Speak of The Devil Chapter 36

He had behaved so badly, made me cry, and suddenly, he became weak in the face of my tears. Jung Yiyeon’s actions were puzzling. Despite my attempts to attribute meaning to his behavior and having had a big fight before, I couldn’t gather my thoughts.

Certainly, there was lingering dissatisfaction in my heart. It was resentment towards him who had hurt me. After behaving so badly and making someone cry, his sudden vulnerability to my tears was strange. Even though I had forcefully put him in a difficult position, the compassionate actions he showed afterward left me feeling both confused and moved.

After quitting the company, I found myself daydreaming about the sweet afterglow I had never felt despite multiple encounters with Jung Yiyeon. I absentmindedly remembered the gentle exchange of kisses, with soft lips nibbling and entwining tongues. I wished to keep kissing him like that. While thinking that Jung Yiyeon should come out of the bathroom and kiss me again, I unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

And that’s how I woke up in the current situation.

“Ah….”

I groaned softly as I got up from the bed. Amidst the refreshing feeling, there was a dull ache in my lower body. However, it was undoubtedly a different sensation from before. It was a kind of lethargic aftermath.

After taking a shower, I left the residence. Despite wanting to organize my thoughts, my mind was empty, and I couldn’t gather my thoughts. It was as calm as a serene lake.

Perhaps due to the rain the day before, the sky was exceptionally clear. It was a pleasantly warm summer day, and my heart felt strangely gentle, despite the scorching sunlight. I felt buoyant.

Feeling hungry on my way home, I entered a cafe and had a sandwich. It was a light and enjoyable meal with a lot of lettuce and tomatoes, accompanied by an Americano.

Feeling the pleasant fullness, I returned home until a moment ago, feeling somewhat numb and floating in the air. However, the moment I entered the house and faced the traces of the previous day, a sudden wave of reality hit me like a ton of bricks.

It was because I had lost my mind with Seo Jaeoh.

The first emotion that struck me was embarrassment. Thinking about Jaeoh, who confessed his true feelings to me while being drunk, made me lose my appetite.

Being the person who could best understand the pain of confessing and being rejected after observing someone you like, it made sense that I couldn’t accept his feelings. However, knowing I couldn’t accept them made me feel even more sorry for him. But because I couldn’t accept, I knew I had to be even more indifferent to him.

Now was the time to truly break away. Having that thought, when I returned home, I suddenly felt a surge of reality as I faced the remnants of Jaeoh.

He had been the one protecting me during the messy two months, and his belongings were still in the house.

Items like toothbrushes were discarded into the trash without hesitation. I neatly arranged the clothes and shoes he left behind, putting them in a bag and storing them in the closet. Then, I thoroughly cleaned the house.

I dropped my bedding, sheets, and pillowcases at the coin laundry and did my laundry. I dusted off accumulated dust, swept and mopped the floors. I took the opportunity to clean the bathroom and kitchen as well. I went so far as to clean out the refrigerator, disposing of everything, including the side dishes Jaeoh had bought.

While cleaning, I didn’t have any distracting thoughts, which was pleasant. Not about Seo Jaeoh, nor even thoughts about Jung Yiyeon. I wondered why Jung Yiyeon’s attitude suddenly changed, but for some reason, I wasn’t as troubled as before. On the contrary, I felt a bit uplifted.

Today, I was strangely calm to the point of being peaceful. I didn’t realize that silence could be boring. After cleaning, taking a short break to read a book, and having dinner, I went to bed without even drinking a can of beer. I could fall asleep before midnight while watching TV.

Jung Yiyeon soothing me, advising me not to cry, wrapping my cheek and pouring sweet kisses. Locked in those memories, my heart fluttered with a sense that something was changing.

***

Due to sleeping early at night, I woke up early in the morning as well. I was surprised myself. It was puzzling to think that I had slept so well, given that I had been unable to sleep no matter how much I tried, tossing and turning in agony until the sun rose.

After getting up in the morning and taking a shower, I felt hungry, so I prepared breakfast. Since I had thoroughly cleaned the fridge the day before, there was nothing to eat. I even thought about going grocery shopping.

That’s when my savings came to mind all of a sudden. After taking two months off, it was time to start working again if I didn’t want to touch my saved money. So, I turned on a job-searching website, but… It seemed like I wasn’t quite ready to start working again, as a heavy feeling settled in one corner of my mind.

Wouldn’t Jung Yiyeon come to mind more if I took a secretarial job? If someone called me a secretary again. Could I really do the job properly?

…Jung Yiyeon. The last kiss we shared kept coming to mind. It was a heart-fluttering kiss that made my heart pound. His voice and face as he comforted me not to cry… No, what on earth was Jung Yiyeon thinking? I wanted to know straightforwardly.

Should I suggest meeting tonight? Should I propose having a talk? If I meet him, will Jung Yiyeon open up to me completely? I hesitated because I was afraid of making things more complicated. On the other hand, I wondered if things could get worse by avoiding it here.

“Don’t make a sound. I don’t want to hear it.”

That phrase came to mind, and I shivered. A sense of humiliation and anger surged from within.

Of course… After that, he tried to comfort me not to cry. Still, he seemed to regret having treated me coldly. Otherwise, there was no way he would have embraced me so affectionately.

I should be preparing for job hunting. However, I couldn’t free myself from thoughts of Jung Yiyeon again. In reality, nothing had been resolved, and even though I felt a bit better, it wasn’t an improvement. My mood and condition had just slightly improved.

It was obvious that I couldn’t know what was on Jung Yiyeon’s mind by myself, but I couldn’t help but feel the urge to ask and couldn’t cut off my thoughts.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I usually ignored messages and calls intentionally, but this time, I couldn’t ignore it. It was a call from my older brother. Now that I think about it, it had been several months since he last visited.

“Uh, hyung.”

– How are you? Is it okay for me to call?

“Uh, yeah. It’s okay. I can take the call.”

My brother didn’t know that I had quit my job. Since I told him that he couldn’t come into the house, I didn’t want to worry him unnecessarily by mentioning anything.

– Work?

“Uh? No. I took a day off today.”

– What happened? I don’t think you’ve ever taken a day off. Are you feeling sick?

“No, no. The CEO said he’s taking a day off, so I decided to take a break too. How have you been, hyung?”

– Oh, I’m doing well. Is everything okay at home?

There were times when my brother was surprisingly perceptive. Maybe he sensed something was wrong or wanted to know if there was any pain or trouble. Anyway, since I was quite adept at lying, I smoothly replied.

“Nothing’s wrong. I’m doing fine. When are you coming home?”

– It might take a few more weeks. I sent a package to the house, so receive it.

“What is it?”

– Meat.

“Meat?”

– Yeah. Grill it and eat. Take care of your meals.

Ion’s words touched my heart. Despite my age, it was something unexpected that someone took care of me like this even when I was in another city. I had never asked my brother how he was doing until now.

“…Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

– Yeah. If anything happens, let me know.

After brief words, my brother hung up. Still, I was moved by the caring sentiment he showed. Perhaps because I had spent two messy months, feelings of guilt surfaced. I felt the determination to find a job quickly and successfully transition to a new one.

So, I diligently searched job sites. Thanks to my brother’s call, I didn’t think about Jung Yiyeon for a while. Time passed without me realizing it, and I focused only on my laptop. My eyes were tired, so I put on my glasses for the first time in a while.

While looking for a suitable place to submit my resume on the site, I heard the doorbell.

It seemed like the meat my brother sent had already arrived. Usually, when sending a package, don’t they usually contact you? Wasn’t it a delivery from a courier rather than my brother’s subordinate coming to my house with the items? With such thoughts, I opened the front door.

“…Huh…?”

I froze for a moment at the unexpected sight.

I doubted my eyes. If I hadn’t been so surprised that my body didn’t stiffen, I might have raised my hand to wipe my eyes.

“Secretary Lee.”

There was only one person who called me Secretary Lee.

“…Boss.”

There was only one person I called the boss.

The person standing in front of my house, holding the meat my brother sent, was not a courier but Jung Yiyeon. I was utterly surprised as I had never anticipated his appearance.