Chapter 37 –
Onyu held her breath in shock. Since that day, this was the first time she had seen Iwan’s face so up close.
Does his face upgrade daily or what?
Even in this moment, Onyu couldn’t help but be distracted by Iwan’s face. It really did seem like he was becoming better looking by the day. With his bangs loosely draped over his forehead, his relaxed expression looked deeply sensual.
As Iwan leaned in a little closer, Onyu instinctively drew her shoulders back. His intense, subdued gaze fixated on her face, where only her eyelids fluttered slightly.
A heavy silence settled between the two standing face to face.
Why is he…?
Onyu’s mind was spinning in confusion. She couldn’t understand why Iwan had suddenly approached her like this. The suffocating tension became unbearable, and she ended up blurting out something random.
“D-Do you want a cucumber?”
Unfortunately, the moment she thrust the cucumber at him coincided perfectly with the moment Iwan turned around to shut off the running sink water.
“……”
“……”
Their eyes briefly met in an awkward, glancing encounter—Onyu still frozen midair with the cucumber extended, and Iwan tilting his head slightly after removing his hand from the faucet.
Onyu turned to ice. Why couldn’t I just stay still? Why did I have to say something so pointless…
Even more humiliating was the fact that she had misunderstood Iwan’s action and overreacted, thinking he was coming closer for a different reason. She hadn’t even realized the water was still running because she was so hyperaware of him.
And as if that wasn’t enough, Iwan delivered the final blow.
“That’s not a cucumber, it’s a carrot.”
What?!
Onyu quickly looked at what she was holding.
Oh, crap…
Groaning inwardly from the embarrassment, she squeezed her eyes shut. What she had in her hand was, indeed, not a cucumber but a carrot. In her flustered state, she must have grabbed it without looking.
Then came Iwan’s deep and smooth voice, gently reaching her ears.
“Could you cut me a little?”
“…Sorry?”
Onyu looked up at him in surprise. He pointed at the carrot in her hand and made a soft request with a faint smile.
“I like carrots. Could you cut it into bite-size pieces?”
“Ah…”
“If you’re busy, I can do it myself—”
“No! I’ll cut it.”
“Thanks.”
With a polite nod, Iwan leaned against the kitchen island, arms crossed. Onyu started slicing the carrot, occasionally glancing at him nervously. His gaze felt so intense, it made her uncomfortable.
“Sit down. I’ll bring it to you.”
“How can I sit and just wait when I’m the one asking the favor?”
Since Iwan showed no signs of moving, Onyu had no choice but to bring the sliced carrot to him.
“Thanks.”
Taking the long slice, Iwan popped it into his mouth.
Onyu watched him in awe.
Is this what they mean by someone being naturally elegant? Even eating a carrot, he looked sophisticated—like he was savoring an appetizer at a high-end restaurant.
“Could you slice me one more?”
“Yes.”
Still spellbound by Iwan, Onyu quickly cut another piece for him.
“Is the carrot really that good?”
“Taste-wise, not really.”
Iwan bit into the carrot with a crisp crunch, then added with a lazy smile—
“But it’s perfect for keeping you here longer.”
“…Huh?”
Confused by the cryptic reply, Onyu furrowed her brows. As she rolled her eyes in curiosity, a breeze swept through the open annex window.
“What do you mean by—”
Her question scattered into the sunlight as Iwan, holding the carrot in his mouth like a cigarette, gently tucked her hair behind her ear, which had been tousled by the wind.
“….”
Onyu froze, unable to move. She parted her lips in a silent gasp, stunned by the gesture.
Even after tucking her hair back, Iwan’s hand lingered by her ear. He softly traced her earlobe, then pressed it gently with the tip of his fingernail as if he were biting it with his teeth.
Hhk… A tingling shiver ran through her body, and Onyu shut her eyes.
She clenched her toes in an effort to ground herself. She had never experienced this kind of physical contact before. Even this light touch on her earlobe sent electric tingles through her legs and caused a faint twitch in more intimate places.
Tracing along her ear, Iwan’s fingers slowly slid down to the nape of her neck, savoring every inch. And then, he suddenly pulled away.
“Onyu! Sweetheart!”
At that very moment, the annex door burst open with Grandma Nam’s urgent call.
“Y-Yes, Grandma!”
Startled out of her skin, Onyu’s voice shot up an octave.
“What is it, Grandma?”
She quickly stepped away from Iwan and approached her grandmother, who stood at the door.
“Hurry and take out the dried yellow corvina from the freezer, and a few of those pine mushrooms we got as a New Year’s gift. Oh, and while you’re at it, bring out the bulgogi too.”
“Are we expecting guests?”
Onyu asked, puzzled by the sudden command to pull out all the luxury ingredients they had in the house.
“Yes, we are. A very special guest.”
Grandma Nam beamed from ear to ear as she revealed who it was.
“Junhee just called. He’s coming for lunch.”
The annex of Onyu’s house became crowded with people. Word that Junhee was coming had spread through the village in no time, and everyone began gathering at her house.
In the chaos of preparing lunch, Onyu and Grandma Nam barely had time to breathe. Thankfully, Aunt Jeongja and Nami, the village chief’s daughter-in-law, rolled up their sleeves to help.
“There’s not much, but eat plenty.”
“There’s so much food, Grandma.”
Junhee was stunned into silence by the feast that looked like it could collapse the table.
“You must have worked hard to prepare all this.”
He apologized for coming on such short notice, but Grandma Nam waved it off with a kind smile.
“No need for that. We’re just grateful you remembered us and came back to visit.”
“How could I forget? You always took such good care of me.”
Junhee replied with a warm smile, and Grandma Nam’s eyes softened even more. Onyu and the other villagers around the table felt their hearts swell.
While everyone else was smiling and chatting happily, only Iwan sat quietly, looking visibly annoyed.
She’s the teacher who cared for you so deeply. And yet you broke her precious daughter’s heart—not just once, but completely shattered it?
Iwan cursed Junhee in his mind as he glared at him. Judging by his behavior, he was probably planning to show up here regularly now.
Iwan’s eyes sharpened. His instincts were never wrong, and something about Kwon Junhee felt suspicious.
Why does he keep showing up in this village?
At first, he thought Junhee just had lingering feelings for Onyu. But now… he sensed there was another reason.
What could it be?
Unaware of Iwan’s sharp gaze, Junhee continued chatting and then handed something to Grandma Nam.
“Grandma, please accept this. It’s nothing special.”
“What’s all this?”
Grandma Nam’s eyes widened at the gift box Junhee handed her.
“Red ginseng and beef patties.”
“Oh my! You shouldn’t have. Next time, just come empty-handed.”
“No, no. This is the least I could do.”
The least, my ass.
Iwan scoffed inwardly at the “modest” gift and felt even more bitter about Grandma Nam’s reaction. I brought premium antler tonic and top-grade Korean beef… and she practically slammed the door in my face.
Given the circumstances back then, her reaction was understandable—but Iwan wasn’t thinking rationally anymore. His pride was bruised.
It didn’t help that Onyu looked genuinely touched by Junhee’s gift. After avoiding Iwan for days, she was now laughing and chatting comfortably with Junhee.
Not wanting to make things awkward, Iwan hadn’t brought up that day. Even though he knew she was avoiding him, he pretended not to notice and acted normal around her.
Earlier, when they had met in the annex, he could tell how uncomfortable she was around him. But for some reason, she had stared at him so intently while he ate the carrot.
To hold her gaze just a little longer, Iwan had kept chewing the bland carrot.
And yet, oblivious to his effort, Onyu kept exchanging unfunny jokes with Junhee and laughing brightly.
The only consolation was that Iwan managed to secure the seat next to Onyu. Junhee was sitting across from her.
Just as Iwan was silently scoffing at how ridiculous it was to feel relieved over such a trivial thing, Choi Jang-su, who had been drinking soju with spicy soybean stew, suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, right. Prosecutor Kwon, thanks. The streetlight was fixed immediately thanks to you. As expected, being the mayor’s nephew really does make a difference.”
