MICHAENG : THE STORY UNFOLDS WITH YOU

CHAPTER 39 - STUPEFIED

Chaeyoung stirs from his slumber, feeling the bright sunlight assaulting his face. Slowly, he attempts to open his eyes, but a wave of dizziness rushes over him, clouding his senses.

"Wake up, sleepyhead... It's almost afternoon now. I made you some hangover soup," Mina's voice echoes as she opens the drapes wide, intentionally waking up Chaeyoung from his sleep.

Chaeyoung grumbles as he struggles to sit upright, swallowing bitterly. "Where's Hoonie?" he asks, his attention solely focused on his son's whereabout.

"Jeongyeon picked up again, they bring Hoonie out to water park" Mina casually responds, already walking away towards the kitchen.

Chaeyoung rises from the sofa, stretching his sore body with a low growl. He rubs his eyes, trying to discard the lingering sleepiness, then grabs his phone before making his way to the kitchen.

Mina prepares a bowl of soup for Chaeyoung as he takes a seat at the table. She also prepares one for herself because she hasn't eaten yet.

"Thanks," Chaeyoung beams a genuine, dimpled smile at her, as if nothing had happened between them last night. His attention is fixed on his phone while eating, and he doesn't initiate any conversation with Mina.

Mina steals a glance at Chaeyoung, noticing him suddenly giggling and smiling to himself while engrossed with his phone. She's eating slowly for a moment as she focus entirely on him. In her peripheral vision, she sees Chaeyoung licking and biting his lips, assuming his gesture maybe because of the messages about kiss from Somi last night.

Her heart pounds at the thought of Chaeyoung enjoying kissing another woman now. Despite the burning ache in her heart, she remains silent. She had spent the entire night convincing herself not to be bothered by Chaeyoung's life anymore, as she had also chosen to leave him for someone else. Trying to be fair to each other, she knows she needs to let him go and allow him to find happiness with someone else.

Chaeyoung chuckles as he reads Somi's messages from last night. His fingers dance on the keypad as he types a reply to Somi.

"Idiot, when did I kiss you? But I can't deny that maybe I'm a good kisser."

"Oh, god damn it, Chaeyoung-aa.. I must have been too drunk last night to send you a message about a kiss."

"You're so silly, Somi-yaa.."

Mina pretends to cough, successfully diverting Chaeyoung's attention away from his phone.

"Let me get you some water," he offers, rising from his chair and fetching a glass of cold water from the fridge for Mina.

Mina is taken aback by his sudden gentlemanly gesture, and her heart flutters slightly.

"Here," Chaeyoung places the glass in front of her before returning to his seat, focusing on his meal and ignoring his phone.

Mina bites her lower lip, watching Chaeyoung. "So, Chaeng... what's with Somi?" she asks in a friendly tone, curious about the woman from the bar. Chaeyoung almost chokes on his food in surprise. "Yaa, yaa... drink this," she insists, pushing the glass of water back to him.

After clearing his throat with the water, Chaeyoung takes a deep breath. "Uh... Somi," he begins. "She's just a friend," he replies casually.

Mina smirks. "Just a friend? But she seems to know a lot about you," she teases.

Chaeyoung nods. "She does. I mean, she's good at reading people... and quite understanding me thought it was my first time met her."

"And quite pretty too, isn't she?" Mina mischievously smiles. "But why are you downgrading your taste in women?" she scoffs sarcastically, thinking that Somi is nothing compared to her. If Chaeyoung does need a partner, the woman from the bar doesn't seem suitable him in her point.