Chapter 9 (Part 2)

“In-ah, what’s this?”  

She approached him as she put the water on for ramen.  

“What? They’re beads.”  

“Did you use to play marbles?”  

“Why, can’t I play marbles?”  

She snatched the two beads from his hand and said sternly,  

“These are my treasures, don’t even think about touching them.”  

He watched her walk back to the kitchen, clutching the beads tightly.  

When Jinwon was 10, he suddenly moved away from the neighborhood where he lived with his mom.  

Back then, young Jinwon was more heartbroken about parting with a girl than leaving the neighborhood he had grown attached to for three years.  

He remembered the girl crying even more than he did, so much so that they couldn’t even say a proper goodbye.  

So he had given her the only property he owned—two remaining beads—before leaving.  

Could it be… was In-ah that girl?  

He remembered the girl being two or three years younger than him, but he couldn’t recall her name. He had tried to remember over the years, to no avail.  

Lost in thought, he was brought back by her voice.  

“The ramen’s ready!”  

“I’ll bring it over!”  

He hurriedly ran to the kitchen.  

Grabbing the handles of the boiling pot of ramen, he moved it to the table, exclaiming, “Ouch, hot!” repeatedly.  

After safely placing the pot on the table, he quickly grabbed her earlobes with both hands.  

Her face turned beet red as he held her ears. Her ears were just as red.  

She flailed her arms and shook off his hands.  

“Aren’t you going to clean this up?”  

“What? This? Did you just call my hands ‘this’?”  

She bit her lip and glared at him threateningly.  

“If you don’t eat the ramen quickly, I’ll kick you out.”  

“Yes. I’ll eat quickly.”  

He immediately changed his attitude and sat quietly at the table.  

She laughed incredulously at his playful demeanor. He gestured for her to pick up her chopsticks.  

“Let’s eat before it gets soggy.”  

“Wait, I’ll get side dishes.”  

As she turned, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.  

Their faces were so close they could almost touch. She instinctively held her breath at the proximity.  

Meeting her eyes, he smiled and whispered,  

“Let’s just eat.”  

“Let go of this first. I can’t eat if you don’t let go of my wrist.”  

“Oh!”  

They started eating ramen, their heads close over the pot.  

As they blew on the noodles, their heads bumped together when they tried to eat.  

“Ow!”  

“Ouch!”  

They both cried out and then laughed at each other.  

“What are we doing right now?”  

She asked, giggling, looking at him.  

Still laughing, he replied,  

“Us? We’re dating.”  

“Dating?”  

She looked dazed, as if hearing an unfamiliar term, her smile fading.  

“Aren’t we?”  

He cautiously studied her expression. She looked at him blankly, then spoke.  

“Yeah. We are dating.”  

She started giggling again, and he smiled, his expression relaxing.  

They resumed eating ramen. As she chewed with a satisfied smile, his face suddenly moved closer.  

She didn’t have time to think it was too close. The pleasant sensation left a lingering feeling on her lips.  

It wasn’t their first kiss.  

His lips, which she had felt countless times seven years ago, suddenly felt unfamiliar.  

Her heart felt like it would burst with unfamiliar excitement.  

She looked at him, bewildered. A happy smile slowly spread across his face.  

She mumbled, shy and flustered,  

“What was that…”  

Then, he playfully changed his expression and tapped his forehead.  

“Oh my! I was supposed to eat ramen…”  

Hearing that, her face flushed with embarrassment.  

“What? What was that just now? What were you going to say next?”  

He shrugged and put on a brazen face.  

“The next part? There’s nothing like that? Our In-ah has grown up since I last saw her~”

She rolled her eyes in disbelief. Then he offered generously,  

“Want to know? Should I tell you?”  

As he grabbed her wrist and leaned closer,  

‘Ding dong! Ding dong!’  

The doorbell rang.  

Startled, they both turned toward the entrance.  

“Who is it?”  

He asked her, and she muttered with a puzzled expression,  

“I don’t know.”  

Approaching the monitor, she saw Haejeong’s face. They exchanged a glance.  

Entering the house, Haejeong couldn’t close her gaping mouth.  

“Jin…won… oppa?”  

“Long time no see, Haejeong. I’m leaving now. Let’s meet again later.”  

He hurriedly put on his shoes and left her house.  

She called out to him in surprise,  

“What about the door lock code?”  

Already outside, he replied belatedly,  

“I remembered the code! Don’t worry.”  

Left alone with Haejeong, she smiled awkwardly. Trying to break the suddenly chilly atmosphere, she spoke first.  

“Did you fight with your husband again? Is that why you’re here at this hour?”  

Ignoring her question, Haejeong looked her up and down and asked,  

“Aren’t you moving too fast?”  

“No, it’s not like that.”  

She hurriedly raised her hands in denial.  

“That makes you even more suspicious.”  

Haejeong rubbed her chin with her thumb and forefinger, her eyes sharp.  

“Has this girl only lived being deceived? Haha.”

Meanwhile, back home, Jinwon stood blankly in front of the bathroom mirror.  

Seeing the lipstick mark on his lips, he smiled sheepishly. His body seemed to squirm.  

He couldn’t get her soft, curved lips out of his mind.  

As he washed his hands, he paused, remembering something.  

The two beads he found at her house. There’s no rule against girls playing marbles.  

If he had known, he would have marked the beads he gave to his first love.  

***  

The next day, the door to Jinwon’s office swung open as Shin-hye entered.  

Looking up from his documents, he silently watched her. She mumbled as she stepped inside,  

“I knocked. I just opened the door at the same time.”

Entering the office at her own pace, she walked over and sank deep into the sofa.  

“So, are you going to keep avoiding me?”  

“It’s work hours now.”  

Expressionless, he returned to his documents.  

Frustrated, she raised her voice,  

“I didn’t propose or ask you out. Why are you acting so sensitive?”  

“I’m seeing her again.”  

Shocked, she flinched but quickly acted nonchalant,  

“Date her! Who’s stopping you?”  

“Don’t do this, Shin-hye.”  

Tears welled up in her eyes. Afraid he’d notice, she quickly turned her head.  

Swallowing her tears, she met his gaze with a stern expression and warned,  

“Don’t you remember? You can’t end it until I say so.”

He sighed, looking at her with pity.  

***  

“What are you doing? Is there only one man in the world?”  

During her studies in Finland, she was abandoned by her local boyfriend. In despair, she made the wrong choice of cutting her wrist.  

Jinwon was the only one who visited her while she was holed up at home after the hospital.  

“I’m alone. I have no one. So you leave too.”  

“Why are you alone? You have family.”  

Tears streaming from her reddened eyes, she gritted her teeth.  

“Family? To Dad, money is family. Mom died sick. She was kicked out of Dad’s house for being ordinary. Can you still call that family?”  

“You’re similar to me.”

At his words, her tear-streaked face hardened.  

“What?”  

“You’re similar to me.”

She couldn’t take her eyes off his calm face.  

***  

“It was you who stayed despite being told to leave.”  

Her resolute expression remained unchanged.  

“Take responsibility for your words and actions. Unless you want to drive someone sane to death.”  

Her cold gaze seemed almost maniacal.  

***  

The day of the Jinseong Group anniversary event.  

At the venue, Lee Seong-jun anxiously waited for someone, repeatedly glancing at the entrance.  

“Who are you waiting for?”  

Seongtae asked, grinning as he scrutinized Seong-jun’s face.  

“None of your business.”  

Trying to escape Seongtae’s gaze, Seong-jun moved away. That’s when he saw In-ah entering.  

In a pure white dress and long hair, she looked incredibly simple yet radiantly pure, making her the most striking person there.  

His face brightened as he approached her.  

“You’re here.”  

“Yes. I’m not late, am I?”  

“No, not at all.”  

He couldn’t take his eyes off her beauty. Then Seongtae’s voice interrupted,  

“You’re not late, but your outfit stands out. Looks like you just came from home. You know that, right?”  

Having approached unnoticed, Seongtae grinned at her.  

Her face turned cold.  

“We’ve met before, but you don’t even say hi. I’m starting to feel a bit hurt.”

“Hello.”  

She nodded slightly in greeting.  

“Wow~ So this is what they call a forced greeting? Now I know.”  

Unable to tolerate Seongtae’s provocations, Seong-jun gently spoke to her,  

“Let’s go over there for a moment.”  

She willingly followed him, wanting to get away from Seongtae.  

He glared at Seongtae, sending a threatening signal.  

Seongtae shrugged, amused, and left.