episode_0041

It was after Hanryeowon and I had truly reconciled.

Waking up naturally from a long sleep, my eyes met Hanryeowon’s, who was already awake.

“…Hmm… When did you wake up…?”

“Just a little while ago.”

She looked at me with a tender gaze and gently brushed my hair with a caring touch.

‘…Is it because of the mood.’

A strange sense of discomfort crept in, but regardless, I felt good.

“Ryeowon, feeling hungover?”

“Is there something you want to eat?”

“Let’s go out and have some soup with rice.”

“Should we?”

Having woken up early, we decided to check out ahead of time and found a nearby restaurant for our hangover cure.

“Spicy food is good for women, they say. Eat up.”

“Isn’t it good for men too?”

“Oh, really? Hm… I should ask for more leeks here.”

“…You can eat without them.”

“To be honest, I’m not someone who easily gets drunk wherever I go.”

“Is that so?”

“What.”

Hanryeowon’s chilly attitude from the previous day had disappeared, and she treated me like a comfortable friend as we used to when we were dating.

Although she refrained from being overly familiar, fearing someone might recognize us, just her not being cold towards me put me at ease.

‘This is life.’

When I was with Mayeonseo, I often felt excited or tense, mentally exhausted.

It was like riding an extreme roller coaster of highs and speeds.

Eight out of ten nights, I fell asleep as if passing out due to the excitement.

But it wasn’t like that with Hanryeowon.

It felt more like a spinning teacup ride that even children could enjoy.

I could control the speed as I wanted, and it wasn’t as overwhelming as a roller coaster.

…Less stimulating than a roller coaster, in that sense.

Anyway.

With plenty of time until the train departure, we decided to enjoy a short but fulfilling trip to Busan.

“Oh, they sell bread shaped like seagulls here. It has cream inside.”

“It looks really cute. …Get one for her.”

“Huh? All of a sudden?”

“She’ll like it if you get her a gift.”

“Ah… I guess I should. Should I also buy something for your father’s place while I’m at it?”

“I’ll buy that and deliver it. It will show up on your card record.”

…!”

Throughout the trip, Hanryeowon pointed out points I hadn’t thought of, giving me advice as if she had learned secrets from a veteran married woman.

‘I’m scared. Hanryeowon. Your talent.’

We spent time until it was almost late enough to catch the train, then leisurely boarded the train.

‘Luckily,’ we had enough time on the train, and it felt like we had made good use of it.

‘It’s surprising that I can come back nine more times.’

With this level of reward, I was willing to retake that embarrassing exam multiple times.

“Where should we go next week?”

“Any place you want to visit?”

“Now that it’s full-on summer. The beach?”

“The beach will be crowded, so I’ll try to book a room with a pool!”

“Sounds good. Check the reviews and find a place with good soundproofing.”

“…I’ll think about that.”

As we anticipated our next visit, various conversations unfolded.

“Oh, right.”

Suddenly, the topic of communication came up.

For some reason, she had emphasized using only her work phone for communication, strictly keeping it professional.

“I’ll get you a phone for personal use, so let’s communicate through that from now on.”

Simply to distinguish between work and personal phones.

“A phone? Is it necessary to go that far…?”

While I didn’t quite feel the need for it,

Hanryeowon logically persuaded me otherwise.

“Phones leave a trail. You can find out anything if you set your mind to it.”

“That’s true but… There’s nowhere suitable to keep two phones…”

“At this point, I should just get a gym near my house. They probably have personal lockers there too. They wouldn’t stop him from working out, right?”

“Uh… yeah, that’s true.”

When told to create an alibi at the gym, it sent a slight shiver down my spine.

‘…Did he plan everything meticulously from the beginning?’

Of course, that couldn’t be the case, but still.

*

It was around evening when the events unfolded after arriving at Seoul Station.

Having parted ways with Hanyeo-won, I joined Mayeonseo who was waiting at the station to give me a ride.

“You’ve been through a lot getting tested.”

“…Uh, yeah.”

However, as Mayeonseo greeted me with a bright smile, a strange emotion began to surge in my chest.

My heart raced as if I had committed a crime, making it hard for me to look her straight in the face.

It was guilt.

“You didn’t eat anything after lunch, did you? You must be hungry.”

“Well, I’m okay…”

“I made a reservation at a nice pasta place. Let’s eat there before heading in.”

“…Okay.”

“Let’s go.”

Whether she knew my feelings or not, Mayeonseo casually engaged in physical contact despite Ye-na being in the front seat.

“It feels good to hug you after so long.”

“…Hey, Ye-na is right in front of us.”

“It’s fine.”

Perhaps it was because it was Ye-na. Even though they had only been apart for a day, she missed her so much that she clung to her affectionately.

…It seemed like spraying perfume as Hanyeo-won had instructed was a good idea.

“Yeonsoo, hold on, I have something for you.”

“For me?”

Feeling uncomfortable with physical contact today, I subtly diverted the topic by presenting her with a small gift as recommended by Hanyeo-won.

“It’s nothing special, just a pastry. I bought it thinking of you.”

“A seagull pastry?”

As always, Mayeonseo showed a deeply moved reaction even to a small gift worth only five thousand won.

Why was she so happy about a mere souvenir for tourists?

“Thank you. I’ll cherish it and eat it later.”

Unable to contain her joy, she pouted and started taking pictures to boast on social media.

‘…It’s unnecessary.’

Somehow, my chest felt even more stifled.

“Would you like to shower first? Or should I help you shower?”

“It’s fine.”

After finishing our meal and returning to the hotel, there was a moment when I sat down and sighed.

‘Home is still the best… Huh?’

Suddenly, my eyes fell on a small bottle placed on the bedside table.

‘This is…’

Without a doubt, it was the sleeping pill Mayeonseo had been taking.

The sleeping pills she had forcibly taken after we parted ways because she couldn’t fall asleep sober.

“Yeonsoo, did you take sleeping pills again?”

“I couldn’t sleep well.”

Nonchalantly removing her earrings in the dressing room, Mayeonseo naturally avoided the question.

Even her usual appearance felt uncomfortably familiar.

‘I’m losing it.’

The guilt didn’t subside.

“…Let’s just shower together tonight.”

“…What?”

I barged into the dressing room and started undressing her forcefully, as if to relieve myself of guilt.

“… ”

She silently followed along, seemingly not hating my touch.

“I’ll dry your hair. Stand in front.”

“…Uh, okay.”

After washing each other in the bathroom and locking eyes, we shared a more tender moment than usual.

For her, it was because she missed me so much that she couldn’t sleep after just one day.

And for me, it was to shake off the guilt that wouldn’t wash away no matter how much I cleaned.

Yet, the guilt remained unshakeable.

I couldn’t understand the emotions that even I, the person involved, felt.

‘Why…’

Since being summoned, Hanyeo-won had been the only one in my heart.

Spending time with her today, I felt happiness that I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Once again, I could be sure that she was my destiny.

But…

Had I developed feelings for someone else during that time?

“Why are you like this?”

“…Just because you’re beautiful.”

“I’m beautiful?”

“…Yes. Very beautiful.”

“I’m glad. Because you find me beautiful.”

Facing Mayeonseo’s love coming straight at me, my heart felt increasingly uneasy.

It felt like a truly genuine emotion.

‘Not just anyone can do such a despicable thing.’

In this situation, all I could do was to treat her even better than usual.

“I love you.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. I love you.”

I wholeheartedly loved her, making sure she never felt lacking.

That was my best effort.

*

“I’ll be back soon. Rest well.”

“Come back safely.”

With a light peck on the lips, Mayeonseo bid farewell to Yoochan, leaving the room with a happy expression, sweeping her long hair aside.

Then, as the door clicked shut, a sudden chill crept over her face.

“….”

Since Yoochan’s return from Busan, Yeonseo had sensed something off.

He wasn’t adept at lying, his emotions often transparent on his face.

There were other suspicious signs too.

Acts of unusual kindness, an increase in expressions of love.

To others, these might seem normal behaviors, but Yeonseo, who had truly experienced Yoochan’s love, could tell right away.

His love still lacked sincerity.

‘Something happened in Busan.’

Yeonseo suspected Ryeowon.

A woman wearing the mask of a gentle lamb but lurking like a fox, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

From writing a breakup letter pretending to be pitiful to subtly appearing as Yoochan’s assistant, the possibility of following him to Busan seemed high.

And perhaps Yoochan fell for it without suspecting a thing.

‘…Devious woman.’

Though immediate rage made her want to tear Ryeowon apart, looking into the distant future, it was actually a golden opportunity.

A chance to firmly tighten the noose around Kang Yoochan.

‘It’s already tainted once, so being tainted twice won’t change anything.’

The past Mayeonseo would have charged ahead recklessly without a second thought, but the Mayeonseo who had tasted the pain of loss was different now.

She had indeed changed from before.

“Good morning.”

As Yeonseo got into the car driven by Ieyna, she greeted lightly and asked, “What about the discussion we had yesterday?”

In response, Ieyna promptly replied, “We’ve decided to make contact with Kim Sunghwan.”

It was about acquiring a high-ranking official from the association.

“He has high access rights and is close to the current research director since he’s from the Busan research center.”

“What about Im Miyoona?”

“They’re alumni from the same university, but they don’t seem to be that close.”

“Alright. Proceed as planned.”

“Understood.”

“The dresses?”

“We can try on two after lunch.”

“Two… Can we postpone the strategy meeting a bit?”

“I’ll check on that.”

After giving instructions, Yeonseo immediately took out the tablet prepared in the vehicle.

On the tablet screen were rows of dazzlingly designed white dresses.

They were the dresses she would soon be wearing.

“Not much time left.”

Imagining Yoochan freezing up in front of the entire nation, Yeonseo smiled contentedly.

She then began selecting a dress to suit Yoochan’s taste.

“What would look good?”

Her joyous demeanor while choosing the dress appeared truly delightful.