Unexpected Ch 2 part 1

“It’s as frustrating as eating a sweet potato¹.”

KunHyung put down his half-drunk grapefruit lemonade. The condensation droplets clinging to the cup looked refreshing. The chewy clumps of pulp were floating in the grapefruit lemonade. He had ordered it fresh after sitting down across from her without her permission.

Even though he was drinking a grapefruit lemonade, how could he say it was like ‘eating a sweet potato’? Despite the difference in the words and the action, she was only able to appreciate the refreshing soda after she took a sip. It cleared away the frustration of a hundred chestnuts and sweet potatoes.

So how did she end up sitting across from this man at this time of night?

Just a few moments ago, she had thought to herself that she’d never experience something as painful and tragic in her life ever again. But now, she was thinking, ‘Why did I get caught in such a pathetic situation by this man?’ All she could feel was resentment.

“You’re still the same as always, Sunbae.”

She suppressed the urge to run to her office apartment and hide under the covers as she whimpered and cried. He replied with, ‘How so?’ as he raised a brow.

“The way you only think about yourself.”

“That can’t be.”

He looked surprised as if this was the first time he’d heard this in his life. It was so like him that she let out a faint sigh.

“I’m sure you saw what just happened.”

He shrugged.

“I didn’t mean to.”

“Then you should know how horrible I feel right now.”

“I’m not sure about how you feel, but I know I feel bad.”

“Why do you feel bad, Sunbae?”

When he heard her question, he looked at her in disbelief and asked back.

“You really don’t know?”

“Wouldn’t it be odd if I did?”

He slowly closed his eyes before opening them as if he were trying to keep his emotions under control. He tilted his head and opened his mouth.

“You said you didn’t want me, only to choose a punk like that… Do you think I’d be in my right mind?”

But that was such a long time ago.

He was acting as if she had rejected his confession just yesterday. She could hardly believe it.

“You know that happened six years ago, right?”

She first met him when she had just entered the university as a first-year student. He had recently finished his military service and had returned to the university².

“Do you see that sunbae over there?”

He had a figure that drew the attention of both male and female students. Wherever he went, eyes followed him.

“I’m not sure. I hear he’s the youngest child of Hanguk Steel.”

At the time, Hanguk Steel was one of the top thirty companies in the country and at the top of the national steel industry. They had just begun to advance into South America as well, so they were always looking for employees. They were like an oasis in the desert for those who were desperate to find work.

Not only was he born with good looks, but he was also born with incredible status. Therefore, it was only natural that people were drawn to him.

“No wonder. He’s overflowing with elegance.”

Even though the whispering rumors didn’t bother her, she still felt tense whenever she felt his presence. Whenever they ran into each other, she had to greet him³. If they were ever put in the same group for an assignment, she needed to speak with him for the sake of her grade.

If it wasn’t about their classes, she never really spoke to him. However, his piercing gaze was enough to make her feel like an insect that had been caught in his web.

Although his face never seemed to hold any emotion, whenever he saw her with male classmates or upperclassmen, his sleek brow would crease.

No way. Does he like me?

She’d wondered this a few times, but she couldn’t think of any situation that could prove this theory. He had never approached her and asked her out for a meal or a movie.

Up until the very day of his graduation, he had kept her on edge. And then, when he came into the department office to turn in his graduation robes, he suddenly confessed to her.

“Do you want to try dating me?” 

It was so out of the blue that she thought she had misheard him.

“I guess I can see why you can’t believe your ears.”

Pfft, his lips arched into a smile. When she saw this, she quickly regained her composure. Then she looked directly into his eyes and answered him.

“I don’t want to.”

Just like now, his face looked like he had been told no for the first time in his life.

“Why not?”

His brows furrowed in confusion. As he began to recite his strengths and incredible pedigree, she replied in a clear voice, as if she were hitting the nail on the head.

“That’s why I don’t want to. Because just by standing next to you like this, it’ll draw people’s eyes.” 

“And you don’t like that?”

“What I want is someone who treats me like I’m special. I don’t want to be with someone that makes me feel like I have to treat them special.”

He closed his mouth with a blank look on his face. He had always looked so confident in anything he did, so this was the first time she’d seen this expression from him. Because of this, she felt a bit embarrassed.

The awkward silence lingered for a moment. He lightheartedly shrugged his shoulders and answered back with ‘Well, it can’t be helped.’ before turning around and exiting the room as if he had something he needed to do.

“It happened during the third year, so it would be seven years. And you don’t remember the time after that?”

The time after that…

She sifted through her memories. Her brows twitched imperceptibly. Two years ago, she remembered seeing him at a sunbae’s wedding.

She turned her head when she heard murmurs, and she unexpectedly saw him. He was at the center of a group of people as always.

The moment their eyes met, he walked over to her and greeted her.

“It’s been a while.”

“Ah…”

She never expected to see him here. She hadn’t seen him since graduation, so running into him all of a sudden made her feel uncomfortable.

“Did you find someone?”

His sudden question caused her to ask back with a blank face.

“Pardon?”

“I’m talking about someone who treats you like you’re special.” 

After two or three seconds had passed, the puzzle pieces finally clicked together. She recalled the words she’d thrown back at him on graduation day.

He’d still kept those words in mind after all this time…

He glanced at her thoughtful face and asked again.

“Did you find someone?”

After lowering her eyes for a moment, she raised them again and looked him in the eye as she answered his question. At the time, she had just begun to see SeungHoon.

“Yes.”

He let out a strange exclamation.

“Hmm.”

And then his piercing gaze bore into her. Suddenly, someone called her name. If this hadn’t happened, she felt like she wouldn’t have been able to endure it much longer. She quickly escaped from his presence.

But why did this matter right now?

For a moment, she almost laughed. Why was she sitting across from him and obediently answering his questions? It’s not like they had kept in touch all these years. They weren’t close at all.

She slightly shook her head and raised her stiff eyes.

He must have thought she looked pitiful being left all alone. So much so that he couldn’t just walk past her.

However, he wasn’t much of a comfort, so his kindness wasn’t very welcome. Actually, because he of all people had witnessed one of her most embarrassing moments, she felt repulsed by him. This was the first time she’d seen him since that day, so she felt this even more.

“So how are you going to compensate me?”

Compensate? Her brow went up at the abrupt demand.

“You made me witness such an unpleasant thing.”

His eyes looked as if he’d been the one who was hurt. She could even hear a hint of anger in his voice.

But I’m the one who was hurt. I’m the one who should be angry.

“Why are you angry, Sunbae?”

“Exactly. I never realized this would make me so angry.”

The more they spoke, the more confusing this conversation became. She felt that the longer she stayed here, the more difficult it would be to escape. She stretched out her hand to grab her purse at her side.

“I’m tired, so I think I’ll be heading out now.”

“What about your car keys?”

He asked so naturally that she froze when she heard the question. She had parked her car in the parking lot, so her car keys were inside her purse.

But why…

When she gave him an odd look, he kept his eyes on her and stretched out his hand.

“Keys.”

Anyone would be able to tell that he was asking her for her car keys. But why? She cautiously raised her brow. Seeing this, he chuckled.

“Because it doesn’t look like you’re in a state to be driving right now.”

He wasn’t wrong, but she didn’t want to ask him to drive her when she wasn’t even close to him. She wasn’t happy about his unexpected show of kindness.

“I’m going to leave my car here and take a taxi.”

“I don’t think this place holds many happy memories for you. You probably won’t want to come back here.”

Her eyes slightly trembled. If she left her car here, she’d have to come back to pick it up unless she asked someone else to do it for her.

She should’ve just told him she’d call a driver. She chewed on her lips and answered back.

“I can just call a driver.”

“You seem desperate.”

“That’s how uncomfortable I feel right now.”

“What did I do?”

When he asked the innocent question, she turned and looked at his eyes. What she saw made her forget what she was going to say. She held on to her purse and gazed at him.

That’s right. He never did anything. He had merely been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

She had hit rock bottom, and coming off prideful in a situation like this would be laughable. And she was too tired to be stubborn right now.

She let out a sigh and opened her purse before pulling out her car keys and handing it over to him. She wanted to get this day over with as soon as possible.