She had an oppa two years older than her: her sunbae.
When Hyerin turned six, her eight-year-old brother, Hyungwon, started elementary school. With his outgoing personality, he made friends easily and often brought them home in droves after class. He’d acted like the king of the playground back in kindergarten too, and it seemed he liked running in packs no matter where he was.
Hyerin didn’t like her brother’s friends, who were all a head taller than her. They were too rough. One of them had stepped on her Mimi doll and didn’t even apologize, and when their mom made tteokbokki just for her, they all swarmed in and devoured it. There was just no way she could like them.
“Oppa! Let’s play dolls toge—”
Hyerin walked into the room with a doll in each hand, but when she saw the crowd gathered around the computer, her shoulders slumped. Surrounded by his friends and glued to the monitor, Hyungwon clearly had no intention of playing with her today either.
His room was always filled with boing-boing arcade sounds. The boys took turns playing a game where a hero fought monsters and rescued a kidnapped princess—cliché, sure, but hard enough that each level’s boss fight made someone a hero among them. And the hero of this group has always been the ‘quietest man’.
He was the kid who stood in the back while the others played, only stepping in when they needed help with the hard parts. Even to Hyerin—who didn’t understand the game at all—he stood out.
He was the one who always arrived last, bowing politely to her mom at the door. The one whose shoes were neatly aligned next to everyone else’s messy sneakers. The only one who stayed quiet in a room full of barking boys.
That day, like always, no one paid any attention to Hyerin’s voice—they were too immersed in the game. Except for one person.
The quiet one.
“You wanna play with me?”
Hyerin was just about to leave the room when she tilted her head with a forlorn look. He gave a soft smile, nodding as if to reassure her. Still wary of a stranger’s kindness, she hesitantly stepped closer and asked,
“Oppa, you don’t… need to play the game?”
“Nope. Doesn’t seem like they need me today. I was getting bored too, so let’s play.”
His consistently gentle voice melted away the last bit of her suspicion, and a bright smile spread across her face.
Her mom, her dad, even Hyungwon—none of them played dolls with her unless she cried and threw a fit first. But this boy? He offered without a fuss. He must be a good person. Hyerin handed him Mimi’s counterpart—the prince doll—and asked,
“What’s Oppa’s name?”
“I’m Jung Jaeyoon.”
“Jaeyoon…”
It sounded like Jeyukbokeum1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zur2Zf2Tj4Y&pp=ygULSmV5dWtib2tldW0%3D. Her mouth watered involuntarily at the thought, but then that kind voice came again.
“You’re Joo Hyerin, right?”
“Yeah! How did you know?”
“Hyungwon says it all the time. Like, ‘Joo Hyerin! Get out of here!’”
That was exactly what her brother always shouted when she tried to join in.
The boy—who always seemed so reserved—suddenly mimicked Hyungwon’s sharp tone with surprising accuracy, then gave a small smile.
“I’ve been thinking about this for a while… You’ve got a really pretty name, Hyerin.”
Hyerin stopped fussing with her dolls and looked at him.
His soft brown hair framed a set of neatly arranged features, his whole face curving into a quiet, crescent-moon smile. He reminded her of custard cream bread—white, fluffy cheeks that looked soft and sweet.
“You’re pretty too, oppa.”
“My name?”
“Yeah. Your name’s pretty. But your face is even prettier. Like a princess.”
He blinked, and his thick, fluttering lashes fanned like they were made for drama. His double eyelids peeked in and out like they were playing hide-and-seek.
She had no idea eyes could be this interesting. Normally she couldn’t sit still for ten seconds, but now she couldn’t blink—too busy studying those deep brown irises.
Despite her intense stare, he didn’t flinch. Instead, his eyes curved again into that same warm crescent.
“But you’re the princess, Hyerin.”
“No, I’ll be the prince. You’re prettier than me, so you have to be the princess.”
Beaming, Hyerin handed him Mimi and snatched the prince doll for herself.
Jaeyoon looked a little startled but obediently accepted the role of princess.
From that day on, every time she came to find him, he played with her without showing a hint of reluctance. The next day, and the day after that.
All she had were Mimi, the prince, and a few rough animal dolls her dad had won for her from a claw machine. Even the storylines were always the same—animal dolls took turns playing the villain, but in the end, the prince and princess overcame every obstacle and won their love. That was Hyerin’s idea of a proper happy ending.
It should’ve been boring for an eight-year-old boy, but Jaeyoon never once looked bored. He smiled through it all and acted out every part with heart.
As the story neared its finale, Hyerin always had her prince doll kiss Mimi. She didn’t know why—it was just what all the fairytales did.
Today was no different. With all the animal guests gathered for the wedding, she closed the final scene with a kiss and then asked,
“Why do people kiss?”
At her question, Jaeyoon looked down thoughtfully for a moment, then brought the Mimi doll close to the prince again and made a little mwah sound.
The light, playful noise made Hyerin’s ears perk up.
“Maybe it’s ‘cause saying you like someone feels embarrassing? A kiss ends fast.”
It sounded plausible. Even the number of syllables backed it up—I like you was three, but mwah was just one.
Hyerin, convinced, giggled and said,
“Oppa, you’re really smart.”
Right then, her door flung open, and Hyungwon walked in. One knee cocked out in his usual slouch, he clicked his tongue and gave Hyerin an annoyed look.
“So that’s where Jaeyoon went. Did you kidnap him?”
“Kidnap?” Hyerin’s eyes widened in outrage. “It’s not kidnapping! Jaeyoon oppa said he was having fun with me!”
“It is kidnapping! Because of you, we couldn’t clear the next stage without Jaeyoon!”
“That’s not my fault! It’s your fault for needing Jaeyoon oppa just to get through the level!”
Her shout hit where it hurt. Hyungwon’s eyebrow twitched—clearly, his pride had taken a blow.
He stormed over, glaring at her sideways like a flatfish, and grabbed Jaeyoon’s arm to pull him up.
“Let’s go. The guys are waiting.”
“Ah… okay.”
At his urging, Jaeyoon gave Hyerin a little nod in goodbye and got up without resistance. The doll playtime was over, so of course he had to go… but still, Hyerin didn’t like the feeling.
It felt like Hyungwon was some evil overlord stealing away her princess.
“Don’t go, oppa!”
At the word oppa, Hyungwon turned back—but Hyerin wasn’t talking to him.
She shot up from the floor and, just as Jaeyoon was about to step out of the room, threw her arms around him from behind like a tragic heroine in a drama.
“Jaeyoon oppa is mine! You’re not going anywhere!”
Jaeyoon looked startled, eyes round as he glanced down at the arms wrapped tightly around his waist.
Before he could respond, Hyungwon, now furious, shouted with a sharp glare in his eyes.
“Joo Hyerin! Are you done yet?!”
“Why are you taking what’s mine! Jaeyoon oppa was playing with me! You go away!”
“Why is he yours?! He’s my friend!”
At the words ‘my friend’, Hyerin puffed up in anger—but didn’t know what to say.
She had nothing to prove her claim to Jaeyoon. There wasn’t a single word that could back up the bond she felt with him.
As she went silent, Hyungwon smirked, clearly feeling triumphant.
Too proud to admit she’d lost, Hyerin burst into tears.
“He’s my princess… huaaaang…!”
Her cries rang throughout the entire house.
Even so, Hyungwon ruthlessly pried her away from Jaeyoon.
Having lost her grip, Hyerin dropped to the floor and cried in earnest, pounding her feet and wailing like someone had taken her whole world away.
“You keep humoring her, that’s why she throws fits like this.”
Hyungwon scowled, clearly annoyed by the noise. He tugged on Jaeyoon’s arm again and spoke like he was explaining something obvious.
Then, as if to tell Jaeyoon not to even look her way, he raised his hand and blocked his friend’s view of Hyerin.
“Don’t mind her. She’ll just cry more if you react.”
That cold dismissal made Hyerin cry even louder.
Usually, by now, their mom would come storming in, yelling, “Why are you making your sister cry!” and swat Hyungwon across the back. But today, the house was oddly quiet.
Hyerin opened one eye and glanced around through her tears.
“Mom went to the market. She’s not here, sneaky brat.”
Hyungwon’s voice dripped with smugness, still leaning casually against the door.
At that, Hyerin stopped crying as if someone had flipped a switch.
If whining wasn’t going to get her anywhere, then there was no point in wasting energy.
Just as Hyungwon said—Hyerin had been born with a crafty streak.
She wiped away her fat, glistening tears and was just about to let it go when she felt something warm on her shoulder.
“Don’t cry, Hyerin. Oppa’s not going anywhere.”
Blinking through her red, swollen eyes, she saw his gentle smile.
Jaeyoon had crouched down, lowering himself to her eye level.
“Really…?”
When Hyerin asked again, Jaeyoon’s pale face quickly bobbed up and down in a nod.
At that, Hyungwon’s eyes widened, and he shouted,
“Hey! But without you, the game—!”
“I just heard the other kids cheering. Someone else must’ve cleared the stage.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. And Hyerin’s been peeking into your room every day ‘cause she wanted to play with you. You were too busy gaming to notice, though.”
“……”
“Anyway, be nicer to your little sister. Playing alone is lonely and boring.”
Jaeyoon’s voice came low and gentle, like he was giving a kind reminder.
Then, turning back to Hyerin, he gave her another soft smile and asked,
“Right?”
That warm smile made her chest flutter, stealing the breath from her lungs.
Her eyes filled with tears again—not from sadness this time, but from the unfamiliar thudding of her heart.
It was new, it was scary, and somewhere deep down, it hurt just a little.
Maybe that was the moment she lost her heart to him.
That memory always smelled sweet—like cotton candy.
It was the kind of sweetness that wouldn’t be strange if it made her cry for the rest of her life.
Even after that, he continued to play with her often.
After Hyungwon’s friends grew tired of the game and stopped coming around, Jaeyoon still visited, sometimes staying late into the night.
He was an only child, and both his parents worked, so his house was always empty.
Realizing that, Hyerin’s parents started looking after him, too.
It became routine for him to join them for dinner, and more than once, they’d even signed his school notices on behalf of his parents.
“I wish I had a little sister like Hyerin.”
He said it one day, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear as she chattered away.
At his gentle touch, Hyerin squirmed, her shoulders pulling in tight.
That’s when Hyungwon, sprawled on her bed like a heap of laundry, happened to glance down at them playing with dolls and muttered indifferently:
“Take her, then.”
He couldn’t have sounded less sincere.
Still, after six years of being siblings, wasn’t it a little too easy for him to just give her away?
“Really? Hyerin, wanna come to my house?”
Of course, Hyerin had no regrets either.
The moment Jaeyoon jokingly asked, she nodded faster than lightning.
“Yeah, I wanna go!”
“For real? My house doesn’t have anything fun. Not even any dolls.”
“That’s okay. I’ve got you, oppa!”
To Hyerin, the most fun thing in the world was Jaeyoon.
Just watching him eat, brush his teeth, or comb his hair would be endlessly entertaining.
Her bright, confident voice made Jaeyoon smile warmly—while Hyungwon’s brow crumpled like a crumpled piece of paper.
“Who even is your oppa, huh? It’s me, not Jaeyoon.”
Hyerin, who’d been blushing and smiling shyly just a moment ago, instantly turned to Hyungwon with a hardened expression—like she was looking at a random leaf blowing down the street. Uninterested. Unimpressed.
“Then act like it, and play with me.”
Her tone was mature and cold for a six-year-old.
Unfazed by her words, Hyungwon glanced at Jaeyoon, who still wore a quiet smile, and said,
“You’re not going home? Isn’t it your birthday today? If you stick around playing with her, the day’ll be over before you know it.”
Birthday. That one special day that only came once a year—was today that day?
Hyerin’s eyes widened as she asked,
“Is it your birthday today, oppa?”
“Ah… yeah.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
A wave of hurt washed over her.
If he’d told her earlier, she would’ve gotten him a present or something.
As her brows scrunched up in disappointment, Jaeyoon’s face filled with awkward guilt.
“Uh… sorry.”
Maybe it was her tone—like she was scolding him—that made him apologize right away.
But that only made Hyerin feel more upset. She jumped to her feet and stormed off to her room, stomping so hard the floor thundered beneath her.
Anyone downstairs would think a demolition crew had moved in upstairs.
Once inside, she locked the door and tore through the room in a frenzy.
She needed a gift.
She couldn’t let Jaeyoon’s once-a-year birthday pass by like any other day.
But no matter how hard she searched, there was nothing worthy of giving him.
Her drawers held nothing but some dried-out clay from a kindergarten project and dull-colored origami paper.
Had there ever been a hopeless moment like this in her six-year life?
She was still tugging at her hair in frustration when she heard him through the door, saying goodbye as if he were about to leave.
Was he really leaving already?
She shot out of her room like a bullet.
Jaeyoon, who was just about to step outside, spotted her and waved
“Wait!”
Her voice rang out, urgent.
With his hand still on the doorknob, Jaeyoon turned to look at her.
“Just go. Didn’t your parents say to come home?”
Hyungwon, who was seeing him off, waved dismissively, clearly telling him to ignore her.
But Jaeyoon simply stood still, watching as she rushed over to him.
She stomped past Hyungwon, stepped on a few scattered shoes by the door, and placed her Mimi doll into Jaeyoon’s hands as she shouted,
“Oppa! Happy birthday!”
“…Huh?”
“It’s my present.”
She had given him the very best thing she owned.
It was obvious it wouldn’t mean much to Jaeyoon, but still—she wanted to give him something.
Jaeyoon looked down at the Mimi doll in his hands for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
“I can’t. This is your favorite, right? You’ll regret giving it away.”
“I don’t regret it at all!”
He tried everything to refuse the gift, but Hyerin stood her ground.
The determination in her tightly pressed lips was clear as day.
Just as Jaeyoon opened his mouth again, struggling for words, Hyungwon—still leaning against the inner door and watching with amused detachment—scoffed,
“Hey, Joo Hyerin. That thing’s only cute to you. For Jaeyoon, it’s just trash, okay? Knock it off and let him go.”
Trash.
Normally, she would’ve ignored him. But this time, the word stabbed her right in the chest.
She could’ve gotten mad.
She didn’t.
Hyerin looked up at Jaeyoon instead.
And in her gaze, quiet tears began to gather, blurring her vision.
That’s when he gently patted her head, his smile just as kind as always.
“Thanks. I’ll treasure it.”
She blinked slowly.
The tears that had welled up spilled over, and with them, Jaeyoon’s face came into sharper focus.
Then suddenly, an unfamiliar impulse surged inside her.
What do I do? I like him too much.
She took a step forward, stood on tiptoe, and planted a kiss—mwah—right on his pale cheek.
“Hey! Joo Hyerin!”
Hyungwon’s sharp voice scolded her from behind.
But for a moment, the world seemed to hold only her and Jaeyoon.
All she could see was his wide-eyed, pale face.
And in his beautiful eyes—there she was, reflected back.
The spot where her lips had touched his cheek burned hot, and where their eyes met tingled.
Hyerin’s face flushed a brilliant red.
“Is she crazy?!”
Hyungwon was beside her in a flash, grabbing her shoulders like he was arresting her, and started dragging her back into the house.
“Go already!”
Even as she let herself be pulled away, Hyerin never looked away from Jaeyoon.
And he—he didn’t look away either.
“Oppa… I like you…!”
The words slipped out before she even realized it.
But somehow, they felt right.
Like she’d finally scratched the unbearable itch in her chest.
She had a prince now.
No—a beautiful princess.
“I like you so, so much!”
Now certain of her feelings, Hyerin beamed and shouted.
Jaeyoon, still stunned, broke into a smile.
“Yah, Jung Jaeyoon! Go home already!”
Even as Hyungwon shouted at him to get lost, Jaeyoon stepped out the door, waving the Mimi doll in triumph.
“Thank you.”
Back then, she hadn’t known.
That it was both her first confession—and the first time she’d been rejected.
From that day on, she confessed to him every year on his birthday.
She would give him the best gift she could at that age and say, “I really like you, oppa.”
Not that it only happened on his birthday.
Like they say, love and sneezes can’t be hidden—being near him made her confessions slip out like sneezes, one after another.
“I’m sorry.”
His gentle “Thank you” eventually turned into “I’m sorry” when she was fifteen and he was seventeen.
Maybe that’s when he realized her feelings weren’t just a little girl’s admiration, but something more.
He’d looked so genuinely apologetic then that Hyerin couldn’t help it—she’d burst into tears.
It wasn’t just the rejection. It was the shock of realizing her feelings were making him uncomfortable.
“Hyerin, I’m sorry. Please don’t cry.”
“Hrk—just say you’re gay, or a eunuch, or something! You bastard…”
The worst thing about him was, ironically, that he was too nice.
Even after rejecting her so clearly, he stayed by her side, gently patting her back until she cried herself out.
And as if to mock her wish that he be gay—or at least disinterested in women—he got a girlfriend the moment he turned twenty.
She found out during midterms, of all times.
That night at dinner, things got awkward.
“Hyerin, did you mess up your exams or something?”
“What if I did? Who cares about college anyway! You never said it was important!”
Tears fell silently as she chewed her rice.
It was enough of a shock that even her usually study-obsessed parents softened, offering comfort instead of scolding.
But Hyerin just sat there, blank-eyed, grinding each grain between her molars like it was sawdust.
Watching her, Hyungwon clicked his tongue and waved dismissively at the table.
“She’s not crying about exams. She’s crying because Jaeyoon got a girlfriend.”
Everyone in the family knew she liked Jaeyoon.
Since she was little, she’d trailed after him, showering him with gifts.
Her dad used to sigh, “What’s the point of raising a daughter, anyway?”
And no wonder—every year on Jaeyoon’s birthday, her piggy bank was ruthlessly slaughtered.
“Oh, that’s great! He must’ve been so lonely living on his own.”
Her mother, who’d basically treated Jaeyoon like her own son after growing up under the same roof, clapped with joy.
Jaeyoon had started living on his own as soon as he hit adulthood, despite being someone who hated loneliness.
Could it be… he’d moved out just to bring his girlfriend home?
The thought made her tears fall harder.
She was eighteen.
She knew exactly what happened when two adults were alone in a room.
“Is Jaeyoon’s girlfriend pretty? You must’ve seen her,”
her father asked, eyes full of curiosity.
It hit even harder—she was the only one in the house sad about his relationship.
“Of course I’ve seen her. He’s dating a girl just like himself. Quiet, pale…”
Hyerin had liked Jaeyoon because they were opposites.
But it turned out he liked someone just like him.
Knowing that, his rejection started to make even more sense.
Afraid her already-bruised heart might start bleeding if she heard anything more about his love life, she sped up her eating.
Then Hyungwon, with all the subtlety of a brick, looked straight at her and said,
“That’s why you should stop liking Jaeyoon now.”
How he managed to hit the sorest spot every time—he really was a sniper.
Hyerin shut her eyes tight. Tears rolled down, her jaw trembling.
She kept quiet, refusing to sob aloud, but when she finally spoke, her voice was nearly gone.
“Tell J-Jaeyoon oppa… c-congrats…”
Each broken, halting word told just how much she had cried.
Normally, she would’ve thrown her chopsticks at Hyungwon for saying something like that,
but she just sat there, crying in silence.
The dinner table fell still.
After crying for what felt like forever, Hyerin finally threw up everything she’d eaten that night—only then could she fall asleep.
—
It was the year she finally became an adult.
At 20, Hyerin dove into her first relationship.
Not because she’d moved on—but because she wanted to prove, even she could love someone else.
A sort of rebellion against herself.
But of course, a relationship started with that mindset quickly turned dull.
She couldn’t help comparing her new boyfriend to Jaeyoon, and that only made her miss him more.
She dumped the cute guy—who’d said he loved her to death—in less than a month.
Now, her only concern was news about Jaeyoon from Hyungwon’s mouth.
“Jaeyoon’s not getting taken advantage of, right? You better keep an eye on that girl. He’s too nice. She could use him.”
She rambled on with genuine worry, while Hyungwon, deep into his game, scoffed and said,
“You think Jaeyoon’s an idiot? And even if he is getting milked a bit—so what? That’s what people do when they’re in love. Give everything even when they know they shouldn’t.”
It was only when she got older that she learned Jaeyoon came from money.
His parents ran duty-free shops—a fact she hadn’t understood the weight of back then.
If she’d known the hair clips he gave her on her birthday were designer brands,
if she’d realized how different they were back then, maybe she would’ve seen her own smallness and fragility sooner.
He was good-looking, owned his own car and his own place, and was just 22.
Her self-confidence—once high as the sky—started to shake in the wind.
“…Is the girl he’s seeing now pretty?”
A question full of naked hope that the answer would be no.
Hyungwon snorted, amused.
“Oh, totally.”
He said it like it was obvious.
“She’s the goddess of the liberal arts college. You can’t compete. Super flirty, killer smile.”
“Tch… I get compliments too, okay? People say I’m pretty!”
“Please. In engineering, every girl’s considered pretty just for showing up.
In the army, even a grandma would get praised for just being a woman.”
Hyungwon had a gift—a real talent—for pissing people off.
With an annoyed face, he waved her away from behind where she stood.
“If you’ve got it, stop blabbering and get out. I need to focus for my promotion match.”
Hyerin glared at the back of his head, then suddenly swatted the top of it with her palm. A dull thud echoed through the room.
Startled by the unexpected hit, Hyungwon exhaled in surprise and turned around. But Hyerin was already fleeing out of the room.
“Hey, Joo Hyerin!”
Saying it was a promotion match didn’t seem to matter anymore; his face was full of frustration as he chased after her.
Hyerin, who’d often playfully hit his head when they were younger, was quick as a cat and darted into her room, hastily locking the door behind her.
True to form, it wasn’t long before heavy knocks and shouts came from the other side of the door.
“Hey! You’re not gonna open the door? Is this what you really wanted?”
“I swear, there was a fly!”
Hyerin answered as indifferently as she could, bracing her body against the door that was about to break from the force of his knocks. Just in case, she pressed the lock button with her thumb. The other side of the door suddenly grew quiet, and she wondered if he’d ruined his promotion match because of her. If he had, it wouldn’t be too surprising if he smashed the door in anger.
Then, she heard the faint sound of the front door opening. Her parents were on their 22nd wedding anniversary trip, so unless it was delivery food, no one should be coming home.
“Jung Jaeyoon? What are you doing here?”
Her curiosity got the better of her as she wondered why he was here without any notice. Just as she was about to dismiss the idea, Hyungwon’s voice came from the other side of the door, sounding smug and mocking. It was obvious that he was trying to lure her out with Jaeyoon as bait.
But then, Hyerin couldn’t resist the urge to peek. As soon as she cracked the door open to get a glimpse, a hand shot in, grabbing her by the nape of her neck and yanking her out of the room like a mole being pulled from the ground.
The moment she stepped out of her room, Hyerin’s eyes locked onto Jaeyoon’s. Before she could even greet him, a sharp pain spread from her neck to her ear.
“You’re always climbing up my back like this!”
“Ah, it hurts, it hurts!”
Hyungwon yanked her ear upward, and Hyerin squeezed her eyes shut, hopping from foot to foot.
“Why are you always tormenting the girl?”
Jaeyoon approached them with a tone similar to a kindergarten teacher breaking up a fight, grabbing Hyungwon’s wrist to stop him, and then giving Hyerin a silent greeting with his eyes. Even though they had seen each other just a week ago, a sense of joy washed over her as if they hadn’t met in ages. Hyungwon, after seemingly allowing Hyerin to go, directed the remaining tension towards Jaeyoon.
“She’s not a ‘girl.’ And besides, she’s the one who hit me in the back and ran off! I’m in the middle of my promotion match!”
“Oppa! What are you doing here?”
Both of the Joo siblings shouted at the same time, and Jaeyoon, wincing slightly as if his ears were ringing, looked around the house.
“Where are Aunt and Uncle?”
“They went on a trip for their wedding anniversary.”
Hyerin answered cheerfully and casually took the plastic bag from his hand. She had suspected it was chicken by the smell even before opening it, and indeed, it was.
“They’re so close. At this rate, I might end up with a younger sibling.”
As Hyerin set the table and spoke playfully, Hyungwon, who had already sat down, shook his head vigorously.
“That’s not gonna happen.”
“Why? You never know. Mom’s still not in menopause.”
“Dad had it tied up right after you were born.”
“Oh, so on Dad’s side, huh? Too bad.”
The sibling banter continued without much care, causing Jaeyoon to chuckle and sit down. The four-person table always had five chairs, a subtle reminder that Jaeyoon had often visited since childhood. Even after he started living alone, he would occasionally come over with late-night snacks. His apartment was only a 10-minute walk away.
“But, if a man gets that surgery, does he stop producing semen? Does his sex drive go down a bit too?”
Hyerin asked the question with innocent curiosity. She had wondered about it after thinking about how a man’s sexual desire is closely related to the desire to reproduce. At her question, Hyungwon grimaced at the food in front of him as if to signal that the conversation should end, while Jaeyoon chuckled and covered his mouth.
“Have I ever tried it? If you’re so curious, why don’t you ask your dad…?”
“No, there’s nothing different even if you do.”
Jaeyoon interrupted Hyungwon’s comment and made eye contact with Hyerin before answering her.
“Semen still comes out, and as for sex drive…”
Jaeyoon’s gaze seemed to drift for a moment as if recalling something.
“I don’t know if it goes down, though, it didn’t happen to me.”
Hyerin’s face instantly turned red at Jaeyoon’s words, her eyes blinking in shock. Hyungwon also looked at him with wide eyes as though hearing it for the first time.
“You… did it?”
With a casual gesture, Jaeyoon squeezed mustard sauce onto his food and nodded.
“Yeah.”
“…Why?”
“Hmm… well, it’s better to be safe. I don’t plan on having kids. I don’t think I’d be a good parent.”
At his matter-of-fact response, Hyungwon fell silent. Knowing Jaeyoon’s family background, he didn’t want to say anything more. Hyungwon, seeing that Hyerin was still mute after asking the question, nudged her foot under the table. Only then did Hyerin return to her usual expression, helping Jaeyoon squeeze the sauce.
“Seriously, if you’re going to buy something, you could’ve at least gotten beer too.”
Hyungwon mumbled as he took a bite from one of the two chicken drumsticks. He had a lot of complaints despite getting free food. Jaeyoon placed the remaining drumstick in Hyerin’s direction. He knew that if he left it, Hyungwon would end up eating both, so he offered one to her.
“No way. I’ll go get my car.”
“Where are you going?”
Hyungwon gave Jaeyoon a look from head to toe, then glanced at the coat draped over a chair, raising his eyebrows.
“Aha, a date?”
“Yeah.”
At those words, Hyerin, who had been chewing on a chicken leg, froze, her ears perked up. Now that she paid attention, she noticed that Jaeyoon smelled more strongly of cologne than usual. The rich scent of oil mixed with a refreshing citrus fragrance made her lose her appetite, even feeling a bit nauseous.
“By the way, it’s our last date.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“We broke up today.”
Hyerin swallowed hard, her jaw still moving mechanically as she chewed. It seemed like another relationship that didn’t last. The image she had of Jaeyoon was of someone who would date the same person forever and then get married, but for some reason, his relationships never lasted long. Hearing the breakup news just a week after hearing about his latest relationship wasn’t that surprising anymore.
“You little bastard. Can’t even stick with one person.”
Hyungwon shook his head, throwing the bare chicken bone aside. Hyerin, still holding her chicken leg, chewed slowly. Her jaw moved mechanically, but her taste had long faded. All her senses were focused on the conversation between the two men.
Usually, Hyerin would eagerly pry into Hyungwon’s love life, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to ask him directly. She was afraid that if she did, she might end up crying tonight too.
“I heard Hyerin’s dating someone too.”
At the sudden mention of her name, Hyerin raised her gaze and met Jaeyoon’s eyes. How long had he been watching her? A strange tension filled her, and she playfully scrunched her face up as she spoke.
“That’s so old news, we broke up a while ago.”
“Oh, I heard from Hyungwon yesterday…”
Jaeyoon blinked awkwardly and asked quietly, “Why did you break up?”
Hyerin lowered her eyes and glanced at his face. His long, thick eyelashes cast shadows beneath his eyes, creating an almost decadent atmosphere. Was it this new side of him that made her heart flutter again? She realized how simple and predictable her feelings were—whenever her optic nerves processed his image, her heart rate increased. It was a pattern she couldn’t deny.
“You know, right, oppa?” she asked with a mischievous grin.
“Well… I’m just really curious.”
“Tch, how many times do I have to say it? I like you, okay? But being dumped is still being dumped, and whether I move on or not is up to me. I thought maybe things would be different if I started dating, but it didn’t work out. I’m just tired of it. I need to find a guy better looking than you, that’s all.”
She was always straightforward with her emotions. Her casual tone made Jaeyoon smile softly, though that smile was one she both liked and hated. It was the same reaction he always had, like she was cute, no matter what she said—an expression she’d seen countless times since childhood.
“She’s got no pride, no modesty… You think she’d get married like that?”
Hyungwon let out a dramatic sigh and spoke, and Hyerin rolled her eyes in disbelief, clicking her tongue.
“Am I the problem here? I’m not single anymore, you know. What about you? You’ve eaten more bowls of rice than me, but you still haven’t had a relationship.”
“I’m not incapable, I just don’t do it. I’m waiting for my soulmate, not some loose woman.”
“Oh, yeah? Keep waiting for your soulmate and end up alone, then.”
“Is that really something you should be saying?”
“Well, I guess I’ll be the one to grow old alone.”
Hyerin sighed heavily, wiping her hands covered in batter. She looked between the two men, her gaze flicking back and forth. Hyungwon, despite his rough appearance, was unexpectedly a romantic, while Jaeyoon, who seemed like he belonged in a shoujo manga, was someone who had casual relationships. The weirdest part was that these two, who seemed so different, were friends.
“Just break up already. Aren’t you two fighting over something?”
Her love was as persistent as their friendship. If Hyungwon hadn’t made Jaeyoon his friend when they were kids, she would have never fallen into this obsessive and self-destructive love.
So, it was all Hyungwon’s fault.
“Joo Hyungwon, you’re no help in my life, seriously.”
“What? Why are you starting a fight all of a sudden?!”
Hyungwon protested loudly, but Hyerin calmly shifted her gaze to Jaeyoon, meeting his eyes.
“I’m just saying this because I’m exhausted from my one-sided love. If you’re not going to accept me, at least cooperate.”
“Cooperate?”
“Yeah. Don’t smile in front of me, don’t give up your chicken legs, don’t smell so good, don’t be so handsome, don’t even breathe…”
As she kept going, she realized she was asking for the impossible. The conditions under which she would stop liking him were so difficult, almost impossible.
“Just don’t exist, okay?”
It was, in fact, close to an impossible request.
