Chapter 6
Chapter 6 – Argument with My Ex
* * *
After my lecture ended, I was heading toward the student club room.
My mind kept circling back to Yerin.
“I really neglected Yerin while I was dating Chae-yeon…”
No matter how much Chae-yeon had requested it as a girlfriend, it wasn’t right to abandon a friend I’d known for 15 years.
It was clear that Yerin had felt sad about the distance between us, showing a slumped expression every now and then.
“Now that we’re back to how things used to be, I need to take better care of her from now on.”
I decided to wait until the lecture ended and walk back with Yerin. With that decision in mind, I was about to open the door to the club room.
“Si-hyun!”
I heard a familiar voice from behind me. When I turned around, I saw So-hee, breathless.
“What?”
Maybe because this meeting wasn’t welcome, my voice came out lower than usual.
So-hee trembled slightly, fidgeting with her hands before finally speaking up.
“I have something to talk about. Do you have a moment…?”
“No.”
It was obvious she wanted to discuss the same thing as this morning, so I turned away coldly, ready to leave.
But…
“P-please. Even if it’s just this once, just hear me out…”
So-hee grabbed my arm, pleading with an earnest expression.
How many times had she already done this today?
If I didn’t give her some kind of response, it seemed like she’d cling to me until I did, and I could feel a headache coming on.
“Fine, just get to the point.”
In the end, worn down by her persistence, I decided to at least hear her out.
Plus, I wanted to ask her something about that blind date anyway, so talking wouldn’t hurt.
“Really…? Thank you!”
The relief in So-hee’s expression was obvious once I agreed.
When she asked if we could move somewhere else, I nodded, and we ended up at the fountain just a five-minute walk away.
So-hee sat down on a nearby bench and immediately bowed her head toward me.
“First, I want to apologize. Like I said before, I’m the one who brought Chae-yeon to the blind date. I’m truly sorry!”
Knowing she’d likely try to rope me and Chae-yeon back together if I forgave her, I deliberately ignored her apology and asked what I was curious about instead.
“If you knew Chae-yeon was dating me, why’d you take her there anyway?”
“The friend who was supposed to come with me canceled at the last minute…”
“Even so, taking someone in a relationship? You should have just postponed it if you were short on people.”
“You’re right. If it had been an ordinary blind date, I would’ve done just that, but this time, I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
So-hee looked me straight in the eyes and explained.
“This blind date… It was arranged to help a friend get together with the guy she likes.”
Friend…
Out of the women at the wine bar, besides Chae-yeon and So-hee, one other woman came to mind.
“That short-haired girl sitting to your right?”
“Yes. We’d coordinated with the other guys to subtly set her up with him… so, as the ones asking the favor, we couldn’t just change the date.”
So-hee looked down again, seeming embarrassed.
“That’s why, in a pinch, I asked Chae-yeon to just fill in…”
If she was telling the truth, Chae-yeon was there merely to make up the numbers.
But that didn’t mean she was completely blameless.
There was no denying her fault in blatantly ignoring my messages, lying to me, and casting me as some kind of stalker while forcing an apology out of me.
If I dug around, there was plenty for her to apologize for.
“Hmm…”
As I pondered, So-hee, sensing my hesitation, started speaking again.
“I know it might be hard to believe me, but Chae-yeon didn’t say a word to anyone there. Even when the guys tried talking to her, she clearly told them she had a boyfriend. I was right there, so I saw it myself…”
I already believed that Chae-yeon hadn’t done anything inappropriate.
Both their stories were consistent, and from what I could tell, her attitude toward the blind date guy had been chilly.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I just feel like… because of me, your relationship got strained. I was hoping this might clear up any misunderstandings and help you two get back together…”
If the blind date was the sole reason for the breakup, maybe her explanation would have worked.
But the real reason I ended things with Chae-yeon was because of her selfishness and her constant demands.
The blind date incident had merely served as the final push.
With a sigh, I stood up. There was no need to explain this to So-hee.
“Don’t interfere. I’ll handle my own business.”
“W-wait!”
“Now what?”
“Could you talk to Chae-yeon again, just once more?”
“We already talked.”
So-hee clutched at her chest and shook her head.
“That time, Chae-yeon was drunk, and you both were on edge… Maybe neither of you could really say what you wanted to.”
“Talking while sober wouldn’t make a difference.”
My continual refusal made So-hee’s eyes tremble slightly.
Suddenly, she rose from her seat, then slowly started bending her knees.
“Sob… please…”
Finally, her voice cracked as she knelt on the ground.
“What the hell are you doing?! Get up.”
Even if I didn’t want to forgive her, I hadn’t expected her to go this far.
When I tried to lift her up, So-hee clung to the ground, sniffling.
“Please… I feel so guilty about what I did to both of you. I haven’t slept since yesterday.”
Whether or not that was true, her eyes, usually pale, had purplish dark circles.
“Guess the guilt hit her harder than I thought…”
If this kept up, she might not even be able to go about her daily life.
She used to be one of my close friends, so I couldn’t help but feel concerned.
“I’m really sorry… I shouldn’t have taken Chae-yeon along, no matter what, even if it meant breaking plans…”
It seemed she deeply regretted her mistake. Her head was nearly touching the ground as she begged for forgiveness.
Her desperate voice shook me, and eventually, I couldn’t hold out any longer.
“Fine. I’ll meet with her. Now get up.”
I decided to extend her a final courtesy, just to ease her guilt.
“R-really?”
So-hee looked up at me, her face streaked with tears.
“Yeah. So don’t do this again.”
“Okay…!”
So-hee stood up, looking relieved and emotional.
“Thank you so much, Si-hyun… I’ll set things up, so come to the club room in 15 minutes. I’ll make sure Chae-yeon is there too.”
“Alright…”
So-hee thanked me repeatedly, then ran off toward the club room.
Even if the situation was one of her own making, it was nice to see her try to fix it.
* * *
When I entered the club room, no one else was there.
The board game on the long table had been left unfinished, with paper money scattered around. The power strip was full of unused chargers.
“There must’ve been a crowd here… Did she bribe them with snacks?”
Hearing cheers earlier made that seem likely…
Thinking of how So-hee’s wallet must’ve taken a hit to clear the room, I couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward.
“Chae-yeon should be here soon.”
Would this lead to reconciliation?
Or would it just be an extension of yesterday’s argument?
That all depended on her attitude.
With a sigh, I started tidying the table so we wouldn’t be distracted during our conversation.
Just as I sat down and took out my phone—
The door creaked open.
Chae-yeon walked in.
Our eyes met, and her expression soured instantly, as if she’d seen something unpleasant.
“Does she think I came here willingly?”
I’d come because So-hee had practically begged me, but seeing Chae-yeon’s reaction made me want to turn around and leave right away.
“Just hold it in a bit longer.”
If we parted ways like this, it might only lead to a repeat of what happened before.
The door creaked open—
Chae-yeon sat down two seats diagonally from where I was sitting.
She fiddled with her laptop and sipped on her franchise coffee as if she had nothing to say to me.
Even though So-hee had told her to come here to talk, Chae-yeon showed no intention of opening her mouth.
“Fine by me. I’m just killing time here until Yerin gets here, anyway.”
Just then, I saw a message from Yerin on my phone.
—
Han Yerin: About 20 minutes left until it ends. Where are you right now?
Me: In the club room.
Han Yerin: Waiting for me?
Me: Something like that.
Han Yerin: Oh, you’re sweet. ^^ I’ll treat you to mint choco ice cream at Mera as a reward.
Me: Not the toothpaste flavor, please. Even if you buy it, I won’t eat it.
Han Yerin: Don’t worry, I’ll buy a pint so we can choose three flavors. I’ll get mint choco for me, and “Dad is an Alien” for you. Let’s decide on the last one when we get there.
Me: Sounds good. I’ll be here, so come to the club room when you’re done.
Han Yerin: Got it! (Bunny salute emoji)
—
As I finished messaging Yerin, a realization hit me.
“If Yerin comes to the club room, things could get tense.”
Judging by her recent reactions, Yerin was holding quite a lot of resentment toward Chae-yeon.
Who knew what would happen when the two met?
Leaving before any disaster struck seemed like the best plan.
“Besides, it’s not like we have anything left to talk about.”
Deciding to kill time near the lecture hall, I grabbed my bag, slipped my phone into my pocket, and was about to head out when—
“…”
I met Chae-yeon’s gaze, staring right at me.
“When did she start watching me?”
Caught up in my messages, I hadn’t realized she was observing me. This wasn’t a coincidental glance; she didn’t look away.
I didn’t avert my gaze either, and a silent standoff began between us.
Then, breaking the silence, Chae-yeon crossed her arms and legs.
“You changed your profile picture, huh?”
She placed her phone on the table, showing my now-empty profile photo.
Tap, tap.
With a mocking tone, Chae-yeon tapped her arm with her fingers and continued.
“Right after we broke up, you were all over the place with Han Yerin. What are you trying to prove?”
“I changed it because we broke up. And who I hang out with is none of your business.”
As usual, Chae-yeon looked at me with that smug, superior expression, letting out a condescending laugh.
“Wow, I must’ve really ticked you off this time. Normally, you’d flinch just hearing me say ‘let’s break up.’ Now you’re actually fighting back.”
“It just means I’ve had enough of you.”
Sensing the conversation would be drawn out, I threw my bag back onto the chair.
“Just seeing your face makes me sick. I’ve got no regrets, and I’m not thinking about getting back together.”
“…Oh? So you’re saying you’re not interested because you’re switching over to Yerin?”
Why did she keep bringing up Yerin?
I responded to her strange implication.
“And why does that matter to you? We broke up because you wanted to, so why don’t you just stop bothering me?”
Tap…
Chae-yeon stopped tapping her arm and stared at me in silence.
After a moment, she let out a heavy sigh, like she was doing me some kind of favor.
“I’ll forgive you.”
“What…?”
“For insulting me and acting out of line. I’ll forgive you for all of that, so stop acting up and come back.”
Who exactly did she think she was forgiving?
For a second, I thought maybe I was the one at fault.
Even after everything she’d done, here she was, as selfish as ever, with not even a hint of apology. It made me feel sick.
Did she even understand what she was doing? Chae-yeon looked at me like she didn’t get why I was so upset.
“You like me, don’t you? You always caved in whenever I said ‘let’s break up.’ Why are you acting up now?”
The more we talked, the more disappointed I felt.
It hurt to realize that the same “let’s break up” that I could barely say was just a tool she’d used to manipulate me.
“And you have the nerve to criticize me for being with another girl right after we broke up, when you’re the one who went on a blind date?”
Poke.
Chae-yeon stood up and poked me hard in the chest with her finger, twisting it around as she gave me a warning.
“Listen carefully. I have a short temper, so the more you act like this, the less I want to forgive you.”
Her finger twisted deeper, tearing at whatever patience I had left.
This selfish, oblivious woman.
Something snapped inside me.
“When did I ask you to forgive me? I didn’t do anything worth apologizing to you for, so why are you acting like this?”
My real feelings spilled out, unfiltered.
“If you have any brains at all, maybe you should think for once. Isn’t it obvious who’s in the wrong here? It’s because of how you act that I keep getting disappointed in you.”
She took a step back, her voice trembling as she asked,
“I… I don’t get it. You were fine with everything until now. So why are you acting like this now…?”
“Fine? Me?”
I let out a laugh of disbelief.
“You have any idea how much I had to put up with just to keep things going with you?”
I constantly had to watch my expression, worried she’d be annoyed.
Whenever I showed my true feelings, I feared she’d throw out the breakup card again.
Dating Chae-yeon made me happy, but I was scared at the same time.
“Every single day with you was just stress for me.”
Chae-yeon’s eyes wavered, no longer able to look me in the eye.
Her gaze wandered, and her lips opened and closed as she struggled to respond.
“If… if you really loved me, you should’ve just accepted that…”
“It’s the opposite. The only reason I lasted this long was because I genuinely loved you. If it’d been anyone else, they would’ve broken up with you in less than a month.”
“But…!”
Chae-yeon bit her lower lip, then lowered her head, falling silent.
“This is better.”
If we kept talking, I’d probably lose the last bit of self-control I had.
So I turned away from her, managing to force out one last thing.
“I’ve done my part. So just leave me alone.”
I didn’t look to see her reaction.
But shortly after, I heard the sound of a zipper closing. It seemed like she was packing up to leave.
SLAM!
I jumped at the sound of the door flinging open, followed by a familiar voice.
I turned around to find Yerin standing in front of Chae-yeon, an astonished look on her face.
For a moment, they both stood there, glaring at each other.
“Move,” Chae-yeon said in a cold voice as she brushed past Yerin, bumping her shoulder.
“What a rude piece of work,” Yerin muttered, clicking her tongue in irritation as she watched Chae-yeon leave. Then, noticing me, she widened her eyes.
“What… Why are you and her the only ones here?”
Yerin, with a frown and an annoyed expression, walked over to me, asking in a worried voice.
“What did you two talk about? Don’t tell me… you two made up, did you?”
