madnovel Chapter 25 She found out
Chapter 25 She found out
Su Yu was struggling with the wall, the roller brush leaving streaks of gray-blue on the cement surface. His phone vibrated in his pocket; he pulled it out and saw it was Shirley.
He didn't answer, hung up, and sent a location: Dongdaemun. Painting walls.
Less than twenty minutes later, the iron gate was kicked open from the outside.
Clang—Squeak—
The commotion was so loud that even the old man at the neighboring auto repair shop poked his head out to look. Su Yu didn't turn around; she kept working. Footsteps approached, high heels clicking and clacking on the concrete floor, quite hurriedly.
"Oppa"
Su Yu then turned around. Shirley stood in the doorway, sunglasses pushed up to her head, holding an iced Americano. She wore a floral dress, her hair was neatly curled, and she looked as exquisite as if she had been torn from a magazine.
The ground was covered in dust, half a bucket of paint was scattered everywhere, and the fluorescent light tube on the ceiling drooped as if it were about to fall. Su Yu himself—his T-shirt was covered in white paint, and his trouser legs were covered in dust.
Shirley looked him up and down. "Oppa, this is your company? I thought you were ringing the bell at NASDAQ, but it turns out you're working as a painter in Dongdaemun?"
"Nasdaq is too far, Dongdaemun is closer." Su Yu put the brush down beside the bucket and dusted off his hands. "What, here for an inspection?"
"Come see if you've been scammed." Shirley walked in and kicked the pile of tattered cardboard boxes with her toe. "You said you were starting a company, and the registered capital was this bucket of paint?"
"That's a fixed asset."
Shirley laughed in exasperation, walked up to him, and poked the dried paint stain on his shoulder. "Oppa, you used to iron even your apron when you worked at the convenience store. And now, look at you, all that's left of you. Is this the freedom you wanted? To be a painter?"
"Experience life." Su Yu removed her hand. "Besides, what's wrong with being a painter?"
"It's nothing much, just shabby." Shirley leaned closer; the scent of her perfume mixed with the smell of cement dust was a bit overpowering. "Where did you get the money? Don't tell me it's your saved allowance."
"you guess."
"I bet you're being kept by some rich woman." Shirley took a step back and crossed her arms. "Otherwise, with your meager salary, you couldn't even afford the rent for this door."
Su Yu didn't reply, but smiled. Shirley stared at him for a few seconds, but couldn't see anything amiss.
She turned and walked to the window. The windowsill was a mess. A half-empty iced Americano, its sides covered in condensation, sat beside it, along with an unopened can of coffee. Most jarringly, a sticky note was stuck to the cup, bearing a crooked smiley face and the words "Keep it up!" written next to it.
Shirley picked up the half-finished cup of coffee and looked at the rim. There was a faint pink lip print there.
"This isn't your cup." She turned around and shook it. "A woman's cup. This coffee is cloyingly sweet; it tastes like pure saccharin."
"It's Cai Xiubin's. She doesn't like bitter drinks."
"Cai Xiubin?" Shirley squinted and pressed her finger on the sticky note. "The short one, the one from the convenience store before."
"Yes." Su Yu walked over, picked up the unopened can of coffee, pulled the tab, and took a sip. "This one's mine. It's bitter."
Shirley stared at the half-finished cup of coffee, her eyes flickering. Suddenly, she reached for the cup, tilted her head back, and took a large gulp, leaving her own red lipstick mark right next to the pink one.
"What are you doing?" Su Yu asked.
"Try it and see how bad your taste is." She put the cup back, wiping her lips with the back of her hand. "It really tastes awful. Su Yu, when did you start liking something so cloyingly sweet?"
"The masses have their own way of living."
"Really?" Shirley suddenly reached out and grabbed Su Yu's left wrist. The old, whitish black rubber band hung loosely there. "What kind of junk is this? It's all frayed. Are you keeping it as a family heirloom?"
"I'm used to it."
"Used my ass." Shirley loosened her grip and pulled a new hair tie off her wrist. It was matte black with a small silver pendant. She shoved the new hair tie into Su Yu's hand and ran her fingertip across his palm.
"Take it."
"I won't wear this."
"Take it!" Shirley's voice rose. "Your thing is so loose, what can it hold you up? Don't let it break and hurt yourself."
Su Yu was taken aback. "You mean rubber bands?"
"I know what I'm talking about." Shirley glared at him, her ears turning red. "Out with the old, in with the new. Some things, you just have to cut them off."
Su Yu looked at the new hair tie in his hand, then at the empty mark on her wrist. "And what about you?"
"Me? Plenty of people will give me one, I don't need this one." Shirley tossed her hair, turned around, and her gaze fell on the sticky note. "Oppa, does that actor of yours come here often?"
"Come every day."
"What are you doing here every day? Supervising the construction?"
"Deliver the food. Help me revise the script."
"Hmph." Shirley sneered. "She's got plenty of free time. Delivering meals and revising scripts, anyone who didn't know better would think she's the boss's wife."
"She's a partner."
"Partner?" Shirley turned around, staring intently at him. "Oppa, do you think I'm stupid? Would a partner draw you a kindergarten-level smiley face? And drink your coffee?"
"That's what she left over."
"I feel even more nauseous." Shirley took a deep breath, turned, and walked towards the door. She stopped at the door without looking back.
"Oppa".
"Um."
"If you dare wear that old rubber band again, I'll tear down your lousy company. I won't even leave you that can of paint."
The iron gate slammed shut.
Su Yu stood there, clutching the new hair tie in her hand. The coffee cup on the windowsill was still there, with two overlapping lipstick marks on the rim, one pink and one red.
He glanced down at the old rubber band on his wrist. It was indeed old and loose. He didn't take it off. He slipped the new rubber band over the old one. The two rubber bands, one new and one old, lay side-by-side on his wrist. The small silver pendant dangled down, striking the old rubber band and swaying.
He picked up the can of bitter coffee and drank the rest. Bitter, but invigorating. He turned and picked up the brush to continue painting the wall.
Outside, the iron gate wasn't fully closed, leaving a crack. Through that crack, Su Yu saw that Shirley hadn't left. She leaned against the brick wall across the alley, lighting a slender cigarette. As the smoke rose, she didn't look at her phone, just kept staring at the broken iron gate. Only when Su Yu's shadow flickered on the wall did she throw the cigarette butt on the ground, crush it out with the toe of her shoe, and turn to leave. Without looking back.