Sorry for the day late update! Got off work too late and timezones confused me a bit…(here it’s still friday 🙂
Anyways, enjoy the new chapters!
CMYEHDS Episode 8
by darkaedyThe topic of “How to deal with couple items shared with an ex-lover” was a fitting subject for the participants to discuss together.
Especially since just 30 minutes ago, they had all opened the X delivery box together.
Oh, it seems that person has finally come to his senses. In reality, Cha Yoon had no other intention than to provoke Ki Seo-jeong, but the participants let out sighs of relief. It was a case of wishful thinking.
The participants made sounds of contemplation, each organizing their thoughts in their own way. Among them, the only one unable to manage his expression was Ki Seo-jeong.
So, he’s finally bringing that up. Ki Seo-jeong pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and stared at Cha Yoon. Their eyes met. Seeing Cha Yoon’s smiling face made Ki Seo-jeong’s jaw tense up. He was already in a fragile mental state, and now the other side was fanning the flames, driving him to the brink.
“I think… that’s not right.”
The one who suddenly spoke with a quivering voice was Jeong Su-ho. Cha Yoon grinned at his eyes, which looked like they were about to cry. It was a good start.
“Um, I agree. It’s strange to keep them, and even stranger to use them? I just don’t understand. If you’ve broken up, you should cleanly move on.”
Gong Min-wook added his opinion with a slight frown. He himself was on the show “Please Take Care of My Ex” because he couldn’t do that, so it was somewhat contradictory.
“Exactly. It’s not just anything; it’s couple items… I don’t think it’s respectful to the new person either.”
Min Ha nodded vigorously. Cha Yoon gave Min Ha a rare generous smile.
It wasn’t about taking sides. Ki Seo-jeong was baffled by the unfolding situation.
Yeo Ji-yoon, who had been lost in thought, also leaned towards the idea of ‘throwing them away.
Now, the only ones who hadn’t expressed their opinions were Ki Seo-jeong and Song Joo-ah.
Seo Jeong blinked slowly. Turning his head, he saw Cha Yoon holding the knife’s handle. Naturally, the blade was pointed towards him. Seo Jeong realized that all of this was a setup by Cha Yoon to condemn him. Therefore, he couldn’t just ignore it and walk away.
After gathering his expression, Seo Jeong finally opened his mouth, which had been shut tight.
“I think the items are innocent.”
Cha Yoon’s expression crumpled at the smooth voice. I knew he would say that, his face seemed to say. Regardless, Ki Seo-jeong continued to express his opinion.
“Just because a relationship has ended, does that mean we need to throw away innocent items?”
Ki Seo-jeong shrugged, pretending to be relaxed. As if the words he had said in front of the sink were entirely true, as if no lies were mixed in, just like that.
Hah. Cha Yoon felt the unpleasantness that had been following him throughout dinner resurface. It was so explosive that the back of his neck felt stiff.
He didn’t think about where the unpleasantness was coming from. For Cha Yoon, the result was more important than the cause.
He couldn’t hold back any longer and twisted his smile.
“Are you just trying to win in your own mind?”
“…..”
“Why do you keep using items you shared with your ex if you have no feelings left? Unless you still have lingering attachments to your ex.”
How pathetic, like a beggar. Ki Seo-jeong’s forehead twitched somewhere at Cha Yoon’s mocking tone.
“Isn’t it the one who thinks that way who actually has lingering feelings? It seems like you want to attribute meaning to even the smallest actions of your ex.”
The atmosphere felt increasingly heated. If he just laughed it off with a “Is that so?” now, it would all be over. However, Ki Seo- jeong didn’t want to back down here. If he didn’t set things straight now, he would be tormented endlessly. Knowing Cha Yoon’s persistent nature better than anyone, he had to wrap this up.
The thought of Cha Yoon checking every moment to see if he had folded his heart was terrifying just to imagine.
“W-Well, there are all kinds of people!”
Min Ha, who had been glancing around nervously, suddenly spoke up brightly. It was her own effort to lighten the mood. But despite her efforts, sparks flew between Cha Yoon and Ki Seo-jeong.
Of course, it was Cha Yoon’s one-sided spark.
How childish. Song Joo-ah, who had been observing the situation, shook her head. It seemed like it was time for her to step in.
“Seo-jeong seems to think similarly to me.”
Song Joo-ah, having set down her empty glass, directed her gaze towards Seo-jeong. Seo-jeong looked a bit surprised. It seemed he hadn’t expected her to side with him.
“I agree with Seo-jeong. Items are just items.”
That could sound rather cynical. Jeong Su-ho next to her exclaimed, “Oh,” in admiration without realizing it. Cha Yoon’s head tilted towards Song Joo-ah.
He was already irritated by Ki Seo-jeong’s response, and now that Song Joo-ah was siding with Ki Seo-jeong, his mood soured even more.
Is he getting annoyed because his ex-girlfriend is siding with me? Ki Seo-jeong watched Cha Yoon’s face change with every passing moment and ran his hand through his hair. Realizing that fact only added to his already troubled mind, pushing his patience to its limits.
“Right. It seems more pathetic to dwell on meanings alone and add more complaints.”
Everyone was taken aback by Ki Seo-jeong’s words. Yet, they understood him. It was about time for him to burst; it was almost saintly how he had endured the constant provocation.
Ki Seo-jeong recalled seven years ago. Memories of Cha Yoon. The two were similar to how they were now.
Ki Seo-jeong tried hard to be kind to everyone and took his own sacrifices for granted. It stemmed from a deficiency he had since realizing he didn’t want to be hated, and thus didn’t want to be abandoned by anyone anymore.
Cha Yoon found that side of Seo-jeong unsatisfactory.
“Stop pretending to be nice.”
“…What?”
“Why are you smiling when you’re actually really pissed off?”
Cha Yoon was always like that. He would push Ki Seo-jeong to the edge without even giving him a parachute, then shove him off the cliff. Ki Seo-jeong had no choice but to bring out his true nature when pushed to the limit. And then, Ki Seo-jeong would lose his rationality too.
“Instead of pointing fingers at others, fix your weird personality.”
That day was like that. Cha Yoon had poked at his nerves with a deeply furrowed brow. Seo-jeong, who had always been indifferent, couldn’t hold back any longer and finally said something he disliked to someone else. Only after pouring out everything he had inside did his mind start to function properly.
Once his rationality returned, worry flooded in. He was afraid of bad rumors spreading. He had ruined everything just because he couldn’t hold back that little bit. The thought that everyone would soon leave him made his mind go blank.
“Now you’re starting to look like a person.”
Contrary to his worries, Cha Yoon smiled. A very bright smile. It didn’t look like the face of someone who had just been scolded.
“From now on, when you’re angry like you were with me, just express it, and if you dislike something, say you dislike it. Don’t just endure it like a pushover.”
So, Ki Seo-jeong didn’t have to be a nice person only to Cha Yoon. He couldn’t be a nice person all the time. Because Cha Yoon kept bringing out the original Ki Seo-jeong. He loved the not-so-nice Ki Seo-jeong more than anyone else.
The train of thought was interrupted by Cha Yoon’s voice.
“So, am I pathetic?”
“When did I say you were pathetic, Cha Yoon? You didn’t say I was pathetic either, did you?”
It was a battle of nerves with no room for compromise. The air was thick with tension. The first to feel the drop in temperature was Ki Seo-jeong. Huh. After a short sigh, Seo-jeong gathered his expression and smiled.
“I was just sharing my thoughts. Don’t misunderstand.”
Cha Yoon, watching Seo-jeong’s kindly half-closed eyes, let out a hollow laugh. Wow, he’s pretending to be nice again. That thought crossed his mind, but somehow he didn’t feel as bad as before. After all, it was better than being completely ignored.
“It’s interesting and nice to have these conversations with new people.”
“Exactly!”
“It feels like it’s been a while since we had such a heated discussion.”
As Song Joo-ah made a remark to wrap up the situation, the other participants chimed in.
Anyone want more beer? Yeo Ji-yoon asked, shaking an empty can. Seo-jeong, who had leaned back into the sofa, glanced down at his ringing phone.
“Wow…”
Jeong Su-ho covered his mouth. The notifications weren’t just for Seo-jeong. The phones of everyone sitting in a circle vibrated simultaneously. Ki Seo-jeong sighed and unlocked his phone.
When he tapped the sparkling My X application, a pink notification popped up on the screen with a buzz.
! The messaging and mailbox functions that were locked are now activated.