US 10

Chapter 10

The past few days had felt like being on a battlefield. To bury him—who had poured down like bullets—into oblivion, to leave him behind as nothing more than a passing chapter, I’d fiercely turned away.

All those countless hours when I hadn’t even come near this island—why did you have to come now? Couldn’t we have just missed each other? I even gave up resenting him for that.

But then—the moment he wiped the dirt off his hands.

When his hands became that muddy, my mind went completely white.

I thought that child had no small tricks and only ever treated himself preciously. The first time we interlaced fingers, Cha Taemok had stared at our clasped hands, saying it felt like his fingers would break. That first night we had sex, he couldn’t bear to see me in pain, so he pushed it in—then immediately locked it away in the drawer. That same Cha Taemok, who afterward acted as if he’d never have sex again for the rest of his life.

I couldn’t understand why he’d suddenly do that.

Something that abruptly sprang up made the area around my heart burn hot. This clammy, uncomfortable sensation continued until the sky turned pitch black. Unable to bear it any longer, I finally climbed over the gate of that house tonight.

Father and aunt had been nowhere to be seen all evening, but I had no time to wonder about that. Already consumed entirely by my thoughts, Seim only paced the yard of the Hoemok villa.

Finally, a sneer broke through my gnawed lips. I suddenly found my situation laughable.

After pushing him away so resolutely, here I was coming to find him on my own feet—that was funny enough. But bringing mosquito repellent because I didn’t want to get bitten by mosquitoes in the middle of all this—that was also funny.

After staring up at the villa for a while, Seim finally turned around.

This burning, red-hot heart of mine was just like this mosquito coil. In the end, it would lose its form and turn to ashes. Since it would disappear anyway, I couldn’t let it exist.

Pressing down on my heaving chest, Seim took a step as if giving up. But that step didn’t go far.

“…….”

Savior and plunderer. Running into you again like this—you who can possess both descriptors at once—was surely a disaster.

“You….”

It was his mother, Yun Gyeonghui.

“Seim-ie… were you at Manguldo too?”

Her fine features, unmarked by a single wrinkle, and her understated attire compared to that, were just the same as back then. Yun Gyeonghui, who had become the first daughter-in-law in the Hoemok family to become a headquarters executive, had recently been promoted to managing director, I heard.

It had perhaps been foreseen from the moment she instructed people to address her by her title rather than as “madam.”

The woman who had piled honor and power with every step tilted her head lightly.

“You haven’t changed. Still pretty, Seim-ie.”

The voice chewing the words in her mouth was eerie. It almost sounded like a curse.

Seim, who had only been staring wide-eyed, took a slight step back. Lest the acrid, rising mosquito smoke happen to reach the other woman. This shabby, pathetic pretense had to be hers alone.

Yun Gyeonghui couldn’t hide her displeased gaze. But that moment passed briefly. Quickly turning affable, she swept her eyes once around the yard and then put on a seemingly harmless smile.

“Mr. Han hasn’t changed either, I see. I can tell just from the neatly trimmed grass. Even with his bad leg, he’s always diligent and hardworking. People like that are rare these days, aren’t they? That’s why I truly like your father, you know.”

As if she genuinely cared for the servant with the lame leg. Her ulterior motive in saying so was quite obvious. I knew full well why she was bristling with thorns like that.

Seim, who had been silent, first gave a slight bow.

“…Hello.”

I wished the chirping of the insects would grow louder. Then I could hide my voice, trembling with unease.

Yun Gyeonghui hummed, hesitated leisurely, then asked in a friendly tone.

“Are you still continuing the studies you were doing back then? Ah, are you already teaching?”

If I had even one thing to show off at times like this, it would be less sorrowful, but this wasn’t so bad either. If I was going to be struck down anyway, it was better to bite the knife myself.

Seim spoke calmly.

“No, I’m still at it. Studying.”

“I see.”

She narrowed her brows as if sympathizing, but I didn’t believe it was sincere. The fact that I, born with meager prospects, still hadn’t settled into a place must be good news to you. If it truly was sympathy… that would be even more horrifying.

“Alright, Seim-ah. Let’s catch up gradually. I’m tired from taking the boat after so long.”

“Yes, please go inside.”

As I bowed my head slightly, a cold wind blew. After watching her back as she headed toward the villa, Seim started walking again.

I thought I understood, without needing to ask, where the restlessness I’d witnessed in Cha Taemok earlier had come from.

Then, suddenly, I became curious. That incident—the hottest ember of our breakup—surely you don’t know about it too?

My heart tightened at the vague suspicion, but probably not.

If he did know—since I never told him—it would mean Yun Gyeonghui had passed it on. But that person, who came all the way to my mother’s funeral hall and urged me to keep silent absolutely, would never have spoken of it.

“Oh, by the way.”

The voice from behind was a call.

Still clutching the cheap mosquito coil, Seim turned on her heel. When our eyes met, hers were harder than before.

“What brings you to this house?”

“…Pardon?”

“Did you come to help your father?”

“…….”

“Ah, did you come to assist your aunt?”

Whether to put me in my place, or to extract a firm answer that I wouldn’t get involved with her son—either way, the answer she expected from me was predetermined.

“Yes.”

A brief silence hung in the night air.

Soon, the woman withdrew her blatantly probing gaze and broke into a bright smile.

“How commendable. But still, Seim-ah. Instead of that, how about focusing more on your studies? You’re not that young anymore, are you? It’s about time you found a job.”

“Thank you for your concern….”

“No, twenty-eight is still on the young side. I was just thinking only by Taemok’s standards. I got momentarily confused because my son is going on about getting married.”

Marriage… As I muttered the word that felt so foreign, I momentarily went blank. After steadying my wandering, blinking eyes and looking at her, her face was colder than before. That made my throat ache even more.

“Yes, it’s quick. But for us, it’s not even that quick. We’re planning to send him off within this year without dragging it out. If she’s a decent match with the right conditions, what more could we want? And I say this because it’s you, but my son is a bit too much for someone to take on. I just want to marry him off as soon as possible.”

Just hearing about his future made my heart sink… but only for a moment.

It was a bit funny. This preemptive wariness of hers was no different from a plea of anxiety. It was obvious that instead of her son, who was difficult to control, she intended to prune the branches around him.

Silence flowed for a while.

Thanks to that, the nauseating feelings that had risen were also sorted out. Suppressing her cold-chilled heart, Seim lowered her eyes.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Yes, if you ever need my help, just say so.”

The eyes that had been kindly narrowed instantly returned to their usual sharpness. Seim didn’t look away until the departing figure was hidden behind the closed gate.

Then—Han Seim, at the man’s low voice piercing her eardrums, finally turned her head.

“Han Seim.”

The call, vibrating in his mouth, sounded almost like a mutter. Suddenly reminded of the moment we began, she gave him no answer.

Cha Taemok approached with quicker steps than usual. Watching him, Seim also slowly turned toward him.

Just as he closed the final step, she broke the silence first.

“Actually, I came to see you. I was bothered for no reason.”

There was no reason to hide it. It wasn’t like she had lingering feelings.

“But because I’m still pretty….”

“…….”

“The managing director seemed worried.”

It wasn’t hard anymore to restrain my stretching heart. I’m not the twenty-two-year-old who thought I’d die without you. I’m not so young as to willingly suffer a love fever.

Just considering the things laid out like a wall makes my fingers hurt this much. Even confronting just one of them makes me feel this suffocated…

The past few days when I’d been recklessly excited were utterly ridiculous.

Looking at his crumpled brow, Seim didn’t deny it. It was indeed because of the absurd warning his mother had given.

Then her cheekbones rose slightly.

“So from now on, I’m going to stop caring about you.”

Seim deliberately showed her dimples.

Knowing well that this was what he would have wanted to see, she carved out an even deeper smile, almost defiantly.

Cha Taemok, I hope you hurt too.