My Ex-Girlfriend Regrets Dumping Me

39 – Hair (4)

“It’s damp.”

I finished the dishes, wiping my sleeves, wondering if it was water that had seeped in through the rubber gloves.

Gia was quiet for a while when she entered her room.

Since the dishes were done, I opened the door slightly to see her.

“……”

Gia was sitting on my bed.

I didn’t ask how she ended up on the bed, but I couldn’t bring myself to.

Her mood was a lot different from before.

“…Oppa.”

Her way of addressing me was somehow cold.

It was different from her usual bright and cute voice.

For some reason, I felt a sense of unease.

…Did I do something wrong?

Just a moment ago, it felt like the atmosphere was good.

It had the feeling of a pretty decent birthday party.

In just a few minutes, the air seemed to have suddenly changed.

“Hm?”

“…I was wondering. Has any girl been here recently?”

A girl came over?

The only girl I know from school is Jia.

And if I were to say she’s close enough to bring her home, even more so.

“That couldn’t be possible…”

I was about to say no, but the words got stuck in my throat.

Come to think of it, Hayeon did come to our house a few days ago.

But calling that a visit would be an exaggeration.

I simply fainted, and she took care of me.

…No, but how could she know about that in the first place?

I looked around, but there were no traces of Hayeon anywhere.

“…Seems like something is bothering you, right? Isn’t it?”

Jia raised her palm with a pair of tweezers and a thin, long strand of hair on it.

My own hair was on the shorter side, so it definitely wasn’t mine.

“Why would something like this be on the bed? It doesn’t seem like your hair either, Oppa.”

Jia’s voice gradually turned colder.

I felt cold sweat running down my back.

Come to think of it, Hayeon was somewhat close to my bed.

I remember our eyes meeting when I was being taken care of.

If I think about that, it wouldn’t be strange for a single strand of hair to have fallen.

“Don’t misunderstand, Jia.”

I hesitated for a moment, but I couldn’t lie to her.

Jia and I might even become lovers.

Especially if she finds out about this lie or loses trust, our relationship could be completely over.

And I hadn’t done anything for her to feel hurt.

“…Someone did come. But it wasn’t for the reasons you think.”

“…The woman I saw at the crosswalk?”

How could she have known?

I shivered at Ji-ah’s confident tone, as if she had some kind of certainty.

“To be honest, Oppa, a few days ago, I met that woman here.”

“You met her?”

“Yes. On the day you were sick, after our call ended, I happened to pass by her near your house.”

“…”

“She was coming out of this building too. And she told me she doesn’t live here. She told me.”

I didn’t know what they had talked about.

But it seemed like Ji-ah had figured out that the woman was Hae-yeon based on various pieces of evidence.

There was probably no need to beat around the bush here.

I would just give her the answer she wanted.

“Yeah, it was her. She came over that day too.”

“…I knew it.”

Ji-ah nodded as if she finally understood.

And then she asked me a question in a tone I couldn’t quite place.

“What’s her name?”

“…Seo Hae-yeon. But why do you suddenly ask?”

Hearing her name, Ji-ah mumbled it several times with a cold voice.

For some reason, her tone seemed to be mixed with disgust.

It felt more like she was repeating the name of an enemy rather than someone she didn’t know.

“…Honestly, I didn’t want to say it. It’s a bit embarrassing.”

“…”

“I saw a picture of you kissing that Hae-yeon in your profile pictures.”

I thought I had deleted all of those.

But it seemed like I had missed something.

Ji-ah looked at me with bright eyes and asked inquisitively,

“I think I should know this much… What’s the relationship between you two?”

I didn’t really want to talk about it with Ji-ah.

“Now it seemed like the moment had come when I had to let it all out.

*

Jia felt as if puzzle pieces were fitting together one by one.

That day, even the sight of Ha-yeon she had seen at the entrance of the building.

As Geon-yul had said, it could all be explained.

“…”

Geon-yul hesitated for a moment, as if unsure how to explain.

Unconsciously, he clenched his fist tightly.

Somehow, irritation surged within her.

…Why is another woman coming to my brother’s house, not me?

She felt like she wanted to annoy Geon-yul for no reason.

An uncomfortable sensation gripped her heart.

“Ugh… Where should I start? First of all, if you saw that photo, she used to be my ex-girlfriend. And…”

Geon-yul’s explanation continued smoothly.

They had dated and broken up for some reason, and then they met again after he completed his military service.

And that day, he had brought her home because she had injured her leg.

“…Then, you should have called me that day.”

“You would have been in class back then. How could I call you? It would have been a hassle.”

…Asking another woman for a favor is more of a hassle for me.

Honestly, she wanted to say that, but Jia didn’t voice it out.

She knew that Geon-yul had acted considerate of her.

“Anyway, I understand up to that point. So, what’s the relationship between you two now? It’s not just a casual friendship, is it?”

“…What should I say? We’re friends.”

“Friends? Does it make sense to be friends with your ex-girlfriend?”

Geon-yul pressed his forehead with one hand as if explaining was giving him a headache.

It wouldn’t be easy to maintain a friendship with a former lover in general.

There seemed to be some circumstances that she was unaware of between them.

That made Jia even more uncomfortable.

The fact that there were countless things she didn’t know about Geon-yul and Ha-yeon’s relationship.

“Ugh… Anyway, there’s that. It’s a bit complicated, so explaining everything is a bit tricky. Sorry.”

“…But now we’ve decided to completely let go of our feelings.”

Gunyul said to Jia, as if apologizing.

Jia felt a slight suffocation in her breathing.

What was this feeling?

It was so similar to the sensation when her own mother favored only her older sister.

Back then, she also felt breathless, as if her chest was soaked in water.

It was a mix of jealousy and anxiety, making her insides feel sticky.

“…Can’t you just think of her as a friend and understand?”

Gunyul approached Jia and gently held her hand, asking softly.

Even so, it felt like his body temperature improved the sinking feeling inside her.

“…You’ve decided to let go of your feelings?”

“Yeah. We’ve decided to just be friends. She told me first.”

It was strange.

It felt quite different from the way Ha-yeon looked at him.

It didn’t seem like she just wanted to be friends at all.

Jia didn’t feel that she was acting.

“…But I still don’t like it.”

“Nothing really will happen, don’t worry. Okay?”

While saying that, Gunyul gently stroked his own cheek.

An eerie sensation rushed through every spot his touch met.

She barely managed to contain the trembling and loosening of her lips.

Gunyul’s comforting posture was quite rare.

It was a peculiar feeling.

After contemplating for a long time, Jia asked Gunyul once again.

“…Are you two just friends? Nothing more from now on?”

“Yeah. Nothing more. Absolutely.”

Honestly, she didn’t like it.

Just thinking about Ha-yeon being by his side twisted her insides.

His true feelings were obvious, and she didn’t like the idea of having him by her side.

I wanted to push Geonyul to cut off ties with that woman right now.

But I also hesitated to refuse when Geonyul begged me like this.

I couldn’t control all of his personal relationships.

She was not even his girlfriend, and even if she was, it felt too much.

He might get tired of me.

And even when I was angry, my anger quickly subsided at the touch of his soothing hand on my cheek.

Was I such an easy girl?

Even Ji-A herself couldn’t understand her own heart.

… If I allow this, won’t he just follow me easily as he pleases?

If I say there’s no such sinister intention, it would be a lie.

After doing this once, there would be no more expanding his circle of women around him.

Jiae didn’t want any other girls besides Ha-yeon to get close to him.

I probably felt a sense of obligation.

“…Honestly, I’m worried.”

“Yeah. I understand. I think I know what it feels like.”

“But I trust oppa, so I’m allowing it. You know that, right?”

“Yeah. I know.”

Geonyul replied to Ji-A as if making a bold promise.

What passed through Ji-A’s head was a thought.

Suppressing the smile that was about to appear, Ji-A firmly held Geonyul’s hand and continued speaking.

“….Instead, please don’t make me worry.”

Geonyul was puzzled by Ji-A’s words, and Ji-A spat out her desire in a sticky voice.

Excitement bubbled up within her.

“Please give me some evidence. So that I won’t doubt you.”

“What evidence?”

Do I have to say that out loud for him to know?

Ji-A felt a little frustrated and closed her eyes firmly.

And she continued.

“It’s evidence that you love me. That you’re mine and I’m yours. Please don’t do anything with other girls.”

Ji-A tapped her lips lightly.

He probably noticed, even without being perceptive himself.

Honestly, there was some uneasiness.

There was also a desire in him to receive confirmation of love.

But that wasn’t all there was to it.

For Ji-ah, it was her first kiss, and she had a desire for Gun-yul to initiate it.

It was also a kind of fantasy she held.

“…Ah.”

Gun-yul finally seemed to understand Ji-ah’s intention and let out a sigh.

Even though his eyes were closed, he could feel the gaze on his small lips.

Perhaps it was a somewhat explicit gaze.

But it didn’t make him feel uncomfortable.

No, rather, he liked it.

To the point where he could feel his heartbeat accelerating.

“…Alright. If you want it, Ji-ah.”

Along with Gun-yul’s response, something warm enveloped his lips.