Chapter 15
Jealousy
“Ah….”
The pressure tightening around her wrist grew stronger by the second.
If she stayed still, things would only get worse. So So-hye struggled, trying to break free from Woo-geon.
“It’s me, sir. I’m So-hye!”
His eyes, half-lost in focus, gradually regained their shine.
Assessing the situation, his startled gaze fixed on So-hye.
“Why are you here…?”
Sigh… what am I supposed to do with this teacher?
So-hye looked up at Woo-geon with a sulky expression.
“So, how long do I have to stay like this?”
A flash of realization passed in his eyes.
Woo-geon abruptly stood up, as if trying to escape.
In the process, So-hye ended up sprawling across the desk in the lab.
She muttered as she got up.
“You sure wake up from dreams dramatically.”
And he didn’t even help her up.
Her head and wrist ached from the impact.
As she alternated between rubbing her head and wrist, Woo-geon frowned.
“You should have woken me if you came here.”
“I thought it might end up like this if I tried to wake you.”
So-hye snapped back, and Woo-geon had nothing to reply.
Yet, it seemed he was a little apologetic; his glance toward her wrist carried a hint of concern.
“Sorry. You had a nightmare, huh.”
Receiving his belated apology, she couldn’t bring herself to complain further.
She worried about what kind of nightmare could make someone not recognize the person in front of them.
So-hye nodded magnanimously.
“It’s okay. That can happen if you have a nightmare. I also sometimes wake up tossing and turning.”
Quickly, she added something to prevent Woo-geon from feeling awkward.
“But you can’t just tell me to leave because it’s embarrassing. I came today to get paid and help, so I’m going to finish what I came to do.”
“I wasn’t thinking of making you leave. Your enthusiasm is nice.”
Woo-geon switched on the lab lights and began tidying the messy desk.
So-hye quickly bent down to pick up the scattered papers beside him and asked,
“So, what should I do today?”
“I want you to draw something.”
“What kind of drawing?”
“Butterflies. There are specimens that need to be discarded soon, and although the research on them is done, I think we should still keep a record.”
As expected, it was butterflies.
So-hye handed him the organized papers and sat neatly at the cleared desk.
She rolled up her sleeves and waited. Soon, Woo-geon placed large wooden boxes and basic art supplies in front of her.
From what she could see, each box held roughly a hundred butterflies.
“You need to draw all of the butterflies in here. But the patterns’ lengths and spacing need to be precise, so measure them carefully with a ruler before drawing.”
So-hye looked curiously at the ruler beside her.
It was finely graduated, able to measure even the tiniest intervals.
Woo-geon also handed her a notebook with measurements for each butterfly for reference.
“This is more complicated than I thought.”
“If it’s too hard, don’t do it. Half-hearted attempts won’t do.”
“I said it’s difficult, not impossible. I’ll draw them perfectly, just wait and see.”
So-hye rolled up both sleeves and set her determination ablaze.
At that sight, Woo-geon gave a faint smile.
“Anything you need, just say it. I’ll get it for you.”
“This is enough.”
So-hye began drawing the butterflies in earnest.
Each butterfly in the box, each one on paper—her eyes flitted back and forth.
She had never drawn with such precise measurements before, so she struggled at first, but soon she got the hang of it.
The soft scratch of graphite filled the quiet room.
From a desk a little away, Woo-geon quietly asked,
“Did you learn to draw formally?”
Shshsh…
Her pencil, filling the blank space, paused abruptly.
After a moment, her hand resumed moving.
“A long time ago.”
“A long time ago? When?”
“When I was nine.”
So-hye smiled faintly at the distant memory.
“My art teacher in elementary school said I had talent and taught me after class for free.”
It was a somewhat lonely, but not entirely painful, smile.
“Thinking back, that was probably the happiest time.
Even though we were poor, I could do what I loved. Occasionally, my father would come home. And sometimes he’d bring candy or chocolate, or even pencils and expensive paints.
Those little things made me think, ‘Ah, my father loves me.’”
“But I don’t dislike the present either.”
So-hye continued, filling in the midsection of a wing with yellow.
“There are still many things that make me happy now.”
Her sincere gaze fell on Woo-geon in front of her.
Thanks to her work at the modern café, she met him.
Thanks to him, she discovered emotions she had never felt before.
And thanks to him, she could now sit in the same space, drawing pictures for him.
That man alone might not outweigh everything she had lost in the past, but…
‘Still, good things are good.’
So-hye smiled and returned to her drawing.
The lab was once again filled with the quiet scratch of pencil on paper.
She did not notice the way Woo-geon watched her throughout.
It took exactly two hours and forty-five minutes to fill all the blank papers with butterflies.
Even then, they had to stop because they ran out of paper.
Woo-geon carefully inspected each page, and So-hye watched him with expectant eyes.
“How is it? Is this okay?”
A satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
“Not bad. Good work.”
“I’m glad it meets your expectations.”
While Woo-geon collected the butterfly drawings into an empty box, So-hye stood up and stretched.
Then she moved toward the densely packed bookshelves to browse.
“It’s always fascinating here.”
“Because of the butterflies?”
“That too, but it’s even more amazing to see so many books in Korean.”
In times like these, spaces where Korean books were freely available were rare.
After a while, So-hye paused, tilting her head.
“Is this English?”
“Do you know English?”
“A little. Working at a café increased my random knowledge.”
Woo-geon, having approached her, picked up the book she was looking at.
His long, elegant fingers turning the pages naturally drew her attention.
“It’s Esperanto, not English.”
“Esperanto?”
“Similar to English, but much easier to learn. It’s an international language—you can communicate with people worldwide with just this one language.”
“So there’s such a language?”
So-hye’s eyes widened in astonishment.
The thought of being able to communicate with anyone in the world fascinated her.
Recently, she had been puzzled listening to Chinese, so Esperanto seemed like a miracle.
Woo-geon handed her the book.
“My research papers are also translated into Esperanto for international conferences. That way, I can freely communicate with scholars in England, Germany, and elsewhere.”
“It’s amazing… that you can converse with people so far away.”
Although the handwriting inside was too intricate to understand, she was intrigued.
Woo-geon quietly observed So-hye’s curiosity.
When drawing, and now while reading, he felt her desire for learning.
Was it mere curiosity?
Or lingering regret for dreams unfulfilled in childhood?
Whatever it was, Woo-geon wanted to nurture that desire.
Whether it was out of pity, compassion, or just another excuse.
“Want to learn?”
“Learn this?”
So-hye’s eyes, wandering aimlessly over the pages, widened in surprise.
“You could help with my research sometimes, and at the same time, learn a little.”
Her gaze flitted over the text, sparkling with excitement.
But it didn’t last long.
“I… won’t get anything useful from learning this.”
The sparkle in her eyes faded entirely.
Like a butterfly suddenly snapped out of a dream, drifting high and then abruptly falling.
“Learning can change a person, even a little.”
He reached out, trying to grasp that fleeting moment, but it was in vain.
“So what if I change?”
A faint, powerless laugh escaped So-hye’s lips.
Resignation.
The curiosity and desire from moments ago had vanished, leaving only surrender.
“No matter how much the world changes, that’s only for certain people.
Those who are rich, or those who have many sins and are being chased.
For someone barely getting by, learning is just a shiny but worthless fruit.
Even wanting to learn is nothing more than a greedy wish.”
She forced herself to smile, trying to erase the bitterness that welled up inside.
“Still, I appreciate the offer. Ah… I was excited for a moment.”
She closed the book and returned it to the shelf.
Watching her, Woo-geon’s eyes darkened.
When she danced, she seemed so free.
Now, she seemed bound, as if shackled by invisible chains.
Her appearance as a butterfly wasn’t just about looks.
She, too, fluttered freely, yet could never leave this land—a fragile, weak butterfly.
“I should get going. I have work tonight.”
“Café work?”
“No… just something else.”
So-hye vaguely evaded the question and stood up.
Curious, he refrained from asking and followed her to escort her.
“Come on. I’ll take you to the main street.”
“Okay.”
The two walked side by side, leaving Songil High School.
“Thank you so much today. I could organize the specimens comfortably thanks to you.”
“I should be the one thanking you. I drew a lot and got paid generously, after all.”
So-hye tapped the bag with the envelope, beaming proudly.
At that, Woo-geon chuckled.
“Come by at the same time next week. We need to finish what we couldn’t draw today.”
“Okay! Leave it to me.”
“Today won’t be as busy. It’ll be over quickly, so don’t worry.”
“I don’t mind working longer.”
“Take a day off sometimes. You might hurt yourself otherwise.”
“You’re worrying about me now?”
So-hye raised an eyebrow playfully.
He was bewildered.
“I’m worried you’ll complain even on your rare day off.”
“Geez, even when I help, you complain. Embarrassing.”
“Even if I tell you to rest, you’ll be upset.”
“Why are you repeating me?”
“They’re technically different statements.”
“You’re really annoying…!”
Just then,
“Move out of the way, hey!”
A rickshaw suddenly appeared from the corner.
The driver couldn’t stop in time, and So-hye didn’t have a chance to dodge.
“Ah…!”
A strong arm swept her into it.
A dizzying scent brushed her nose.
Warmth wrapped around her shoulders.
And her cheek pressed against a white shirt, almost suffocating her.
The soft weight on her cheek was clearly Woo-geon’s chest.
He clicked his tongue, looking at the departing rickshaw with displeasure, then released her and checked her over.
“You okay?”
No, my heart doesn’t feel okay at all…
Although the scent faded as they moved apart, So-hye remained dazed, blinking slowly.
Being caught in Woo-geon’s arms twice in one day…
They say destiny rewards the devoted, perhaps the heavens were finally acknowledging her heart, giving her some answer…
“Watch where you’re walking. Be careful.”
“I think it might be better not to be careful…”
“What?”
“…Huh? Ah, nothing. Nothing at all.”
Muttering dazedly, So-hye stepped back and fixed her messy hair.
A slip of her lips, a tiny smack on her own lips, and she tried to move again.
Then, a woman’s voice stopped them both.
“Woo-geon oppa.”
Like jade beads flowing on a silver tray, the voice was delicate and musical.
So-hye couldn’t help but turn to see her.
Under a cloche hat of deep crimson, long curly hair cascaded like a waterfall.
Her coat matched the hat, paired with a skirt just revealing her ankles, and beneath that, long, slender legs.
Even more striking than her attire was her beautiful face.
“So pretty…”
So-hye found herself staring, captivated.
Her large eyes nearly dominated her face, her smooth, prominent nose seemed sculpted by a skilled artisan.
Even another woman would find her lovely.
She had a presence that made one feel shy just looking at her.
The contrast between her elegant attire and So-hye’s worn hanbok top was stark.
The soft aura surrounding her overshadowed So-hye’s neutral scent in an instant.
Her fluttering emotions collapsed to the ground.
“Yo-hwa.”
“I didn’t expect to see you here, oppa.”
Yo-hwa…
So-hye softly parted her lips.
If this was a courtesan from a Gyeongseong entertainment house, she had heard of her reputation.
“Why are you out at this hour? School isn’t even dismissed yet.”
Are they close?
Yo-hwa spoke as if she knew his routine.
“Are you on your way somewhere urgently?”
Hearing her voice, So-hye’s chest tightened.
Woo-geon, in contrast, responded expressionlessly.
“I have some work. I’ll return to school now.”
“Oh, I see…”
She extended her words in a curious tone, then glanced at So-hye.
Her gaze toward So-hye was markedly different from how she looked at Woo-geon.
This wasn’t simple shyness toward a stranger.
Unaware or pretending not to notice, Yo-hwa turned back to Woo-geon, speaking softly,
“Do you have a moment?”
“Why would I?”
“I have something to tell you.”
She lifted the corner of her lips in a subtle smile and cast a glance at So-hye.
It was a clear signal: the two should talk privately.
So-hye awkwardly smiled at Woo-geon.
“I’ll leave now, sir. Please talk freely.”
“…Alright. Be careful.”
“Thank you for seeing me off.”
So-hye bowed slightly and walked away as if fleeing.
She glanced back to see the two facing each other.
One word naturally came to mind:
‘A perfect couple….’
Anyone could see that they were a harmonious pair.
That thought, inevitable as it was, made So-hye’s chest tighten painfully.
It was a new feeling she had never experienced since meeting Woo-geon.
Her heart ached.
