My Ex-Girlfriend Regrets Dumping Me

17 – Regrets (2)

“Is it because of what happened at lunch today?”

Hyun wanted to say no, but no words came out.

No. Hyeon-jeong already had a shining gaze that wouldn’t believe her.

She flushed with shame and heat on her face, not from the alcohol but from embarrassment.

“How far did you see?”

Did she even see her crying on the ground?

If so, she was too embarrassed and even wanted to run away from the place.

How could she drink while facing Hyeon-jeong’s face?

“I guess it’s true?”

“Yeah. So, how far did you see?”

“Even when you were clinging to his arm? There was another girl next to him. I thought it was some kind of street drama at first.”

“…Is that it?”

“Yeah. Then the signal changed, so I just left.”

At least that was a relief.

She didn’t show her most embarrassing side to her.

Well, if she had seen the scene, Hyeon-jeong probably would have come running to Hyun, worrying about her personality.

But embarrassment wasn’t something that could easily pass.

Hyun felt like burying her head in the table and hiding right now.

“So? Who’s that guy?”

“…Sigh.”

Should she say it or not?

Hyun repeated her thoughts.

…But with Hyeon-jeong, it might be okay.

Hyun-jeong didn’t seem to take the matter lightly in Hayeon’s eyes.

And because she liked herself, she was not someone to spread rumors.

Hayeon also wanted to confide in someone about the current situation because she was a person.

Then, the stuffy and gloomy feeling would at least get a little better.

Since Hyun-jeong had consulted her countless times about her love stories, Hayeon felt like she could talk about this much too.

“… My ex-boyfriend.”

“What?”

“That person. My ex-boyfriend.”

At Hayeon’s confession, Hyun-jeong’s eyes widened.

She hadn’t told Hyun-jeong this story in the first place.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Looking at Hayeon with eyes that seemed to express disbelief, Hyun-jeong said to Hayeon as if she were disappointed.

“You never told me about this before. I’m really disappointed.”

“Why do you need to talk about your ex-boyfriend to me?”

“… But I told you a lot, didn’t I?”

Hearing a lot about Hyun-jeong’s ex-boyfriend story, Hayeon didn’t have much to say.

She didn’t need to tell her story just because Hyun-jeong did.

“Well, that’s that. But why were you acting like that? About your ex-boyfriend.”

“Well, where should I start… So…”

Eventually, swept up in the mood, Hayeon confided her story to Hyun-jeong.

Of course, she omitted the story about the terminal illness that Hyun-jeong didn’t need to know.

From breaking up with Geon-yul two years ago to what happened at lunch today.

“So. You’re talking about wanting to meet your ex-boyfriend who you dumped?”

“Something like that.”

Hyun-jeong burst into laughter at Hayeon’s confession and quickly drank a glass of soju.

Then, with a flushed face, she said to Hayeon.

“Heh. Hayeon, I thought you were a nice person, but you’re actually worse than I thought. I couldn’t imagine. That you’re this kind of girlfriend.”

“…So, are you disappointed?”

Hayeon felt like she shouldn’t have said anything if she was going to hear that.

She cherished having at least one friend in her limited human relationships.

She also had a fear of disappointing Hyunjung.

“No, it’s actually good, isn’t it? I like that you’re honest and shameless. It’s better than pretending to be a victim for no reason.”

Hyunjung laughed and looked at Ha-yeon.

Ha-yeon envied Hyunjung’s straightforward and candid personality.

She knew she couldn’t be that way herself.

“More than that, a pretty girl like you is also worried about men.”

“Never mind. Don’t make me embarrassed.”

Ha-yeon felt embarrassed for no reason about Hyunjung’s nonsense.

They clinked their glasses and drank soju once again.

Hyunjung let out a big sigh and looked at Ha-yeon, asking, “So? Is it only him that’s acceptable? If he’s a lost cause, then just meet another guy.”

“That’s not possible.”

A casually spoken phrase.

Even Ha-yeon was surprised at how cold the temperature of her words was just now.

“I was a little scared just now. Why are you so determined? No, why did you break up in the first place if it was so good? Just a simple whim?”

“…There was a reason for it. It’s difficult to explain.”

Would she believe it if she told Hyunjung?

That she had to let her boyfriend go because she received a terminal diagnosis.

Perhaps her story was closer to a drama or a movie than reality.

“Well…if that’s the case, then isn’t there only one way?”

“What’s that?”

Since Ha-yeon thought there was no answer, she was curious about Hyunjung’s method.

Hyunjung had more experience, having had short relationships with many people, compared to Ha-yeon, who had long-term relationships with one person.

“Just shut up and charge forward. Well, let’s put a steel plate down and reassemble!”

Right, it wasn’t like there was some solution that would magically appear.

If there were, Ha-yeon would have already put it into action.

“…It’s easier said than done. How do you actually do it? I couldn’t even talk to him today.”

Ha-yeon pushed away the soju glass with a bitter expression.

She looked at her and Hyun-jeong began a talk fest of fitting words.

“But if you don’t do it, there’s no hope, right? You know that there’s no way to solve it by turning it around.”

“…That’s true.”

“I heard that guys don’t want to talk to you. You have to create an opportunity somehow. Otherwise, give up.”

There was not a single wrong part in Hyun-jeong’s words.

On the contrary, trying to pass it off vaguely would only hurt each other’s feelings.

Ha-yeon had no choice but to persuade Gun-yul somehow and create an opportunity.

…She couldn’t bear the thought of giving up even until death.

.

.

.

.

The two weak women were already drinking five bottles of soju together.

The conversation flowed, and as they talked about relationships, the drinking session continued endlessly.

Slowly, their minds became hazy, and their pronunciation started to slur.

“Yeah. Girl, be brave. It’s not like the world will crumble if you get rejected~”

“Arasseo. Puhhueuh.”

They repeated the same words a few times, but both of them were too drunk to notice.

Exhaling breath heavy with the smell of alcohol, when Ha-yeon was about to pour another glass.

Hyun-jeong suddenly stood up from her seat.

Then she handed her phone to Ha-yeon and said,

“I’ll smoke one cigarette and come back. Call him with this. Or should I use an unknown number? Will he pick up?”

“…What?”

“Why are you just zoning out? If you keep doing that, the guy will run away, you know? Your sister has dated a lot, so she knows. Got it?”

“…”

Gun-yul running away.

Running away and disappearing somewhere, rejecting herself, just like today.

Although Hyun-jeong’s words were just nonsense, Ha-yeon was too drunk, and rational judgment had already become impossible.

She felt an unnecessary anxiety shoot up at those words.

“And that other girl next to him. If she steals him from you, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life, you know?”

“… Well, that’s right.”

And the bright, bobbed hair girl who already seemed close to Gun-yool.

Thinking about her made Hyun-jeong feel a sense of crisis.

Gun-yool reaching out to grab the shoulders of that bright-haired girl.

And the image of Gun-yool embracing her on the crosswalk appeared in her mind.

“…That little wench.”

Thinking of that image made her chest ache, and a reasonless anger rose within her.

Hyun-jeong couldn’t bear to keep looking at that image.

She felt terrible at the thought of Gun-yool being happy with another woman.

The person who should be in that place was herself.

She wasn’t sure what their relationship was, but if Hyun-jeong didn’t take action before they started dating, she wouldn’t have a chance.

Maybe Hyun-jeong didn’t realize that this was not the time to let go.

“That’s ridiculous… absolutely ridiculous…”

Before she knew it, Hyun-jeong had stood up and disappeared into the distance.

Alone at the table, Hyun-jeong looked at the phone in her hand.

She already knew Gun-yool’s number by heart, even after two years.

“…Let’s do it.”

She might regret it tomorrow.

That’s what she thought, but her fingers were trembling as she dialed the number.

Hyun-jeong was pushed on by the courage and words of action that Hyun-young had blown to her all night.

In addition, her intoxicated mind was in a state of suspension.

She was more sincere than anyone else.

No matter what, Hyun-jeong wanted to hear Gun-yool’s voice again, even just once.

In the end, Hyun-jeong closed her eyes tightly and pressed the call button.

– Ring. Ring.

The call rang a few times.

Hyun-jeong swallowed nervously, unconsciously.

If it was her own phone number, he probably would have hung up right away. But if it was an unknown number, she didn’t know if he would answer.

She felt as if time was flowing in slow motion.

The sound of the phone rang a few more times.

“Click”

[Hello?]

A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.

It was the voice she heard at lunch today.

“…I got it.”

[What? What did you say? I can’t hear you well?]

As Geonyul’s voice reached her ears, Ha-yeon’s hands trembled even more.

Somehow, the dried tear ducts seemed to start working again.

Just hearing the voice made her eyes moist.

“Hello? Who is this? If you don’t speak, I’ll hang up.”

Ha-yeon hurriedly let out her voice at his words of hanging up.

“Yul…don’t hang up…it’s me, Ha-yeon…”