Chapter 40
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 40
On a weekend morning, Yeon-ju left her house with light steps, wearing jeans for a change. She walked down the alley in a pair of sneakers she rarely wore, a cap pulled down low over her eyes.
“What are you doing this weekend?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Why do you think I asked?”
He had become so strange. Every time she asked a question, he gave an answer that defied common sense, flustering her completely.
She felt like she knew why, but she refused to say it out loud. She didn’t want to think about why he had reversed his stance overnight, nor did she want to get swept up in his reckless behavior.
“It felt good this morning. You liked it too, so don’t pretend you didn’t.”
She stopped dead in her tracks. She was driving herself crazy, unable to remember the look on her face in that moment. She’d been too shocked to control her expression.
What kind of face did I make? Did I really like it? Was it that obvious?
“No way. I couldn’t have made it that obvious…”
She gasped, startled by her own muttered words. Standing in the middle of the street, replaying a morning kiss in her head, made her face burn with embarrassment.
Still, her hand drifted to her lips. As she pressed them gently, the sensation from that moment seemed to reawaken, and her eyes fluttered shut.
It had been a long, long time since their breakup—long enough to forget the look in his eyes and the sound of his voice.
Since she had seen him through various media, half by choice and half by force, his face and voice remained vivid. But she had assumed physical touch would be a different story.
Yet, the moment their lips met, all her senses had awakened to welcome him with astonishing intensity. The sudden rush of thrills, the overwhelming emotion—it was all so shockingly identical to the past that it made her head spin.
His tongue hadn’t slipped inside her mouth, so it wasn’t a perfect kiss, but the mere touch of his lips was enough to turn her world upside down. There wasn’t a hint of unfamiliarity in his touch. In that instant, she had reverted to the twenty-three-year-old Go Yeon-ju.
“I’m losing my mind. What am I even doing right now?”
Yeon-ju’s eyes snapped open, cutting off the memory. It was still early, so the alley was empty, but fantasizing about a kiss with her ex-boyfriend was growing more ridiculous by the second.
Sigh…
“Ah, this is no time for this. I need to hurry.”
Forcing herself to shake off the lingering thoughts, Yeon-ju quickened her pace. The reason she was rushing so early on a weekend was her promise to Dr. Ju.
She had promised to make time for him this weekend, and she didn’t want to back out.
“What are you doing this weekend?”
“Why?”
“Why do you think?”
“I have plans. I’m meeting Dr. Ju.”
She had given Eun-seong such a petty answer. It wasn’t a lie, but she had added the unnecessary detail to draw a line, to make it clear she had no time for him.
…With him, she was becoming increasingly defensive, increasingly petty, and increasingly mean.
“Yeon-ju!”
“Ah! Doctor!”
Dr. Ju, who was waiting for her in front of the animal hospital, waved and called out her name. Yeon-ju waved back.
“Doctor, have you been waiting long?”
“Not at all, I just came out. You dressed comfortably.”
“Yes, you told me to.”
“You always keep your promises and listen so well. You’re lovely.”
At Dr. Ju’s sudden compliment, Yeon-ju smiled, her face flushing slightly.
“So, Doctor, where are we going?”
“You’ll see when we get there. I brought quite a few of my friends along because I wanted to make a good impression on you.”
Seeing the trunk packed full of dog food, Yeon-ju couldn’t help but laugh.
“Your friends are going to have quite a feast today.”
“Just because my friends eat heartily doesn’t mean you should ever join them. Got it?”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Getting into the car, Yeon-ju fastened her seatbelt. The song that started playing was the main theme from the soundtrack of a movie starring Eun-seong.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
She took a deep breath, slowly closing and opening her eyes. Unaware of her inner turmoil, Dr. Ju smiled as he gripped the steering wheel.
“I don’t know the title, but this song is nice. It seems to suit the weather perfectly.”
“Yes, Doctor. It’s a very nice song.”
Her mind was filled with thoughts of him.
“I have plans. I’m meeting Dr. Ju.”
“Then come over when you’re done. I’ll wait.”
“Wait? Where on earth would you wait for me?”
“I’ll be around.”
…Some paths are never meant to cross, no matter what you do.
You and I are like spring and autumn. A relationship of seasons that can never meet, no matter how hard they try.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t know where you plan to wait, but don’t waste your time.”
“I’ll wait. Have a nice weekend date with Dr. Ju.”
A dazzlingly beautiful time, a fleeting season one desperately wishes to reach.
It is only right for us to stop here.
* * *
Side Path
Even on weekends, the endlessly busy Hae-young visited the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in the morning.
Today was the special exhibition of Han Nam-gil, an artist she was close with. The exhibition hall, not yet open to the public, was buzzing with final preparations.
She had arrived early at the artist’s request, as Han Nam-gil had told her to come before the opening if she was coming at all. After greeting the organizers and delivering her congratulations and flowers, Hae-young stood before an unreleased artwork. As she lingered alone to look around, she heard footsteps and turned.
“Oh, Eun-seong.”
It was none other than Eun-seong.
When Hae-young expressed her delight at the unexpected encounter, Eun-seong greeted her in return. She stepped closer and added, “I see you were summoned early in the morning, too.”
“He somehow knew my schedule was clear and pestered me to come first thing.”
“Right? He must have been thrilled that you came. Since you’re here, you’ll look around, won’t you?”
Hae-young stepped aside, inviting him to look with her. Eun-seong approached and stood beside her.
They carefully examined each piece, every one of them rich with the creator’s worldview. The two moved past the artworks at a similar pace, and after a period of silent concentration, Hae-young suddenly spoke.
“You must have been taken aback by Ju-mi’s sudden resignation.”
“Well, it’s a common occurrence. I didn’t think much of it. I heard she had personal reasons.”
“The ‘personal reasons’ were just the official story to protect her. I actually fired her.”
When she stated it so plainly, in an even, emotionless voice, Eun-seong turned to look at her.
“You fired her, Director?”
“Yes. Eun-seong, do you know why Ju-mi joined our team in the first place?”
“I thought Hyang-mi sent her to be my dedicated handler.”
“No. CEO Min Tae-gon sent her.”
Eun-seong looked puzzled. When Hae-young moved to the next artwork a moment later, he followed her in silence.
“Around the time filming for the movie started, the CEO told me he had someone to place on the team and asked me to kick one of my people out. I couldn’t just let one of my staff go, so we settled on expanding the team instead. That’s how Ju-mi ended up with us.”
“…”
“But as time went on, it felt… strange. Team Leader Hyang-mi is your dedicated handler, isn’t she? If the goal was to have a dedicated handler, Hyang-mi should have been the one to come, not Ju-mi.”
Eun-seong remained silent, not wanting to interrupt.
“Why did Ju-mi, who is on Yeonildam’s payroll, work with Chang-rok? Was she a better performer than Team Leader Hyang-mi? Or was it because she was someone who could keep her mouth shut and her ears closed? What do you think? Why, for what reason, did the CEO of Yeonildam place Jeong Ju-mi by your side?”
“…”
“I think she was sent to Chang-rok precisely because she’s ill-mannered. Because she’s rude, talkative, aggressive, and quick to pick a fight.”
Hmm. Hae-young tilted her head and moved to the next artwork. Once again, Eun-seong followed her in silence.
As if her mouth and eyes were operating independently, Hae-young kept her gaze fixed on the painting as she continued.
“So, what was the purpose of a girl who ended up at Chang-rok because of her bad attitude? What did CEO Min Tae-gon hope to gain by stubbornly sending a girl with no sense of propriety to our team? I’ve been fixated on this question since yesterday.”
“And did you find the reason?”
“Well, I suppose I still have a naive side. It’s hard for me to fathom CEO Min’s grand design.”
“Then why are you telling me this?”
“Indeed. Why would that be?”
Hae-young finally looked at Eun-seong. She shrugged with an expression that said, I don’t really know either, prompting him to tilt his head.
This conversation involved the head of his own agency, making it a sensitive matter. Moreover, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Yeon-ju was somehow involved, which made him tense.
Eun-seong let out a faint smile.
“It’s common for agencies to dispatch personnel. I don’t know Chang-rok’s situation, but it happens often at Yeonildam. Especially for someone like me.”
“Yes, I know. That’s why I found it strange that Team Leader Hyang-mi didn’t come.”
“Hyang-mi is busy.”
“Too busy to handle your work? When I saw her yesterday, she said she was quite free lately.”
“…”
Jin Hae-young clearly had something she wanted to say—something she wouldn’t voice outright, something she wouldn’t answer even if asked.
But he had no desire to play her game of twenty questions. Nor did he want to be the one to pry into hidden circumstances. With only the names Tae-gon and Yeon-ju swirling in his head, Eun-seong needed time to think. He moved on to the next artwork first.
“I didn’t know you were the type to spread groundless speculation, Director. I’m actually disappointed.”
“Perhaps you should see it as an invitation. An invitation for us to find the reason together.”
As Hae-young followed him, Eun-seong stopped in his tracks. With nowhere else to look, he fixed his gaze on the painting before them.
「Title: Side Path」
A boy stood at a crossroads where several paths branched off from a main road. Far in the distance stood a girl, waiting for him. The paths were so dizzying and crooked that one could feel the boy’s confusion as he struggled to decide which way to go.
At the very edge of the canvas, outside the boy’s line of sight, lay a single narrow path—the only one that stretched straight ahead. If his narrow vision kept him from finding it, the boy was destined to struggle for his entire journey.
After they stood and stared at it for a long while, Hae-young asked, “Eun-seong. That person you said you were reminded of when you saw the marshmallow.”
The sudden question made Eun-seong, who had been staring blankly at the painting, take a sharp breath. He remained silent, waiting for her to continue.
“When did you meet her?” Hae-young added.
“A long time ago. Back in college.”
“Ah, college.”
“Why do you ask all of a sudden?”
“No reason. Looking at that boy reminded me of your story. I wondered if you, too, wandered lost in the middle of the road like him.”
“If anyone knew how to grow up without ever getting lost, the world wouldn’t be in this state.”
The two of them couldn’t take their eyes off the painting for a long time.
Would the boy cast aside the prejudice that the widest road is the right one? Would he have the courage to turn back if he realized he was on the wrong path?
Did they meet? Or did they miss each other?
Hae-young asked, “They must have missed each other, right?”
And Eun-seong replied, “They would have met.”