Chapter 14 (Part 5)

The three of them stopped at a rest area.  

While waiting for In-ah to return from the restroom, Seong-jun bought two cups of coffee and sat on a bench.  

Jinwon walked up briskly and began interrogating him.  

“What exactly are you doing?”  

“What am I doing?”  

Seong-jun didn’t even bother to react to Jinwon’s question.  

“Why are you stirring up In-ah?”  

Seong-jun smirked at Jinwon’s words, as if finding them amusing.  

“Stirring up? Is that the way a Team Leader talks to the company Director?”  

Unfazed, Jinwon chuckled.  

Seong-jun was slightly taken aback by Jinwon’s reaction.  

The Jinwon he used to know would never have responded to Seong-jun’s remarks. But the Jinwon standing before him now was different.  

“Oh? Is this one mine? Thank you!”  

In-ah suddenly appeared, picking up the coffee in front of Seong-jun. This interruption temporarily ended the argument between the two men.  

“Oppa, have a sip.”  

Jinwon, with an oddly triumphant look, took a sip of the coffee while glancing at Seong-jun.  

Seong-jun ignored Jinwon and headed back to the car.  

“Director, should I drive? You must be tired.”  

At Jinwon’s suggestion, Seong-jun opened the driver’s door and replied as if he were being considerate,  

“You look too tired too, Team Leader. Why don’t you relax in the back seat?”  

“Would that be okay?”

What? He’s agreeing so easily to sit in the back? 

Seong-jun had made the suggestion hoping to get In-ah to sit next to him. However, Jinwon dashed his hopes by grabbing In-ah, who was about to sit in the front seat.

“You don’t mind if move to the backseat, right? If Ms. Seo In-ah sits next to you, it’ll just distract you.”

“I don’t mind.”

Seong-jun quickly replied. At that, Jinwon responded as though he’d been waiting for this moment.

“See? He said he doesn’t mind. Hurry up and sit in the back. Let’s get going, CEO.”

Watching Seong-jun’s face turn grim, Jinwon let out a satisfied chuckle.  

Noticing this, In-ah pinched Jinwon’s thigh and glared at him.  

‘What’s with you today?’ she mouthed silently. Jinwon simply mouthed back, ‘What did I do?’ 

***

At the arboretum, peace seemed to return as the three of them explored the plants.  

In-ah spotted the reason she had come here. A sign read “Hydrangea Land,” marking a spot where hydrangeas grew in clusters.  

Seong-jun suddenly stopped walking in front of the hydrangeas.  

“Why aren’t you coming in?”  

When In-ah asked, Seong-jun pulled out his phone.  

“I just remembered I need to make a call. Go ahead without me.”  

As Seong-jun hurried away, In-ah muttered worriedly,  

“Doesn’t he look unwell?”  

“No, he looks fine to me.”  

Jinwon replied absentmindedly, without even looking at Seong-jun.  

“What’s with you today? Are you going to keep acting like this? The Director asked me for a favor, and all you’re doing is sulking.”  

Jinwon was incredulous.  

“Sulking? Did you just call me sulky?”  

But then Jinwon turned his head and froze in place.  

At the end of his gaze, clusters of hydrangeas bloomed in white, purple, and sky blue—so beautiful they left him speechless.  

“Aren’t they pretty? That’s why I came here today.”  

In-ah ran toward the hydrangeas, marveling at their beauty.  

“They’re beautiful.”  

Jinwon agreed softly and asked,  

“Do you like hydrangeas? How did I not know that?”  

In-ah leaned in to smell the flowers and replied,  

“Not me. Jinseong’s Chairwoman likes them.”  

Surprised by her unexpected answer, Jinwon asked again,  

“Jinseong’s Chairwoman?”  

“Yes. I came here to study the client’s preferences as a designer.”  

In-ah explained proudly,  

“Actually, it’s not the hydrangeas themselves but their leaves that the Chairwoman likes. She loves dew tea, which is made from hydrangea leaves. But the flowers are just so beautiful.”  

Jinwon approached her and bent down to study the hydrangeas closely.  

On the way back to Seoul from the arboretum, Jinwon took over driving since Seong-jun wasn’t feeling well. Sitting in the passenger seat, Seong-jun promptly fell asleep, as if paying Jinwon back for earlier.  

Unaware of Jinwon’s feelings, In-ah kept checking on Seong-jun’s complexion.  

Jinwon glanced at her, puzzled.  

At the rest area, when Seong-jun woke up, In-ah cautiously asked,  

“Are you okay? You should eat something.”  

“I’m not hungry.”  

“But you need to eat something to take your medicine.”  

After glancing at Jinwon, who was staring at him, Seong-jun followed In-ah.  

When In-ah tried to assist him, Jinwon quickly intervened, taking over and separating her from Seong-jun.  

Then, in a low voice, he muttered to Seong-jun,  

“What are you doing?”  

“Can’t you see? I’m going to eat.”  

Jinwon, exasperated, fired back,  

“What lie did you tell In-ah? Did you think I’d let it slide?”  

“Don’t let it slide, then. Who asked you to?”  

Shrugging off Jinwon’s hand, Seong-jun walked ahead.  

In-ah hurried over to Jinwon and asked,  

“What did you say to the Director this time?”  

“In-ah, you…”  

Jinwon started to say something but stopped himself, taking a deep breath instead.  

“What’s this about medicine?”  

Leaning in close, In-ah whispered,  

“The Director is sick. He said it’s incurable. Don’t tell anyone—I’m only telling you because I trust you. So let’s just quietly have dinner and go home, okay?”  

Jinwon suddenly stopped walking.  

When In-ah turned to look at him, his face was unreadable.  

“Who told you that?”  

“The Director. Why?”  

Without answering, Jinwon fell silent. For the rest of the trip home, he didn’t speak to either Seong-jun or In-ah.  

***

After work, Seong-tae got into his car to head home. As soon as he closed the door, someone knocked on his window.  

Startled, Seong-tae looked outside while his driver stepped out to stop the man knocking on the window.

The driver and the man were tussling when, suddenly, Seong-tae rolled down the car window and shouted in a low voice.  

“Get in the car. Now.”  

The man smirked and climbed into the seat next to Seong-tae. This man was the same one who had been following Jinwon around until just a few days ago—the very one who had been doused with coffee.  

After starting the car, Seong-tae scolded him in a low voice.  

“Why are you here?”  

The man grinned mischievously, as if trying to provoke him.  

“That guy seems to be walking just fine, doesn’t he?”  

Seong-tae flinched in shock. Forcing himself to calm down, he asked in a threatening tone.  

“What do you want? Say it quickly and leave. Back to Argentina.”  

The man glanced sideways at Seong-tae, crossed his legs, and spoke lazily.  

“I feel a bit stifled.”  

“So what?!”  

Unable to suppress his anger, Seong-tae shouted. But seeing the driver flinch, he barely managed to regain his composure.  

The man, as if finding Seong-tae amusing, chuckled and leaned toward him to whisper.  

“I was hoping for a transfer. To a resort area.”  

Seong-tae was dumbfounded and at a loss for words.  

***

The next day.  

Jinwon appeared dazed throughout the day at work.  

Unable to watch any longer, In-ah entered the team leader’s office under the pretense of delivering a report.  

“Are you feeling unwell?”  

Seeing In-ah’s worried expression, Jinwon forced a smile.  

“No, I’m fine. Were you worried? I’m sorry.”  

Despite Jinwon’s reply, In-ah couldn’t shake off her concern and asked again.  

“Is something wrong? I’ve noticed you’ve been acting strange since yesterday.”  

Jinwon seemed to ponder for a moment before looking up at her.  

“In-ah.”  

“Yes?”  

As she waited for his next words, Jinwon slowly spoke.  

“If you had to sort out your past, what would you do first?”  

“Out of the blue?”  

Puzzled, In-ah saw the seriousness in Jinwon’s expression and began to think.  

“Hmm… I’d tell the people I love that I love them.”  

“And then?”  

“Hmm… I’d apologize to the people I’ve wronged.”  

Hearing her answer, Jinwon’s face seemed to darken further.  

“But why are you asking this?”  

At her question, Jinwon let out a slow sigh and said,  

“I was wondering if it’s possible to sort things out.”  

Though she had received an answer, In-ah couldn’t grasp what Jinwon truly meant.