My Ex-Girlfriend Regrets Dumping Me

21 – Impatience (3)

Like a baby bird begging for food.

Jia gazes at me with innocent eyes.

Her slightly parted lips reveal her white, even teeth and the pink flesh inside.

…I’ve always thought, isn’t she too proactive?

“If you won’t feed me, then I won’t eat…”

Glancing at my reaction, Jia continues to beg to be fed.

I always found myself flustered by Jia’s swift attack, even though our distance had rapidly narrowed.

Although I thought I had done enough, Jia always approached one step faster.

“Here you go.”

As I hesitated, Ji-ah’s expression began to look gloomy.

I found her so cute that I reached out with a fork and pushed a piece of steak towards her lips.

Her small lips opened and she bit down on my fork before spitting it out.

“How is it? Delicious?”

“Mmm~! It’s delicious.”

Ji-ah smiled, savoring the meat in her mouth.

Looking at her happy face, I became excited as well.

She chewed slowly, then passed the steak to me before staring hungrily at her pasta.

And then came the question.

“Would you like some too? It’s really good.”

I couldn’t possibly refuse, so I nodded my head reluctantly.

Ji-ah then smiled with satisfaction and dug into her pasta.

She then held out the fork with pasta attached to it.

“Here. Take it.”

I opened my mouth slightly and took the pasta off her fork.

It felt strange to think that I was putting her fork into my mouth.

Despite the savory taste of the pasta on my tongue, I was more aware of something else.

“How is it? Delicious?”

“It’s, uh, yeah. It’s good.”

Ji-ah looked at me expectantly.

Although I didn’t properly taste it due to using her fork, I couldn’t admit to that.

Feeling embarrassed, I looked around, but no one seemed to be paying us any attention.

Well, since this restaurant was mostly frequented by couples, it wasn’t surprising.

“Being fed like this makes us seem kind of like a couple.”

“Yeah, I guess. hahahaha.”

If I responded with a face looking excited like hers, how should I react?

My face felt like it was getting hot, so I took a gulp of cold water for no reason.

Awkward currents swirling around the table.

She held the fork I had just put in my mouth, looked at me briefly, and bit it.

Is it instinctive? Or intentional?

I’m not sure, but Jia knew how to move a man’s heart.

Each action easily swayed people’s emotions.

“…”

For a moment, a melancholic atmosphere filled the air, and we continued our meal in silence.

Without anyone saying it first, we closed our mouths and focused only on eating.

At times, if our eyes met, it felt awkward, so we avoided each other’s gaze.

Feeling that this couldn’t go on, I tried to speak first.

Perhaps Jia had the same thought because we both spoke at the same time.

“Um, Jia-“

“-Oppa.”

In that instant, our words got stuck, and we burst into laughter while facing each other.

“Why are we acting like we’re on a blind date? Geez.”

“That’s right. Phew.”

After laughing, the tension eased a little.

Jia asked me first.

“So, what was the story you wanted to tell?”

“Huh? It’s nothing. Just because it was awkward. What about you?”

“Oh, wait a moment.”

Jia rummaged through her small handbag and took out a box from inside.

The black box looked luxurious even from the outer packaging.

It felt like some kind of gift wrapping.

Jia playfully pushed the gift box towards me on the table and giggled.

I stared blankly at the box in front of me and asked her.

“What is this?”

“Just open it.”

As Jia said, when I opened the lid of the box, there was an obviously expensive-looking wallet inside.

A wallet? Why all of a sudden?

“Wallet?”

“Yes. I chose it because they said it’s a decent wallet.”

Examining the guarantee card inside, it was a brand famous for high-priced wallets.

In reality, it was quite burdensome for a university student to use.

It was in the price range of luxury goods that even office workers hesitate to buy.

“…Are you giving this to me?”

“Of course. It’s a men’s wallet.”

What matters is not that it’s a men’s wallet.

Why are you suddenly giving this to me?

“Why all of a sudden? It’s not my birthday or anything.”

“What? I just wanted to give it to you, Oppa. Is that not okay?”

Jia speaks to me as if it were nothing.

Suddenly, I began to suspect that Jia might be a daughter of a chaebol.

It wouldn’t be strange if she threw a luxury wallet at me like giving out steamed buns.

Come to think of it, her apartment last time seemed to be in a pretty good place.

But even so, this was a bit too much.

This is practically our first date, except for the last time we had dinner.

Who would give such a burdening gift from the first date to others?

I ask Jia just in case,

“…Is this actually a cheap model or something?”

If it’s just a light gift, I could manage it somehow.

“No. It’s well over several tens of thousands of won.”

The more I listened to Jia’s words, the more questions rose in my mind.

A single wallet was worth one month’s salary from my part-time job.

Naturally, receiving such an expensive wallet made me feel uneasy.

I still didn’t think we were at the point where we exchange such expensive gifts.

I never even bought Ha-yeon anything this expensive.

“…Jia, even if you say so, I can’t accept this. I’m sorry.”

I politely closed the box lid again.

And handing the box back towards Jia, he said.

Jia’s expression twisted almost instantly at my response.

“…Why? Don’t you like the wallet?”

“It’s not that. It’s just too burdensome. This is our first date, after all.”

“Yes, it is. But it’s just a small gift.”

From where I’m looking, this is not a small gift. This lady here.

I wanted to grab my head in frustration at Jia’s expression, which seemed to suggest she couldn’t understand what the problem was.

“Can’t you just accept it? I bought it with the expectation that you would like it.”

Now Jia has started asking me to accept the wallet.

There are some types of people who take everything if they like it. Is Jia that kind of person?

Or maybe she has never been in a relationship, so she doesn’t know any better.

For a moment, I hardened my expression and asked Jia seriously.

“Jia.”

“…Yes.”

“Why are you going out of your way for me like this?”

To be honest, I found it a little strange.

Being overly enthusiastic from the first meeting at a drinking party.

And the hurried gestures regarding physical intimacy and progress.

Of course, it’s not like these types of girls don’t exist at all.

So at first, I thought maybe she just likes me or perhaps she has a faster style than others.

“Yes? Just because I like you…”

“No. You seem too eager for that. It’s like you’re trying to get close to me as if someone is chasing you.”

My thoughts changed a bit with the wallet gift today.

I had a feeling that she was anxious about getting closer to me.

As if it could be taken away by someone.

“…”

Is your family living really well? Are your parents supporting you a lot?”

“No. It’s not like that. On the contrary, they try to provide as little as possible, saying that I should earn on my own.”

If that’s the case, it made even more sense.

Perhaps, there was a high chance that Jia had bought the wallet beyond her means.

“Did you buy this despite it being a burden?”

“…um. It’s not exactly a burden. I can live without it.”

I spoke firmly to Jia, who was avoiding the question.

Honestly, the gift had been her choice.

So, I didn’t want to infringe on someone else’s freedom.

But if it was for me, there were parts that made me uneasy.

I didn’t want her pouring her life out for my sake.

I liked Jia, and that’s why it mattered all the more.

If we were going to continue this relationship, we needed to solve this problem.

“How much of your monthly living expenses did you spend on this?”

“Well…roughly…”

Jia seemed a little taken aback by how serious I sounded all of a sudden.

Judging from the way she rolled her eyes, she was probably thinking up a lie.

I nailed her down so she couldn’t avoid the issue.

“Just tell me straight up. Don’t try to beat around the bush.”

“…It’s about 40%.”

“Then you’ll really struggle this month, won’t you?”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

I wasn’t sure if that was true or not, but at least that’s what it meant.

I had expected some of this, but honestly, I was surprised.

Who spends half their living expenses on a gift for a guy they’re not even dating yet?

Hearing that, I decided I couldn’t accept it.

“How long ago did you buy this?”

“I came home with it yesterday.”

“Then return it and use the money for yourself. Don’t give it to me.”

“But still…”

Jia looked at my wallet with regret in her eyes.

I wondered why she was doing this.

Since we couldn’t resolve the situation, it would only keep happening.

I changed my tone from serious a little while ago to a gentler one and asked her.

“So, about what we were talking earlier. Can you tell me honestly?”

“Ah, yes. I can.”

“Why are you going this far for me?”

“…Is it strange?”

“Yeah. Actually, quite strange.”

She turned her head, avoiding my gaze.

As if unwilling to speak, she parted her small lips.

“…I don’t know. I’m just a little anxious.”