The Season I Loved You Without You - Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

To stir up the declining influence, the older brother devised a plan to arrange a strategic marriage between his younger sister and the son of a powerful household. However, the younger sister already had feelings for another man, who happened to be the son of a long-standing rival family. Lucia di Lammermoor was a story akin to Romeo and Juliet.?

As the sister, clad in blood-stained nightwear, appeared, she began calling out as if crying for help. The soprano’s high notes were piercing and carried a strong, acrid scent of blood. By the climax, Lucia’s aria of madness was chilling enough to freeze one’s heart.

As Part 1 concluded, the curtain fell. The performance lasted for 80 minutes, totaling 3 hours with the intermission.

“It’s my first time watching opera, but it’s quite enjoyable.”

Tae-shin whispered to Go-yeo’s ear.

“It’s not my first, but it’s my mother’s taste.” 

Go-yeo murmured back to Tae-shin. Then, excusing herself, she rose and headed to the restroom. The restroom was crowded, so she stood with crossed arms at a distance. When the crowd thinned out, she went in and washed her hands. The fleeting glances were familiar, but being stared at so openly made her lift her head.

Her eyes met those of the person reflected in the mirror, who seemed taken aback and turned their head, only to look back again. Wiping her hands with a handkerchief, she passed by the teenage girl.

After Part 2, they naturally ended up having dinner with Mr. Park’s family. They went to get in the car when Yeong-ran suddenly called Tae-shin.

“Tae-shin, come with us. Okay?”

Coincidentally, Mrs. Park was seen coaxing Tae-shin as well. So, she played along. As she got into Tae-shin’s car, she nodded her head.

What’s with this strange discomfort today? Oh, really. Mother, you’re so cute. Go-yeo murmured as she looked out the window.

“Do you know what’s going on?” 

“What?”

She looked at Tae-shin as if he didn’t know. Judging from his blank expression, it seemed he genuinely didn’t know.

‘It seems like a work crafted by Mother’s efforts. But we’ll find out once we’re at the dining table.’

She saw Ga-eul through the car window as it stopped at the signal. Today, she distributed two tickets to each employee personally.

‘Four for you.’

Ga-eul accepted them gladly, saying he was thankful.

‘And you?’

‘I have to go too.’

Beside Ga-eul, there was that girl from earlier at the restroom, smiling at Ga-eul, and another girl of the same age. And there was one man too. It almost looked like a double date.

“When I see young people, I feel like I’m getting too old.”

Tae-shin chuckled incredulously.

“Hey, don’t say that anywhere else. All I hear is bad luck.”

“I’m unlucky in one way or another.”

“That’s true.”

When they arrived at the nearby hotel restaurant, the designated meeting place, Go-yeo was certain. There were only Tae-shin and herself, and their parents were elsewhere. When she called the manager, they were informed that the reservation was originally for two people.

Now, Tae-shin finally understood everything and chuckled in disappointment. Was he naive or just foolish? She decided it was better to part ways than to have wine and dinner in a secluded place with him. But if they left without having dinner, it might be better to say something to prepare for the next encounter.

“Let’s just have tea and leave.”

Tae-shin agreed, and they sat by the window instead of the reserved private room. They ordered an Einspänner, which they hadn’t had since their time in France.

“Is this what you were talking about earlier?”

Go-yeo nodded in response to Tae-shin’s question and took a sip of warm water.

“You’re slow.”

Tae-shin chuckled at Go-yeo’s teasing remark and looked out the window.

Although his parents were very nice people, it was Park Tae-shin she couldn’t handle. It would have been better if he were a stranger from the beginning. She had known him since childhood, and it was a long shot to develop romantic feelings. Of course, affection wasn’t necessarily a crucial factor when making a marriage pact here, but…

Go-yeo absentmindedly looked out the window and took a bite of the whipped cream on the Einspänner.

“I’ll apologize for what Mother did. I’ll explain it to my family when I get home.”

Tae-shin waved his hand.

“No, it’s not entirely your mother’s fault. My family probably agreed to it too.”

Go-yeo observed Tae-shin’s expression. He looked disappointed and embarrassed as if he had some circumstances. He seemed frustrated and started speaking as if confessing.

“I have a woman in mind for marriage.”

Instead of answering, Go-yeo just nodded.

“We’ve even greeted both sets of parents.”

If he had gone to such lengths, why bother with this situation?

“But they didn’t like it. My parents and I haven’t been getting along well lately because of this issue. My father said it was a family event today and asked me to relax, so I thought he had relaxed a bit about it.”

“That’s unexpected. I thought Mr. and Mrs. Park wouldn’t be like that, even if others were.”

Tae-shin smiled tiredly at Go-yeo’s sarcastic response.

“Yeah. Immature and naive.”

Opposing a marriage, she had experienced it firsthand, and it was not an easy path at all. She’d rather not have gotten married. It was exhausting for everyone involved.

“Why are they opposed to it?”

She wasn’t particularly interested in others’ heavy concerns, but she felt like she should ask in this atmosphere.

“My girlfriend works in the same company, just in general office work. And she’s in a tough spot at home.”

Ah, so they think it’s better to marry a rich divorcee than someone like her. She couldn’t understand and let out a meaningless laugh.

“Advice means nothing in front of love, but to be frank, it’s not an easy path.”

Tae-shin nodded as if tired.

She’s not sure how she ended up giving relationship advice and hasn’t had much dating experience, to Park Tae-shin, but in the end, she learned that love isn’t easy for anyone.

Is there such a thing as easy love to begin with? Maybe if you could bring out that love. Since love isn’t visible, even the process of proving it isn’t smooth, and even when confirmed, it’s not the end.

Someone once said that love is buried beneath layers of forgetfulness and pain. Only those who have experienced love can understand this. They get lost in sweet love, forgetting the pain. But in reality, starting anew with that pain is all it is.

When the weight of love differs, it makes things difficult. Even though a man and a woman, who grew up in different environments for decades, met and saw the same thing, their thoughts were different. Even if they whisper love to each other, the depth might vary.

Even after constantly confirming through relationships, there was no end in sight. It was just a process of compromise, understanding, and learning to consider each other.

It might be the best choice to just date, or sadly break up, or even have a disagreement with his parents. But she didn’t say it aloud because all of those wouldn’t be answers he’d like.

“Think about it. Take good care of your girlfriend.”

If he keeps pushing, it will become a memory. It was just a formal way of talking. Still, it would be nice if he could show that he’s living well after getting married. If there were a reality like in the movies, it would be comforting.

Tae-shin said he was going to meet his girlfriend and got up. She refused the offer of a ride. She drank the sweet coffee with melted cream. The evening scenery and delicious coffee made her feel good.

‘I should tell Mother that I want to be alone for a while. I hope she won’t feel more distant from me by apologizing unnecessarily for today’s incident.’

Suddenly, she remembered something and chuckled with disappointment.

“I thought you said you didn’t have many friends.”

At that moment, someone smartly tapped the table and sat across from her.

“Are you bored? You’re good at talking to yourself.”

Go-yeo furrowed her brows and glanced around. People looked at her once in a while, but no one was staring directly at her. Kang Seung-hoo, who chuckled as if genuinely interested, looked as unlucky as his confident face.

“What’s it to you?”

She muttered as if disinterested, looking down. Kang Seung-hoo chuckled as if genuinely amused by her response. Ignoring his reaction, Go-yeo glanced around and asked casually.

“What about the manager?”

“Are you worried about me now?”

“Whatever.”

“I’m feeling good. Seeing you here. How about a glass of wine to celebrate?”

“I’ve been saying it since last time, but no thanks.”

He nodded and smiled as if her words were somehow good.

“Alright. I’ll have just one glass of house wine while you drink your coffee.” 

He chattered as if he truly enjoyed the unexpected encounter. Despite hearing excessive information about him, nothing substantial remained; it all flowed away. His expression seemed overly innocent compared to his attractive face. Was he pretending? That thought crossed her mind.

“Tell me honestly. Do you want to sleep with me? Or did someone put you up to this?” 

He blinked as if taken aback.

“Oh. There’s no innocence in me at all. I might have fallen for Go-yeo at first sight.”

Go-yeo widened her eyes exaggeratedly, teasingly saying, ‘Goodness. Kang Seung-hoo?’

“You don’t understand people’s hearts. Falling at first sight might be a bit far-fetched, but I’m indeed interested. How about meeting a few times? Us.”

Go-yeo completely ignored his words and looked at her wristwatch. 

“Oh no. I have to go home now. Sorry.”

Then she put a check on the table and got up. Even if his words weren’t one hundred percent false, it was hard not to notice the impure intentions.

Go-yeo knew that someone was deliberately creating her scandal. She might have suspected Yun Seung-ok’s involvement, but considering the engagement article involving Moon Ji-hyuk, was it necessary to go this far? However, Yun Seung-ok liked to be sure of things, so there was no doubt she would do such a messy thing.