CHAPTER 79

Leeseo was lost in thought as she gently loosened the noodles into the soup

She could still remember Chairman Kwon’s devilish face as he whispered horrible things to her. He had draped authority over her shoulders and clearly showed his disdain for her. Now, the image of him lying in the hospital bed, unconscious like a wax figure, occupied her mind.

A pallid and ghastly face drained of vitality. Lifeless, sagging body. Imagining the scene where only faint breaths escaped through the violet lips that once effortlessly uttered needle-like words made her stomach churn.

As much as she hated him, the news of Chairman Kwon’s collapse didn’t bring satisfaction or relief. It only deepened her sense of loathing.

[As the illegal allegations and scandals involving the conglomerate’s family, the chairman’s personal misconduct, and health issues overlap, GK Group is facing an unprecedented crisis. It is reported that discussions on succession of management are ongoing within the group. Many experts anticipate that management will be handed over to Chairman Kwon’s eldest son, Executive Kwon Taegyeom.]

Leeseo unknowingly stopped using her chopsticks and looked up.

[However, due to practical issues such as the lack of managerial experience on the part of Executive Kwon Taegyeom, it is expected that a professional executive will be appointed in the short term, followed by a gradual succession process. Executive Kwon Taegyeom appeared before the prosecution yesterday morning to cooperate with the investigation into Chairman Kwon’s personal misconduct, according to the statement released by the prosecution.]

The TV screen showed Taegyeom exiting the building and getting into his car in a flash of light. Passing through the crowd of reporters with an expressionless face, he seemed to navigate through the chaos alone.

Feeling a tightening sensation in her throat, Leeseo, who hadn’t eaten anything, was overwhelmed by the image of the always handsome man filling the entire screen. Like someone ambushed unexpectedly, she held her breath and hurriedly averted her gaze downward.

Now, even as a stranger living in a completely different world, one that she only heard about on TV, he still wreaked havoc in her mind. Her fingertips trembled slightly as she gripped the chopsticks and her heart ached and throbbed at the fleeting glimpses.

Despite sleeping as if nothing happened, mechanically opening her eyes in the morning to wash, go to school, attend classes, chat and laugh with friends, the deeply engraved wounds in her heart felt like they could reopen at any moment.

How long will it be like this, Hyun Leeseo?

She pressed her lips together and bit them. Everything had returned to normal, yet it was pitiful how she found herself still circling in place alone.

She had hoped that by leaving, he wouldn’t crumble, and indeed, he appeared whole and well. When she heard the news of Chairman Kwon’s collapse, there was a corner of her heart that felt relieved. She had wished that Taegyeom would never have to face the all-powerful Chairman Kwon.

But now, looking back, she wondered if her self-consciousness had been excessive. He had already composed himself and was steadily making his way own path.

With the surrounding situation being extremely chaotic, there was no room to dwell on trivial past matters. The once extravagant and carefree Taegyeom, who lived in the annex like a hermit, was now no different from being nonexistent in the world.

Even though she had returned to her original daily life, which she hadn’t wanted so much, yet the wretched feeling of being pushed from something remained unerased.

As if suffering from a fever of parting as if the world were falling apart, one would expect the heart to have toughened by now. However, she found herself still struggling in the swamp, feeling suffocated and appearing foolish.

Leeseo made a conscious effort to focus on the buckwheat noodles in front of her. She picked up a strand with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, but she couldn’t taste anything. At that moment, Jieun, with a mouthful of tonkatsu, mumbled.

“I know it’s inappropriate to say this about a conglomerate heir, but that heir is just too sexy. No matter how I think about it, that’s guilt, pure guilt.”

Jieun’s expression was so serious that her eyebrows were drawn together in a deep furrow, and the sight of her like that made Leeseo burst into a muffled chuckle..

She was grateful to have Jieun by her side. Being around Jieun made her smile, even when she was feeling down. Despite feeling disappointed from the sudden hiatus from school and the dwindling communication, Jieun welcomed and comforted her without a hint of resentment. Leeseo was grateful.

By continuing like this, the emotions that keep popping up will eventually dull and fade away.

Leeseo reached for the cup, pouring water into her blocked throat as if something was stuck. She gulped it down, trying to soothe her stifling chest. Attempting to eat again, she picked up the chopsticks, but she felt her phone vibrating in her pocket.

Taking out her phone, she checked the screen. Leeseo’s eyebrows subtly furrowed as she confirmed the caller’s name.

[Senior Minhu]

Minhu had shown up at school several times since Leeseo had returned to study. Not only did he neglect his pharmacy behind, but he kept showing up at school throughout the week, barging into her major classes as a graduate senior and sitting next to her, as if marking his territory.

At first, he deceived her friends, including Leeseo, by suggesting that he would treat everyone to a meal together, making it impossible for them to escape. Gradually, he narrowed his distance with Leeseo.

She had sensed his feelings long before and had tried to avoid situations where they would be alone together. However, no matter how she tried, Minhu seemed to appear everywhere she went, resulting in repeated failures. Eventually, last week, Leeseo received a confession from him.

‘I’ve liked you for a long time, Leeseo. I don’t think you didn’t know how I felt about you. I thought we weren’t on the same page, so I was patiently waiting until you opened your heart for me. But when you suddenly took a leave of absence last semester and cut off contact, I came to my senses.’

As the sun set, Minhu handed her an uncomfortably large bouquet of flowers on a bench near the school’s grassy field. He earnestly poured out his feelings for her. The carefully thought-out confession flowed like clear water.

‘Those months of not hearing from you felt like a tragedy. Nothing I did was fun, and nothing I ate tasted good. I only realized the depth of my feelings toward you recently.’

‘But Senior…’

‘I’m sorry, but let me finish first without interrupting. I regret not grabbing hold of you earlier. When I heard that you returned to school, I thought of it as a second chance given by fate. I can’t just give up on you like this.’

‘…’

‘Rather than being a good senior only to later regret it, I’d rather be a man to you, even if it means facing rejection. To me, you’re already more than just a junior, you’re a woman who drives me crazy.’

Looking down at Leeseo’s perplexed face as she nervously bit her lips, Minhu spoke desperately.

‘You don’t have to like me right away. Just give me a chance, a ticket to be with you once. I’ll wait for my turn as long as it takes. Can you please give me a little room? Please?

‘I’m sorry, Senior.’

As Leeseo began to speak, Minhu’s expression contorted suddenly, expressing a mix of frustration and anger.

‘For heaven’s sake, stop with that ‘Senior’ nonsense! Why the hell are you sorry? What’s the problem? Am I lacking somewhere? Why won’t you give me a chance? Why? Tell me the reason. No matter how I think about it, I’m not someone who deserves to be treated like this. I really can’t understand. If you tell me, I’ll fix it, Leeseo. Huh?’

From being furious and shouting with veins popping in his neck, Minhu’s expression rapidly changed to desperation. It was bewildering. As she tried to calmly repeat her rejection, Minhu suddenly gripped her wrist painfully.

Leeseo forcefully shook off his hand and turned away, escaping from him. Glancing back briefly, she saw him desperately reaching out towards her, then hesitatingly withdrawing his hand with a defeated expression as the surrounding gazes fell upon them.

Assuming that he had given up since he hadn’t appeared at school after that incident, Leeseo didn’t expect him to casually call after just a week.

She rejected the call and put the phone back in her pocket. As she picked up her chopsticks again, this time, Jieun’s phone, placed on the table, vibrated.

“Hmm? Minhu’s calling. Ugh… Why is this Senior acting so clingy? He’s a graduate, yet why does he keep lingering around the school like this? I really hate it.”

Jieun scowled as she checked her phone screen. She didn’t have the best feelings for Minhu now after the confession he’d made to Leeseo last week.

After clearing her throat, Jieun brought the phone to her ear and answered the call. At first, they exchanged normal greetings and inquiries about each other’s well-being but then the atmosphere suddenly changed. Jieun’s face stiffened, and she responded with a cold tone.

“Senior, why are you asking me who Leeseo is with, where she is, and what she’s doing? What does it matter to you? What are you to her? No, no. I don’t mean to be mean, but it’s kind of creepy that you’re calling everyone around you just to find out where Leeseo is, even though you don’t have a relationship with her. I’d be creeped out if my boyfriend did this to me.”

Minhu’s voice through the phone seemed to rise, and his distant murmurings could be heard.

“But why are you yelling at me? Do you have anger management issues? Take some calcium and magnesium. I’m hanging up.”

Jieun pulled the phone away from her ear and pressed the end call button with a tap.