Lie Again! Chapter 49

<Chapter 49. Christmas commotion (3)> 

 

The peace talk Ruth had arranged came to an abrupt end when Joey stormed out. Needless to say, instead of mending things, the divide between the two only deepened.

 

Jin let out a sigh as she stared at the group chat, which had remained silent since the previous Monday.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Next to her, Evan—who had been staring into a limited-edition Christmas snow globe—asked.

 

The two of them had come to the holiday market as planned to celebrate Christmas Eve. Just as Evan had promised, the light-up event in the old town was a spectacular sight.

 

As the sun that had painted the sky red slipped below the horizon and darkness began to fall over the crowd, the countdown began.

 

3, 2, 1! As the excited voices of the travelers rang out, the white candles placed in front of the windows—meant to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus and guide lost travelers—transformed into tiny lights and began to glow.

 

Starting from the church perched on the cliff overlooking the sea, lights began to flicker on one by one, flowing down the steps that stretched below it in a continuous line.

 

Hundreds of thousands of white lights sparkled brilliantly, stretching all the way to the rows of street vendors. Reflected on the nearby surface of the water, the entire scene looked, from a distance, like an island made of light.

 

Everywhere she looked, it was a Christmas filled with joyful faces, families offering blessings to one another and couples beaming with happiness.

 

The bustling market, crowded with cheerful people, displayed all sorts of Christmas-themed goods—scarves, ornaments, mugs, and decorative figurines. Beside a large fountain that served as the town square, a giant Christmas tree stood glowing brightly.

 

It was the most Christmas-like Christmas Jin had ever experienced—aside from the warm weather and the complete lack of snowflakes.

 

But Jin couldn’t fully take in the breathtaking scene—her eyes kept drifting to her phone screen. After all, Christmas Eve was the day she had once promised to spend with the others.

 

They hadn’t been able to hang out over Thanksgiving, so there had been all sorts of plans for Christmas Eve—an amusement park, the beach, a trip downtown. But now, all of that felt meaningless. The group chat was silent, not a single word from anyone. Just dry, empty quiet.

 

“…No. It’s nothing.”

 

Jin shook her head and forced a small smile. There was no point in stressing over it now—nothing would be solved by overthinking, and besides, it wouldn’t be fair to Evan, who was right there with her.

 

Jin took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she pushed away the tangled thoughts in her mind.

 

It wasn’t long before, while browsing handmade gingerbread men at the market, Jin spotted a familiar face.

 

‘Where did I see that person?’

 

Jin frowned as she spotted a man in the distance shouting loudly about something. His voice echoed so powerfully inside the small tent that even those nearby were starting to shoot annoyed glances his way.

 

Tall and lean, with curly dark brown hair, thick eyebrows, and a prominent jawline—he was striking. Jin was certain she’d never met him before, yet somehow, his face felt familiar.

 

The man, who looked to be a college student, strolled through the market arm in arm with a woman, the two of them clearly enjoying a cheerful date. Despite not knowing him, the strange sense of familiarity tugged at Jin’s mind, and even as she pretended to browse the stalls, she kept sneaking glances at him.

 

She knew that face—she was certain she’d seen him before. But where?

 

And the moment the man opened his mouth in a wide laugh, realization struck Jin like a bolt of lightning.

 

The man was that boyfriend Joey constantly posted about on social media—almost every other day. Jin was sure of it, especially since a selfie of the two had been uploaded to Joey’s account just that morning. The way his mouth opened when he laughed—square and slightly stiff rather than wide and carefree—was exactly the same as in the photos.

 

‘Then who is that woman?’

 

Just as Jin narrowed her eyes and shifted her gaze to the woman, the couple swiftly exited the market. With a startled look, she glanced back and forth between Evan and the pair disappearing beyond the doorway.

 

What should I do? Should I follow them? Or contact Joey…? But what if they’re just close friends—or if it’s all a misunderstanding?

 

“Why are you so restless?”

 

At the sudden sound of a voice, Jin startled and turned his head. Evan, who had been admiring jars filled with handmade candies shaped like trees, Santas, and Rudolphs at the opposite counter, was staring intently at Jin.

 

“No, that’s, um. No, nothing.”

 

Jin stammered, mumbling a vague response. She didn’t see the point in bringing up something uncertain about someone else. It felt serious to her, but it was the kind of thing this boy wouldn’t care about at all.

 

‘I should just mind my own business.’

 

But Jin’s resolve to stay out of it quickly proved futile—she kept running into Joey’s boyfriend everywhere she went. His head kept popping up in the crowd, and no matter how hard she tried, her eyes were helplessly drawn in his direction. 

 

Even now.

 

While browsing mugs, Jin found herself staring intently at the man—his arm gently draped over the woman’s shoulder as he leaned in to whisper something in her ear. Her hand, still holding a mug, slowly lowered as she silently wondered, Is that the kind of physical affection you can have between just friends?

 

In the meantime, Jin didn’t notice the boy’s gaze at him.

 

“….”

 

Even though he was openly staring at her, Jin didn’t notice at all. Evan, who had been patiently tolerating how distracted she was during their date, let out a crooked smirk.

 

“Jin, what are you staring at all the time?”

 

“Oh! Sorry. There’s just… something that’s been bothering me…”

 

Only then did Jin finally turn her head toward Evan. But he could tell she was about to brush it off like it was nothing again, so he jerked his chin toward the other side of the market.

 

“Is that ugly guy bothering you?”

 

Caught staring, Jin looked at him with a flustered expression. If she were to judge by looks, Joey’s boyfriend was closer to being undeniably handsome, but Jin, being in the wrong, didn’t bother correcting that. Well, compared to Evan, he supposed he was ugly.

 

Evan’s smile deepened at Jin’s cautious, almost guilty demeanor. It was a charming smile—but laced throughout his expression was a chill sharp enough to frost over at any moment.

 

“You’ve got a strange taste, Jin. With me right next to you, that face is what’s got your attention?”

 

“No, no! That’s not it!”

 

Jin quickly shook her head, denying the ridiculous misunderstanding. After a brief hesitation, she gave Evan a short, summarized explanation about Amanda, Joey, and Joey’s boyfriend.

 

Joey and Amanda had a fight because of her boyfriend. And she’s pretty sure that guy over there is Joey’s boyfriend.

 

“Then why don’t you follow him?”

 

Evan sighed after hearing the whole story.

 

“…Is that okay?”

 

Jin carefully asked back at the unexpected suggestion.

 

“If you’re asking for my opinion, I couldn’t care less whether McCoy and Millen cut ties, or if McCoy’s boyfriend is cheating or having an affair. None of it matters to me.”

 

“….”

 

“You won’t be able to focus anyway, since it’s clearly bothering you. Go.”

 

Jin, who had been nervous about Joey, quickly nodded.

 

* * *

 

“Just asking—do friends kiss each other around here too?”

 

Hiding behind a low shrub near the fountain, Jin watched the two closely and asked the question. It was only a moment after Joey’s boyfriend led the woman into a dark corner and kissed her.

 

“…Do you think so?”

 

Evan, sitting next to Jin with a bored expression, responded with dry disbelief. Then, narrowing his eyes, he looked her over like he was suddenly questioning her entire set of values. Didn’t know you were that open-minded, he muttered under his breath.

 

It was a deeply unfair remark, at least from Jin’s perspective. By her standards, so many things the kids here did on a daily basis would never have been acceptable. She’d only asked because she was worried she might be judging things with an outdated or narrow mindset again. 

 

When Jin was about to protest to Evan.

 

“Jin.”

 

Jin jumped in shock at the sudden, unfamiliar voice. She barely managed to swallow the scream that almost escaped her mouth. Turning to her side, she saw Ruth, Dustin, and Amanda standing there.

 

“Guys!”

 

Jin whispered in relief, glad to see them. Around the time she and Evan had started trailing the man, Jin had contacted Ruth.

 

[I think Joey’s boyfriend might be cheating on her.]

 

That short, simple sentence was more than enough to bring Ruth and the others rushing over.

 

“Merry Christmas, Jin. It’s only a day away.”

 

Ruth greeted Jin and met Evan’s gaze, who was looking at him disapprovingly. Ruth raised his hand to him, but when he didn’t respond, he awkwardly lowered his arm.

 

“Is that him over there?”

 

Keeping his eyes fixed on the man, Ruth leaned in slightly closer to Jin and asked in a hushed whisper. 

 

At the same time, Jin smelled a faint floral scent coming from him. Jin sniffed at the scent that she had never smelled before from Ruth.

 

Perfume?

 

‘I think I’ve smelled it somewhere.’

 

The tickling sensation at the tip of her nose was clearly a floral women’s perfume.

 

Did he have a date today or something? His outfit was noticeably neater than usual… As Jin glanced over at Ruth, trying to place where she’d smelled that scent before, she began retracing her memories.

 

Whoosh.

 

Jin suddenly lost her balance when her arm was grabbed, and she fell to the ground.

 

“Ouch.”

 

Jin suddenly looked at Evan, the culprit who had grabbed her arm.

 

“Back off.”

 

Evan pulled Jin towards him again and smiled prettily at Ruth. However, he couldn’t hide his cold glare, and the cold air dripped down.

 

Ruth held up both palms and immediately took a step away from Jin.

 

“But why is Butterfield here?”

 

“You clueless brat.”

 

Dustin, who was watching everything from a few steps behind, whispered to Amanda. She looked at Dustin with pitiful eyes and clicked her tongue.