Lie Again! Chapter 43

<Chapter 43. On the fence (3)>

 

Suddenly receiving unexpected scolding, Ruth raised both hands as if to assert his innocence.

 

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down. Jin and I aren’t the kind of people you think we are. Right, Jin?”

 

“Say something,” Ruth said, pressing close to Jin and grabbing her elbow, shaking it gently.

 

But before Jin could even speak, Evan frowned and took a step forward, grabbing Jin’s forearm and pulling her toward himself.

 

The distance between Jin and Ruth suddenly widened, with the door standing between them.

 

“If you’re not in that kind of relationship, then you can leave now. Goodbye.”

 

Evan lifted the corners of his mouth in a smile and let go of the door without even waiting for Ruth’s response. Through the narrowing gap of the slowly closing door, Ruth hastily called out to Jin.

 

“Hey, Jin! Don’t forget what I asked you earlier! Got it?”

 

Thud. The door closed.

 

“What did he ask you for?”

 

With a sly grin, Evan asked Jin. Though his lips curled up in a smile, there was a noticeable hint of irritation in his expression.

 

However, Jin, who was upset that no excuses worked, just sighed deeply without noticing Evan.

 

“Didn’t we decide to keep it a secret?”

 

“If rumors start spreading, it’ll all be Evan Ruth’s fault, so we just need to make sure he keeps his mouth shut.”

 

Jin shook her head as she looked at Evan, who shamelessly blamed Ruth. Maybe he really had come to hang out with Ivy—several half-finished board games were scattered across the living room table.  

 

“Ivy and Riley?”

 

“They went to the mart to buy a turkey.”

 

“…You were waiting in an empty house?”

 

Jin asked in disbelief, “What did Riley see in him to leave the house in his care?” Evan just shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Jin, do I look like a thief?”

 

He definitely had the look of someone from a wealthy family—someone who wouldn’t be greedy over possessions and would probably get bored and toss things away after using them just once.

 

“Someone came to watch the house, so I’ll be heading out now.”

 

“You’re going?”

 

Jin muttered in bewilderment as she watched him pass by and head toward the door. There was no trace of regret in his brisk walk.

 

Then why did you come here? Did you really come to play with Ivy?

 

Jin barely held back the urge to burst out.

 

She didn’t want to lay her raw feelings bare, it would bruise her pride. After all, she was already feeling completely tossed around by Evan Butterfield; she didn’t want to get swept away any further here.

 

To Jin, their relationship felt like a scale already tipped to one side. The more time she spent with him, the more her heart—and her hopes—kept swelling. Sometimes, it even scared her. What if these feelings were hers alone?

 

Their scale only balanced when Jin pretended not to care. If she added even a little more weight, the game of balance with Evan would tip for good—and she would be left looking up at him forever.

 

‘Did you see my text?’

 

For that reason, instead of saying something honest and childish to Evan, Jin threw silent questions at his back as he walked away.

 

Really, are we going to keep going like this?

 

“Oh, it’s Thanksgiving.”

 

As if he had somehow heard Jin’s inner thoughts, Evan paused while opening the door, then turned around and began to speak. Startled by his sudden voice, Jin held her breath and waited in silence for what he would say next.

 

“Evan Ruth said he was coming. Have fun. Have a nice vacation.”

 

Thud. The door shut without a trace of hesitation.

 

* * *

 

The soft, well-boiled potatoes were crushed between the forks, losing their shape. It was a strangely powerful fork.

 

Jin was cooking with a simmering fury, someone’s face vivid in her mind. It was supposed to be a relaxing Thanksgiving break, but the face of the one who had tangled up her thoughts all week was now plastered onto the mashed potato—mercilessly crushed with each stab of her fork.

 

‘Have fun? Have a nice vacation?’

 

Ruth had repeatedly emphasized that the butter should be added in small portions and mixed gradually—but Jin, distracted and irritated, dumped the whole thing onto the mashed potatoes in one go.

 

‘After saying all that, and then not contacting me at all?’

 

Butter and potatoes were vigorously stirred inside the bowl. Because they were poured all at once, the ingredients didn’t blend properly and ended up a messy jumble. Still, this level of mistake was considered quite mild in this kitchen.

 

“Ah! Riley! Turn down the heat, turn it down!”

 

“If you turn it up high, won’t it cook faster?”

 

“The sweet potatoes will burn!”

 

“Ivy, stop! Stop adding sugar! Are we going to eat cranberry sauce or sugar sauce?”

 

Amid the crackling flames and mysterious powders rising into the air, Ruth dashed between the three women in the chaotic kitchen, trying to salvage the steadily failing dishes.

 

From the early morning of Thanksgiving Day, the guests who came to this house barely had a moment to sit down, constantly moving around until their feet were sweaty.

 

The kitchen situation was too serious to just sit quietly and expect to be served as a guest. At this rate, the only thing worth eating for dinner would be the pumpkin pie he had baked at home.

 

Ruth had boldly rolled up his sleeves to help with the cooking, but he broke out in a cold sweat at the unexpectedly serious lack of skill displayed by the women in the house.

 

Riley seemed to firmly believe that throwing all the ingredients in and putting them on the stove would magically finish the dish, while Ivy’s clumsiness was on another level. If you looked away for even a moment, she’d pour everything into the pot, making it impossible to take your eyes off her.

 

The only person she could somewhat trust was her friend, but even Jin seemed lost in thought somewhere, mashing the food absentmindedly. However, Ruth didn’t have the mental energy to cover for her all the way there, so she deliberately looked away, pretending not to notice.

 

“Freckle, no!”

 

Right now, she was too busy gently shooing away a black cat that stealthily prowled between the plates, eyeing the food. Mashed potatoes are supposed to be eaten crushed anyway, so they’d probably taste good. Maybe…

 

Jin, who had been furiously mashing with the spatula, suddenly slumped her shoulders—completely unaware of Ruth’s growing distress.

 

It had been the same pattern for the past few days. Anger, gloom, resignation, and then anger again.

 

When Evan unexpectedly opened the front door, when he pulled her away from Ruth, when he kicked Ruth out without a second thought—

 

She pretended to be indifferent, acted like she was troubled—but deep down in Jin’s honest heart, a feeling not unlike excitement was quietly spreading.

 

Because it seemed like that Evan Butterfield was jealous. And that felt like proof—like a sign that there was something special between them.

 

It was a ticklish feeling, like butterflies fluttering in her stomach and her toes lifting lightly off the ground.

 

But before Jin’s heart could fully swell, Evan smiled sweetly and pricked it with a needle. The balloon popped with a bang, leaving Jin dazed. She felt empty and embarrassed, as if her secretly inflated feelings had been exposed.

 

Doesn’t it matter if I’m with someone else?

 

From the first day of Thanksgiving break until now, Jin hadn’t sent a single text to Evan. Every time she thought about reaching out, her embarrassment and hurt feelings got in the way.

 

Evan hadn’t reached out either. The complete silence from her phone notifications only made Jin feel more unsure of herself.

 

‘What on earth is our relationship?’

 

And after the cycle of anger, depression, and resignation, all his thoughts ended with the question, ‘What on earth is our relationship?’ They texted each other, but acted distant in front of others. They went on dates, but never crossed the line into anything more intimate.

 

Somehow, it was easier on her heart when she fought with him and they drifted apart. Though the mood was heavy, at least it wasn’t this confusingly vague.

 

She was the one who sent the text telling him to mind his own business, yet ironically, she was the one who spent the whole week dwelling on it.

 

Isn’t this how she ended up falling into a trap she set for herself? Her mood was a complete mess, swinging back and forth, no different from the mashed potatoes she had made.

 

‘…Nothing goes my way, neither the cooking nor my feelings.’

 

Staring gloomily at the lump of buttered potato, Jin sighed, weighed down once again by the sadness threatening to drag her down.

 

“What’s wrong, Jin?”

 

Just as Jin resumed her listless stirring, a light voice came from nearby. It was Ivy, who had slyly left all the cranberry sauce duties to Ruth while wandering around the kitchen.

 

“Ivy… it just feels like nothing is going right.”

 

“I’ll taste it for you.”

 

Seeing Jin smile weakly, the little lady who had brought a footstool carefully examined the potatoes on the counter, tasted them, and gave her approval.

 

“Don’t worry, Jin. Compared to my mom’s puree, this is really delicious.”

 

Jin burst out laughing at Ivy’s serious expression. All the things that had felt like a mess just moments ago suddenly felt a little less heavy.

 

“That’s a relief. Ivy, can you help me mix in the milk? I’ll pour it slowly, and you just stir. Be careful, it’s hot.”

 

“Mhm.” 

 

Jin carefully poured the warmed milk over the lump of potatoes. The mashed potatoes that she and Ivy had been working on together looked much more realistic than before.

 

The butter, clumped together in the warmly heated milk, melted and seeped between the potatoes. Ivy and Jin high-fived after tasting the finished dish.

 

“I think my friend would like this.”

 

“Friend?”

 

“Mhm. I have a friend coming over tonight.”

 

Jin tilted her head in puzzlement at Ivy’s story about her friend, which she hadn’t even heard from Riley.

 

“What kind of friend is he?”

 

“He’s handsome. He’s really handsome. Jin would like him too.”

 

Ivy’s face grew serious as she spoke. Imagining a handsome little guy, Jin let out a small chuckle.

 

“I’m looking forward to it.”