Chapter 50.2

Chapter 50.2

Is this a dream? Kim Seok-kyung is kneeling in front of me, putting on my shoes.

Ara blinked her large eyes repeatedly. The sight of Seok-kyung’s knee touching the floor felt surreal.

But no matter how many times she closed and opened her eyes, this dream-like reality did not change. Instead, she was increasingly aware of Seok-kyung’s fingers moving around her ankle.

“Kim Seok-kyung. I can do it myself, it’s okay…”

“Left foot.”

Seok-kyung cut off Ara’s request before she could finish.

With no choice, Ara obediently extended her left foot as well. Every time his warm fingers brushed over her delicate heel, they left a mark like a brand. Each touch sent a tingling current from the back of her neck down to the base of her spine.

“Get up and walk.”

Ara, who had been stiffly gripping the empty sofa floor, finally felt liberated from the strange tension upon hearing those words.

She stood up and wandered around the store. She even stood in front of a full-length mirror to check her reflection.

“Do you like it?”

Seok-kyung, who had dusted off his knees and stood up, asked.

“Yes.”

Ara nodded, her soft cheeks flushed with a rosy smile.

“Your boyfriend is really kind.”

The store employee, who had been watching the scene with delight, chimed in. Seol-do, who had been fiddling with her smartphone, could no longer hold back and burst into laughter.

“……Huh?”

But Ara furrowed her brows slightly and tilted her head. Instinctively, she turned to look at Seok-kyung.

In her eyes, two conflicting emotions swirled in an instant.

Why did she always get misunderstood like this whenever she went shopping? That sense of injustice was half of it. The other half was curiosity about how Seok-kyung would respond.

Would he play along and pretend to be a happy couple like he did with the vegetable store grandmother? Or would he deny it outright, saying it was nonsense and that they weren’t in that kind of relationship?

“Please pay for everything I’ve taken out. Discard the ones I reported.”

The answer was neither.

Seok-kyung pulled out his wallet from the inside pocket of his jacket and handed over a card.

That was all. There was no accompanying judgment of right or wrong, no value assessment attached to it.

“Understood.

The staff member received the card with a polite demeanor.

Ara turned around, trying to maintain a calm appearance as she gathered her belongings set aside. However, as she realized that the emotion she was feeling was a kind of disappointment, an uncontrollable embarrassment surged to the top of her head.

What was she even expecting?

“I’m going to the restroom for a moment.”

As soon as the payment was completed, Ara hurriedly handed her bags over to Seol-do and quickly made her way out.

It was silly, but she didn’t want to reveal her foolish expression.

At least not to one person—Seok-kyung.

***

The sound of water splashing filled the restroom.

As Ara dried her hands, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. A deep, long sigh escaped her lips.

“Do you like it?”

Was the voice that asked so kindly a source of misunderstanding?

“Your boyfriend is really kind.”

What kind of response had she expected to that?

Caught up in emotions she couldn’t even understand, Ara furrowed her brows. The confusion she had never experienced before felt like a heavy rock resting on her chest.

“How shameless. What were you expecting?”

Ara glared at her reflection in the mirror, deliberately furrowing her brows and tightening her lips.

“Get a grip. You came here not to have fun, Na Ara.”

The two versions of herself, one inside the mirror and one outside, echoed Seok-kyung’s cold warning like a spell.

“Ten billion. Just think about ten billion.”

Reassured by her own mantra, Ara shook off her wet hands and squared her shoulders. It was just that the grumpy goblin had played a trick on her, making her momentarily forget her situation. She brainwashed herself with that thought.

As Ara turned the corner toward the store, she was suddenly pushed hard on the shoulder.

“Ugh…!”

She lost her balance and stumbled for a moment.

Fortunately, someone’s arm caught her as she leaned to one side. The eco bag she was carrying swung violently before coming to a stop.

Startled, Ara leaned against the arm of the person she didn’t know, trying to regain her posture. Just as she turned her head to see the person’s face, the voice apologizing awkwardly broke off.

“Ara?”

It was a voice she recognized well, but one she had never imagined hearing in this place.

“Suho?”

The owner of the arm that had caught her was indeed Yoon Suho.