PTC Chapter 1. Couldn’t Say Hello

Buzz, buzz.

Da-in’s phone vibrated. She glanced at the screen, a new designated driver service request. Friday night meant a constant stream of calls. All evening, she’d been driving back and forth, picking up and dropping off clients.

It was the end of February, the tail end of winter, and a light drizzle made the air feel even colder. Da-in sighed softly and picked up her phone. This call was for a hotel in Junggu, the central district of Seoul.

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The hotel, a well-known landmark with an adjacent department store, was always bustling with people. Even at this late hour, the area was brightly lit and crowded. Da-in arrived, spoke to a staff member, and the person who requested the driver appeared.

The moment she saw the exceptionally tall man in a black coat, Da-in froze.

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‘Kang Seojun, what are you doing here?’

Her mind went blank. He was unforgettable. Her first love, a source of lingering pain. Perhaps the betrayer always carries the deeper scars. From Seojun’s perspective, she was the one who betrayed him. The woman who betrayed their love.

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While she stood there, stunned, Seojun approached. He looked impeccably dressed, not a trace of alcohol on his breath or a hair out of place.

“Designated driver?”

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His words snapped her back to reality.

“Yes! Designated driver, that’s right.”

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She desperately hoped he wouldn’t recognize her.

“Park Da-in. Long time no see.”

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It’s impossible he wouldn’t recognize me. I recognized him instantly.

“Yes, it has been a while. Kang Seojun. How have you been?”

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Seojun raised an eyebrow, his right one, the one that always went up when he was displeased. He hadn’t changed a bit, though he looked more mature now.

Perhaps that was why his striking features seemed even more captivating, his compelling presence almost seductive. With his displeasure evident on his face, Seojun tilted his head and said,

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“Of all people, you’re in no position to ask me how I’ve been, are you?”

Da-in stood speechless. It felt like being suddenly thrown back ten years. The world seemed to shift, and they were back in their past.

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The way you looked at me. The way my heart fluttered when I looked at you. But those feelings were just a fleeting illusion.

“If you’re here as a designated driver, you should be driving. Here are the keys.”

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Da-in stared at the keys Seojun offered, then reached out and took them. As she moved to open the back door for him, Seojun opened the passenger door and got in. Normally, clients sit in the back. But… Da-in got into the driver’s seat, hesitated for a moment, and said, 

“Would you mind sitting in the back? I don’t have passengers ride in the front.”

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“It’s my car.”

“Even so.”

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“What difference does it make where I sit, between you and me?”

He scoffed, as if it were ridiculous. But despite his dismissive tone, he moved to the back seat without further complaint.

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As soon as the car started moving, Da-in asked.

“Shall I take you to your family home?”

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“You remember?”

“Cheongdamdong. If you haven’t moved.”

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Her tone was strictly professional, deliberately impersonal. Irritatingly so. Proof that we’re now complete strangers. Is that why it’s so irritating? Seojun nodded once.

“That’s right.”

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Da-in drove in silence. From the back seat,   Seojun could see her back. He could almost hear the words he’d once whispered in her ear.

‘What do you think of this car? Park Da-in, I bought this car because I want to kiss you.’

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Back when they were still in college, they’d kissed passionately in his car, exploring each other’s bodies.

Da-in’s gaze flickered to Seojun in the rearview mirror. His short hair framed a high, aristocratic forehead. Below it, a prominent nose bridge that made him seem unapproachable. Straight philtrum, and lips with sharply defined lines. When they were firmly set like this, he looked like the quintessential cold city man, difficult to approach.

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Did I hurt you that much when I left? You must have been hurt. You must have thought I was a betrayer. But you’re still handsome. Are you married? 

She could have easily found out if she’d wanted to, but she’d deliberately avoided any news about him.

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As Da-in lost herself in thought, Seojun’s voice suddenly broke the silence.

“Are you married?”

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He’d asked the very question she was thinking about. Da-in answered casually. It was a meaningless question, and any answer would be equally meaningless.

“Yeah. I’m married. I have a kid, too.”

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Silence followed her reply. Had he expected this answer? She had expected him to ask more. The Kang Seojun she knew would have bombarded her with questions.

You have a kid?

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Who did you marry?

What kind of guy is he?

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How old is your child?

Is it a boy or a girl?

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He would have been full of questions. But had time mellowed him beneath his usual personality? Da-in felt an inexplicable pang of pain seeing Seojun sitting there silently.

She felt her heart pounding and deliberately slowed her breathing. When they reached at the Cheongdamdong mansion, Da-in stopped the car and pulled out the key. Clenching her jaw, she got out and walked over to Seojun. She handed him the key. He stared down at it for a moment, then took it and pulled some money out of his wallet.

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“Thank you.”

With a polite bow, Da-in turned and walked away.

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She expected him to call her back any second. Fighting the urge to look back, she kept walking.

Seojun’s eyes followed Da-in as she grew smaller. He stood there motionless, watching her receding figure. Why, after all this time, do you still cause such turmoil in me?

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“Park Da-in.”

It was the first time he’d spoken her name aloud in years. He hadn’t drunk anything, but he felt drunk. He wished he were. Truthfully, whether he drank or not, he always hired a driver if there was any chance of alcohol being involved. He’d made it a habit to avoid driving even near alcohol, knowing how much it worried his grandmother and mother. But today, he regretted calling for a driver.

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Park Da-in, appearing and disappearing like a dream. It was absurd.

‘How can you appear before me like this?’

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His head throbbed.

***

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“It hurts. It hurts.”

Pale-skinned Park Da-in was looking at him, shaking her head and complaining of pain. Unable to resist, he embraced her, nuzzling his face against hers, and poured out a torrent of “I love you’s.” They shared the thrill of their first time together. Da-in furrowed her brows and cried out, “Ow!”

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“Does it hurt?”

Panicked, he caressed her, captivated by the softness of her skin. Even in her pain, he noticed her flushed cheeks, finding her so beautiful that he couldn’t help but hold her tighter.

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“More, more.”

As she writhed, wanting to be held even closer, he faintly heard a knock. He didn’t want the feeling of Da-in disappearing from his arms, so he squeezed his eyes shut and clutched the blanket tighter. The knocking came again, followed by a voice.

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“Seojun, are you still asleep? I’m coming in.”

He woke up. He hadn’t wanted to, but his mother’s voice had roused him without fail. He sighed as Junghee entered and sat close to him.

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“Wake up. Did you drink last night?”

Perhaps because he’d seen Park Da-in, his dream had been vivid. Down below, he felt a heavy, persistent stirring.

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‘Damn it, I even have an erection in my dream about Park Da-in, of all things.’

“Mom, how can you just barge into your grown son’s room like this?”

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His protest was futile.

“Do you know what time it is?”

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“It’s Saturday.”

“Even if it’s Saturday, it’s lunchtime. Get up.”

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Junghee hit him on the back again.

“Hurry up and get up.”

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“Mom, how old do you think I am…?”

“Drink this honey water first.”

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“I barely drank last night.”

“Drink it anyway. ‘Barely’ doesn’t mean ‘not at all,’ right? Grandma specifically told you to be careful with alcohol this month.”

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This family has so many superstitions.

 Because the men in their family had all died young, both his grandmother and mother were incredibly superstitious.

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He wanted to tell them to ignore those silly superstitions, but considering his mother, who had raised him and his sibling, Seowoo, alone after losing her husband, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

“Alright.”

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Seojun took the honey water she offered and drank it.

“I’ll go down soon. I’ll shower and come down, so you go ahead.”

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“Okay. Come down quickly. Grandma said she has something to tell you.”

“What is it this time?”

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His grandmother was infamous for saying outrageous things, all in the name of her grandson’s well-being. Especially after visiting the shaman.

‘Did Grandma go see the shaman again?’

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He showered quickly and went downstairs to the dining table, which was laden with food, as if they had been preparing since morning.

“Good morning, Grandma.”

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Seojun greeted his grandmother, Soonja, who nodded.

“Of course I’m up. I woke up early, had breakfast, went for a walk—I’ve already done everything I needed to do, and now I’m about to have lunch. Our grandson doesn’t look well. Did you drink too much last night?”

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“No, I only had one drink.”

“A man’s ’one drink’  is never just one drink.”

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Soonja’s eyes, fixed on the only remaining male heir in the third generation, were filled with worry. She looked at Seojun intently and sighed deeply.

“Seojun, what are we going to do?”

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“What do you mean?”

“They say you’re going to die soon.”

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“What? Die? Me?”

Did I become terminally ill without knowing it? I’m pretty sure my health checkup this year came back clear.

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