Chapter 4 (Part 1)

After the showcase ended, In-ah headed straight to her family home. Feeling exhausted from the showcase, she entered the house like seaweed soaked in soup, limp and tired.

“Why do you look like that today? Did something happen at work?” 

In-kyung immediately noticed In-ah’s condition upon seeing her face and asked.

“There’s always something going on at work. Is there any company where nothing happens? You sound like someone who’s only studied.”

In-woo, who was sitting in the living room frying pancakes, couldn’t help but interfere.

“Hey, hands! Who said you could rest your hands?” 

In-kyung shouted, ignoring In-woo’s loud voice directed at In-ah.

“Hurry up and help. Don’t think about slacking off.”

“Are you In-ah?” 

In-ah greeted her parents in the kitchen, passing between the bickering In-kyung and In-woo. As soon as she greeted them, her mother shot a threatening look at In-woo and In-kyung.

“Shhh- Quiet! Who’s making noise before the memorial service?” 

Her mother, unable to stand it any longer, scolded them with a glare.

“She started it!”

In-woo exclaimed.

“That brat really acts like he ages through the asshole.”

In-ah couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

“Sister, how can a university professor say ‘asshole’? That’s harsh.”

“Was it a bit much?” 

In-kyung grinned sheepishly.

“Mom! Can I try one of the pancakes?”

“No. You can’t. Who eats the food prepared for the memorial service…?”

Before her mother could answer, In-kyung quickly popped a pancake into her mouth. Watching this, her mother smacked In-kyung’s back with a loud sound.

“Ouch! It hurts—”

“I hit you so it would hurt, of course it does!”

In-ah laughed loudly at In-kyung’s exaggerated reaction. Then, as her laughter faded, she quietly turned her gaze to the memorial table.

***

After the memorial service.

In-ah stepped out onto the terrace attached to the small room and blankly stared at the night sky. Just as she was about to bring the mug in her hand to her lips, she paused. Her gaze stopped at the cute bandage wrapped around her finger. Jinwon hadn’t prepared it for her, but it was Jinwon who handed it to her at the moment she needed it.

In-ah couldn’t gauge what her feelings were. She had once hated him to death. She had vowed that if they ever met again in this life, she would make him suffer ten times more than she had. But he was still warm, and that seemed to shake her.

And when he offered a sincere apology with an unbelievable excuse, an uncontrollable wave began to surge in her heart.

“Are you hurt?”

Her mother, who had approached without her noticing, clasped In-ah’s bandaged hand with a surprised look.

“Just a little. Really, just a little cut.”

It seemed her attempt to reassure her mother went unheard. Her mother began inspecting In-ah’s hand with a worried expression, turning it over and checking everywhere.

“Is there anywhere else you’re hurt?”

At that moment, In-woo’s voice echoed loudly.

“Big sister! Mom’s about to turn into the worry witch again!”

“What? That can’t happen!”

Then, In-kyung rushed in from the living room, mimicking drawing a long sword like a bodyguard. She swung the invisible sword in the air between In-ah and her mom. Reflexively, In-ah and her mom stepped back from each other, and In-kyung murmured quietly.

“Mission clear.”

In-kyung bowed her head solemnly toward her mom and said.

“Mother. That’s enough for today. Let’s call it a day…”

In-kyung couldn’t finish her sentence. It was because her mom’s hand came flying to smack her back.

“Ouch! That stings! Mom, your hand is really strong. Did you know?”

Watching In-kyung and In-woo run away from their mom, a smile appeared on In-ah’s face.

***

In-kyung decided to drive In-ah to work straight from their parents’ house.

“Thanks to you, I can go comfortably, sister. Thank you.”

“You always do that. Gives me the chills. It’s only natural among family.”

“Then what about In-woo? Isn’t In-woo family? Why don’t you take him too?”

In-ah’s sharp point made In-kyung suddenly clutch her side. Alarmed, In-ah asked rapidly.

“Why, does your side hurt?”

“Ugh! You hit the mark!”

“Oh, come on.”

In-ah patted her chest, relieved, and playfully slapped In-kyung’s arm. In-kyung, as always, flashed a mischievous smile.

“In-woo’s hotel isn’t on the way. I can’t go that far. I’m not a chauffeur.”

“Again! Again! You’re exaggerating. Why bring up chauffeurs?”

Before they knew it, In-ah’s company appeared in the distance.

“We’re almost there. Oh?”

In-kyung was startled upon seeing someone and pointed behind them with her finger.

“That person just now.”

In-ah checked the side mirror to see the person who had just passed In-kyung’s car. It was Jinwon.

“I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere.”

“You probably think you’ve seen him because he’s handsome.”

“Shhh- How did you know?”

In-kyung giggled and checked Jinwon’s reflection in the rearview mirror once more, tilting her head in curiosity.

Upon arriving at work, In-ah immediately dived into revising the project that had just finished its evaluation. Since it was decided to be launched, it was as if they had already received the deadline. Once the launch date is set, it will become even more urgent. If they don’t speed up now, there will be no solution later.

As Jinwon’s office door opened, In-ah’s concentration wavered.

“Seo In-ah! If the market research report is done, bring it over.”

At Jinwon’s instruction, In-ah hesitated for a moment before responding.

“The market research on JM Furniture isn’t complete yet, so as it progresses…”

“Then let’s go today.”

“What?”

Before In-ah could finish her answer, Jinwon was seen grabbing his bag and car keys.

“Let’s go for the JM market research today.”

In-ah, who was standing idly, finally spoke.

“Are you going too, Team Leader?”

Jinwon nodded briefly and led the way out of the office. Jinwon’s sudden action drew the attention of not only the team members but also Kang Cheol, who was passing by.

“What’s up with him?”

“Isn’t he usually like that?”

Curious, Hye-yoon quickly asked in response to Kang Cheol’s muttered words.

“Usually? Is he always like that? Overflowing with passion, of course.”

“Oh, I see.”

Hye-yoon, who had hoped to glean some information, returned to her seat with a disappointed expression. Kang Cheol swallowed his next words quietly.

“But he’s strangely overflowing with passion. It’s kind of weird.”

Hurriedly gathering her things, In-ah followed Jinwon, who had already left.

Reaching Jinwon’s car, In-ah hesitated. Jinwon, who was heading to the driver’s seat, spoke nonchalantly.

“Should I open the car door for you?”

Startled, In-ah quickly opened the car door and climbed into the seat next to the driver’s.

A suffocating silence filled the space between them. In-ah glanced at Jinwon, who was focused on driving. Jinwon, concentrating on the road, first broke the silence.

“I never expected to be forgiven.”

“…”

Just then, the light turned red, and Jinwon’s car came to a gentle stop. Jinwon carefully chose his words with a complex expression.

“I just…”

“The light changed.”

Jinwon let out a small sigh and started the car without finishing his sentence.

***

Upon entering the JM Furniture store, In-ah quickly switched on her focus. Jinwon, however, couldn’t take his eyes off In-ah. He was confused about whether he came to see the competitor’s furniture or to see In-ah.

“Is there something specific you’re looking for?”

A store staff in uniform approached them. Startled, In-ah subtly lowered the hand holding the notebook and pen she was using to take notes. The staff, smiling kindly, gestured for her to continue.

“Feel free to keep taking notes. You must be very meticulous, right?”

The staff’s gaze landed directly on Jinwon. Jinwon, who rarely gets flustered, felt his pupils shake wildly. Sensing Jinwon’s discomfort, In-ah quickly took the lead.

“Yes. I’m a bit like that, aren’t I, oppa?”

Surprised, Jinwon turned his head sharply to look at In-ah. The sight of In-ah smiling brightly at him was a face he remembered only in distant memories.

“Oh my! Is your husband shy? His ears are turning red.”

As Jinwon hurriedly tried to recover, 

“Oppa is very shy.”

‘Oppa’. Jinwon felt dizzy from In-ah’s deliberate teasing. His ears were now so red they seemed about to catch fire.

As the staff guided them, In-ah had to suppress her laughter from bubbling up.

“Our product line for newlyweds is really reasonably priced.”

In Jinwon’s ears, it felt like the staff was shouting “newlyweds” through a loudspeaker.

“What are the price options for the dressing room?”

Unlike Jinwon, In-ah seemed focused on business, listening to the staff and continuing to take notes. Jinwon felt a sense of injustice.

“What do you think, oppa?”

It seemed like In-ah was enjoying the situation. 

In-ah calmly finished the consultation with a composed face.

While the staff went to print the estimate, Jinwon whispered to In-ah, as if waiting for this moment.

“Why is your newlywed acting so natural?”

“Because I’ve done it before.”

In-ah shrugged her shoulders with a rather smug expression. 

What on earth does that mean? 

Jinwon was left with a shocked expression without time to filter his reaction. Seeing Jinwon’s face, In-ah stifled her laughter again and answered calmly.

“When doing pre-research on competitors, acting as newlyweds is essential. I’ve probably had about ten husbands by now. No, maybe more than ten?”

Jinwon finally seemed to understand and looked sheepish.

It was then.

“Jinwon-oppa!”

Out of nowhere, a young woman’s voice called out to Jinwon. It felt like the soft relationship between the two was suddenly torn apart.

In-ah’s eyes widened, knowing that Jinwon had a weakness for being called “oppa.”

“Is it really you? Jinwon-oppa, it’s you, right?”

As Jinwon and In-ah turned their heads towards the woman, she ran towards Jinwon, her long hair fluttering.

Seeing Jinwon’s face up close, the woman hugged him tightly without giving him a chance to stop her.

“It’s me, Hyun-seo. Choi Hyun-seo. Don’t you remember?”

Jinwon, caught in the woman’s embrace, glanced at In-ah with an awkward expression. Jinwon’s reaction only fueled In-ah’s suspicions.

The woman’s actions didn’t stop there after she stepped away from Jinwon. She was busy examining Jinwon from head to toe while holding onto his arms.

“Are you okay now?”

Just as the woman was about to reach for Jinwon’s leg, 

“Excuse me!”

In-ah unconsciously reached out toward the woman’s hand. But then she stopped.

The woman’s eyes were filled with tears.

At this point, it was one of two things.

Either there was a deep story between this woman and Jinwon!

Or she was just a crazy, insanely pretty young woman!

In reality, In-ah found herself speechless not just because of the woman’s tears, but also because her pure beauty left even another woman at a loss for words.

“I’m so glad, oppa! I knew you could do it!”

At that moment, the employee who brought the estimate was unsure of the situation and was cautiously observing. Jinwon quickly took the estimate from the employee’s hand as if snatching it.

“Thank you. We’ll discuss it thoroughly and get back to you.”

Jinwon spat out his words like rap, nodded to both the employee and the woman, and hurriedly headed out of the store. Then he urgently returned, grabbed In-ah’s wrist, and quickly walked out again. 

Even as In-ah was being pulled out of the store by Jinwon, she couldn’t take her eyes off the woman, who was continuously wiping away her flowing tears.