🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter: 26
Only now did it feel as though the stone that had been completely blocking the flow of water had finally been pulled out with her own hand. She felt refreshed and relieved.
“That’s right. Lee Kang-hoon.”
She was happy for a brief moment that she had finally remembered him. But almost immediately, she recalled the embarrassing way she had gotten drunk and poured out all kinds of nonsense with complete sincerity.
Today, she hadn’t had a single drink and was completely sober. She squeezed her eyes shut. It hadn’t even been long since she closed them, yet a deep blush spread from the base of her neck all the way to her cheeks.
Suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment, her entire body went limp, and she lowered her head.
“I got drunk that day and made a complete fool of myself, didn’t I?”
Even after her hesitant confession, Kang-hoon never lost his smile.
“No. You were adorable. If you had really embarrassed yourself, I wouldn’t have wanted to see you again.”
Every time Kang-hoon smiled, deep dimples appeared in his cheeks, giving him a gentle and charming appearance.
His warmth and cuteness somehow reminded her of Mu-hyeok again. She pinched her thigh in frustration.
Perhaps because their images contrasted so much, Mu-hyeok kept overlapping in her mind.
Unlike Mu-hyeok, Lee Kang-hoon was someone who made her feel relaxed and happy whenever they were together. There wasn’t the slightest discomfort around him. Yet even now, she found herself comparing the two men, and she couldn’t believe she was doing it.
After taking a sip of water and collecting herself, she continued.
“So… was the party the first time you saw me?”
“No. I’ve known you since we were children. You gave me strength when I was going through a difficult time.”
“I did?”
She placed a hand over her chest, leaned forward, frowned, and tilted her head.
She didn’t usually have a bad memory. Yet, strangely enough, all memories related to Kang-hoon seemed to have been erased.
No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn’t remember ever becoming someone’s source of strength when she was young.
“Yes. Ah! Would you like to see one of my artworks?”
Caught off guard by the sudden invitation, she tilted her head.
“Your artwork?”
“Well… it’s torn, but I decided to display it anyway.”
“Oh, that torn piece? It must be very important. But why now?”
It seemed to be the same artwork that had made Mu-yeon rush out of the house late at night the other day.
“Because if you see it, I can explain the day we met.”
“Ah…”
She nodded.
She had heard that Mu-yeon’s gallery had recently been renovated but hadn’t had the chance to visit yet. Since she had already come out anyway, they might as well spend some time together like a date, and a gallery seemed like the perfect place.
“Then let’s have lunch first.”
“Sure.”
The two exchanged faint smiles.
Mu-hyeok spent the weekend at home and had lunch in the main house.
At the request of his grandmother, Kim Myung-sook, everyone in the family except those with urgent schedules gathered for the meal.
As they chatted about ordinary things, Myung-sook rinsed her mouth with water before asking in a worried voice, her eyelids twitching slightly.
“How’s work at the company, Mu-hyeok?”
Whenever the company was mentioned, Myung-sook’s sharp gaze made everyone at the table uncomfortable. She looked at people like a strict interviewer during a job interview.
Mu-hyeok felt the pressure as well, but Myung-sook wasn’t even on his mind at the moment. Calmly chewing his food, he answered,
“I’m working hard.”
His aunt, Chae Han-mi, the president of the trading company, scooped up a spoonful of beef soup, swallowed it, and coldly replied,
“Working hard isn’t enough. You have to do well.”
Her face remained expressionless.
In a way, Mu-hyeok really did resemble his aunt.
Neither of his parents spoke with the same cold indifference that he did. They were outgoing, loved parties, and if anything, Mu-yeon had inherited their personalities almost perfectly.
The ones most surprised by Han-mi’s harsh remark were Mu-hyeok’s parents. They immediately looked up from their meals.
Mu-hyeok, however, didn’t even lift his head.
“I’m doing well enough. You should worry about Ha-min instead.”
Park Ha-min was the son of Chae Han-mi and Prosecutor Park Dong-hoon.
Dong-hoon couldn’t attend because he was busy, but Ha-min, who sat beside his mother, nervously glanced back and forth between her and his cousin Mu-hyeok.
After finishing the water in front of her, Han-mi answered,
“You’re right. Why would I worry about someone who became president the moment he walked in?”
There was obvious resentment in her words. She had expected to become president of headquarters herself, only for her much younger nephew to be dropped into the position instead.
Han-mi forced a smile before standing up.
“I’ve lost my appetite. I’ll be leaving first, Mother.”
Normally, Myung-sook hated people leaving the table before everyone finished eating. Han-mi, who had always tried desperately to earn her mother’s approval, had never done such a thing before.
But today, she was too upset to stay.
She walked out.
Her son Ha-min quickly stood as well and smiled awkwardly.
“My mom’s just a little sharp… Dad didn’t come home last night… Hyung, please don’t take it personally.”
After hurriedly making excuses, he quickly bowed and ran after his mother.
Only Mu-hyeok, his parents, and his grandmother remained.
Although Mu-hyeok was somewhat bothered by his aunt’s sharp criticism, he didn’t take it too seriously.
After all, she had always disliked him.
As if nothing had happened, he changed the subject.
“Did Noona go to the gallery?”
“Yeah.”
“If she was going to eat there, she should’ve invited Yoon Hae-ru. She must be alone.”
Thinking only about Hae-ru, he muttered worriedly.
His mother immediately waved her hand.
“Mu-hyeok! Why do you always call her Yoon Hae-ru? You should call her Noona.”
“She’s not my sister.”
He grumbled quietly and continued eating.
His mother, Hae-sun, had no idea how he really felt. She only worried that he was being rude to his older sister’s friend.
“Even so, Hae-ru may be your secretary, but you should treat her well.”
“I do treat her well.”
Clicking her tongue, Myung-sook shook her head.
“Tsk, tsk. Are you ever going to get married?”
“What are you trying to say?”
If Mu-yeon had been there, she would have jumped in and stopped the conversation before it even started.
But she wasn’t.
So the full force of the discussion landed on Mu-hyeok.
Myung-sook continued.
“Go on a blind date! What do you think of Seo-young?”
“No.”
Mu-hyeok rejected the suggestion immediately.
Apparently seeing no reason to continue the conversation, he didn’t even look at his grandmother and simply focused on his food.
“Oh, honestly… Even Hae-ru at least goes to matchmaking meetings! But you? What’s wrong with you?”
The moment Myung-sook mentioned Hae-ru, Mu-hyeok, who had been quietly eating with his head down, froze.
His face instantly stiffened.
He slowly raised his head, looking as though he had just been shot.
“Yoon Hae-ru went on a blind date?”
His mother helped explain.
“Yes. Didn’t you hear? Mu-yeon said she’d introduce her to Kang-hoon.”
A long sigh escaped through his clenched teeth.
He was already insanely jealous whenever a male coworker stood next to Hae-ru simply because he was a man.
And now she’d gone on a blind date.
“She went on a blind date?”
“After pushing me away?”
He gripped his soup spoon tightly.
His hand trembled so badly that all the soup spilled back into the bowl.
Unable to endure it any longer, he abruptly stood up.
Everyone’s eyes followed him.
“What? Are you finished eating?”
Normally, Mu-hyeok often left the table early after finishing because he never cared about pleasing his grandmother.
But today, he had barely eaten half his meal.
His mother looked at him in surprise.
“You’re full already?”
“I’m full.”
Not in the mood to explain, he gave a short reply and hurried out of the dining room.
As soon as he reached the living room of his separate residence, he couldn’t stand still.
He paced back and forth while calling Mu-yeon.
She didn’t answer.
Unable to wait for a callback, he grabbed the car keys from the tall white shelf beside the television.
He couldn’t simply sit and wait.
Stuffing the keys into his pocket, he immediately drove to the gallery.
After arriving at the spacious parking lot in front of the gallery, Mu-hyeok headed straight for the director’s office.
Mu-yeon was busy handling work inside when the office door suddenly burst open.
Startled, she looked up.
“What are you doing here?”
Mu-hyeok stood in the doorway, sweat covering his forehead.
It looked as though he had run all the way up the stairs because he was breathing heavily.
Seeing him like that, Mu-yeon’s eyes widened in surprise, and her eyebrows shot upward.
“Haa… Where’s Yoon Hae-ru?”
