New Normal - Chapter 18

Juwon bit down hard on his lip. He wasn’t interested in dating anymore — not really. It wasn’t that he didn’t know what real feelings were. He did. Or so he liked to think.

He’d felt that spark before. He’d let it grow until it was too much to hold back. He’d stood at the edge when the other person called it quits first — and he’d watched his own heart cool off, too. He’d been through it all.

But in the end, all that emotional back-and-forth had just run its course. There hadn’t been any dramatic betrayal or someone’s violent opposition. It just… ended. While he kept telling himself that love was like clothes that didn’t fit him, time slipped by. Now that he was in his mid-thirties, his interest in women had pretty much disappeared altogether.

If he needed s3x, he handled it alone — simple. He had no plans to get married, so what use was dating? If he was honest, he just didn’t see much point in investing any part of his life in a woman. His focus was always on his own success — that was it.

Still, if he ever did start something again, he wanted it to happen carefully. Naturally. He wanted to meet someone he simply couldn’t say no to — like fate or something.

“Fate, my ass.”

He let out a sarcastic laugh and rubbed his mouth roughly with the back of his hand. Maybe he’d gotten soft for a second, seeing his grandfather looking so old and tired. There he was, getting sentimental and mumbling about destiny. Ridiculous.

Just then, a soft voice came through the car speakers — the Bluetooth had picked up a new message.

[You have a message from 010-0000-0000. “Hi, this is Shin Jisoo. Sorry for texting so late. You remember how I said I’d buy you dinner sometime? Is that… still okay? If you don’t mind…”]

The polite voice wasn’t even done speaking when Juwon was already calling her back. Pure reflex. He didn’t even think. It wasn’t until he heard the line ringing that he realized what he was doing.

…Idiot.

He almost hung up out of sheer panic — but then he heard her soft voice on the other end.

“—Hello?”

She sounded flustered, careful. Juwon let out a quiet, breathy laugh. Seriously, what the hell was this? Was he actually nervous? She’d already blown him off once — it’s not like this was going anywhere. But still, his heart never quite listened to logic. People always said what you think about comes true — and maybe it wasn’t so wrong after all. The woman he couldn’t stop thinking about had ended up reaching out to him first.

He tapped the steering wheel with his fingers, trying to pick the right words.

How should he play this? Well, there was only ever going to be one conclusion anyway.

“Shin Jisoo, tonight’s fine too.”

The second he said it, he knew exactly what this damn curiosity of his really was.

“Huh? Tonight? But I, um, I don’t really have—”

He could practically see her confused expression, but it didn’t matter. Just like the first time he’d called her — no heavy expectations, no big deal. He had nothing to lose, so why not see where it went?

“Yeah. Tonight. I don’t really feel like dinner, though — I’m more in the mood for a drink. Right now.”

His voice left no room for argument. As the traffic light turned green, Juwon pressed his foot down on the gas and shot forward into the night.

***

“Oh, Chae Juwon? Why are you waiting out here in this heat?”

Juwon turned his head when he heard Shin Jisoo’s clear voice. He was smoking his vape — he exhaled a puff of vapor to the side and slipped it back into his pocket.

“Of course I’m out here. I should be.”

It was late at night and he’d asked her out for a drink — the least he could do was wait outside to meet her.

They hadn’t exactly had some deep conversation back at Kangcheon, but if he counted the time they ate together and he’d dropped her at the station, technically this was their second meeting.

Counting it like that felt petty, but he’d overthought it anyway — a random guy showing up at her door to pick her up felt like too much. He’d wondered where to meet her instead. Telling her to just come straight to a bar felt sleazy, so in the end, Juwon told her to meet him in front of the station near her place. Coincidentally, it wasn’t far from where he’d taken her first call.

Pointless or not, it felt like a weird twist of fate.

“But you’re early, Shin Jisoo.”

Juwon checked his watch, then looked her up and down. Ten minutes ahead of time — just like he’d expected: by the book.

“I just… felt like getting some fresh air.”

She looked around awkwardly as she spoke, her voice light and fresh like a summer breeze — but even fresher was how she looked.

A canvas tote bag on her shoulder, a sleeveless blouse, linen shorts, and her hair tied up in a ponytail high on her head — she looked young, exactly like his first impression of her. Even at night, her face looked naturally bright. It was hard to tell if she’d done her makeup or not — maybe she’d wiped it off and redone it, or maybe she hadn’t bothered at all. Either way, her natural face was just good.

He didn’t even try to hide how openly he was staring. He looked her up and down like he was doing an estimate, and Shin Jisoo seemed a bit embarrassed — she touched the back of her neck.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

Her wide, gentle eyes looking up at him reminded him of a herbivore — soft, harmless. But for some reason, the way she nervously glanced around made her seem like prey cornered by a predator. His eyes dropped to her slender neck — delicate enough to stir up something predatory in him — and he caught himself.

“It’s nothing. Did you have dinner plans earlier or something?”

“Huh? Oh, no… Not really. Why?”

She fumbled her words and then awkwardly asked back, and for some reason, Juwon felt a sudden, sharp rush of desire — a weird need to conquer her. To put it bluntly: he suddenly just really wanted to have s3x with her.

So much for a ‘careful start.’ He knew himself too well — he’d give it up faster than a dog giving up a bone.

He swallowed, licking his lips that kept feeling dry.

“So you were just at home and came out like this? Looks like you put in some effort.”

“Ah… I’m not really dressed up.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I just washed my face… and before I left, I put on some sunscreen and lip balm, that’s it…”

She could’ve just brushed it off as some obvious fake modesty, but Shin Jisoo actually went on to explain every little thing. And at the end of her rambling, she gave him a sharp look like she couldn’t believe she’d said all that. Her eyes clearly said, Why am I even telling you this? — which made Juwon laugh out loud.

“Wow, Shin Jisoo, you look amazing even without makeup.”

He teased her with a playful compliment, and her slim face flushed pink. Probably because her skin was so pale, the red spread so easily.

“…It’s not really. Without makeup, most people at least do this much.”

So honest, seriously. Juwon watched her admit it with that innocent air, a small smile still tugging at his lips. She was so straightforward it almost felt clumsy — but his eyes kept drifting to her anyway. The dry hand brushing her ear, the slim curve of her neck, and below that — yeah, he swallowed twice at the same spot.

The awkward air felt like it tickled. Just looking at her was turning him on. That soft, sweet feeling — it’d been forever since he felt it. He clenched his fist tightly, pushing his bangs back with the other hand as his brow creased. He cleared his throat, but his voice still came out husky.

“Got it. So you’re basically just naturally pretty, huh?”

His blunt praise made Jisoo’s eyes go wide. She blinked, clearly flustered — and that clueless reaction made Juwon laugh, carefree.

“Bet you’ve heard that plenty from other guys. Why’re you reacting like it’s new?”

“W-what? No, I mean…”

“No need to explain. Let’s just get in the car.”

He hadn’t even expected an answer, but she looked like she was about to try anyway — which made it all the more fun to tease her. He grinned wickedly as he opened the car door for her.

The McLaren’s doors lifted upward — the sports car he took out when he felt like showing off. Definitely not his daily commuter, but tonight he’d grabbed the keys on impulse, and now here she was, about to get in. The timing was perfect.

Standing by the car, Shin Jisoo hesitated, then glanced up at him.

“You must really like telling girls they’re pretty, huh?”

“Nope. I’ve got strict standards. I only say it to women who actually are.”

For a second, Jisoo’s eyebrows drew together.

“Cha Juwon, you’re kind of…”

“Annoying? Or just cheesy?” he asked, deadpan. Jisoo clamped her mouth shut, then let out a short sigh.

“Yeah. Kinda old-fashioned cheesy, actually.”

So honest. But every time he poked her, she reacted just right — it was fun.

“Still, you can put up with it, right? I’m buying you some good drinks tonight.”

Juwon laughed brightly, dipping his head and reaching out his hand again. His polite gesture made her pause awkwardly, but she finally placed her hand in his.

“Well, at least you’ve got good manners.”

“Of course. Ah — but I’m not that picky about this one. I do it for old ladies and kids too. Any woman, really.”

He just had to add that. And when he did, Jisoo’s mouth dropped open like she couldn’t believe him.

“…You really are exactly what I thought.”

“Could be,” he said, smiling like he didn’t care if she called him trash.

Jisoo let out an exasperated laugh. A few jokes had loosened things up between them — just enough that she finally took his hand properly and carefully bent down to slide into the car.

“Thanks.”