Chapter: 4
After Date
“Hmm… ahh…”
Since morning, my throat had been ticklish—it really felt like spring had finally arrived.
Kang Yoon had suffered from pollen allergies since childhood. They weren’t severe, but whenever spring came, sneezing and rhinitis were unavoidable.
At home, it wasn’t a problem because everything was always clean and the air purifier was running constantly, but the moment he stepped out the front door, the garden in full bloom would inevitably trigger sneezing.
“Are you okay?”
Choi, the chauffeur who had been driving Kang Yoon for five years, glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
“I’m not okay. This spring feels like it’s going to be worse than usual.”
Kang Yoon’s eyes were slightly red as he sprayed nasal decongestant out of habit.
Arriving at the office, he went straight from the main lobby to the CEO’s office. A warm cup of tea, prepared just in time, was waiting for him, and he took a long sip.
“Sir, the response regarding your request has arrived.”
“Leave it here.”
The female secretary, dressed neatly in a two-piece suit, placed the envelope on the desk, bowed respectfully, and left.
‘I wonder if there’ll be any useful information this time?’
Kang Yoon set down his half-drunk cup and carefully opened the sealed envelope. Inside were several documents and photographs.
“We’ve investigated the matter as thoroughly as possible. According to Daehan Hospital’s obstetrics records, four people were born on January 1, 1990. Two were male, two female. The parents of the two boys are as follows:
Father: Kim Jung-hoon / Mother: Park Young-hye
Mother: Ahn Ji-hye
You requested information about the individual listed only by the mother’s name. Here’s what we found:
Ahn Ji-hye was hospitalized for four days and then discharged.
Her last recorded address was a semi-basement apartment in Daewoon-dong, Narae-gu, Seoul, which has now been redeveloped into a modern apartment complex.
During inquiries, a few neighbors remembered her and said she was considered to have a certain spiritual or mystical quality.
We managed to obtain a photo of the house before redevelopment. We’ve also enclosed a photograph of a woman presumed to be Ahn Ji-hye, though this cannot be confirmed.
If you extend the retainer and deadline, we’ll do our best to uncover more information.
– Detective Gong Jin-hwan”
Kang Yoon skimmed the text and then examined the two enclosed photographs.
The two-story, red-brick apartment was so old it could have collapsed at any moment.
Ahn Ji-hye had lived in the semi-basement of this narrow, deteriorating building. The photograph of the presumed Ahn Ji-hye showed a young woman with a shy smile, dressed in jeans, a white T-shirt, and sneakers.
‘…Does she… look like me?’
The photo wasn’t high-quality, but the woman had large eyes and a cute, youthful appearance. The resemblance was ambiguous—similar in some ways, not in others. Kang Yoon carefully placed the documents and photos into his desk drawer.
“My grandfather would never say a word about this…”
Kang Yoon respected his grandfather, Han Tae-su, but he had his doubts.
“How could I ever push Kang Yoon away? I’m the sinner… the one who twisted the natural order. Will I ever be forgiven in hell for the sin of tangling the bonds of blood?”
It had been three years ago, on the anniversary of his father, Han Woo-jin’s death.
His mother, Jin Hyun-sook, was dressed neatly in hanbok at the ceremonial table. Kang Yoon and his brother, Kang Moon, wore black suits and performed the rites in order. Kang Moon handled the first part, and Kang Yoon simply participated in the final bow.
He never found the ceremonies unfair or exhausting.
After finishing and while everyone slept, Kang Yoon had gone to get water. The water purifier on the second floor wasn’t working, so he had gone downstairs.
In the dark hallway, he saw his grandfather sitting at the dining table, muttering to himself while pouring a drink.
‘What is he saying? Why mention my name? And what does he mean by twisting the natural order?’
When Kang Yoon entered, his grandfather looked at him intently with blurred eyes.
He never heard those words or anything similar again, but the uneasy feeling never left him.
That was why he decided to find out who his birth mother was—the one who had an affair with his father, gave birth to him, and then died.
But his family was meticulous. Any traces of her had been erased, making it extremely difficult to find her. After several failed attempts and a busy schedule, he had almost forgotten—until he heard of a famous detective who could even dig up graves for a price.
Despite the long wait and a retainer five times the standard fee, the results were satisfactory enough.
“First, I’ll meet Yoon Bora today.”
No matter how much he probed, his grandfather would likely never reveal anything himself. But there were always experts for every task.
The moment Kang Yoon saw Bora, a strange sense of calm washed over him.
He thought: If it’s her, maybe she can move my grandfather. Maybe she can uncover the long-hidden secrets and finally let me trace my roots.
“…And she’s beautiful, too.”
With her delicate features perfectly to his taste, there was no reason to refuse her.
Kang Yoon checked his watch and reached for the pile of documents he needed to handle before meeting Bora.
“Hmm… is this color too bright?”
Since becoming CEO of Silver Town, Bora had always tried to maintain a neat and professional appearance.
She had given up the long, glitter-covered nails she loved for nail art and now kept her short, nude-toned nails for over three years. Her makeup was minimal, just soft shading at most.
But today was the day Kang Yoon had requested an “after date.”
It was her first time on such a meeting since college days.
“To make a trustworthy impression on the investor… maybe being pretty is better?”
She applied a bright coral lipstick, not her usual pink-beige, and checked the mirror repeatedly, feeling awkward.
“It’s already… time!”
Seeing the clock reach 11:55, Bora slipped her half-on high heels fully onto her feet and got up.
She rushed to the elevator, greeted by staff along the way.
“CEO, hello! Want to have lunch together?”
“Oh, no, I have an appointment. See you later.”
With a forced smile, she hurried out of the lobby, spotting Kang Yoon’s broad back already waiting.
‘Just from the back, I can tell it’s him. And… he really is tall…’
“Ah, hello. Did you wait long?”
Bora glanced at her phone.
“Not at all.”
Yesterday she had seemed so poised and calm; today she was lively and fresh, catching Kang Yoon’s relaxed gaze.
“Shall we go eat?”
“Sure.”
“By the way… did you usually wear glasses?”
He noticed a different vibe today—she had thin gold-rimmed glasses on.
“No, I wear them in spring to protect my eyes from pollen.”
“Oh, I see. I have sun allergy. In summer, my skin gets all bumpy…”
Bora’s cheeks flushed as she overshared.
‘Glasses… wow, they’re sexy.’
Contradictory, yet somehow he seemed like a disciplined, almost saintly man. His neat face paired with that firm body reminded him of the heroes in the romance comics he and his friends used to read in school.
Her chatter led them down the block where Silver Town stood, toward an alley filled with humble eateries.
“This is a real local favorite. It’s a bit shabby… hope that’s okay?”
The single-story building looked like it had been operating for at least thirty years, paint peeling in places.
On the sliding aluminum door, three menu items were painted in red: Soondae Soup, Soondae, Osorigamtu.
“Judging by the exterior, it looks like a real gem.”
Kang Yoon strode confidently into the restaurant. Bora hurried inside to claim a seat first.
“Auntie, two bowls of soondae soup, please!”
Kang Yoon’s eyes gleamed as he watched Bora place the loud order among the middle-aged men smelling of sweat and cigarettes.
Yoon Bora… she’s kind of fun.
