Nights of the Four Seasons - Chapter 3 - A Gust of Wind (Part 8)
Chapter 3 – A Gust of Wind (Part 8)
“So, is this house new to you? Do you think you can live here long without getting tired of it?”
Dowook turned back, and their eyes met unexpectedly.
“This is the place you abandoned me in, right?”
So it should be quite a place.
Disappointment flickered in his eyes. She knew he was provoking her on purpose.
“You said you came to get strawberries. Did you come to tour the house?”
“That was just an excuse.”
Why ask when you already know?
Dowook chuckled. He crossed the living room in a few steps and sank into the sofa. Junhee spoke calmly to him.
“Take the strawberries. Take the side dishes too. Grandma sent them for the Chairman, and it’s a waste to throw them away. That’s why I opened the door—”
“I met Sim Hye-joo.”
“…….”
“You said you checked her out. She’s pretty, seems smart, has a neat style, and is kind. Just the type the Chairman likes.”
Even though she thought she was almost done sorting out her feelings, those words made her chest ache. But it was nothing special. It was natural to feel pain.
Even during the days without contact from Dowook, Junhee often thought of him. There were countless triggers.
Because it rained, because there was a big tree, because the traffic light blinked, while walking along the stone wall of a café, because petals fell, because it was spring, because she saw a stray cat, because she saw a discarded cigarette. Using all sorts of excuses, Choi Dowook kept creeping back into her mind.
Once, she absentmindedly searched Choi Dowook’s name on the internet. It was something she often did when she had nothing else to do. She snapped out of it too late, but she saw a new article about him. Out of habit, she clicked on it.
The startup he founded while in college achieved 500% sales growth in three years, successfully localized in Southeast Asia, and was aiming for the American market, the article said.
It mentioned that Choi Dowook, the third son of the Taesan family, would join Taesan Motors based on that experience, and speculated that the current power struggle among Choi Dowook’s father’s generation might repeat in Dowook’s generation ten years later.
She stared at Dowook’s ID photo, which was small in the article. It was a photo they took together at the same photo studio. She turned off the screen, reminiscing about that time.
This behavior wasn’t unusual either. It was natural to have many things to sort out due to the long time they spent together. It was part of the breakup process. Junhee accepted it that way.
“…That’s good.”
“Good, huh.”
“Win Chairman’s favor, earn high scores, and be recognized as the successor. That’s what you want.”
“Ah, it was for me. I didn’t realize your deep intentions, Woo Junhee.”
“Don’t be sarcastic. I don’t want to fight with you.”
“So you sent Sim Hye-joo to me yourself?”
It was then that Dowook got up from the sofa and quickly closed the distance. Junhee instinctively stepped back. Her waist hit the TV. She groped for the TV to keep from falling.
Dowook, close by, had no expression. He didn’t even fake a smile now. His burning gaze pierced deeply into Junhee.
“What, do you want me to fuck around with Sim Hye-joo? You said you didn’t want to clean up after me, so should I get it from Sim Hye-joo instead of you? Would you be satisfied if we stuck together like that? Oh, are you suggesting we swap partners? Is that your thing?”
His questions were relentless. Junhee didn’t understand what he meant by saying she sent Sim Hye-joo herself. She had only heard that Sim Hye-joo would attend Choi Pil-jae’s family gathering.
Was he misunderstanding that?
She was flustered, but Dowook, oddly out of focus, didn’t seem to notice.
“But I’m really conservative, so that’s not my thing, Junhee. No matter how much you want it, I can’t do that.”
Dowook spoke as if it were a pity and suddenly reached out. He grabbed Junhee’s neck and pulled her in, sucking her lips. He twisted his head to deepen the kiss, his hot tongue wildly exploring her mouth. It was a desperate kiss that left her breathless.
No matter how much Junhee pushed his chest and turned her head, it didn’t work. Only after thoroughly sucking and biting her lips did Dowook finally pull away with a smacking sound.
Junhee glared at him, breathing heavily. Dowook looked at her angry face with affection.
“I didn’t contact you on purpose. I was pissed too.”
Then, as if enjoying the aftermath, he hugged her waist and rubbed his forehead against her shoulder. It was a habit he had after kissing.
“I needed time to calm down.”
Junhee stopped struggling. She no longer had the strength to fight him. She waited quietly for time to pass while being held. Even Dowook couldn’t stay like this forever.
Noticing her demeanor, Dowook let out a twisted laugh and stepped back.
“But I shouldn’t have waited. Seeing you makes me feel better, and I wasted time for nothing.”
He pretended not to notice Junhee’s subdued mood. He gently cupped her cheek and combed her hair.
“Still, I’m in a good mood today. You answered my call and opened the door. Let’s have a talk.”
“What talk?”
“You took the money, didn’t you?”
“…….”
“You took money from my mother in February.”
“…Yeah, I took it.”
“How much?”
“…….”
“How much did you sell me for?”
“Forty million.”
Fuck, forty million.
Dowook chuckled. Even though he had already heard the amount from Secretary Yoon, hearing it from Woo Junhee’s mouth again made him laugh in disbelief.
“I’ll give you an extra four hundred million. Buy me back.”
According to Ki-hong’s report, Woo Junhee and Song Yeong-joo had a meal together.
“What, not enough? Then four billion? It’s a troublesome amount for tax purposes, but if you give me a kiss, I’ll think about it.”
Dowook flicked his thumb and middle finger near Junhee’s cheek. It was a deliberate provocation because he found her indifferent face irritating, but she only frowned slightly. Dowook laughed incredulously.
Her face, both then and now, stimulated his fierce competitiveness to the point of heartache. He had done all sorts of things in his childhood just to see that face.
Was she wearing that face when she took money from mother?
Thinking about it made his laughter disappear instantly.
They had been affectionate when entering and leaving the dining place, so he thought it was nothing. Indeed, nothing happened for several months afterward.
Woo Junhee, who took forty million from his mother, must have felt humiliated. But she wasn’t tough enough to tear up the check and walk out in front of his mother. Holding onto that humiliating money, the way she thought of repaying the humiliation would have been the easiest and most comfortable for her.
Leaving him.
But if she broke up with him just because of that pathetic forty million, it was infuriating in its own way.
“If you need money, tell me. Don’t go to my mother and get hurt without my knowledge.”
At that moment, Junhee lowered her gaze and laughed weakly. It was a smile he hadn’t seen in a long time. Some kind of anxiety crept into his chest like pebbles. Dowook grabbed Junhee’s hand, which was hanging down, and pulled it. His gesture revealed a desperation and anxiety that didn’t suit him.
“What did she say, that woman? Did she tell you to break up for money? Or to stay away until I get engaged to Sim Hye-joo? What kind of bullshit did she say to make you like this? Tell me. Tell me.”
He demanded an answer, but Junhee remained silent. She didn’t lift her bowed head.
Fuck.
Dowook gritted his teeth. He forced a smile. He cupped her chin and lifted it. He coaxed her gently.
“I’m not angry. I’m trying to help you, Junhee.”
“How can you help me? How long will you help me?”
Junhee’s expression was calm. Despite the calmness, her bright brown eyes were resolute. Dowook knew those eyes. Determined eyes. Eyes that wouldn’t look back. He had seen those eyes often, even when they were very young.
“I don’t want it anymore. I don’t want your help.”
“Why, is it your pride again?”
Fuck, I shouldn’t be sarcastic.
But the words slipped out again.
No, I was wrong, Junhee said to be calm before speaking.
Her face was neatly arranged, devoid of anger or affection.
“You’re not my lover anymore. I’m not your lover either, so I don’t deserve to receive such things.”
“Then I’ll give you that qualification again, so you can take it back.”
“Dowook.”
“Fuck, if you’re going to break up with me, don’t call me.”
In the end, he couldn’t hold back his curse.
“We’ve already broken up.”
“Why did we break up?”
“Because my feelings have cooled.”
“Why did they cool?”
Dowook sneered at Junhee’s answer.
“Did you start to dislike me? Why, tell me. I’ll fix it. When have I ever not given you what you wanted?”
His answer was generous and arrogant as if he could truly grant anything she said. Junhee shook her head.
“It’s not that I started to dislike you. I just can’t endure it anymore. The feelings I can’t handle have grown bigger than my feelings for you.”
“What do you have to endure? I’ve done everything for you, and I will continue to do so. Junhee, I’ve done everything for you, Junhee.”
Dowook’s eyes, though mocking, were red-rimmed. He spoke kindly but couldn’t hide the rising anger, the veins standing out on his jaw.
She didn’t expect Dowook to accept the breakup easily. She knew well how much affection he had poured into her. That’s why she was grateful and why she thought about it for a long time.
Even when they were in college, after fighting with her, Dowook would noisily cling to Junhee, apologizing and saying it was his fault.
Even when he coldly and arrogantly cornered her, his kindness would make Junhee feel like she was the bad person for accepting him back.
After reconciling, they would always have sex. Dowook confirmed his love by making Junhee lose herself in orgasm.