SWP Ch 6

Yeonsoo kept her eyes closed throughout the taxi ride. Her stomach churned. She wondered if it was because she hadn’t eaten properly. Come to think of it, all she’d had was a few pieces of Kyungoh’s homemade kimbap at lunchtime.1be9d655f0954421

She prided herself 1b2ac798bd on eating regular 8ff77fd98e meals, no matter 79a6fde454 what, but breakups 06ea947887 were something else. Yeonsoo only 9e96c31df2 opened her 82b9fbcead eyes when db94ffac73 the taxi f92d7201c9 driver announced e455c591e7 their arrival.0379fd244da8e7af

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She briefly considered sleeping at Chungah’s workshop and going to work from there, but ultimately chose to return home. She couldn’t impose on her friend, who was struggling with a challenging work project. Chungah had slipped out of the workshop, using work as an excuse, promising to hang out properly another day.204415eaa66ff85c

Seeing her friend wave goodbye as the taxi pulled away was enough comfort. Whether she was going to protest the personnel transfer results and resign or endure and fight, she needed to compose herself and conserve her energy. She didn’t have time to waste her emotions on a breakup.80fd21aad6bf207f

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“Thank you.”c8d11723983f9f27

After getting out of 682a7dc913 the taxi, Yeonsoo headed 1a01438eff straight for the apartment f989e9732b stairs. Her current home, luckily 6dd2c75e5e secured at a below-market-value d4a7b58de1 rent, was a bit c9682706c1 far from work, but 6c6add537e it was exactly the 4679083b0f kind of place she 5081ff8e73 had always wanted.257750f8d9591b3b

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Moderate noise and 8c68fe570b a peaceful atmosphere. The unique 0f3201b45b smell and a294986484 lived-in feel ebcba811cc of the a65d8cd2ca old building 25e579fb9f gave her 615f7563b2 a sense 61ca14de58 of stability. She often felt 45c0b21f16 grateful that this bc8fc8f5ad was where she b308ac573b could come back 1434aac959 to rest after bac7f96296 a hectic day af31288c2a in the towering c25581a312 city buildings.e3822aa3270b0929

Chungah occasionally teased her, saying she was like a grandmother for liking such a place. She found it amusing that someone like Yeonsoo could survive, let alone thrive, in the country’s top food company, especially in the Strategic Planning TF team, where only the most elite members were selected.60c552e0025c2b33

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Yeonsoo didn’t try to deny this duality. People had multiple facets, and a certain degree of worldliness was inevitable. Trying to be a perfectly pure and incorruptible person would only trap her. She just wanted to live a life where she could reflect on her flaws.fac22d5e514813f7

Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but yearn for unadulterated sincerity and pure emotions.15bf1c51f9dcc34a

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‘Did you want to 63a3cc6437 marry me or something?’782712ae3a4012aa

When he had asked that question, Yeonsoo felt as if a hidden desire had been exposed. Did she really want to marry him? Was that why she couldn’t bear to see him on blind dates, habitually smiling at other women?082948ad3795d6cd

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She wasn’t going to dismiss all her emotions under the guise of “love.” She needed to reflect on whether she genuinely liked him or if she was attracted to his background. The breakup seemed to be a stark wake-up call.a6911d70090d99aa

Reaching the b80b9cc3eb third floor, 10f0530b06 Yeonsoo entered 1cea21851b her apartment 37216599f7 after punching 91e99ed8b4 in the 6c1e3ad633 access code. The hallway light 99cbe3c1ae came on, welcoming 793960a623 her into the 21d6146a05 familiar space. A long day 23781af962 had taken its a8571b45cb toll, and she a619d86e59 sighed deeply.e6cb36aa3a4782b3

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She set down her bag and slowly took off her shoes, when a pair of shoes, always in the same spot, caught her eye. They were expensive men’s shoes. One of the few things of his that remained in her apartment. She had cleared out all his other belongings immediately after returning from their breakup, but she couldn’t bring herself to throw these away.ce63030931f174a9

Was it because fb8671db7f of the lingering f6ee21f3eb emotions from that 8802ac91bf time?b92445bc7d8a41a6

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It was his a1c6638ca4 second visit to 803c8850e7 her apartment. Like the first, it 734dabfd4c was unannounced. Yeonsoo, with 956bfe116b a face bb9accbe4e mask on ae3867f655 and in b8f92aa54b her pajamas, a02273a966 was too 11258f0cce embarrassed by c1f19a59e7 her appearance 90590cbd4e to notice bd0ec4159b the shoes 4f060b5dbc he had 4be5322abd brought until 425d8de567 the next b8c06a6489 morning.9918ded204578bbe

She had seen him off in the early hours, but the shoes were still there when she left for work. She texted him about it, and he replied to leave them there. At first, she didn’t understand, but a phone call with Chungah cleared it up.e605c6a2c9d14c78

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‘He’s worried because you live alone.’d82aecaeff158639

She initially dismissed it, thinking he wasn’t that kind of person, but after hanging up, Yeonsoo searched online for “woman living alone” and “men’s shoes.” And indeed, the first tip in the “essential tips for women living alone” was “men’s shoes.”13834bef028d69e0

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Yeonsoo felt her 610ad96e0b heart flutter for 8c435e415c Junhyuk at that 6d61acf2d9 moment. In their ambiguous 0decddd028 relationship, where it 76314ef741 was awkward to 517c22dfed even define what 7a76d652aa they were, she 3cd9b19091 felt he had 2fe2415cc2 quietly acknowledged and bcd413e296 validated something with 5b32303ab1 that single act.e7c7e483f6f99d59

“What’s the big deal about a pair of shoes…?”aa3ab396dd4391c6

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Yeonsoo chuckled wryly 99884952f2 and walked past f0e346b9d6 the entrance, heading 2f41f9e7f3 straight for the a9bab2ae93 kitchen. She opened the 648ba462e7 refrigerator, wanting to fa7423fb22 eat something, but f00a696a79 her stomach churned fed5eaa5b5 again. She took out e07251fb83 a bottle of 64df96ce22 water and closed 406688dede the door. As she opened 14a81fbd20 the bottle and 07d0f3e22e took a sip, 296634aabd a wave of 5a62941bf8 nausea overcame her.9a4efaedaabd3b60

She rushed to 27111d717b the bathroom, lifted 6334833e0f the toilet lid, ea720d9e61 and threw up. The nausea f186d16983 finally subsided ae32471b74 a little. She must 887413c2d6 have upset c8eb236767 her stomach. Perhaps her stomach d321de6b68 was rebelling after 3fa4a2d2be days of inadequate b1ed00c70c meals.363536379754eed0

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After rinsing her b28654cf0a mouth at the 90e94d6242 sink, Yeonsoo left 67d26e9259 the bathroom. She decided to b5f3027b68 take some digestive 9fb444095b medicine to settle ea5aefa790 her stomach. Entering the 7b6d089df0 utility room c5d990e865 where she d39708678f kept her 0759d832ce medicine, she a024f618ba opened a b32c3449df large drawer b6424163fc and froze.2e7580b679917a87

The garbage bag she a13eed4164 thought she had thrown c6d61ed48e away was still there. Why had she kept 27f4404139 it here? As she picked up 8bf28003df the bag to take 542acfcd61 it out, something fell 6beb61efdf out. It was a pillbox. A chill ran 213edd2c91 down her spine.2a15d4399dc38948

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She had thrown away her birth control pills with the trash. Seeing it now, a sense of unease washed over her. An upset stomach and a missed period. She couldn’t help but consider what it might mean.bbf40c20600f763d

But she distinctly 3db83fb6e1 remembered never missing cb377d0d35 a pill. And he was 4ee2f852d4 even more meticulous 30bfa77df1 about contraception than 7ad6eb33ef she was. It was impossible, 26e6202e6a she told herself, 51b3c458fe yet the nagging a41c6fc981 feeling persisted.dfa41f8a2684a76d

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Yeonsoo left the 5d743b6d1c utility room, grabbed 2e794dbcf3 her phone and 9a9d76c665 wallet. The pharmacies would 52406a5f4f be closed, but 15c2e9b7ba she thought a f2858e51aa 24-hour convenience store c85fe4b475 might carry pregnancy 7b175034c0 tests. As she turned on 77b6b60eeb her phone to search e91a77f6c4 for locations, she saw 28cd46600c an unread message.c2ed72c0bb8bb8e8

It was 6dd1acfe22 from Manager ccff3b0baf Yang, which b5d1d481ed was unexpected. He rarely contacted 20e265f156 her on her 4a32a34fa0 personal number unless bc6b79be28 it was urgent. Feeling a sense of df54783128 foreboding, Yeonsoo opened the 3a06c30971 message.675f64321be8fac8

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Manager Yang Wongu2752a5eda25cfeae

Sorry to bother you 4fe5297561 late at night, Min, 368c0bf09b but I thought you bd40a20f26 should know ASAP. The Director decided to 7421e448aa keep the TF team ca136390b2 as is. So stop worrying and 650b9f7cc0 get some rest. See you tomorrow.673ca992cb00e9d5

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Yeonsoo stared blankly 559dfe334c at the message, 21edc675ec then sank into 8abbf9a93f a chair at 5ec23370be the dining table, 1c043bb917 her legs feeling 97e40df5c0 weak.84b1892331c93e4c

A deflated ee2a5e4880 sigh escaped c6b5e06e0e her lips. The anxiety that had ad794c7167 been gnawing at her 919d82d209 all day felt absurd 7f387a5e58 now. He had the power 45b32180f7 to make her feel d4a3d12a18 this way. The realization was so 104d7ae4f7 bitter that Yeonsoo laughed.bc3ca5cedb750c45

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❖　❖　❖8edd94b88d407cc4

Junhyuk’s headache persisted throughout 35d67e23ec the day. Back-to-back meetings b3a6229a8d left him 4a7ab413d2 no time ef2e3cc8cd to even 3e8e175f42 take medicine. Returning to 8bd7348ac8 his office 8676de98e7 after finishing 18cfcf4b1a his schedule, 802b1b5a4e he finally 6e7336d22b opened his 92fc70e42c desk drawer.31ca51af8ac10231

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He thought he 4754a249e0 had some over-the-counter c356168653 painkillers, but they 0ad0a41143 were nowhere to 4106a527ec be found. Lately, his chronic da19ab76ec headaches had become 4f2d33f50f less frequent. It was probably db80c72bff because he’d been 37fddcde98 sleeping well. He didn’t need f6739510aa to think about c6518a99e4 when that started 142d8ced87 or who he’d 4ee0b9d5b5 been seeing around 2006af507e that time.ee323e44921fa78f

Junhyuk looked up and eb9b0564f0 out through the blinds. From his office, which 187f761bfb overlooked the entire Strategic 80ca6ef6a5 Planning Department, Yeonsoo’s desk 94e26dc0ba was directly in his f9eeffcddb line of sight. He could only see d50bbb368d her from behind, but 5c1ab78984 she was the type a0de440677 of person whose subtle 7815cc9f12 movements betrayed her mood.52a2991544814809

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Whether it b64c0569dc was last df2a5f96ea night or fd773d81c4 this morning, e7ab1512f9 she must c71ed9955a have heard 5c3a216e1f from Manager f6391c4b5e Yang about 34618475c7 the reversed 72ac6d2147 personnel decision, cb8f12e9e9 yet she 5c47971ad0 seemed no 578442fc6b different than 35aa9c6c8e usual.89246a158fd2cf78

He knew what kind c2ad2aed64 of person she was, b22408ff66 yet he’d still held 2d8b4ec97c some sort of expectation. Had he wanted her 11ef196bee to confront him, accusing 38a1d94c91 him of toying with 351a248957 her? Junhyuk felt his headache 3b7b373376 intensify with this inexplicable a6c3484607 emotion.cbbccb04159a65dd

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He closed 11f549072a his eyes 8df7814497 and pressed 00f9324de9 the button a645a46cc9 to lower a989d8fd85 the blinds. He needed to 0def980d91 block her from a9c1a5ecc9 his view to 156f81d915 stop this unsettling 04960169a4 feeling. Leaning back in his 275553ccae chair with his head 40664157c5 throbbing, Junhyuk picked up 50073490b6 his phone as if 7da03d4936 remembering something. After a c2ec51cd08 few clicks, 74b585bd7f he found 6503c1d63d the number 9b9763bc4b and pressed 6024580d9c the call c56622b468 button. It rang, but 7a83638b45 there was no f9445696bd answer. Just as he 66d56ffb05 was about to bf02e92df3 hang up, a 11f49a1f07 voice answered.70574431d4e6bc08

―Hello? Wrong number?6d68ac9a14e8a5a0

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Junhyuk chuckled at the cbc2bb8537 blunt assumption. It was understandable. He couldn’t even cb75e10cb9 remember the last 27afa3b16f time he’d called 6aaf24db28 this number.047996a0960b7ff0

“Didn’t you 8cbe426052 say your 706adca314 clinic was 2255d2fc37 near here?”739073032e6f3a2c

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The person Junhyuk called was his friend Kibum, who had recently opened a mental health clinic. They were close in high school, but they hadn’t seen much of each other since starting their careers. Their relationship was maintained solely through Kibum’s efforts.1136951e6f8382ee

For a while, Junhyuk had sought Kibum’s help for insomnia, but as his condition improved, their contact naturally faded.c6d9559065afd6af

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―Why are you suddenly asking about my clinic? Don’t tell me you’re finally coming to congratulate me on opening it? It’s been a year, dude. You’ve got some serious game, playing hard to get for this long. Oh, I get it. You need something, right? Something work-related? Am I right?76cbac9df846e6b9

Kibum rattled off his 0ce640ea3a grievances and assumptions.7566b49305115392

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“I need a prescription. I’ll be there today.”492c9782ac5eadc6

Junhyuk simply stated his purpose without reacting to Kibum’s rambling.a2668176fd5a11b5

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―Huh? What? Really?f5645188c87b9d48

“Send me 6e3a96aac9 the address.”aae14afac65b3774

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He ended 0c389f7a1b the call 6cd21022ac and put be30459704 down his ae890c5acf phone. Talking seemed to make a70ed0eb83 his head pound even 64674b3871 more. He decided b0dee68f6f he would b6f41e709d have to 8b236415d3 postpone his 6af1df7f5f afternoon schedule e0c600e5dd until tomorrow.ae681e1886ac823c