W. 5pm
36
The morning air was quieter than expected. Light filtered through the curtains, slowly filling the room. Yeoju opened her eyes even before the alarm went off. The bed was unfamiliar. But she didn't feel uncomfortable. In fact, she'd slept strangely deeply. She stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up. A low noise came from the hallway: a door opening and closing, and the rustling of clothes. The movements were very cautious.
The heroine opened the door, dragging her slippers on.
Seokjin stood at the end of the second-floor hallway. His shirt was buttoned up, and his hair was already neatly coiffed. The casual look from last night had vanished, and he looked like someone heading to work. As soon as the female lead emerged, Seokjin's gaze immediately turned to her.
“Are you awake?”
“Just now.”
The woman leaned against the stair railing, her face half-asleep. Her hair was still roughly tied back. Seokjin paused, adjusting his tie.
“You can sleep more.”
“Yeah, Seokjin is leaving, so how can I just let him go?”
Seokjin gave a short laugh. Even though his smile wasn't loud, he seemed happy.
“Fighting today too!”
“..I don’t want to go with you today. I’ll pick you up later.”
“What is that? Let’s go quickly~ We’ll be late.”
“I’ll leave early today. I have some luggage to bring from home.”
“...Okay, see you later.”
Seokjin said nothing more. Instead, he glanced over Yeoju's head and nodded. He raised his hand, gave it a gentle shake, and descended the stairs. The sound of the front door opening and closing echoed through the house. Only after the sound faded did Yeoju pull herself away from the railing.
Yeoju left the house in the clothes she was wearing yesterday. Not only was there nothing for me to wear at Seokjin's house, but I also had absolutely nothing left to wear for the time being, so I headed straight home. Leaving Seokjin's neighborhood and entering my old one, the air felt different. It was a familiar yet unwelcome sight. Yeoju paused before the front door, pressing the password. The sound of water and the damp floor from yesterday naturally came to mind.
The first smell that hit me as I opened the door was damp air. The smell of a towel that hadn't completely dried. Fortunately, the floor hadn't spread any further overnight. The woman took off her shoes and cautiously stepped inside. Just then, there was a noise from the front door.
“Huh? Student.”
It was the landlady. "What's going on so early in the morning... Oh, I sent you a text yesterday," the female lead thought, smiling as she greeted the landlady.
“Oh, hello.”
“I saw your text yesterday. You must have been really surprised last night.”
“Oh, it’s okay. I just got home late.”
The female protagonist smiled for no reason and trailed off. The landlord glanced toward the bathroom and nodded.
“It’s because the pipes are old haha.. No, but it’s strange.”
"yes?"
“I tried calling the driver this morning, but they said it was already taken care of.”
"ah.."
"Yeah. You said you called last night. You replaced the pipes and fixed all the leaks."
“Ahaha.. I forgot to text you that I fixed it.”
“Thank goodness~ I was really surprised when I saw the text this morning~”
“.......”
"Is there a place to sleep? It'll take a while for the floor to dry."
“Yes. I’ve already found a place to stay.”
The landlady looked at the female protagonist's face once more.
“Really? That’s good, kid.”
The woman who had been talking briefly opened and closed the shoe cabinet next to the entrance, fiddling with her hands. She felt like she needed to explain something more, but didn't feel the need to.
“I feel anxious when I’m alone at night these days.”
“Oh, yes, that’s right.”
“I said this just in case, because I heard your water broke yesterday.”
The heroine smiled and nodded. Her smile wasn't particularly loud. Instead, she tried to appear as natural as possible.
“I’m sorry for worrying you for nothing.”
“No. The landlord should take care of this.”
As she spoke, the woman glanced back toward the bathroom. Only after confirming the floor was dry did she seem to feel relieved.
"Still, the person who called the technician had a good sense. He even replaced all the pipes."
“…That’s right.”
“People like that aren’t common these days.”
“…..”
“Are you packing your bags and going?”
“Yes. I just wanted to take some clothes.”
"Okay. I'll go first, student~"
“Please go in carefully.”
“Okay. Feel free to contact me anytime you need to.”
37
Yeoju decided not to think about it any further. She opened the closet door and saw clothes hanging neatly. After a moment's hesitation, she picked out the clothes she wanted to wear today. They weren't too flashy or too flashy. They were close to the clothes she always wore when meeting her mother.
I took off the clothes I'd worn yesterday, laid them out on the bed, and changed into a neat shirt and pants. I stood in front of the mirror, buttoning them one by one, and braced myself once more. Just then, my phone rang briefly on the bed. The vibration echoed clearly throughout the room.
It was Seokjin.
What are you doing?
The heroine paused for a moment. There was no need to explain the current situation.
I'm preparing.
What time does the flower shop open today?
Hmm... I think I'll do it a little later than usual
Don't overdo it today.
Seokjin needs to hear that more.
Not applicable to me
why?
Thanks to someone, I feel so energetic this morning.
Hahaha what is that... See you later then!
The heroine paused for a moment. For some reason, her heart felt like it was beating a beat slower. It wasn't a big deal, but there were moments like that.
38
Yeoju checked the time. She still had some time, but she felt like delaying it any longer would cause her mind to wander. She slung her bag over her shoulder and left the front door. The sound of the door locking was unusually loud.
I paused at the stairs leading down to the subway station. Near the hospital. It was a route I'd been so familiar with. Countless mornings I'd taken that route to work overlapped. My own tired face, coffee in hand. People greeting me with their hands in the pockets of their white coats. Even the sound of the automatic doors opening was distinct.
Yeoju shook her head slightly. Now wasn't the day to go there. The scenery she'd seen from the subway passed quickly. She tightened her grip on the handrail, then released it. Her heart felt calmer than she'd expected. It didn't feel like she was running away. It was more like she was heading in a direction of her own choosing. Arriving at the station near the hospital, her steps naturally slowed. The alley was much quieter than before. A cafe sign peeped out between the familiar buildings. Yeoju took a moment to catch her breath and pushed open the door.
Pushing open the cafe door, the distinctive aroma of coffee hit me first. It was a weekday morning, so there weren't many people. Yeoju took a few steps inside and naturally looked around. She was sitting by the window, facing the wall. Only then did her gaze settle. Her mother was sitting there.
She saw her mother, already seated, leisurely sipping coffee. Yeoju stood there for a moment, unable to approach, just staring. Her mother's appearance was so familiar, like someone she'd passed by countless times, that it felt even more awkward.
Mom spotted Yeoju first. She raised her head and met her gaze. She didn't even wave. Her expression showed that she was simply waiting for Yeoju.
Mom picked up the cup once, then put it down again. The coffee had almost lost steam. She looked straight at Yeoju and spoke.
“Long time no see.”
“...That’s right.”
“Was it fun?”
It sounded like a question, but not one expecting an answer. The heroine smiled briefly. It was more of an expression than a smile.
“I don’t know if I can say it’s fun.”
“This is the last time I’ll look after you.”
“.......”
“It’s also nice to come out and talk like this.”
The heroine took a deep breath and spoke.
"i know."
“Is this all the reason you were so quiet in high school?”
The heroine opened her mouth slowly, as if choosing her words.
“It was because I thought I had no choice at the time.”
“......”
“There are many more options now.”
The heroine didn't avert her gaze. Her mother's lips tightened for a moment. Her expression was one of disappointment or anger, impossible to discern.
“Of all those choices...!”
“It’s a flower shop.”
"Yeah. A flower shop."
“.......”
“After graduating from medical school”
"yes."
“I was pushed that much at home.”
“.......”
Mom let out a short sigh. It was the typical breath of someone who tries to hide their emotions. She clasped her hands together, as if pushing the cups on the table again.
“Im Yeo-ju.”
His voice was slightly lowered when he called out my name.
“Right now, you can feel free to do whatever you want.”
“.......”
The heroine listened silently, neither nodding nor denying.
“But that.”
The mother's gaze was fixed on the female protagonist's face.
“It’s only like that now.”
“.......”
“Come back after you’ve cleaned everything up.”
There are a lot of dark scenes in this episode ㅜ.ㅜ I'll hurry up and bring you some healing scenes.