Chapter 11 (Part 2)

After work, she went to the animal hospital where Haejeong was on night duty.  

She had been staring at the Jinseong Hotel stay voucher given by Seong-jun.  

“Is it too much to suggest a trip together?”  

“Why would it be?”  

Haejeong was exasperated with her. Unaware of Haejeong’s feelings, she continued to worry.  

“It feels like a declaration of war. What if he misunderstands and thinks I bought it on purpose? It’s so embarrassing. Ugh, I feel itchy all over.”  

Haejeong shook her head.  

“How old are you, Seo In-ah?”  

Suddenly, In-ha stood up as if she had a good idea.  

“Should I just give it to my parents?”  

“Would they leave the store?”  

At Haejeong’s rebuttal, she slumped back into her seat.  

“True. Maybe if it were overseas. They wouldn’t go.”  

In-ha sighed deeply.  

The animal hospital door swung open, and a familiar child came in crying.  

“What, what! What happened?”  

A man followed, holding a bloodied puppy wrapped in a blanket.  

And behind them, a displeased-looking man entered. It was Seongtae.  

***  

“Stop crying. You’re a boy, don’t cry.”  

Seongtae wiped Kyung-soo’s tears with his sleeve.  

Even that rude guy is tender with his kid.  

Meanwhile, a man who seemed to be Seongtae’s secretary carried the puppy into the examination room.  

Kyung-soo, with tears hanging from his eyes, stared intently at the closed examination room door.  

“Is the puppy going to die?”

“Puppy? Doesn’t it have a name?”  

“It’s not ours. We just met it on the street. It got hit by a car. The bad person ran away. They’re the worst person in the world.”  

Kyung-soo shouted and began to cry again. Surprised, In-ah hugged him and comforted him.

Seongtae glared at them with a disapproving look.  

In-ah focused on comforting Kyung-soo.  

“That person will be punished.”  

Kyung-soo looked up from her embrace and asked.  

“What if that person has a son or daughter?”  

“Huh?”  

“The bad person. If they’re punished, their kids will be so pitiful. Without a dad.”  

Kyung-soo was about to cry again. Seongtae approached, pulling Kyung-soo away from her.  

“Stop crying? How long will you cry?”  

At Seongtae’s urging, Kyung-soo stopped crying, but his gaze suddenly fixed on something.  

“Oh? It’s mango.”  

“Ah, that’s a dog treat. People shouldn’t eat those~”  

Haejeong seriously warned.  

“Why not?”  

Kyung-soo, full of curiosity, asked Haejeong. She laughed.  

Kids are just kids.  

For children, adults are a window to the world. What kind of world has this child seen through his father?

***  

Back home, In-ah stared at the new underwear she bought with Haejeong and the Jeju Island hotel voucher. She was deep in thought, but no conclusion seemed forthcoming.

Then, her doorbell rang.  She instinctively looked at the wall clock. It was past 1 a.m.  

With a tense expression, she checked the monitor and saw Jinwon smiling brightly.

She opened the door.  

“Do you know what time it is?”  

Still smiling, he handed her a colorful bag.  

“Have some macarons, In-ah. My pretty In-ah.”  

She frowned and waved her hand in front of her face.  

“Ugh, you reek of alcohol. How much did you drink?”  

He held his thumb and forefinger slightly apart and winked.  

“A little. Just a little~.”  

She shook her head.  

“If you’re acting cute, you must’ve drunk a lot.”

“…”

He expressed his embarrassment with silence.  

Then she moved toward his house and spoke firmly. 

“What’s your door code?”

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

When she turned back, he was sliding down the wall, looking proud. 

“I forgot.”

“Don’t lie.”

“It’s true.”

He looked genuinely offended. She put her hands on her hips. 

“No way am I letting you crash at my place.”

“What? I never asked to stay over.”

He looked genuinely surprised. Her face turned beet red with embarrassment.

“Should I call the locksmith?”

“He’s asleep at this hour!”

“No, he came before at dawn.”

With a determined expression, he clamped his mouth shut. She pulled out her phone, threatening to call.

“Still not going to tell me the code?”

“He’s on a business trip!”

His reply sprang out like a spring. 

“What?”

“He’s on a trip. So he can’t come today.”

Feeling a strange vibe, he slowly turned toward her. Her eyes had changed.

“How would you know that?”

Again, he clamped his mouth shut.

“There’s no way you would know. Right? So, I’ll call and check if he can come.”

She lifted her phone to call. He dashed over and ended the call.

“I just remembered the code! I got confused because I’ve changed it so many times. I’m going home. Goodnight!”

He hurried back to his house, seemingly sobered up. Watching him, she let out a dry laugh.

Back inside, she sat and stared at the colorful, pretty macarons. 

“Why are you so pretty, making me feel weak? I really need to diet this time.”

Her gaze shifted to the new underwear and the Jeju hotel voucher. Then she slapped her cheeks with both hands.

“No! Get a grip, Seo In-ah! Is this the time to be swayed by macarons? You should be charming oppa at this crucial moment! Macarons, really? That’s ridiculous.”

She then buried her face in her knees, groaning. 

“Just why macarons, of all things!”

***

As usual, Assistant Manager Jeong was eating alone when In-ah placed macarons in front of her. She looked up at her with an icy gaze.

“I’m not here to disturb your meal today! Really!”

She waved her hands frantically in denial.

“These are from my beloved friend, but I’ll give them to you, Assistant Manager Jeong. Please share them with your kids.”

Without a word, Assistant Manager Jeong resumed eating. Unbothered by her reaction, In-ha continued.

“I’m on a fasting period, not that kind of fasting, but abstaining from food… I mean, enjoy them.”

In-ha quickly left. Only then did Assistant Manager Jeong look at the bag of macarons In-ha had left behind.

***

In-ah stood on the subway platform after work. A man sidled up close to her, startling her. She turned to see Jinwon smiling.

“Didn’t you bring your car today?”

“No. It’s not in good shape.”

She chuckled. 

“After drinking so much, it’d be stranger if you were fine.”

“……”

He expressed his discomfort in silence. Meanwhile, she playfully spoke.

“Oh! I talked to the locksmith today.”

“Why? All of a sudden?”

His eyes nearly popped out in surprise.

She answered nonchalantly, boarding the arriving subway.  

“I was curious about where he went for his business trip.”  

He followed her onto the subway, standing beside her.  

“Sorry. I won’t do it again.”  

“Instead, why not just tell me the password?”  

She seemed to enjoy teasing him, seeing his embarrassed face.  

“You never know when you might forget.”  

He leaned in, whispering softly into her ear.  

She heard his apartment password slip smoothly into her ear.  

Her face turned red, and she snapped.  

“How can you just tell me like that?”  

Her eyes darted around and met those of a seated woman who was watching Jinwon suspiciously. She might misunderstand him as a harasser since she couldn’t hear their conversation.

Suddenly, she grabbed his hand.  

“What are you doing?”

Now his face turned red.  

Seeing that, she felt relieved. They’d think they were just a shy couple.  

Unaware of her thoughts, he smiled brightly, holding her hand tightly. As she looked up at him, he murmured with a smile he couldn’t hide.

“Should I sell my car?”  

“Why?”  

“I think it’s much better to commute together like this.”

Seeing him smile happily, she chuckled.  

Was he always this simple?  

Thinking back, she realized she didn’t know much about Lee Jinwon.  

***  

In-ah and Hye-yoon sat in the living room of the Jinseong Hotel Chairwoman’s house.  Today, they were to meet the client, the Chairwoman, before starting the project.  

Hye-yoon, looking extremely nervous, whispered to her.  

“Are we really meeting the Chairwoman? Isn’t it just the kitchen we need to see?”  

“Designer Park Hye-yoon. Why are you being like this? When designing custom furniture, meeting the person who will use it is basic, right?”

“True.”  

Just then, a woman dressed neatly entered with tea.  

“The Chairwoman will be here soon. Please have some tea first.”  

“Thank you.”  

They picked up their teacups and took a sip. Warmth spread through their bodies.  

“The tea is nice.”  

She commented naturally to the woman, who seemed to be the secretary.  

“Right? The Chairwoman likes traditional tea. The tea you just had is green tea specially ordered from Boseong.”  

Even to her untrained palate, the tea was impressive.  

The secretary, pleased by her comment, continued explaining.  

“The Chairwoman enjoys various traditional teas. Feel free to take a look.”  

The woman stood and approached the display of traditional teas on one side of the wall.  

“Persimmon leaf tea, pine needle tea, dew tea, tangerine ginger tea, eucommia tea, many teas people don’t usually know.”  

Listening to the secretary, In-ha examined the teas and asked about one.  

“Dew tea? I’ve never heard of it. What’s it made from?”  

Then, the Chairwoman’s voice came from the living room.  

“It’s made from hydrangea leaves. It’s a tea I particularly like.”  

Startled, In-ha and Hye-yoon bowed to the Chairwoman.  

“Hello. I’m Designer Seo In-ah from Lysian.”  

“I’m Designer Park Hye-yoon.”  

Hye-yoon, surprised, almost dropped her teacup but managed to set it down.  

The Chairwoman, seated, requested tea from the secretary.  

“Please bring me a cup of dew tea.”  

“Yes, Chairwoman.”