Chapter 1 (Part 5)

In-ah looked down at her newly bought white sneakers with a troubled expression. Her heart ached. But there was no other way. Just as she was about to close her eyes tightly, she saw Jinwon’s hand extended in front of her.

When she looked up, she saw Jinwon standing in the puddle, offering his hand to her. As if he had foreseen the situation, Jinwon’s shoes looked sturdy enough to resist water easily.

But In-ah didn’t hesitate. Ignoring Jinwon’s hand, she plunged her white sneakers into the muddy puddle. Then she marched through the puddle with determination.

Dragging her soggy sneakers, In-ah checked her watch. It was hard to believe they hadn’t even walked for 10 minutes. Time felt excruciatingly long when she was alone with Jinwon.

“Let’s take a break. Your feet…”

“My feet are fine. But since you want to rest, let’s take a break.”

Without waiting for Jinwon’s response, In-ah sat on a large rock nearby. She struggled to remove her shoes and peeled off her soaked socks, revealing her wrinkled feet.

In-ah took out her phone and called the factory again. It had been busy for a while. With a sigh, she put her bare feet back into her shoes and stood up.

But she couldn’t walk far before she sat down on the side of the road. Her waterlogged feet rubbed against the shoes, causing blisters. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should put on her muddy socks again. Then, as if making a decision, she took off her shoes and stood up barefoot.

At that moment, In-ah’s body was lifted into the air. When she came to her senses, she realized Jinwon had picked her up.

“What are you doing? Put me down right now.”

“……”

“This is harassment…”

Jinwon suddenly stopped walking. In-ah quickly bit her lip and managed to speak in a small voice.

“…Forget it. I take it back. So…”

Before In-ah could finish her sentence, Jinwon started walking again.

If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have eaten a late-night snack last night. She was at her highest weight now. As her mind filled with such trivial thoughts, Jinwon’s low voice reached her.

“Why are you speaking formally? Just speak casually like before.”

“……”

In Jinwon’s arms, In-ah barely managed to suppress a laugh.

“I can’t speak informally. Are there any team members who use informal speech with the Team Leader?”

Summoning all her rational strength, she barely managed to speak, but her heart seemed to have no intention of being rational. Her heart was flustered by its own heartbeat, which was in sync with Jinwon’s chest muscles against her head.

So she struggled with all her might again.

“Please put me down.”

Jinwon carefully set In-ah down on the ground. At that moment, the sound of a car came from afar. In-ah’s face brightened as she instinctively turned her head.

“Mister! Over here!”

In-ah ran towards the truck coming their way.

The factory worker she was familiar with had driven out to pick them up. In-ah couldn’t hide her joy from the familiar face.

“Oh my, it’s so good to see you! Mister, you look even more handsome than Tom Cruise right now~”

But it wasn’t In-ah that the kindly smiling worker greeted first. It was Jinwon, standing behind her.

“When did you get here? Without saying a word.”

Surprised, In-ah looked at the two of them exchanging friendly greetings with a puzzled expression.

At the factory, In-ah stuck closely to the worker who was busy with the coloring process.

“Mister, how do you know the Team Leader?”

“Team Leader? Oh, Jinwon?”

It seemed they were quite close.

“Jinwon used to come to this factory often when he was a kid.”

“A kid?”

“Ah, when he was younger than now. Haha. During his college days.”

From what she heard, Jinwon had been frequenting the factory like his own home since his college days when he was dating In-ah. Well, getting to know the factory people is fundamental to making good furniture.

The coloring samples In-ah had requested began to be completed one by one. In-ah carefully compared them with the designs and components she had brought.

Jinwon, too, exuded the aura of a Team Leader as he meticulously examined the samples. As she turned her head, In-ah found herself staring at Jinwon.

“So, why did you come here?”

“I came for work. Not just tagging along.”

Jinwon replied without even lifting his eyes from the samples.

“Jinwon.”

The worker, who had come in unnoticed, called Jinwon. Then he mimed smoking with his hand.

“I quit smoking. I can’t be your smoking buddy anymore.”

In-ah was more surprised than the older man. 

The world-renowned smoking enthusiast Jinwon had quit?

“Since when?”

“It’s been a while. You should quit too. It’s good, really.”

Jinwon briefly smiled at the worker. For a moment, In-ah felt like she had traveled back seven years.

That face. The smile of the man she had loved most in the world.

Fearing her wildly shaking eyes would be noticed, In-ah quickly turned her attention to the samples. Even she couldn’t understand her feelings towards Jinwon at that moment.

She thought all the hatred and resentment had faded with time, but they hadn’t. What was disconcerting was not the anger but the sudden pangs of longing. It was an emotion she hadn’t even imagined.

This time, her gaze was fixed on Jinwon’s fingers as he picked up a sample. Those long, gentle fingers that had brushed her hair and cupped her face.

In-ah shook her head vigorously to dispel her random thoughts. At that moment, Jinwon furrowed his brow as he held a sample in his hand.

“But is this color really right for the target consumers?”

“What? What do you mean…”

“Who is the target consumer for this project?”

“Newlyweds.”

“And you plan to use such a dark and deep color?”

The main color for the new newlywed dressing room furniture project was a deep khaki. Jinwon’s criticism wasn’t particularly surprising. Everyone had reacted that way when it was first proposed. In-ah donned a rational and expressionless face.

“Bright colors are what everyone does. They’re too common. This project focuses on differentiation.”

“Whose differentiation is that?”

“What?”

In-ah was taken aback by the unexpected question.

“Did newlyweds say they like furniture differentiated by this color?”

“Well, when we asked newlyweds about their preferred color, it was khaki…”

“They preferred khaki for their dressing room wardrobe?”

“We didn’t directly ask about wardrobe color in the survey, but…”

Even as she found herself cornered, In-ah was displeased with Jinwon’s contrarian attitude. It felt like he was picking a fight on purpose. That’s when In-ah noticed the factory worker.

“Oh? Is there a new color sample?”

The factory worker, who had approached with a new sample, stood as if being punished. It was due to the cold atmosphere between the two. Neither of them realized it.

The worker tried to change the mood with a deliberately bright voice.

“Time to eat, isn’t it? What do you want to eat, In-ah? Jinwon, do you still like beef soup?”

“No, I don’t like beef soup anymore. Tastes change, you know.”

In-ah remembered Jinwon’s obsession with beef soup. During their dating days, he often regretted that In-ah didn’t like it.

Eventually, they decided on simple lunchboxes. Even while waiting for dinner, they continued to review samples. It was nearing 7 PM. If they didn’t hurry, they’d return to Seoul too late.

That’s when Jinwon placed the color sample board on the table with a snap.

“This won’t work. We need to start over with the color selection.”

Surprised, In-ah looked up at Jinwon.

“I’m not planning to quit this company. I’m even less inclined to change departments.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“So please don’t create unnecessary conflicts.”

“It seems there’s a misunderstanding. I’m expressing my opinion as the Team Leader.”

In-ah, suppressing her anger, and Jinwon, whose intentions were unclear, locked eyes, and sparks flew.

“I’m someone who keeps work and personal matters separate. You might not know that yet.”

“Oh, I see. Then let’s head back to Seoul. We’ll start over with the color selection.”

In-ah exaggeratedly nodded her head.

“Why are you so twisted?”

At Jinwon’s words, In-ah involuntarily let out a dry laugh.

“Yes, I’m twisted. Didn’t you notice when we met a few days ago?”

“Are you really going to keep this up?”

“Well, if you call speaking the truth twisted, then I have no choice.”

Just then, In-ah’s phone rang. It was a call from Min-jun. For a moment, In-ah’s eyes sparkled.

“Hello, Min-jun? Oh, I’m in the provinces right now.”

While talking, In-ah glanced at Jinwon.

“I’ll be back today. Yes. Got it.”

The call with Min-jun ended. But In-ah didn’t hang up. Instead, she raised her voice a bit.

“Of course, I miss you too. Wait for me and have dinner with Auntie, and I’ll be there soon.”

In-ah hung up and turned around. Jinwon’s expression remained completely unmoved. In-ah was dumbfounded. Haejeong was right.

Even if he was a scoundrel who abandoned a woman pregnant with his child, you could argue he was young back then. But now it’s different. If he acts like this knowing everything, he’s a scumbag without the slightest sense of guilt.

In-ah glared at the man she once loved more than life itself with murderous intent. Tears welled up in her eyes in an instant. Fearing they would be noticed, she quickly wiped them away.

Almost simultaneously, Jinwon looked up and gazed at In-ah. She did not avoid his gaze and stared straight at him.

Jinwon, whose eyes betrayed no emotion, slowly opened his mouth.

“Is that the child I saw the other day?”

“……”

Without waiting for In-ah’s response, Jinwon shifted his gaze back to the samples.

“Does that child call anyone ‘Mom’? He seemed quite mature, but I guess not.”

In-ah was surprised by her own impulsive behavior. Outwardly, she acted as if she didn’t care about Jinwon, but inside, she was curious about his true feelings.

However, Jinwon’s reaction was far from what In-ah expected. He wasn’t flustered or inquisitive. In fact, he seemed almost indifferent.

In-ah felt the anger swelling inside her, growing beyond her control.

“I’d appreciate it if you could be clear.”

Jinwon stood up without even glancing at In-ah, who was gritting her teeth to suppress her anger.

“Let’s go back to Seoul.”

“We should eat the food we ordered before we leave.”

In-ah casually remarked, trying not to reveal her emotions.