CHAPTER 3
A Wrong Encounter
How much time had passed?
Sujin struggled to sit up, clutching her chest, her breaths labored. She stared blankly at the cold, still tea in her trembling hands.
Dang, dang, dang.
As tiny ripples spread across the surface of the red tea, the grandfather clock chimed the hour once again.
“Ah…”
Sujin let out a small sigh and tightly shut her quivering eyelids, as in the distance, she heard the voice of a housemaid welcoming someone.
“They’re here?”
…They’ve arrived.
Sujin’s already pale face turned even whiter in an instant. Though she wanted to disappear from this place immediately, she managed to hold back her emotions and let out a silent, shallow sigh. Her lips were chewed raw without her noticing.
…
Soon, footsteps were heard. Perhaps laughter, or maybe affectionate words were exchanged.
Whichever it was, Sujin couldn’t properly hear those sounds. The pounding of her heart was so loud that she feared it might burst at any moment.
“Haa, haa…”
As she gasped for breath, her footsteps abruptly halted nearby. A long shadow loomed over her. Clutching her chest, Sujin lowered her head, straining to look up.
…
Through the cascading strands of hair, she faintly glimpsed a silhouette. Despite her trembling gaze, she could only manage to stare at the tips of their fingers.
A hand.
It was the hand that was always so elegant and beautiful. The hand of a boy who used to wipe sweat from his forehead while smiling brightly, holding a basketball.
Ryu Kyungwon.
The owner of the sketches that once filled the back pages of Sujin’s notebook. The first love secretly cherished by all the girls in school.
His face, as well as his entire body, exuded beauty and neatness. He always stood at the center of attention, excelling in every aspect.
Even after time passed, Sujin wondered if he still retained that same beauty. She never dared to imagine encountering him like this.
…
Sujin slowly raised her gaze.
Perhaps the hand looked a bit larger, or maybe it remained the same. The elegant veins on the beautiful hand seemed like intricately carved patterns.
But what caught her eye the most was the dazzling ring adorning his long, slender ring finger. It was probably not a ring meant for just one person.
“Ah…!”
With a reflexive sigh, Sujin bit her lip sharply, only then realizing that two people were standing in front of her.
…
Her sidelong glance bypassed the man’s arm and landed on the woman standing beside him, emitting a radiant glow from head to toe.
Surely…
As Sujin confirmed the woman’s identity, her pupils dilated. It was Yoon Hye-yeong, Ryu Kyungwon’s lover from high school.
Sujin remembered her as beautiful back then, but now, in her mid-twenties, she seemed to shine even more brightly. Like a ring shared between two people.
…They were still together.
Sujin chewed on her trembling lips. The first person to acknowledge her was Hye-yeong.
“Oh, Sujin.”
Her voice was filled with warmth. When their eyes met, Hye-yeong flashed a bright smile at the end of her crimson lips as she approached.
“We haven’t seen each other in so long. How have you been? Are you doing well these days?”
“Um, yeah.”
“I was worried when I heard about the accident, but I’m glad you’re okay.”
As Hye-yeong smiled warmly, Sujin felt confused.
There was no hint of discomfort towards Sujin, who was about to marry her man. It was impossible to gauge what was going through her mind as she greeted Sujin so warmly, as if it were a reunion among old classmates.
“But are you still feeling unwell? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”
“Um… no, I’m fine.”
Sujin managed to utter a brief response to the inquiry.
Despite standing together naturally, there was an uneasy feeling, as if she were an intruder, even though legally she was the one who would be marrying him.
It felt like she was a trespasser, tearing apart two lovers who truly cared for each other. Even a sense of guilt crept in, as if she were stealing what belonged to someone else. Her hands trembled with the weight of these emotions, something she had never experienced before.
No, this can’t be happening. Please, let’s not go through with this. Please…
Sujin clasped her trembling hands together, thinking of her mother. She thought of how she had never been filial to her parents, never fulfilled her duty. She thought of her life, where she had never done what was expected of her.
And so, she endured. Suppressing the desire to flee from the embarrassment and humiliation, she tried her best to pretend not to notice. This situation, sitting on pins and needles, this relationship.
But…
Sujin bit her trembling lip. A jumble of thoughts filled her mind, squeezing her heart tightly. How foolish she must look compared to Hye-yeong, who greeted her so warmly, as if at a school reunion. If only Hye-yeong had openly expressed resentment, maybe she would have felt a little more at ease.
Sujin clasped her hands together, trying to hide her trembling, and thought of her mother. She thought of how she had never been filial to her parents, never fulfilled her duty. She thought of her life, where she had never done what was expected of her.
And so, she endured. Suppressing the desire to flee from the embarrassment and humiliation, she tried her best to pretend not to notice. This situation, sitting on pins and needles, this relationship.
But…
Sujin bit her trembling lip. A jumble of thoughts filled her mind, squeezing her heart tightly. How foolish she must look compared to Hye-yeong, who greeted her so warmly, as if at a school reunion. If only Hye-yeong had openly expressed resentment, maybe she would have felt a little more at ease.
Unanswerable questions swirled in her mind.
At that moment when she felt like she was the only fool in the room, Sujin looked up and Hye-yeong unexpectedly complimented her.
“Sujin is still so pretty. Like a baby.”
“A baby…”
Sujin’s lips trembled even more, flushing her cheeks further. Being called “like a baby” could mean having a delicate figure, a fair face, and small, delicate hands, or it could imply being naive and innocent, unaware of the ways of the world.
Either way, it was a comment Sujin had heard all her life, and while she couldn’t remember, Hye-yeong had probably said similar things back in high school.
“Sujin is really like a baby. I envy her.”
Though the tone was not malicious, Sujin felt humiliated every time. Then and now.
But Sujin couldn’t find the words to respond. Her hand under the table trembled weakly as she struggled to hold herself together.
The scars that would never fade, that would never disappear. The marks etched into her body taunted her.
“How dare you want anything? How dare you be in this position? Endure this much humiliation.”
Sujin swallowed hard, her neck flushing crimson. Her eyes, fixed on the crimson tea, were now redder than the liquid itself.
Amidst the overwhelming guilt, humiliation, and defeat, Hye-yeong lightly patted Sujin’s shoulder and said, “You two should catch up slowly.”
Whether Hye-yeong didn’t expect a response or simply didn’t care, she turned and walked away without waiting. She took a few steps before turning back.
“I can’t wait forever, you know?”
Her cheerful yet somehow sharp voice pierced Sujin’s heart like an arrow.
“I’ll go to the reception room now. Bring me a cup of coffee, the usual.”
“Yes, miss.”
Giving instructions to the maid, Hye-yeong’s footsteps gradually faded away.
Now, only the two of them remained in the room. Sujin’s trembling hands rested on her lap, and she forced herself to hold them together.
“It’s been a while. About ten years, right?”
Suddenly, the man sitting across from Sujin spoke.
No. It was exactly seven years.
Sujin could remember the date, but she simply nodded without saying anything. It was a meeting that couldn’t be described as pleasant.
…
Sujin’s heart pounded foolishly for a moment before it felt like it would shatter. He was still beautiful, and she was more pathetic than ever.
As always.
