New Normal - Chapter 8

A silence that felt endless settled between them for a moment.

Jisoo slowly opened her eyes, staring awkwardly at some spot on the floor as she quietly unbuckled her seatbelt.

“…Oh, look at the time. I’ll miss my train.”

She muttered to herself like an actress on stage, but a deep voice cut through her escape.

“Miss Shin Jisoo.”

“Ah— If you ever need to reach me, you can just… use the card I gave you earlier. Or not. Either way’s fine. Well then, I’ll get going. Thank you for the ride. Get home safe.”

Without meeting his eyes, Jisoo gave a polite little bow and hurried to get out. She was about to slam the door shut when—

“So did you get my number just to try the big thing?”

His deep voice hit her like a slap. She froze, turning back slowly toward the open window. When she ducked her head, their eyes locked — his gaze swept over her, sharp with that mocking glint of curiosity.

“You wanted to have a go with the big thing, huh?”

As Chae Juwon’s lips curled into a crooked smirk, shock washed over Jisoo’s face. The memory of earlier flashed back so vividly she felt her cheeks drain of bl00d. Her mind went blank — where was she supposed to start explaining?

“No, it’s not like that! You’ve got it all wrong—”

She frantically waved her hands in protest, but it was too late. Juwon gave a short, disbelieving laugh and shook his head, shifting gears.

“I was wondering why you suddenly got so interested in me. I guess that explains it. Unbelievable…”

“It’s not interest— I just—”

“I don’t like it when things move too fast.”

Chae Juwon smiled at her — bright and easy, like he hadn’t just turned her inside out a second ago.

“But you know, I’m always willing to help out someone as desperate as you, Miss Shin. I’m soft that way.”

He’d just teased her half to death, and now he looked at her like a smug schoolboy, dimples deepening on his right cheek as his lips curved.

Jisoo could only stand there, mouth half open, looking like an idiot.

Satisfied with her expression, Juwon lifted his hand and gave her a lazy wave — like a victor graciously excusing his rival.

“Take care. I’ll call you when I get hungry. See you around.”

Then he was gone, car pulling away with an annoyingly smooth ease.

Left behind, Jisoo just stood there on the sidewalk — dumbstruck, staring after the back of his car until it disappeared from view.

***

“So, did he text you or not?”

Haeyoon paused mid-swipe, her nail polish brush hovering over her toes, eyes sparking with nosy excitement. Her reaction was so predictable that Jisoo could only let out a deep sigh.

“Seriously? That’s what you’re curious about? Do you even realize how embarrassed I was—”

“Ugh, whatever. Did he text you or not? Did you see him again?”

Haeyoon’s big eyes somehow managed to widen even more as she practically backed Jisoo into a corner with her stare. It was Haeyoon, after all, who’d dragged her to that sketchy fortune-teller in the first place. Jisoo could still see her face lighting up when they’d heard she needed to ‘block a disaster with a big man.’

Caught off guard by her friend’s intensity, Jisoo finally muttered a reluctant nod.

“…Yeah. He did text me. He did.”

“No way. Minji! Hey, Minji! Jisoo finally found the Big Thing!”

Haeyoon half-shouted like she’d just announced a national holiday. Across the room, Minji — who’d been on the phone with her boyfriend — winced and got up to find somewhere quieter to hide.

“Look at her pretending she’s all sweet and innocent on that call,” Haeyoon snorted, rolling her eyes. 

“Her mind’s filthier than any of ours, you know.”

“Leave her alone. Let her be in her honeymoon bubble. Subin’s still at the office?”

“Yeah, she said she’s buried in that pitch. It’s brutal, apparently.”

It was just another night at Haeyoon’s place after work. Even after graduation, the four of them had stuck together, staying close through all the messes of adult life. Minji freelanced as an illustrator, Subin ran herself ragged at an ad agency, Jisoo had thrown herself into grad school and teaching — and Haeyoon, unlike the rest of them, was actually thriving as a painter, putting on solo shows and even winning a young artist’s award not too long ago. If anyone was killing it, it was her.

Haeyoon’s connections meant she’d ended up working with Kim Changjin too — Kim Suyeon’s younger brother and the director of a small gallery and planning company. Jisoo had used it as an excuse to see her old friends, catch up, and air out her scrambled brain.

“So what did he say when he texted? Wait, didn’t he say he’d “I’d give you whatever you needed”? Did you guys just go straight to a hotel or what?”

Haeyoon smacked Jisoo’s arm playfully, eyes shining with mischief. Jisoo recoiled like she’d just been splashed with cold water.

“Give me what? He said he’d help me out, that’s all. He asked if I wanted to grab dinner sometime, so I said I’d check my schedule and get back to him. That’s it.”

The call had come just three days after she got back from that mess of a work trip — Friday evening, when she was half-dead on her couch. Out of nowhere, her phone buzzed with an unknown number. She’d picked up without thinking and nearly dropped the phone when she heard his voice.

“Shin Jisoo? It’s me. Chae Juwon. How’s that Africa trip coming along? Anyway, this week… are you free? If you are, I’d like to buy you dinner.”

Of course he’d actually call. Jisoo had babbled something about “I’ll see if I have time” and hung up in a panic. She hadn’t planned to call him back — what was she supposed to do, after all that humiliation? The last thing she needed was to tangle with him any further.

Though honestly… she did kind of regret it later. Not cutting him off — she didn’t regret that. She just wished she hadn’t sounded like such an awkward idiot while doing it.

“Unbelievable,” Haeyoon scoffed, smacking her arm again for good measure. 

“You got his number, you made the first move asking for a business card, and then you ghost him? I don’t care how embarrassed you were — if the he actually calls you for dinner, you slap on some lip gloss and go. Do you really think you’re in a position to be picky right now?”

The word Big Thing kept echoing and made Jisoo freeze mid-sentence. Again, her mind flashed back to that sight in Kang Susan’s studio — the massive thing she’d glimpsed by accident. God. She was going to lose her mind at this rate. It was like a broken tape stuck on the same scene, over and over.

Desperate to shake it off, she gave her head a sharp shake. But instead of clearing her mind, something even stranger popped up behind her eyelids.

There was Chae Juwon, lounging on some fluffy, cloud-like sofa. He was naked except for a single flimsy piece of white fabric that seemed less like it was covering anything and more like it was showing it off. He was sprawled out, half-reclined, sipping from a wine glass while nymphs fanned him with giant leaves — like some half-drunk demigod.

Then he plucked a grape from a bowl, slipped it between those sensual lips, and his dark brown eyes locked right onto hers.

The second he recognized her, he sat up — and the fabric slipped to the floor with a careless flick. Jisoo’s eyes went huge. He got up, unhurried, and started walking toward her — every step sending that heavy thing swaying between his toned thighs.

His skin glowed warm and bronze under the soft light, and the hint of hair below his abs only drew her eyes lower, lower — God, she couldn’t look away.

Shin Jisoo…

His deep, weighty voice slipped out between those thick lips, sending a chill down her spine. Before she knew it, he was standing right in front of her, staring down with an unreadable look.

“What are you staring at?”

Hands on his hips, legs braced apart, the man looked down at her and scolded her firmly. And yet, that thing remained outrageously big.

“Is it that fascinating?”

At those final words, Jisoo’s eyes flew open. A shiver raced down her spine.

…I’ve really lost it. I’ve officially lost my mind.

She jolted, then slapped both her cheeks hard and fast — smack smack smack — loud enough to make Haeyoon flinch beside her.

“Holy—! What the hell, Jisoo? Why are you suddenly hitting yourself? Feeling guilty for ghosting him?”

“No, no, it’s nothing. My skin just feels itchy.”

Trying to act like nothing happened, Jisoo lightly slapped her neck and cheeks a few more times for good measure, ignoring the angry red marks blooming on her face. Haeyoon looked her up and down, her expression saying what on earth is wrong with you clear as day.

“…You scare me sometimes, you know that?”

“Whatever. Anyway— look, that… the only reason I asked for his contact was because of Kang Susan. I might need it for work, that’s all.”

“Oh, sure it is.”

“And come on — even if that shaman’s right, if you were me, would you think a guy who calls you back this fast after that mess has purely innocent intentions? Of course I’m suspicious.”

Haeyoon snorted, unimpressed.

“‘Innocent intentions’? What are you, twelve? You know adults can just— if the vibe’s right, they can sleep together once and move on—”

“Enough! And keep your voice down — ever heard of noise complaints?”

Jisoo snapped back so suddenly that Haeyoon flinched, then hissed out a warning. There were only the two of them in the living room now — Minji was still in her room — but Jisoo still glanced around, just in case. The calm, flat voice of a news anchor on the muted TV only made the awkward silence feel louder.

Haeyoon, frozen for a second by Jisoo’s outburst, suddenly jabbed a finger at her.

“Excuse me? You’re the loudest one here, Jisoo. And this— this is your problem.”

“What now?”

“Stop overthinking everything and just be honest for once. How many times do I have to say it? Don’t make it so damn complicated. Try it, toss it, try it, toss it — simple! And did you forget what that shaman said? Your ancestors dropped you a big, thick, rock-solid rope. Hello?”

She waved her hand dismissively, like unwrapping a piece of candy, and Jisoo gave her a look of pure horror.

“Try it and toss it? Seriously? And who says he’s the big rope anyway? I asked Seok again — he said it doesn’t only mean that. It could mean someone big-hearted, or a big opportunity that needs sacrifice and effort. Personally, I think the ‘lifeline’ is Kang Susan. Big shot, big break — it even rhymes.”

Seeing Jisoo’s stubborn denial, Haeyoon just scoffed.

“Aigo, you poor clueless thing… He’s a man, and you saw how big he is! God, you really don’t know anything. Studied too much for your own good. Or did quitting drinking scramble your brain?”

Before Jisoo could argue back, Minji reappeared from her room, plopped down across from her, and cut in.

“Are you two still talking about that?” she sighed. Then she turned to Jisoo.

“Hey, Jisoo. What about the girl who was supposed to go on that trip? The one who ran off — did she bail because she knew something from the start?”