“Buy Hyun-ho something nice to eat while you’re in Seoul.”
On the morning of their departure to Seoul, Boo Yun-hwa handed her daughter a thick envelope. Song Tae-eun frowned and pushed it back.
“I have my own savings. You keep this, Mom.”
“I have plenty of money too. Don’t touch your retirement fund. Just take it.”
Reluctantly, she accepted the allowance from her mother. She felt guilty for taking money instead of giving it to her mother, so she couldn’t meet her eyes.
“Buy yourself some nice clothes, stay somewhere comfortable, and if you run out of money, call me. I’ll send more.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
Boo Yun-hwa’s wrinkled hands held Tae-eun’s firmly, gave them a reassuring pat, and then let go. As her mom left the room, Dodam, who had been waiting, wagged his tail at Tae-eun. She crouched down and gently stroked his white fur.
“I’ll be back next week. Be good and listen to Mom and Dad.”
After talking with Hyun-ho, their schedule was quickly set. Following the shaman’s advice to leave as soon as possible, he booked a flight for the very next day.
Tae-eun returned home and told her parents she was going to visit Ye-jin. It didn’t matter if the shaman was talking nonsense. She had something she needed to say to her friend.
As their daughter explained, the wrinkles on her parents’ tanned faces deepened, and their eyes clouded with regret and sorrow.
In those brief moments, they must have considered many “what ifs.” What if Tae-eun hadn’t joined that company? What if she had chosen a different university? What if she had never become friends with Ye-jin?
But spilled water cannot be gathered up. All they could do was clean up the wet floor and prepare to fill the cup with fresh water.
During the taxi ride to Jeju Airport, there wasn’t much conversation between Tae-eun and Hyun-ho. His gaze occasionally fell on her cheek as she stared out the window. He quietly held her hand, not wanting to disturb her thoughts.
***
“Please take us to Namsan B Hotel.”
The taxi waiting in front of Gimpo Airport started toward the destination Hyun-ho mentioned. Hearing the name of the five-star hotel, Tae-eun turned to him.
“Is that where we’re staying?”
“Yes.”
She almost asked if it was expensive but kept quiet. Considering he had opened a café at twenty-five, owned over 3,000 pyeong of camellia fields, and drove a foreign car, he probably had the means. She decided to accept it.
But eventually, her curiosity got the better of her.
“Do you have a lot of money?”
Seeing her serious expression, Hyun-ho burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking.
“Yes, I do. Want to see my bank balance?”
He quickly opened his banking app and handed her his phone. The screen displayed a dazzling ten-digit number.
[₩3,150,020,995]
Th-three billion?! Tae-eun’s eyes widened even more.
“That much?”
Her trembling voice caught the attention of the taxi driver, who glanced at them through the rearview mirror. Embarrassed, she quickly handed the phone back.
“I have more in other banks too. Hold on.”
“No, no, that’s enough. I don’t need to see more.”
Tae-eun firmly refused. Just seeing that much money made her heart pound as if it would burst. But she couldn’t suppress her curiosity.
“How did you make all that?”
“Stocks.”
Hyun-ho spoke very simply, as if saying to get water from a dispenser when you’re thirsty. But Tae-eun, who had also opened a stock account before, knew better. The scale of his initial capital was on a different level.
“My grandfather felt sorry for me having no siblings and gave me a bit of money.”
Once again, Tae-eun’s eyes met the taxi driver’s in the rearview mirror, and an awkward silence filled the car.
Finally, she understood where his carefree attitude came from. She had quietly worried about the man who ran a café that barely saw one or two customers a day, but her concern was completely unnecessary.
It turned out he was a very diligent young man. Despite having enough money to live off the interest for the rest of his life, he opened the café every day except Sundays.
Moreover, he was so considerate that he hired Tae-eun, who had been jobless after quitting, at a rate of 40,000 won per hour. His generosity was as vast as the sea surrounding Jeju Island.
She pressed her nose against the window and made a serious resolution. Instead of worrying about others, she needed to take care of herself.
When they arrived at the hotel, Tae-eun tried not to show her surprise as Hyun-ho headed to a suite on the 18th floor. She suppressed her curiosity about the cost.
But when he opened the door to the Presidential Suite, she couldn’t help but gape in awe.
“Wow…”
The duplex suite had floor-to-ceiling windows on the front and left walls, offering a panoramic view of Namsan. Tae-eun, half mesmerized, approached the pool next to the windows. The pool was large enough to fit six people comfortably and was filled with warm water.
“This is amazing.”
She dipped her hand into the pool and murmured to herself. She couldn’t stop her lips from curling into a smile.
“Do you like it?”
Hyun-ho hugged her from behind, pressing his cheek against hers. She nodded enthusiastically, her cheeks brushing against his.
“I’ve never been to a place like this. What’s upstairs?”
“They said it’s the bedroom.”
Excited, Tae-eun dashed up the stairs. By the time Hyun-ho followed with the luggage, she had already explored both of the spacious bedrooms.
“Which one should we sleep in? They’re both so nice.”
“We can decide that tonight. Let’s go back downstairs for now.”
He took her hand and led her down the stairs. She reluctantly followed, wanting to explore the room a bit more. The comfort of the suite was distracting her from the purpose of their trip.
“Where are we going?”
“Out.”
As soon as they dropped off their luggage, Hyun-ho took her to a nearby department store. Tae-eun, feeling awkward in the unfamiliar place, glanced around before speaking to him.
“Hey.”
“Yes, Noona?”
He smiled and gently rubbed her cold cheek with his thumb. His natural, affectionate gesture made her cheeks flush.
“I want to go to a hair salon first.”
His gaze shifted to her long hair, tied back in a single ponytail. Her hair, neglected for about half a year, had grown wild.
“Do you want to cut it?”
“It feels too long.”
Hyun-ho touched the ends of her hair with his fingertips. She could sense his hesitation.
“Let’s not cut it too short.”
Tae-eun could see the regret in his light brown eyes. She had been considering a short cut due to the nightmares that started after moving to Hajong-ri, but his lingering attachment made her reconsider.
“Do you like long hair?”
“It’s just… it would be a shame to cut it.”
As the man stepped onto the escalator, a faint smile appeared on his face. His deep voice softly murmured above her head.
“You’ll look shorter, Noona.”
Tae-eun’s ears turned red. Once they reached the 7th floor, she asked the hairdresser to just trim the messy ends. Through the mirror, she saw Hyun-ho stretching his lips into a long, satisfied smile.
That day, Hyun-ho spent money like water. He had already paid at the salon while she was getting her hair washed, and downstairs, he had her try on the new spring collection, swiping his card freely.
“Is this why you showed me your bank balance?”
She asked, peering into the paper bag at the 880,000 won dress. She knew the amount was insignificant to a man with over 3.1 billion won in his account, but seeing him spend so much at once made her feel uneasy.
“Yes, I showed you to put you at ease. Let’s go look at some bags now.”
By now, he had already spent enough on clothes to buy a couple of luxury bags. There was no stopping him at this point.
Tae-eun grabbed Hyun-ho’s hand as he headed further inside to look at bags.
“Should I buy you a piercing?”
Her suggestion softened his expression. He touched the piercing on his right earlobe and then her ear.
“Is this a barter?”
“I feel bad just receiving.”
“I don’t trade with my girlfriend.”
His deep, low voice gently refused.
“If I lose this one, you can buy me a new one then. For now, it’s fine.”
With a slightly disappointed look, Tae-eun picked out a bag. It was the same one she had wanted to buy three years ago when she received a hefty bonus but couldn’t justify the price. Now it has increased by 1.7 million won.
Not wanting to return empty-handed, she took him to the cosmetics section on the first floor. There, she bought four sets of nourishing cream, handing two of them to him.
“Give these to your aunt and uncle.”
“I’ll gladly take these. Thanks.”
Hyun-ho smiled and kissed her lightly on the forehead. She rubbed her forehead, feeling self-conscious about the people around them.
Unlike in Hajung-ri, where they were alone, being in the bustling heart of Seoul made the reality of their relationship sink in. Despite having lived in Seoul for nine years, it was the first time she walked hand in hand with someone, making her feel bashful. She wiggled her fingers within his large hand.
Back at the hotel, they devoured a hearty tomahawk steak. Since Hyun-ho didn’t drink, Tae-eun had wine by herself, getting tipsy and dozing off in the bathtub.
He woke her up, dried her hair, and tucked her into bed. She heard his quiet laughter and felt his gentle hand smoothing her freshly trimmed hair.
She thought she had fallen into a deep sleep. But when she heard him going down the stairs and the distant sound of the room door closing, her eyes fluttered open.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, she saw Namsan Tower wrapped in light, and only the heavy silence greeted her.
🍉🍉🍉
