Chapter 15 (Part 2)

In-ah visited her parents’ restaurant after a long time. Her mother had called her to come by.  

After helping with the serving, she finally sat down with her mother after the restaurant closed.  

“Dad hasn’t lost his touch. Can you handle all the customers?”  

In an attempt to lighten the heavy atmosphere, In-ah spoke cheerfully.  

But her mother’s expression remained grave.  

When In-ah fell silent, her mother finally spoke in a quiet tone.  

“Do you really have to meet Jinwon?”  

The unexpected question startled In-ah. She looked at her mother in surprise. Her mother continued gently.  

“Can’t you just stay friends? They say friendships last longer than romantic relationships. So…”  

“Mom.”  

In-ah cut her off, her voice firm.  

“Why are you saying this all of a sudden? You promised not to.”  

She watched her mother closely, trying to understand.  

Her mother closed her eyes as if in thought, then looked up with a determined expression.  

“Jinwon’s mother came to the restaurant.”  

“His mom?”  

In-ah frowned deeply.  

She had planned to slowly work on resolving the tangled issues with Jinwon’s mother over time.  

But she hadn’t expected Jinwon’s mother to act first like this.  

“She’s relentless. There’s no room to budge with her.”  

From her mother’s expression, In-ah could guess how the meeting had gone.  

Jinwon’s mother must have ignored everything her mother said and left after having her say.  

The same cold gaze and sharp words that had hurt In-ah must have wounded her mother too.  

“I’m sorry, Mom.”  

“Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who should be sorry.”  

“Why should you be sorry?”  

Upset, In-ah raised her voice at her mother.  

Her mother sighed and muttered,  

“If your dad and I had been wealthier, Jinwon’s mom wouldn’t have acted like that.”  

“How can you say that! This is Jinwon’s mom’s fault, not yours or Dad’s.”  

In-ah shouted, her frustration spilling over. Her mother gave a bitter smile.  

In-ah spoke emphatically,  

“Don’t just brush off what I’m saying. I won’t let this happen again. To me, Jinwon, you, and Dad are all precious. I’ll take care of it. Trust me, okay?”  

Her mother cupped In-ah’s cheeks with her hands, her gaze filled with affection.  

In-ah repeated with determination,  

I’ll find a way. A way for everyone to be happy.

***

In-ah and Jinwon went on an outing to the Han River on a sunny day.  

In-ah, standing in front of a convenience store ramen machine, waited excitedly for the ramen to cook.  

Seeing her excitement, Jinwon spoke with a hint of regret.  

“Why trust a machine to cook ramen when I can make it for you at home? I’d even add your favorite seafood and some chili peppers.”  

“Ehh~”  

In-ah waved her hand dismissively, stopping Jinwon in his tracks.  

“You don’t get it. This ramen isn’t just any ramen.”  

“Then what is it?”  

With a determined expression, In-ah stepped closer to Jinwon and whispered,  

“This ramen has the flavors of the river breeze, sunshine, and the scent of grass mixed in.”  

Jinwon chuckled softly.  

Once they found a spot by the Han River, In-ah eagerly took a bite of the ramen.  

“Ah, hot!”  

She flailed her arms, clearly having burned the roof of her mouth. Startled, Jinwon quickly opened the cap of a water bottle and handed it to her.  

“Here, water! Drink some water.”  

In-ah grabbed the bottle from Jinwon and gulped it down hurriedly. Watching her, Jinwon scolded gently.  

“Eat slowly. What’s the rush?”  

After calming herself, In-ah replied in a playful tone.  

“I was worried you’d steal a bite.”  

“As if.”  

Glancing at Jinwon’s amused face, In-ah picked up another bite of ramen and casually asked,  

“By the way, why did you drink alone so much at Jeong-ho’s place the other night?”  

“I wasn’t drinking alone that night. I was with Jeong-ho and…”  

Noticing In-ah’s sharp gaze, Jinwon quickly changed the subject.  

“In-ah, blow on your ramen to cool it down.”  

Narrowing her eyes, In-ah gave Jinwon a side glance before taking another bite of ramen.  

Chewing thoughtfully, she spoke again.  

“Tell me the truth. No lies.”  

Her tone was more of a playful threat than a demand, but Jinwon responded with forced cheerfulness.  

“Don’t you ever have days where you just feel like drinking for no particular reason? That was one of those days. That’s all.”  

As she continued eating, In-ah replied in a calm tone.  

“If I find out later that you were lying, you’re dead meat.”  

“Why do you have to say such scary things?”  

Jinwon instinctively hunched his shoulders, rubbing his neck as if to ward off her words.  

In-ah’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she spoke.  

“Did you know this is our first ramen date at the Han River?”  

“Is it?”  

“Yeah. Back in college, we didn’t have ramen machines like this.”  

Jinwon, watching In-ah’s wistful expression, asked curiously,  

“So, is this something you wanted to do with me?”  

In-ah, her cheeks full of ramen, nodded in satisfaction. Jinwon, finding her adorable, reached out to pat her head.  

“Is there anything else you want to do? I’ll make it happen. Just tell me.”  

“Really? There is something I want to do.”  

Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, In-ah’s eyes lit up, and she jumped to her feet.  

As per her request, Jinwon rented a bicycle.  

However, the situation was far from what Jinwon had expected.  

In-ah sat in the front seat, pedaling with all her might, while Jinwon sat in the back. Despite her efforts, the bicycle didn’t budge an inch.  

“Was this really your dream? Not me giving you a ride?”  

In-ah, brimming with enthusiasm, answered confidently.  

“Yes! You giving me a ride is too cliché. I’m not a cliché woman. Now, hold on tight. We’re really going to move this time.”  

Jinwon, skeptical, wrapped his arms around her slender waist, leaning against her.  

Satisfied, In-ah smiled and pedaled with renewed vigor. Yet, the bicycle remained stubbornly stationary.  

Unable to watch any longer, Jinwon gently coaxed her.  

“We fulfilled your ramen dream, so how about we make my dream come true now? What do you think?”  

After a moment of contemplation, In-ah nodded.  

Switching places, In-ah sat in the back seat while Jinwon smoothly started the bicycle.  

Resting her head against Jinwon’s back, with her arms wrapped around his waist, In-ah closed her eyes.  

The wind brushing against her face was warm, and Jinwon’s labored breaths sounded like a beautiful melody.  

In-ah felt perfectly happy.  

Seven years ago, when she faced the wall of betrayal from Jinwon, she thought all her happiness had shattered.  

Determined, she had forced herself to rise again—or at least she believed she had.  

But only now, in this moment, did she realize the truth.  

What she had done was merely endure.  

She had been desperately longing for the happiness she thought she could never touch again.  

Now that she had managed to grasp it, she couldn’t let it slip away. In-ah steeled her resolve.  

***

In-ah went alone to the house of the Chairwoman of Jinseong Group this time.  

She wanted to take another look at the kitchen before finalizing the furniture design revisions.  

After thoroughly inspecting the kitchen, In-ah wandered around the house with permission.  

A young woman in a uniform approached her, offering mango juice.  

When In-ah turned her head to look, she recognized the woman, who shyly smiled back.  

It was the same woman who had been caught stealing bread at the Chairwoman’s house before. In-ah had spoken up for her then.  

“Thank you.”  

In-ah beamed as she accepted the mango juice and took a sip.  

The woman, instead of leaving, stood there, watching In-ah drink with a satisfied smile.  

“That hairpin is pretty.” 

In-ah remarked, pointing at the hairpin in the woman’s hair.  

The woman’s face lit up instantly.  

“My younger sibling bought it for me. Is it pretty?”  

“It suits you so well. Your sibling has a good sense of style. You know, I was told I had such an impeccable sense of aesthetics when I was younger that people couldn’t handle it.”  

The woman laughed aloud with In-ah.  

“What’s the reason for this?”  

Startled by the sudden appearance of the Chairwoman, the woman quickly left the room.  

In-ah bowed her head to greet her.  

“How have you been? I’ve been doing well too.”  

She smiled brightly at the Chairwoman.  

For someone who smiled so radiantly yet didn’t greet her first, the Chairwoman thought she was quite the audacious young woman. She had never seen anyone like her.

Clearing her throat unnecessarily, the Chairwoman continued her words.

“Why do you act so friendly with the household staff? Is it some ploy to gain my favor?”  

“I don’t need such tricks, Chairwoman.”  

At In-ah’s bold response, the Chairwoman’s curiosity was piqued.  

“Why not?”  

“Because you already like me, Chairwoman.”  

With a confident expression, In-ah locked eyes with her.  

Yet the Chairwoman’s face remained stoic. She only responded in a flat tone.  

“I’ll give you credit for your confidence.”  

At that moment, she noticed In-ah discreetly scratching her arm.  

Clicking her tongue, the Chairwoman spoke in a dry tone.  

“You know the phrase ‘within limits,’ don’t you?”  

“Pardon? Yes.”  

In-ah was momentarily baffled, wondering what she meant, and waited for her to elaborate.  

“Then carry on with your work.”  

Without further explanation, the Chairwoman left.  

Shrugging her shoulders, In-ah turned back to her task. Shortly after, a secretary approached her.  

“Please take this.”  

“What is it?”  

“Allergy medicine.”  

It was only then that In-ah realized what the Chairwoman had meant earlier, and her jaw dropped in surprise.  

“How did she know?”  

“The Chairwoman knows everything.”  

After the secretary left, In-ah recalled the Chairwoman’s earlier words.  

So he noticed that I have a mango allergy and still drank the mango juice. That’s why he said, ‘within limits.’  

Unable to hide her conflicted expression, In-ah lightly bopped her head with her fist.  

“Why are you hitting your own head?”  

Kyung-soo, who had approached unnoticed, asked with a cheerful face.  

“Oh, it’s just… Why did I do that…” 

She trailed off before greeting him. 

“Kyung-soo, it’s been a while. How have you been?”  

“Hold on, noona.”  

Kyung-soo grabbed her hand and led her into the room they had secretly entered before—the “Grandmother’s Crying Room.”