Chapter 18 (Part 7)

“Come in quickly. Hurry, come inside.”

The Chairwoman hurried toward Jinwon, who had just stepped into the house. A deep sense of affection was evident on her face. Jinwon stared at her silently for a moment before pulling her into an embrace.

Startled, the Chairwoman asked worriedly from within Jinwon’s arms, 

“Why? What’s wrong? Hm? Child, what’s the matter?”

Jinwon hugged her even tighter. 

“Grandma… Grandma…”

Hearing Jinwon’s murmured words, the Chairwoman’s eyes welled up with tears. 

“Yes, my dear. You’ve come. My precious child.”

Jinwon closed his eyes tightly in her arms, swallowing his tears. When he opened them again, he found himself lying on the living room sofa in her house. He must have dozed off briefly. A blanket covered him, and the Chairwoman was napping beside him.

Jinwon gazed at her sleeping face. At the moment he had heard Seong-jun’s confession, his grandmother had come to mind. His grandmother, who had likely endured a far more painful and difficult time than he ever had—his dear grandmother. She had lost her precious son in an instant and must have been consumed by grief and despair. And when she was confronted with the unforgivable sins of her other sons, the magnitude of her suffering was unimaginable.

Jinwon gently placed the blanket over her again and embraced her once more. He resolved to spend the time they had left together with her.

***

Suddenly, Hye-yoon burst into the Team Leader’s office without even knocking. Startled, Jinwon looked up as she, her face flushed, spoke urgently.

“You need to see this article.”

The article Hye-yoon showed him froze Jinwon in place. His mind went blank, as if time had stopped. The article wasn’t about him—it was about In-ah. Her personal information had been exposed under the label of being Jinwon’s fiancée. This was something he hadn’t anticipated.

“What do we do? It seems even her home has been invaded.” 

Hye-yoon said cautiously, her face full of concern. 

“She hasn’t come to work yet, and I can’t reach her by phone.”

Jinwon immediately dashed out of the office, trying to call In-ah repeatedly.

***

It had already been three days. Jinwon had searched everywhere for In-ah—her parents’ restaurant, In-woo’s house, Haejeong’s place—there was nowhere he hadn’t been. The company had been informed that she would be taking a few days off, but why was she avoiding him?

Jinwon was on the verge of despair when his phone chimed with a message. He hastily checked it, and as he read, his face turned deathly pale.

[It’s better if we go back to our separate lives now. I’m sorry, but I have no intention of becoming Cinderella. I just want you to be happy.]

Jinwon couldn’t believe it. Just days ago, she had smiled so brightly in his arms. How could she suddenly break up with him like this? It didn’t make sense.

He recalled a conversation they’d had just a few days prior.

***

Jinwon and In-ah had been having a meal together. He had just finished telling her about his recent visit to the Chairwoman’s house.

“You did well. The Chairwoman must have been pleased.” 

In-ah said.

“I need to do better from now on. Speaking of which…”

Jinwon hesitated, studying her expression. 

“She suggested… that I move in with her for a while.”

“Sure, go ahead.” 

In-ah replied casually, much to Jinwon’s surprise.

Her nonchalant response left him momentarily speechless. Noticing his expression, In-ah looked down at her plate and asked, 

“What? Is something wrong? Don’t tell me you don’t want to.”

“It’s not me. It’s you.” 

Jinwon said cautiously.

“Me? Why me?” 

In-ah asked, puzzled.

“If I move out of my place, it’ll be harder for us to see each other often…”

In-ah put down her spoon, her eyes wide with surprise. 

“You’re planning to give up your place entirely? Not just temporarily but for good?”

“No, not exactly. I’ve just been thinking about relocating.” 

Jinwon replied hastily.

In-ah pouted, looking disappointed. 

“So, if you quit your job and move, doesn’t that mean we’ll barely see each other anymore?”

“I have something else to tell you.” 

Jinwon said, his tone suddenly serious.

“What is it? You’re scaring me.” 

She said, growing tense.

After a pause, Jinwon finally said, 

“I’m thinking of accepting the position as Lysian’s Director.”

“What?” 

The smile vanished from In-ah’s face.

“The Chairwoman wants me to work at Jinseong Hotel, but I refused. So, she suggested this as an alternative. That’s why…”

Picking up her fork again, In-ah stabbed her steak with unnecessary force. Jinwon watched her reaction, unsure of how to proceed.

“Good for you. The Chairwoman might be a little disappointed, though.”

She said flatly, chewing her food.

Her lack of enthusiasm lingered in Jinwon’s mind, but he decided he would take his time to convince her.

***

Had my decision burdened her too much? 

Jinwon immediately tried calling her again, but she still didn’t answer. He couldn’t just sit and wait any longer.

***

“Where is In-ah right now? Please, just tell me.” 

Jinwon pleaded desperately.

Haejeong averted her gaze, trying to avoid his imploring eyes. 

“She’ll come back soon. Don’t worry and just wait for her.”

“Look at this…” 

Jinwon showed her the message from In-ah.

Seeing it, Haejeong cursed under her breath. Then, realizing Jinwon was watching, she awkwardly smiled. 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to. But seriously, what nonsense is she spouting…”

Jinwon clasped his hands together, waiting silently for her response. Sighing, Haejeong finally relented. 

“Fine. I’ll tell you.”

***

Following Haejeong’s directions, Jinwon rushed to a secluded woodworking studio in Gyeonggi Province. The door was open, but In-ah was nowhere to be seen. Still, Jinwon could feel her presence. The warmth of the space and the scattered woodworking materials told him someone had been here recently.

As he sighed, wondering where to search next, the door opened, and In-ah entered, carrying wooden materials. Startled to see him, she dropped everything with a loud crash.

“Ah!” 

She cried, clutching her foot, which had been hit by the falling wood. Jinwon quickly rushed to her side.

After calming down, an awkward silence settled between them. Jinwon broke it by holding up his phone and asking, 

“Explain this. What is this about?”

In-ah gave him a sheepish look. 

“Were you really that shocked?”

Jinwon glared at her instead of answering.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s scary.” 

She said, pretending to shiver.

Jinwon scoffed in disbelief. 

“Do I scare you? Is that why you disappeared like this and sent such an absurd message?”

He grew more agitated as he spoke, his frustration boiling over. 

“Did you even think about how worried I’d be?”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d be that upset.” 

She said with a hint of playfulness, which only made Jinwon sigh in exasperation.

“Now explain. What’s all this about? Are we breaking up?” 

“No, it’s not that!” 

She exclaimed, waving her hands frantically. She then stood up and grabbed his hand. 

“Come with me. I have something to show you.”

She led him to the back of the studio, where the chair Jinwon had made for her during their university days was displayed. Beside it was another chair, crafted from sturdy wood with elegant curves.

“Ta-da! It’s a gift for you.”

Jinwon gave In-ah a puzzled look. Excitedly, she began to explain.  

“I chose the wood for this myself, carried it here, and…”  

Suddenly, In-ah stopped speaking and swallowed nervously. She had noticed the serious expression on Jinwon’s face.  

“Answer my question first.” 

He said in a low voice.  

Realizing the gravity of the situation, In-ah quickly opened her mouth to respond.  

“It’s a lie! The message I sent—it was all a lie. No, not a lie—it was all part of a plan! A surprise gift plan!”  

Jinwon stared intently into her eyes and asked again, 

“It’s not because I decided to accept the Director position, is it?”  

“No, it’s not that! Geez, I’m not that petty! You misunderstood me.”

She said with a playful tone.  

Jinwon suppressed his anger and gestured for her to come closer.  

“In-ah, come here. Just come here for a moment.”  

As Jinwon reached out to grab her, In-ah instinctively stepped back, startled.  

“You must’ve been really shocked. Let’s calm down first. How about we take a closer look at the chair together?”  

Even as she darted around to avoid him, In-ah kept chattering. Eventually, she found herself cornered against a wall. Smiling nervously, she tried to soothe him.  

“We need to approach this situation logically. Don’t you think, Jinwon? You’re listening to me, right?”  

Ignoring her words, Jinwon reached out decisively to grab her.  

But then, the situation took an unexpected turn.  

In-ah suddenly wrapped her arms around Jinwon’s neck and pulled him into an embrace. Startled, Jinwon found himself staring at her face, which was now inches away.  

In that moment, In-ah’s lips captured his.  

Jinwon responded as if a switch had been flipped. His hand slid down to her waist and quickly moved up her back.  

This time, In-ah didn’t hold back either. She grabbed at Jinwon’s shirt, revealing the abs she had longed to see again.  

Even amidst all this, their lips never parted. They continued to explore each other, and soon, they found themselves on the chair In-ah had made for Jinwon. It felt like they had traveled back seven years to that night when they had been everything to each other.  

“Where… where did the moon go?”  

In the early morning light, the two were still entwined on the chair, holding each other tightly.  

Feeling the chill of dawn, Jinwon pulled the blanket over In-ah and held her close.  

Nestled in his arms, In-ah spoke firmly.  

“Let me make one thing clear—I’m not going to be some Cinderella.”  

Jinwon gently stroked her hair and whispered softly, 

“Don’t worry about the articles. Just ignore them.”  

In-ah suddenly sat up and began to speak passionately.  

“Sure, Cinderella and I both lost our parents at a young age, but that’s where the similarities end. I’m nothing like her. Do you get that?”  

“Yes, I get it.” 

Jinwon replied, pinching her cheek affectionately.  

“I love you, In-ah.”.  

With a smug expression, In-ah responded, 

“Yeah, I know.”  

Jinwon tilted his head and furrowed his brows.  

“What was that?”  

Annoyed, he threw off the blanket that had been covering her.  

Startled, In-ah quickly curled up and shouted, 

“It’s cold! Give it back!”  

Jinwon grabbed the blanket and held it out of her reach.  

“Not until you give me a proper answer. Say it again, quickly.”  

In-ah let out an exasperated laugh.  

“Who demands to hear ‘I love you’ like this? Ugh, just give me the blanket!”  

Jinwon bit his lip and, in a stern tone, threatened her playfully.  

“Not until you say it properly.”  

“I love you.”

She muttered quickly, barely audible.  

Jinwon leaned closer, pretending not to hear.  

“What? I didn’t catch that.”  

In-ah glared at him briefly before saying it again.  

“I said, I love you!”  

Jinwon’s mischievous eyes sparkled, but he wasn’t ready to let it go. He pretended to clean his ear with his pinky finger and teased her further.  

“What did you say? I still can’t hear you.”  

Frustrated, In-ah grabbed Jinwon’s face with both hands, closed her eyes tightly, and shouted,  

“I love you, Lee Jinwon! I love you!”  

Unable to hold back any longer, Jinwon pulled her into a passionate embrace.  

He held her as if she were the same girl he had wanted to hold so badly back in that market alley. With all his heart, he embraced the girl who had always been his from the very beginning.