Yes, It’s Me. The Obsessive Side Top

#035

I left the clubroom and headed to the parking lot, receiving glances from people again. I wanted to quickly escape their gazes and run away home. As I rapidly approached my parked car, I saw someone standing next to it. 

“Sun Woo.”

At my call, Sun Woo turns to look at me. Seeing his coldly hardened face, I felt uneasy for some reason. He’s probably upset that I didn’t tell him yesterday.

His cold expression didn’t last long, and Sun Woo soon looked at me with concern.

“Ha Jin, are you okay?”

“You saw the article too? I’m fine. It’s not true anyway.”

“It must be noisy around you. Have reporters tried to contact you or anything?”

“That probably won’t happen. Eunha Group is known as the grim reaper to reporters because they immediately take legal action if they try to get close.”

“Was the person who came to your house yesterday because of this?”

“Ah, Secretary Kim. Yeah, he came to let me know beforehand.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

I hadn’t told Sun Woo because it was completely unrelated to him.

When I awkwardly smiled, as if I had hidden it, Sun Woo called me with a slightly deflated expression.

“Ha Jin. Let’s go somewhere quiet together for a while.”

Sun Woo, who made the sudden suggestion, still had a worried air about him.

Crazy Sun Woo is worried about Ha Jin? And wants to be with him because of that? 

It’s crazy, completely crazy. This webtoon is going insane.

His suggestion was sweet, but I had to refuse because I had my own plans.

I clicked my tongue, feeling regretful.  

“I have something planned from before, so I appreciate the thought but I can’t.”

“What plans do you have that you can’t?”

Unlike his character in the webtoon, Sun Woo was curious about my plans. He was someone who intentionally tried not to hear about things related to Ha Jin. But these days, whenever I said I was doing something, he kept asking about this and that. I think he asked for details when I said I was going to a gathering too.

“I have someone I’m supposed to meet during summer break, so there…”

At that moment when I tried to tell him about my plans, someone ran into my arms, cutting me off mid-sentence. Caught off guard by the momentum of them running into me, I instinctively took a step back and lost my balance, naturally wrapping my arms around the person who had clung to me. It was just an automatic, reflexive action.

“Ha Jin, are you okay?”

The person asking me tearfully was… I-na?

The one nestled in my arms was I-na, who had dated Ha Jin. She was still wearing a mask, covering her face, but there was no way I could forget those eyes that had glared at me that day as if she wanted to tear me to shreds.

With her large eyes brimming with tears, she burrowed further into my embrace. 

Making sounds of surprise like “uh, um”, I alternated between looking at her head buried in my chest and Sun Woo standing in front of us.

I had commented that the sky was unusually clear today. Sun Woo’s handsome face, displaying his always elegant looks befitting a protagonist, had coldly stiffened. Where did the warm Sun Woo, who had been worried just now, go? And who was this person here emitting a frigid chill?

“You were threatened with a gun by Jung Woo? Why did you let the news report strange content?”

I-na shed tears, her pretty face nestled in my arms. Her voice was so choked with emotion that her small frame felt even more pitiable. To think she’s crying because of Ha Jin.

The world must be ending.

I slowly stroked her back to comfort her. At that, she sobbed even louder.

I felt conflicted. Sun Woo’s gaze, coldly observing from the front, felt as painful as thorns persistently pricking my heart. And I felt sorry that I-na, who had been Ha Jin’s girlfriend, seemed unable to forget him still.

‘Damn it… Ha Jin’s past, please just leave me alone.’

“I-na, don’t cry.”

When I lowered my head and gently whispered in her ear to soothe her, I-na stifled her sobs and tightened her arms around me in a firm hug.

“You jerk.”

“Sorry, sorry. I-na.”

“Why are you making me worry like this? If you treated me that way, then you should live well at least. Constantly getting injuries on your face. And now you’re saying you were threatened with a gun.”

I-na was well aware of my injuries too. As if she had been keeping an ear out for news about me. When I detached the now calmer I-na from my embrace, she looked up at me with eyes ready to cry again at any moment. I needed to console I-na first and then finish my conversation with Sun Woo.

“Are you a bit calmer now?”

When I bent over to meet her eyes and asked, I-na nodded slightly. Her eyes had turned red from crying, making me feel concerned. She must have a lot of schedules here and there with her movie opening soon.

I grabbed the front of the t-shirt I was wearing, lifted it, and firmly dabbed at the tears in I-na’s eyes. 

Sun Woo’s eyes crinkled in dissatisfaction for some reason. His gaze was fixed on my lifted t-shirt.

“Don’t touch your eyes with your hands. You can’t let your pretty eyes get swollen.”

“…Then don’t make me cry.”

“Okay. I’m sorry, I-na. I won’t make you cry anymore.”

Restlessly checking on I-na, I lifted my head to see Sun Woo standing in front of us with a crooked posture, looking this way.

I needed to quickly console her and send I-na on her way.

“…Ha Jin.”

“Yeah. What?”

Perhaps finding my gentle words awkward, I-na lifted her eyes and examined me. When I smiled slightly at her staring at me, she bit her lip and averted her gaze. I-na kept her eyes lowered as she fidgeted with her fingers and spoke.

“The plans we made to go to Paris together during summer break. I made all the reservations on my end.”

“What?”

What did she say?

A small spasm ran through the corner of my smiling mouth.

My startled gaze naturally flew to Sun Woo. He curled up the corners of his lips and smiled at me. But his elongated mouth shape somehow felt chilling.

“Sun Woo.”

I wasn’t sure if I should properly set things straight, but for some reason, I felt I had to. It was absurd, soothing I-na with my hands while calling Sun Woo with my mouth. At my call, Sun Woo slightly nodded his head as if he understood, then turned around and walked away like that. I could only move my lips as I watched his receding back.

‘What does he understand? Is he misunderstanding that my plans are to go to Paris with I-na?’

I-na was still sobbing in front of me.

Sun Woo’s distancing back and the weeping I-na.

‘Ah, damn it.’

In the end, I had I-na get in my car. I had no choice with several people constantly stealing glances around us.

“I-na, are you a bit calmer now?”

“Yeah.”

Unlike my first impression, I-na answered me very meekly. Then she opened her large eyes wide, looked at me, and smiled very prettily.

“Why?”

When I asked, worried she might spew venomous words again, fortunately, I-na opened her mouth, seeming to be in a good mood.

“Just because I’m happy. Thinking about how you were this caring. Have you finally come to your senses now?”

What, was Ha Jin a jerk to his girlfriend too?

I realized my mistake, but I felt too bad to act like Ha Jin. I gently asked I-na, who had worried for me and cried for me.

“It’s about time I did… Do you have any schedules?”

“I do. Will you take me?”

“What about your manager?”

It was just a casual question asking if she was busy, but she’s asking me to take her. Don’t celebrities usually go around with their managers?

I-na seemed to ponder my question for a bit, then brightly smiled.

“Everyone went to take care of a newly joined rookie today. I told them I’d go to the shop myself.”

“What?”

I-na gave an absurd answer. Leaving I-na, who’s the hottest star right now, to take care of another rookie? It was an obvious lie, but before I could question her further, I-na lightly tapped my shoulder. 

“Let’s go. I have a special preview to attend in the evening, so I need to move quickly.”

I-na’s eyes, excited and happy, were red-rimmed. I felt too bad to refuse her here.

Feeling apologetic, I drove to the address I-na told me. She busily moved her hands, exchanging messages with someone. Seeing her reject calls in between, it seemed her manager was trying to reach her. The company was probably in an uproar too. Since I-na had abruptly said she would go alone.

Sitting in the passenger seat, she played songs she said she liked and also told me about her recent movie. As I listened, my heart gradually grew heavier, and I felt I couldn’t let this continue.

“I-na.”

At my call, I-na smiled brightly.

“Ah, Ha Jin, do you want to come to the preview with me today too? It’s where we watch the movie together with the audience, but I should be able to arrange a seat for you. Let’s eat something delicious after the preview.”

“No, it’s fine. An article about me came out today, so I might stir up unnecessary rumors.”

“I don’t care though.”

Seeing I-na speak as if it didn’t matter reminded me of how she had begged while hurting her pride. And I made up my mind. I-na might get hurt right now, but I had to make it clear.

“I-na. We broke up, didn’t we?”

At my words, I-na was silent for a long time. The lively idol music I-na had put on flowed cheerfully in the car, clashing with the heavy atmosphere. I felt extremely apologetic about unintentionally ghosting her, but wrong was wrong.

My throat felt parched in the heavy atmosphere. I wanted to avoid it, but then I would face an even bigger storm.

I had to confront it. I couldn’t just gloss over it, I reminded myself inwardly.

“Ha Jin. If you don’t want to make me cry again right now, shut that mouth.”

After saying that, I-na turned off the music connected to her cell phone. In the end, I gently consoled her in the silence, afraid she might cry again.

“Let’s talk again after you’re done with work. I might not be able to watch the movie with you at the special preview today, but I’ll wait for you in the car until you’re done instead. Let’s take my car when you go home too.”

“Damn it, I told you not to make me cry. You’re making me cry.”

I-na quietly shed tears. 

I awkwardly tried to sound cheerful and made conversation.

“I don’t have a handkerchief. And I can’t wipe your tears like before since I’m driving. Should I take off my shirt and give it to you? Do you want to wipe your tears with this?”

When I exaggeratedly pretended to lift up my clothes, I-na burst into laughter, unable to wipe her flowing tears, worried her eyes would swell up.

“Ha Jin. You’re such a bastard.”

I-na calls me that while laughing.

“Why are you being nicer after we broke up? You’re making me fall for you again, so annoying.”

I-na wiped her tears on my right sleeve and let go.

“Have dinner with me. For a week from now.”

“What?”

“Then I’ll let you off cleanly.”