Jimin Fanfic | “Marriage Blue” - Episode 23 | I Couldn't Love You Sooner

Leaving him behind as he fled the company with a face full of bewilderment, I stepped out of the conference room and leaned my back against a pillar.

Did I really do this? I slumped down, leaning against a pillar, and ran my hand over my lips.

My lips were as cold as snow. But that didn't make me feel bad. In fact, perhaps it was the opposite.

김여주

… Seriously, what nerve did I have to do that?

Cold, yet soft and moist…

김여주

Crazy, what am I thinking right now?

The kiss was already over, but as I realized the fact that I was having such thoughts, heat shot up my face in an instant, and I buried my head between my knees.

김지원

Yeoju, what's wrong? Are you sick?

The sound of footsteps heard through the darkness. I looked up at Assistant Manager Kim's worried voice.

김여주

yes?…

김지원

Your face is really red. Like an apple…

"Is my face really that bad?" Just as I was thinking this, Assistant Manager Kim met my eye level and placed his hand on my forehead.

김지원

It's super hot. Are you seriously sick?

김여주

Ah, no. It's not that I have a fever...

How could I say, "My face is hot because we kissed." I just mumbled something like, "It's because I got sun on the rooftop."

김지원

Are you sure? You're not just pretending to be sick when you actually are, right?

I sprang to my feet, shaking my head and waving my hands. "Ah, really, it's not true. I swear, absolutely not!"

김지원

Really?… Then that’s fine. Don’t push yourself too hard.

김여주

Yes, of course.

As I nodded with my hands neatly clasped, I remembered something I had forgotten as Assistant Manager Kim was about to return to his seat, saying he understood.

김여주

Oh right, Assistant Manager Kim. Um... you know the designer.

"Yeah, why? It's meeting day today, you're here?" I gave an awkward smile at those words.

김여주

Ah, well, they did come, but...

I can't say, "She ran away because I kissed her."

김여주

He came, but his health deteriorated rapidly... and he passed away.

김지원

Really? I heard he's not feeling well?

김여주

Yes… so, I think we will have to postpone today's meeting until next time.

Even I think it’s a ridiculous excuse. But since I’m the one who caused this... I can’t exactly blame the designer who ran away.

김지원

Okay. I'll tell the executives.

김여주

Thank you, Assistant Manager.

Arriving home almost out of my mind, I threw myself onto the sofa and covered my face. What on earth had they done to me?

박지민

What on earth were you thinking...

The warm sensation that touched my lips. It felt strange because that sensation was still perfectly preserved there. Because it was the first kiss in thirty years.

Rrrrrrr -

I must have been burying my face in the cushion for quite a while. At the sound of a phone ringing in my suit pocket, I sat up on the sofa and took out my cellphone.

[Kim Yeo-ju]'s name appeared on the screen.

박지민

……

I was holding my phone and just staring at the screen. It was hard to face each other to begin with, but now that we'd even kissed... I was just pointlessly reaching my finger into the empty air where the call button was.

박지민

This is driving me crazy, seriously...

Slippery

박지민

Ah, crazy...!!

My hand slipped, and I accidentally pressed the call button against my will, connecting the call. Then, I heard her voice on the other end of the phone. ‘Hello…?’

박지민

…hello?.

A silence that lasted for a few brief seconds. It was short, but so quiet that I could even hear her breathing on the other end of the phone.

Just as I was about to say "Hello" again, her voice was heard.

김여주

- “Did you get back safely?…”

박지민

… Yes, I'm sorry. It's a meeting day today.

Feeling nervous for no reason, I kept scratching at the phone I was holding with my fingers. Hearing the voice made me think of that first kiss scene again.

김여주

- “No, it’s because of me…”

Just as I was wondering how to keep the conversation going, her voice came through the phone again.

김여주

- “But please don’t avoid me.”

박지민

……

김여주

I really mustered up the courage to do what I did today.

김여주

"I'm not asking for an answer regarding my actions. I'm just asking you not to avoid me."

The female lead from 20 years ago was not such a courageous child. Rather, you could say it was the opposite.

He was the kind of child who couldn't even strike up a conversation when paying for items at a convenience store. But now, he was different from back then.

박지민

… Honestly, I don't really know.

I don't know why you are going to such lengths for me, Yeoju. It's not like I remember the past. And it's not like I was attractive as a man either.

On the one hand, I think I was anxious. I liked the feelings the female lead had for me, but I was afraid these feelings would fade away quickly.

김여주

- “…I’m used to it. You are someone.”

김여주

"It feels just like a first love from the past—warm and cozy. It's an unforgettable feeling."

So, on one hand, I was scared. Because this feeling was familiar, and my body could feel how dangerous it was, I felt like once I fell into it, I wouldn't be able to escape.