We decided not to cross the line.

Episode 82. Accident

After I started dating Julien,

it was the first weekend we spent together in Paris.




We went shopping together,

went to museums,

and even ate the ice cream we hadn’t been able to eat then.




While I was with him,

I kept my phone turned off.




This time, I decided not to let anything disturb us,

and to spend all my time with him alone.




Before I knew it, Sunday night had come.

I planned to leave his place

after Julien went to work Monday morning.




Julien took one key out of the drawer

and put it in my hand.




"Tomorrow morning, when you go to the airport,

lock the door with this and go.

And it means you can come anytime

you want."





"Okay. Thank you.

But what if one day, when you come home from work,
 
there’s nothing left in the house?

What are you going to do? ㅎ"




"I’ll tell you in advance where the valuables are,
 
so don’t carry everything around heavy"




Why did even his jokes

have warmth in them?

It made me feel so sorry...for him.




"Juli, I want to drink a cup of decaf coffee...

Could you step out with me for a moment?"




"At this hour, there are probably hardly any cafes open.

I’ll make some for you.

We have decaf beans too."




"Do you know something?

Coffee tastes best when someone else makes it."




"Is that a saying? I didn’t know that.ㅎ

Then I’ll always make your coffee, Jeong-a.

That works, right?"





"Always? Forever?"





"Until I die."





After hearing his answer,

for some reason,

my heart sank.




"But...can I ask one thing?

That ring...does it have a special meaning?

That finger is where an engagement ring goes,
 
but you’ve been wearing a ring there, so I’ve always been curious."





"Ah...this one?

I’ve been wearing it for a long time...

Is there a separate finger for an engagement ring?

I didn’t know, so I just put it on there.

Then...I guess I should move it to another finger."




I took off the ring Hoon-ji gave me,

and moved it to another finger.




There would probably be a ring

on his neck like mine.

When I thought of that, I couldn’t bear to throw the ring away.




A new week began,

and I returned to Spain and went back to my daily life.




While continuing the translation work I’d newly started not long ago,

I also began studying French at Julien’s suggestion.




Last night,

when I was on the phone with Julien, he said he was at the airport

to pick up his parents.




I was choosing clothes to wear when meeting Julien’s parents

while packing the things I’d take to Paris tomorrow.




After finishing packing,

I opened my laptop to email the publisher

the amount of work I’d done today.




While logging into the portal site,

an article headline happened to catch my eye.




[Actor Park Hoon-ji in accident during filming..]




The moment I read the headline, my heart

started pounding like crazy.




I called Director Kim right away.




"Taehyung. What’s this accident article about, Hoon-ji?"




"Uh...so you saw it.

There was a small accident while filming.

He got about ten stitches,
 
but thankfully his life isn’t in danger.

He’s hospitalized now."



I couldn’t hear anything else.



The moment I hung up,

I grabbed the bag I’d packed earlier

and headed for the airport.




I just needed to find the fastest flight to Korea.




There wasn’t a direct flight, but

there was one seat left on a flight

layover in Frankfurt in two hours.




From the moment I saw the article until I arrived in Korea,

I couldn’t remember how I got there at all.




How badly Hoon-ji had been hurt,

what his condition was like.

Just thinking that

I arrived in Korea after a flight of over twenty hours.





As soon as I arrived at Incheon Airport,

I found a payphone and called Hoon-ji.




"Hello?"




"Where are you right now, Hoon-ji?

How badly are you hurt? Are you okay?

How badly were you injured?"




"Is this Jeong-a?

This number...you came to Korea?"




"I’m asking how you are after getting hurt. Are you okay?"




"I’m fine. Thankfully, I wasn’t hurt too badly.
 
But...did you really come to Korea?

Where are you now?"





"At the airport.

The moment I saw the article, I was so scared.

So I went straight to the airport,

and took the fastest flight here to Korea..

Honestly, why are you making me worry like this."




"You...came to see me?"




Hearing his voice,

maybe from the relief that he was safe,

tears burst out of me.





"Don’t cry.

I’m really okay.

I’ll send you the address, so come here.

Okay?"




"This is a payphone. Not a mobile phone...

Tell me the address. I’ll write it down."




I was heading to his space,

a place I had never once been to while we were together.




Only now, more than a year after we broke up,

only now that we were nothing to each other.





"You don’t think I abandoned you, do you?"