The Season I Loved You Without You - Chapter 68

CHAPTER 68

Ga-eul closed the door and turned to face Eun-jae and Anna. As Ga-eul tried to say something to Eun-jae, Anna intervened first. Anna completely erased the discomfort from earlier and expressed sadness by raising her eyebrows.

“Don’t say anything to Eun-jae. I suggested we leave.”

Anna remembered yesterday. It was the way to her relative’s house to meet a student to tutor together with Ga-eul. Riding the subway together felt oddly satisfying. She glanced at Ga-eul with a smile. But he was holding his phone, laughing while sending messages. Anna knew well that his smile was rare. A deep-seated unease welled up within her.

She heard about that woman Eun-jae mentioned, who was apparently from the Wushin Group, a conglomerate. So, that explained the distinct aura the woman had. And despite the rebuttal article a few days ago, she was relieved because reunion articles were circulating.

Of course, the two of them didn’t match. Apart from having been divorced, she was surrounded by scandals, and the woman was ten years older than Ga-eul. Even objectively speaking, the two of them were not meant to be.

Anna shook her head and looked at Ga-eul again. Ga-eul, still smiling, was unmistakably a boy in love. More than disappointment in him, she felt disgusted towards the emotions that woman harbored. A despicable person who cultivated him like a flower with money and played with his heart. With an air of nonchalance, Anna asked Ga-eul as if inquiring.

‘What’s up? Doing something fun? Why are you smiling like that? Do you have something good going on?’

Ga-eul looked startled and struggled to control his expression. Anna smiled at him and casually murmured.

‘Oh my! Anyone who sees you might think you have a girlfriend…’

Or maybe not, Ga-eul replied ambiguously. Anna’s expression hardened, but she couldn’t show any signs of being swayed by him, so she managed to maintain a smile. Only she could feel the tension in her lips as they trembled with force.

‘Do you happen to have a girlfriend?’

As she asked again, driving the point home, Ga-eul answered shyly, saying, ‘Yes, kind of.’ She couldn’t recall what happened next very well. They greeted at their relative’s house, and Ga-eul decided to tutor, but her mind was filled with completely different thoughts.

She thought, could there be someone else? But considering Ga-eul’s limited social circle, it was undoubtedly only that woman. At first, she was incredulous, but then she became angry. And not even at Yoon Ga-eul, but at that woman. Playing with people’s hearts, isn’t that what rich people do?

After finishing classes at school, Anna walked out to find the area in front of the building crowded. Feeling uncomfortable, everything seemed bothersome and annoying. She furrowed her brows in irritation at the commotion, but then quickly turned her head at the mention of Yoon Ga-eul. There was talk of a fancy sports car appearing in front of the school which then Yoon Ga-eul smoothly disappeared with it.

So, Anna nudged Eun-jae to confirm with her eyes. They packed up the nutritional pills and bone broth and went to give it to Ga-eul as a gift.

But what Anna wanted wasn’t this. It was a form of reality denial masked as confirmation.

‘Could it be the two of them?’

But the moment that woman opened Ga-eul’s house door, she felt discomfort engulfing her entire body. The two of them crossed the line. The t-shirt she was wearing, and the dirty marks scattered all over her body that Eun-jae seemed to have missed. Even though Anna lacked experience, she wasn’t completely clueless. She had to bite her lips tightly to avoid cursing and clench her fists to keep from punching something.

Rather, seeing Eun-jae, who came here, and Yoon Ga-eul, who seemed uncomfortable with her presence, filled her with betrayal. When Ga-eul tried to ask Eun-jae why she had come, Anna intervened. Ga-eul looked at her and clenched his lips.

“I told you not to come without letting me know. Eun-jae.”

“Oh, well, I was just going to give you something and leave.”

Eun-jae, still not understanding the situation, stuttered.

“Uh… But the boss said there was an accident, so how come she’s at my brother’s place?”

As far as Eun-jae was concerned, the boss and her brother were never on the same level as a man and a woman, so it was a reasonable question to ask. For a moment, she saw a thin bracelet on Ga-eul’s arm. Even in the dim light, it stood out clearly. Even though its end was slightly bent, it was that bracelet.

‘No way…’

As if suddenly struck by a thought, Eun-jae shook her head. The boss and her brother?

“Well, there were some circumstances. It’s late, so let’s go home quickly. Got it?”

Unable to continue her thoughts, Eun-jae nodded hesitantly at Ga-eul’s firmness. Anna Go-yeo watched Ga-eul. It wasn’t anger towards him, but a lingering anger towards that woman who was still in that house. But she wasn’t mature enough to express it. With a sorrowful expression, Anna took a step towards Ga-eul.

“Ga-eul, your Mom will be discharged soon after receiving treatment. Since Eun-jae is now in her third year of high school, you should pay more attention. Of course, you must be busy too.”

“Thanks for caring.”

“No, considering how long we’ve known each other, it’s nothing. And when she gets discharged, how about I bring the car?”

“It’s okay. I’ll handle it myself.”

Anna replied with a casual smile.

“…Sure, then.”

As Ga-eul and Eun-jae resumed their conversation, no one saw Anna’s expression turning cold.

* * *

Go-yeo lay on his bed and read poetry collections. The word ‘love,’ commonly appearing in poetry collections, sounded like Yoon Ga-eul’s voice. While she felt good hearing those words before, now it felt uncomfortable and awkward, like wearing clothes that didn’t fit. She thought it was because her heart was too shallow to be influenced by others’ gazes.

Even though she usually boasted about being thick-skinned, the fierce contempt in the eyes, similar to Yun Seung-ok’s, kept haunting her mind. It was rude and insolent for a third party to send such unpleasant gazes.

Looking at the clothes still wet on the hanger, she called Jin-young. By the time the call ended, Ga-eul came in.

“Did they come suddenly and surprise you?”

His gentle and innocent face was covered with thick layers of apology. Seeing his apologetic expression, she shrugged as if it was nothing.

“I was careless.”

Go-yeo dismissed his calm explanation about why the two of them came. She thought Ga-eul was rather clueless.

‘Just an old friend.’

If so, even if she was surprised, she wouldn’t have sent such disdainful glances.

Go-yeo acknowledged her state. She felt bad about sending such looks and was annoyed by Yoon Ga-eul’s indifferent attitude. But she had at least a shred of conscience. She decided not to express how badly she had treated Yoon Ga-eul, knowing well enough herself.

She ate half of the sandwich he brought and put it down. It tasted good, but it wasn’t to her liking. He sent a look hoping she would eat more, but she shook her head slightly and Go-yeo watched him eat diligently. It felt awkward to watch him silently, and his delicate, long eyelashes trembled.

Gargling with sparkling water, she glanced at the books piled beside his bag. The books were high school exam prep books. There were traces of solved problems. The equations were neatly and calmly arranged like handwriting. Go-yeo muttered to herself.

“I bet it feels good to solve these difficult problems correctly.”

Ga-eul smiled Go-yeo as he looked at Go-yeo. He liked it when Go-yeo showed interest in his things. He was happy just to have her look at him.

A vibrating sound was heard in the quiet space, and Go-yeo answered the phone.

“Okay. Leave it in front of the door and wait.”

Ga-eul, curious about what was happening, widened his eyes and looked at Go-yeo. Go-yeo got up and brought the bag from outside. Inside were clothes to change into.

“I told Jin-young to bring clothes.”

“Oh…”

Disappointment flashed across his face. Go-yeo, in changed clothes, tried to dissuade Ga-eul from coming along. Seeing his sulky face, she felt a bit cute and wanted to stay a little longer.

Although she had intended to leisurely stay until the clothes were completely dry, she quickly left for fear of showing her discomfort to Yoon Ga-eul. 

“Bring the clothes next time we meet.”

She said to Ga-eul, trying to dispel the gloominess. He smiled, showing his dimples, in response to Go-yeo’s words, but he didn’t let go of Go-yeo’s fingertips, which he held, as if reluctant to part.

“I’ll miss you. I’ll contact you.” 

Ga-eul said, squeezing Go-yeo’s hand. Go-yeo nodded in response. Not wanting to let her go like this, Ga-eul gently kissed her cheek, expressing his reluctance. Go-yeo, too, brushed her cheek against his, conveying a hint of regret.