My Ex-Girlfriend Regrets Dumping Me

38 – Locks of Hair (3)

Perhaps it was because of various things happening.

The time spent shopping at the mart turned out longer than expected.

Jia and I divided the groceries and before we knew it, we were already back at our house.

“…So, this is your place, huh? Hm.”

What’s there to see in this small house?

Jia carefully scrutinized our house as if she found it interesting.

Though to be honest, there was nothing particularly different about our ordinary studio apartment.

“There’s not much here compared to what I thought?”

“No. It’s your place, so it has its own significance.”

Jia said something incomprehensible.

She had always wanted to come to our house, so I wondered if she had some fantasy about a guy’s room.

But it seemed that wasn’t the case after all.

“Since it’s heavy, let’s put it down over there for now.”

“Yes.”

We placed the groceries on the table where I usually have meals.

Then Jia rummaged through her bag and took something out.

“…What do you think? I brought this to cook.”

It’s quite serious.

I thought it would be more casual, but Jia seemed more sincere than me.

A cute apron in her favorite color dangled from the front of Jia’s hair.

“It suits you well. The color matches your skin tone, right?”

“Oh, you have an eye for colors~. I have a sky-blue one for my personal color.”

I just blurted out whatever came to mind.

Jia held the apron against her chest and tightly tied the strings around her waist.

And as if boasting, she turned around like a model to show me herself wearing an apron.

“Seeing me like this… it’s kind of like a newlywed, isn’t it?”

She turned on her phone and took a selfie in the mirror mode.

Jia, whose sound made strange thoughts come to mind.

Sometimes Jia’s straightforward words that pop out like this confuse me.

In a one-room with just the two of us, asking if I don’t look like a newlywed while wearing an apron, what could be her intention?

Even if it weren’t me, wouldn’t anyone have strange thoughts?

Living with Jia like this, I wonder if this is how we will live.

“…Ah, oppa, did your ears turn slightly red? Did you think of something?”

With a mischievous smile like a cat, she teased me.

I quickly turned my head and casually replied, “Not really. I didn’t think of anything.”

“Hmm… I don’t think so. What do you think when you see me wearing an apron?”

She kept mumbling like that for a while, then took out a few ingredients and headed towards the sink.

It seemed like she was about to start cooking soon.

“Should I help with something?”

“No, it’s fine. You can just stay still. It’s a birthday feast. The person receiving it shouldn’t participate.”

Jia was rinsing the bought vegetables with water.

As she washed the vegetables in a bowl, she spoke to me who had been staring at her from behind.

“I suddenly had a good idea, Oppa.”

“Huh? What is it?”

And while standing straight but only turning her head, she smiled with her eyes and said to me.

“… Would you hug me from behind? Like a real newlywed couple?”

She was relentless in teasing me until the end.

*

Since coming to Gunyul’s house, Jia’s heart trembles uncontrollably.

Coming to Gunyul’s house was one reason.

But aside from that, there was a pleasant feeling in Gunyul’s house.

She promised to come, so he must have cleaned and ventilated the place well.

That kind of freshness wasn’t it.

“… This is what you call the smell of home.”

The tteokbokki sauce boiled in the frying pan.

The strong smell of tteokbokki sauce pricked her nose, but amid all that, Jia was more concerned about the faint smell of home.

A comforting and nostalgic scent.

In this house, there was a fragrance peculiar to him.

It was definitely similar to Gunyul’s scent.

Somehow, it made Jia’s head dizzy.

“Is it because of oppa’s smell that I like it? Or is it because I always liked this scent?”

She didn’t know herself, but she also wanted to buy the scent of this house as a diffuser.

She was ashamed to say that to Gunyul.

Suddenly, the tteokbokki soup was slightly thickened.

Jia collected herself and turned off the gas stove.

“Is it all done now?”

“Yes. Thanks to Oppa’s help, it’s over so quickly.”

Although Jia insisted not to help her.

Eventually, Gunyul helped Jia with the miscellaneous work.

He found it a little uncomfortable to just sit still.

He might have found it difficult to just watch her do everything even if it were himself.

It wasn’t something she couldn’t understand.

“Zan! It must be delicious, isn’t it? I think this is the best tteokbokki I’ve ever had.”

She placed the frying pan on the table and said so.

Gunyul was also attracted by the red tteokbokki, which looked delicious.

“Oh, it looks really good. Honestly, I didn’t expect much.”

“… Did you not have any expectations? Then did you think I would mess it up?”

She felt a little hurt.

Gunyul seemed to have doubted her cooking skills.

“No, I just… We don’t usually talk about cooking or anything like that.”

“…I’m not very good at it anyway. Anyway, I’m a genius, so I’m good at cooking too.”

Jia said so out of spite and sat down.

But it’s absurd to prove things with taste.

Geon-yul would have admired the Tteokbokki he made himself.

“Here, ahh~ I promise to allow my brother to have the honor of taking the first bite of my Tteokbokki.”

Jia dipped a fork into the Tteokbokki and offered it to Geon-yul.

Geon-yul opened his mouth as if it couldn’t be helped.

And began to eat it with relish.

Jia, full of expectation, asked Geon-yul.

“Is it good? Are you okay?”

With food in his mouth, Geon-yul just nodded.

Seeing a faint smile on his lips, it seemed like he wasn’t lying.

Jia also took a bite of the Tteokbokki she made.

‘…Oh, it’s delicious.’

It was a taste worthy of admiration.

She thought to herself that maybe she had talent for cooking.

Jia was honestly not very skilled in cooking.

But seeing that something she made carelessly was this delicious, she must have some talent.

“Thank you for making something so delicious for my birthday.”

“Oh. No, it’s because it’s for you, brother.”

After downing a Tteokbokki, Geon-yul expressed his gratitude to Jia.

With just those words, Jia felt that all her efforts were worth it.

The kind words Geon-yul spoke were a great reward for her.

So the two of them started to eat and have a casual chat.

They talked about school, part-time work, and games as they ate their Tteokbokki one by one.

How much time had passed in this moment filled with simple happiness.

Rather than putting a Vienna sausage on his own plate, Geon-yul looked straight at himself.

‘…Why is he doing that?’

When Jia looked at him with doubt, he tore off a piece of the tissue next to him.

“Jia, just a moment. Be still.”

He reached out towards himself.

A gentle touch that lightly brushed his cheek.

Gently holding her cheek, he wiped her lips with a tissue.

“…Ah.”

It was a kind gesture, like a parent to a child.

Jia felt a warmth and shyness flood over her at the action.

“…Is there something on my lips?”

“Yeah. Just a little. I couldn’t find it so I wiped it off.”

Her heart started to race.

These delicate gestures always made Jia’s heart flutter.

His eyes looking at her with a warm smile.

The considerate actions that came naturally.

Naturally, her face reddened with embarrassment.

“You only get shy at moments like this. You’re bold usually.”

He must have noticed her embarrassment.

Gun-yul teased her with a grin.

She didn’t want to show him this side of herself.

Jia lowered her head and mumbled in a small voice.

“…I don’t know.”

…

“You made the food so I’ll do the dishes.”

Jia protested, but there was no defeating Gun-yul’s persistence.

He turned on the faucet and started doing the dishes.

Jia stood behind him and asked.

“…Can I visit your room while you do the dishes?”

“Sure, there’s not much to see though.”

“…You don’t mind?”

Getting Gun-yul’s permission, Jia quickly headed towards his room.

Since there was only one room anyway, it was obvious where she was headed.

As I opened the door and stepped inside, I could sense Gyonyul’s scent, slightly stronger than in the living room. It was easy to feel that this was his living space.

“It’s simple.”

There was no elaborate interior design or anything like that. Just a desk with a computer on top and a small bookshelf. A clothes rack with neatly arranged clothes and a single-sized bed.

The room had a simple and minimalistic atmosphere, reflecting Gyonyul’s character.

“Can I lie down?”

Having looked around the room for a while, Jia hesitated for a moment and then plopped down onto the bed. She wanted to experience what it feels like to sleep in Gyonyul’s bed, now that she had inspected everything else.

She thought about going out and asking Gyonyul, but she decided to just lie down without permission. “……Sigh.” As she buried her face in the bed, she was hit by Gyonyul’s scent that she felt earlier. Since it was his sleeping space every day, it might be a natural thing.

Unknowingly, her saliva swallowed and her toes twitched. “…Haa.” As she continued to inhale his scent, she felt as if something was burning inside her. Why is Oppa’s scent so intoxicating?

It was familiar yet thrilling. She wished she could stay like this for a few more hours. Before she knew it, Jia had nestled herself deep into his blanket. “Am I becoming a pervert?”

She had some doubts about herself, but the immediate reward in front of her felt much greater. Eventually, Jia let go of herself completely and entrusted her entire body to the bed.

Lost in ecstasy for a moment. While rolling around on top of the bed, she suddenly noticed something small next to the pillow.

Long, black, and thin strands. “……These are hair strands.” Jia picked it up with her fingers, and it stretched out. It seemed like Gyonyul hadn’t properly cleaned the bed even after dusting.

Her hair was not long but long enough to look like a woman’s. It felt unnerving and made her nerves tingle.

“…On the bed too?”

It would have been better if it happened somewhere else.

The unfortunate thing was that it had to happen on top of the bed, right on the pillow.

…Another woman on Geonyul’s bed.

The good feeling gradually fell apart.

Just in case, I took a closer look, but it was definitely not my hair.

Mine was light brown, but this was black.

“…Whose hair could this possibly be?”

Why?

Just staring at it blankly.

In Gia’s mind, a person with hair of similar length briefly crossed her thoughts.

It felt like a creepy, chilling thought.

“…No way.”

…It was that woman I had encountered in front of Geonyul’s house last time.