Unexpected Ch 12

“Room service.”

She had ordered ahead so that she could eat some seaweed soup for breakfast. The food arrived promptly at 9 AM along with various side dishes. The employee set the table and wished her a happy birthday before disappearing with a smile.

The food looked quite extravagant. Steaming white rice, seaweed soup cooked with halibut and abalone, grilled mackerel, bulgogi, salted sea squirt, short-fruit pimpinella salad, napa cabbage kimchi and water kimchi, and freshly-squeezed orange juice. They had even brought her a cute mini-cake.

It was the morning of her birthday. Waking up to the sound of waves at a hotel known for its cuisine… She could not have made a better decision.

She had used her precious vacation days, so she felt even more relaxed. She quickly completed any urgent work that needed her attention and took three days off before driving all the way to Gangneung. Thankfully, because it was a national holiday, she ended up having six days off including the weekend.

Whoosh.

She lit the candle on the cake and stared at it. The wick continued to burn, but she couldn’t make a wish. Even though she knew that making a wish wouldn’t make it come true, she still hesitated.

The candle melted and completely burned out. In the end, she hadn’t been able to make a wish, and the candle went out.

She stared blankly at the candle before picking up her spoon. She began to eat her food, and after she was finished, she decided to make her way to the infinity pool that overlooked the sea.

She planned on visiting the famous Ojukheon House that was printed on one of the bills of currency. She also wanted to take a stroll through the pine forests of the thatched cottage village, and when she grew hungry, she wanted to try some of the famous village soft tofu dish as well.

She wanted to start at the coffee vending machines at the beach and walk down the famous Gangneung Coffee Street that held famous multigenerational coffee shops. She wanted to get drunk off of the soft fragrance of the coffee.

She chewed on her food. She counted all the things she wanted to try and quickly realized that she was overflowing with things to do.

Even though this place wasn’t even that far away from home, why hadn’t she come here before? Why did she live her life as if she were being chased? She felt a bit disappointed in herself.

As she told herself that she should enjoy herself to the fullest here before going back home, her hand tightened on her spoon.

She was worried that she’d feel sad the whole time, but, strangely, she didn’t feel anything. As expected, it was nothing. But since she was already here, she decided to enjoy her days off before heading back.

She energetically ate her food, and the food gradually disappeared.

* * *

The sea looked like it had been painted. It was so blue that it was almost blinding. It gave her a refreshing feeling that she could not find in the gray streets of the city.

During this time of rest, when people stood in the white foam of the tides, they all seemed to turn into excited little children again.

The Gangneung Coffee Street was filled with cute mailboxes, a sculpture of a yellow teapot, and chairs that crowded together… It was overflowing with people who were trying to make memories in this port city.

However, it was still a good place to visit without having any goals in mind. Just staring at the sea was enough to have a good time. Nevertheless, those who couldn’t shake off the slight hint of disappointment merely sipped their coffee as they looked out at the picturesque sea while walking along the rows of cafes.

Her last day at Gangneung. ChaYoung checked out of her hotel and went to Anmok Beach to look at the sea. She felt that she’d want to come back here in the future, not for the coffee, but for the sea.

She drew in a deep breath, and the fishy smell of the sea entered her lungs. Because it was the weekend, the area was crowded.

Filled with a sense of inevitable disappointment, ChaYoung looked around. The pair of lovers holding hands as they walked along the shore caught her eye. Even though there were so many people around, her eyes remained focused on those two.

The man looked at the woman with love overflowing from his eyes. She thought that it was only a figure of speech, but now that she had a good look, she realized it was true.

The man brushed away the hair that was stuck to the woman’s cheek. The occasional smile he flashed her. He gazed at her with such warmth.

“Pretty…”

Suddenly, her eyes began to sting. It was as if she were hypnotized by the dazzling couple that seemed to be from another world. She shook her head and turned around. If their eyes met by chance, they might misunderstand.

She hurriedly walked to the beach parking lot. Just as she was about to press the button on her car remote, she saw a car quickly enter the lot.

“Ah!”

It was his car. She gasped and crouched to the ground. Her heart raced, and her face flushed.

“How…”

How did he know she was here? She chewed on her fingernails, a habit she never had before, and looked around.

She didn’t have a tracking app on her phone, and even if he’d installed it in secret, she turned her phone off before she departed for Gangneung, so it wouldn’t matter anyway. Because she’d turned off the phone and tossed it into her bag, she hadn’t been able to take any pictures of this magnificent scenery either.

Was he having her followed? Or…

The day she broke up with Kim SeungHoon, he had been at the cafe. However, that was possible because it was in Seoul. What were the chances that they’d meet again here? It was near impossible.

After anxiously mulling over this, she suddenly stood up. As she walked, she glanced over at KunHyung’s car that had now parked into a spot. She could see the man open the door and get out.

“……!”

She stopped walking. Her eyes widened as she stared at the driver.

He was not KunHyung. The man felt ChaYoung’s intense gaze and turned around. He gave her a strange look. ChaYoung quickly lowered her eyes.

She finally realized that the license plate number was completely different. Only the car’s make and model were the same, but she had gotten ahead of herself and misunderstood.

“Haa.”

She suddenly felt so exhausted. She scoffed as her eyes welled up with tears.

“Ah, what do I do?”

Because of the tears, her vision turned blurry. She thought she was fine. But it turned out that she wasn’t.

“What do I do now?”

She gripped her forehead and crumpled to the ground. If she had only checked the license plate, this wouldn’t have happened.

She tried to pretend to be cool about it, but she couldn’t. The taste of food, the scenery around her… none of it seemed to process in her mind. She merely acted cool about it because she didn’t want to be pathetic, but if she were completely honest, it was incredibly difficult.

She thought that she’d be able to shake it off easily, just like what had happened with Kim SeungHoon. However, she couldn’t even remember how she’d lived before she met KunHyung. She realized that she wouldn’t be able to go back to the way things were before she’d gotten to know him.

She missed him. So much so that she had mistaken someone else’s car for his.

However, she did not want to torment herself with empty hope. He was merely a fantasy in the middle of her tiring, normal life. She could not handle having expectations of a man only to have him backtrack.

“Huu.”

She squeezed her eyes shut and wiped the tears away with the back of her hand. Then she turned around and began to walk.

Yeah. She couldn’t be cool in the face of a breakup. 

So there was no need to force it. It was okay if she was being a bit pathetic. Her body shook as she recited these words to herself over and over again.

* * *

When she arrived back in Seoul, it was late at night. Because she needed to calm her emotions, she had been a bit late to leave, and she took a break at every rest stop in order to drive back carefully. Therefore, it took her a lot longer to get back than when she left.

As soon as she saw her apartment building, her entire body seemed to relax. She found an empty parking spot and parked her car. She rummaged through her purse and found her cell phone that she had carefully hidden inside. She pulled it out and held it up.

As soon as she pressed a button, a familiar melody rang as the screen turned bright. A notification bell rang, and a slew of messages flooded her screen. ChaYoung read through the various messages wishing her a happy birthday. Suddenly, her hand froze.

「Seriously… Why did you turn off your phone?」

「Where did you go? Is it so wrong to say that I’ve been wanting to try something?」

「Why are you doing everything as you please?」

「You don’t even want to talk to me, is that it?」

「You turned my insides upside-down and disappeared. Where are you and what are you doing?!」

「Why are you making me hold onto my phone all day like this?」

「Are you trying to turn me into some pathetic idiot?」

「Is it because something happened? Are you sick? Hurt?」

「Just tell me if you’re okay. I feel like I’m going crazy.」

「What is it that you want me to do?」

Even though she was reading his texts, she felt like she could hear his voice in her ear. His angry messages had become filled with worry at some point. She remembered how he’d come running all the way here after one phone call.

At that thought, her heart began to be filled with him once again.

She glanced at her phone. She realized that she still hadn’t unbuckled her seat belt. She pressed the button to unbuckle the seat belt and grabbed her overnight bag before slowly getting out of the car.

Tap!

The moment she closed her car door, her phone began to ring in her hand. The name on the screen caused ChaYoung to bite down on her lips. It was the person who was responsible for the chaos brewing in her heart.

A trembling finger hovered over the ‘Decline’ button. It was late, and she didn’t want to wake anyone with the sound of the ringing phone. She needed to make a decision quickly.

However, her hand wouldn’t move. The fact that she was hesitating was evidence of her change of heart.

She drew in a deep breath and ultimately chose the ‘Accept’ button. She brought the phone up to her ear and heard his voice.

— Kang ChaYoung? Hello? Hello?

“I’m listening.”

— You seriously… Haa.

He let out a deep breath and asked in a low voice.

— Where are you?

“Home.”

Ultimately, she ended up choosing this. The fact that she’d kept her phone off during her vacation made her feel pathetic.

— What are you talking about? I was waiting for you in front of your place this whole time.

The whole time? Her startled eyes looked around at her surroundings. It was already past midnight.

— Where are you? Do you hate me so much that you’re lying to me now?

“I just got here.”

She sighed out her answer. She began to walk towards the entrance. He remained silent for a long time, almost as if he couldn’t believe it. He finally opened his mouth when he heard the beeping sounds as she entered the passcode for the building door.

— I’ll turn my car around, so wait for me and don’t hang up.

She pressed the elevator button and replied.

“It’s too late. And I’m about to enter the elevator, so I might lose cell service.”

— Wait for me.

His firm voice told her that he was going to come here no matter what. However, she had already gotten in the elevator.

He must have been focused on driving because he didn’t say another word. She clenched her hand around her bag and held her phone up to her ear, staring piercingly at the numbers on the elevator.

What should she do? Just the thought of him coming over here made her mouth run dry. She didn’t know what she’d say if she saw his face right now.

While she stood blankly in silence, she looked down at the overnight bag in her hand. She couldn’t meet him while she was still holding her luggage. Feeling that she should stop by her apartment before seeing him, she decided to walk to her door. She suddenly realized that the phone was still pressed up to her ear. She quickly looked down at the screen. The call was still in progress.

If she needed to unload her luggage, she’d have to be quick. If she wasn’t careful, he might barge into her apartment before she had a chance to go back downstairs. Since he always dropped her off at the front of her building, he already knew the passcode to enter into the building.

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

She quickly entered the passcode to her door. The lock rang to let her know that the passcode was correctly entered, and she heard the gears turning as it unlocked the door. She entered the apartment. The lights of the foyer turned on with a click. She tossed her overnight bag onto the floor, but a strange feeling suddenly ran down her spine. She slowly turned her head and saw a strange man standing inside.

Realizing that she was in danger, ChaYoung quickly ran back towards the door. However, before she could press the alarm button, another man grabbed her. She thought there was only one, but it turned out there was more.

“Kyaa!”

ChaYoung shrieked. She thought she heard something over the phone, but she didn’t have a chance to answer it. The phone was snatched out of her hand.

The man quickly ended the call and threw it aside. The living room lights were still off, so the sensor lights in the foyer kept turning on and off.

“If you don’t want to die, be quiet.”

She felt something cold and sharp press up against her neck. It felt like a knife. If she made one wrong move, it would be the end.

Her hand shook with terror, but she blinked her eyes and tried to calm herself down. Provoking an opponent who had a weapon would not be a good idea.

Knowing that KunHyung was on his way here gave her a small sliver of hope. But the thought of putting him in danger worried her as well. He had no idea what was happening in here right now, so he wasn’t going to report it to the police. She just hoped that this would all pass without anyone getting hurt. 

“Damn it. You said this place was empty.”

The man with the knife scolded the man standing in the living room. The other man replied.

“The lights were consistently off, so that’s what I thought.”

“Just look through that bag for now.”

“What are you going to do about her?”

When the subject turned to her, ChaYoung froze. Her head began to fill with all sorts of thoughts. Just as she stopped breathing, the doorbell rang, and she heard someone pounding on the door.

“Are you inside? Open the door!”

Her shoulders flinched in surprise. ChaYoung looked at the door as if her savior had arrived. However, she’d never told him the code to her door, so she bit her lips in despair.

“What now?”

The man’s eyes widened in surprise. They were too high up, so they wouldn’t be able to leave through the window. The only way out was the front door, but if people began to gather outside due to the noise, they’d be in big trouble.

“Let’s get out of here.”

“You go first.”

The man with the knife against ChaYoung’s neck spoke to the man in the living room. After sending him out first, he planned on using ChaYoung as a hostage to get himself to safety as well.

“Damn it.”

The other man did not seem to have the courage to defy him, and he grumbled as he pulled out a knife from his back pocket. He began walking towards the front door.

When ChaYoung saw that he had a knife, she began to worry. Should she scream so that KunHyung could brace himself? ChaYoung shook her head. If the man grew desperate and began brandishing it without a thought, it would get even worse. It might put both of them in even more danger.

She should have just stayed downstairs without stopping by the apartment. Now she had put KunHyung in danger as well, and she was overcome with guilt.

Please, just be safe. She anxiously stared at the door.

She thought the man would carefully open the door, but he pulled it open very aggressively. Through the crack in the door, she could see a glimpse of KunHyung’s face. It was only for a moment, but the sight made her eyes fill with tears.

However, the surge of emotions only lasted for a moment. Even if KunHyung was a very fit man, it was a different thing altogether to be confronted by a man with a knife.

“Gah!”

The surprised man menacingly brandished his knife. A shiver ran down ChaYoung’s spine. She blocked her mouth with her hand so that she could suppress the scream that threatened to spill out. KunHyung nimbly evaded the knife attack.

Whoosh, thump!

As a brawl ensued, a dull sound rang in the air. The man must have lost his grip on the doorknob because the door began to slowly close.

She thought it was the end, but she cared more for his safety than hers. Going against both men would be too dangerous for him.

She hoped he managed to escape safely. However, the sound of someone’s footsteps running away entered through the diminishing crack of the door. Before the door closed completely shut, it froze. Someone had grabbed the doorknob outside.

“……”

A suffocating silence filled the room. As the crack in the door widened, the light from outside spilled in.

Rustle.

Someone entered inside, and the foyer lights flickered on. The man was none other than KunHyung.

“Ugh.”

ChaYoung did her best to hold back a cry from leaving her lips. Even though he seemed like a brave knight who had come to fight a monster, she also wondered why he had stepped into such a dangerous situation with his own two feet. The two clashing thoughts fought inside her head.

He stepped into the living room and assessed her condition with his eyes. The man who had the knife against her neck wavered as he stepped back.

Because of his rough movements, the blade of the knife scraped against the skin of her neck. A red drop of blood began to trickle down, and it caused KunHyung’s previously calm eyes to tremble with emotion.

“What is it that you want? Money?”

KunHyung asked as he looked at the man. He pulled out his wallet from his pocket and tossed it to the floor.

“Take it. I’ll give you everything you want, so just let go of her. Deal only with me.”

“Do you think we crawled all the way up here for a small lump sum of money?”

“What about this? If you sell this, you’ll get a midsize car’s worth of money.”

KunHyung raised his hand and shook it. The watch on his wrist sparkled in the foyer light. The man’s eyes trembled.

“Go over there for now.”

The man gestured to the side so that KunHyung would move away from the only point of escape.

“Don’t do anything stupid. Walk slowly.”

KunHyung did as he said and carefully walked.

“Stop! Take it off and place it on the floor.”

KunHyung stopped walking and took off his watch. The sensor lights of the foyer turned off. As their surroundings turned dark, the man brusquely pushed ChaYoung away.

“Ah!”

Thud, ChaYoung crashed into the wall and fell to the floor. Meanwhile, KunHyung moved. As the man brandished his knife, he made his way to the watch.

The whistle of the knife in the air rang in the room. What if the sharp knife struck him? Because she couldn’t see anything, the terror felt even worse.

A few moments later, lights filled the foyer, and the door opened with a beep. She lifted her head and saw the man run out.

She was trembling in fear, but she felt a warmth stroke her cheek. She slowly turned her head and saw his gloomy face next to her. KunHyung helped her sit up.

“Are you okay?”

The moment she heard his gentle voice, the tears began to fall. She bit her lips, overwhelmed with relief, and nodded her head. All the resolutions she’d told herself as she watched the sea crumbled into dust.

“Are you hurt? Let me take a look.”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re bleeding, so how can you be fine?”

ChaYoung brought her hand to her neck. There was some blood, but it wasn’t a deep wound.

“It wasn’t deep, so I think it’s fine. But more importantly, we should call the police…”

If the men were hiding nearby, it would be dangerous. ChaYoung looked around to find her cell phone that the man had tossed aside. However, when she discovered the dark red liquid on the floor, she froze.

No…

A horrible thought flashed through her head. However, before she could check to see what it was, they were plunged into darkness once again. She knew she should turn on the lights in the living room, but she couldn’t move.

“Sunbae…”

She hoped she was wrong. She searched his body with her hand. Before her hand reached his side, he grabbed her wrist. Her hunch had been correct.

She burst up and flipped the light switch. Click, the lights turned on. ChaYoung gasped. KunHyung was sitting on the floor, and his side was wet with red blood.

“Why?!”

He was in such poor condition. Why was he making such a fuss about a scratch on her neck when he was hurt…

However, there wasn’t time to just stand here. She discovered her phone in a corner. ChaYoung quickly dialed 911.

Her hand was shaking, so it was difficult to press the ‘Call’ button. She wasn’t in her right mind, and she didn’t even know what to say when they asked for her address. Her head was a jumbled mess, and she could barely speak.

“I told you it’s nothing.”

“Please, just shut up. You’re bleeding so much. You could die!”

She pressed the wound with a clean towel as they waited for the ambulance. A few moments later, it had finally arrived. The emergency medic told her they were going to the nearest hospital, Hanguk University Hospital. KunHyung pulled out his phone and began to call someone.

“I’m a bit hurt. I’m going to need you to come to the hospital for a bit. It’s nothing serious, so don’t call the family. I’m on my way to Hanguk University Hospital right now.”

After making the short call, he spoke to ChaYoung as she moved to get into the ambulance.

“There’s no need to come. I called my older brother.”

ChaYoung stopped when she heard his monotonous voice and looked at him. Instead of saying anything, she clenched her fist and got inside the ambulance.

The siren began to ring, and the ambulance departed.