Chapter 18: Not Cheating, Right?

Jina also seemed uncomfortable with the silence where only the clinking of chopsticks could be heard, her eyes shifting slightly as she glanced at me.
Well, why force your way in like this in the first place.
I figured I should at least try to change the mood, so I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Why did that article come out like that? You’re not related to it at all.”

“I don’t know either.”

There had been a pretty big scandal recently.
Drugs, sponsorships—it was all tangled together, and among the actresses said to be under investigation, one had the same initial as Jina.
Of course, the article used a fake initial, but choosing one so similar to hers was probably intentional—the reporter didn’t exactly like Jina.
She was already controversial enough, so rumors spread easily after that.

Jina bit through the noodles like she was snapping something and started speaking, her tone laced with a curse.

“That bastard. He says he just threw together some initials, but anyone can see it looks like mine. The image, everything—it’s written like it’s me. It’s f*cking ridiculous. The hate comments are insane right now. I’m going crazy. It’s so unfair.”

“Are you suing?”

“I said I would before, and it only made things worse, so I’m still thinking about it.”

Then, as if remembering someone else was there, Jina looked at Jungwon and shook her head slightly.

“That article really isn’t about me. You know that too, right, Jungwon?”

Jungwon? What would he know? When did she even see him to talk like that?
I was about to react when Jungwon, who had been quietly picking at his noodles, answered in the same flat tone as before.

“Yes. I know.”

“Thanks for believing me. But wow, you’re really stiff when you talk. Is it because you’re the youngest? Though… I think you were like this when I saw you before too.”

Now she even added a somewhat sugary smile.
The whole thing made me uncomfortable for no clear reason, so I focused on my ramen.
Because of that, I didn’t catch Jungwon’s expression right away when he spoke next.

“Miss Jina, you’re not in that line, right?”

“…What?”

“I heard the one sponsoring you now is someone else. Some executive in construction, wasn’t it?”

“….”

“And you didn’t properly cut off the previous one, so you ended up in a messy situation between sponsors, right?”

The chopsticks resting on the bowl slipped slightly.
A different kind of silence settled over the table.
Jungwon lowered his head slightly and scooped up a spoonful of broth as if nothing had happened.

Jina’s expression stiffened bit by bit with every blink.
I couldn’t even say it wasn’t me—honestly, I didn’t know details like that either.

Still smiling, Jina tilted her head slightly.

“Why? Are you interested too, Yoo Jungwon?”

“Me?”

“Every guy who brings that up in front of me pretends not to be interested, but they’re all looking for a sponsor. So I thought maybe you were the same.”

Even after hearing that, Jungwon just smiled.
Calmly.
He lifted some noodles but didn’t eat them, just held them there.

My hands started trembling, and I set my chopsticks down.
The tension was so tight I couldn’t even understand what was happening.
Sure, Jina could be reckless sometimes.
And Jungwon might have reasons to dislike her.
But for things to escalate like this… it all felt too sudden.

Jina, who had been staring at Jungwon, also seemed confused and set her chopsticks down.

“Yoo Jungwon, you really hate me, don’t you?”

“I do.”

“Why this much? We haven’t even done anything.”

“Because you used Jaehyung to cover your scandal, ruined his solo, and even now make him watch the company’s mood. That’s probably why.”

“Ah, that. But why does that matter to you? Jaehyung still likes me anyway.”

“I know.”

At that moment, both Jina and Jungwon turned to look at me.
Her sharp gaze and his piercing eyes hit me at the same time, and my shoulders stiffened.

Even though I had already put my chopsticks down, my fingers trembled slightly.
And somehow, I felt this urge to clarify what Jina meant by “likes.”
Not like that. Just… as someone I know. That kind of meaning.

That I wasn’t some idiot still hung up on her after being used in a scandal.
That I just let it go because, as a person, she was someone I knew.

But Jungwon’s faint smirk made it seem like no explanation was needed.
Still, I tried anyway.

“I mean… I do like Jina, but not like that… saying it now just makes me sound like an idiot.”

“Either way, if Jaehyung’s fine with it, why are you acting like this?” Jina snapped.

“I know.”

“What do you know?”

“Jaehyung likes everyone. Not just you. I know. I know everything.”

“….”

“That’s what makes it f*cking awful.”

Jungwon let out a deep sigh, like all the tension collapsed in that one breath.
It felt like a scene from a drama.
Neither Jina nor I could say anything.

Then Jungwon broke the silence.
After blinking a few times, he seemed to shake off his emotions and spoke in a neutral tone again.

“The ramen’s gone soggy. Should I make more?”

“Ah… ramen?”

“I turned off the heat too late earlier. It’s all mushy. I’ll make a fresh one. It tastes bad.”

He glanced into my bowl to confirm, then stood up without hesitation.
He picked up the pot from the center of the table and carried it to the sink.
It clanged loudly as he set it down.

Watching his back as he stood there quietly, I turned to Jina.
I didn’t even know what kind of expression I had.
I just hoped she could tell I hadn’t expected or intended any of this.

Jina frowned slightly, then looked between me and Jungwon’s back.
Meanwhile, Jungwon had already opened the cupboard again and was starting over—pouring water, turning on the stove.

Jina’s eyes moved slowly—over Jungwon, over me, then down to the table.
Then suddenly, as if something clicked, she let out a small exclamation.

“Ah. Oh.”

“What?”

I asked quietly, almost whispering.

Jina leaned closer, her voice barely audible.

“Oh… I interrupted something. I’ll go.”

“What?”

“I said I’m leaving.”

“You’re leaving?”

“Yeah. Take care.”

Just like that, she stood up without hesitation, shot a glare at Jungwon’s broad back, muttered something that looked like a curse, and turned around.

She pulled her cap low again, hiding her eyes, and walked to the entrance.
I stood there awkwardly behind her as she slipped her shoes on.

After everything—after days of crying and calling—seeing her leave like this didn’t sit right with me.

She tapped her foot against the floor, stood up, and lightly patted my shoulder.

“I’m going. I’ll call you later.”

“You okay? Jungwon’s not usually like that. The shoot today just… didn’t go well.”

“Forget it. I won’t interfere. Good luck. You should’ve told me earlier.”

“Told you what?”

“I said I get it. It’s unexpected though. I’m leaving.”

Jina, who usually pushed her way through no matter what, simply walked out.
Her footsteps faded quickly.
When the door closed, even that sound disappeared.

I stood there staring at the door like an idiot before finally heading back to the kitchen.

A fresh pot of ramen was already steaming on the table.
The noodles looked perfectly firm this time—noticeably less than before.

I looked at the ramen, then at Jungwon, and let out a sigh as I sat down.

“Why did you go that far?”

“Everyone knows Jina got where she is through sponsorships.”

“Still. This time she’s really being wronged. She cried so much talking about it. She’ll probably go home and cry again.”

“Let her cry.”

“Why say it like that? I’m close with her, you know.”

“Close enough to be used in her scandal. Ruined your solo. And she still barges into your place like this.”

“I’ll handle it. And honestly, my solo would’ve flopped even without her.”

“No.”

“Maybe.”

“I said no.”

“…Alright.”

“It’ll get cold. Eat.”

Jungwon ignored the rest of what I said and served me more ramen.

I didn’t even know what to think anymore.
Yeah, she did barge in like that… but still… I never meant for things to turn into this.

With a heavy heart and an uneasy feeling, I stirred the noodles and took a bite.
After chewing and swallowing, Jungwon picked up a large portion of his own ramen and said casually—

“By the way, hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“You weren’t cheating on me, right?”