[Kei]
The rain had almost stopped by the time Kei pushed himself away from the convenience store table.
Run-Seo looked up immediately.
"Kei—"
"You should go home."
Her expression tightened slightly.
He didn't wait for a response.
Didn't trust himself to.
The chair scraped softly against the concrete as he stepped away from the awning and into the damp glow of the streetlights. Cold air hit his face instantly, carrying the scent of rain and wet pavement.
Behind him, he heard Run-Seo stand.
But she didn't follow.
Kei kept walking anyway.
The alcohol sat heavy beneath his ribs now — dulling the sharpest edges of thought while somehow making everything else feel too clear.
The city was quieter this late at night.
Traffic lights reflected red and gold across the wet streets. Passing cars hissed softly through puddles.
Kei shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat.
His head hurt.
His chest hurt more.
He hated that Run-Seo could still look at him like that.
Like she almost reached for him without thinking.
Like some part of her still belonged in the spaces around him.
Dangerous.
Because part of him still reacted too.
That was the problem.
Not love.
Muscle memory.
Kei let out a quiet laugh under his breath.
Pathetic.
A voice cut through the damp night air.
"Are you trying to get hit by a car?"
Kei blinked slowly.
No-Ah stood near the curb beneath the glow of a convenience store sign, one hand hooked around the strap of her bag. Dark hair slightly damp from the rain. Expression flat.
"...Depends on the car."
"That wasn't funny."
"Little bit."
"No."
A faint smile tugged briefly at the corner of his mouth.
No-Ah stepped closer, studying him carefully.
"You're drunk."
"That's a strong accusation."
"You smell like alcohol from over here."
"That's hurtful."
"It was meant to be."
Kei exhaled quietly through his nose.
For some reason, talking to her required less effort than talking to almost anyone else tonight.
Maybe because she wasn't pretending not to notice things.
No-Ah tilted her head slightly.
"You look terrible."
The words hit strangely.
Not because of what she said.
Because someone else had said the exact same thing less than an hour ago.
Kei looked away toward the street.
"...I'm hearing that a lot tonight."
No-Ah watched him for a second longer than usual.
Then she spoke again.
"Something happen?"
Straightforward.
No careful wording. No pretending not to ask.
Kei stared ahead.
"...Why do you ask?"
"You look like you got punched by somebody emotionally."
A quiet laugh escaped him before he could stop it.
"Interesting phrase."
"It's accurate, isn't it?"
Kei shoved his hands deeper into his pockets.
For a moment, he considered brushing it off.
Instead:
"I ran into my ex."
No-Ah went quiet beside him.
Not nosy.
Just listening.
Kei appreciated that more than he should've.
"Bad conversation?" she asked after a moment.
Kei thought about Run-Seo standing beneath the convenience store lights.
The hesitation in her eyes. The almost.
Then:
You don't get to do that anymore.
"...Something like that."
No-Ah nodded once slowly.
Like she understood more than she was saying.
That annoyed him slightly.
"You do that a lot."
"What?"
"Act like you know things you won't explain."
Her gaze flicked toward him briefly.
"You ask difficult questions."
"That isn't an answer."
"I know."
Kei scoffed quietly.
The familiar frustration returned almost instantly.
Everybody did this around her.
Mrs. Yoon. Run-Seo.
Now No-Ah too.
Like there was some invisible line surrounding her that nobody would let him cross.
Then No-Ah suddenly glanced toward the opposite side of the street.
"...Come on."
Kei frowned slightly.
"Where are we going?"
No-Ah adjusted her bag on her shoulder.
"I got paid today."
"...Congratulations?"
"I'm buying you ramen."
That caught him off guard enough to make him stop walking for half a second.
"You?"
"Don't sound so offended."
"I'm processing."
"You bought last time."
Kei stared at her for a second before a quiet laugh escaped him.
"...You're serious."
No-Ah looked unimpressed.
"I wouldn't joke about ramen."
"That's fair."
☆ ☆ ☆
The familiar ramen shop glowed warmly at the corner ahead of them, light spilling gold against the wet pavement.
Kei recognized it immediately.
So did the owner apparently, because the older man looked up the second they walked in.
His expression brightened with immediate recognition.
"You came back."
Kei exhaled softly through his nose.
"...Unfortunately."
The owner laughed warmly while No-Ah slid into the same booth they had sat in before.
Rain tapped quietly against the windows beside them.
The warmth inside the shop settled around Kei almost instantly, softening the lingering cold in his bones.
No-Ah pulled a small envelope from her coat pocket briefly before shoving it back again.
Fresh payment from work.
Kei noticed.
Of course he noticed.
"You really are paying."
"You sound emotionally affected by this."
"I am."
"How tragic."
The owner approached with menus before pausing.
Then he looked between them with obvious recognition.
"The usual couple booth, hm?"
No-Ah nearly choked on air.
Kei blinked once slowly.
"...That's unfortunate wording."
"We are not a couple," No-Ah said immediately.
Too immediately.
The owner looked unconvinced.
"Ah," he said with the expression of someone who absolutely did not believe them. "Of course."
Kei leaned back slightly in the booth.
"He thinks we're lying."
"We are strangers technically."
"You bought ramen for a stranger?"
No-Ah looked down at the menu.
"You're drunk. It felt unethical to leave you outside."
Kei stared at her for a second.
"...That might be the nicest insult I've ever received."
"It wasn't a compliment."
The owner finally wandered off after taking their orders, still looking suspiciously amused.
Kei rested his head briefly against the booth behind him.
The exhaustion was settling deeper now that he had stopped walking.
No-Ah noticed immediately.
"You look like you're about to pass out."
"I'll survive."
"Debatable."
Kei glanced at her across the table.
"You always this pleasant after work?"
"I'm exhausted after work. It removes my ability to pretend to be nice."
"I respect the honesty."
No-Ah hummed quietly.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The ramen shop wasn't crowded this late at night. Quiet conversations drifted softly from a few nearby tables while dishes clinked faintly from the kitchen.
It felt strangely calm.
Kei wasn't used to calm lately.
No-Ah rested her chin lightly against one hand.
"...So."
Kei narrowed his eyes slightly.
" 'So' is dangerous."
"You brought up your ex earlier."
"Ah. There it is."
"You don't have to answer."
Kei stared at the condensation sliding slowly down his water glass.
Then shrugged faintly.
"We dated for a long time."
No-Ah listened quietly.
"Still love her?"
Straightforward.
No hesitation.
Kei let out a quiet laugh through his nose.
"You ask terrifying questions."
"You avoid answers."
"Usually successfully."
"Not tonight."
The alcohol probably deserved blame for how honest his brain suddenly felt.
Kei looked toward the rain-streaked windows.
"...I don't know," he admitted eventually.
The words sat strangely in his chest.
Because they were true.
No-Ah stayed quiet.
Waiting.
Not pushing.
That somehow made it easier to continue.
"I think..." Kei rubbed tiredly at his jaw.
"Sometimes you stop knowing whether you miss the person or just the version of your life that existed with them."
No-Ah's gaze softened almost imperceptibly.
Dangerous thing to notice.
Kei noticed anyway.
"You sound experienced."
"I'm observant."
"Liar."
That actually made the corner of her mouth twitch slightly.
Tiny. Gone quickly.
Still enough to make something shift subtly in Kei's chest.
The bowls arrived a moment later, steam curling upward between them.
For a little while, conversation paused.
Mostly because Kei suddenly remembered he hadn't eaten properly in hours.
No-Ah watched him silently for a few bites.
"...You were really drinking on an empty stomach?"
"See? Judgment."
"That's basic survival instinct."
"You sound disappointed in me."
"I am disappointed in you."
Kei looked genuinely surprised.
"That's a strong emotional investment."
No-Ah took another sip of broth calmly.
"It was annoying finding you looking half-dead in the rain."
Kei stared at her for a second longer than necessary.
"...You came looking for me?"
The second the words left his mouth, No-Ah seemed to realize what she'd implied.
A brief pause.
Then:
"I happened to see you."
"Liar."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Eat your ramen."
Kei smiled faintly into the steam rising from the bowl.
The warmth settling in his chest now had less to do with alcohol.
Which was arguably worse.
After a while, No-Ah spoke again.
"You really walked away from her?"
Kei's chopsticks paused briefly.
"From my ex?"
No-Ah nodded once.
Most people would've phrased it carefully.
Not her.
Kei leaned back slightly against the booth.
"...Yeah."
"Why?"
Simple question.
Complicated answer.
Because he still would've followed her once.
Because Run-Seo still knew exactly how to look at him when his guard was down.
Because staying would've hurt more.
Kei stared down into the broth quietly.
"...Some things end even if you don't want them to."
No-Ah looked at him steadily across the table.
Not pitying.
Not overly sympathetic.
Just listening.
Kei found himself oddly grateful for that.
Then No-Ah said quietly:
"You looked sad."
Kei huffed out a faint laugh.
"That obvious?"
"Painfully."
He looked at her for a moment.
Then tilted his head slightly.
"You know, you're easier to be around than most people."
The words slipped out naturally this time.
No-Ah froze for half a second.
Not dramatic.
Just enough for Kei to catch it.
Interesting.
She looked back down at her bowl first.
"...You're stranger when you're drunk."
"That sounds judgmental."
"It was observational."
Kei smiled faintly.
And for the first time that entire night, the tightness in his chest loosened just a little.
☆ ☆ ☆