The Season I Loved You Without You - Chapter 32

CHAPTER 32

Ga-eul was absentmindedly spreading books on the table.

‘I shouldn’t have called the boss over the weekend. No, I shouldn’t have said those things in the car.’

On the way back from the hospital after seeing his mother, he couldn’t resist and called her. He listened to the beeping sound and thought for a while about what to say. Despite the difficulty of making the call, the boss didn’t make much of a fuss and said she’d figure it out knowing it was him.

Just because he wanted to see her. Just because he wanted to be there with her.

Ga-eul heard a man’s laughter but decided not to dwell on it. He changed the outfit he wore to the hospital and styled himself in a way the boss would like. Even though it felt awkward, he didn’t overdo it. He had to keep his composure so as not to get too excited about visiting the boss.

When Ga-eul arrived at the club and opened the door, Se-jung and a man he hadn’t seen before were there. Seeing Se-jung and the boss so close together raised questions like ‘Why? Why were the two of them together by chance?’ Unasked questions surfaced.

The man he hadn’t seen before left with the person lying down, and Hyun-joo coach came in. He said they played tennis. He looked at the boss and Se-jung sitting across from him. It was annoying to see Se-jung’s eyes darting towards the boss. His nervousness wasn’t any different from his. Ga-eul closed his eyes tightly and then opened them.

It was quite impulsive. Just because he wanted to be with the boss longer, just because he liked her touch. He wanted to be someone special to the boss, even if it wasn’t his heart she held.

‘What I told you last time, it’s not just a one-time thing. It’s possible anytime.’

A bewildered expression. The assurance that such incidents wouldn’t happen anymore. Maybe it was natural, but Ga-eul was being greedy. He clung desperately like a child throwing a tantrum. He knew he looked pathetic. But words and actions were out of control.

Perhaps because they lived in a different world, there might be different rules. No matter what he did, it seemed impossible to reach the boss, so he wanted to become someone she cared about, even If he wasn’t the person she had in her heart.

He was okay, but the boss said to value himself. She even said that he wasn’t originally that kind of person. What’s the use of that? Originally, he wouldn’t even be someone she’d look at.

‘Ga-eul, why are you going this far? Do you like me?’

Yes. He likes her a lot. He knew it was not right, but couldn’t she just get to know him a little? He wanted to scream that out loud.

Seeing the boss’ contorted expression, it felt like Ga-eul’s heart was dropping down and rolling around on icy ground. With a heart that shouldn’t be held, she pushed him away.

He should have made a cultivated expression when he looked at the boss, but he couldn’t do it. He felt impatient. He just wanted to run towards whatever unresolved feelings he still had.

Feeling burdened and ominous. On the contrary, wouldn’t it be too uncomfortable to think otherwise?

“Brother, is this how you solve it?”

Sighing deeply, Ga-eul taught Eun-jae, who had come home early from school. Eun-jae glanced around before looking back at the problem.

“Oh, but it’s better to solve this problem like this.”

Ga-eul neatly solved the problem while moving the pencil. Several mathematical equations were neatly organized. Eun-jae nodded while looking at Ga-eul.

‘Does Ga-eul have someone he’s meeting?’

Anna had asked the day she went to the hospital. Eun-jae jumped, saying there wasn’t anything like that. She asserted that he couldn’t make time separately because he was busy working every day.

Eun-jae knew that Anna had liked Ga-eul for quite some time. Even though her sister didn’t say it, and even though she didn’t understand emotions well, it was obvious even to her, so the conversation flowed naturally.

There wasn’t much she could do to help her sister, but she tried to tell her everything she could. But seeing her brother today made her feel like she was filled with things she didn’t know.

She was hesitant to ask directly. She wasn’t good at personal conversations, and especially not about Ga-eul’s love life. She wondered what it could be, knowing that Ga-eul was too busy with work to have any spare time.

Perhaps what looked difficult now was because of financial issues. Maybe working at a convenience store on weekends would be a bit of relief. Ga-eul’s face was filled with worries, not just heavy with emotions.

During a break, Eun-jae browsed the internet. There was a lot of buzz about what happened earlier today.

“Han Go-yeo? The name is unique. She’s the daughter of the Wushin Group. Oh, she looks totally like a celebrity.”

Ga-eul, who was sitting across from her, looked surprised at Eun-jae.

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

Eun-jae showed Ga-eul her phone. There was a paparazzi photo of Han Go-yeo.

“MMK’s heir is about to be engaged. So his ex-wife is also being talked about by people.”

Ga-eul took the phone from Eun-jae and checked the article. Seeing Ga-eul seriously reading the article, Eun-jae wondered why he was like that.

They were people of no significance. They said that just what the woman was wearing in the article photo was worth more than a million. Such people were not just enviable but also fascinating. It must be the world they live in.

Ga-eul couldn’t continue Eun-jae’s tutorial. He kept getting distracted and postponed it for later. He came into his room and looked at the canned coffee he still hadn’t drunk.

“…I wonder if the boss saw it too?”

Will she be having a hard time today too? Ga-eul held his phone and fiddled with it. A long sigh escaped him. If only he could be by her side. He knew this was a big wish. If only he hadn’t given in to absurd desires back then, he might have dared to make a call. But it was too hard to stay like this, so he just went outside blindly. 

* * *

Today, Go-yeo was with Ji-yeon all day long. As soon as the article came out in the morning, Ji-yeon came to Go-yeo’s villa. She woke up Go-yeo, bathed her, dressed her, and took her out. The excuse was shopping for the trousseau. Go-yeo followed Ji-yeon without much enthusiasm.

In a small home appliance store, Go-yeo, who was reluctant to walk around even there, was handed a catalog by Ji-yeon, who asked.

“Do you think this refrigerator is good, or is this one better?”

Go-yeo, who was absentmindedly looking at the appliances in the catalog, didn’t notice much of a difference.

“The expensive.”

Ji-yeon, happy that Go-yeo was paying for the appliance she had picked out, smiled. While Ji-yeon was talking to the employee who was waiting next to her, Go-yeo watched the news on the large TV. The same screen was displayed on various TVs of different sizes and types. Go-yeo looked at Moon Ji-hyuk and Jo Yoon-young with indifferent eyes.

It detailed Moon Ji-hyuk’s academic background, MMK ownership stake, Yun Seung-ok’s assets, Jo Hee-chang’s political career, Jo Yoon-young’s law firm, and information about his ex-wife Han Go-yeo. 

Although Ji-hyuk had already told her some of this, Sang-moon had also contacted her in advance. He asked if she would be going abroad for a while. She knew it was just a concern that it would get noisy for a while. But Go-yeo didn’t feel the need to go that far.

‘Come to think of it, did he go to the hospital?’

Ji-yeon froze as she looked at the same screen as Go-yeo. Ji-yeon’s face was filled with guilt as she watched Moon Ji-hyuk’s face as if it were plastered randomly on the wall. She looked at Go-yeo to see if she was okay, but she was staring blankly at the screen. Judging from her expression, she already knew.

“You knew?”

She shrugged as if it were obvious. Go-yeo, thinking that Ji-yeon’s efforts were commendable, readily followed her meaning today. Ji-yeon sat down heavily on the opposite chair, feeling a mixture of disappointment and relief.

“You should have told me in advance.”

Even under Ji-yeon’s stern gaze, Go-yeo chuckled lightly.

“It’s cute how you’re worrying.”

“You seem okay than I thought?”

“Is there anything that wouldn’t be okay?”

Ji-yeon felt even more uneasy at Go-yeo’s nonchalant tone. Thinking back to the time when Moon Ji-hyuk came to the boutique and saw Go-yeo sitting alone in the darkened office, looking empty-eyed, Ji-yeon couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong now.

“Let’s stop here and go buy some clothes for you.”

Ji-yeon said, thinking of what Go-yeo liked.

“Why bother? I’m fine.”

“Next time then. Let’s go cheer up.”

“I’m feeling good enough right now.”

Ji-yeon was moved by Go-yeo’s response.

“Yeah, spending money is coolest when it comes to heirs.”

“So, hurry up and choose. There’s another place I want to visit.”

After that, Go-yeo continued her imperial shopping by choosing something more expensive than the home appliance she had already looked at. Ji-yeon resolved to work harder at the boutique from now on.

Then they visited a foreign car dealership nearby. Ji-yeon sat opposite Go-yeo, sipping her tea and admiring the sparkling cars in the showroom.

Go-yeo listened to the employee’s explanation with indifferent eyes.

“How about this one?”

Go-yeo pointed to a car in the catalog and asked. It was the car that her prospective groom, Hae-joon, had wanted. They could afford it with their salaries, but buying a small house in Seoul had been a significant financial burden, so they had hoped for another day.

“It’s said that the ride comfort is not great because it’s an SUV.”

Ji-yeon nodded in agreement with Go-yeo’s words.

“Really? Is that so?”

“Then it’s not good?”

Ji-yeon looked at her as if asking what she meant. It was only now that Go-yeo realized that Ji-yeon didn’t understand the situation.

“I’m telling you to choose a car.”

“What?!”

Ji-yeon yelled back without a hint of embarrassment. Go-yeo frowned at Ji-yeon’s unfiltered reaction. Ji-yeon waved her hand, saying this wasn’t it. She tried to dissuade her by saying she had already received many gifts but to no avail.

Go-yeo felt like something was off. Losing herself over today’s events was one thing, but being fixated on money was another.

“You’re one of the few people I have. So, choose comfortably.”

Even said things she usually didn’t. If she refused this, the next one would be frightening. Despite Ji-yeon’s vehement refusal, Go-yeo proceeded with the deal swiftly with the dealer. Eventually, they bought the car Hae-joon wanted with full options. While she reluctantly accepted Go-yeo’s coercion, even if she asked her to bury herself in the boutique, this was too much.

After finishing the fierce shopping, they went into a small bar near the boutique they often visited and ordered cocktails. Ji-yeon had already finished one glass of Kahlua Milk and ordered another.

“What flavor are you drinking that for?”

“It’s sweet.”

Although she had seen it since their days in Parsons, Ji-yeon always liked sweet things. Seeing Ji-yeon’s still displeased expression despite the sudden large gifts, Go-yeo chuckled and said.

“Don’t feel burdened. It’s worth receiving.”

“Yeah. Although I like free stuff, this is a bit…”

“I think expressing gratitude with money is better. It’s better than saying ‘thank you’ and ‘please’ verbally.”

Go-yeo smiled and took a sip of her mojito. The scent of lime and spearmint lingered at the tip of her nose.

“And it’s nice to be able to celebrate so many marriages.”

Seeing Go-yeo’s lonely face, Ji-yeon turned her head as if she hadn’t seen it.