The unexpected side
789 Words
Chapter Three
An Unexpected Side
The next afternoon, Ha-eun stood outside a small café near the university, staring at her phone.
2:57 p.m.
Their meeting time was three.
For once, she had arrived early.
She looked through the glass window.
Seo-jun wasn't there.
“Of course,” she muttered.
Three minutes passed.
Then five.
At exactly 3:08, a familiar voice came from behind her.
“You're early.”
Ha-eun turned around.
Seo-jun stood there with a backpack over one shoulder.
“You're late.”
“By eight minutes.”
“Late is late.”
He looked at his watch.
“Then I apologize.”
Ha-eun blinked.
She hadn't expected an apology.
“Okay.”
He opened the café door.
“Are we going inside?”
She followed him.
They found a table near the window and opened their laptops.
For the next hour, they worked quietly.
It was strange.
Seo-jun wasn't arguing with her.
He wasn't making sarcastic comments.
He was simply focused on the project.
Ha-eun watched him for a moment.
“You're surprisingly serious about this.”
He didn't look up.
“I'm serious about everything that matters.”
She smiled slightly.
“That sounds like something a dramatic movie character would say.”
He finally looked at her.
“You watch too many movies.”
“And you don't watch enough.”
“Probably.”
Ha-eun laughed before she could stop herself.
Seo-jun stared at her.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You're staring.”
“You laughed.”
“So?”
“I didn't know you could.”
She frowned.
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
He returned to his laptop.
Ha-eun narrowed her eyes.
“You're strange.”
“And you're curious.”
“I am not.”
“You are.”
Before she could respond, her phone buzzed.
It was her mother.
Ha-eun answered quietly.
“Hello?”
Her mother's voice came through.
“Are you coming home late again?”
“I have a project.”
“With who?”
“My partner.”
There was a pause.
“Male or female?”
Ha-eun glanced across the table.
Seo-jun was pretending not to listen.
“Male.”
Her mother's voice immediately became interested.
“Is he nice?”
Ha-eun almost choked.
“Mom!”
Seo-jun looked up.
Ha-eun covered the microphone.
“Don't listen.”
“I wasn't.”
“You definitely were.”
He smiled.
She turned away and continued the call.
When she finally hung up, Seo-jun raised an eyebrow.
“Your mother sounds interesting.”
“Don't start.”
“I didn't say anything.”
“You were about to.”
He smiled again.
Ha-eun hated how easily he could make her lose her patience.
A few minutes later, she noticed Seo-jun checking his phone repeatedly.
His expression changed.
The relaxed look disappeared.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
He locked his phone.
“Fine.”
“You don't look fine.”
“I said I'm fine.”
His voice was colder this time.
Ha-eun immediately stopped asking.
They continued working.
But something felt different.
Later, when they left the café, Ha-eun noticed a black car waiting across the street.
A man in a suit stepped out.
“Mr. Han.”
Seo-jun stopped.
The man's expression was serious.
“You need to come home.”
Seo-jun's jaw tightened.
“Not now.”
“Your father asked for you.”
Ha-eun looked between them.
Seo-jun noticed.
“Go home, Ha-eun.”
She frowned.
“Excuse me?”
“I'll finish the rest of the project tonight.”
“You're dismissing me?”
“No. I'm asking you to go.”
His voice wasn't rude.
It sounded tired.
Ha-eun hesitated.
Then she nodded.
“Fine.”
She turned and walked away.
After a few steps, she looked back.
Seo-jun was standing beside the car, staring at the ground.
For the first time, Ha-eun didn't see the arrogant guy from the classroom.
She saw someone who looked lonely.
She didn't know why that bothered her.
She didn't know why she kept thinking about him on the way home.
And she definitely didn't know why, when her phone buzzed later that night, her heart skipped when she saw his name.
Han Seo-jun:
Thanks for today.
Ha-eun stared at the message.
She typed a reply.
Deleted it.
Typed another.
Deleted that too.
Finally, she sent:
Yoon Ha-eun:
Don't be late tomorrow.
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
A moment later, another message arrived.
Han Seo-jun:
I'll try.
Ha-eun smiled.
Then immediately stopped herself.
“No.”
She put her phone down.
“I am not starting to like him.”
But somewhere deep inside, she wasn't completely sure anymore.
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