Chapter – 33
“Sorry, Dad….”
“Why are you crying? Huh? Did someone bully you? Or did you get hurt somewhere?”
“No, it’s not that. No one bullied me, and I didn’t get hurt.”
Pilbeom let out a long, relieved sigh.
Seeing her father made Ji-an remember the words the handsome older brother had said earlier.
That her father didn’t hate her.
Ji-an hesitated for a moment, then gathered her courage and wrapped her arms around her father’s neck.
Up until then, Pilbeom had been a 100% stoic, tough man. There was almost no affectionate physical contact between father and daughter.
So for Ji-an, this was an incredibly brave act.
As expected, she felt his body stiffen slightly at her hug.
“Dad….”
“…What is it?”
“Dad, you know….”
“What is it? Just say it.”
“I’m sorry… and… I love you.”
Sorry for causing Mom to leave because of me.
And still worrying about me, and loving me.
Would Dad push me away?
Would he say it was embarrassing to say something so cheesy?
Ji-an’s heart thumped nervously.
But she didn’t want to let go of her father.
Contrary to Ji-an’s fears, Pilbeom carefully pulled his daughter, who had become painfully thin from eating less lately, into his arms and replied.
“What are you sorry for? I don’t really know what you’re apologizing about… but I… and Dad too… love Ji-an.”
At those words, a huge wave of emotion surged inside Ji-an.
Love, emotion, guilt, relief…
Everything mixed together.
“Waaah…!”
Ji-an burst into tears.
She didn’t even understand why she was crying.
“Why are you suddenly crying? If you keep crying like that, people will think I’m kidnapping you. It’s not the first time. So stop crying.”
Dad spoke in a deliberately stern voice, but kept holding her and gently stroking her short hair.
The touch was similar to the one from the handsome older brother earlier.
It was on that Mother’s first death anniversary that she was saved by those two gentle hands.
* * *
From that day on, their father–daughter relationship slowly changed.
Ji-an often told her father that she loved and thanked him with a smiling face.
Stoic Pilbeom didn’t respond with direct, sweet words—probably feeling embarrassed, like he had on Seo-young’s first death anniversary.
Instead, he began expressing his affection in his own tsundere way.
“Don’t say I bought this for you. I just happened to receive it from someone.”
“It’s not like I came here because of Ji-an. I just wanted to visit the amusement park after a long time.”
In this way, he began expressing love in his own manner.
Their relationship grew closer day by day.
Meanwhile, a new person started appearing in Ji-an’s diary and drawings.
It was the “Prince Older Brother.”
“Who exactly is this prince brother? What’s his name? Where did you meet him?”
“Hehe, it’s a secret!”
Ji-an kept his precious name locked inside her heart as her own secret.
When she was a high school senior, news was reported that Yu-geon, who had completed military service and graduated from university, began participating in management as the successor of CH.
There was no way Ji-an, who had always drawn him, wouldn’t recognize him.
The words that he had told her — that she was pretty — were overwhelmingly joyful and resonant to Ji-an.
Yu-geon was someone truly special and precious to her.
‘If I could look even a little pretty in Yu-geon’s eyes… maybe someday he might look at me.’
It was enough just being near him.
But excitement slowly turned into greed.
‘Someday… I really hope it becomes like that.’
Feeling the warmth spreading across her face, Ji-an thought with hope.
* * *
At the same time.
After arriving at his Seoul home and taking a shower, Yu-geon lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
He groped the spot beside him where Ji-an used to be.
But he touched nothing.
Ji-an wasn’t there.
And suddenly, he felt lonely.
He wondered if the bed that he had used comfortably alone before now felt this wide.
It was like being alone in a vast empty field.
“What is Eun Ji-an thinking right now? Maybe she’s wondering if Cha Yu-geon hit his head or something?”
Or—
“…Maybe she feels burdened.”
When he had taken Ji-an to the dormitory entrance, she looked quite surprised.
How did she interpret it…?
“I’m kind of funny. I said I was going to seduce Eun Ji-an, but didn’t I end up confessing instead?”
It wasn’t exactly a confession, but even if his words sounded like a confession to Ji-an, he didn’t regret it. He felt relieved.
‘It really seems… I’ve changed only when it comes to Eun Ji-an.’
Ah. Yu-geon grabbed Ji-an’s pillow lying beside him and covered his face.
It was embarrassing to admit, but he knew himself well enough to stop denying it.
He was genuinely happy that she was eating well and becoming healthier.
Just being away from Ji-an for one night and two days was enough for him to travel all the way to Chungnam just to see her.
And he got irritated when the old ladies said it was just a passing phase, stubbornly insisting that Ji-an was pretty.
‘That had nothing to do with Ji-an getting healthier.’
So at this point, he couldn’t deny it anymore.
That Ji-an had already started to matter to him.
That he could call her “special.”
No, to be more honest, he could say she was “especially good.”
Yu-geon put the pillow that had covered his face back neatly in its place.
“So let’s see. Whether your heart that likes that ‘saeranghaeya’ guy wins, or…”
‘Or my heart that likes you wins.’
Hmph. Yu-geon snorted and turned his body away from Ji-an’s side.
After closing his eyes in the quiet darkness for a while, he turned his body again and lay facing Ji-an’s spot.
He had turned just because he wanted to look at Ji-an’s spot, but now he hated seeing it empty.
Yu-geon rolled over and lay down in Ji-an’s place.
‘…Eun Ji-an scent.’
Sniffing the air slightly, Yu-geon was finally able to fall asleep.
Hoping that the night without her would pass quickly.
* * *
Ji-an returned home around 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Yu-geon greeted her at the entrance.
“You’re back?”
“Yes, I’m back.”
They exchanged greetings as usual.
But in fact, both of them were confused in their minds because of what happened yesterday, and their hearts were racing wildly.
Yet like elegant swans paddling furiously underwater, they tried their best not to show it.
“Nothing happened, right?”
“Well, something did happen.”
“Huh? What happened?”
Ji-an asked in surprise.
She had just asked out of courtesy, but something really happened overnight?
Did a thief break in? Did the gas explode?
“I had another nightmare last night. Probably because Eun Ji-an wasn’t beside me. If that counts as something, then it’s something.”
“Ah.”
“I guess the good energy I got from that spiritual place disappeared on the way home. It seems I need Eun Ji-an next to me for it to work.”
Ji-an smiled shyly.
It meant he could sleep well only when she was there.
“For now I don’t have any more business trips like that, so I’ll stay by your side from now on.”
“Hmm, then that’s good. I’ll be looking forward to the performance of my human talisman.”
Yu-geon, who answered coolly, picked up Ji-an’s luggage and went upstairs first.
Knowing that she was helpful to him, and that he had felt her absence, Ji-an felt her chest tickle as she followed him.
After Ji-an finished organizing her luggage in the dressing room and came out to the bedroom, Yu-geon, who was sitting on the bed, spoke to her.
“I’ve been eating a lot of home-cooked meals since Chuseok, so I got tired of it and plan to eat out for dinner.”
“Eating out?”
“Yes. If Eun Ji-an is interested, you can come along. Well, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.”
‘Go! Say you’ll go! It’s a date invitation!’
“Oh, now that I think about it, I feel kind of tired of it too…? Then, should we go?”
‘Totally great! Let’s go! It’s like a date!’
