New Normal - Chapter 25

After Juwon had rushed back to Korea because of his grandfather’s surgery, his plan to stay only temporarily had fallen through — and he’d found himself questioning his next move.

He’d thought about starting his own firm. But then Youngguk had suggested they work together, and without hesitation, Juwon had chosen RSTA — for no other reason than Youngguk was his father’s old drinking buddy, a family friend for decades.

— “When’s the bid again? Still got about three months, right?”

“Something like that. Two months left now.”

— “Ah, right? Juwon, that Jeju Art Museum you’re on. The joint site manager — that’s Jo Hyunjung, right?”

Days like today — when some petty construction manager was picking a fight over nonsense — made Juwon regret not opening his own atelier.

Jo Hyunjung, the construction manager, was the type who worshipped outdated, old-school office culture. Having suffered through hazing in his junior years, he now relived those days by bullying the architects whenever he could.

Yesterday, the man had demanded an unplanned addition to the drawings. Today, he was insisting the original plan was better after all. All this fuss over nothing.

Juwon bit back the flood of words he wanted to throw.

“Yeah. Manager Jo Hyunjung.”

— “How’s he treating you?”

“He pulled the same sh1t today, too.”

When Juwon grumbled, Youngguk let out that same gravelly laugh.

— “What now? What’d he say?”

“He wants to extend the joint office even after the bid. Says watching us do basic design work is too nerve-wracking for him.”

— “Shouldn’t he worry about that after you land the project?”

“Exactly my point. If he’s this bad now, it’ll be a circus when we’re actually executing the build. He basically warned me himself.”

— “Ah… yeah? Figures. He’s got a reputation — you know what they say about that bastard.”

“He’s not just a bastard. He’s a real piece of work.”

Flicking off the ash, Juwon shifted his phone to the other hand. A sharp pain shot through his knuckles — he grimaced at the dull throb that flared every time he flexed his fingers. He’d messed up his hand sparring at the boxing gym before dawn.

— “Hey, you alright? Took a bad hit? Is it serious?”

“…Doesn’t matter. Oh, and if Manager Jo suddenly disappears, just assume I hired a hitman.”

— “Christ, you lunatic… At least drag him off to the Philippines if you’re gonna do it. Not in Korea. Got it?”

Youngguk half-scolded him in a teasing tone — but Juwon didn’t laugh. He barely heard the soothing words floating through the line. His mind was elsewhere.

Because honestly, there was something more infuriating than Jo Hyunjung.

**

“Chae Juwon… you’re kind of bland.”

Bland, huh?

Grinding out his cigarette butt, Juwon scrubbed a frustrated hand over his forehead. It had been a week since Shin Jisoo ghosted him. His nerves were still strung tight.

A woman running away in the middle of s3x and going completely off the radar — that was a humiliation he’d never experienced in his life. He hadn’t even gotten to finish — she’d just bolted mid-act, leaving him hanging. It was too absurd to brush off as some dumb mishap. It pissed him off every time he thought about it.

He’d tried to think about it rationally, but without knowing why, all it did was make him angrier.

That electric tension they’d shared at the bar — was it really all one-sided? Just him reading into it?

“Well, I mean… it’s because you’re my ideal type.”

Why even say that? Was she just messing with him for fun? No — that wasn’t even the worst part.

What pissed him off the most was how rude it all was. Leading a man that far — half-undressed and ready to go — only to bail with some half-baked “I need the bathroom” excuse? Even a stray dog would’ve seen through that pathetic lie.

So why run like that? She knew he’d worry. And after ghosting him, she ignored every call — though, curiously enough, she hadn’t blocked him. His messages were marked as read.

He was buried in back-to-back work days, but her face still flashed across his mind at the worst moments, giving him a headache. Working on the Hansong project only made it worse — because Hansong instantly reminded him of her.

The first time he’d run into her, he’d been amused. The second, intrigued. The third, suspicious. Now? She was just… unbelievable.

“Wait! Hold on — actually, I really need to use the bathroom. I was holding it in—”

That ridiculous excuse. That woman who’d left him high and dry in the most humiliating way possible.

Why? What the hell was so awful that she’d have to run? Did he come on too strong? Was his flirting too cheesy?

Wait — did she think he was too small?

…No way. Absolutely not.

Juwon scowled and let out a heavy sigh. Even as he popped a fresh cigarette from the pack, his mind was a hurricane of questions.

Why had she even come to him at all? Did she actually have to poop mid-fvck? Irritable bowel syndrome, maybe? Ridiculous thoughts ate at him — but they always looped back to the same point.

Why approach me in the first place?

Most people came for the usual reasons — his looks, his status, the life he could offer. But she’d never asked about any of that. She acted like she didn’t care at all.

Well, except for that one thing she’d shown interest in.

D1ck.

That was the only thing she’d shown any interest in.

In all his years of living, Juwon had never been treated like this. To put it bluntly, it wounded his pride more than he wanted to admit. He knew he’d look pathetic if he kept dwelling on it — but he still wanted to face her properly and ask outright.

Was that really all you wanted? Was it that important? And when you finally saw it, was it just… not impressive enough?

Deep in thought, Juwon pulled out another cigarette. Youngguk was still rambling on the other end, trying to calm him down, but he barely heard a word. His head was spinning with its own conclusions.

As with most things, the truth was probably simple. If he looked at it that way, then the reason she reached out again was obvious: she wanted to check out the goods.

Why she was on this quest for big d1ck, who knew. He wasn’t even sure if she meant it literally. Maybe she really had just wanted to see it.

But still — at her age? That was all?

He’d turned the possibility over in his head a thousand times, but every angle just left him more confused. He replayed every timeline they’d crossed paths.

Her fresh face on that first video call, the way she’d matured in just a few years, those wide, startled eyes, her cheeks flushing red at the unexpected, the sly curve of her lips when she teased him.

“Chae Juwon, your dimple’s only on one side.”

She knew how to seduce — that much was clear — but when things got real, she’d slipped away in the weirdest way imaginable. He genuinely couldn’t figure her out.

Maybe she’s more of a pro than I thought.

He just couldn’t shake it.

If she’d been that curious, why not just sleep with him in the car that night? Then none of this mess would exist. Clearly there was a reason…

Or maybe she just found an even bigger one?

By this point, it didn’t even matter anymore. All that was left was his need to beat her — to flip the tables and shove his humiliation right back at her.

He knew it was petty, but that vow was now burned into his brain.

With his mind made up, Juwon took a deep drag of his cigarette. His eyes burned with a quiet, simmering challenge.

**

“— Juwon-ah. Come on. I’ll raise your salary. Double it. How about that? Hey, just don’t go independent yet, alright?”

“Nope. I’m gonna pick out the best guys and run. I’ll poach them with double the pay, too.”

Juwon shot back, a crooked grin tugging at his lips.

— “Ah, you ungrateful little sh1t…”

“If you’re done whining, hang up.”

— “No, wait. Actually, do you have time later?”

“Time? You think I have time? I’m tearing myself in half working as it is. I’ve gotta head over to H University this afternoon.”

— “H University? Why? You didn’t even go there.”

“Professor Choi Taekyung asked me to critique some graduation projects. And check if there’s any interns worth picking up while I’m at it.”

— “Ah, Taekyung? Right, if it’s him, you should go. You’re really swamped, huh…”

Youngguk’s tone turned vague, like he was building up to something more specific. Eyes closing, Juwon rubbed at his temples, exhausted. He’d promised himself not to take on one more thing — but still, he asked.

“What is it? You got another favor for me?”

— “Not a favor. Just… there’s a good opportunity for you.”

A good opportunity. Yeah, right. If there was one thing Juwon knew, it was that Youngguk was a smooth-talking snake.

“So it is a favor.”

— “No, you punk. It’s not that. Listen — there’s this public art project at A University’s art history department. Professor Kim Sooyeon is running it. It’s actually pretty good.”