Chapter 38.2

Chapter 38.2

Looking back, even on the day she stitched up his wound, there had been a moment that felt off. Hadn’t he said something strange, almost in passing?

“Used to call me oppa so easily, but now you’re all grown up, aren’t you?”

Back then too, when she pressed him, he had slyly dodged the question, slipping away like a snake. This time, Heeju fixed Gukyhun with a more certain gaze.

“So?”

Gukhyun tilted his head, locking eyes with her even more intently. Their lips drew closer, as if a kiss might fall between them at any moment.

“I think it’s you. Is this just another delusion of mine?”

“If it is me, does that change anything?”

“It might.”

At her words, Gukhyun let out a quiet laugh. His warm breath teased her lips. His gaze lingered over her mouth before lifting back to her eyes.

“But what can I do? I don’t remember that.”

His low voice was firm and dry. Heeju returned his gaze calmly. Strange. It didn’t surprise her at all, as if she’d already known he’d respond this way.

She reached out and touched the corner of his eye. She hadn’t noticed before because of his eye color, but his eyelashes were beautiful. When her fingers brushed him, he frowned briefly before meeting her gaze with his usual stoic gaze.

“Eyes like these aren’t common.”

“Well, sounds like one of my ancestors got slept with someone who had eyes like this.”

“Why do I feel like you’re lying?”

At this moment, Kwon Gukhyun felt both foreign and familiar to Heeju. His expressionless face was the same as always, yet she couldn’t make any judgment about him.

‘Who the hell are you? Why are you causing me such confusion? Why did you barge into my miserable life only to mess with me?’

“I told you. Our relationship is simple.”

Gukhyun whispered, as if he sensed her inner turmoil.

“I kept calling you pretty, and now look at you, climbing all over me without knowing when to stop.”

“…”

“Your wild imagination was kind of cute. But why the hell should I have to explain myself every time you spin some fantasy? It’s getting a little ridiculous.”

The corner of his mouth twisted into a crooked smirk. His cold voice carried a strange hint of irritation.

He narrowed his eyes, looking tired. He didn’t even try to hide his annoyance at being questioned about his past.

She knew Gukhyun had always gone soft on her. Had she gotten too used to it without realizing? His sudden coldness stung, like a tiny blade nicking the corner of her heart. Heeju blinked back the sudden heat in her eyes and spoke firmly,

“If Ko Heejin were alive, she would have recognized him for sure. That oppa stabbed the director instead of me.”

She couldn’t tell if the tears welling up were for her sister, who died alone, or for Kwon Gukhyun, who remained completely unfazed. He replied as if it meant nothing at all, even gently, with a tender tone.

“I guess he wanted to show off in front of the girls.”

“…”

There were rumors that the director, who had been stabbed in the neck and was rushed to the hospital that day, died on the operating table. Others said he survived but wouldn’t be able to move his neck again. The truth? Well… the aftermath of the incident was handled with suspicious secrecy.

The orphanage staff worked hard to keep the children quiet, and when some dared to ask if the rumors were true, they were beaten with sticks. The sharper kids quickly learned to adapt, and within days the director’s vacant seat was filled by someone new.

And with the director’s disappearance, that oppa vanished completely, too. As if he never existed in the first place.

“I checked the albums and records, but every trace of him attending here was wiped clean.”

Heeju’s voice carried softly across the silent courtyard.

“But you—who have the same eyes as oppa—just happened to lend money to that drifter physical therapist Ko Heejin, who frequently visited the mansion, and out of all the orphanages you could’ve chosen, you just happen to sponsor this one. And now here you are, standing in front of me. You really expect me to believe it’s all coincidence? Even if there is a God, He wouldn’t mess around like this.”

Snow was piling up in the courtyard beneath the watchful gaze of the Virgin Mary statue. The wind cut cold across her ears, yet she felt no chill. Her face burned hot, her cheeks flushed as though set on fire.

“This is just one of many places I support.”

Gukhyun said, warmly cupping Heeju’s face with his large palm.

“I came out for a smoke, but now my d#c.k is getting hard.”

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