Defective Banana - Chapter 8

After finishing breakfast, Donghee walked into the living room with a freshly brewed cup of coffee—only to gasp in shock when she spotted Seohyuk passed out on the sofa.

“Oh my god! Seohyuk! What are you doing here? Ugh, you reek of alcohol! Hey! Kang Seohyuk! Get up!”

She grabbed her son’s slumped shoulders and shook him hard. When he didn’t budge, she started thumping his chest, now visibly rising and falling with his breath.

“Yah! Kang Seohyuk! Why do you keep barging in without saying a word? Get up!”

The ruckus finally stirred Seohyuk, who groaned in a hoarse voice as he turned over.

“Ugh… Just a little more…”

“Look at this kid! You have a perfectly good room—why are you sleeping out here like this? I need to watch my morning drama! Get up and move! It’s almost time!”

Grumbling, Seohyuk rubbed his eyes and curled up on the side of the couch. As soon as a corner cleared up, Donghee plopped down, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV.

Still waking up, Seohyuk muttered, “Hey… Kim Yeosa.”

“Oh? Finally awake? Seriously, what’s with you? Can’t you give a heads-up if you’re coming over? You scared me half to death.”

But Seohyuk just stared blankly at the TV screen, voice low and cracked.

“What does the woman next door do?”

Donghee squinted at her son. He’d just woken up and was already asking about Ara. That was weird—and suspicious. She peeked around the couch to glance at his distant expression.

“Ara? Why are you asking about her all of a sudden? Wait… are you interested?”

Seohyuk, trying not to seem obvious, casually muttered, “Interested? Nah. Just curious. She looks young but hangs out with you like you’re friends.”

Donghee waved it off. “Ara’s an artist. She paints. That big piece hanging there? She gave that to me. Can you believe she painted it with those tiny hands of hers?”

Seohyuk slowly lifted his head to look at the painting. It was a swirl of green brushstrokes that somehow reminded him of spring leaves—and maybe Kim Yeosa’s profile, or maybe not. It felt like a forest. Unusual, but strangely beautiful.

“She’s… a painter, huh.”

Looking away from the painting, Seohyuk rested his head on his arm and muttered in a bitter tone, “Kim Yeosa, don’t trust people so easily. That woman might be colder than you think.”

His lifeless gaze was empty and unfocused. He looked like someone who had lost all hope in life. Donghee, unaware of how badly Ara had crushed his ego, simply shook her head.

“No, you just don’t know her. Ara’s not like other kids these days.”

Still staring blankly at the TV, Seohyuk asked in a tired voice,

“What kind of person is she, according to you?”

“Well… she’s kind of like someone living her second life. Way too mature for her age. Honest, direct… Maybe it’s because she’s an artist, but she doesn’t pretend or play games. She’s sweet, too.”

“Sweet…?” he muttered under his breath.

The rooftop scene came rushing back. Seohyuk bit down hard on his lower lip and closed his eyes. Had he ever been that humiliated before? Not even close.

The memory was painfully vivid. He couldn’t stop thinking about how his body had responded—how shamefully excited he’d gotten from her foot pinning him down. That realization alone made him want to crawl out of his own skin.

And that’s what really pissed him off—how he got turned on by her kicking him around like that. The fact that his own reaction disgusted him was unbearable.

“Sweet, huh…? Then maybe I should try meeting her properly this time.”

He muttered more to himself than to Donghee. She turned from the TV, intrigued.

“Actually, we’re having lunch together today. Want to join us?”

“Lunch?”

Facing Ara with this hangover face? Not a chance. Especially when he had to make a good impression. Regret twisted in his gut.

“Nah, I’m busy today.”

“Busy, huh? Then why’d you come home drunk like that?”

“I manage my schedule just fine, thanks.”

“Keep that mouth of yours in check, boy!”

Then something occurred to Seohyuk. He looked down and then glanced at his mother.

He needed more info. If he was going to approach Ara again, he needed to understand her better—either to win her over, or at least know when to back off. And who better to ask than her best friend?

So he asked casually, “By the way, doesn’t she usually stay home even on weekends? She… doesn’t have a boyfriend?”

Donghee answered without a second thought. “Yeah, she’s not seeing anyone. Just stays holed up painting all day. Honestly, her life’s even sadder than mine.”

“…Really? No boyfriend?”

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

Too focused on her drama, Donghee didn’t notice and kept rambling.

“No matter how much I tell her to go out and meet someone, she never listens. Doesn’t she realize how precious her youth is? Ah, it’s frustrating! Oh, and I heard her parents passed away in a car accident when she was in middle school. Poor girl’s been alone ever since.”

“Alone, huh… That’s rough.”

For a moment, he felt something swell in his chest. A desire to reach out, to be there for her. Maybe that’s why she was so guarded—because she’d been through too much. Maybe that’s why she was so cold and combative.

If she truly understood loneliness, maybe she could understand his, too.

Maybe, if he just tried a little harder, she might give him a chance.

Suddenly wide awake, Seohyuk sat up straight and began stretching. He rolled his neck from side to side, cracked his shoulders, and stood up, clenching his fists with a burst of energy.

“HAAHP!”

He looked like someone about to break into a taekwondo kata.

Donghee squinted at him. “What are you doing? Still drunk?”

“Nope. I’m totally sober. Just getting ready. Told you, I’m a busy man.”

***

Despite all that “busy,” Seohyuk didn’t leave the room until lunchtime.

Donghee, busy prepping the table, raised an eyebrow at her son now dressed in a crisp suit.

“What’s with the suit? Going to a wedding?”

“No, just meeting someone.”

“Judging by how polished you look, I’m guessing it’s a woman?”

Seohyuk didn’t reply. Instead, he suddenly changed the subject while scrolling through his phone.

“So, about that trip to Gangwon… Who did you go with?”

Donghee wasn’t so easily thrown off.

“Weren’t you in a rush earlier? Shouldn’t you be heading out?”

Seohyuk glanced at his watch and replied smoothly, “Yeah, looks like I’ve got some time to kill.”

Donghee smirked, not missing a beat.

“Let me guess—you got a date. You bring a condom?”

Seohyuk chuckled dryly, then regained composure and shot her a look.

“Kim Yeosa, you’re too much. I’ll manage myself, okay? Anyway, about Gangwon—you serious about that guy? You should introduce me properly. You can’t just run off on trips with some guy.”

The two began trading personal jabs like seasoned pros.

“Are you nuts? There are so many decent men out there, why would I stick to just one and drag you into it?”

Seohyuk shook his head, like he’d just been dumped.

“You’re cold. You’re gonna make some man cry, Kim Yeosa. Careful or you’ll end up breaking hearts—and getting bad karma.”

“Drama queen. Just worry about your own love life.”

After brushing him off, Donghee brought the dishes to the table. As she noticed Seohyuk still glued to his phone, she asked nonchalantly,

“Ara should be here soon. Aren’t you leaving?”

He glanced at the clock again.

“Maybe I got ready too early. I guess I should eat before I go.”

He said it so naturally, with a practiced glance at his watch, that it almost looked unscripted.

“You sure? You’re so dressed up, Ara might recognize you as an actor.”

He shrugged slightly and answered while still looking at his phone,

“She’s your best friend, right? She’s not the type to go around telling people I’m your son.”

“Yeah, I guess she’s not.”

Just a few hours ago, he’d warned her not to trust people so easily. Donghee, now stepping into the kitchen, only sighed and shook her head.