Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“This is important for Hajun, so let’s trust him and let him handle it for now.”

“What if they… hit it off?”

“We’ll think about that later, much later.”

Perhaps this would be the signal. What Hajun, who had no interest in the company, needed now was passion.

She clearly seemed like the one who could ignite that passion in him.

Just as Seojun had, just as he himself had. Men, once they clearly knew what they wanted to protect, would forge ahead regardless of the obstacles.

They would turn aggressive towards those who threatened their woman, and eventually, they would resolve to become the king of that forest.

Park’s voice flowed through the phone.

“I think he caught on, more or less.”

“Caught on to what? That I deliberately assigned her to him?”

“Yes, he’s quite quick-witted, you know.”

“So, did he dislike it?”

“No.”

“Hah, I knew it. Park, do you think I meddled unnecessarily in this?”

“No, I don’t. Even if you hadn’t stepped in, it would have been Shin Yeonsu anyway. Her career might be short, but she has many talents and was the perfect fit for this project.”

Minseok consciously smoothed the furrow between his brows at Park’s additional comment. He had always been deeply grateful to Park for many things over the years.

Hajun’s unwavering respect for him, treating him like an uncle, was likely due to Park’s consistent character. Aside from his excellent work skills, Park wasn’t the type to chase status or power.

If he had been, he would have moved companies long ago.

He must have sacrificed a lot of his own time explaining various things whenever Hajun fell short, yet he never once showed annoyance.

“Park, I apologize. For always making you clean up after my grown son.”

“I do it because it’s worth doing.”

“It’s worth it?”

“Yes, Director—no, I mean, I truly enjoy watching Hajun grow and mature so much. You know he’s a much more solid and better person than he appears on the surface, don’t you?”

“That’s a relief. Thank you for seeing him that way.”

“Yes, please go in now.”

He hoped Hajun would achieve brilliant growth at Ihan.

He wanted Hajun to learn everything he needed there to lead Seomyeon Group in a few years, and then return.

…And if he wanted to, he could have that girl too. It wouldn’t be bad for him to learn life’s lessons there, too—what to grasp onto, and what to let go of.

Raindrops pattered down on her head. Shin Yeonsu was walking out of the Lines Hotel restaurant with Hajun after their meal.

She looked up at the sky, thick with storm clouds. The forecast had definitely not mentioned rain today.

“Where are you headed?”

At Hajun’s question, Yeonsu told him about her plan to study at a nearby café.

Hajun’s secretary would soon provide the necessary materials for the interpreting job, but since it involved an important contract, she felt it was best to prepare in advance.

Interpreters could rarely afford to stop studying. Every morning, as soon as she opened her eyes, it was essential to habitually read various international articles to master clean sentence structures.

While linguistic ability was important, a sense of how to read a situation and quick wit were also helpful, so it was necessary to familiarize herself with a wide range of content.

Initially, she only took on translation work, but with rising hospital bills, she started taking on high-paying interpreting jobs, spending hours glued to her desk multiple times a day.

Even now, she couldn’t rest. Finding a café and studying for hours whenever she had time had become her daily routine.

She was confident in her abilities, as interpreting was what she did best in school, but the physically demanding nature of the work also required her to exercise regularly.

No matter what, Yeonsu wanted to earn a lot of money. She liked the comfort that money provided.

Because not spending what you have was different from not being able to spend because you had nothing.

Although she was somewhat surprised that Hajun was her client for this interpreting assignment, enduring a little discomfort was part of the job.

Just do it. Confidently, like always. It’s just work, after all. Think of it as work.

There was no reason to refuse this job just because Hajun was the client. The moment she refused, he would assume it was because of their past.

Plop. Plop.

Perhaps due to her experience living and traveling in Europe, Yeonsu was actually accustomed to not using an umbrella on rainy days.

Normally, she would have just walked through it, but her feet wouldn’t move easily now. It was a disaster, especially since she had deliberately stopped by a luxury rental store to borrow her outfit and shoes.

As if he’d read her mind, Hajun turned around. He quickly grabbed her wrist.

“Wait here for a moment.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Just wait if I tell you to.”

He moved away for a moment and made a call somewhere. Sunbae, aren’t you busy? she almost asked, but then remembered his instruction to wait and looked at a painting hanging on one side of the lobby.

A work by her mother’s favorite artist was displayed there. Hajun approached her, finding her completely absorbed in the painting.

“Do you know this painting?”

“Yeah, my mom loved it. She especially liked it because it had all sorts of mathematical elements woven into it.”

Their conversation was cut short. The elevator doors opened, rising from the basement, and Hajun’s driver appeared, carrying a black umbrella.

Hajun handed the umbrella to Yeonsu.

“Take it and go.”

“……”

“If I offered to drive you to the café, you wouldn’t get in anyway, would you?”

“No.”

“I’m busy too, so I don’t have time to drive you. This is the best I can do, so take it.”

As he spoke, Hajun’s lips quirked upwards slightly. His curving lips formed a deep smile.

She knew him as a Sunbae who was quite kind to others. While his personality, especially kind to those on his side, certainly played a part, the truth was that so many women chased Hajun because of that decadent, charming face.

Even classmates who initially kept their distance, thinking he was a typical bad boy, had been completely won over by his unexpectedly gentle nature.

So Yeonsu wasn’t fooled by the charming eye-smile he now showed her.

“Thanks. I’ll bring it back next time.”

“Suit yourself.”

It was Hajun again who stopped Yeonsu as she was about to turn away. He pulled out one hand, which had been carelessly tucked into his suit trousers, and scratched near his forehead.

“Secretary Kang will probably contact you soon about signing the contract.”

“Yeah, I actually just got a text a little while ago. They said they’d contact me again once the schedule is set.”

“They’re certainly quick about it. Doesn’t it bother you to come all the way from Jeju-do every time something comes up?”

“Not really.”

“…So, we’ll see each other again that day?”

It was true she had to go to HAN Automobile headquarters to sign the contract, but she didn’t specifically need Sunbae there.

Usually, a member of the secretarial or HR team handled the signing.

Yeonsu scoffed at Hajun’s words.

“You want to see me again?”

At her words, Hajun frowned slightly. Seeing his face react so dramatically to her every comment, Yeonsu couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

In college, their conversations with Sunbae had mostly been as light as feathers.

She had liked that weightlessness, how nothing remained once the words were gone.

The intense energy of fiercely fighting each other, bullets loaded, could only have been given by Sunbae back then.

Sunbae always napped in the society room, and she always sought that place out whenever she wanted to be alone, away from people.

Their purposes were different, but they were the only two who used that old society room.

…If only it had stayed just like that.

Yeonsu walked out of the lobby and opened the umbrella he had given her. She was about to walk straight ahead, but a sense of déjà vu, as if Hajun would still be standing there, made her turn around.

Sure enough, Sunbae was still standing in the same spot. Her hand tightened its grip on the umbrella handle.

Pretending not to, she relaxed her grip and asked Hajun.

“Just wondering. Did you… forget everything?”

“What?”

“The past.”

“What exactly did we do in the past?”

Her breath hitched for a moment at his deeply gazing eyes. The painting she had just seen in the lobby overlapped with Sunbae’s face.

Unlike that painting, which maintained visual balance and order through its systematic and calculated elements, Sunbae seemed too raw.

The sound of raindrops tapping on the umbrella pricked her ears.

Plip, plip-plop, plip, plop-plip.

A tremor, a similar feeling, made Yeonsu place her feet together neatly.

“It’s nothing. Don’t mind what I said.”

“Alright, be careful on your way. Interpreter Shin Yeonsu.”

Even his deliberately playful, business-like tone failed to make her smile.

All that came to her mind were chaotic scenes. A naked man, a panting woman, tangled tongues, air like a sealed chamber.

Goosebumps rose on her neck, making her grip the umbrella handle even tighter. She forced those memories away, searching for the café address.

The steady sound of the falling rain grew a little harsher. Yeonsu gave a quick goodbye and fled into the rain.