Chapter 6
“One order of spicy hagfish and one order of chicken feet, please! Oh, and udon, too!” Saebom’s eyes lit up as she expertly snapped a pair of disposable chopsticks in two. Moments ago, she had been distraught over the ring, but now she looked positively thrilled.
Watching her, Jihun pulled a plastic stool over and sat. He’d never been to a pojangmacha, a street food stall, and the entire experience felt foreign.
“We’re having dinner here?”
“Well, it’s not exactly a meal,” she said, popping a complimentary silkworm pupa into her mouth with a grin. “But thinking about the rings made me crave a drink more than food. You’re frustrated too, right, Mr. Ryu?”
“That’s true, but…”
“For a casual drink, a pojangmacha is the best. Here.” She passed him a small plate, but he waved it away. The dishes she’d ordered held zero appeal for him.
“I’m fine. You eat up, Ms. Jeon.”
“Why? You don’t like this kind of food?” she asked, her eyes full of curiosity.
“The dishes look a bit… intense.” Hagfish, chicken feet, silkworm pupae. Jihun scanned the table and shook his head in distaste. The sight of their graphic appearance was enough to kill what little appetite he had.
“You wouldn’t say that if you tried them. They’re delicious.”
While he merely poked at the food, Saebom ate with gusto. Watching her enjoy her meal, Jihun poured soju into his glass. Just then, she said something unexpected.
“By the way, what if this ring is possessed? Or cursed?”
“Cursed?”
“I mean, a ring that won’t come off—it’s an impossible situation,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “Maybe there’s some huge secret hidden in this ring. Like it won’t come off because it’s filled with someone’s grudge, or something.”
“Are we in a drama? Or a movie?” Jihun snorted. “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s impossible.”
“Then how do you explain the fact that the rings won’t come off? Or that the shop that was here a few days ago has completely vanished?”
“That’s…” Jihun trailed off, throwing back a shot of soju. Clearly, he was just as frustrated by his inability to explain it. Saebom poured him another glass.
“See? The fact that it’s stuck like this proves there’s something strange about this ring.” It was a situation so bizarre it felt supernatural. There was no other explanation. Saebom gazed down at the brilliant diamond on her finger. It was flawlessly beautiful, except for one glaring problem. “So what do we do now?” she asked, looking up at him with a woeful expression.
“What do you mean? We keep wearing them until we find a solution.”
“What if we never do?”
“Then we’ll just have to live with them. There’s no other choice,” Jihun said with a careless shrug.
Unlike her, who was horrified, he didn’t seem particularly bothered. Saebom shot him a glare. “What do you mean, ‘just live with it’? I could never do that!” She held up her ring finger. “This spot is strictly reserved for my wedding ring!”
She had never worn so much as a cheap ring, saving that finger for her future, and now some bizarre, cursed piece of jewelry had taken up permanent residence. It was maddening. This damn ring! Saebom fumed, tugging at it uselessly before grabbing her glass. She felt like her entire life was being derailed.
“You said you weren’t seeing anyone.”
“But I’m definitely going to get married! It’s my dream,” she insisted. Meeting someone she loved and starting a family was her ultimate goal. She looked at the cruel ring and sighed. The thought of wearing it forever made her feel suffocated.
Jihun watched her intently. “Do you want to get married that badly, Ms. Jeon?”
Saebom met his curious gaze and answered without a moment’s hesitation. “Yes.”
“Why?” he asked, fascinated.
“Because my dream is to meet a good person and build a family.”
He was still looking at her as if she were a strange specimen. Saebom stuffed her mouth with hagfish and mumbled as she chewed, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because I don’t understand why anyone would want to be tied down by the institution of marriage.”
“I guess you’re a bachelor for life, then.”
“You could say that.”
She could understand his position, even if it was different from her own. Marriage was a choice, not a requirement, and being single was no longer a flaw. But there was something in his words she had to correct. Wiping her mouth with a napkin, she shook her head slightly. “I don’t want to get married to be tied down. I’m getting married to be happy.”
“And you can’t be happy alone?”
“It’s not that I can’t, but I think I’d be twice as happy with someone else.”
“Have you ever considered that you could be twice as miserable?” His critical tone irked her.
Saebom gripped her chopsticks tightly. “Haven’t you heard the saying? Shared joy is doubled, and shared sorrow is halved.”
“I don’t believe in such idealistic nonsense.” His teasing smile made her brow furrow. “I’m too much of a realist.”
Yeah, right, you’re so great. Go on and live your perfect life all by yourself. His refusal to concede a single point made her blood boil. He’s so infuriating. Saebom shot him a glare and pouted. “Anyway, I still want a family.”
She loosened the noodles in the steaming udon with her chopsticks. “Like I mentioned at brunch last time, I don’t have parents. My only family is my grandmother.”
“So I often think… what will I do when she passes away? I’ll be truly alone. And I don’t want that.” She had always lived with that fear. What if Grandma dies? What if I’m really left all alone in the world? That’s why she wanted someone to lean on, someone who would be by her side when life got hard.
Saebom looked at him, his playful expression now gone. “You can call me weak, I don’t care. But you, Mr. Ryu, you’ve never once had to fear being left alone in the world.”
Someone who has always had family can’t possibly understand how terrifying it is to be alone, how it makes a person feel small and anxious.
Jihun stopped her as she was about to pour more soju. He took the bottle from her and filled her glass himself. Saebom watched him quietly. The day she’d met his parents, she had sensed it immediately. This man must have had an incredibly happy, warm childhood. The thought made her envious, and at the same time, it made her feel pathetic for having spent her life longing for her parents’ embrace.
“I’m scared of being alone,” she admitted, her voice soft. She gave him a bitter smile as he sat there, utterly silent.
* * *
“Ugh…”
The next morning, Saebom groaned, her face buried in a firm chest. Her entire body ached as if she’d been beaten. I feel like death. She must have had too much to drink; her body didn’t feel like her own. As she snuggled deeper, rubbing her face against the warmth, a shirt button scratched her cheek.
Huh? At the unfamiliar texture, Saebom slowly pried her eyelids open. Before her was a well-built man’s torso. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of a firm chest visible through an open shirt, and she finally released the man she’d been clinging to. What is this?
No matter how many times she blinked, a man lying next to her. In a state of shock, Saebom slowly raised her head. A familiar face greeted her.
Tanned skin, thin lips, and long, monolid eyes. She now knew exactly who she’d been holding. Just as her heart plummeted, Jihun’s eyes fluttered open.
“Sleep well?”
She couldn’t answer. The sight of him beside her was making her lose her mind. This is impossible. Saebom managed to sit up and glanced down. When she saw herself in nothing but a tank top, goosebumps erupted all over her skin. Shuddering, she gaped at him. In contrast to her horror, Jihun looked completely composed.
“H-how did we…”
Before she could finish, he cut her off. “Do I really need to spell it out for you?”
That one sentence said it all. Saebom stared at him, his eyes holding a subtle heat, and pulled the blanket up to her chin. A corner of his mouth lifted in amusement.
“Ah, just one thing to clarify,” he said, his voice a sweet, devastating wave. “You were the one who pounced on me.”
