New Normal - Chapter 68

Chae Juwon stared at the whiskey in his glass, the ice melting and sending faint ripples across the amber liquid. His lips pressed into a firm line. Out of nowhere, an image of Shin Jisoo flashed through his mind.

The traces of hesitation he’d felt just moments ago seemed to sharpen into something clearer.
Yeah… maybe he’d already realized it back when, on his business trip, he found himself wandering through art galleries and museums just so he could bring Jisoo a souvenir.

Juwon tightened his grip and set the glass down with a dull thud. When Suhong glanced up at him, Juwon said,

“I’ve got somewhere I need to be.”

“Right now?”

“Yeah. Now.”

Rising from his seat, Juwon straightened his clothes. Leaving a bewildered Suhong gaping behind him, he headed for the door, and that’s when it hit him, crystal clear.

This was the right moment. The moment to say, I love you. Stay with me.

***

A cool autumn evening breeze quietly settled over the shadowed campus. Under the faint glow of the streetlights, fallen leaves rustled softly with every brush of wind, swaying gently like they were dancing in the dark. The campus, free from the bustle of the day, was now steeped in a silence that felt both still and comforting.

Late at night, Chae Juwon looked toward the humanities building, where Shin Jisoo was probably still in the middle of her lecture. He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, then sat down on the bench, rubbing his face as if to clear his head.

How should he say it?

His thoughts, unlike usual, refused to fall neatly into place, tangling one after another. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment it began, but what mattered was that right now, he loved her. A lot. And he wanted her to stay by his side in the days ahead. So… what if they started seeing each other with marriage in mind?

Marriage.

The word lingered as he stared blankly at the ground. Not long ago, it was something he’d never even considered, a word he thought had nothing to do with him.

But when it came to expressing his wish to move forward, to take their relationship to a more certain stage, what else was there? He wasn’t someone who believed marriage was the “completion” of love, but… nothing else came to mind. The fact that he’d even made this kind of decision surprised him, left him feeling a little strange, even to himself.

Somewhere along the way, Shin Jisoo had settled into every corner of his life. He thought of her in the smallest moments without even trying. Being with her felt easy. When she smiled, he felt at peace.

More than anything, he knew for sure, he wanted to keep living in these moments with her.

So come with me.

Juwon knew he wasn’t acting out of some fleeting rush of passion or childish excitement. It wasn’t about grand romantic gestures, just the simple, unshakable belief that now was the time. The moment he shouldn’t let her slip away.

How would she react? She might be shocked. She might even tear up. It wasn’t that the idea of talking about the future was too soon… but he knew it was sudden, maybe even a little impulsive. Still—

They weren’t kids. They’d already laid their hearts bare to each other. Why hesitate?

Lost in thought, Juwon reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. He’d bought it on the way here, right after texting her to meet him.

A confession like this felt too bare without something to offer. The department store had already closed, so he called up a jewelry designer friend in a rush. He swung by a boutique in Cheongdam and chose the ring with the largest stone he could get his hands on right then and there.

A brief flicker of awareness crossed his mind, he was being ridiculously sentimental, but right now, cynicism didn’t matter in the slightest.

Then, from a distance, the sound of footsteps and laughter reached him. The trickle of people leaving the building swelled into a crowd, and among them, he spotted that familiar silhouette.

Shin Jisoo, in a crisp jacket and slacks, came into view. Without meaning to, his expression softened. He slipped the jewelry box into his pants pocket and stood up.

She was looking down at her phone, but when she lifted her head, their eyes met. Her eyes widened just slightly, a small smile touching her lips, and in that instant, Juwon knew.

She would say yes. She would come with him.

“Juwon, have you been waiting long?”

Shin Jisoo approached at a brisk pace.

“Class ran a little longer than usual today,” she said.

“No, it’s fine. I just got here myself.”

He took her small hand in his and looked down at her. Her dark, glass-clear eyes reflected nothing but him, her calm gaze sweeping over his face just as it always did.

“Did you eat dinner?”

“Yeah. Before class.”

He shifted his grip on her hand, threading their fingers together and holding tight before starting to walk.

As they crossed the campus, Juwon adjusted his stride to match her shorter steps, carefully weighing his words. Under the dim streetlights, their shadows stretched long across the ground. Jisoo’s light voice broke the quiet.

“Where’s your car?”

Ah. Only then did he realize, he hadn’t even thought about that. He’d rushed here with just one thought in mind, to see her.

“Oh… I had a drink earlier for an appointment, so I took a taxi.”

“I see. Was it for work?”

“No, just met a friend for a bit.”

“Really? You seem to be in a good mood today.”

She smiled faintly, and without thinking, Juwon’s hand drifted into his pants pocket. His fingertips brushed the sharp edge of the small box, and a sudden wave of nervousness hit him.

He hadn’t felt it until now, but… was this actually hard? It was almost funny, he’d never been the type to get flustered over anything, yet here he was, a bundle of nerves.

Fiddling with the box, he took a deep breath and stopped under a streetlight where the crowd had thinned.

“Hold on a sec.”

Hearing his call, Jisoo, who’d been walking a little ahead, turned back.

“What is it?”

“Let’s sit over there for a minute.”

He pointed to a bench. She studied him for a moment, then nodded without a word. As they sat down, the cool night air wrapped around them. When she instinctively pulled her collar tighter, Juwon immediately shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

“Cold?”

“No, I’m fine.”

She smiled lightly, and he licked his lips, they felt drier than usual. Staring at the ground for a moment, he finally pulled out the small velvet box. Under the streetlight, the finely crafted ring inside caught a soft glint.

“This is my first time doing something like this, so it feels a little awkward…” he admitted with a sheepish smile, though his heart was pounding harder by the second.

“…I’ve thought about this a lot. Even though we haven’t been together for that long, the time we’ve spent has been really special to me.”

He glanced at her again, ready to move into the heart of what he wanted to say—

But before his words could take shape, she spoke first.

“But, Juwon … I have something I need to ask you.”

Her eyes were calm and steady. Something in them made his senses sharpen. In that instant, the background noise seemed to fade, the world around him going faint. A chill slid down the back of his neck, instinct whispering that something was very wrong.

“…Ask me?”

“Yes. Is it true you’re leaving for overseas next year?”

Juwon’s lips clamped shut. His heart sank like a stone, as if every vein in his body had frozen solid.

After getting an offer from Rostein, he’d decided to go with them instead of staying at RSTA. He’d even made the decision today, to choose the U.S. over Europe, with the thought of being there together with Shin Jisoo.

Since she’d been preparing to go to the States too, he thought it would work out fine. But he’d planned to tell her after his confession—not like this, not with her bringing it up first.

The unexpected question hit him like a blank whiteout in his mind. He just stared at her, momentarily speechless. In her slightly trembling gaze, he could feel the weight of unspoken doubts and confusion she must have been holding back.

“Uh… well, that… No, wait—how did you find out?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he knew, it was the worst possible answer. Disappointment flickered in Shin Jisoo’s eyes as she looked at the flustered Juwon.

Ah, no… this wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Why now, of all times?

“I heard it from Seyeon. I wasn’t trying to find out or anything,” she said. Her tone wasn’t sharp, but it wasn’t hazy either, steady and clear, almost to the point of sounding cold.

Juwon found himself at a loss for where to even start explaining. He quickly tried to untangle the mess in his head, running a hand through his hair to hide any sign of discomfort.

“…It’s true. I was planning to go overseas.”

The moment he admitted it, her expression darkened further. The hurt on her face struck him right in the chest. Inside, a storm of confusion and guilt churned violently, tangling together until he could barely tell them apart.

Like a student suddenly called to the front of the class for a test he hadn’t prepared for, he searched her face, trying to read her reaction.