I stopped for a moment at the sight of Cha Jae-woo asking back with a furrowed brow. The genuine confusion filling his eyes threw me off too.
He doesn’t know who Kwon Tae-gyeong is? Not just anyone — Cha Jae-woo, not knowing Kwon Tae-gyeong?
The very first thought that crossed my mind after hearing that was one thing.
Is this bastard messing with me right now?
Honestly, the claim that eight years of memories had vanished wasn’t easy to swallow just like that either. It wasn’t a drama or a movie — losing your memory didn’t exactly happen all the time in real life.
Still, the reason I didn’t push further was that Cha Jae-woo had no reason to lie to me. What could he possibly gain from making something like that up, two full months after we’d already broken up?
But even so — saying he had no memory of Kwon Tae-gyeong specifically went beyond baffling. It didn’t make sense. My eyes narrowed on their own as I started pressing him.
“But if you lost your memory — how did you know which library I work at?”
At twenty, I had been a university student. Sure, I was studying a related field, but there was no way that alone would be enough to figure out that twenty-eight-year-old me worked at a library — let alone which one.
Cha Jae-woo didn’t flinch at the sudden questioning. He dug around in his padded jacket pocket and pulled something out, setting it on the table.
“This.”
What he’d pulled out was a mini diary with the name of the library I worked at printed on it. It was something we’d handed out as a commemorative item at the start of the year — small enough that I’d been using it more as a work notepad than an actual diary.
It must have been left behind at his place when I walked out after the breakup.
“It didn’t look like mine, so that left only you.”
Maybe thinking I still wasn’t convinced, Cha Jae-woo added an explanation.
“So I came.”
“……You just showed up on the strength of that alone?”
“You weren’t picking up.”
Cha Jae-woo said it like it was my fault. Setting aside how absurd it all was, I still somehow couldn’t bring myself to fully believe him — which was almost funny.
Every piece of the puzzle fit together perfectly, which somehow made it feel more suspicious — but before long I decided it didn’t matter either way, and nodded.
“Alright, I hear you. But like I said — we dated, and then we broke up.”
It wasn’t as if I were a detective. What did it matter whether Cha Jae-woo was lying or not? It wasn’t like we’d be seeing each other anymore.
“I have no intention of getting tangled up with you again. We won’t be seeing each other going forward either. So——”
But before I could finish, Cha Jae-woo’s voice tore across the air and scraped against my ear. He spilled his feelings out like he was wringing them from somewhere deep, his voice thick with barely-contained fury.
“Ha Yun-su, stop making stupid excuses.”
It snapped me to attention like I’d just had cold water thrown over my head. Faced with Cha Jae-woo unleashing his anger like he might cry at any moment, I pressed my lips shut. And then his voice, raw with frustration, continued.
“……You just think it’s a pain. That I lost my memories and turned back into some kid. That’s why you want to cut me off.”
“……”
“Maybe you were already tired of it before that. Because I’m some useless bastard who can’t even judge whether a song is good without you.”
I stayed silent at the cold words Cha Jae-woo tacked on. Not because I agreed — but because I needed time to sort through my thoughts.
Cha Jae-woo, however, must have read my silence differently. His eyes burned sharp as he glared at me.
“You — the hell — we were together once, and you’re just going to abandon your ex who lost his memory?”
He shoved up from his seat like he was ready to grab me by the collar. The force of it made the cups on the table tremble — but thankfully nothing spilled.
That was all it took. The atmosphere had already gone ice-cold. I let the hollow laugh slip out without bothering to stop it, and crossed my arms deliberately.
“……Abandon? Get your words right.”
Then I spelled it out, patient and deliberate, like talking to a child.
“You’re a full-grown adult, aren’t you? Not a small child or a pet that needs looking after.”
“……”
“And how is it abandonment when we’ve already broken up and cut ties? We’re just going our separate ways.”
Right. Even if Cha Jae-woo had truly forgotten Kwon Tae-gyeong — even if all of it was a lie — nothing changed.
Cha Jae-woo and I were nothing to each other now.
I’d settle for occasionally catching one of his songs on the street while walking somewhere, and thinking, ah, right — I used to be close with someone that famous. That would be enough.
“So go home. And from now on, don’t come to the library like you did today.”
Because you and I aren’t friends anymore. We’re nothing.
I didn’t say the last part out loud — but Cha Jae-woo must have read it anyway, because the color drained from his face until it was almost white.
The moment I saw that, something told me.
This time, it was really over.
The Cha Jae-woo I knew had a strong sense of pride. So he wouldn’t come looking for someone who’d insulted him like this ever again.
The version of him who had just turned twenty would be even more so. So it truly was over now.
With that thought, I got up from my seat. But before I could take even one step, my wrist was caught.
“……Don’t go, damn it.”
The hand gripping me was cold. Only then did I remember — he’d been in a traffic accident.
A traffic accident, and being hit by a motorcycle at that — wasn’t he supposed to still be taking it easy? His hand was cold, so his body probably wasn’t in great shape either. Why couldn’t this guy just give up and go home.
For just a moment, something in me softened — but it was only a flash.
“Where am I going. This is my house.”
I pulled my wrist free from Cha Jae-woo’s grip and pointed at the front door. Clearly signaling that it was time for him to actually leave.
“If anyone’s leaving, it’s you.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“Fine. Then I’m calling the police, and you can spend the night there.”
Even at the threat of being reported, Cha Jae-woo didn’t so much as blink. I made a show of dialing 112 right in front of him.
Cha Jae-woo glared at me with eyes full of betrayal. Whether he was genuinely furious, the corners of his eyes had gone red, and those large eyes looked like they could spill over at any moment.
I stared right back at him, and he matched it without giving an inch. A long, breathless standoff followed, neither of us making a sound.
***
Cha Jae-woo had lost his memory. Not just the time we’d spent together — but even every memory of Kwon Tae-gyeong, the person he’d loved so desperately.
……You’re going to regret this, you bastard.
After a long standoff, the one who looked away first was Cha Jae-woo. He picked up his padded jacket, jaw tight.
You’ll regret it.
It sounded almost like a vow — that he would make me regret it. His expression was terrifying enough to match. The way he glared with those burning eyes, like something had possessed him — anyone else would have gone weak in the knees.
Oh yeah? I’m looking forward to it, Jae-woo.
Of course, I wasn’t anyone else. I smiled right in his face and kept provoking him to the very end.
Make sure you make me regret it.
……
Got it?
We’d been together eight years — if I was going to crumble at a look like that, I’d have broken long ago. It didn’t touch me at all. I even waved him off with deliberate flair as I saw him out.
Cha Jae-woo walked out the door grinding his teeth to the last. Once he was gone, a sigh of relief escaped on its own.
Good thing I managed to get him out. If he’d kept refusing to leave, I really would have had to decide whether to actually call the police or not.
The apartment wasn’t well soundproofed to begin with — if a report came in and things escalated, it would have caused trouble in more ways than one.
“But what did Cha Jae-woo come for, anyway?”
Thinking about it now, I realized I was genuinely puzzled. We’d ended up bickering and locked in a standoff, and I had no memory of actually hearing what he’d come to say.
Surely he hadn’t come all the way to the library just to tell me to pick up the phone faster.
“No idea.”
It was a relationship that was truly over now, anyway. Thinking about it further wasn’t going to give me any answers, so I let it go at that.
I cleared my head and made my way through the library’s front entrance, doing a final mental check of the program proposal I needed to finish by today.
The moment I pushed open the office door, Deputy Ye-jin looked up with a bright smile.
“Good morning, Yun-su.”
“Morning, Deputy Ye-jin. Packed subway again today?”
“So packed, I couldn’t think straight.”
Deputy Ye-jin genuinely envied me for living close enough to walk to and from work. I handed her the coffee I’d picked up for her and smiled it off.
“Oh, thank you so much! Oh, right — the new part-timer is coming in today.”
“Is that so?”
I slipped off my coat and turned on my computer, answering that it was good news. It wasn’t so busy that I couldn’t manage alone, but having someone to share the workload was always welcome.
“They said they’d be in by nine, so we’ll meet them soon.”
“Mm.”
I expected this part-timer would be perfectly fine, like the ones before. As I’d said before — whether it was the nature of the place or just luck — people with truly difficult personalities were rare at the library.
Usually the kind of people who applied were quiet types who liked books.
“Oh, looks like they’re here.”
“Already?”
I tilted my head with a puzzled look. Deputy Ye-jin and I usually came in around eight-thirty. Half-expecting what I’d find, I checked the clock — and sure enough, it was 8:31.
“First day, so they probably came in early, right? Oh — welcome!”
Deputy Ye-jin opened the office door first and greeted the newcomer. I moved to follow after her and hung the coat I’d just taken off over the back of my chair.
“I’m Yi Ye-jin. Feel free to call me Ye-jin.”
Deputy Ye-jin, sociable as ever, was already introducing herself to the new part-timer. I came up behind her as she stood talking with the door half-open.
“And this is Ha Yun-su, our senior staff member.”
“Ha Yun-su. Feel free to call me Yun-su——”
I was mid-greeting without thinking when I stopped.
The door swung fully open — and the moment my eyes met the other person’s, my entire body seemed to freeze in place.
The other person, calm as anything, offered a light smile and greeted me first.
“Hello. My name is Cha Jae-woo.”
Cha Jae-woo.
My ex-boyfriend of eight years.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ye-jin. And……”
“……”
“Yun-su.”
The one who had said he would make me regret it was standing right in front of me.
