Episode 10. The One Who Reached Out First
The next morning at 6:42 a.m.
Hyunwoo Kang woke up a little earlier than usual.
It was before his alarm went off.
He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, then naturally reached for his phone first.
There were no new messages.
Hyunwoo unlocked his phone and opened his chat with Jia Seo.
Her last message from the night before.
[I never said I didn't like it.]
The moment he saw the sentence, he remembered what had happened at the bus stop yesterday.
Your casual clothes look good.
Let's meet again next time.
Text me when you get home.
And then.
I never said I didn't like it.
Hyunwoo let out a quiet laugh.
“Seriously.”
He'd been acting strange lately, too.
Had he ever let a few lines of text swing his mood around like this before?
After a moment of hesitation, he typed a message.
[Are you up?]
Then he stopped.
Was it too early?
He deleted it.
He typed again.
[Are you getting ready for work?]
He deleted that one, too.
Hyunwoo set his phone down on the bed.
“What am I doing this early in the morning?”
He'd see her when he got to work anyway.
Did he really need to text her first?
Hyunwoo got out of bed.
He washed his face and put on his work clothes.
He grabbed his work boots.
But just before he left the apartment—
his phone rang.
Hyunwoo's eyes went straight to the screen.
Jia Seo.
[Are you up?]
Hyunwoo froze.
A few seconds later, he laughed.
It was exactly what he'd tried to send and deleted a moment ago.
Hyunwoo replied immediately.
[Yeah. I'm heading out now.]
Her reply came right away.
[Me too.]
Then another line arrived.
[Work safe today, too.]
Hyunwoo stared at the screen and smiled.
[Isn't that my line?]
[Why?]
[You walk around the job site, too.]
A moment later.
[Then let's both make it through without getting hurt.]
Hyunwoo sent a short reply.
[Promise.]
Jia replied.
[Promise.]
Hyunwoo slipped his phone into his pocket.
That morning,
the commute to work felt a little lighter than usual.
8:16 a.m.
The work area near Block 84.
Hyunwoo was getting ready for work.
Jaehoon Kim was pulling on his gloves beside him when he asked,
“Hyung.”
“What.”
“Why do you look so happy today?”
“I don't.”
“You do.”
“How would you know how I feel?”
Jaehoon pointed at Hyunwoo's face.
“Right here.”
“What.”
“The corners of your mouth.”
Hyunwoo immediately stiffened his expression.
Jaehoon laughed.
“See? You just lowered them.”
“Get to work.”
“You were texting Jia Seo this morning, weren't you?”
Hyunwoo's hand stopped.
“Did you hack my phone or something?”
Jaehoon's eyes widened.
“You really did it?”
Hyunwoo sighed.
He'd fallen for it again.
“Ah.”
Jaehoon laughed.
“You've been so easy to catch lately, hyung.”
“Say one more thing.”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
Just then, Taesik Park approached.
“What are you two making such a racket about?”
Jaehoon said,
“Hyunwoo hyung says he was texting someone first thing this morning.”
Hyunwoo cut in immediately.
“Who said I was?”
“Jia Seo.”
Taesik looked at Hyunwoo.
“Are you two exchanging good-morning greetings now?”
“We just sent a few texts.”
“Who reached out first?”
Hyunwoo paused for a moment.
Jaehoon and Taesik waited in silence.
Hyunwoo answered reluctantly.
“Jia Seo.”
Jaehoon sounded impressed.
“Oh.”
“What do you mean, ‘oh’?”
Taesik gave a quiet laugh.
“Must be nice.”
“What is?”
“You've got someone who reaches out to you first now.”
At those words, Hyunwoo couldn't answer for a moment.
Someone who reached out first.
Come to think of it, that was true.
The moment he woke up that morning, he'd wanted to text Jia, too.
And around that same time, Jia had sent him a message.
It could have been a coincidence.
But he didn't mind that coincidence.
“Hyung.”
Jaehoon called out to him.
“What.”
“You're smiling again.”
Hyunwoo immediately picked up a tool.
“I'm working.”
10:02 a.m.
Jia Seo was on her way to another area after finishing an inspection of a different hull block.
Her phone gave a short ring.
Thinking it might be a work message, she checked it.
Hyunwoo Kang.
[Are you busy today?]
Jia slowed her steps a little.
[Why?]
His reply came immediately.
[No reason.]
Jia let out a quiet laugh.
No reason.
It was something Hyunwoo had been saying often lately.
[Then why are you asking? lol]
A moment later.
[I was thinking maybe we could meet for a minute at lunch.]
Jia stared at the screen.
They were meeting again.
They'd had dinner together last night.
They'd texted this morning, too.
And now he wanted to see her at lunch.
The strange thing was—
she didn't dislike it.
If anything, it felt natural.
Jia replied.
[Where at lunch?]
[You know the vending machines behind the break area?]
Jia thought for a moment.
It wasn't completely deserted, but it was quieter than the area in front of the cafeteria.
[12:20?]
[Sounds good.]
Jia was about to close the chat when she sent one more line.
[Who's buying coffee?]
Hyunwoo replied.
[I am.]
Jia smiled.
[You've been buying it way too often lately.]
[Then you buy today, Jia Seo.]
[I don't want to.]
[Then I will.]
Jia smiled and put her phone in her pocket.
Just then, Sohee Han said beside her,
“You smile every time you look at your phone these days.”
Jia looked up.
“I do?”
“Yeah.”
“I don't.”
Sohee narrowed her eyes.
“Hyunwoo Kang?”
Jia didn't bother denying it anymore.
“Yeah.”
Sohee looked surprised.
“You admit it right away now?”
“Admit what?”
“That you're texting him.”
“So what if I am?”
“You did this morning, too, right?”
Jia hesitated.
Sohee knew immediately.
“You did.”
“It was nothing.”
“Who reached out first?”
Jia hesitated for a moment.
“Me.”
Sohee laughed.
“Oh.”
“What?”
“You've changed a lot.”
“How?”
“You never used to reach out first.”
Jia didn't answer.
That was true.
Unless something special happened, she wasn't the type to initiate contact.
But this morning,
the first person she thought of when she opened her eyes was Hyunwoo Kang.
Had he left for work?
Was he awake?
Would he work safely today, too?
So she'd just texted him.
Sohee asked carefully,
“Do you like him?”
Jia's steps stopped for a moment.
In the past, she would have immediately said no.
But today,
an easy answer wouldn't come.
“Not yet.”
Jia spoke slowly.
“I don't know yet.”
Sohee nodded.
Jia added,
“But.”
“Yeah?”
“I do know I want to keep seeing him.”
Sohee's expression softened.
“Then that's enough.”
“What's enough?”
“That much is enough for now.”
Jia smiled for a moment.
Strangely, she liked hearing that.
12:18 p.m.
Hyunwoo was already waiting in front of the vending machines behind the break area.
He had two canned coffees in his hands.
One was the sweet coffee he liked.
The other was the latte Jia liked.
Hyunwoo checked the time.
12:18.
Two minutes to go.
“Waiting for the time to come has become part of my daily routine.”
He muttered to himself.
At that moment—
“Who are you waiting for?”
A voice came from behind him.
Hyunwoo turned around immediately.
It was Jia.
“You startled me.”
“What were you staring at so intently?”
“The time.”
Jia smiled.
“Again?”
“You have to keep your promises.”
“I wasn't late.”
Hyunwoo showed her his watch.
12:19.
“You're a minute early.”
“I win, right?”
“What did you win?”
Jia laughed.
Hyunwoo held out the latte.
“Here.”
Jia took it.
“You really bought it again.”
“I know.”
“You must be spending a lot on coffee these days.”
“To see you, Jia Seo, this is the least I can do.”
Hyunwoo stopped after saying it.
Jia stopped, too.
Hyunwoo cleared his throat.
“I mean—”
Jia laughed.
“Go on.”
“Go on with what?”
“What you were saying.”
“Let's pretend I never said it.”
“I don't want to.”
Jia popped open her coffee can.
Tss.
Hyunwoo opened his own can, too.
They leaned against the railing beside the vending machines.
They were quiet for a moment.
Hyunwoo asked first.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“Yes.”
“No headache from the alcohol?”
“I didn't even drink half a bottle.”
“Your face was bright red.”
Jia looked at Hyunwoo.
“You remember that?”
“I saw it.”
“Do you remember anything else?”
Hyunwoo raised an eyebrow.
“Like what?”
Jia asked playfully,
“Do you remember what I said?”
Hyunwoo pretended to think.
“You said my casual clothes looked good.”
Jia's expression stiffened.
Hyunwoo smiled.
“I remember.”
“Why would you remember that?”
“You said it.”
“You can forget that one.”
“I don't want to.”
This time, Hyunwoo threw her own words back at her.
Jia gave a quiet laugh.
“Now you're copying me.”
“We've been copying each other a lot lately.”
“Tell me about it.”
A brief silence followed.
Hyunwoo looked at Jia.
“Jia Seo.”
“Yes?”
“We've really been seeing each other a lot lately.”
Jia looked down at her coffee can.
“We have.”
“We saw each other yesterday.”
“And at the job site this morning.”
“And now we're seeing each other again.”
Jia asked,
“Do you dislike it?”
Hyunwoo answered immediately.
“No.”
Too quickly.
Jia smiled.
“That was a fast answer.”
Hyunwoo smiled, too.
“I figured I should answer that question quickly.”
Jia's expression shifted slightly.
Hyunwoo spoke slowly.
“I like it.”
“Like what?”
“Seeing you often.”
Jia took a sip of coffee.
For no reason, her gaze dropped.
“Me too.”
Her voice was quiet.
Hyunwoo pretended not to hear her properly.
“What did you say?”
“You heard me.”
“I couldn't hear you well.”
“Liar.”
Hyunwoo laughed.
“One more time.”
“I don't want to.”
“Then I'll pretend I didn't hear you.”
Jia lightly tapped Hyunwoo's arm.
“Seriously.”
Hyunwoo's body stiffened for a moment.
It had been an incredibly light touch.
She'd only tapped him playfully.
But they both became aware of it at the same time.
Jia pulled her hand back immediately.
An awkward silence settled between them.
Hyunwoo laughed first.
“That hurt.”
Jia's eyes widened.
“Really?”
“No.”
“Oh.”
Jia looked exasperated and started to hit him again, then stopped.
Hyunwoo laughed.
“You're going to hit me again?”
“Want me to really hit you?”
“The safety manager is assaulting a worker.”
“Because you're Hyunwoo Kang.”
The moment the words left her mouth,
they both paused.
Because you're Hyunwoo Kang.
Jia didn't even know why she'd said that.
Hyunwoo's expression softened slightly.
“Because it's me?”
“No.”
Jia answered quickly.
“Because we're close.”
Hyunwoo smiled.
“Let's go with that.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.”
Just then, they heard people emerging in the distance.
Their lunch break was almost over.
Jia checked the time.
“I should go.”
Hyunwoo checked his watch, too.
“Yeah.”
Jia put her empty can in the trash.
“Thanks for the coffee.”
“Sure.”
Hyunwoo hesitated for a moment.
Then he asked,
“What about after work today?”
Jia looked at him.
“Why?”
“Are you free?”
Jia smiled.
“Are we meeting again?”
Hyunwoo answered without hesitation.
“Yes.”
Jia's smile grew a little wider.
“We saw each other yesterday, too.”
“I know.”
“And at lunch today.”
“I know.”
“And still?”
Hyunwoo looked at Jia for a moment.
“Still.”
Jia was silent for a few seconds.
Then she nodded.
“Okay.”
Hyunwoo's expression relaxed.
“What should we eat?”
“Not food today.”
“Then?”
Jia thought about it.
“A walk?”
Hyunwoo raised an eyebrow.
“A walk?”
“Why?”
“Sounds good.”
“I sit around for so long after work. I feel like walking a bit.”
“Got it.”
Hyunwoo said,
“Where should we meet?”
“In front of the café from yesterday?”
“Sure.”
“Six?”
“Sounds good.”
Jia turned around.
After walking a few steps, she turned back.
“Hyunwoo Kang.”
“Yes?”
Jia smiled.
“Casual clothes today.”
Hyunwoo let out a quiet laugh.
“Again?”
“No work clothes.”
“Got it.”
“I'll look forward to it.”
There were those words again.
Hyunwoo smiled.
“No pressure or anything.”
“See you at six.”
“Yeah.”
Jia disappeared from view.
Hyunwoo stayed behind and drank his coffee alone.
The corners of his mouth kept lifting.
3:54 p.m.
“We're wrapping up at five-thirty today.”
Taesik announced it.
Hyunwoo immediately looked up.
“Really?”
Taesik looked at him.
“Why do you look so happy?”
Hyunwoo quickly composed himself.
“No reason.”
Jaehoon said beside him,
“You've got plans at six today, right, hyung?”
Hyunwoo turned his head.
“You seriously—”
Jaehoon laughed.
“So you do.”
Taesik laughed, too.
“What are you doing today?”
“Going for a walk.”
Hyunwoo stopped after saying it.
Jaehoon's expression immediately changed.
“A walk?”
“What?”
“Not dinner, not coffee. You're just going to walk?”
“Yeah.”
“That sounds more like a date.”
“We're just walking.”
Taesik said,
“Hyunwoo.”
“Yes?”
“No matter how much you deny it, there's no point now.”
Hyunwoo sighed.
“We're not anything yet.”
Taesik nodded.
“That's right.”
Then he added,
“Yet.”
Hyunwoo looked at Taesik.
“Why are you emphasizing ‘yet’?”
“That's how it looks to me.”
Jaehoon said,
“Me too.”
Hyunwoo looked back and forth between them.
“Let's work.”
He turned around as he said it.
But Taesik's words stayed in his head.
Yet.
Hyunwoo picked up a tool as if nothing was wrong.
But deep down, he already knew.
He was starting to look forward to what came next.
5:43 p.m.
Hyunwoo quickly changed in the locker room.
Today, he wore a white short-sleeved T-shirt and black pants.
He glanced at himself in the mirror.
He even fixed his hair for no reason.
Then Jaehoon opened the door and came in.
“Casual clothes again.”
Looking at the mirror, Hyunwoo said,
“People change after work.”
“Yesterday, too?”
“Yesterday, too.”
“You used to go home in your work clothes every day.”
Hyunwoo turned around.
“You know way too much about me these days.”
Jaehoon laughed.
“Go. You're going to be late.”
Hyunwoo checked his phone.
5:46.
There was a message from Jia.
[I left first.]
Hyunwoo replied immediately.
[I'll be there in ten minutes.]
[Take your time.]
Hyunwoo grabbed his bag.
Before he left, Jaehoon said,
“Hyung.”
“What.”
“Are you really going to hold her hand today?”
Hyunwoo froze.
“You idiot.”
Jaehoon burst out laughing.
“I'm kidding.”
Hyunwoo opened the door and left.
But as he walked, he glanced down at his own hand for no reason.
“Why'd he have to put that idea in my head?”
6:02 p.m.
Jia was waiting in front of the café.
Today, she wore a light gray knit top and jeans.
Her hair was loose and natural.
Hyunwoo approached.
Jia looked up.
She stared at him for a few seconds.
Hyunwoo asked,
“What?”
Jia smiled.
“You pass today.”
“What do I pass?”
“The casual-clothes inspection.”
Hyunwoo laughed incredulously.
“Are you inspecting my clothes now?”
“I’m the safety manager.”
“A casual-clothes safety inspection?”
“Yep.”
“What are the standards?”
Jia looked him up and down once.
“Just because.”
Hyunwoo laughed.
“Just because?”
“Yep.”
They naturally began walking side by side.
They hadn't picked a specific destination today.
A coastal walking trail a little ways from the shipyard.
The evening breeze blew around them.
In the distance, they could see a massive crane and vessels.
Hyunwoo said,
“The shipyard feels different when I see it from outside after work.”
“Tell me about it.”
“It’s so huge from the inside.”
“It looks pretty from out here, too.”
The sun was slowly sinking.
They walked in silence for a while.
It wasn't awkward.
These days, even silence between them felt natural.
Jia spoke first.
“Hyunwoo Kang.”
“Yes?”
“You know it hasn't been long since we first met, right?”
“I know.”
“But.”
Jia paused.
“It feels like I've known you for a really long time.”
Hyunwoo looked at Jia.
“Me too.”
“Why is that?”
“Because we see each other every day?”
“Maybe.”
“We see each other all day at work.”
Hyunwoo laughed.
“And then we see each other after work, too.”
Jia laughed as well.
“Exactly.”
They kept walking.
The sea breeze grew a little stronger.
Jia's hair blew across her face.
She brushed it back with her hand.
At that moment, Hyunwoo looked at her without realizing it.
No work clothes.
No hard hat.
No clipboard.
She was simply Jia Seo.
Jia must have felt his gaze, because she looked at him.
“What?”
Hyunwoo was caught off guard.
“Nothing.”
“You were looking at me.”
“I was looking at the ocean.”
“Is there an ocean next to my face?”
Hyunwoo laughed.
“You really don't let anything slide.”
“Why were you looking?”
Hyunwoo hesitated for a few seconds.
In the past, he would have mumbled something and changed the subject.
But today, he wanted to be a little more honest.
“Just because.”
Jia waited.
Hyunwoo said,
“Because you're pretty.”
Jia stopped walking.
Hyunwoo stopped, too.
A sudden silence fell between them.
Only the sound of the wind could be heard.
Jia blinked.
“Out of nowhere?”
Hyunwoo was a little nervous, too.
But he didn't take it back.
“That's what I thought when I looked at you.”
Jia looked away.
Her ears turned slightly red.
“Hyunwoo Kang.”
“Yes?”
“You've been saying weird things lately.”
Hyunwoo laughed.
“Again?”
“Yes.”
“Do you dislike it?”
Jia didn't answer.
They started walking again.
After a few steps,
Jia said in a very small voice,
“I never said I didn't like it.”
Hyunwoo smiled.
“You really like that line.”
“You keep asking me.”
They both laughed again.
The tension from a moment ago slowly faded.
After walking for a while, they spotted a small bench.
They sat down side by side.
The ocean stretched out right in front of them.
Jia said,
“This is nice.”
“What is?”
“Just.”
“There you go with ‘just’ again.”
“The breeze is nice.”
Jia looked at Hyunwoo for a moment.
“And walking together, too.”
Hyunwoo couldn't answer for a moment.
Then he smiled.
“Me too.”
There was about a hand's width between them.
Not close.
Not far.
Hyunwoo looked down at his hand.
He remembered Jaehoon's joke from earlier.
Are you really going to hold her hand today?
Hyunwoo cursed under his breath.
Why'd he have to put that idea in my head?
Just then, Jia shifted and placed her hand on the bench.
It was close to Hyunwoo's hand.
Only a few fingers' width apart.
They both noticed it.
But neither of them moved.
A few seconds.
It was a very short moment, but it felt long.
Then Jia's phone rang.
They both looked away at the same time.
Jia checked the screen.
“Sohee.”
Hyunwoo let out a breath without realizing it.
Jia read the message and put her phone away.
“What did she say?”
“She asked if I was still alive.”
Hyunwoo laughed.
“Why?”
“Because I told her I went out after work.”
“She knows she's with me?”
Jia looked at Hyunwoo.
“Yes.”
Hyunwoo raised an eyebrow.
“You tell her everything.”
“She’s my friend.”
“What did she say?”
Jia smiled.
“She told me to watch out for you.”
“What did I do?”
“I don't know.”
Hyunwoo looked offended.
Jia laughed.
“I’m kidding.”
After a moment,
Hyunwoo asked carefully,
“Jia Seo.”
“Yes?”
“To your friend—”
Hyunwoo paused.
“How do you describe me?”
Jia's expression changed.
“What?”
“I'm just curious.”
“Someone from work?”
Jia couldn't answer right away.
They weren't from the same company, so calling him someone from work didn't quite fit.
Calling him a friend felt strange.
A guy friend older than her?
That wasn't right, either.
Jia answered honestly.
“It’s ambiguous.”
Hyunwoo laughed.
“Same here.”
“You, too?”
“I don't know what to call you if someone asks.”
A brief silence followed.
Hyunwoo spoke slowly.
“Then.”
Jia looked at him.
“Should we come up with a name for what we are?”
Jia's eyes widened slightly.
Hyunwoo realized he had been pretty direct.
But it was too late now.
They quietly looked at each other.
The wind blew around them.
The sound of waves came from somewhere in the distance.
Jia asked quietly,
“What kind of name?”
Hyunwoo couldn't answer right away.
Friends.
Coworkers.
Seeing each other.
A couple.
Several words floated through his mind.
But it was still a little too soon to choose one.
Hyunwoo smiled and said,
“That…”
Then he looked at Jia.
“Should we think about it a little longer?”
Jia slowly smiled, too.
“Okay.”
They turned their gazes back to the ocean.
They still hadn't held hands.
They hadn't said they liked each other, either.
But today,
for the first time, they acknowledged that what they had needed a name.
And that alone
marked the beginning of a much bigger change between them than before.