Chapter 56
Even on the day Hyun-oh visited Jiheon’s house for tutoring, Han Sua’s usual image wasn’t much different.
After tutoring, as Hyun-oh was coming down the stairs alone, he sensed an unusual atmosphere and listened carefully.
“Why do you wander around aimlessly like that?”
It was Sua’s father, Han Jung-gi, the CEO of Han Group. His voice, full of anger, echoed through the house, making it impossible not to overhear, even if one didn’t intend to. What could Han Sua have done wrong?
Han Sua was the model student type. Rather, her older brother Jiheon was the troublemaker. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine that she, who was always quiet and good, could have done something to deserve such a loud scolding. But unlike Hyun-oh’s thoughts, Jung-gi continued to yell without calming down. The atmosphere inside the house felt like he might hit her any moment.
It’s dangerous, this is.
Sua’s eyes, usually white and transparent, turned red. It seemed like she was about to burst into tears.
“Troublesome things are what you dislike, after all.”
A sigh-like mutter escaped Hyun-oh’s lips.
It was a matter between family members, between parents and children. Moreover, the other party was Han Jung-gi, who was notorious for his bad temper. Although he didn’t know much, even Hyun-oh, a student, knew how rough he could be.
There might be consequences for getting involved unnecessarily.
So, under normal circumstances, Hyun-oh wouldn’t have even thought about intervening.
But Sua’s face, bowed quietly, looked so sad.
And her white and transparent face looked like it might wither black.
Hyun-oh was halfway down the stairs, about to turn towards the front door, when he stopped and turned his body towards the two of them.
At that moment, as Hyun-oh was about to step forward and intervene,
“Father. I’ll do better. I won’t disappoint you this time.”
Sua, who seemed like she might cry at any moment, lifted her head and spoke slowly.
“I’ll be careful. Father.”
Seeing Sua’s words, Jung-gi seemed to have lost his anger or the will to continue, as he dropped the stick-like object he was holding to the ground and turned away with a grumble.
She’s not crying. Surprisingly.
Come to think of it, even when her brother Jiheon, who was older, used to torment her badly, she never showed tears like this, just lowered her eyes, as if she was just enduring it.
Han Sua, who had fully received Jung-gi’s anger, without shedding a single tear, left without a word. Her expression was different from what Hyun-oh had known.
“Fascinating.”
Han Sua.
With a sarcastic smile, Hyun-oh turned his body.
After some time passed.
As an adult, Hyun-oh, unable to resist the pressure of his high school classmates’ persuasion, went down to Jiheon’s villa during the summer vacation.
There, he met Sua after many years.
Han Sua, who had become a high school student.
“Long time no see.”
“Yes, hello. Hyun-oh… oppa.”
In response to Hyun-oh’s friendly words, Sua whispered her answer as if whispering.
She had grown up so much since then. Thin dress, slender body. Red lips on flawless white skin.
But there was something unchanged. Tying her hair tightly, lowering her eyes.
Han Sua never looked at Hyun-oh closely before. When she stood in front of him, she would close her lips, lower her eyes halfway, and speak as if murmuring.
As if mixing words was unpleasant.
Well, considering that she’s Jiheon’s annoying friend, it’s understandable. After all, she’s not that different from Jiheon, her brother.
Hyun-oh pushed his head forward to look at her face.
For some reason, he wanted to tease her.
“Take care of me during the vacation. I might owe you a lot.”
At the sudden approach, Sua shrunk her head like a turtle and blushed her face.
“What… What can I do for you?”
Her flushed cheek made him want to pinch it somehow.
You’re doing more than you think. This free villa life is already starting to be fun.
Hyun-oh smiled broadly, but he didn’t say those words.
* * *
How many days had they spent at the villa?
One morning, just as dawn was breaking, Hyun-oh suddenly woke up. He turned his head to see what the others were doing. But as expected, they were all still asleep, intoxicated by alcohol.
He clicked his tongue at their disheveled appearance.
“How pathetic.”
During high school, his friends were mostly third or fourth-generation chaebol kids who couldn’t resist their parents’ persuasion to come to the villa. They were trash who thought that the hardships of life or suffering were nonexistent, or that low grades were the biggest hardship in life.
And I’m one of those pieces of trash.
With a bitter smile, Hyun-oh hastily dressed and went outside. Before his self-loathing could take over, he wanted to feel the refreshing breeze.
There was a small walking path around Jiheon’s villa.
Since it was within the premises, outsiders couldn’t enter, and there was a small forest-like area. The winding path wasn’t long, and it didn’t take more than 30 minutes to reach the end, but walking on it made him feel quite good.
He had discovered it on the first day at the villa, and since then, whenever he wanted to get away from his friends, he would walk through the forest.
How far had he walked? A small shadow loomed over a bench in the middle of the forest.
“What time is it?”
Hyun-oh raised his hand to check his watch. It was a little past 6 o’clock. It was too small to be the villa’s caretaker.
As he approached a few more steps, the indistinct figure became clearer.
Underneath her high ponytail, her light brown bangs were slightly disheveled. The white neckline stretched down to her exposed skin, now shining under the newly risen sun.
It was Han Sua, sitting on the bench, reading a book in her sleeveless dress.
“What does this mean?”
Without anyone watching, she buried her head in the book and concentrated for a while. Then, she raised her head, looking satisfied after not understanding some part.
“Oh, I see.”
As if she suddenly understood, she raised her head and smiled contentedly.
The sunlight fell on Sua’s face, revealing a bright smile. Her lips curled up, and her deep brown eyes, which had been unseen until now, sparkled.
“She’s smiling.”
Even though it had been years since he had seen her, he had only ever seen her with a sunken face. She had never shown him a smiling face, not even once.
Even when Hyun-oh made jokes, she would politely respond with a stiff face.
“I thought she couldn’t smile at all, but she knows how to.”
Just knowing how to smile.
Her smile was so radiant, so beautiful, that it made Hyun-oh’s hurried footsteps come to a halt. Hyun-oh, who usually didn’t easily sway, felt his heart beating irregularly.
Thump.
Her smile was so bright.
* * *
It’s raining. The sound of the typhoon was loudly hitting Hyun-oh’s ears. It was so loud that even Hyun-oh, who just wanted to continue dreaming sweet dreams, had no choice but to open his eyes.
As he opened his eyes, he saw a white ceiling.
It was unfamiliar. It wasn’t the familiar ceiling of his house, nor was it the hotel where he had been staying recently.
Where am I?
However, before he could figure out where he was, he felt a warm sensation on his fingertips. He lowered his gaze towards that sensation.
It was Han Sua.
Not the young and naive girl he had seen in his dreams, but Han Sua, who had become an adult.
Her hair, always neatly brushed, was now a mess, soaked and disheveled. She had her face in her hands and her eyes closed.
Is she sleeping?
However, contrary to his expectations, a faint sob escaped from Sua’s lips.
“Sob….”
Tears fell from under her closed eyes.
It’s strange, Han Sua.
Even when her father scolded her like that, even when Jiheon said something, she never cried.
But she’s crying so easily in front of me.
Am I the one making you cry? I wanted to make you laugh, why are you crying again?
“Don’t cry….”
A short phrase, but anguish surged through Hyun-oh’s body. It was difficult to make a sound due to the unfamiliar pain that dominated his body, but he had to speak.
“Don’t cry, Sua.”
Her crying was something he couldn’t bear.
