Itaewon Class

"The interview "

Chapter III: The interview

It's been more than a week since Ro-yi had his argument with Yi-Seo. He had given up on reappraising the deal with Chic Entertainment, as he knew it was stupid of him to do so, but also because he knew she was absolutely serious about her resignation letter. She hadn't spoken to him since then. He was given the silent treatment. He hated it. She'd make sure to keep their interactions as short as possible and only when absolutely necessary. Most of the time she would communicate through their common secretary, who probably had the hardest time so far, feeling like a child between two parents going through a bad divorce. As if Yi-Seo wasn't enough, Ma Hyeon-yi wasn't being very friendly either. Thus, he had asked her to meet him for drinks in Itaewon's first bar, where everything had started. He was having a beer, looking at the rooftop view.

"It's cold," he heard her say behind him.

"Don't be whiny. Come here," he handed her the cover and made sure she got the perfect spot under the heater.

"Thank you for coming. At some point, I didn't think you'd show up."

"Why?"

"You know, I was afraid you'd still be mad at me." She could see he was a bit embarrassed as he motioned his hand from the top of his head to his forehead. Hyeon-yi looked at him, softened by his vulnerability, then at her feet.

"Oppa," she paused. "I... I could never be mad at you. Never. You're more than family will ever be to me." He remained silent for a moment but she could see he was relieved.

"Thank you. I hope you know how much I care too?"

"I do. I'm sorry I was a bit distant but it's just that I was sad."

"Sad?"

"It's hard to see the two people you care the most about hurting each other."

"I'm the bad guy here. I'm the one who hurt her."

"You're hurt too. I can see it."

He didn't comment on that. If he did, the only thing that could come out of his mouth would be a lie in the common form of denial he was so good at. His silence could be the only honest answer he was capable of, and Hyeon-yi knew it too well. Of course, he was hurt. He couldn't see why, how, but it was still almost hard to breathe when he longed for their eyes to meet as they naturally did in the office, in meetings, during lunch, during a coffee break; so much the pain on his chest was crushing. He hated conflicts with his people. He was already tired of pursuing revenge. He had no animosity left for anyone else, especially not for her. He felt responsible, overprotective, towards them but even more towards her. She did so much, she'd given up so much. He felt terribly guilty of treating her so poorly, adding consequently to his own torture.

"What should I do?" he asked.

"Apologize?"

"I did!"

"Really?" asked Hyeon-yi, somehow skeptical.

"Of course! You thought I didn't?"

"Oppa..." she laughed. "Of course, you did, but how can you properly apologize when you don't even know what's wrong?"

Ro-yi kept on thinking about Ma Hyeon-Yi's words over and over again. Had he properly apologized? Probably not. Did he realize what he did wrong? Probably. Was he ready to admit it? That's a question he was trying to answer. Maybe he didn't want to. He thought about it for a long time until he found himself parking in front of her building. He remained baffled during a long moment in front of the residence's entry where she had bought a flat 1 year ago until the guardian showed up: