Chapter 15 (Part 7)

The Chairwoman, Seong-jun, and Seong-tae were having tea together after dinner.

“I said I wanted it cold.”

Seong-tae frowned deeply as he grumbled.

“Stop complaining and drink.”

The Chairwoman’s low voice carried an intimidating weight, silencing further protests.

Seong-tae shot the Chairwoman a dissatisfied glance.

“It’s frustrating to wait for it to cool. It doesn’t suit my temperament.”

Seong-jun, taking a slow sip of the hot tea, commented,

“You’re drinking hot tea to curb that temperament of yours.”

The Chairwoman, who had been silently listening, took a sip of her tea and then set the cup down.

“Finish your tea before you leave.”

As she rose from her seat, the Chairwoman suddenly paused and turned to look at Seong-jun.

“Seong-jun, how are things going with that young lady?”

Lowering his head, Seong-jun carefully chose his words before replying.

“I’m working on it.”

“Working on it?”

The Chairwoman raised an eyebrow, her displeasure evident.

“There should be progress soon.”

Even this response failed to satisfy the Chairwoman.

“Soon?”

Seong-jun lifted his gaze to meet hers and said,

“No, I’ll make sure to introduce her to you soon, Mother.”

Only then did the Chairwoman turn and leave the room.

Seong-tae, who hadn’t touched his tea, set it back down with a grumble.

“If she’s just going to leave like that, why insist on having dinner together every week?”

Then, turning to Seong-jun, he asked accusingly,

“Are things really going well? That woman seems to still be hanging around with that guy.”

“And you.”

Seong-jun, his expression darkening, retorted sharply.

“Are things going well on your end? Get it done properly. Don’t make me deal with this more than once.”

Seong-jun’s gaze was piercing.

***

At Go Sang-wook’s birthday party venue, In-ah and Hye-yoon had just arrived.

As they entered, their eyes darted around, captivated by the luxurious and extravagant interior design.

Wide-eyed, Hye-yoon couldn’t stop marveling.

“Wow, was Sang-wook really this rich?”

“We probably didn’t even need to come.”

At In-ah’s words, Hye-yoon belatedly turned her head to look around. The venue was already packed with people.

Hye-yoon immediately glanced down at her outfit and muttered,

“If I’d known, I would’ve dressed up more.”

It was understandable; everyone at the party seemed adorned in designer brands.

“In-ah!”

Sang-wook pushed through the crowd and ran toward her.

Hye-yoon, feeling ignored, stuck her head out and said,

“I’m here too.”

“Oh, Hye-yoon, you came too.”

Without even looking at her, Sang-wook replied half-heartedly before addressing In-ah in a warm tone.

“Welcome! You must be hungry. Have something to eat first.”

Voices calling for Sang-wook echoed from the other side. Seeing this, In-ah gently urged him,

“You should go. It seems like the guests are looking for you.”

“Just a moment. Help yourself to the food. It’s quite good.”

The dishes were all luxurious and delicious, leaving the two women constantly exclaiming in admiration as they ate.

Soon, their attention was drawn to Sang-wook, who had taken the microphone on the stage.

“I sincerely thank everyone who came here today. I’ll never forget that you all took time out of your busy schedules to celebrate my birthday. I’ll remember each and every one of you.”

Applause and cheers erupted from the crowd.

After bowing his head in gratitude, Sang-wook, with a determined expression, spoke again into the microphone.

“There’s another reason I’m especially happy and thrilled today. Someone I’ve secretly admired for a long time is here with us tonight.”

The applause and cheers grew even louder, with some people shouting words of encouragement.

Gripping a large bouquet of flowers, Sang-wook took a deep breath, his face tense with nerves.

As he stepped off the stage and walked toward the crowd, the guests parted to create a path for him.

Walking straight through the middle, Sang-wook stopped in front of In-ah.

Hye-yoon, too stunned to make a sound, belatedly covered her open mouth with her hand.

Sang-wook knelt on one knee before In-ah, holding out the large bouquet.

In-ah, avoiding his gaze, wore a troubled expression.

Leaning in slightly, Sang-wook whispered so only she could hear,

“At least accept the flowers.”

In-ah glanced at him and let out a small sigh. Growing more anxious, Sang-wook pleaded almost desperately.

“I’m not asking you to marry me right now, am I?”

In-ah hesitated for a moment before quickly scanning the room. Then, in a low voice, she said to Sang-wook,

“I’m sorry, Sang-wook. I didn’t realize it would be like this.”

Leaving Sang-wook still holding the bouquet, In-ah walked away.

The party’s atmosphere turned cold in an instant.

Hye-yoon, looking as though she were standing on a hot stove, stomped her feet before hurriedly chasing after In-ah.

Catching up to In-ah, who was hailing a taxi outside, Hye-yoon grabbed her arm.

“You could’ve just accepted it. Why are you so inflexible?”

With a conflicted expression, In-ah replied,

“If I accept those flowers in front of all those people, it would mean I’m accepting Sang-wook’s feelings.”

Hye-yoon let out a disbelieving laugh.

“And rejecting him in front of all those people is okay?”

In-ah lowered her head, seemingly at a loss for words.

Hye-yoon, exasperated, pressed on.

“Sometimes, you’re incredibly selfish, you know that?”

“Selfish?”

In-ah bristled at the unexpected accusation, but Hye-yoon didn’t back down.

“Yes, selfish. You only thought about how awkward it would be for you if you accepted the bouquet.”

“Well, I didn’t want Sang-wook to misunderstand my intentions either….”

Crossing her arms, Hye-yoon declared firmly,

“No, you didn’t think about Sang-wook’s position at all in that moment. Did you?”

In-ah remained silent.

Hye-yoon was right. Perhaps she had inflicted a wound on Sang-wook that wouldn’t easily heal.

“Go back and apologize. Think about how he must feel after inviting all those people to his birthday party.”

As In-ah stood lost in thought, her phone suddenly rang.

Hearing the voice on the other end, In-ah’s face turned pale, then white.

Ending the call abruptly, she stepped onto the road, frantically waving her arms.

“What’s wrong? Who was it?”

Ignoring Hye-yoon’s questions, In-ah focused solely on stopping a taxi.

“Hey!”

Hye-yoon grabbed In-ah, who looked ready to dart into traffic, and dragged her back onto the sidewalk.

“Get a grip, Seo In-ah! Stay here. I’ll get a taxi for you.”

Hye-yoon reached out to hail a cab on In-ah’s behalf.

Behind her, In-ah stood dazed, her eyes wandering somewhere in the void.

Feeling uneasy about In-ah’s state, Hye-yoon frantically tried to flag down a taxi.

Soon, a cab pulled up, and In-ah hurriedly got in.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own?”

Without responding to Hye-yoon’s concerned question, In-ah signaled the driver to leave.

Left alone, Hye-yoon muttered to herself,

“What on earth is going on?”

***

In-ah, still looking dazed, burst into the emergency room.

She frantically searched the room until she spotted Jinwon and ran to him.

“In-ah.”

Startled, Jinwon, who was leaning against a hospital bed with his hand bandaged, reached out to steady her.

Tears streamed down In-ah’s face, as if she’d been crying the entire way to the hospital.

“In-ah, breathe.”

Having sprinted from the taxi to the hospital, In-ah hadn’t even noticed she was out of breath.

Following Jinwon’s gestures, she slowly began to catch her breath.

Jinwon muttered sympathetically,

“That guy always goes and does things no one asked him to do.”

Gently holding Jinwon’s bandaged hand, In-ah asked anxiously,

“Let me see.”

“It’s just a scratch.”

“What about the rest of you? Are you hurt anywhere else?”

Gripping his hand tightly, In-ah inspected Jinwon’s body from head to toe.

Jinwon held her shoulders and looked her in the eye, speaking calmly.

“I’m fine, In-ah. I’m standing here perfectly fine in front of you, right?”

Only then did In-ah nod, though her legs seemed to give out as she sank to the ground.

“In-ah!”

Jinwon caught her just in time.

Straightening herself with difficulty, In-ah said,

“I’m okay. As long as you’re okay, I’m okay. I’m fine, really.”

She repeated the words as if chanting a mantra.

It wasn’t until Jinwon had completed all his tests that they were able to leave the emergency room.

Outside the hospital, Jinwon bought a coffee from a vending machine and handed it to In-ah.

“Feeling calmer now?”

In-ah nodded with a smile.

“It’s not that surprising. I must’ve startled you by calling, though.”

At Jinwon’s words, In-ah glared at him.

“Not that surprising?”

Her voice grew louder.

“You could’ve been stabbed! And you call that nothing? Then what counts as something serious?”

Jinwon gently swept her shoulders, trying to soothe her.

“Don’t be mad, In-ah. I just didn’t want you to get scared or worried.”

In-ah widened her eyes, her voice firm.

“If it’s something to be scared about, then I should be scared! If it’s something to worry about, I should worry! Just like seven years ago, hiding things and pretending nothing’s wrong because you were thinking of me! You did it again, didn’t you? Back then, I thought I’d never see you again.”

Jinwon forced a smile to hide the pain in his heart.

“Our In-ah is really upset.”

Then, suddenly putting on a pitiful expression, he said,

“I’m in pain. I got treated, but it still hurts.”

Startled, In-ah carefully held Jinwon’s hand. Looking at his bandaged hand, she worriedly examined it, even though the wound wasn’t visible.

“Does it hurt a lot? Didn’t they give you painkillers? What’s wrong with these people!”

She was about to rush back into the hospital when she suddenly stopped. Jinwon had gently grabbed her waist with his other hand.

Jinwon wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a quiet embrace from behind.

Finally feeling the warmth of his arms, In-ah began to relax.

Now calmer, she turned to Jinwon and said,

“If it weren’t for Hyung-seop, what would you have done?”

Hyung-seop was the name of the handsome part-timer at the convenience store. On his way to work, Hyung-seop had stumbled upon Jinwon being attacked by a stranger.

“Did the convenience store owner scold him? He must’ve missed work because of me to come to the hospital.”

Jinwon asked with concern.

In-ah reassured him confidently.

“What, do you think the owner is some kind of evil boss? If they can’t understand a situation where someone got hurt, I told him he should quit immediately.”

Jinwon chuckled softly.

“You and your big talk.”

In-ah puffed out her chest and raised her voice.

“That’s how much I’m supporting him! I’m giving him strength! Don’t you know what ‘fighting’ means? Fighting!”

“Yeah, he must’ve gotten through it thanks to your cheerleading.”

As Jinwon smiled, In-ah’s face suddenly darkened.

“What now?”

“Was it that guy? The one who sent the threatening letter? Or was it a woman?”

Jinwon seemed lost in thought, so In-ah forced a bright tone.

“See what happens when I leave for just a moment? From now on, you’re sticking to me like glue. Got it?”

Jinwon’s lips curled into a small smile.

In-ah urged him,