Chapter 29: Uncomfortable Questions

“How did you get in here?”

Seoyeon, dressed in workout clothes, glared at Yaehyun.

Is this person also a resident here? Yaehyun looked down at Seoyeon with a slightly flustered expression.

“I live here too.”

It was ridiculous to meet at the fitness center in workout clothes and talk when they weren’t on good terms, but compared to their first meeting where Yaehyun had looked ridiculous, this wasn’t so bad. Besides, he had nothing to be ashamed of now.

“……You live here?” Seoyeon looked at Yaehyun with disbelief.

Seoyeon had heard quite a bit about Yaehyun, her partner’s ex. Seven years of dating—what if Gyujin was swayed by old feelings and went back to Yaehyun? She didn’t even want to think about that. So this time, she had grilled Gyujin’s acquaintances and found out some information about Yaehyun. One of the details was about Yaehyun’s family situation.

‘His family isn’t well off. He’s practically the head of the household. He could have gone to a better school, but he chose that one because of a scholarship.’

She clearly heard that the family wasn’t wealthy, so she couldn’t understand how such a person could use a facility restricted to apartment residents.

“Don’t lie. I know your house isn’t here.”

“How can you be so sure? Did you investigate me?”

At Yaehyun’s question, Seoyeon clamped her mouth shut. Her intentions were transparent. Yaehyun laughed inwardly at Seoyeon and said, “It’s true that my original home isn’t here.”

“Then why are you using this facility? It’s for residents only……”

“But my wonderful new lover lives here.”

At Yaehyun’s words, Seoyeon’s mouth closed. Lover—did he mean actor Kang Ijeong? She had heard that Kang Ijeong lived here, but still.

“……Lies.”

“Why would I lie to you about that, Ms. Joo Seoyeon?” Yaehyun shrugged and said, “We’re living together for now. You seem to keep paying attention to me because of Park Gyujin…… You don’t need to worry. I’m getting along very well with my new lover.”

“…….”

At Yaehyun’s words, Seoyeon lowered her head with her mouth shut. Although flustered by the unexpected meeting, Yaehyun felt oddly victorious and added one more comment.

“So don’t worry at all. I have no interest in your boyfriend.”

At Yaehyun’s final jab, Seoyeon’s shoulders flinched.

“You two should get married. Keep a good eye on your boyfriend.”

On that first meeting, he had felt endlessly miserable, but today he felt like he had won, and Yaehyun’s shoulders lifted slightly. Though he knew it was childish, feeling a bit better made him realize he hadn’t completely gotten over that incident.

“Excuse me, if you’re not going to use the treadmill, could you please step down?” While he was looking down at Seoyeon with her head bowed, a resident looking for an empty spot approached Yaehyun and spoke.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Come to think of it, he had been embarrassed just to run in front of people, and here he was having a conversation in the middle of the fitness center. Yaehyun, suddenly feeling embarrassed, quickly got off the treadmill.

“……Sniff.”

Seoyeon sniffled as if she had been greatly shocked by Yaehyun’s words. She looked barely in her mid-twenties; had he been too childish? Feeling a bit guilty, Yaehyun said to Seoyeon, “You seem like a much better match for Park Gyujin than me in many ways, so at least you won’t be dumped as rudely as I was.”

“…I… know that too!” Then Seoyeon, as if overcome with sorrow, started to cry.

“Hey, what’s that?”

“Did that person make her cry?”

In an instant, the eyes in the fitness center focused on the two of them.

“I’m really…… not jealous or anything. Sniff. No, I’m not.” Yaehyun looked between Seoyeon and the surrounding people, flustered.

He had wanted to get back at her, but he hadn’t intended to make her cry, nor did he want to become a spectacle in front of so many people.

“Hey, don’t cry first……”

“I just……”

“No, let’s talk outside first.”

Seoyeon, as if she had a lot of grievances, glared at Yaehyun with teary eyes. But the look had no force. Yaehyun thought it was best to avoid people’s attention first, so he decided to take Seoyeon outside.

“We’re grown-ups, isn’t it a bit embarrassing to cry in front of everyone?”

Oops—unconsciously treating Seoyeon like a child, Yaehyun paused and checked Seoyeon’s reaction. But Seoyeon, as if it didn’t matter, barely swallowed her tears and replied, “……Are you going to run away after saying that?”

Seoyeon looked at Yaehyun with suspicion. In the end, Yaehyun had to link his little finger and swear he wouldn’t run away before they could leave the gym.

“I said I wouldn’t run away.” After a quick shower, Yaehyun came out and spoke to Seoyeon, who was waiting for him.

Seoyeon, who had cried but not broken a sweat because she had spotted Yaehyun as soon as she left the fitness center, said, “Honestly, you and I. We’re not exactly in a position to trust each other, are we?”

That was the most plausible thing Seoyeon had said so far. Yaehyun shrugged.

“I have no hard feelings toward you. I already have a wonderful new lover, and I don’t see any reason to be angry at you. Why, did you date him knowing he had a boyfriend?”

“Of course not! I’m not that kind of person.” Seoyeon snapped.

“Then there’s even less reason. I have no interest in you or Park Gyujin.”

No matter how young she was, she couldn’t be a minor if she was set up as Gyujin’s fiancé, so she wasn’t that young, but she seemed like a child, not much different from Yaehyun’s younger sister. At first, it was shocking and he felt ashamed, wanting to hate Seoyeon, but now he didn’t feel that way anymore. Since Park Gyujin had hidden his existence and dated her, she was also a victim.

Thinking that, Yaehyun said, “I really didn’t know you lived here. I only came because Ijeong…… said I should use the apartment facilities. Um…… It doesn’t seem good to keep bumping into each other, so I’ll just not come from now on. Whatever.”

Besides, all he could do was run on the treadmill anyway. Yaehyun said in a completely indifferent tone.

“We won’t run into each other often just because we live in the same apartment complex. That should be fine,” Yaehyun said with his own kind of consideration.

Since there was nothing good about meeting, he thought Seoyeon wouldn’t want to get involved either after this conversation. Just as he thought that and turned around, Seoyeon grabbed him.

“……I have something to say.”

What could she possibly want to talk about? Yaehyun sighed lightly. “What is it? Let’s make it quick and finish.”

“……What kind of person is Gyujin oppa?”

At Seoyeon’s question, Yaehyun made a dumbfounded expression. Why are you asking me that now? Yaehyun thought and said, “I think it’s better for you to find out for yourself as you go along. You don’t think an ex who broke up badly will have nice things to say, do you?”

“That’s why I’m asking. He’s good to me, but…….” Seoyeon pouted. “Seeing you…… I’m not so sure anymore.”

Seoyeon was someone who had grown up loved. She had never felt malice from others and had lived a peaceful life as the cherished youngest daughter of a chaebol family. Gyujin was also good to her. But since hearing that Gyujin had a boyfriend for seven years, she couldn’t stop feeling uneasy.

At first, she comforted herself: now I’m his partner, he must have chosen me because I’m better. But the more she thought, the more curious she became about his ex. Eventually, she met Yaehyun through somewhat unscrupulous methods, but he was completely different from what she had imagined.

It would have been better if he was just a bad or pitiful person. Yaehyun was someone who, even when angry, maintained basic courtesy. Despite growing up in a poorer-than-average family, he had dated Gyujin, a member of a chaebol family, so she thought Yaehyun would be greedy and arrogant, but he was nothing like that. And the more she confirmed that Yaehyun was that kind of person, the more questions arose about Gyujin.

So Seoyeon, in her own way, gathered her courage and grabbed Yaehyun.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“I don’t know, maybe a lover’s quarrel.”

While Seoyeon, after her own reasoning, held onto Yaehyun’s sleeve, a few people whispered and passed by. Seeing Seoyeon, who wouldn’t leave until she got what she wanted, Yaehyun sighed.

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