Chapter 12 – Asking So Soon  

• Hey! What’s that sound? What happened?

Do-soon shouted loudly, startled by the sound of something breaking.

“Oh, no, it’s nothing. I just dropped the teacup I was drinking from.”

• This girl, this girl, how many times have you given me a fright!

“I know. I’ll be more careful. Sorry.”

So-yeon, calming the startled Do-soon, began cleaning the messy floor with a disposable cloth. But suddenly, another voice came through the phone, besides Do-soon’s.

• Yeo Do-soon, lower your voice! People are all staring at us!
• What do you want me to do? They seem to want to look.
• But still, this is!
• Oh, are you going to hit me?
• Mom, did you see her? She’s being rude to me!
• Both of you, be quiet! Do-soon, I’ll go into the luxury store with Do-young first, so follow us after you finish the call. Remember, our whole family has to attend Assemblyman Chun’s dinner banquet tonight, so don’t wander off, okay?
• I won’t, so don’t worry.

Listening to the conversation between the three women, So-yeon chuckled softly. She could vividly imagine Do-soon’s sullen face, unfazed by anyone’s words.

Somehow knowing that she was lounging around in her house alone, Ji Myung-sook called Do-soon to the department store, dressed her out of her tomboy clothes, and into a pretty dress.

Dragged around by her mother and sister, Do-soon contacted So-yeon as soon as she finished talking with the planning team leader.

Thanks to Ji Myung-sook taking her eldest daughter away, Do-soon spoke in a much more relaxed tone.

• So-yeon, there’s even more surprising news.

“What is it?”

• My goodness, our oppa has taken the role of the male lead, Ki Cheon-yul! You and Tae Seo-jun are in the same project! Wow, isn’t this amazing?

Although it wasn’t new information since she learned it in the break room, So-yeon shared the same excitement as Do-soon.

“Are you that happy?”

• Of course! You’ve had such a hard time until now. So now, let’s bloom brightly, Eom So-yeon! You can do well, right?

“Of course.”

After ending the call, So-yeon stared at the pantry wall for a while.

It had only been a few minutes since she firmly resolved to face it head-on, but her pale face, already losing its vigor, grew more and more discouraged.

Continuing to bury what she had hidden so far for the distant future made her conscience inside her chest rattle, telling her not to do so. The longer she deceived, the more her heart would ache and deteriorate.

However, revealing the truth to Tae Seo-jun and the people around her was no easy task either. In the worst-case scenario, the repercussions of that fact would be considerable, beyond what she could predict.

Since knowing him, she had developed a strong heart. Raising and nurturing her child had further tempered that heart. But facing Tae Seo-jun, for whom she couldn’t find a solution, the clamp that had tightly bound her heart loosened without mercy.

Though she sought a compromise between her past, present, and future self, the only thing So-yeon gained was a mind full of confusion and the understanding that now was not the time to speak.

“Phew…”

When the burden of her worries became unbearably heavy, So-yeon glanced down at her finger due to a sharp sensation.

While hurriedly cleaning the floor, she had slightly cut her hand on a sharp glass shard, and now she noticed bright red blood soaking through the tissue wrapped around it.

It wasn’t a significant pain, but it stung.

Thinking she should finish cleaning up the mess she caused, So-yeon cleaned the floor thoroughly, bending her knees and waist to pick up even the last piece of glass under the display.

That’s when it happened.

Someone entered the pantry.

As the footsteps stopped abruptly in front of her after the sound of the door opening and closing, So-yeon’s eyes quickly scanned up from the gleaming shoe tips to the notably long legs. Her gaze halted on the face looking down at her.

The owner of the arrogant face, even with a smile on the red lips, was…

Tae Seo-jun.

“Ah!”

A short scream escaped Soyeon’s lips because she instinctively stood up hurriedly.

Her right elbow was scraped hard by the sharp corner of a drawer. She had taken a knife out of the cabinet to cut a lemon for the tea, and it was a mistake not to close the drawer tightly then.

She thought it was okay because of the long sleeves, but red blood quickly spread on Soyeon’s clothes.

“Your arm and even your hand…”

Seo-jun, who found the injured spots with ghostly precision, raised a thick eyebrow and slowly spat out a sarcastic remark.

“You’re a mess, Eom So-yeon.”

The voice giving the scolding was cold and sharp like a dagger made of quartz.

“……”

Staring blankly at Seo-jun, So-yeon bit her small, plump lips.

The drawer was left open by her, and the cut on her finger was also her fault. She had nothing to say about her foolish actions.

With movements neither slow nor fast, Seo-jun opened the pantry door and stepped outside.

“What are you doing?”

Just when she thought he was leaving, he spoke without looking back.

“Why aren’t you following?”

“Where to…”

When So-yeon asked with wide-open eyes, his large, graceful body finally turned around. His slightly curved lips seemed to be smiling a bit.

“You need to stop the bleeding since you’re bleeding, don’t you think?”

“……”

Seo-jun cast a shallow glance, signaling her to follow, and began walking ahead.

It was a bold gesture, as if saying she could refuse if she wanted, but how could anyone ignore it? It was a strong temptation that anyone would be captivated by.

So-yeon followed him without a word.

***

Sitting on the sofa in the director’s office beside Seo-jun, So-yeon couldn’t help but feel tense.

It was understandable since the man she both liked and feared, whom she wanted to be close to but couldn’t, was beside her.

“……!”

At some point, So-yeon felt her hand being pulled.

She was blankly watching a bandage being applied to her fingertip when his warm body heat seeped into her palm.

“Eom So-yeon, aren’t you a genius?”

Seo-jun, holding her fidgeting hand even tighter, applied medicine to her elbow, which was exposed by rolling up her blouse, and spoke with a smiling mouth.

“Running away when you’re off guard.”

“When did I?”

“Anytime.”

“……”

Perhaps it was just her feeling, but it sounded like he was bringing up old matters, making So-yeon purse her lips tightly. After all, they had shared intimate secrets. Her face suddenly turned red, recalling the embarrassing things they did on that winter night.

A gauze was applied to the broadly scraped skin, but that wasn’t the end. Seo-jun wrapped an elastic bandage around her elbow, asking with concern.

“Have you had a tetanus shot?”

“Last year.”

When So-yeon gave the desirable answer, Seo-jun, who raised his eyebrows in a round shape, nodded shallowly.

But his gaze held a dissatisfied chill.

Even if yesterday was excusable due to shock, wasn’t she busy running away today as well? As if she didn’t want to include him in her life at all.

Seo-jun was chewing over the unpleasant emotion caused by Eom So-yeon’s attitude, which made it hard to hear her voice even once. Unaware of this, So-yeon hurriedly shifted her gaze to her elbow to avoid being caught staring at his face.

Even though she only glanced briefly, the distinct features remained vivid. But it was useless. So-yeon’s heartbeat was already far from normal.

How to handle this awkwardness?

“Thank you, Director. I’ll be leaving now.”

Just as the treatment ended. So-yeon lifted her bottom off the sofa.

“Oh, congratulations on getting the lead role.”

“It’s nothing to…”

It wasn’t something to be congratulated for. To him, being the lead was one of the most natural things. But Seo-jun changed his words and replied briefly.

“Thank you. You may go.”

Seo-jun leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs nonchalantly.

“What?”

“I said you can go.”

“Oh, yes.”

It was true she stood up to leave, but being told to go made her not want to. Feeling unexpectedly dismissed, So-yeon moved to the door with a bewildered gesture.

As she placed her hand on the doorknob, she turned to look at him, intending to ask the question she really wanted to ask.

“Um…”

“Eom So-yeon…”

Seo-jun called her.

As they both tried to speak simultaneously, Seo-jun nodded slightly, as if telling her to go first.

“I heard you got injured in the dispatch area, are you okay now?”

“……”

Asking so soon.

It was a rather quick move. With a stiff expression, Seo-jun straightened his body from the sofa and approached her with long strides.

“Were you worried about my well-being?”

“Of course.”

“……”

Did I really crave to hear this those words, this voice, so much? What is it about this woman that makes my ears and heart itch so much?

It was clear that Eom So-yeon sincerely worried about him.

The deep pupils surrounded by clear hazel trembled slightly, and her large, soft eyes shimmered as if dew had formed on them.

Seo-jun chuckled.

His previously expressionless face now radiated a bright glow.

It was a smile that melted the heart, frozen all winter, gently touched by the spring breeze.

“Eom So-yeon, do you like chicken?”

“Well, I…”

He asked if she liked chicken after asking if he was okay.

For whatever reason, Soyeon, who couldn’t miss the change in Seo-jun’s expression from cold to warm, pondered for a moment before answering.

Though it was a sudden development, eating was always a good thing, regardless of type, so it was a roundabout way of saying there was no health issue, and asking if she liked it meant he wanted to eat together sometime?

If that’s really what it meant, So-yeon, whose answer would be an unconditional ‘Yes,’ blinked her large eyes slowly and replied hesitantly.

“I like it. Not just like, I love it.”

“Would you believe me if I said I cried every night in the Middle East because I missed Korean chicken?”

No way, Tae Seo-jun? Just for chicken? It must be a joke. 

But So-yeon’s heart began to pound. It felt as if she was enchanted by his gentle smile.

“You’ve been back for quite a while, haven’t you eaten it yet?”

“……”

Seo-jun silently burst into a refreshing laugh.

The absurd excuse of wanting to eat chicken and impulsively holding onto Eom So-yeon. Though he found it ridiculous that he was annoyed for not receiving her attention, he didn’t feel bad at this moment.

“If I say not yet, will you come with me?”

“Should I?”

Does he need someone to eat chicken with?

So-yeon nodded readily. It was a quick answer, not passing through ‘thought,’ driven by the thrill of possibly spending more time with him.

“I haven’t even had lunch. Can we go now?”

“Oh my, what time is it… Let’s go quickly. Actually, I skipped lunch too.”

Indeed, that was it. Confirming that her guess was correct, Soyeon filled her eyes with excitement.

“Then we should go even faster.”

Is it okay to have such pretty eyes over something like chicken?

Seo-jun, who still remembered the first time he met Eom So-yeon, stretched his lips as he reached for the jacket hanging on the coat rack.

He liked her innocent eyes and smiling face very much.

To the point where he couldn’t help but smile.