Min Jee placed a bowl of kimchi fried rice with thinly sliced beef and bacon on the table. The spicy dipping sauce of Pan-fried fish lingers through the smoke, and the seasoned spinach adds up a great flavor to her palates. She's not eating only one dish because she cooked it all for herself. Homemade food is still the best, especially after a phase of breaking down.
She took a photo of it and posted it on her social media account with the caption, 'Treating myself after a bad day.' Later on, Sun Hee commented, 'I should've been there.' Min Jee put her phone down and continued satiating herself with the breakfast.
After a few seconds, her phone beeped. She had notifications on her account. It said that Daewon followed her and put a heart on her photo. She then suffered a series of hiccups and reached for a glass of water.
"Should I remove him from my followers?" she asked.
Her rational subconscious appeared in front of her.
"No. He might think you haven't moved on. You haven't, but don't make it obvious."
Min Jee nodded.
Another notification popped. It was from her email and the message came from Daewon. It was a formal letter stating that he wants to meet her at Jungsik and talk about their project together.
"Geez. This is annoying. I will not show up and let him rot," she said.
"You should go. Don't give him the wrong idea that his presence affects you. Don't act like a loser. Show him it's his loss for cheating on you," her subconscious said.
She heaved a sigh.
"Fine. I should not get intimidated by him."
After an awful debate with herself, she opened her closet and chose the nicest outfit she had.
"What are you doing? Are you wearing that? Gosh, don't dress up too much. He might think you're trying to impress him," her subconscious said.
She ran her fingers to something else and picked up a black casual dress. Min Jee wore light makeup and put a silver clip on her hair. With her black stilettos and pearl earrings, she's ready to go.
***
The staff welcomed her with warm greetings and guided her to their table. She paused and examined his figure from the back. He never changed. Like wine, Daewon had gotten better over time. Min Jee could smell his perfume from a distance. She bought it for him on their first anniversary and he kept wearing it.
Min Jee walked towards their table and sat across from him.
"Hey," he said with a wide smile.
"How long have you been waiting for me?" she said.
"A few minutes. Please pick your order."
"Ugh, I had breakfast at home."
"But I haven't eaten. Just join me, please?" he said with puppy eyes.
"Alright. Let's have their 5 course meal."
Daewon kept glancing at her as she closed her eyes to savor the food, when she placed the stray strands of her hair behind her ears, as she glimpsed at the window to admire the view, and when she licked her lips.
She didn't care about his presence, while his knees were shaking under the table. He must not express how nervous he was sitting in front of her, where he could almost touch her if he wanted to. It was like a dream, seeing the woman he treasured the most amidst all the women lurking around to flirt with him.
Daewon was a womanizer before he met Min Jee. He used to date women for pleasure and dump them when he's bored or when he needs a new flavor. His favorite flavors were models, fashion icons, popular influencers, and daughters of some billionaires. Min Jee was out of his type because the rare ones do not come with a spotlight. She comes with a comforting smile, understanding eyes, and reliable hugs.
It's been three years since they broke up and at last, he found an excuse to see her without bringing up their past. He pulled a handkerchief out from his pocket and wiped the grease beside her lips.
"You're still clumsy, huh," he whispered.
Min Jee froze with his gesture.
"Oh, sorry. I thought you're full," he said and sat back.
She cleared her throat.
"I am, but I don't like wasting delicious food, especially if it's a treat. You're paying for this, right?" she said.
"Of course."
He smiled.
"Alright. Since I'm done, let's cut the chase and talk about the reason I'm here."
"Be my illustrator," he said.
She gulped. It's all over the news. But his words sent an electric shock on her nerves.
"You are perfect for this role. You have the skills and I like your art style. The readers like you too. Your stories are incredible. I don't see any reason you'd turn this down," he said.
"You missed one reason I'm turning this down, Mr. Do. That is... I don't enjoy working with you," she said with a blank expression and sipped a glass of wine.
He was taken aback.
"May I know why, Ms. Seo?" he said.
"Simply because I'm not comfortable working with you."
"I'm not here as your ex-boyfriend. I'm here as an opportunity, Ms. Seo. If you accept this offer, more people will invest in you. Let's clear things out."
She smirked.
"Mr. Do, may I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead."
"Have you experienced disliking someone without a reason? When you stare at someone and everything about that person irritates you even if they have done nothing wrong to you? I hope you've been there because that's how I feel about you, not because you're my ex-boyfriend."
Daewon clenched his jaw.
"Ms. Seo, you know me well. I'm not giving up without putting up a fight."
"Thanks for this wonderful meal, Mr. Do."
She faked a smile and stood up.
"Wait a second. You forgot something," he said.
She stopped without turning her back. He removed his jacket and put it on her.
"Aren't you cold? You should've worn thick fabric. Don't make me worry. Are you doing it on purpose? You don't have to... because I'll come to you even if you don't try," he whispered.
She didn't utter another word and walked out. When she arrived at the bus stop, her knees shuddered. Min Jee groaned and shook her head to clear up her mind. She can't tear up at his face.
A basket of scintillating flowers waited at her door. She entered the house and read the letter on it.
The red petals fell
His trembling knees touched the ground
Comes a dying heart
It wasn't a letter but a haiku, and it came from the man she met earlier. Daewon was invoking pain and hatred in himself. When they broke up, he stood in the rain outside of her house with red roses in his hands. As the rain showered heavily, the petals fell to the ground as he knelt. But she fixed her mind and didn't give him one last chance.
Min Jee crumpled the paper and threw it into the trash can. She grabbed a pen and a paper and wrote something down.
We were drowned by profound epiphany
Trapped inside an ineffable nightmare
My pumping heart was filled with ecstasy
An agony that none of us could bare
Your mellifluous voice awakened me
My love was massive, yours ephemeral
Flashes of luminous smiles crept in thee
I am deaf to the sound of betrayal
Your love left me battered and petrified
Masochism runs deeply in my blood
My desire to hold you intensified
The love I gave you was raging like flood
The day I said to let go was lethal
It's the day I went to my funeral
Daewon received her letter, which comes with a box of soju. It was a sonnet from a heart reminiscing about the past. When she witnessed how he cheated on her, she drank a box of soju. It was the lowest point of her life. Min Jee trusted the words of a womanizer and was a fool. Daewon grabbed his pen and wrote something down.
As I look in the depths of your eyes
Waves of emotions lies
I could not decipher what you have in mind
There are answers I have to find
I could not afford to lose you
For you are my second chance
You are the cutest view
Who saved my heart once
Your love for me bosomed at first
Of care and attention, I am in thirst
I learned to love your parts
Like you are a piece of an art
Now I've seen the worst side of you
That made me question my worth
You let me feel the pain
Tears like a pouring rain
My heart is in deep confusion
Our first day was like a mere illusion
It's hard to deal with the broken pieces of you
Sticking to you is a difficult thing to do
Now I am torn in between
Losing or staying
To endure the pain
Or end this vain
Min Jee brushed her fingers through her hair. She received another letter from Daewon with a box of Ferrero Rocher. It was the gift she gave him on Valentine's day when she confessed her feelings. It was a poem of guilt, regret, and longing.
"Is he telling me it's my fault for not giving him a chance to explain? That's ridiculous! I've seen enough to break up with him. I'm not stupid to give in to his flowery words," Min Jee said to herself.
She gripped her pen and wrote something down one last time.
Man is not a necessity
Just destructive machinery
Daewon rested his back on his task chair after reading the couplet Min Jee sent with his jacket. She refused to accept his love, and he's planning on what to do next.
"Why is she playing hard to get? She still loves me. Women are so complicated, seriously. I need a backup," he said.
He grabbed his phone and dialed one of his cards to get Min Jee back.
"Hello, this is Daewon. It's been a long time. How about a cup of coffee, Sun Hee?"