watched the situation unfold—he’d assumed Ji An was discreetly coming and going from the apartment.
Damn.
Ha Jun’s hand, unbuttoning his dress shirt, suddenly froze.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror—the one clearly showing his defined abs—he recalled the memory he’d pushed aside.
This whole mess started because Ji An had met Senior Manager Choi Da Som in his place.
He’d repeatedly stressed that she should politely decline, clearly stating Ji An was his girlfriend.
Yet Ji An had pretended to be pregnant and met her. Da Som, having learned the truth, went all the way to his law firm’s executive office and demanded an apology.
The humiliation he’d felt bowing his head to Da Som was now returning as a throbbing migraine.
The words he’d spoken that day to Ji An, who’d come to pick him up right after work, slipped out of his mouth.
“How about we try living separately for a while? Please stop leeching off me.”
That had been his final words to Ji An.
I’m insane.
“Leeching”?
Even if I was furious—why would I say something like that?
“Not leeching—coexisting. Fine. Let’s live separately.”
Ji An’s voice from beyond the door echoed in his mind too.
Ha Jun braced one hand against the mirror and dragged the other across his contorted face.
An odd chill creeping up his nape was just an added bonus.
Shinhwa Law Firm, Room 507.
The nameplate on the desk read Jung Yu Jin—Ji An’s friend.
Her eyes looked deeply troubled, thanks to Ha Jun’s sudden early-morning appearance.
Ha Jun had been the object of her unrequited love.
She’d proven the saying “a dragon rising from a ditch” true by getting into Seoul National University’s law school—and fallen for Ha Jun at first sight.
She’d met Ji An at the very gathering where she’d planned to confess, and through Ji An, had become friends with So Min too.
To put it kindly, Ha Jun had given her—a loner absorbed only in studying—her closest friends.
Put differently, he was a jerk.
She spoke in a tone that practically asked if he’d lost his mind.
“Attorney Yoon Ha Jun. Do you even realize this is your rival firm?”
“I know.”
“You know? Are you sure you know? Then why show up out of nowhere without even an appointment first thing in the morning?”
At this hour, Ha Jun should’ve been in his office on the 12th floor of Geonkuk Law Firm—and certainly not looking this disheveled.
Yet here he was, staring intently at a simple potted plant nestled between a Bengal rubber tree and a monstera.
Ha Jun pointed to a dandelion pot and asked Yu Jin,
“That belongs to Ji An.”
“That? Ji An gave it to me last spring. What about it? Spit it out already—no need to beat around the bush.”
Reluctantly, Yu Jin moved over to the sofa.
Ha Jun was the lead attorney at Geonkuk, their rival firm, while she was just a newly promoted senior associate at Shinhwa.
This meeting between them wouldn’t look favorable to any outside observer.
Looking her straight in the eye, Ha Jun said,
“Ji An’s gone missing.”
“Why would Ji An disappear?”
“It was the day I took on the Jung Won Do vice president case from Dae Sung Electronics. I said some harsh things.”
The fact that he’d even mentioned the case he was handling suggested this wasn’t just some baseless rumor.
Yu Jin folded her arms and continued,
“You still have a long way to go.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m just a gray-area figure to Ji An. Of course, Attorney Yoon, you’d come to me first—and Ji An wouldn’t confide her worries to me. If you were truly worried, you should’ve gone to So Min.”
The words “she even moved out” lingered on Ha Jun’s tongue, but he chose different words instead.
“I’ve been practically living at the firm, so I only found out yesterday. But it feels like it’s been a while.”
“That might make sense from my perspective, but others won’t understand. Just how harsh were your words that she’d vanish like this?”
“In a fit of anger, I told her we should live separately.”
“Then live separately. Why come looking for her?”
Yu Jin had held back, but then added one more cutting remark.
“Do you know what your delusion is? …You think you’ve been taking care of Ji An.”
Recognizing the hostility in Yu Jin’s tone, Ha Jun let out a sigh.
Yeah. I really am the bad guy.
Among Ji An’s friends, he’d always been public enemy number one. Especially when Ji An was caught in the middle—like now—Yu Jin, who knew their history well, grew especially sensitive.
If it was because he hadn’t accepted her confession back in school days, that felt a bit unfair.
Ha Jun looked at Yu Jin, asking almost incredulously,
“Is your failed first love still my fault?”
“Attorney Yoon, let’s get one thing straight. It’s not because you were our first love—it’s because you put Ji An in your place that we resent you.”
“Was it really that? I thought—”
“You didn’t know?”
“No. I should’ve asked sooner.”
Both Ji An—who’d taken his place—and the people she’d faced must have hated it.
Knowing that, yet repeatedly asking her to step in, naturally earned him the label “jerk.”
Ha Jun sighed softly, then asked Yu Jin again,
“You really don’t know?”
“No. How can you even ask me that? Go find So Min.”
“I guess I should. I’ll give her a call first—maybe that’ll spare me some scolding.”
Yu Jin nodded, signaling understanding.
As Ha Jun opened the door and disappeared, she let out a deflated sigh and muttered,
“Guess you really were in a hurry, coming all the way here.”
The sky was dark—it was too early to even call it dawn.
Ji An covered her fried rice with plastic wrap and silently thought,
He’ll heat it up himself.
Then she glanced at the pot on the induction stove. Inside simmered a clear soybean sprout soup with finely chopped lily bulbs and Cheongyang peppers.
Just as she grabbed her bag, she heard footsteps on the stairs. Soon, Dan Woo appeared.
“You haven’t left yet.”
“Yeah. I’m heading out now.”
Dan Woo had deliberately waited until this time to come down to the first floor.
And today, he wanted to say something about the single serving of breakfast she always left on the dining table.
At first, he hadn’t understood what it was. After it happened several times, he realized Ji An was leaving food for him. Occasionally, Tae Yoon would happily eat it too.
He held Ji An back as she tried to leave and said,
“You don’t have to make breakfast every day.”
Through Tae Yoon, he’d heard she’d settled things with Nam Sang Cheol at the police station.
He also knew she’d already paid to keep staying in this house.
If she was making breakfast out of guilt toward him, she could just stop.
Besides, his comment about not being bothered had clearly made her feel awkward—so much so that she now left the house at dawn.
Sometimes she’d deliberately linger, stretching out long conversations about Jeju. That was precisely why Dan Woo came down to the first floor whenever he sensed her presence.
He tossed off a casual remark, as if it were nothing.
“Just be comfortable here. It really doesn’t bother me—I don’t mind at all.”
“I’m trying to. The food? I just cook an extra bowl while making my own. And I’ve been eating the snacks you buy—thanks.”
Ji An waved the chocolate she was holding.
Today it was chocolate; yesterday, a musk cake shaped like a Hallabong tangerine. Sometimes it was strong coffee in a thermal tumbler.
She gave Dan Woo an innocent smile.
“Where do you find such delicious stuff?”
“Huh? I just buy whatever catches my eye when I pass by. Guess it was good, huh?”
He didn’t mention he’d been searching for dessert cafes. Doing something he never used to do felt too embarrassing to admit.
She smiled and said, “I’ll be back,” then opened the front door.
Dan Woo turned on the yard light and watched as Ji An disappeared beyond the gate.
Dawn was still far off.
Maybe he should’ve asked where she was rushing off to so diligently?
When he heard the car engine start, Dan Woo switched off the yard light.
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
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)