Breakup formula
W. Manggaejjitteok
“…Ha, my throat hurts.”
I opened my eyes to a burning thirst. I can't even remember how much I drank yesterday. I think we probably had about three bottles of soju each. Thinking back, it's crazy... As soon as I woke up, I reached out for water. No matter how many times I fumbled, I couldn't find the water bottle. Oh, that's strange. I always keep a water bottle on the bedside table... Only then did I realize what was strange, and I opened my eyes with a start. My body felt empty. The wind was blowing in...
“Are you crazy?… Why am I only wearing underwear?”
I lifted the blanket to check my body and quickly covered my mouth. Did I have a one-night stand last night? Isn't this my house? I looked around twice. Just in case, I wondered if there was someone I had a one-night stand with last night. I wrapped myself in the blanket as much as possible and looked down at the floor. A bunch of clothes were all gathered in one place. I screamed inwardly. I'm crazy, I'm crazy. No matter how much I miss Jeon Jungkook, sleeping with any random guy... I grabbed my clothes. First, I had to get out of this house.
“I guess you slept well.”
Just as I was about to pull the covers down to get dressed, I heard a familiar voice. I closed my eyes tightly, hoping it couldn't be true, then opened them. Surely, it couldn't be true. It had to be false. Please... I prayed silently, over and over again. Even if it was a one-night stand with another man, please, please, it wasn't "that guy." After praying with all my heart, I slowly raised my head.
“… …”
It's Jeon Jungkook. I barely managed to keep myself from cursing as I searched my memory. How I ended up at this guy's house, and whether I slept with Jaerang. No matter how much I searched, I couldn't remember a single thing. Seriously, not a single thing.
“Hey, did I sleep with you?”
“Did you sleep?”
Wow, there's no such thing as filtering. I nodded at Jeongguk, who spoke without hesitation. He looked uneasy for some reason. I wondered if I had really made a mistake, and my shoulders hunched for no reason. Jeongguk, seeing my exposed shoulders, leaned against the wall, paused for a moment, and brushed his hair.
"…you"
"uh?."
“…Haah, no. I said I didn’t sleep.”
It was a word filled with annoyance. … Well, it would be a good thing I didn’t sleep. No, why the clothes… I slowly rolled my eyes and looked at the clothes next to me and then at Jungkook, and he looked at me with an expression that said, “Do you really think I took them off?” His expression was so murderous… I couldn’t say anything.
“…Turn around.”
"what?."
“Turn around so I can change my clothes…”
“I’ve already seen it all before, you brat.”
My cheeks flushed, I shouted. "Stop talking obscene things like, 'I saw you before,' you idiot!!" I'd seen you before, and now was now. Even if we'd been together for a while, it'd already been five years since we broke up. It was a long time, but with my current, delicate emotions, I didn't have the confidence to bare my body.
Jungkook was startled by the sudden shout, but then he sighed, turned around, and left the room. I was overcome with emotion. It's not like I'm not embarrassed just because I saw it all before. ... Sigh, this is driving me crazy. My emotions have been so unstable lately. I wonder if stress has caused me to go through menopause early.
“Eat.”
As soon as I left the room, Jungkook, who was putting the stew on the table, pointed to a chair with his chin. Could it be… he wanted to eat with me? I hesitated. Eating next to my ex-boyfriend, who might have done something while drunk? After a moment of hesitation, Jungkook sighed, came over, and nudged my back. I reluctantly sat down at the table, looking down at my portion of rice before me.
“… …”
“If you’ve had a lot of drinks, you should eat too.”
I reluctantly put the fluffy rice in my mouth and looked down at the stew in front of me. … Kimchi stew. This was something we used to eat often when Jungkook and I were dating. Back when even tuition was tight. Kimchi stew was something I could make easily with just the kimchi I had at home. Kimchi stew was delicious even without any other ingredients. Strangely, I couldn’t reach for kimchi stew. Was it because it was filled with memories of you and me, or because you made it? As I was stuffing rice into my mouth, you, sitting at the table, looked at me.
“What else is the problem?”
"…what?."
“When you’re feeling uncomfortable or sad while eating, you just shove food in your mouth. I’ve only seen you once or twice.”
“… …”
What's the problem? Of course it's this situation... I swallowed the words that were on my tongue and pretended it was nothing. It's the real problem. My ex-boyfriend from five years ago. And the belated aftereffects of the breakup. And now that we're reunited and eating together. Everything was a problem.
“By the way, how did you know where my house was?”
“What does that mean?”
“You were sitting in front of my house yesterday. Don’t you remember?”
What the hell is this? I blinked. Didn't he find me rolling around on the floor and bring me here? He came looking for me? Unable to grasp the situation, I rolled my eyes and looked around. It definitely wasn't my house. The interior, the furniture, everything. But why did it feel so familiar? It was absurd, but just in case, I asked for the address.
“…Excuse me, what is the address of this house?”
“Why is that?”
“…Stop talking and hurry up.”
“…YK Officetel, 9th floor, room 901.”
Oh my goodness. Only then did all my questions sink in. Why did Jeon Jungkook think I'd come? Why did the house seem so familiar? With all my questions answered, I felt even more embarrassed and ashamed. Thinking about how I'd been sitting there, unable to enter, even though the house was right in front of me, made me feel even more ashamed. As I let my long hair down and covered my head, you seemed more concerned about the soup dripping onto my hair.
“Hey!… hair.”
“…Haa, you’re crazy. You’re crazy.”
“What are you talking about?”
You brought a napkin from the kitchen and wiped the hair that had fallen into the soup, expressing your doubts. I waved my hand, saying, "No." It was too perfect a coincidence, wasn't it? The person who moved in next door was Jeon Jungkook. And on the other hand, Jeon Jungkook's behavior was irritating. We broke up, so why was he still so caring? It's so misleading. I left the table without even finishing my meal.
“Where are you going?”
"…at home."
“Where are you going without finishing your meal? Eat and go.”
No, I can't. If I keep going like this, I'll really lose my mind and mess with my ex-boyfriend or something. Besides, I didn't want to be misunderstood anymore. Despite the voices trying to stop me, I stubbornly packed my bags, and you frowned and grabbed my wrist. "What are you doing? Can't you hear me?" I said, mercilessly shaking your hand away.
“I have to go to work. When will I have time to eat?”
“There’s still time to eat.”
“Are you and I the same? I have to go home and get ready now.”
“Rather than going home now, I’d rather get ready here and go to work…”
“…It’s ahead.”
"what?."
“…It’s right in front of my house. Room 902.”
Jungkook seemed quite surprised and remained silent. "I'm sure you've had a sufficient explanation," he said. I turned around without mercy and walked out the front door, not confident I could handle this delicate situation. Jungkook sank to the floor, watching the front door slam shut. His flushed ears and cheeks seemed to reflect his current mood.
“…Sigh, shit. Am I the only one mistaken again?…”
Shame ran through my body.
* * *
Barely able to shake off the overwhelming shame, I headed to work. The new company, and the new team members. It was all good. But, speaking of variables... My gaze turned to Yeo-ju, sitting at the desk across from me. It had to be Yoon Yeo-ju.
There wasn't any grand reason for my initial decision to change jobs. It was just that my previous company sucked. The boss was abusive, the middle-aged manager was harassing, and the woman kept pushing against me despite my repeated objections. I couldn't take it anymore, so I decided to quit. While I was looking for a new job, this company caught my eye: Wild Company. I chose it because of its excellent reviews, generous salary, and top-notch amenities. So, I decided to start fresh here. Who knew I'd be offered a job?
"Miss Yeoju, could you please pass the planning file on to the CEO? I'm not finished with my work yet."
“Oh, yes. I will do that.”
It's been a while since I saw you, and you were still living fiercely. Doing things you didn't need to do. Suddenly, I remembered when you told me we were breaking up. It was right before I graduated from college. We knew each other's condition without even asking. You and I were exhausted, both physically and mentally. Even working multiple part-time jobs a day, we barely had enough to pay tuition, and after paying tuition, we had no living expenses. What other people call a normal relationship? How could that be possible? As graduation drew near, money became even tighter. Now, we had to move out of the dorm, find a new place, and get a job. So, naturally, we drifted apart. I wasn't particularly sad or anything.
Even when you first came to tell me we were breaking up, I wasn't sad. Rather, it felt like a breath of fresh air. For the first few years, I worked like crazy. Convenience store work was the norm, loading and unloading packages, and even working as a doll. I could proudly say I'd done every part-time job I'd ever had. How many years had I spent earning money like that? After I had some free time and got a job, I started wondering how you were doing. How were you doing? What were you doing now? I tried asking around my college friends, but even that failed because I couldn't contact you. Only then did I become increasingly anxious. Knowing everything about Yeoju, I let my imagination run wild. It was something I didn't want to assume, but what if... what if something really happened and I made a bad choice? So, I tried to find out more information. Around the time I made up my mind, I changed jobs. And at my new job,I met you.
“Lady, be careful. Things might fall down.”
“Ah… Thank you, Dohyun.”
As Yeo-ju was taking out materials from the bookshelf, a man named Do-hyun approached her and took them out for her. Seeing that sight, I looked away, my eyes cold. I was dumbfounded. If he was going to take them out, why did he have to stand so close to her back to do it? My hand gripped my pen involuntarily tightened. Cha Yeo-ju, I'm really weak to that kind of physical contact... I looked back and forth between Yeo-ju and Do-hyun. Lee Do-hyun seems like a nice person. Even I think so. Even at first glance, they seem like a good match. Now, I even started to look ugly. Me, who couldn't forget the woman I broke up with five years ago.
“Ms. Yeoju, the movie you recommended was really fun.”
“Oh, that ‘Madam threw a soccer kick at Dolsoe’?”
“Yes. At first, I thought, ‘Huh?’ when I heard the title. But since it’s a Joseon version of a romantic comedy, it was really fun.”
“That’s right. I was also a bit puzzled when I first saw the title, lol.”
"Ahem," he said, clearing his throat loudly, deliberately trying to get her to listen. If she'd gotten the materials, she should've gone to her desk and gotten to work. What are she doing in front of the bookshelf? Are she oblivious, or just pretending not to be? Yeo-ju and Do-hyun kept flirting right before her eyes. She furrowed her brows as she watched Do-hyun wait in the break room, the cafeteria, and even in front of the bathroom. What are you two doing?
“Senior, what are you doing here?”
What are you guys doing here?
[Jjintteok's Saddam]
Hey everyone, I was eating today. When I got up, I hit a corner and a pretty gash was made on my lower back. It hurt so much that I was bleeding. Sob sob.
Everyone, look up, down, and to the side as you walk…