New Normal - Chapter 19

Juwon’s grip tightened around Shin Jisoo’s small hand as she thanked him out of habit. Her hand’s tiny… and freezing cold. Poor circulation? That useless thought flitted through his mind, right as the hem of her shorts rode up while she climbed into the car, exposing a stretch of her pale thigh.

His Adam’s apple bobbed hard.

Condom.

The moment he saw that fair skin, that was all that popped into his head. Did I bring any? Probably not. He knew he was getting ahead of himself, but he told himself it was only natural — he liked to be prepared. Were there any left in the glove box? If so, they’d been there for years… basically trash by now. Technically usable, but it felt icky. His weird pickiness always flared up at times like this. He should’ve just bought a new box while waiting earlier. Is there even a convenience store nearby?

While Jisoo buckled her seatbelt, Juwon was busy swiping the navigation map, checking the route for a quick detour. There was a store, but it was kind of far. Do I fake an excuse to stop? God, rookie mistake.

Scolding himself for being so sloppy, he finally pulled away from the curb.

Meanwhile, Jisoo, sitting quietly beside him, was just as busy inside her own head. Maybe it was her surroundings, or maybe all the people she’d dealt with through her work in the art scene — whatever it was, Jisoo was good at picking up on people’s subtle energies. Confident people had a certain ease that showed in small things: the way they walked, held their shoulders, how they sat. It all said more than small talk ever could.

Chae Juwon was the same. It wasn’t just his expensive car or his well-cut clothes. His broad shoulders — probably built through steady workouts — stayed squared, his posture so straight it looked more like muscle memory than conscious effort. But more than that, it was the way he moved so naturally in any situation, his eyes sweeping the world with lazy arrogance — it felt both innate and cultivated.

She’d already guessed he was no amateur at this game. The way he scanned people, the way he seized control of the vibe — he did it effortlessly, like he was born to it. Even the carefully curated playlist — upbeat but easy, just enough to fill the silence — told her this guy definitely had a dating routine.

If I’m not careful, I’m going to get burned.

Fire was fun, but you had to know when to play with it. A part of her bristled with an instinctive warning — a small voice saying, Don’t get swept up. She turned her eyes to the interior of the car, pretending to take it all in to calm her nerves.

She replayed her phone call with Seok, the shaman, from a few nights ago.

“Sir, I think it might just be a coincidence, but…”

Jisoo had told him every detail — how she’d met Juwon, what happened after — and Seok had listened without interrupting.

“So… do you think he could be the great man you said would come into my life? I just… I can’t be sure. Is there any hint I can look for?”

“Hint? There’s no such thing. But there’s something you need to remember: you’ve got to crack out of your shell. Break it open, Jisoo.”

“My… shell?”

“Yeah. The shell. I mean, you’ve got to stop being the same old Shin Jisoo. Become someone new. Then you’ll see it clearly — whether this guy’s the real thing or not.”

His words were vague as ever, but she’d pressed him for more until she’d gotten a few scraps of practical advice out of him.

“Even shapes have energy, you know. You’ve probably heard that hanging a sunflower painting in your house brings in wealth? That’s not total nonsense. Art, words — they carry energy. And hearts? Those have the strongest pull. They attract luck.”

That’s what the shaman had told her. He’d advised her to buy heart stickers, write the Chinese character for ‘luck’ on them, and stick them on her front door and the left shoe cabinet.

“And then?”

“You have to accept it.”

“Accept what?”

“Everything that’s about to come your way. Whatever this great man does or says, accept it all, naturally. You might not like it. It might make you uncomfortable. But that’ll only pull the luck in tighter.”

It was childish and ridiculous — but if she was going to do it, she figured she might as well do it properly. So she’d rushed home and stuck the stickers up.

“By the way, there aren’t any lucky days this week.”

“Then, when is good?”

“We’ll see. But listen — even if the day’s good, don’t overdo it when you meet him. A little drink is fine. Just don’t stay out all night. Got it? Just confirm it.”

“Confirm what, exactly?”

“You already know, Shin Jisoo. Trust your gut. Everything will happen the way you think it will.”

Her gut feeling… Jisoo sat stiff as a board, replaying Seok’s advice over and over in her head. Determined not to screw up tonight’s plan, she straightened her back, as if bracing herself.

Meanwhile, Juwon threw a side glance at the passenger seat.

What’s with her?

Since she got in, Jisoo had gone dead silent, just rolling her eyes around and frowning every so often like she was working through some deep puzzle. She didn’t even notice herself doing it. Juwon let out a dry laugh. He’d never met a woman who’d tune him out like this, in this kind of situation. It was oddly funny.

“Guess I’m lucky tonight.”

His sudden comment made Jisoo flinch and glance at him. He flashed her a light smile.

“You weren’t busy. Last time you said you’d call when the timing was right — and look at that, you did. And I just happened to be free as well. Pretty perfect timing, isn’t it?”

Bringing up how she’d turned him down back at Gangcheon made Jisoo let out a small, awkward laugh.

“Right… Well, you just popped into my head, out of nowhere.”

“At night? So you’re still on that same mission, huh?”

She stared at him like what are you talking about? — so he smirked.

“Looking for the big one.”

She sighed dramatically, her cheeks flushing pink.

“I told you that was all a misunderstanding.”

“Good, then. I’m glad you haven’t found anyone bigger — whoops, I mean, better—than me yet.”

He deliberately emphasized big one again, and Jisoo let out a short sigh.

“You’re terrible. Seriously.”

She snapped at him, but Juwon just covered his mouth with his hand, hiding a grin. He could never help but enjoy it when someone got flustered because of him.

He honestly couldn’t understand why he was acting so childish in front of her. But one thing was clear — it felt good knowing that, one way or another, Shin Jisoo was aware of him.

“I was just curious, you know. Wondering what’s gotten into you all of a sudden. Made me think — what do you want me to help you with now?”

Juwon grinned playfully, half-expecting her to shoot something back at him. But nope. Jisoo just shut her lips tight like a clam. She pretended not to hear him, stared out the window, and even turned her head away.

Wait, what?

Not the reaction he’d pictured at all. Caught off guard, Juwon tried to play it cool, rubbing the corner of his mouth. Sh1t, I overdid it.

Trying not to look awkward, he leaned an elbow against the door and stole a side glance at her, eyes glued to the passing streetlights. Testing the waters, he cleared his throat.

“Anyway… so, Jisoo. How’ve you been? Doing alright?”

“…Yeah. You know. Same old.”

She answered a beat late, vague as ever. She’s mad, isn’t she? He peeked at her again, then tried another angle.

“By the way, how old are you, Shin Jisoo?”

“Thirty-one. What about you?”

“Three years older than you.”

“Ah.”

That was it. A polite but dead-flat ‘Ah’. He could practically see the wall she’d thrown up. Juwon let out an inward groan. Great. I overplayed it.

He wasn’t used to this. He usually got away with pushing buttons, but he always kept control. But tonight… he’d lost his footing early.

He glanced at her smooth thighs again. Well… if you’ve got a goal, you hang in there. He cleared his throat.

“Hmm… you know, come to think of it — did you know we actually met once before?”

“…What? Sorry, what?”

She’d been half-heartedly mumbling until then, but that line snapped her head around so fast he nearly flinched. Their eyes met dead-on.

“We did? Why?”