CHAPTER 26 – Gangneung (Part 5)

In the early morning, they watched the sunrise together from the balcony. The chilly dawn wind. The deep blue sky. The golden sun coloring the horizon. Seoyeon drank coffee heatedly in Dojun’s embrace and watched the blazing red sun. It was the most peaceful and beautiful sunrise Seoyeon had ever seen.

For breakfast, they ordered room service of salad, omelet, and warm bread. After the meal, they embraced each other once more. It was a gentle, warm intimacy.

The matter with her father, with Sehyun, the memories of her grandmother, and the ever-dimming recollections of her mother – Seoyeon felt the cold that had lingered in her for so long quietly melting away in the warmth radiating from Dojun.

Arching her back, Seoyeon closed her eyes. And for the first time, she was grateful to have him.

This person, who would not be in her life for long. And this moment that would never come again.

She hopes that after they part, she can forget about him as completely as possible and never think about him again, But if there ever comes a day when she recalls Dojun even for a moment, she feels like she would remember him as he was here.

No, she wanted to remember only how he was here. The two months when their lives intersected. Amongst that brief time, she wanted to remember him at his best.

With a few minutes to spare before checkout time, Dojun pulled out his card key and closed the hotel room door. At the sound of the lock clicking, Seoyeon silently bid it farewell.

The little memory box she’s leaving behind in Gangneung. 

Goodbye.

I’ll remember you as my favorite moment.

* * *

The trip down to Gangneung seemed to take quite a while, but the trip back up to Seoul seemed like a short one.

After having a bowl of udon for lunch at a rest stop, it didn’t take long before the scenery of Seoul came into view. When passing the Guri Interchange, Dojun suddenly spoke.

“We still have one more day of the holiday left, so shall we go to my place?”

“No, I just want to rest tomorrow.”

Dojun nodded briefly at Seoyeon’s response. He had expected as much. A moment of silence passed, the landscapes outside the car window quietly whizzing by.

“Before…”

Breaking the silence, Seoyeon spoke up.

“I had seen Haewon’s SNS account. When I found out those two were having an affair.”

Chuckling, she continued.

“Not that I had seen it, but I had found it by digging.”

It’s funny that this wasn’t the first time she had pried into someone else’s business. Watching the passing scenery, Seoyeon was met with Dojun’s question.

“And?”

“On the day Sehyun went on a business trip to Busan, there were photos of Haewon having cold kimchi and pork on her account. Hotel room photos, and photos of the sea view from the room.”

Dojun didn’t say anything in response.

“The first thought I had when I saw the pictures… was how casual it all seemed. Not that my fiancé was cheating, and not that it was with my step-sister, but rather, why they were so careless and sloppy that they got caught out by me.”

Dojun let out a short laugh and spoke.

“How idiotic.”

Seoyeon also laughed faintly at that.

“But now that I think about it, I think it was because they were so happy that day. So they must have posted it in an impulsive moment, with emotion overriding reason.”

Thinking that they might have felt as good as she did in Gangneung, Seoyeon could understand it a little.

“Did they really have any reason to be rational to begin with?”

Dojun’s offhanded remark made Seoyeon laugh. Even if his intentions were merely sarcastic, it sounded like he was taking her side, which made her smile. When Dojun saw Seoyeon’s smile, he smirked and looked ahead.

“They probably left a video as a token of appreciation. How thoughtful.”

The phrase “how thoughtful” made Seoyeon laugh. Then she thought.

“But why did you think I’d have a recording of it? You didn’t even know me well enough.”

Dojun gave a short laugh at that. He looked away for a moment before answering.

“Just felt like it.”

Just felt like it? Did I seem like the type to meticulously record such things? Did I look like I’d need a recording? 

When Seoyeon pondered, Dojun continued.

“Because I wanted to.”

Because he wanted to? Does that mean the recording wasn’t actually necessary? Could it be that from the beginning, it wasn’t the video, but rather…

Seoyeon squinted her eyes and looked at Dojun. Dojun, whose profile looked relaxed as if he was the most difficult person to guess the inner thoughts of among those she knew.

“So, was it necessary to have a video, or rather, a recording, from the beginning?”

Dojun briefly turned to look at Seoyeon. Then, looking ahead again, he smiled meaningfully.

“I thought it was necessary.”

To be able to sit in that spot, he thought it was necessary. Even if it wasn’t necessary, he sat there thinking it was. Seoyeon looked a little puzzled as she gazed at Dojun. Wanting to kiss her in that state, Dojun asked.

“Do you still have it?”

“I haven’t deleted it because I felt I might need to keep it a little longer. That’s why I feel burdened whenever I watch TV.”

She felt she did the right thing by not deleting the black box video file, especially when dealing with Sehyun. Thinking about him barging into the store to confess his love gave her chills.

“Sehyun really doesn’t listen to others.”

“Even if it makes you uncomfortable, it’s good to have it. There’s no harm in being prepared.”

Seoyeon nodded. She’d seen that expression somewhere. A person who thinks everything revolves around them. A person who thinks everything is wrong with others. Someone who doesn’t listen to others. For Seoyeon, Sehyun was like that.

As they talked, they soon reached the Yeonnamdong area. Familiar neighborhood scenery came into view, and Seoyeon’s apartment building became visible.

“Don’t bother going in, just drop me off on the street.”

She said it would be better than bothering to come all the way into the parking lot, and Dojun chuckled.

“Do you want me to say ‘let’s have a drink’ even if it’s just empty words?”

“No.”

“That damn ‘no’.”

Grumbling, Dojun turned on the hazard lights and stopped the car in front of the shops.

“You must be tired from driving, so rest well. Have a good business trip.”

Seoyeon reached for the handle and bid farewell to Dojun. With a 3-day business trip to Busan scheduled, she wondered when they would meet again as she opened the door, then Dojun spoke.

“Let’s meet on Friday.”

When Seoyeon turned to look at him, Dojun added.

“Don’t make any promises.”

Friday was the last day of January. After that, there would be only a month left. Seoyeon nodded and replied.

“Yes.”

Apparently pleased with this “Yes”, Dojun smiled warmly.

“Get some rest until then.”

“Yes.”

“Sleep well.”

“Yes.”

“Eat well.”

Seoyeon smirked, and Dojun laughed. Instead of answering, Seoyeon closed the door and said.

“Bye.”

Dojun nodded briefly. With his blinkers on, Dojun’s car rounded the intersection and disappeared from view. Seoyeon looked up at the sky for a moment. It was time to return to her everyday life.