IDMPYU 32

Chapter 32. It’s Been a While
Ji-hyun woke up with a sleepy face and looked around.

Hyun-sook, who should have been lying next to her, was nowhere to be seen. She vaguely remembered Hyun-sook saying last night that she’d be leaving early to help out at a VIP gardening party.

A gardening party in this cold weather…?

“Ugh, it’s freezing.”

Ji-hyun collapsed back into bed and pulled the blanket tightly over her head. Until yesterday, the cold had been bearable, but the temperature had dropped drastically overnight.

Turning on the boiler would warm the room quickly, but instead of pressing the power button, Ji-hyun opted to find and put on her sleeping socks.

She felt it was wasteful to use the boiler when she was alone. The blanket, warmed by her own body heat, was cozy and comforting.

Although she was awake, she didn’t want to get up. So she stared at the ceiling, wiggling her feet under the covers.

This winter, she was determined to graduate and begin preparing for the teacher certification exam. Others usually began right after graduating, and at twenty-six, she felt she was already late.

But her classmates and even the teaching assistant had all advised against it.

“If you pass the exam, your freedom ends there. Teaching isn’t bad, but experience other things first.”

Easy for them to say. Ji-hyun needed a stable job as soon as possible.

Since she had to quit her part-time jobs to focus on studying for the exam, she had taken repeated leaves of absence to save money. Her financial situation had never been comfortable, but even so, she was thankful.

She was grateful that she only had to worry about living expenses, not tuition. On the day she received her university acceptance letter, Hyun-sook got a call from an unknown number.

[Whale Scholarship Foundation]

She had never heard of it before.

She didn’t know how they found out about her, but the foundation informed her that they would provide her with a scholarship due to her difficult circumstances.

Ji-hyun was baffled by the news.

Getting contacted by a foundation she had never applied to was suspicious, but with tuition due, she couldn’t afford to question it.

Without hesitation, Ji-hyun signed the consent form that the foundation sent for the selected recipients.

It was much later that she learned the Whale Foundation mainly sponsored students specializing in the field of biotechnology.

“Time to get up now.”

Unable to keep wiggling under the covers, Ji-hyun sat up groggily. Today, she was supposed to meet Ha-jun.

Since the day Ji-hyun left Seung-ho’s house with Hyun-sook, Ha-jun had kept in regular contact with her. He had given her a stack of new workbooks, brought snacks, and even visited secretly.

Each time, she told him not to worry about her and to stop coming, but it was thanks to his care that she was able to endure the lonely, difficult final year of high school in a strange place.

Sometimes, just sometimes, Ji-hyun wanted to ask him:

How is Shin Seung-ho doing?

But she never could. She didn’t need to ask—she already knew. Seung-ho would be eating well, sleeping well, and doing just fine, just like always.

The fact that he hadn’t tried to find her despite his habit of throwing fits whenever she was missing, was proof enough.

Still, Ji-hyun occasionally thought of Seung-ho’s face. And with it came the memory of the madam’s scornful gaze and harsh words about being cheap.

That humiliation had been unbearable. On the day when the overlapping memories of Seung-ho and the madam’s voice became too much, she finally decided to forget everything that happened there.

“Ji-hyun! Over here!”

Ha-jun spotted Ji-hyun and raised his hand high, waving excitedly. Though she was never late, he always arrived before her. It had been a while since they last met.

Before returning to school after completing his military service, Ha-jun had gone on a trip to Europe. Not because he wanted to, but because his wealthy friends had dragged him along.

“Did you wait long?”

“No, I just got here too.”

“What do you want to drink?”

“I’ll have coffee.”

Ha-jun looked slightly disappointed by her answer after checking the menu.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Didn’t you use to like pink lemonade?”

Ji-hyun nodded with a smile.

“I do, but sometimes it’s nice to try something different.”

Ha-jun soon returned with drinks. On the tray were two hot Americanos and one pink lemonade—three drinks total.

“Lemonade?”

Her eyes questioned him, and he replied brusquely.

“You like it. You drink them all.”

“But I said coffee.”

“I know. I just thought of you when I saw it and ordered it without thinking.”

Lifting his coffee, Ha-jun averted his gaze. Ji-hyun chuckled when she saw the pink drink.

“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”

Ha-jun glanced at the paper bag under the table. It was filled with gifts he had picked up whenever he thought of Ji-hyun during his trip. Unlike his friends who constantly traveled abroad, Ha-jun mostly stayed in Korea.

His friends often scolded him for not wanting to see the world, but he had lost interest in travel ever since he began spending more time with Ji-hyun and Mi-ri when he was eighteen.

Among his energetic, sightseeing friends, he tried to find his own source of joy—buying small souvenirs representing each country to give to Ji-hyun, who had never once been abroad.

Over time, the gifts became bigger and more elaborate. If his friends hadn’t stopped him, he might have even carried around a porcelain doll.

The last country he visited before returning home was…

“How was your trip?”

Ji-hyun’s question snapped him out of his thoughts.

“It was… okay.”

Clink. He set his cup down with the same indifference as his response.

“You went all around Europe and that’s all you have to say?”

“It’s true.”

Shrugging, he stared silently at Ji-hyun, who was now pouting.

“What was the last country you visited?”

“…England. London.”

“Oh…”

She let out a small sigh and didn’t ask any more questions about his trip.

London—the place where Seung-ho was.

Ha-jun also didn’t tell her what it was like there.

Sometimes, he remembered the last time he saw Seung-ho in front of Cheongmyeong High School. His relaxed aura sharply contrasted the heaviness in his eyes, creating a strange dissonance.

Despite his arrogance, Ha-jun had caught a glimpse of loss on Seung-ho’s face, making it hard to believe that Ji-hyun had meant nothing to him.

He thought Seung-ho would look for her. He thought he would give up studying abroad and choose a Korean university. But he was wrong.

Seung-ho had perfectly followed his scheduled plan and soon left for England.

It was a hollow ending.

“Anyway…”

Ha-jun leaned forward slightly, changing the subject.

“Ji-hyun, is there anyone you like?”

“Huh?”

Startled, Ji-hyun’s cheeks flushed pink.

“Even though you’re on a break, you still get calls from classmates.”

Especially those damn guys…

Ha-jun grumbled internally but kept a calm face. Even though Ji-hyun never said it, it was obvious she was popular in her department.

“No.”

“Really?”

His heart relaxed at her indifferent answer. He always needed to hear it directly to feel at ease. Ji-hyun took a sip of her lemonade and looked at him.

“Then what about you?”

“What?”

“Is there someone you like?”

Burning inside, Ha-jun gulped down his hot coffee in one go.

There are plenty of girls who like me…

As a student at a prestigious university, Ha-jun was quite popular. If he told Ji-hyun the truth, she would sincerely congratulate him and cheer him on. The thought was unbearable.

Should he just tell her…?

Looking at her bright face, the urge to confess suddenly surged.

He had always been used to hiding his feelings in front of her, but something told him if he didn’t say it now, he never would. Taking a deep breath, Ha-jun opened his mouth.

“Ji-hyun, I…”

At that moment, Ji-hyun’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen and stopped him.

“Sorry, hold on a sec, Ha-jun.”

She answered the call from a TA she was close with at school. Her expression turned serious.

When she hung up, she looked apologetic.

“Sorry… I have to go to school now.”

“School? But it’s vacation.”

“Yeah, the department TA wants to see me briefly. I think it’s about an internship.”

Whatever it was, it seemed urgent. Ji-hyun hurriedly gathered her things, bowed quickly, and rushed off.

Ha-jun stared blankly at the paper bag he didn’t get to give her.

“I hope she picks the right internship…”

For some reason, he felt uneasy.

Ji-hyun opened the department office door, catching her breath.

“Unni!”

“You’re here?”

Despite having told her it was urgent, the TA, Soo-young, greeted her calmly.

“What’s this about the internship?”

“Oh, that…”

Adjusting her glasses, Soo-young handed her a file from the desk.

“You know the Whale Scholarship Foundation, right?”

“Whale…?”

A strange sense of déjà vu made Ji-hyun frown.

“Yeah, the foundation that supports biotech students. They unexpectedly have an opening. And you’re the perfect candidate.”

As she explained, Ji-hyun quickly skimmed the documents.

“The pay is good, you meet all the qualifications, and the work environment is great. Honestly, I really hope you take it.”

The conditions were clearly great, but something made her uneasy.

Ji-hyun gave a vague smile.

“I’d like to… but I’m not sure if I’ll be chosen.”

“You will be.”

Startled by Soo-young’s confident voice, Ji-hyun looked up.

“Actually… someone from the foundation’s leadership is here right now.”

“…What?”

Soo-young smiled meaningfully and turned toward the wall Ji-hyun hadn’t noticed when she entered.

Following her gaze, Ji-hyun’s eyes nervously shifted. Her stomach churned and her heart began to pound uncontrollably.

How could I not have seen him?

A man stood leaning casually against the white wall, exuding an overwhelming presence. Jet-black eyes like a midnight sky. A face as beautiful as it was arrogant. And that face looked directly at Ji-hyun, cold and expressionless.

“…It’s been a while.”