Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Bom's brows furrowed. No matter how much Choi Yi-jun disliked Jae-gyu, there was no need to say such absurd things.
Of all things, how could he utter such terrible words? She was sick of Yi-jun.
"Watch your words."
Her voice rose. Anger surged within her.
"You know this is defamation, right?"
As a prosecutor, he couldn't possibly not know. Even as an agitated Bom fumed, Yi-jun's expression didn't change a bit.
"Unauthorized access to personal information unrelated to an investigation is correct, but since the woman who will be my spouse is interested in a criminal bastard, I have no choice but to tell her the truth."
Bom shut her mouth and glared at Yi-jun. She didn't understand why he called Jae-gyu a criminal, nor by whose authority he called her his spouse.
"Seon Jae-gyu was accused of killing his father, who returned home after working on a boat when Jae-gyu was a sophomore in high school, but was released due to insufficient evidence."
"What?"
Bom's fingertips trembled at the rather specific story. Yi-jun spoke without inflection.
"The method of the crime was arson. He himself suffered burns because of it."
At the mention of burns, Bom flinched. So, the burn scar on his left arm...?
"I just stepped out for lunch, so I'll head back now. I think I'll have some free time tomorrow evening, so let's have dinner then."
"No, I..."
Yi-jun cut off Bom, who was visibly flustered.
"Do that. Play hard to get a little."
The story about Jae-gyu was so shocking that she had no time to think of anything else. Bom couldn't even answer.
"I'd appreciate it if you'd see me off to the car."
Bom silently followed Yi-jun out. She wished he would suddenly turn around and say it was a lie.
'It's impossible, his own father.'
Walking out the main gate with him to the car parked at the alley's entrance, Bom didn't even realize how she was moving. Everything felt like a dream.
The Jae-gyu she knew wasn't someone who would lose his mind enough to harm another person. It really couldn't be true, she didn't want to believe it, but why was she so uneasy?
"I like you. You."
For a moment, she felt a hand caress her cheek. Only then did her blurry vision gradually clear.
After blinking her dazed eyes a few more times, her vision sharpened. She was already in front of Yi-jun's car.
"How far have things gone with Seon Jae-gyu?"
"...What?"
"Whatever it is, you'd do well to stop."
"What are you..."
As soon as she asked again, cold lips brushed against hers and pulled away.
Bom instinctively recoiled. Her startled eyes held both disappointment and anger.
"W-what is this? What are you doing all of a sudden!"
"Your expressions are quite varied. Your face would be even more worth seeing if we had sex."
"...What did you just say?"
Yi-jun, a crooked smile on his lips, got into his car. Bom watched him leave, rubbing her lips with her hand.
As Yi-jun's car drove away, her strength gave out. Bom sank to the ground, fiercely rubbing her lips with her hand. Even though only his lips had touched hers, her fine hairs stood on end and shivers ran down her spine.
'What just happened?'
Her mind was already in a state of shock. She couldn't understand anything Yi-jun had said to her.
Bom, barely making it inside, collapsed weakly onto the sofa.
Seeing Bom-sik asleep in front of his food bowl, his belly full, she mumbled in a dazed state.
"Bom-sik... What am I going to do?"
Jae-gyu's past behavior clicked into place like puzzle pieces.
The way he'd shut up whenever his burn scar on his left forearm was mentioned, his negative attitude towards his hometown...
Yi-jun might have maliciously lied. Their relationship wasn't good, after all. But from what Jae-gyu had told her before, they weren't enemies to the extent that Yi-jun would fabricate such lies.
[When they were building a thermal power plant in Shinsu-eup, the residents formed a response team. Choi Yi-jun initially provided legal advice, but then he stabbed them in the back and sided with the opposition, didn't he?]
They'd grown close because of that incident, then drifted apart again. Jae-gyu had called Yi-jun an icon of betrayal.
She could understand why their relationship was bad because of that incident, but it didn't seem like Yi-jun would make up things about Jae-gyu.
'Then, did Jae-gyu really...'
Her heart pounded uneasily. Then her phone rang. Bom checked the message with a heavy heart.
Of all people, it was Jae-gyu.
You're on break, right? This briefing is really long!
Just taking a break.
Jae-gyu was attending a government-supported renewable energy program briefing held in Busan. Several landscape photos Jae-gyu had taken upon arriving in Busan also arrived.
Bom couldn't focus on Jae-gyu's words right now. With trembling hands, she sent the most innocuous reply.
Is the briefing okay?
A quick reply came.
They say our company meets the conditions for participating businesses~
It's a good opportunity, but then there'd be a lot more work, so I'm thinking it over.
Jae-gyu had more than enough ability to expand his business. Yet, he had always hesitated. His reason was that if his time was taken away, he wouldn't be able to maintain his work-life balance.
She agreed with that point, but still, once Han-gyeol graduated and went to university in Seoul, Jae-gyu would have even more free time. So, Bom spoke her usual thoughts.
If it's you, Jae-gyu, you can do it well.
After sending the message, Bom flipped her phone over. For now, she needed time to think.
'Calm down. He was only accused.'
She fumbled under the sofa for her bag and pulled out a book.
A Guide for First Love
She opened it to the bookmarked page. The book, already more than half-read, was filled with traces of Bom's diligent study.
"Where was it?"
Her searching hand stopped. 'Chapter 4 - A Partner's Past: How Much Can You Accept?' This section had fewer highlighted parts than other chapters.
It was a part she had read once and moved past, having no particular thoughts about Jae-gyu's past.
It was laughable to seek answers from a romance book in such a serious situation, but Bom trusted this book. Another reason was that Bom had no one to discuss this problem with.
When you feel uneasy about your partner's past, you must calmly assess whether it is a past that can be overcome or not...
As Bom turned the page, she found a passage that caught her eye.
It's also good to visit places related to that past together.
Coincidentally, tomorrow was the day she was supposed to go to Haechon Village with Jae-gyu.
But what would be the point? The reason she'd agreed to go to Haechon Village was because she wanted to know more about Jae-gyu.
Today, Yi-jun's revelation had exposed a shocking past. This wasn't what she wanted to know.
Bom put the book away and covered her face.
"That's enough. What good is a book like this now..."
Everything felt like it was falling apart. She didn't have the confidence to face Jae-gyu tomorrow as if nothing had happened.
⋆★⋆
"Wow, Teacher. Is this Bom-sik?"
"Yeah. Isn't he cute?"
"Haa, he's so pretty."
Han-gyeol, holding Bom-sik, smiled brightly. Jae-gyu marveled at how much Bom-sik had grown every time he saw him.
"Can I take him for a walk now?"
"Sure. Bom-sik runs really well."
Han-gyeol took Bom-sik out. Only Jae-gyu and Bom were left alone in the living room.
"Bom-Bom. Shall we take a quick look around my place before we leave?"
"...Later."
When Jae-gyu came to pick her up that morning, Bom hadn't slept well. She had spent the entire night seriously thinking about her relationship with Jae-gyu.
Ending it was the answer.
It was fortunate that she had made plans to go to Haechon Village. There was such a thing as a farewell trip, wasn't there? She resolved to go there and shake off everything about Jae-gyu.
A slight fondness. It was only that much, so ending it wouldn't be difficult.
"Let's at least have some coffee before we go."
Jae-gyu seemed eager to show her around his house. Jae-gyu's house was closer than she expected.
Leaving Cheongseol-eup and crossing over to Shinsu-eup, where the school was located, Jae-gyu's house was a large, two-story detached home on the road leading to the town center.
While other houses in the area were built with red bricks, Jae-gyu's house was different.
Like a country house in the suburbs of Seoul, it was in dark monotones, had a spacious garden, and a separate garage, making it pleasant and splendid.
Jae-gyu had said he put a lot of effort into building it himself.
"It's fine. I don't want any."
"Then please sit for a moment. I'll go find my personal seal and bring it out."
"Okay, I'll wait here."
"Oh, would you like to look at this? It contains my prime."
"Prime...?"
Jae-gyu took out a thick, old album, placed it on the coffee table, and went to the kitchen.
Bom casually flipped through the album and was surprised. The first page held a photo from a distant past.
There was a young Jae-gyu, thin and disheveled, holding a young Han-gyeol in one arm, standing expressionlessly.
Jae-gyu, with a slimmer build and sharper features than now, was very unfamiliar.
'It's not his own album, but Han-gyeol's.'
Starting with this photo, with each page she turned, the two of them's story continued.
On the next page were photos: Han-gyeol awkwardly smiling in front of a set of fairy tale books, and Jae-gyu and Han-gyeol making V-signs on a carousel at an amusement park that was now closed but once famous.
What Bom found remarkable was this:
With each turn of the page, Han-gyeol's face progressively brightened. The same was true for Jae-gyu.
Finally, among a pile of photos seemingly taken on Han-gyeol's elementary school entrance day, there was Jae-gyu, overcome with emotion and crying, and Han-gyeol, smiling brightly.
'These two have been together like this.'
Her heart swelled. At the same time, a small question arose.
Did Jae-gyu really do such a thing?