Chapter 42: Chapter 42

“I hear you’re now collaborating with Arum. Are you here for work even today?” asked Konsu.

“Nope. I heard that she didn’t report to work for several days and is on sick leave, so I just stopped by. I had something to consult with her, too.”

“Oh, you are here for work. Can I leave?” said Konsu, raising his hips as if he were about to leave the place.

“It’s not that urgent.”

“Oh, please go ahead. As you’re here anyway, please have a meeting with her. Arum, can I come back in two hours? I’ve got some business to do, too.”

“Really? Can you come in the evening again?” asked Arum.

“No way! You guys meet outside, not here in the evening,” said Jina, opening her eyes wide with surprise.

“Well, I’m going to sleep here,” said Konsu, with a puckish look.

At that moment, Arum noticed Hojoon’s sarcastic look, which Jina and Konsu didn’t notice at all.

“Where is the restroom?” asked Konsu.

“Right there,” said Arum, not even raising her head.

When Konsu left the place, Hojoon asked Arum in a low voice, “So, do you feel good now, trickster?”

“Pardon?”

“Why did you lie to me that you’re at home, when you were outside? I’m sure that you won’t prepare spaghetti alle vongole this evening, right?”

“Can you please pretend not to know?”

“Then, why are you trying to hide it from me? You know I’m trying to help you guys.”

While Hojoon and Arum were having words, Konsu was walking toward the Pandora’s box.

When Arum looked at him, he was going into the small room, which he confused for the restroom.

“Konsu! That’s not the restroom.”

But Konsu had already opened the door.

“Oh my!” Arum spazzed out.

She couldn’t show him the small room, which was full of miscellaneous items and boxes related to their breakup. She wished that she had locked the door, but it was too late. She unlocked the door to clean up in the morning.

Konsu was faced with the boxes piled up high in the room, all reminding him of his past. Obviously, his face looked pretty unpleasant.

Jina came out of the restroom.

“Hey, it’s your turn,” she said.

But Konsu was too embarrassed at the moment to hear Jina.

“Hey, Konsu!”

Konsu was standing blankly, even when Jina called him loudly twice.

“Dang it. He isn’t listening to me,” Jina complained.

Closing the small room, Konsu headed for the front door.

“Konsu!”

Though Arum called him urgently, he didn’t care. He already left the house.

Biting her lips, Arum couldn’t stand idle.

“Sorry, wait a minute.”

And then she ran out to catch up with him.

Hojoon couldn’t understand why Konsu got angry, but he instantly sensed that Arum was put on the spot.

“What the heck are they doing now?” Jina quipped, adding, “I’m sorry. I really didn’t expect Konsu was coming here. I should not have insisted that you come with me here.”

Jina felt sorry for Hojoon.

But Hojoon said, “I’m alright. I was curious as to how she was doing. As you know, Arum was in charge of the geomancy project, so I couldn’t proceed since she was sick. That’s why I followed you gladly when you suggested that you come visit Arum with me. It’s fine with me.”

Then, he stood up.

“Why not wait until she comes back?” said Jina.

“Not today. It seems like Arum and Konsu are going to have a long talk.”

“Well, Konsu becomes easily sullen, and once he goes into a sulk, it takes time for him to relent. I just don’t know why she can like such a guy.”

Jina curled up her body, as if she felt that she made too biting remarks.

“Oh my… I think that I was out of mind.”

“Let me take my leave now,” said Hojoon.

“Bye for now. I’ll ask Arum to contact you when she comes back.”

Without waiting for Arum to see him off, Hojoon left her house hurriedly.

***

Arum ran after Konsu and barely caught up with him.

Fortunately, it stopped raining, but the road was slippery. She almost fell several times, and was short of breath.

Above all, she felt some pain in her legs again. But she was more concerned about soothing Konsu’s troubled mind.

How surprised was he upon looking into the small room?

He must have noticed the wedding furnishings that they both chose right before their breakup, and their marriage photos—let alone wedding invitation cards spread all over on the floor.

He could have gotten chills at those relics of their marriage.

“Konsu!”

Though she held his arm, he didn’t turn back.

“I was wrong, Konsu. Sorry, I’m wrong. Sorry,” Arum tried to make excuses first. “Don’t get me wrong, please. Let me dispose of them right away, okay?”

Konsu responded, breathing heavily, “Are you kidding me? You met me again because you felt that those boxes were so precious, right? So, are you going to ask for alimony since we’ve met again?”

Her heart sank.

She just wanted to start a romantic relationship with him again.

She felt so much regret that he could not understand her genuine sincerity.

“Konsu, that’s not my intention. Don’t you know I still love you?”

“Love me?”

Konsu didn’t believe her.

“I think you resented me very much, looking at the boxes every night. I just keep thinking about it. That’s why I’m scared. I’m scared about you!”

“No, no. I kept them just in case our love…”

“I would like to forget the bygones forever. I also want to date you again, I don’t want to talk about our engagement again, and I want to go back to our good days again. But you didn’t forget anything about our past, did you?”

“How can I forget? I love you. Don’t you know how happy we were while buying that stuff?”

“Well, we fought a lot.”

“I had no problem with that, too. It’s not me or you who’s to blame. We were not mature enough at that time.”

She felt a dull pain in her ankle when she was about to approach him. The pain was coming again, but he didn’t notice it.

“Konsu, calm down. You shouldn’t do this if we want to date again, right?”

“Sorry, I’m such a mean guy, as you know.”

“No, no, you’re still a great guy to me.”

“Sorry, Arum. Let’s stop here. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”

“I’m fine, Konsu. Though I resented you, I didn’t hate you as much as you think,” Arum desperately begged.

“In fact, I was distressed, too,” said Konsu, revealing his wounded heart. He continued, “I wasn’t well because of you. I was scared at that time. I was such a silly guy all the time.”

Warm tears came down her cheeks.

She always thought that only she was hurt, and concluded that he was doing well without caring about her at all.

“Since I was the one who told you to cancel off our marriage, I couldn’t approach you. I was the worst guy in the world. I didn’t deserve to be happy, and I felt like I didn’t deserve seeing you again.”

“Why do you think so? Please don’t,” Arum tried to soothe and persuade him.

“Let’s not struggle in vain,” he said.

Having said that, he left.

Looking back, Konsu was such a guy from the beginning. He never tried to improve his relationship with her. It was Arum who always endured it, who waited for him and soothed him. Like she did today.

For example, the day after they fought, she said, “I can’t go on like this. Let’s break up.” But he made light of what she said and took it jokingly.

“Why are you so mean? Just forget what I said carelessly. Let me try better,” he said.

And then they began to date again in the past.

But his attitude was different today.

‘Can I see him again tomorrow?’

Probably not.

Arum was too lonely. She couldn’t stand it when she thought she would be left alone.

She felt so lonesome.

‘Why should I alone make all these efforts to meet you again? Why me alone…’

When she thought up to that point, she felt so sad.

Some passersby looked at her, but she didn’t mind at all. Though she wanted to move, she couldn’t because her legs hurt.

After all, Konsu didn’t hug her at all.

He didn’t even let her lean on his shoulders, let alone hold his hands.

‘In the end, it’s me alone who is stressed out like this.’

At that moment, someone held her hand quickly.

“Are you a fool? Why do you let yourself be taken in all the time?”

It was Hojoon.

‘Yeah, I’m an idiot. Because I still like Konsu. Even now, I’m just worried about him.’

She shook off his hand.

“I’m alright. Konsu is not like that by nature.”

“Oh my…”

Hojoon got upset at her trying to protect Konsu in such a situation. She seemed such a poor judge of character.

Arum was more ashamed that he saw her shedding tears.

Wiping away her tears quickly, she calmed down and said, “I’m afraid that Konsu was really angry.” She now openly expressed concern about him.