Chapter 5 (Part 1)

It was only after passing the tollgate that the reality of having to travel long distance for two hours with him began to sink in.

Her shoulders became stiff and tense, and she felt a tight grip in her feet clad in shoes.

“When was the last time you visited Okcheon?”

Seo-hye cleared her throat to loosen her voice before answering.

“Last year. I couldn’t go for ten years, but last year my mom asked me to bring her something from the house. So I went after pleading with my grandfather.”

“Then no one has visited that house since last year?”

“Yes… probably. If neither my mom nor I go, there’s no one else who would.”

“How is that place?”

“Are you asking about the Okcheon house?”

At his nod, Seo-hye faced forward and looked far into the distance.

The house where she lived with Hyo-young was not in the city, but in a completely remote area of Okcheon.

Hyo-young used to drive her to and from school.

“You’ll be really surprised. It’s completely rural.”

“Hearing that makes me even more curious. I’ve lived in Seoul all my life and spent almost 7 years in the United States.”

“Oh… yes, I heard you were working in the U.S. before coming to Korea. But isn’t it better to live there?”

“I thought it was much better there. Even on the day I arrived in Korea, that thought hadn’t changed.”

“I see.”

Just as she was about to ask why he came then,

A voice that stirred her heart flowed into her ear.

“But then I met you, Seo-hye.”

“……”

“And my mind changed a little. Thinking that it’s not so bad here either.”

The sound of her heart, which had been beating rapidly, grew unbearably loud.

Feeling flustered, she placed her hand over the area for no reason, but instead of calming down, the sound grew even louder, and she was enveloped in an odd sensation as if her blood was flowing backward.

She was unable to move, biting her lips persistently, and seeing this, Do-jin suddenly reached out his hand.

He precisely grasped her chin and pressed down firmly on her lower lip with his thumb.

“Biting your lips is one thing, but if you keep doing it, you’ll ruin their shape.”

“Uh, okay.”

Seo-hye quickly removed his hand and fanned her face timidly.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

“… Please go ahead.”

“If I hadn’t been engaged to your sister.”

“…”

“I’m curious if you would have met me right away.”

In fact, as soon as he asked the question, she already had the answer in her heart.

She hesitated about whether to say this answer out loud.

And she thought it would be okay to speak the truth.

After all, it was something that hadn’t happened. After all, even if this man refused, he was once engaged to her sister.

“Yes.”

The truth came out surprisingly simply.

His gaze briefly turned to her before shifting back to the front.

She ignored her complicated feelings and didn’t stop the truth from flowing further.

“I think I would have met you right away.”

“Then that’s settled.”

He concluded the conversation in a neat tone, as if the issue was resolved.

A silent drive ensued without another word exchanged.

Inside Seo-hye’s heart, there was turmoil. She felt her feelings for him growing, heating up, and then cooling down repeatedly as she recalled her situation.

Even just sitting quietly in the chair without conversation felt as exhausting as hard labor, making her body and mind grow weary.

Even amidst this, her eyes would occasionally steal glances at him, and she felt curious watching him drive calmly without any disturbance in his posture.

What on earth could he be thinking about?

“When we arrive, it will be dinner time. Let’s stop somewhere on the way and eat.”

Ah, it seemed he was mapping out the route.

“What do you like, Do-jin?”

“Are you asking to buy me something?”

“Yes. You took me to the hospital and is going with me to Okcheon, so of course, I should buy you dinner.”

“But you said you have no money.”

Seo-hye frowned as she looked at him. At the same time, the gaze that met hers was warm.

“You said you worked at the academy without pay.”

“…Well, I still have enough money to buy you dinner, Do-jin.”

Her heart burned with embarrassment.

In truth, she was almost like an unemployed person. Even if she painted for Hwa-woong, she worked at the academy without pay, almost as a volunteer.

Thinking about who he was made her feel infinitely small.

“Do you know of any places?”

“A restaurant? Yes. When we enter Okcheon city, there’s a handmade noodle place. It’s a local favorite known only to the residents. It’s a place I personally like too. If not there… what do you like?”

“I eat everything well. I’m not picky. What about you, Seo-hye?”

“I’m not picky either.”

“Then let’s go there. Let’s see if our tastes match well too.”

It was a remark that seemed meaningless on the surface, but it made her feel strangely peculiar.

As if he was saying, “You and I are compatible in many ways, with both being ambidextrous, so I’m curious if our food preferences match too.”

It seemed as if he was trying to create a connection somehow, pulling her closer despite her attempts to keep a distance.

***

The two of them parked the car haphazardly at the entrance to the city and followed Seo-hye’s lead into a shop.

The shop was so old that there wasn’t a single intact part from the signboard to the interior, yet every table was full.

Luckily, there was just one spot left in a corner.

Seeing the busy owner gesture with his eyes for them to find their own seat, Seo-hye lightly tugged on his sleeve and led him.

“They said we can sit over there.”

Do-jin looked down at her hand, which was clutching the hem of his jacket sleeve like a child.

When he didn’t follow and just stared at her blankly, Seo-hye slightly furrowed her eyebrows and asked.

“Is this place too much? Should we go somewhere else?”

“No. This place is nice.”

Do-jin shook off her timid grip and properly took her hand.

In that short distance from the door to the corner table, he intertwined his fingers with hers and led her.

And the moment they reached the table, as if a spell had been broken, they both let go of each other’s hands and sat down without saying who should do it first.

Seo-hye, seated by the wall, made eye contact with the owner.

She held up two fingers in the air.

When Do-jin looked at her, Seo-hye explained.

“They only have handmade noodles on the menu here. So I just ordered two servings.”

Do-jin slowly nodded and glanced around the room.

Watching him like that made her think she had chosen the wrong place after all.

To someone who grew up in a mansion as large as a castle, eating only the finest dishes served on luxurious marble tables, this shop seemed too shabby.

“I’m sorry. Let’s just make do with this for now, and next time we’ll go somewhere nice.”

Do-jin slightly raised one eyebrow. On closer inspection, it looked like he was smiling.

“You’ve promised me a next time.”

“…No, I think I misspoke.”

“If it’s good today, I’ll buy next time.”

Seo-hye rolled her eyes to the side, pretending to be distracted without answering.

Meanwhile, the ordered food arrived.

The owner placed a bowl of handmade noodles in front of each of them and a dish of kimchi in the center, then left.

Seo-hye told him to wait a moment and ran to the water-only fridge. She returned with water and cups.

“Here, it’s self-serve water.”

She explained without him asking and took out spoons and chopsticks from the utensil holder.

“Here you go. Try it, and if you don’t like it, tell me honestly, okay? We can go somewhere else.”

Do-jin acknowledged and started eating with the spoon Seo-hye handed him.

Seo-hye watched him with a tense expression until he put the noodles in his mouth and swallowed.

“How am I supposed to eat with you staring at me like that?”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s the first time I’ve been stopped while eating.”

“What?”

“Never mind. Eat, Seo-hye.”

Seo-hye roughly guessed what he meant but pretended not to understand and focused on her meal.

“How’s the taste? Does it suit your palate?”

“Yes. It’s delicious. We already have three things that match well.”

“…”

“Shall we also look for a place to stay tonight?”

“A place to stay?”

Anxiety shadowed Seo-hye’s expression.

“I can sleep well even if the place changes. How about you, Seo-hye?”

Is he suggesting we sleep here…?

Seo-hye shook her head.

“No, I can’t sleep here. I need to leave the painting and head straight back to Seoul. Even if I do that, my grandfather will surely scold me for being late—”

As Do-jin was about to cut her off and say something, his phone rang from inside his jacket pocket.

It was Seok-young.

Do-jin murmured an apology and answered the call.

“Yes, Secretary Yoo.”

“Managing Director, there’s a bit of a complication. It’s about Ms. Seo-hye’s mother.”