Part 33 

Click.

The front door opened, revealing Seowoo. He looked slightly surprised to see her coming to his house in person.

Seowoo headed straight to his house after the shoot.

“Come in.”

“No, there’s no need. Here.”

Seowoo held out her hand in front of him suddenly. Jiwook’s gaze fell on her hand.

“My father doesn’t like the idea of taking money from children, so he didn’t take my money either. That’s why he worked tirelessly until he collapsed… He has some savings, and I’m here, so you don’t have to do this.”

Jiwook still had an indifferent expression even after hearing her words. But as he quietly observed her, he met Seowoo’s gaze again.

“A son-in-law is also one’s child, right? I could do this much.”

“A son-in-law?”

“Yeah.”

“Ha.”

Seowoo chuckled at the shameless answer. His eyebrows twitched slightly at her reaction.

“There’s no reason for him to take it. It’s already over between us.”

When Seowoo tried to force the envelope into his hand, Jiwook grabbed her hand and pulled her gently away.

“Ah…!”

Thud.

She stumbled back into the house and found herself trapped between Jiwook and the front door.

Jiwook leaned in a little closer to her.

Seowoo quickly turned her head at his approach. Jiwook lightly held her chin and met her eyes.

[I love you. I love you so much, I do.]

For a moment, her happy face from the drama overlapped with reality. Jiwook’s gaze sank low. Even if it was just an act, his mouth twitched at the sight of Seowoo’s face which was so unlike the drama.

Does she hate me this much?

Pain shot through his spine at the distance between them.

“Seowoo.”

“….”

His heavy voice echoed through the front door.

Seowoo’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of her name.

Had Jiwook ever called me like this before? 

It was a rare occurrence, to say the least.

“What can I do to change your mind?”

If only I could go back to my college days, maybe things could be a little different.

Or, at least when we met again. If not, even before divorce.

If only I could turn back time, that’s what I wanted to do.

“Tell me what you want. Tell me what I can do.”

So, he decided to ask her directly.

Before it was too late, before he lost her face full of love to someone else.

He had to change her mind now.

Now that he had seen her with another man, he finally came to his senses.

“….”

Seowoo bit her lip and lowered her gaze.

She had come to tell him not to go visit Yongjae again, to return the money, but the sudden question left her speechless.

“I’ll try my best.”

Seowoo brushed off his hand holding her chin. She felt like tears were about to burst out, so she took a deep breath to calm herself down.

How could I get so worked up over his words?

You’re so pathetic, Yoon Seowoo.

Trying to calm down her racing heart was easier said than done.

“You don’t need to do that.”

Would things get a little better if I spoke contrary to my feelings?

Seowoo urgently opened her mouth.

“When I see you, I can’t stop thinking about the hard times.”

But what’s heartbreaking is that memories of the good times also come flooding back.

That’s why it’s still hard.

Because you still shook me to my core, Kwon Jiwook.

“Tell me what you really think.”

It was a remarkably arrogant remark.

As if he knew everything about her heart, Jiwook spoke with a confident voice. Seowoo looked up at him, forcing a bitter smile.

“We can start over, can’t we?”

“You don’t know, do you?”

Her eyes welled up with tears.

“This is the first time.”

“What?”

“You’ve said this to me. If you had said it just once…”

I wouldn’t have felt so lonely.

As she spoke, her throat tightened.

She remembered the times when she was so sad. So hurt. The times when she suffered alone flashed before her eyes.

“So I thought I’d turn back before it’s too late.”

His sincere gaze met hers.

Her sincere gaze fell on her.

If he could hold Yoon Seowoo, he was willing to do anything. 

Just as Yoon Seowoo was still in his heart, he naturally thought he would still be in hers. But it was his misconception.

“But it’s too late for that.”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“The money you sent my father, I’ll give it back to you.”

Because of his insistence, it was even harder to hold back. Seowoo forced herself to finish her sentence and turned away. But in an instant, he grabbed her shoulder, turning her back towards him.

“….!”

Suddenly, their lips touched. She turned her head away in surprise, but with his hand cradling her cheek, she couldn’t move.

“…!”

His warmth spread on her cheek. Unlike the forceful kisses before, this tender touch stirred up emotions.

She thought it might be better to get angry and say mean things.

The tender tone of his words and this kind of kiss were truly dangerous. Suppressing her fluttering emotions, Seowoo pushed him away.

“Ugh!”

But Jiwook tilted his head and pushed his tongue a little deeper. As his tongue gently coiled and entwined with hers, the tears she’d been holding back finally burst.

At the sound of a new sob on her lips, Jiwook stopped moving.

“Ugh…no.”

With her disapproval, Jiwook pulled his lips away and looked at her. Seowoo’s eyes were filled with resentment.

How could a word like “no” be so damaging?

Confusion crossed Jiwook’s face.

“I’m telling you to speak up. What you dislike. What you like. What makes you upset.”

“Sob.“

“How can we go back to how we were?”

“Everything, I dislike it all. So please…”

Pushing his shoulders away, Seowoo opened her eyes wide. Just seeing her flushed face made his temperature rise up to his forehead.

Damn it.

Even in such a situation, he felt pathetic seeing himself getting worked up. Seowoo hastily opened the door and rushed out of the house.

Thud.

Looking at the closed door, Jiwook ran his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily.

***

“There should be quite a few people. Will you be okay?”

Jung-ah asked with a worried look on her face. Seowoo was waiting in the van a little earlier than the shooting time.

Because of what happened at his house yesterday, she couldn’t sleep a wink all night.

It was pathetic. The fact that she couldn’t sleep at all because of his words was absurd.

“Seowoo.”

“It’s okay. It’s been a long time since we’ve been to an amusement park.”

Seowoo hurriedly changed the subject.

Today’s shoot was scheduled at an amusement park in Yongin. It was a shoot with Haewon, her daughter in the drama, and Sung-hyun.

Since it wasn’t a full reservation, there were countless people who came for picnics. Just by looking at the packed parking lot, you could tell. 

“Did you eat before coming? You haven’t eaten anything today, have you?”

“I ate before I came out.”

“What did you eat?”

“I said I ate.”

“No, I mean, what did you eat?”

Seeing Jung-ah persistently asking, Seowoo let out a small laugh. Jung-ah clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes at Seowoo’s evasive behavior.

“Look at that. You didn’t eat, did you?”

“I had granola.”

“Is that a meal?”

“I thought rice might be a bit heavy. So, I had something light.”

“That’s why you’re getting lighter and lighter because you eat light.”

They were already halfway through the drama.

Seowoo’s face was getting thinner and thinner. Even though she didn’t eat much when shooting started before, her habits hadn’t changed over time.

Beside her, Jung-ah was always restless and trying to feed her something.

“Compared to the beginning of the shoot, you’re getting skinnier. I watched the first episode yesterday, and your face looked much better than it does now.”

“Some people intentionally lose weight. What’s the big deal?”

“Really…….”

Jung-ah clicked her tongue as if she couldn’t hold back.

Seowoo picked up the script in front of her.

After the press conference for the drama promotion, she didn’t have any other schedules, so she was comfortable filming the drama, but the role itself was emotionally draining.

She felt like her heart was breaking every time she filmed.

It was a commitment she made with determination, but it seemed like her emotions were more turbulent than she had thought. Of course, Jiwook’s influence also played a part in making her feel this complex and difficult.

“When will Haewon arrive?”

“I saw her briefly when she went to the restroom earlier.”

A small smile crossed Seowoo’s lips at Jung-ah’s words.

Knock. 

Suddenly, they heard a knocking sound on the car door. When Seowoo turned her head, Sung-hyun was holding his hand above his eyebrow, pressing his face against the window.

“Your face is truly a national treasure.”

“Geez.”

Jung-ah exclaimed in admiration, whispering softly, and Seowoo burst into laughter. When she opened the door, Sung-hyun appeared in comfortable attire, wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

“When did you arrive?”

“Just now. Can you come out for a moment?”

“Why?”

“You didn’t eat, right? I want to feed you something.”

Assuming she hadn’t eaten, Sung-hyun casually took Seowoo’s wrist.

“No… Wait a moment.”

“She didn’t eat. Thank you, Mr. Sung-hyun.”

Jung-ah said promptly. As she got out of the car, Sung-hyun put two shopping bags in the van.

“These are for you and In-ryul.”

By the middle of the shoot, they were comfortable with each other’s crews. Jung-ah’s eyes widened when she saw the shopping bags.

“Oh my, for us too? We’ll enjoy it.”

“Don’t mention it. We’ll grab a meal and come back.”

Sung-hyun flashed a toothy grin and walked away with Seowoo. Jung-ah watched them go, then picked up her shopping bag and gave them a wistful look.

“If it’s you, I can give away our Seowoo to you Sung-hyun.”

“Noona, what are you talking about?”

In-ryul, who had been listening quietly, looked bewildered.

“As long as Seowoo is happy, that’s all that matters.”

“Kimchi stew… Oh!”

“You’re really…”

Jung-ah playfully tapped In-ryul’s arm without malice, and In-ryul chuckled and rubbed his arm.

“Come on, let’s eat, too.”

“He’s really nice, good-looking, and talented. He’s perfect in every way. Even other men can’t help but admire him. He seems like he’s from another world.”

He was genuinely an admirable person, even from a man’s perspective.

Jung-ah nodded and agreed with him.

“That’s what I mean. That’s why I can give away our Seowoo to him.”

“Can we stop talking about that…….”

“Sigh. You’re really firm.”

Seeing In-ryul’s resoluteness, ung-ah finally burst into laughter.

Continued in Volume 3