Episode 9

by Han Yong-un

Even after Dae-cheol left, Sun-young sat there blankly for a while.

Then suddenly coming to her senses, she counted the bar tab she had only calculated in her mind earlier.

And then she carefully paid with her own money.

After finishing everything, she lay down to sleep—but—

she couldn't fall asleep at all.

Sun-young's mind was completely filled with thoughts of Dae-cheol.

Clearly, Dae-cheol had left as if he was hurt at the end.

But she couldn't understand the reason.

‘What did I do wrong…?’

Sun-young tried to recall everything step by step from the beginning.

But no matter how much she thought about it, it seemed like she hadn't done anything seriously wrong.

Perhaps—

for a woman in a situation like hers, she should have prepared better side dishes and served better drinks, like foreign liquor instead of ordinary alcohol?

She thought about that too.

But given her circumstances, that wasn't possible, and Dae-cheol didn't seem like the type to care about such things.

Or maybe people like athletes are different from ordinary people and have special etiquette or ways of hosting?

Could it be that she made a mistake because she didn't know such things?

But that also didn't seem to be the case.

The gathering today wasn't a formal occasion.

Dae-cheol also wasn't the type to get upset over trivial matters.

Then—

did he really come to dislike her as a person?

At that thought, Sun-young's heart sank.

But that was also hard to believe.

Since she first got to know Dae-cheol, Sun-young had certainly had uneasy thoughts in her heart.

Still, until now, Dae-cheol's tone, expressions, actions…

in all of that, there was never a hint of displeasure towards her.

On the contrary—

he seemed to like her.

Sun-young felt that.

No, from a certain moment, she was almost certain of it.

There was definitely a feeling directed towards himself in Dae-cheol's gaze.

It was clear enough to be heard with the ears and confirmed with the eyes.

It was hard to believe that such a person would suddenly change their mind.

If that were the case, the only thing that came to mind in the end was one thing.

The moment Dae-cheol suddenly sighed while drinking.

As if he were someone with some desperate circumstances, his appearance was weakly speaking.

‘Could it be… because of that matter?’

Sun-young shifted in her seat.

If Dae-cheol had a difficult situation—

It felt like it was something that would soon relate to her as well.

Even if that problem wasn't directly because of her, if it was something that caused Dae-cheol pain, it would inevitably affect the future of both of them.

In other words—

Even in achieving her wish of marrying Dae-cheol.

That thought made her heart heavy.

If it was something she could solve with her own strength—

Sun-young really wanted to help Dae-cheol, even if it meant giving up half of herself.

However, there were things in the world that couldn't be resolved just by will alone.

If Dae-cheol's situation was something she couldn't possibly handle on her own—

What should she do then?

Sun-young looked up at the ceiling.

But soon, she comforted herself.

How many couples in the world endure difficult times together, living side by side?

Then wouldn't it be enough for her to endure alongside Dae-cheol as well?

However—

That was a story for after they got married.

The real issue was whether Dae-cheol truly had the intention to marry her.

In his words earlier, there was definitely some distance.

‘I am not worthy.’

That phrase lingered in her heart.

Sun-young felt her eyes grow warm for no reason.

Then suddenly, she changed her thoughts.

‘No…’

Perhaps Dae-cheol was just sighing for no reason under the influence of alcohol.

Even if he had worries, they could have simply been issues related to life or business difficulties.

For someone like Dae-cheol, it could have been a moment of distress due to not being able to carry out something significant as he intended.

In that case—

Doesn't that mean Dae-cheol is a person with great aspirations?

Thinking this way, Sun-young felt a little more at ease.

And before she knew it, feelings of respect and affection for Dae-cheol surged in her heart again.

That night.

Sun-young was lost in a daydream that was neither sleep nor a dream.

Unaware of the dawn breaking.

The next morning.

Even though Sun-young had almost stayed up all night, strangely, her body was not tired.

Rather, a corner of her heart was fluttering.

Whenever she closed her eyes, Dae-cheol's face from the previous night came to mind.

The way he held the glass.

The gaze that looked at her.

And finally, the face that quietly sighed.

All of that kept swirling in her head.

But at the same time, there was anxiety.

‘What if he doesn’t come again…’

Every time that thought crossed her mind, her heart sank.

Sun-young found herself looking at the door for no reason and listening intently to the sounds outside.

Even the sound of someone climbing the stairs made her heart race.

Then she forced a wry smile at herself.

‘Why am I like this…’

Just a few days ago, she never imagined her life would change like this.

Living had always been the same.

Receiving customers, laughing, catering to their whims, and enduring the day.

That was all there was.

But since meeting Dae-cheol—

Everything changed.

At first, she thought he was just a strange person.

He didn’t behave in a vulgar way like other customers, nor did he force a laugh.

He treated Sun-young like a person.

It was already a sufficiently unfamiliar thing.

But now it was different.

Now, Sun-young was only waiting for Dae-cheol to arrive.

What he would say.

What kind of expression he would have when he looked at her.

Even those trivial things weighed on her mind.

Sun-young slowly touched her face with the back of her hand.

‘Really… am I that pretty?’

Thinking that, her face became hot again.

Of course, she didn’t think that everything Dae-cheol said was sincere.

But at least it wasn’t just empty words.

She knew that instinctively as a woman.

Dae-cheol was looking at her.

Really.

Thinking that made her heart swell for no reason.

Then suddenly, reality came to mind.

She was a woman from a gisaeng house.

She was not in a position to stand side by side with someone like Dae-cheol.

Sun-young suddenly looked at the mirror.

Her makeup was still on, not yet removed.

Her face, disheveled from the night, looked tired, and there were faint shadows around her eyes.

Yet strangely, today her face did not seem unfamiliar.

As if—

She looked like a woman who could be loved by someone.

Sun-young stared at her reflection in the mirror for a long time.

And she murmured very quietly.

“Really… could that be possible…”

No one heard those words.

But within her heart, a single wish was already growing bigger.

A life living with Dae-cheol.

That ordinary yet seemingly impossible dream—

was now shaking Sun-young’s entire day.