The Season I Loved You Without You - Chapter 92

CHAPTER 92

In a more casual outfit than usual, she stopped by a boutique and headed to the foundation’s headquarters in Yeoksam-dong. When she arrived at the office, Hyun-joo, the executive director’s secretary, followed him.

“You’re here, ma’am.”

“I guess I have to go today, right?”

“Yes. It’s the foundation’s first public event, so it would be good for you to attend. We haven’t informed the media, so you don’t need to feel too burdened.”

Go-yeo nodded slightly, smiling at Hyun-joo, who was reciting the answer. He was recommended by Yeong-ran and was indeed a competent person, though his lifestyle often did not match Go-yeo’s. However, she tended to follow what she believed was the right direction.

She needed to attend as the representative of the Wushin Cultural Welfare Foundation for a regular donation to a social welfare organization in the province. As they got into the car, Hyun-joo explained the welfare organization next to her. It was a large welfare facility with over 20,000 pyeong of land and more than 2,000 residents.

While briefing, Hyun-joo cautiously asked Go-yeo, who had an unpleasant expression.

“Ma’am, may I ask why you find these kinds of events so uncomfortable?”

“Ah…”

Go-yeo sighed softly, realizing that she had shown her displeasure.

“Well, it’s just that… how should I put it? I don’t like the idea of us showing off that we’re helping, bragging about it. Of course, my attendance isn’t entirely about that.”

Although she was supposed to go there and listen to explanations about how the residents are cared for and how the donations are managed, she could already imagine how she would be perceived by those people.

“I see. But since it’s such a large welfare center with many sponsors, you don’t need to feel too uncomfortable.”

Seeing Hyun-joo’s concerned expression, Go-yeo felt like she was being childish and changed the subject.

“Didn’t you say new employees were coming for volunteer work today?”

“Yes, employees from Wushin Securities and the asset management company’s headquarters.”

Go-yeo nodded and looked out the window again.

* * *

Since it was a regular large donation, Go-yeo talked briefly with the center director and toured the welfare center. It was too large to see everything, so they checked one nearby place and heard explanations about how the donation would be used transparently and efficiently.

Noticing the surroundings becoming bustling, she saw one-day volunteers from Wushin in various places. They were taking care of and playing with the children from the Angel House affiliated with the center. Volunteers were walking around with the children inside the building and playing with them in the playground outside. The center director, watching this scene with satisfaction, spoke.

“Children still need a lot of adult attention.”

“Indeed.”

Go-yeo briefly thought back to the time she took care of Ro-woon. It was not an easy task, either mentally or physically. She looked out the window and saw someone comforting a child sitting in the flower bed. The person knelt at the child’s eye level and said something, and the boy wiped his tears and nodded with a smile.

As Go-yeo slowly observed the person’s back, her attention was drawn away by the ringing phone. The necessary conversations were almost finished. The person in charge had stepped away briefly to attend to something, and Go-yeo answered the call.

“Hello.”

– Hello, Ms. Go-yeo. This is Yoon Seung-hyun.

The man’s voice carried more confidence than the last time they met. They exchanged light formalities. Go-yeo smiled softly at his kind inquiries. When Seung-hyun suggested a musical instead of a movie, Go-yeo agreed.

Go-yeo had responded positively about an after-event that day, but she hadn’t thought about the specifics. So, she accepted without much consideration. They set a date, and when Seung-hyun offered to pick her up directly from her home, Go-yeo agreed.

“Alright, Mr. Seung-hyun.”

As she ended the call, she looked out the window again. The child and the man by the flower bed were gone. She scanned the playground but didn’t see them. There was no particular reason to look for that person again; she was just curious about who it was.

“…Go-yeo?”

At the sound of her name, Go-yeo felt her body momentarily freeze. The voice whispering sweet words and repeatedly calling her name echoed in her ears. Go-yeo forgot how to maintain the composed expression she had perfected over the years. She made eye contact with Yoon Ga-eul.

Between Go-yeo and Ga-eul, the last rays of summer sunshine filtered through. For a brief moment, it felt like time had stopped, and Go-yeo couldn’t breathe as she looked at him. Although there might have been a hint of surprise, Ga-eul’s dark, unwavering eyes, which always faced people directly, were the same as ever.

“Ah…”

Even if his gaze was the same, the Yoon Ga-eul before her was not the same as before. A fully grown adult Yoon Ga-eul stood there.

Go-yeo saw Ga-eul’s slightly parted lips move. She thought neither of them knew what to say. Go-yeo, who regained her composure a bit quicker, chose her words.

“…I see you’ve joined Wushin.”

“Yes…”

Go-yeo nodded slightly. Had she ever felt this awkward with Ga-eul before?

“Ga-eul!”

At the lively and affectionate voice, Go-yeo looked behind Ga-eul. Go-yeo hadn’t realized her observation skills were so sharp. In that brief moment, she recognized the woman’s face from the hotel.

A woman who seemed to be around his age stood beside Ga-eul. Even with a casual glance, Go-yeo could tell they looked good together.

“Were you in the middle of a conversation? Do you know each other? Who is this?”

The woman alternated her gaze between them and asked Ga-eul. Sensing Ga-eul’s slight discomfort, Go-yeo thought it best to step aside. Just then, the ever-competent Hyun-joo approached them.

“Ma’am, there’s a small issue at the concert hall.”

Hyun-joo whispered into Go-yeo’s ear. Go-yeo nodded. Normally, any problem with the concert hall would be a headache, but today, it felt like a welcome distraction. Finally, she managed to compose her face.

“Take care. I’ll be off then.”

She left a few parting words to her subordinates and left the place with Hyun-joo. In the car, Hyun-joo briefed her. There had been a commotion over wage issues with a subcontractor for the concert hall construction, leading to complaints from nearby residents. Go-yeo listened to the detailed situation with an incredulous thought: Is this considered a small problem?

Her mind felt heavy and foggy, almost like being deep underwater, preventing her from thinking clearly. She mechanically nodded, then let out a small sigh.

“Hyun-joo, let’s go to the site and handle it directly.”

“Understood.”

Go-yeo closed her eyes, but sleep did not come.

* * *

It took an entire half-day to visit the site and resolve the issues. Jin-young drove the exhausted Go-yeo back to the villa. Go-yeo gave a small, grateful smile and entered her enormous house. The sensor lights flickered on and off. She stood in the darkness for a moment, then slipped her feet into her indoor slippers.

She walked past the hallway into the entrance of the reception room, looking around her space. Nothing had changed since Sumi had cleaned and maintained it while she was in France. This allowed her to move around as comfortably as she used to without any inconvenience.

Today, however, the desolation of the house was more noticeable. She looked around the reception room, then the kitchen table, and finally, she sat down on the stairs leading up.

“Yoon Ga-eul, of all people…”

She muttered these words, but she couldn’t stop the tears from falling, accompanied by a hollow laugh. She felt more annoyed with her pathetic state than anything else, realizing the unreachable longing was consuming her.

“Acting like there was no one but me.”

She covered her mouth to keep from sinking into misery. Although she was the only one who could hear her voice in the vast emptiness, she suppressed her sobs. Her frail body trembled for a while.

Eventually, she fell ill. She couldn’t just lie around and rest like she used to when she was half-unemployed, as there was too much to do. She coordinated with Hyun-joo over the phone, receiving updates and giving instructions. Eating the porridge Sumi had prepared, she reviewed the next season’s concept for the boutique.

Even though it wasn’t urgent, there was much to consider with the upcoming department store opening. Despite Go-yeo’s insistence that she didn’t need to, Ji-yeon, who also had Ro-woon, visited her home under the pretense of checking on her. Ji-yeon greeted Sumi and placed the lemon syrup she had brought on the kitchen table, teasing Go-yeo.

“When you’re sick, you just lie around all the time. What’s the deal?”

“Right? Isn’t it that the boss isn’t working enough?”

“Exactly! Lately, Han Go-yeo has been working so hard that I’ve been taking it easy. So what’s with this illness, are you protesting or something? How much work did you do to get sick, seriously, it’s pathetic.”

Go-yeo didn’t take her eyes off the tablet, teasing Ji-yeon with silence.

“Hey. Are you suddenly doing things you didn’t do before? It feels awkward. You did the tailoring work and all, so now your body is all worn out.”

“When you’re done talking, go eat the meal. You came here despite being told not to, just to talk nonsense.”

Ji-yeon pursed her lips but started eating the meal Sumi had prepared. Go-yeo, after a few spoonfuls, continued to focus intently on the tablet, occasionally asking Ji-yeon this and that. Ji-yeon actively engaged in conversation without caring about such things. She glanced at Go-yeo for a moment, seeming relieved to see her like she used to be in the past, proud and comfortable.

As they continued the meal, Go-yeo’s phone, placed on the dining table, rang. Go-yeo checked the caller ID and adjusted her voice.

“Hello.”

– Ms. Go-yeo, I just confirmed the contact.

“Mr. Seung-hyun, I’m sorry. I don’t think I can keep our appointment today due to not feeling well.”

Go-yeo felt sorry for his anxious voice. She ended the call, anticipating their next appointment. Ji-yeon stared at Go-yeo intently throughout the call, muttering with her mouth full.

“What’s with you two? Just because you ate one meal, why does it feel like honey dripping?”

Go-yeo sighed lightly at Ji-yeon starting again and shook her head gently.

“If it’s not too bad, be good. Just don’t push it off with this excuse or that, okay?”

Go-yeo stared only at the tablet screen she had been watching earlier, without replying.

After Ji-yeon left, Go-yeo sat at the bedroom table. Her condition had improved even better than in the morning. Taking medicine and sleeping seemed appropriate for going to work tomorrow. She planned to contact Seung-hyun in advance for their next appointment and spend time together. If they felt the same, meeting again would be good.

It was a safe and not a bad choice.

Putting down the teacup containing cold chamomile, Go-yeo looked out the window. The night sky was unusually clear. So impulsively, she jumped up, changed her clothes hastily, and grabbed the car keys.

Throughout the drive, it overlapped with that day. After visiting this place today, there would likely be no crying for Seung-hyun’s sake anymore. Even though the surroundings had changed a bit, it hadn’t changed much from that time. Parking the car below, she walked up to a slightly sloping place.

Reaching the hill, she leaned against the railing and looked far away. The sky was clear, with more stars twinkling than before. Unlike the stifling city, there was a cool breeze blowing, making her shiver.

“It’s autumn…”

The season she loved him even without him has come again.

As the cicadas crying for summer couldn’t possibly know about autumn, the autumn with Seung-hyun would be something Go-yeo could never understand in her life.