New Normal - Chapter 50

The smell of alcohol drifted into the apartment with him. It wasn’t just the scent of booze—it carried something heavier. Tangled, unspoken emotions. Like someone who had been barely holding on before finally breaking.

Jisoo’s heart skipped a beat. Maybe she was just being overly sensitive from feeling down all day. Or maybe she was projecting her own emotions onto him. Or… maybe she was simply caught off guard—she hadn’t expected to see Chae Juwon this drunk at this late hour.

“Are you okay?”

Startled, Jisoo hurried over to him. Juwon lazily waved a hand.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.”

He staggered in, grinning too easily with that drunk smile of his. Jisoo moved to give him space, but when he suddenly stumbled, she instinctively reached out to catch him.

“Ugh… I’m dizzy.”

“Sh1t,” he muttered under his breath.

Jisoo supported him, slipping an arm around his waist and guiding one of his arms over her shoulder to balance him. His body heat crept through her sleeve—warmer than she expected.

He was heavy. And strangely… close.

Even though he wasn’t exactly leaning on her fully, Juwon’s weight still pressed in enough to feel burdensome. He wasn’t trying to fall on her—but the sheer presence of him, the gravity of him, felt like carrying a boulder.

With effort, she guided the drunken man to the bedroom. The faint scent of his cologne and the slow, heavy sound of his breathing tickled her nose.

It all hit her senses at once. A strange shiver ran up her spine.

Juwon walked without much resistance, but Jisoo was completely tuned in to every little shift in his body. Her nerves were on edge as she tried to steady him, her mind racing.

What happened today? What hit him so hard that he got this drunk?

Thump.

She practically dropped him onto the bed, then wiped the sweat off her forehead. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at him.

His face was unguarded.

It was a look she’d never seen before—one completely free of defense. No pretenses, just raw emotion lingering in his features.

That finally snapped her back to reality. She hurried off and came back with a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Juwon, drink this.”

“Mm…”

He blinked slowly, focus finally returning to his eyes. Groggily sitting up, he gulped down the water in one go. Jisoo stood there watching him drink, zoning out for a moment as she followed the movement of his throat.

How much did he drink…?

As he seemed to sober up just a little, his dazed gaze drifted to her. Jisoo quickly looked away, reaching for the empty bottle—but their eyes met as she did, his still half-lidded from the alcohol.

She flinched. Just a little.

He blinked. Slowly.

“…Shin Jisoo.”

He said it like a discovery. As if he’d just found someone familiar in a dream. The way he said her name was surreal—like he was checking to make sure it was really her. It wasn’t something Juwon would normally say. Or how he’d normally say it.

Maybe the alcohol just loosened his filter.

“You drank a lot tonight, didn’t you?” Jisoo asked, clicking her tongue.

He shook his head. “Nah. Just a little.”

But that “little” was quickly contradicted as he flopped back onto the bed and began humming an unrecognizable tune. No lyrics, no rhythm—just a wandering melody, like he was letting his emotions spill out in sound.

It felt like a silent confession. And somehow, it got to her. There was something fragile in his drunken state that made Jisoo pause. Her gaze lingered on him. He looked… strangely tender.

His half-lidded eyes stared at the ceiling. There was loneliness in that expression. And that loneliness—it didn’t suit him. It made him feel distant. Jisoo caught herself getting too sentimental and cleared her throat.

“I’ve never seen you drunk before.”

“Mm.”

He answered quietly, closing his eyes again.

“Do you usually drink well?”

“Yeah. I like drinking and I can hold my liquor pretty well… I just usually don’t.” His voice was slower than usual, but still clear. His diction oddly precise, even in this state. For a second, it struck her—this ambiguity was so him.

Jisoo reached out toward his forehead, hesitating before she touched him. She stopped just shy of contact, hand trembling slightly. His breath was so close, brushing her fingertips.

Her heart raced. Whether or not he noticed, Juwon murmured with his eyes still closed—

“There’s a lot of sides to me you don’t know, Shin Jisoo.”

A soft laugh escaped him. Jisoo’s chest tightened. It felt strange—tight and uncomfortable. She swallowed hard.

Juwon tilted his head and mumbled, “Why?”

“Didn’t you say drinking messes up your muscle gains?” she whispered back.

He yawned and closed his eyes again.

“Yeah. That’s why I don’t usually drink. It messes with my body. And I don’t like the feeling of being drunk. But… sometimes you need to.”

“Did you need to tonight?”

He paused for a long beat.

“Not really. It’s not that I needed to… I just had to.”

His calm voice made Jisoo choose her next words carefully.

“…Work stuff isn’t easy, huh?”

Late as the reply was, Juwon laughed with his eyes closed. It wasn’t even a clever comment, but he chuckled like it was. He opened his eyes slowly, lashes fluttering, brown eyes soft.

“Is it not easy for you too, Shin Jisoo?”

His voice was gentle. Jisoo just looked down at him and slowly nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Just because.”

At her vague reply, Juwon frowned.

“What’s ‘just because’ supposed to mean?”

He was pressing her gently, and Jisoo scrunched her nose. She didn’t know where to begin, so she hesitated.

Then she muttered quietly.

“…The museum director’s just an ass.”

Juwon didn’t burst out laughing like she’d expected. He simply blinked slowly and stared at her with calm eyes.

“How big of an ass?”

“She’s just… awful. As a person.”

“Then punch her in the face and quit.”

She let out a short laugh. His words sounded too serious for something so ridiculous. She frowned, amused. But somehow, that dumb, blunt advice loosened something in her chest.

She stared at him quietly.

“Is that what you call advice?”

“I’m serious. Quit and do something else. You’re good at what you do.”

It was naive, maybe, but it was sincere. And weirdly comforting. No one had said that to her before—acknowledging her struggles like it was okay.

Jisoo shook her head.

“I’m not like you, Chae Juwon.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re the one who’s good at everything. I’m not.”

“You know false humility’s kinda annoying, right?”

He poked her cheek with his finger. Jisoo rolled her eyes.

“How would you even know if I’m capable or not?”

“I can tell.”

“You’ve never seen me work.”

“Sure, I have. In Gangcheon, and during the Space Art project.”

Jisoo clamped her mouth shut. She had no comeback. His eyes slowly scanned her face.

“You can tell a lot from a little. You’re sharp, Shin Jisoo. Smart.”

She wrinkled her nose again. How long had they even known each other? But hearing it from him still made her feel strangely good.

Juwon reached up and smoothed out the little wrinkle on her nose.

“You’re clever. You’ve got a good personality. Pretty face. Great body. You’ve got it all. So what’s there to hesitate about? If something’s making you miserable, just quit.”

Maybe she really had been starved for praise. As he rattled off compliments, Jisoo suddenly realized how much she’d needed to hear those words.

A warmth spread in her chest. The tension in her body slowly unwound. But still, it was embarrassing. She let out a tiny laugh and fidgeted with her fingers.

“You’re really laying it on thick, huh?”

“I’m not flattering you. I suck at flattery. You can tell, right?”

His eyes were sincere. Crystal clear. Even the drunken haze seemed to have vanished.

That made Jisoo smile.

“You’re ridiculous, Chae Juwon.”

“I don’t think I’m the funny type.”

“You are.”

“Well… okay. Let’s go with that.”

Juwon shut his eyes again, and Jisoo kept smiling. She shook her head slowly, then narrowed her eyes and studied him.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

Juwon opened his eyes. There was a flicker of surprise in them. He thought for a moment, then said in a low voice—

“…Have I been nice?”

“You’re saying all these sweet things to me.”

Juwon stared at her, then sat up. He reached toward the nightstand and handed her a small box.

“What’s this?”

She took it without thinking, blinking in confusion. Juwon flopped back onto the bed, looking up at her.

“A bribe. I’m buttering you up because you’re talented and I want you to like me.”

“Didn’t you just say you suck at flattery?”

“Then let’s say I’m good at it. Open it.”

He nodded at her to open the red box. Inside was a yellow gold bracelet in the shape of a nail, with tiny diamonds set into the head and tip. She instantly recognized the brand.

“Why are you giving me this…?”

She frowned, dumbfounded. Juwon sat up and took the bracelet, then casually fastened it around her wrist.

“Isn’t this what people mean when they say they’re being nice? Not just with words.”

Jisoo stared at the bracelet, speechless.

Then Juwon tilted his head, meeting her gaze.

“You like it?”