New Normal - Chapter 67

Even as the calls and meetings to get to know her increased, his curiosity didn’t ease. Juwon wanted to control the situation, but in the end, it was him who was being controlled. He tried to lead love by pretending to be gentle, but ironically, he was the one falling first.

“I know it’s kinda ridiculous to say this now, but… I think I really like Shin Jisoo.”

On his birthday, buried in work and having forgotten even himself, right after their first time together, he must have been drunk on some kind of feeling to blurt that out so suddenly. It was a perfect example of someone tripping over their own trap—confessing love first to the one who was supposed to confess to him.

No excuse could cover it up, even if he wanted to blame it on drunkenness.

Since that day, every time he saw Jisoo, Juwon had to fight the urge to blurt out that confession he wanted to spill. He had to hold back feelings that were way ahead of hers.

But his emotions didn’t slow down. They only sped up. At some point, even the start of this relationship and his goals became meaningless. He completely forgot. No matter how much he tried to doubt this emotional intoxication he was enjoying, the conclusion always circled back to one thing.

He couldn’t deny his feelings for her anymore.

Unlike past relationships he’d analyzed and weighed mentally, cutting off cold the moment he felt off, the current Juwon blindly accepted, loved, and embraced everything about Shin Jisoo.

Love.

He felt like a fool drowning in fake tenderness. His emotions had run ahead of him, and he had no plan. At his age still acting like this, he wondered if he was just hopelessly slow to learn.

But one thing was clear, Juwon didn’t hate it anymore, nor did it even matter. He just wanted to stay drunk on this feeling forever.

Frowning, smoking a cigarette, he ruffled his bangs in a happy kind of defeat. He took one last drag and exhaled.

Yeah, so what now… what should I do?

“You’re trying to meet Rostein again on this New York trip to find a way to escape to America, right? You think I don’t know?”

Just a few months ago, Juwon never imagined he’d hesitate like this.

Rostein had offered him the head position at the New York branch, and Juwon had eagerly accepted—though he asked for some time due to family matters. Rostein had been patient. The business trips he’d been taking were part of preparing to settle there.

But as time passed, his thoughts drifted elsewhere. He became more conflicted and couldn’t decide. Seeing him stall like that, Rostein made a strong move, offering the position right under him.

“Juwon, I want you to take the role of Creative Director at the Berlin headquarters. It’s an executive design position. I want to give the opportunity to someone competent—and I hope that someone is you. You know better than anyone how rare offers like this are.”

With his neat beard, simple black suit, and glasses, Rostein’s piercing gaze was as blunt as ever.

The moment for a decision that couldn’t be delayed was here. So the main purpose of this trip was to give a clear answer—would he go, or…

“Being with you right now is amazing, but sometimes I get scared. Like, what if I mess up again? Or what if I’m just going to be abandoned again?”

Would he change his mind?

His heart sank heavily.

What was tormenting him now wasn’t Rostein’s offer. It was Shin Jisoo. She tangled everything up like a wild variable. All he wanted was to get back to the place he hoped for after drinking it all in—but why did he hate it so much? Why did it feel so unsettling?

Pressing his chest with discomfort, Juwon splashed cold water on his face, trying to turn his thoughts away. Then his phone rang.

Jisoo?

He hurriedly dug into his pocket. He’d tried to meet her before the trip, but she’d been too busy to even show up. What could this be? Worried, he checked the caller ID—and his smile dropped with disappointment.

Kwon Suhong.

***

Juwon stared at the ceiling. The space, perfectly symmetrical by design, was made of smooth lines and planes from start to finish.

Columns perfectly aligned left to right, balanced lighting, colors that were rich but simple. Obsessive restraint. A structure controlling both function and feeling.

The impeccably arranged space was aesthetically flawless—but boring.

The beauty of stability and continuity was undeniable, but there was an emptiness, like something captivating was missing—life, personality.

This wasn’t just any bar. It was a members-only club that Kwon Suhong frequented. From behind the dark-tinted glass doors came faint laughter and music, making the place feel like a whole different world.

Juwon sighed quietly and lowered his gaze.

The whiskey bottle in the ice bucket on the black marble shimmered softly under the ceiling light. Soft velvet sofas lined the walls, dim lighting lowered for privacy, and provocative modern artworks decorated the room.

Though he’d met an old friend less than half an hour ago after work, Juwon was already bored. Pulling out his phone, he mindlessly scrolled through the screen to check the time when Suhong spoke up.

“Hey, I got divorced.”

Juwon looked up sharply at Suhong’s casual tone, like he was talking about lunch.

“Again? What did the chairman say?”

Suhong stirred his whiskey slowly and replied flatly,

“Well, he said some things. When I told him I filed for divorce, he wanted to beat me up, so I ran away like hell. The old man’s gone from golf clubs to baseball bats now.”

Juwon sighed at his immature answer. Without a word, he lifted his glass. The whiskey slid over the ice, stinging his tongue.

Kwon Suhong, aka Vice President Kwon, was the youngest son of Haesung Construction, a notorious playboy and punk. Originally into horseback riding before joining the family business, his violent tendencies and messy reputation with women were infamous.

Unlike his perfectionist, workaholic father, most blamed Suhong’s wild lifestyle on his maternal side—his grandfather was a chairman notorious for abusing a housekeeper and paying 55 million won including tax to keep it quiet.

Suhong had been a childhood friend of Juwon’s. They’d known each other since elementary school, grown closer in college in the States, and somehow kept their connection—though mostly due to Suhong’s one-sided pursuit.

Juwon finished his drink, lit a cigarette, and asked,

“What about your daughter?”

“Woojeong’s raising her.” Suhong answered dismissively, and Juwon clicked his tongue.

Suhong’s ex-wife—his second wife, to be exact—Woojeong was a smart woman who worked in Singapore’s financial sector. She was way too good for a playboy like Suhong.

“They seemed fine, so why the split?”

“Look, Woojeong and I were never married, more like friends from the start. Love? Loyalty? That stuff? I don’t know about any of it. Woojeong’s like that, and thinking back, so’s Gang Seoyeon. We’ve known them too long, so there’s no chemistry. It’s awkward as hell. I always did the sneaky stuff—you know, behind their backs. Couldn’t face them directly.”

Gang Seoyeon had been Suhong’s first wife, granddaughter of Hansong Group’s founder, a classic arranged marriage. After divorcing her, he remarried Woojeong. They said it was a love marriage publicly, but it ended up much the same—another divorce.

“Watch your words.”

Ignoring the harsh warning, Suhong took another drag of his cigarette.

“Whatever. This is just how I am. If I knew it’d end like this, I should’ve just married the woman I really liked. At least that’d be fun.”

“You liked Woojeong.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Then, did you have a woman you really liked?”

“Yeah, I did. But you wanna know something funny? She wouldn’t give in to me, no matter what. In this day and age. Weird, huh?”

“You must’ve known what a bastard you were all along.”

“Maybe.”

Suhong chuckled cynically and blew out smoke.

“Juwon, don’t get married.”

“You got married twice, and you’re telling me not to marry once?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s some messed-up advice.”

Suhong rubbed his face with both palms. Juwon looked at his wandering friend with concern and said,

“You’re a lost cause, so just focus on work.”

“Juwon, I used to do drugs a lot, so my brain’s fried. I’m not like you.”

“Then use that messed-up charm of yours and live well with some woman. You dumped Hansong when you divorced Gang Seoyeon, and gave up half your assets when you split from Woojeong. Haesung took a huge hit because of you.”

Juwon scolded, still with a cigarette between his lips, while Suhong grinned and tilted his glass.

“Hey, if you’re thinking about getting married, sign a prenup. Got it?”

“Shut up.”

Ignoring the insult, Suhong smiled slyly and refilled his glass. Juwon swirled the half-full whiskey glass in his hand and glanced at Suhong. Smoke faintly obscured his face, but his expression was weary and tired.

Staring blankly at his drink, Juwon asked softly,

“Hey.”

“What?”

“The woman you said you really liked—what was so great about her?”

Suhong frowned for a moment, then smiled faintly.

“I don’t know. Maybe it was a different feeling? Looking back, I wasn’t myself around her. Or maybe I was. Either way, after we broke up, I realized I really liked her. But I missed my chance. I learned too late. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

“Idiot.”

Suhong laughed quietly at the low insult.

“That’s what I’m saying. Life’s all about timing. If you overthink and calculate, you lose your chance. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

Juwon felt a sharp sting deep in his chest at those words. Some voice from deep inside kept urging him forward.

Timing.