Chapter 35. I Mustn’t Weaken
In front of a café along the Bukhan River road.
Seon-i sat alone in the car, eyes closed, lost in thought.
“Phew.”
Maybe it was the long-lost feeling of relief, but she exhaled a slow, deep breath that reached down to her stomach.
A moment later, the car door opened and Eun-woo climbed in. He handed her a warm cup of coffee.
“Now that I think about it, you just got over a cold. Sorry.”
As he spoke, he turned on the heated seat and the heater.
“It’s fine. Thanks to you, I feel completely refreshed.”
“Right?”
Seeing his playful smile, Seon-i burst out laughing. Buckling his seatbelt, Eun-woo reached into the backseat, grabbed a knee blanket, and offered it to her.
“I’m fine.”
“I’m not fine. You’ll blame me if you catch another cold.”
“I won’t blame you.”
“Do it. Blame me a little.”
“What?”
“Sometimes, it’s okay to blame someone else.”
Eun-woo unfolded the blanket himself and gently draped it over her shoulders. Seon-i looked up at him, startled.
His face was close now, and a cool, fresh scent from him seemed to sweep over her.
She pressed her back against the seat, tense, but he just adjusted the blanket with a satisfied smile, as if nothing was unusual.
Maybe it was the heater—her face felt warm.
Seon-i glanced into the mirror to check herself. Her hair, tousled by the wind, was a tangled mess.
“When did this happen?”
Startled, she hurried to fix it. She had been so distracted that she hadn’t noticed.
“Since a while ago. Probably since we got on Olympic Highway.”
So, she’d been like this the whole time.
“You could’ve told me.”
She pouted as she combed through her hair, while Eun-woo just smiled and started the car.
“…By the way, this car is huge. How many seats does it have?”
Only then did she take a look around.
“It’s a seven-seater van.”
“A seven-seater? Do you have a big family?”
He shook his head slowly.
“My parents live in the U.S. I’m the only one in Korea.”
“Then why such a big car?”
“Hmm. It’s been a dream of mine since I was young.”
He paused for a moment, then spoke again.
“I wanted to fill a big car like this with people—drive together to the river, the mountains, wherever. Maybe it’s because I’m an only child.”
“Ah…”
Looking at him, Seon-i was suddenly reminded of Gyeon-hee.
His sports car that only seated two—no space for anyone else.
While dating him, she had never once shared a meal with colleagues or friends.
“You must like people,” she said softly.
“…Yeah.”
He replied with a faint, bitter smile.
Seeing his expression, Seon-i remembered what he had told her before:
“Everyone left. They blamed me. That’s why I started walking—to empty myself of everything.”
Her heart ached as she looked at him.
He loves people so much… it must’ve been hard for him.
Behind his bright smile, she sensed a pain he didn’t show.
“Let’s all go on a trip sometime—Yoon-young, Ah-ri, you, me.”
Seon-i nodded at his suggestion.
“They’re the type who never say no to fun. They’ll love it.”
Eun-woo smiled warmly and nodded.
Seon-i turned her head toward the window, watching his reflection in the glass. The hidden sorrow behind his gentle smile lingered in her mind.
…It must be hard for him too.
Everyone lived fighting their own pain. Eun-woo was no exception.
As she looked at him with sympathy, Gyeon-hee’s face suddenly came to mind.
What kind of pain did he carry?
Lost in thought, she shifted her gaze outside, as if trying to erase him from her mind.
*
At the pet fair, Gyeon-hee frowned at the massive venue.
The exhibition hall, over 6,000 square meters, was packed with more than 400 booths and thousands of visitors.
“How are we supposed to find Seon-i in all this?”
“Ha…”
At his secretary Kwon’s question, Gyeon-hee only sighed.
“Let’s just call her.”
“Call her?”
“For the orphanage project. The briefing’s tomorrow, right? Let’s move it up to today. Knowing her, she’ll come in person if she’s the one in charge.”
“Why are you bringing that up now?”
“Well… you looked so desperate, haha.”
Secretary Kwon fumbled with his words, clearly hiding something. Gyeon-hee noticed, but he was too distracted to care.
“Fine. Call her now.”
“Got it.”
Once Gyeon-hee gave the go-ahead, Kwon turned away to call KidsFan headquarters.
A moment later, he came back smiling.
“It’s done.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
“W-wait, Gyeon-hee.”
As Gyeon-hee turned to leave, Kwon stopped him.
“What?”
“Well… you know how Sera has a cat? I wanted to buy her a cat tower. They’re expensive, but since we’re here, maybe I can look around?”
He asked carefully, watching Gyeon-hee’s expression.
“So that’s why you brought it up so late.”
“N-no, I just… might as well, right? Haha.”
Caught off guard, Kwon gave an awkward laugh.
“…Fine. Hurry up.”
After a brief glare, Gyeon-hee waved him off. Delighted, Kwon darted over to the cat section to browse.
Spotting a five-level wooden cat tower, he started talking to a staff member, his face lighting up at the surprisingly affordable price.
“Seriously. How can he look that happy spending his own money?”
Gyeon-hee shook his head in disbelief.
“Alright, let’s go. They’ll deliver it.”
Kwon turned around with a big smile—but then froze.
He’d spotted a familiar face.
Heavy makeup, bright red lips, and a low-cut top.
“S-Sera?”
He stared blankly.
Following his gaze, Gyeon-hee also saw her—the same Sera he’d only seen in photos.
But she wasn’t alone. A rough-looking man stood next to her, her arm linked with his. They looked unmistakably like a couple.
Kwon, stunned, staggered toward her.
“S-Sera… what is this?”
He could barely speak.
“Oh—Oppa?”
She looked slightly surprised, but quickly composed herself.
“What are you doing here?”
“I… I came to buy you a gift.”
Still dazed, he glanced between her and the man.
“Who’s he?”
The man frowned and asked coldly, “Who’s this?”
“…Just someone I know,” Sera said smoothly.
Kwon’s eyes widened.
“S-someone you know? Sera…”
“I’ll call you later, okay?”
With a practiced smile, she pulled the man’s arm and disappeared into the crowd.
“Sera! Sera!”
Kwon tried to follow, but a large group of visitors suddenly swept between them, blocking his path. By the time he broke through, she was gone.
Hands trembling, he pulled out his phone to call her—only to hear that her phone was off.
“Ha…”
His legs gave out, and he sank to the floor.
“How… how could this happen…”
He stared blankly, unable to accept the reality before him.
“Let’s go,” Gyeon-hee said flatly. “They’ve clearly been seeing each other for a while.”
He tried to pull Kwon up, but the man didn’t move.
“Staying here won’t change anything. Let’s go.”
Kwon suddenly stood, glaring at him.
“I just caught the woman I wanted to marry cheating on me. Don’t you think I deserve a little comfort?”
Gyeon-hee sighed, exasperated.
“Honestly, Sera’s not even that pretty. You can do better. There—happy?”
“That’s your idea of comfort?”
Kwon’s eyes were filled with resentment.
“Fine then. It’s for the best. If you’d married her, it would’ve been worse. Now let’s go.”
He tugged at Kwon’s arm, but Kwon jerked it away, meeting his gaze coldly.
“You really only care about yourself. Now I get exactly why Seon-i said what she did.”
“What does she have to do with this? And why are you mad at me? Did I tell Sera to cheat on you?”
Gyeon-hee snapped back.
Kwon stared for a long moment, then said quietly,
“You need to hurt more. Only then will you understand how much people hurt.”
He turned sharply and walked away, leaving the hall.
“Hey! Kwon! Stop right there! You’re fired if you leave!”
Gyeon-hee yelled after him, but Kwon didn’t stop.
“Ugh! Why’s everyone taking it out on me!?”
He shouted in frustration, but no one cared to answer.
*
“What’s this?”
Seon-i stared up at a towering structure taller than a person.
“It’s a cat tower—for cats that like to climb.”
“Ah…”
She nodded, listening carefully to Eun-woo’s detailed explanation.
They’d been walking around for hours, yet he still cheerfully explained everything, never showing a hint of fatigue.
Thanks to him, she’d learned a lot—she could now even tell the difference between dog and cat products.
“Rabon’s going to be so happy tonight.”
Eun-woo smiled at the shopping bags in her hand—stuffed with snacks and toys.
“Oh wow, when did I buy all this?”
She laughed cutely, sticking her tongue out.
Just then, her phone rang. It was Ah-ri.
“Yeah? What’s up?”
— “Sorry to bother you while you’re out.”
“What’s wrong?”
— “It’s the orphanage campaign.”
“That’s tomorrow.”
— “They want to do it now.”
“What? Why suddenly?”
— “No idea. The CEO said he’d announce it today. I figured you should know.”
Seon-i’s expression stiffened. She was the campaign lead, but knowing Director Eun-young, she’d never have called her while she was on leave.
“…Okay. Got it.”
After hanging up, Seon-i sighed deeply.
She didn’t want her colleagues at KidsFan to suffer because of her, but her heart felt heavy.
“I’m sorry. Something urgent came up—I should go.”
Eun-woo nodded understandingly.
“No need to apologize. I had fun, thanks to you.”
“…Me too. Thank you.”
She smiled sincerely.
“Come on, I’ll drive you.”
“No, the subway’s faster from here. The traffic’s bad.”
“Then at least give me your bags. I’ll drop them at the hospital.”
He pointed at the bags in her hand.
“Oh, that’s fine—”
“Go on. You’ll be late.”
“…Thank you. See you later.”
Handing him the bags, Seon-i turned and ran off.
Watching her go, Eun-woo looked down at the shopping bags.
They were far too heavy for her delicate frame.
“…You could’ve said something.”
He sighed softly, eyes full of concern.
*
“I’m back.”
Panting, Seon-i stepped into the office.
“What? Why are you here? Ah-ri, you called her, didn’t you?”
Eun-young immediately guessed the situation.
“Of course I did. She’s the one in charge.”
Eun-young shot her a glare.
“Well, she’s right. I’m the lead. Give me the briefing file.”
Seon-i reached out, and Ah-ri handed it over.
“Huh? What’s this?”
Seon-i looked at the paper bag on her desk.
“CEO Woo dropped it off.”
“Gyeon-hee?”
She peeked inside—bags full of chocolates.
“Why would he…”
He’d never even given her anything on White Day.
“Maybe he bought them for you.”
Ah-ri smiled mischievously.
“For me? Why suddenly?”
“How should I know? Maybe it’s because it’s your special day?”
“…He wouldn’t know that.”
Seon-i tilted her head, puzzled.
“When did he drop this off?”
“Hmm, before noon?”
That was before their argument. He must’ve left it, then seen her at the restaurant afterward.
Why would he…
His actions made no sense to her. She thought for a moment, then shook her head hard.
I can’t weaken… I have to stay strong.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied her heart.
A moment later, she opened her eyes and looked at Eun-young.
“…So, we’re ready to go now?”
When Eun-young nodded, Seon-i stepped out of the office.
Her stride was firmer than usual—each step carrying the weight of her resolve.
