Henry unbuckled his seatbelt without saying a word and got out of the car. I took the driver’s seat and started the engine.
Ellie looked at me with wide eyes.
“Aren’t you supposed to be working?”
“The company runs fine without me.”
I reached out and lightly touched Ellie’s forehead. It wasn’t boiling, but it was definitely warm.
“Why didn’t you just take a break if you were feeling unwell?”
“I thought I was fine already.”
“When did this start?”
“I haven’t been feeling well since a few days ago when I played squash.”
That was around the time the chilly spring weather was at its peak.
“And you still kept exercising?”
Ellie blushed slightly, embarrassed at having pushed herself without realizing she was sick.
“I just thought it was a temporary condition.”
Unlike me, who lies like a corpse when resting, Ellie enjoys exercising. Running 5 kilometers a day is standard for her.
I guess a body like that doesn’t come easy?
“Cough! It’s definitely cold in Korea.”
“Compared to Hong Kong, yes.”
This winter has been particularly cold, perhaps due to climate change. It’s no wonder long padding jackets became trendy.
“I’ll take you to the hospital for now.”
Ellie shook her head.
“Just take me to the hotel. Once I take my medicine, I’ll feel better quickly.”
I joked, “Why? Don’t you want to get a shot?”
Instead of answering, Ellie turned her head away.
“Uh! No way, is it real?”
“It’s not like that. I just haven’t had many shots before…”
Well, considering how much she enjoys exercising and staying healthy, how often would she need to go to the hospital?
I said firmly, “Still, we have to go to the hospital.”
“Ugh.”
I drove to a nearby hospital. For a while, Ellie was silent.
I thought she had fallen asleep, but a moment later, her voice came through.
“That woman was really pretty.”
“Who?”
“Jin-hoo’s ex-girlfriend. You saw her at school, remember?”
“Oh, Seon-ah?”
Ellie nodded and asked, “Did you like her a lot?”
“Well, I did back then.”
Thinking about it now, it’s kind of funny. I was planning to get married after graduation.
“……”
Hmm, it’s really funny to think about now.
“Yuri is cute, though. I can see why Jin-hoo likes her.”
I was taken aback by that statement.
“What do you mean? Do I like Yuri?”
Ellie turned to look at me.
“Then do you not like her?”
“Not that I don’t like her, but… Oh! Is that the reason you haven’t contacted me for a while?”
I accidentally ran into Ellie after bringing Yuri to the company previously.
Since then, I’ve been busy because of Hoseong Savings Bank and haven’t been able to contact her. She also didn’t reach out first.
It’s a situation that could easily lead to misunderstandings.
Was I drifting away from Ellie without even realizing it?
Seeing the future is undoubtedly an amazing thing. However, it doesn’t determine my life.
Investments may reveal everything through their outcomes, but life doesn’t work that way.
Life isn’t just results that appear at a specific moment; it’s a collection of daily processes that shape it.
Even if someone shows me my destined partner through foresight, does that make it a reason for choice? What meaning does it hold if emotions don’t align?
Perhaps, as Taekgyu said, I was also relying on foresight for things I should be thinking about and choosing for myself.
I took a moment to think calmly.
Of course, Yuri is cute and pretty. Being with her is enjoyable. But I didn’t feel that it was necessarily romantic.
“Yuri is just a junior.”
Ellie asked, seeming not to believe me.
“Really?”
I stated with confidence.
“I like Ellie.”
For a moment, Ellie blinked in surprise. Then her face turned bright red shortly after.
As I was about to say something, a loud horn blared from behind us.
Beep!
Looking up, I realized the light had changed. I hurriedly started the car.
Ellie turned her head to the other side and asked in a soft voice, “Since when?”
“From the first time I saw you, I think it was like that.”
“So why didn’t you say anything all this time?”
“Well…”
It’s because I’m indecisive.
“I’m sorry. I should have said it earlier. I didn’t make you wait too long, did I?”
“Well, that’s true, but at least you told me now….”
Ellie smiled brightly.
“I feel like everything’s somehow better now.”
I smiled in response.
“It’s just a feeling. But you still need to go to the hospital and get your shot.”
“Ugh….”
***
Fortunately, it wasn’t a severe cold, so a shot and a prescription from the clinic were enough.
After the appointment, I moved to the hotel where Ellie was staying. She pulled out a card key from her pocket and opened the door.
“Come in.”
The room had a layout separating the living room and the bedroom. It looked neat, as if she had just checked in today. Well, the hotel would take care of the cleaning.
“Is staying at a hotel okay for you?”
“It’s convenient since I don’t have to worry about anything. There’s a pool and a fitness center inside. It’s connected to COEX, so I sometimes meet Jessica and Henry for meals or coffee.”
“Is that so?”
Henry is also staying at this hotel. Naturally, they would run into each other often.
Ellie took off her outer clothes and hung them on a chair.
“I’ll go take a shower, so please sit for a moment. I’m feeling sticky after sweating a lot.”
“Okay.”
While she was showering, I waited on the sofa. The distance to the bathroom wasn’t far, but I could hear the sound of the shower.
“…”
Wait a minute. Thinking about it, this is a really strange situation.
Not only did I enter a hotel room where a woman is staying alone, but now I’m waiting while she showers.
To distract myself, I turned on the TV. It was set to CNN. The U.S. was buzzing about the high school shooting that had happened the day before.
It’s strange that in a country where shootings happen almost daily, they still don’t impose stricter regulations.
A moment later, Ellie came out wearing a white bathrobe. Her hair was damp, and her cheeks glowed with a peachy tint.
She dried her hair with a towel.
“Your hair has grown a lot.”
“I told you I would let it grow.”
She looked great with a short cut, but long hair would suit her well too.
I was thinking that when Ellie suddenly loosened her belt and took off her gown, I was taken aback.
“Whoa!”
Isn’t this happening too fast?
…Just as I thought that, I noticed she was wearing comfy hot pants and a boxy tee under the gown.
In that moment, anticipation and disappointment collided in my heart.
“What’s wrong?”
I quickly gathered my expression and said.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Ellie chuckled playfully.
“Hmmm, you’re not thinking something weird, are you?”
“……”
Isn’t it stranger not to have weird thoughts in a situation like this?
Ellie started to walk towards me but slipped on the gown she had discarded.
“Oops!”
I reached out and caught her before she fell.
“Are you okay?”
She looked up at me with her light brown eyes fluttering. Then she slowly closed her eyes.
What does this mean?
Instead of overthinking it, I leaned down and kissed her lips.
It was a sweet kiss.
***
Ellie was lying on the bed, and I sat beside her.
We were holding hands tightly, our fingers interlaced.
“It’s amazing when you think about it. I never imagined I would end up working in Korea.”
“I sometimes can’t believe it either. Until I was discharged from the military, I just wanted to graduate and find a job quickly, but somehow I became a CEO.”
Who would have imagined I’d end up like this?
“If that were the case, we wouldn’t have met.”
“True.”
Ellie would still be working at the Asia branch with Hyun-joo, and I would be attending school like everyone else.
“I’ve had so much fun with Jinhoo. From startup investments to Brexit and the US presidential election.”
Though it feels like a long time ago due to the many events in between, both Brexit and the election happened just last year.
Ellie seemed to recall something and asked, “What do you say to Jessica?”
I wondered how Hyun-joo would react if she knew.
A somewhat intimidating father-in-law image came to mind.
I figured it would be better to talk slowly.
“Go to sleep. I’ll watch you until you fall asleep.”
Ellie pouted playfully.
“No, I don’t want to sleep.”
Though she said that, perhaps due to the medication, she soon dozed off. Watching her sleep soundly, I thought she looked adorable.
I was contemplating whether to stay or leave when suddenly the doorbell rang.
Ding-dong!
Is it room service?
I cautiously opened the door so that Ellie wouldn’t wake up. To my surprise, Hyun-joo was standing there.
“Uh, what brings you here?”
“I was worried, so I came to check. How’s Ellie doing?”
“She got a shot and some medication at the hospital earlier. She just fell asleep.”
Hyun-joo entered and touched Ellie’s forehead after looking at her sleeping face.
“Luckily, it seems her fever has gone down a bit.”
“Yes. Since you’re here, I think I’ll head out now.”
Just as I was about to leave, Hyun-joo spoke.
“Hold on a second.”
“Yes?”
Hyun-joo stood up, crossed her arms, and stared at me over her glasses. I felt uneasy meeting her gaze, so I averted my eyes.
“What have you two been up to?”
“Oh, we haven’t done anything.”
“Then what’s the lipstick mark on your neck?”
“Whoa!”
I quickly touched my neck. Did Ellie kiss my neck too?
“I was just kidding.”
“……”
I fell for it.
“Are you two officially dating?”
I scratched my cheek with my finger.
“Yeah, something like that.”
Hyun-joo approached me, tapped my shoulder, and said, “If you make Ellie cry, you’ll be in trouble.”
“……Yes.”
Anyone who sees this would think she’s my father-in-law.
***
Once I decided to date Ellie, two people weighed on my mind.
One was Yuri, and the other was Henry. I needed to talk to Yuri, but I had to face Henry at work right away.
It’s better to tell him directly than having him notice later and feel hurt, right?
I arranged to meet Henry for a drink in front of the office. When I said I’d go alone, Taekgyu insisted on coming along.
“I’ll wait in the car, so text me every 15 minutes. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll call the cops.”
“Huh?”
“If you get into a fight, you’ll lose, right?”
The opponent is a tall, muscular Westerner.
But I confidently replied, “You think I’d lose that easily?”
“I heard Henry’s hobby is boxing.”
“Oh, really?”
That changes things.
I plan to solve this through conversation, like a civilized person. But just because I act civilized doesn’t guarantee he will too.
Should I have worn headgear or something?
I got out of the car and entered a whiskey bar that my senior Sang-yeob often went to. Since it had just opened, there weren’t many customers inside.
I ordered a single malt whiskey and had a few drinks first. Shortly after, a well-dressed blonde young man, who looked like a Hollywood actor, walked in.
“Here I am.”
Henry sat opposite me.
I filled his glass.
“What’s this about? Is it something related to the Golden Gate?”
“Today is not about work.”
“Then…?”
“Let’s drink first and talk later.”
We emptied our glasses.
I got straight to the point.
“I’ve decided to date Ellie.”
“Is that so?”
Henry looked slightly surprised, but surprisingly composed.
Is he forcing himself to hide his emotions?
“I somewhat anticipated this. It’s a good thing, though. Congratulations.”
“Are you being sincere?”
“Of course.”
“But you like her too, don’t you?”
At my words, Henry’s eyes visibly widened. His surprise was evident.
“What…?”
“I think it would help us work better if we’re honest with each other.”
Henry hesitated for a moment but soon admitted, “I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman in my life.”
So it’s true.
I smiled wryly.
“I guess coming to Korea wasn’t only about work, then.”
“Now that I think about it, it seems so. I wanted to be close to her, even just a little. Since meeting her, no other woman has caught my eye.”
Henry loosened his tie and unbuttoned a few shirt buttons. Then, as if resolute, he downed his drink.
“I always thought I was confident in front of everyone, but standing in front of her makes me feel like a little boy. I don’t even know why I feel this way.”
“That can happen. Hearts don’t always follow our will.”
It seems like it won’t be easy.
How do I persuade him to give up?
“When did you start liking her?”
“Maybe it was when I first saw her smoking. Since that moment, I think I fell for her without realizing it.”
“Right. Smoking… huh?”
What does that mean?
“Doesn’t Ellie not smoke?”
Is she secretly smoking behind my back?
Henry looked flustered.
“Ellie? I was talking about Jessica.”
I was taken aback.
“What?”
Why is Hyun-joo noona coming into this?
Realizing there was some misunderstanding, Henry spoke with surprise.
“Wait a minute. You thought I liked Ellie?”
“Ah….”
So all this time, he was looking at Hyun-joo noona, not Ellie? That’s why he was hanging around the same hotel and visiting the Golden Gate Building even when there was no work?
Hahah