Oops, Love in Progress

Chapter 22: Unspoken Words

Haneul spent the rest of the day trying not to dwell too much on Hyunjin's words, but there was no way. 

Why had he even spoken Sunwoo's name? Was he nosy or something? Or was there something else?

No. She would not go there. Not when she had better things to worry about—like encountering Sunwoo after last night's debacle.

As she walked into the lounge of the agency, she spotted him near the coffee machine, scrolling through his phone as if he hadn't just witnessed her at her worst.

Maybe if she hurried fast enough, she could—

"Morning, walking disaster," Sunwoo greeted without lifting his gaze.

Haneul rolled his eyes. "Don't."

He finally raised his eyes to her, lips twisting. "How's the hangover?"

She glared. "Manageable.".

"Good," he told her, taking a sip of his coffee. "Because you owe me a new shirt."

She winced. "Yeah, about that—"

Before she could get it out, a new voice jumped in. "Wait, what happened to your shirt?" 

Haneul turned to see Hyunjin coming towards him, a look of curiosity on his face. Sunwoo, naturally, had no compassion.

"She threw up on me."

Hyunjin blinked. Then—

He doubled over laughing.

"Oh my god." He held his stomach. "That's—wow. That's beautiful."

Haneul slapped his arm. "It's NOT beautiful, you menace!"

He wiped away a nonexistent tear. "No, no. It's art."

Sunwoo sighed. "Glad to be part of your exhibit."

Hyunjin grinned, but when he looked between them, something incomprehensible crossed his face. It was too fast for Haneul to recognize, replaced by his usual mischievous grin.

"Well, Haneul," he said, poking her. "Looks like Sunwoo here is your knight in shining vomit."

She groaned. "I hate you both."

Hyunjin merely laughed, but Sunwoo—Sunwoo just gazed at her for a split second longer before he shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips.

At lunch the next day, she found herself sitting across from Sunwoo in the staff cafeteria, the two of them silently eating their lunches. Sunwoo had been strangely quiet all morning, and it was starting to wear her down.

She poked at her rice. "Okay, seriously. Are you upset?"

Sunwoo raised an eyebrow. "Why would I be upset?"

"Perhaps because I—" she whispered, "—totally ruined your shirt and your night?"

Sunwoo smiled gently, shaking his head. "Haneul, if I were to get upset every time someone made me inconvenienced, I'd never know peace."

She blinked. "Wow. That's. kinda profound?"

"Not exactly." He smiled. "Just a survival tactic."

She hadn't had a chance to reply before Hyunjin slid into the seat next to her, tray aloft. "Hey, lovebirds."

Haneul almost choked on her food. "EXCUSE ME?"

Sunwoo just let out a sigh. "You're having too much fun."

Hyunjin wiggled his eyebrows. "How could I not? It's humorous."

Haneul wagged her finger at him. "For the millionth time, nothing is occurring."

Hyunjin leaned in, chin propped on his hand. "Mm-hmm. Sure."

She leaned over towards Sunwoo for reassurance, but he just took a sip, infuriatingly unbothered.

Hyunjin smiled. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought Sunwoo here didn't care about the rumors."

Sunwoo glared at him unblinkingly. "Rumors do not affect me."

Haneul groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I'm trapped in a nightmare."

Hyunjin patted her on the back. "A very interesting one.".

With the laughter continuing, Haneul couldn't shake the feeling that beneath the jokes, something else hung in the air. Something that neither of them wanted to admit.

And that scared her more than any rumor ever could.

Chapter 23: A Change in the Air

Haneul wasn't sure when things started to feel different, but they did.

Maybe it was the way that Hyunjin's teasing now carried a little more bite to it, or that Sunwoo lingered just a little bit longer whenever they spoke. Maybe it was all of the unsaid tension that started to fill bare pauses between conversation, stretching out moments that had previously felt like nothing into something more. Regardless, it was getting under her skin. 

And she hated that.

"Are you even hearing me?"

Haneul snapped out of her daydreaming to find Jisoo, one of the senior staff members, staring at her expectantly. Oh right. They were discussing the schedule for the upcoming trainee showcase.

"Sorry, what was that?" she asked, quickly flipping through the papers in front of her.

Jisoo sighed. "I said we need someone to assist the stage director with rehearsals. Sunwoo's busy with the VIP coordination, so I was going to ask you to step in."

Haneul stood up straight. "Oh, yeah! No problem. I can do that."

"Good." Jisoo nodded to her and then walked off, leaving her to her thoughts once more.

She exhaled, rubbing her temples. Focus, Haneul. This wasn't the time to be distracted by irrelevant musings about certain people who were currently making her life difficult.

Later that evening, as she stood along the perimeter of the practice room, clipboard in hand, she watched the trainees go through their dance routine. Everything was seemingly going well—until Hyunjin came in.

Wearing his usual practice clothes, hair still wet from his last practice session, he scanned the room before his eyes landed on hers. And in an instant, Haneul's grip on her clipboard tightened. 

Great. 

"Fancy seeing you here," he said, walking toward her with that signature smirk. 

"I work here," she replied deadpan. "Surprise, surprise."

He chuckled. "And here I thought you just stopped by to admire me." 

She snorted. "You wish."

Hyunjin's smirk grew stronger, but before he could say anything else, the dance instructor yelled, calling him over to practice. He tossed her a final glance before leaving, and she exhaled heavily.

What was wrong with her? It was just Hyunjin being his usual annoying self. No use making a fuss over it.

And yet, her heart wasn't getting the memo.

After practice, Haneul was gathering her things when she felt a presence beside her. 

"Hey." 

She looked up to find Sunwoo, his expression as serious as always. "Oh, hey. What's up?"

"You okay?" he questioned, arms folded. "You were kind of. spaced out earlier."

Her stomach tightened. How was he always so observant? "Just tired," she lied, forcing a smile. "You know how it is."

Sunwoo studied her for a while, then nodded. "Yeah. I do."

There was a tone in his voice that made her hesitate, but before she could press him for details, he glanced at the door. "I was heading out. Want to walk with me?"

She wavered.

It was just a walk. No big deal.

And still, as she nodded and fell into step beside him, she couldn't ignore the sense that something between them was shifting.

They were silent for a while, the silence more surprisingly comfortable than not. The chilly night air wrapped around them, the neon lights of the city glowing softly on the pavement. Haneul felt herself relax, just a little.

"You don't have to pretend with me, you know."

She looked up at Sunwoo, his face calm but serious.

"Pretend what?" she asked, although she had a sinking suspicion she knew exactly what he meant.

He stopped walking and turned to her. "That nothing's wrong with you."

Haneul swallowed. It was a temptation, so tempting, to turn aside with another joke, another easy deflection. But under Sunwoo's even gaze, she found herself hesitating.

"I just." she started, then sighed. "I don't know. Everything's just. complicated."

Sunwoo nodded, like he understood. "Yeah. It tends to be."

She let out a dry laugh. "That's not very comforting."

For the first time that night, he smiled—small, almost imperceptible, but real. "It wasn't meant to be."

She looked at him for a moment before shaking her head with a soft laugh. "You really suck at pep talks."

He shrugged. "Never said I was good at them."

She exhaled, then started walking again. He fell into step beside her, and for a short while, she permitted herself to forget the roiling knot in her head. 

And maybe—just maybe—that was enough for now.