“Oh, that one...”
“High school classmate haha”
"ah.."
“But what is your relationship with Seol-ah?”
"we?"
“Just now, you told Seol-ah-hyung that you were Jae-hwan.”
“Our hospital nurse”
“What, Seol-ah, the hospital you work at is the same hospital this guy works at?”
“Ah..yeah”
Did you intentionally not mention living together, or did you think it wasn't necessary?
Unlike Seol-ah, who was flustered at the moment of Ji-hoon's question, Jae-hwan calmly answered that he was a nurse at the same hospital.
“If you came here to eat, eat well and go.”
“Hey Jihoon”
"uh?"
“Are you hiding something from me?”
"what?"
“There must be something I shouldn’t know about.”
“...Hyung, I have a crush on you, what are you talking about?”
There was silence for two seconds, then Ji-Hoon forced a smile and answered.
“Oh, Miss Seol is here too, isn’t this rude? (snickers) Jihoon, you talk to me separately later.”
Then Jaehwan chuckled as if he had noticed something and walked out of the restaurant with leisurely steps, the sound of his heels making a noise.
“...Oh really”
"what's the matter?"
"Huh? Oh, okay, you don't have to know. I guess I just need to figure something out with that hyung."
“But… how do you know Teacher Jaehwan?”
"Um... I'm his junior from medical school. It's been a while since we graduated, but we're still close."
“Is that all?”
“Don’t ask me any more questions.”
"uh?"
“Do you really need to know?”
“...”
“Hey, why is your expression dark? Haha. Neither I nor my brother are serious, so hurry up and eat this.”
Ji-hoon, who was reassuring Sla by placing bread on her plate that was neatly placed, was actually more anxious inside.
“Huh..right lol”
Meanwhile, Jaehwan, who had left the restaurant, gave a bitter, hollow laugh. It was a stark contrast to the composure he'd displayed in front of Seol-ah and Ji-hoon earlier.
“Ha.. Park Ji-hoon, that’s what happened in the end?”
Jaehwan muttered something questionable to himself for a moment, then immediately got into his car and drove home.
While I was driving along a strangely deserted road for a while, Jaehwan received a phone call.
Although the caller's number was not saved, Jaehwan answered the call on speakerphone without thinking much of it.
$”Hello”
$”Hello”
$"Who are you?"
“This is the person who carried Kang Seul-ah, whom I met back then.”
$"Oh, yes"
“Can we meet now?”
“What time is it? Where should I go?”
$”There is a bar called @@ on xx street, let’s meet there”
$"Okay, I'll go there"
The person who called Jaehwan was none other than Daniel. Perhaps wanting to talk about something he hadn't finished with his younger brother, he called Jaehwan to the bar before it was even dark.
//
Ten minutes later, when Jaehwan arrived at the location, he found Daniel sitting at a small round table in the corner of the bar, his long coat hanging down.
“Why did you call me this?”
“It’s only been two months, but I thought I should find out what kind of person my younger sibling lives with.”
“Your younger sibling?”
"Yes. Oh, didn't I tell you? I'm Kang Seul-ah's older brother."
“Ah.. So Miss Seol has an older brother.”
“Anyway, I’m usually close with Kang Seul-ah as enemies, but as an older brother, I’m curious about what kind of man would make his younger sister suffer.”
"I won't make you suffer. And as I said the last time we met, I barely talk to you."
“That’s the problem.”
"yes?"
"How can my younger sibling live comfortably in that corner of the house when you don't even initiate conversation or create a comfortable atmosphere where I can walk first?"
“...”
“It’s only been two months, but please take good care of him.”
“How can I take good care of my daughter so she doesn’t get hurt?”
“That’s what you call it..”
“All my life...”
“..!”
“I’ve never taken care of anyone in my life. Please understand.”
“That’s why I’m very awkward when it comes to dealing with people.”
“She...is much more delicate than she looks, than people think.”
“The seemingly indifferent actions I took weren’t because I disliked you or thought you were a nuisance.”
"I was just being considerate in my own way, worried that you might feel burdened if I showed unnecessary interest and talked to you... but I may have hurt you. My thinking was short-sighted. Please tell Seol-ah I'm sorry."
"You should tell Sla directly."
Oh my god, Sonting..!!