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Chapter 4
After waking up from a nap, Sui finished her meal with a banana and a carton of banana milk.
Despite always nagging Beomjin about eating properly, she herself often settled for whatever was convenient whenever she was alone.
If Dokgo Beomjin found out, he would probably stare at her with that familiar disapproving look of his.
That giant guy can actually be pretty cute when he does that.
Letting out a small chuckle, Sui quickly got ready for work and headed to the office.
“There are some strange people roaming around at night and threatening passersby. Don’t ever take this road.”
Following the rare and earnest warning from the usually taciturn man, she took a longer route to the bus stop instead of the one she had walked that morning.
A bus arrived just in time.
After boarding, Sui spotted an empty window seat and hurried over.
Lucky day.
As she gazed out at the city slowly passing beyond the glass, Beomjin once again entered her thoughts.
I wonder if he’s gotten better at saying no lately? It does seem like he’s working less overtime than before.
Beomjin often stayed late at work solving problems that weren’t even part of his job.
“The team leader asked me to double-check some figures.”
“I had to catch a bug. Apparently no one else could do it.”
“Someone spilled tomato juice on the floor and just left it there, so I stayed late cleaning it up.”
Was this what it felt like to leave a child unattended near water?
Every time Beomjin said those things with a completely unconcerned expression, frustration nearly made her burst.
For someone built like a door, he was unbelievably naïve.
Maybe I should’ve joined the same company as him.
At least then she could have helped him. Their commute would have been easier too.
She had more than enough qualifications to apply to Kangho Group.
But Sui had chosen the path of searching for her father.
What was surprising was that Beomjin—who usually wanted to stay by her side whenever possible—had respected her decision and actively supported it.
Maybe I should do what Beomjin suggested and take work home. If I leave late, he’ll probably stay late to match me. Is he enduring hunger while waiting? Maybe I should send him a message…
Then Sui shook her head.
“What am I even doing?”
It wasn’t like Dokgo Beomjin was her son.
Moments like these left her confused.
Was it really Beomjin who depended on her?
Or was she the one depending on him?
Maybe he wasn’t the one who hated being apart.
Maybe she was.
“…”
Sui slowly closed her eyes and opened them again.
Lately, she had been thinking about Beomjin far more often than before.
…We’re friends.
Nothing more would ever come of it.
Never.
*
“Ah, Assistant Manager Ahn, you’re here?”
“Yes, Team Leader. How is your wife doing?”
“She’s better. Turns out it was indigestion. She meant to call emergency services, but she panicked and called me instead.”
Sui hid her envy behind a smile.
How nice.
To have family who would throw everything aside and rush to your side in an emergency.
Once, she had people like that too.
Her mother and father, who had started as middle school friends, become lovers, then husband and wife, and eventually had a daughter—only to wound each other beyond repair and separate.
Until she was twelve, she had lived a happy life.
Her father was a successful businessman.
Her mother was beautiful and kind.
They cherished Sui as though she were the most precious jewel in the world.
Then she entered middle school, around the same time her father’s business began to decline.
The home that had always been filled with warm light slowly fell into shadow.
At first, her parents were careful around young Sui.
But as time passed, whether their daughter was present or not, they stabbed each other with increasingly harsh words.
What they didn’t realize was that those blade-like words wounded Sui just as deeply.
“I never should’ve chosen you! We should’ve stayed friends!”
“And who’s talking? At least you were tolerable as a friend! As a wife, you’re a zero! A complete zero! There’s nothing you can do properly!”
“Why did I ever meet someone like you and ruin my life?!”
“What? Someone like me? Did you really just say that?”
Her mother and father had always said they were close friends.
Close enough to understand each other’s thoughts with a single glance.
Sui remembered them saying that with happy smiles.
But knowing someone so well also meant knowing exactly how to hurt them.
The shouting grew louder.
Expensive dishes and furniture were broken more and more often.
At some point, her father stopped coming home regularly.
Her mother began relying on alcohol.
Then, in Sui’s first year of middle school, her father moved out completely.
Her mother became an alcoholic.
“Things were better when we were friends. Back then, I thought we’d be together forever… If you truly love someone, you should never end up together. You have to remain friends. That’s the only way you can protect each other.”
Muttering those words while drinking one glass after another, her mother sat behind her as Sui showered and returned to her room.
She had midterm exams to prepare for.
“You need to get into that private school in the next district. Don’t go to an ordinary public school and meet ordinary boys. That’s the only way you won’t end up like me. Study. You can’t afford to fail even a single exam.”
It was her mother’s wish for her daughter to attend a prestigious school.
So Sui studied hard.
Maybe then her mother would come to her senses.
Maybe then she would look at her again.
Then one day, realizing she had forgotten to wash her school uniform, Sui left her room.
And found her mother collapsed beneath the dining table.
Pills—apparently sleeping medication—were scattered all around her.
Sui immediately called an ambulance.
But in the end, her mother never woke up.
“…and that’s why the district office contacted us. Assistant Manager Ahn? Are you listening?”
Suddenly pulled from her memories, Sui blinked.
“Ah, sorry.”
Her thoughts had wandered again.
“Come to think of it, you don’t look very well. You’ve had a lot on your plate lately, and I dumped that urgent assignment on you yesterday too. It must’ve been rough.”
“No, it’s fine. I think I’m just feeling a little sluggish because of the weather.”
“Guess spring really is here.”
Spring…
The season may have been spring.
But Sui’s world remained cold and barren.
If not for Beomjin, who stood like a great tree beside her, wouldn’t she have frozen long ago?
“Assistant Manager Ahn, have you ever thought about going on a blind date?”
“A blind date?”
“Yeah. Remember the funeral we attended in Yongin last week? The owner of the funeral hall building seemed to take quite a liking to you. You remember him, right? The young, handsome guy.”
Sui remembered him.
The man, who was apparently acquainted with Team Leader Oh, managed several buildings he had inherited from his parents.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. You’re not only capable, but beautiful as well.”
“Ah… thank you.”
“If you ever need help with anything, please let me know.”
Holding her gaze, he had squeezed her hand slightly.
“I’d really like to help someone as remarkable as you.”
His eyes had been so intense that she had found them somewhat burdensome.
“He asked me about you very carefully,” Team Leader Oh continued. “Said he’d like to see you again. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard him say something that personal.”
“Ah…”
“Why not give him a chance? He’s handsome, and more importantly, he’s humble and kind despite everything he has. Gentle personality too.”
Perhaps expecting Sui to refuse again, Team Leader Oh spoke as though trying to persuade her.
“People in our line of work need someone they can lean on. You think you’ve gotten used to everything, and then one day you suddenly collapse.”
I think I already have someone like that.
Sui thought of Beomjin.
She wasn’t sure if she could lean on him exactly.
But she always felt at ease when he was around.
When she looked into those indifferent, sleepy eyes, even the most serious problems seemed insignificant.
When his large hand lightly patted and ruffled her hair, the heaviness weighing on her heart would somehow disappear.
Like standing beneath warm sunlight.
But…
“I’ll do it.”
Team Leader Oh’s eyes widened.
“Really? Then I’ll contact President Gi right away. No backing out later, okay?”
Seeing the excitement on Team Leader Oh’s face, Sui felt a brief pang of regret.
But she quickly steeled herself.
Being with Beomjin felt warm, like standing beneath the sun.
But she couldn’t stay there forever.
Before she knew it, she had reached an age where marriage wouldn’t seem strange at all.
She needed to start practicing now.
Practicing how to leave each other’s side.
“Yes. Please arrange it.”
“I’ll go on the blind date.”
