The Season I Loved You Without You - Chapter 59

CHAPTER 59

Go-yeo had been absent from the boutique for several days, staying only at home. Ignoring all incoming calls, she eventually turned off her phone and blankly stared out the window.

White flowers bloomed on the cherry trees planted along the Han River. When the wind blew, the white petals fluttered down.

She put the ring received from Ji-hyuk into its case and stowed the engagement ring deep in a drawer. While the world was in full spring, it felt like autumn to Go-yeo. The wind blew, and the fallen leaves rolled on the ground, leaving an emptiness as vast as the lonely and high sky.

‘Either that guy dies or I die.’

The fear of whether Ji-hyuk’s words would truly kill Ga-eul made her shudder, and when she folded herself, she felt as if her entire body would stiffen with loathing. Ji-hyuk had now become such a presence to Go-yeo.

What was the meaning behind that ring Yoon Ga-eul gave? Why did she cry so bitterly?

It was meant to be a light distraction to forget about Moon Ji-hyuk, but because he always showed such sincere affection, and because Go-yeo liked the straightforward gaze he always gave, it ended up like this. That’s how it happened.

It was somewhat fortunate that she realized her own state, but in a fragmented way, that realization wasn’t entirely fortunate.

‘What am I supposed to do about him?’

Thinking about that fact might lead to a groan, so she bit her lip and sipped her coffee after having a simple meal prepared by her aunt.

“It’s almost your birthday, don’t you want anything special?”

Go-yeo thought, ‘Ah, the date has come around so quickly.’

“Well, I’m not sure what I want.”

“I’ll do anything for you, so just eat well. You have to eat well for blessings to come. If you nibble like a bird, the elders say blessings will fly away. Oh, are you going back to your hometown for your birthday? Should I make something for the day after?”

“I don’t know. I’ll check my schedule. Thanks for caring. Is the injury from last time okay now?”

“Yeah. Thanks to the medicine you bought, my bones healed quickly.”

Go-yeo smiled faintly at Sumi’s words as she drank her coffee.

“Oh right! Vice President Choi is pregnant!”

“Yeah.”

Go-yeo nodded.

Ji-yeon confirmed her pregnancy at the hospital right after that test. A sonogram with a black background was in her hand.

Go-yeo sincerely congratulated her while naturally continuing her thoughts. This was an inevitable flow. Even a tiny thing like what briefly resided in her belly would have received congratulations elsewhere. It vanished without hearing a single congratulatory word. It wasn’t regrettable now; it was just a bit sad and slightly regretful.

Marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. Now, it seemed like a story from a distant place. Or perhaps a story that didn’t exist. After erasing Moon Ji-hyuk from her life, the future she painted was one of solitude. So it wasn’t a decision she made, it was about emptying what she was filling, and she was in a state of not being able to fill it again.

The flow of thoughts naturally brought Yoon Ga-eul to mind, but Go-yeo decided to dismiss the nature of those emotions as mere fondness. It’s natural to have people you like in life. Thinking this way brought her comfort.

However, staying still only led to more thoughts. After a long time, she called her mother.

“Mom.”

– My goodness, Go-yeo! I was just thinking of contacting you, and here you are.

“Are you doing well?”

The cheerful voice of Yeong-ran made her smile even more.

– Yes, I’m doing well. And you? Are you eating properly? You haven’t lost any more weight, have you?

“Don’t worry about me. Where are you?”

– I’m at home. Oh! I’m about to go out. Want to come along? I’m going to a gallery.

After a brief moment of consideration, Go-yeo agreed. She didn’t want to be consumed by the fluctuating emotions and preferred not to waste time. After a long shower, she dressed up for the outing, opting for a light sky-blue silk dress with large floral patterns.

* * *

Together with Jin-young, she picked up Yeong-ran and headed to an art gallery in Gyeonggi Province. Yeong-ran mentioned that it was opened by one of the members of her group. While Go-yeo didn’t have much interest in discovering emerging artists, she reacted positively, thinking about Yeong-ran.

When she turned on her phone, she found several messages from Ga-eul. He was worried and anxious because he hadn’t heard from her in a long time, but she wasn’t sure how she should react.

The art gallery was peacefully located on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, with well-maintained landscaping due to its spacious grounds. When the fountain sprayed water, a faint rainbow appeared and disappeared. The vibrant azaleas were dazzling, almost painfully so.

The gray building, built as a two-story structure, resembled an artwork itself. It was predominantly made of curves, reminiscent of waves. Inside the gallery, the lighting was carefully designed to be bright without the need for harsh lighting, ensuring that the artwork wasn’t exposed to direct sunlight.

The oil paintings on the walls were by relatively unknown artists but seemed to hold considerable value. They hung side by side with Yeong-ran’s works. Go-yeo glanced briefly at Yeong-ran. When she saw her sparkling eyes like those of a young girl, a faint smile formed on her lips. She’s cute.

There was a painting of a man smoking a pipe against a dark brown background. The thickly layered oil strokes blurred the lines, and the man’s gaze wasn’t quite focused. It exuded a somber and melancholic atmosphere. As someone who had bought paintings for years, it wasn’t necessarily a great piece, but she found herself liking it as she looked at it.

A man looking melancholic and staring into space. For some reason, her gaze kept returning to it. Even when Yeong-ran went to see another painting, she remained standing there, just staring.

At that moment, a young woman approached, accompanied by a familiar person.

“Song Jin-yu?”

“Huh?”

Jin-yu and the woman next to her both looked at Go-yeo simultaneously. Go-yeo knew who this young woman was. Choi Ma-ri. She was Jin-yu’s sister-in-law.

Yeong-ran sat with the group, including Jin-yu’s mother, Director Shim Mun-young. Before that, Go-yeo had to go through the obligatory greetings with the ladies of the group. Some she had seen a few times, and some were boutique customers. To their eyes, Go-yeo wasn’t just Han Go-yeo but also the divorced woman from MMK, Wushin’s heir. It wasn’t surprising; that was the natural label.

Together with the two she had met earlier, Go-yeo headed to the café on the first floor of the gallery, located in a corner. They sat at outdoor terrace tables with parasols. Despite the sun beating down, Go-yeo didn’t feel the heat. She sipped on an iced Americano through a straw.

“What did your brother say earlier?”

“He probably nagged.”

It was a conversation filled with Jin-yu’s chatter and Ma-ri’s responses. Jin-yu still brought up her boyfriend, indicating things were going well. Since Ma-ri was the secretary to Song Tae-joo, Jin-yu’s brother, she was familiar with Director Lim Jae-ho, so the conversation flowed well. Go-yeo thought that the relationship between Jin-yu and her sister-in-law seemed particularly close, which wasn’t typical.

Ma-ri’s in-laws, the Song family, were known for their love for their daughter-in-law. Despite her unhappy childhood, she looked happy now, almost as if she were repaying that love.

Between Jin-yu, who had just begun her love, and Ma-ri, who was loved by her husband and in-laws, Go-yeo felt like a dull presence, clouding the water. She attributed this almost self-pitying thought to the melancholy painting. But because of Go-yeo’s casual smile, no one knew what she was thinking.

One thing she learned from the conversation was that Ma-ri also liked the dark and melancholic painting she had seen earlier. So she was pondering where to hang it. She felt a sense of camaraderie because of their similar tastes. What stuck with her was Ma-ri’s response to Jin-yu’s question about why she liked the painting.

“It feels like that man is crying from loss.”

Unconsciously, Go-yeo nodded. He was crying. Even though it wasn’t particularly a good painting, she kept being drawn to it because of the dissonance of the man crying but not shedding tears. It was a belated realization of the lost emotions, haunting her with memories of her colored past.

Intentionally, Go-yeo adjusted her breathing and watched the dazzling sunlight pouring down. By the time the melancholy atmosphere was erased by the greenery, Jin-yu called out to her.

“Hey, you’ve been getting calls constantly since earlier.”

“Oh.”

Go-yeo took out her phone from her bag. She furrowed her brows briefly at the unexpected caller before answering. She couldn’t make out what was being said through the sobbing.

“Eun-jae. Take a deep breath and tell me what’s going on.”

– Hu-huk. Boss, c-can you please help me? I-I’m so scared, and you’re the only one I can think of. Huk, I’m sorry.

Eun-jae explained the situation through sobs. Go-yeo listened quietly to her words. Regardless, she realized it was a situation where she was needed.

“Alright. I’ll be there soon, so don’t cry and wait for me.”

Go-yeo quickly informed Jin-yu and Ma-ri that there was an urgent matter and hastily got up. Strangely, she felt a sense of urgency. She realized she had come with her mother in the car. She borrowed Jin-yu’s car and told Jin-young, who was waiting, that something urgent had come up and she had to leave first. She even left a message for Yeong-ran to make sure she got home safely before leaving.

She hurriedly called Attorney Seo Guk-cheol. Although he was a personal lawyer for Sang-moon, Go-yeo also occasionally contacted him. She gave him the address and told him to come as soon as possible.

It wasn’t like rushing would make her arrive faster, but she felt anxious. The thought of that child sitting alone at the police station made her mouth dry.