Chapter 30
“Ah…”
Seon-yi remembered briefly pressing the call button earlier. Sitting down, Eun-woo shook the water from his damp hair and looked at the table.
“What’s this? No snacks? Hold on.”
Eun-woo stood up again and went back inside the convenience store.
A moment later, he came out holding both arms full of side dishes.
“I’ll cover the snacks.”
He sat down, opened a can of beer, and took a deep gulp.
“Ahh, that’s good.”
Smiling, Eun-woo opened another can and handed it to Seon-yi.
Thanks to his warm smile, a faint smile naturally spread across her face as well.
“By the way, Rabong is doing fine at the hospital. Once the rain stops, let’s go pick him up together.”
Seon-yi nodded at his gentle words.
“Did your meeting with the company go well?”
“…No. Not really.”
“Really? Wow… they don’t know talent when they see it.”
Eun-woo looked genuinely baffled.
“Seems like they already had another company lined up. I don’t know the details.”
Seon-yi left out Gyeon-hee’s involvement and glossed over the matter.
“They’ll definitely regret it later. I can promise you that.”
Eun-woo reacted as if it were his own problem.
“Thanks… for comforting me.”
“It’s not comfort. I’m telling the truth. Your art was really good.”
His exaggeratedly pouting face made Seon-yi burst into laughter.
“Thank you… for cheering me on too.”
Eun-woo paused for a moment, just looking at her.
“Did you know? When you’re in a good mood, you blink a lot more.”
He leaned on the table with his chin in his hand, eyes fixed on her.
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
Surprised, Seon-yi looked into the window’s reflection, checking her face.
“Like this? Blinking more?”
She fluttered her eyes at him, and when Eun-woo nodded silently, she turned back to the glass to confirm her expression.
“People are always the last to know themselves—how much they blink, or how charming they are.”
Eun-woo said softly, watching her reflection.
“Hm? What did you say?”
Not hearing properly, Seon-yi asked again.
“Nothing.”
He shook his head with a smile. Just then, the heavy rain outside slowed and soon stopped altogether.
“The rain’s stopped.”
“Then shall we go get Rabong?”
Eun-woo stood up, smiling.
“Yes.”
As she put her foot down, Seon-yi frowned briefly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, nothing. Really. Let’s go.”
She forced a smile and began walking. Each step sent a twinge through her ankle, but she endured it without showing a trace.
From the backseat of a car, Gyeon-hee watched as Seon-yi and Eun-woo passed by.
When they were out of sight, he rolled down the window to keep watching.
“What? Didn’t you say Ms. Seon-yi injured her ankle?”
Secretary Kwon, sitting in the driver’s seat, asked while glancing at her.
“…She did.”
Gyeon-hee could still feel the pain in his own ankle; he was certain of it.
“Really? She looked fine to me. Well… maybe she was limping a little?”
Kwon even craned his neck to look closer, but finally tilted his head uncertainly.
Seon-yi’s face was full of laughter. Looking at her, no one could guess the pain she was hiding.
“So… she’s just enduring it right now?”
“…That’s what I don’t get. How can she stand it?”
Watching her shrinking figure in the distance, Gyeon-hee muttered to himself.
Despite the throbbing ankle, she walked as if nothing was wrong. The sight stirred countless thoughts in him.
After a pause, Secretary Kwon carefully spoke up.
“Honestly… if I may… there’s no one like Ms. Seon-yi.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Do you remember when you had that car accident?”
At his words, the memory of slamming into the guardrail flashed back.
“That day—it wasn’t just you. She was a wreck too. Her palms were shredded pulling you out of the wrecked car. Her arms were covered in cuts. And even then, all she could see was you.”
Hearing this for the first time, Gyeon-hee furrowed his brow.
“And later I found out—she wasn’t even supposed to donate blood at the time. It had only been a short while since her last donation. But that day, she still gave. After the transfusion, she even collapsed.”
Kwon sighed, remembering the pitiful scene.
“…That was that day?”
Gyeon-hee couldn’t believe it.
“Yes. That day.”
“Her organs were battered, her spine felt like it would snap… and she still donated blood? That’s insane.”
His brow knitted tighter. Even when barely able to stand, she had endured everything to save him.
Finally understanding the weight of his secretary’s words, Gyeon-hee clenched his jaw.
“That’s what makes love so incredible. It makes the impossible… possible. She endured it all.”
Kwon sighed again.
“Why are you telling me this now?”
“Well… you were raging just because she changed her phone number. How could I say it then? Even now, you’re like this.”
Cautiously, he had finally said everything. Normally, Gyeon-hee would have exploded in anger—but today, the backseat was silent.
Kwon checked the rearview mirror.
“This doesn’t make sense…”
Gyeon-hee bit his lower lip, staring after Seon-yi’s retreating back.
On the ride home, Gyeon-hee stared out at the dark Han River, recalling memories from a few days before the accident.
Just before the quarterly results were announced—
‘Our operating profit dropped a lot… the shareholders won’t stay quiet.’
Reading his secretary’s text, he had let out a long sigh. Despite all his efforts, greedy shareholders could undo it all in an instant. Closing his eyes, he clenched his jaw to suppress the boiling rage.
“Are you okay? Do you feel unwell?”
A gentle, cautious voice asked. Opening his eyes, he found Cheon Seon looking at him with concern.
The woman who always looked only at him.
The woman who once pretended she’d die if he asked.
Maybe she was the only one in this world who would never leave him.
“…Should we get married?”
The words had spilled out of his mouth before he realized it.
Surprised, her eyes widened. But after a fleeting moment of joy, the spark faded, and her gaze grew calm again.
“Do whatever you want, Gyeon-hee. I’ll be fine either way.”
“…”
Her response displeased him.
He had finally spoken, with rare resolve, but her reaction was lukewarm.
The anger he had felt toward his mother suddenly redirected at her.
“Ha…”
Sighing heavily, he recalled that moment. She had always longed for marriage, yet her response was so indifferent.
“I gave her everything I could…”
Since he believed he had done his best, all the blame naturally shifted to her.
Even now he couldn’t fully understand it, but his secretary’s words weighed on him.
“She wasn’t even supposed to donate blood… it had only been a short while since her last. But she did anyway. Afterward, she even collapsed.”
He hadn’t realized that the day they broke up… was that day for Cheon Seon. Which made it even harder to believe.
That on such a day… she could still do that.
The unresolved unease pressed heavier on his chest.
Finally, after much hesitation, Gyeon-hee firmly closed his lips and pulled out his phone.
Because of her aching ankle, Seon-yi sat on the sofa waiting for Rabong.
“Rabong, your mom’s here.”
Eun-woo carefully lifted the pup and handed him to her.
“Did you have fun?”
Seon-yi stroked Rabong happily.
The little dog panted with his tongue out, gazing at her with adoration.
“Hold on, I’ll pack some food and pads for you.”
Eun-woo moved to the storage room, wanting to give her more.
“Is your leg okay?”
Alone now, Seon-yi smiled, examining Rabong’s paw.
Excited, Rabong bounced around on the sofa, showing off his cuteness.
Clatter, crash.
Suddenly, something fell in the storage room. Startled, Seon-yi stretched her neck to peek that way.
“I—I’m fine! Don’t worry!”
Eun-woo’s voice called out, making her chuckle.
“He’s funny, isn’t he?”
She spoke to Rabong.
“Where did I put this…? Just a moment.”
His voice drifted again from the back. Hugging Rabong, Seon-yi leaned back comfortably.
“Haa…”
With her puppy warm in her arms, the alcohol in her system kicked in. After a long day of tension, exhaustion washed over her. Drowsiness crept in, and in the cozy warmth of the room, she soon dozed off.
“Found it… here—”
Eun-woo returned, dusty, only to find her asleep.
“Seon-yi?”
He called softly, but she didn’t stir.
“Whimper…”
Rabong whined anxiously.
“Shh.”
He pressed a finger to his lips, and the pup quieted.
“She must’ve been so tired. Let’s let her rest.”
As if understanding, Rabong lay down and watched her quietly.
Eun-woo lowered the blinds, dimmed the lights, and softened the room. Seon-yi drifted into even deeper sleep.
Sitting on the floor, Eun-woo leveled his eyes with hers.
“Pretty when you blink, pretty when you sleep.”
Smiling, he gazed at her lovingly.
Bzzz.
Just then, her phone vibrated.
“Mmm…”
Seon-yi shifted, but didn’t wake.
When the vibration persisted, Eun-woo finally picked it up. The number wasn’t saved.
Moments later, the same number called again, clearly intending not to stop until answered.
With no choice, he answered on her behalf.
“Seon-yi’s phone.”
But on the other end, there was only silence.
In the car, heading home, Gyeon-hee sat in the backseat, gripping his phone with a hardened expression.
— Hello?
A male voice, not Seon-yi’s, came through. Gyeon-hee’s brows furrowed.
— This is Seon-yi’s phone. Please speak.
Hearing it again, he realized it was Eun-woo’s voice.
“…Why are you answering Cheon Seon’s phone?”
His voice dropped low.
— This feels familiar somehow.
Eun-woo seemed to recognize him too, speaking calmly.
“Put Seon on.”
— She can’t come to the phone right now.
“What do you mean, she can’t?”
— Because… she’s sleeping.
Eun-woo’s pause and then his words landed like a blow.
“…What did you just say?”
Gyeon-hee’s face hardened even more.
