Chapter 8
Am I Happy?
Right now, I’m full, my back is warm, my mind is completely at peace, and I have nothing to worry about.
Am I happy?
It wasn’t some profound philosophical question. It was simply a fleeting thought that surfaced in that moment.
Lying sprawled out on the wooden floor, Byeol rubbed her full stomach and rolled lazily from side to side.
“I seriously don’t know what he’s trying to do.”
She thought about Woo-hyun.
He had threatened to tack on additional compensation if the food wasn’t good, even joking about adding a “being-annoying surcharge.” Yet in the end, he’d cleaned every last anchovy from his bowl.
He’d devoured the meal like a starving man, yet never once admitted that it was delicious.
“Ugh… I hate things that end up this ambiguous…”
Why had this man come all the way to Samcheok only to keep getting tangled up with her?
Whether it was fate or coincidence.
If someone asked whether she’d ever dated before, she’d simply decline to answer.
Who would want a girlfriend who ran off every time she got a phone call?
It wasn’t as though her appearance was ordinary, either.
People often said her eyes looked as gentle as a puppy’s while her lips carried an oddly seductive shape.
Perhaps because of that, plenty of men had approached her over the years.
But after exchanging only a few words, most of them quickly lost interest because of the way she spoke.
She couldn’t sugarcoat anything.
Her instinct to investigate everything, to analyze people the way a reporter would, often made others uncomfortable.
In short…
She was probably the worst possible person to date.
She had given up dreaming about romance long ago.
Unable to watch their daughter grow older alone, her mother had finally arranged a blind date.
That was how she’d met Seo Woo-hyun.
A relationship that should have ended awkwardly from the start.
Had accepting the jacket he’d draped over her shoulders been a mistake after all?
After rolling around for several more minutes, Byeol glanced at the time and abruptly sat up.
In another hour she’d have to head to the family restaurant and help with work.
She opened her closet, preparing to become “the most unfashionable country girl in Samcheok.”
Just then, the old flip phone she’d tossed carelessly onto her desk rang.
Instead of a smartphone, she now used an old 2G phone.
Putting on her reddish-pink work vest, she answered.
“Hello, sunbae. Long time no hear.”
“Hey, Lee Byeol! Still alive?”
The loud, booming voice came through crystal clear.
It belonged to Hae-sung—her senior reporter, mentor, and former partner.
Four months had passed, but he sounded exactly the same.
“Of course. Nice water, nice breeze, and nowhere near as noisy as Seoul. It’s wonderful for my mental health.”
Well…
Not all the time.
Hae-sung laughed at her joke.
“I’m glad you called, but what’s up? I figured no news was good news.”
Slipping a fluffy wool eco-bag over her shoulder, Byeol left her room.
As she tied her hair with the elastic around her wrist, the tangled ends caught between her fingers.
“You calling out of nowhere makes me nervous. Since when did you become addicted to my dad’s sashimi?”
“You brat! Fish tastes best when it’s cold! Once the weather warms up, it loses half its flavor. Anyway, me, Gam-woo, and Yoon-ja are heading down tomorrow. We’ll get there a little after lunch.”
She slipped on her sneakers, wiggling her toes comfortably into place.
“That sounds suspicious. You’re not coming to chase a story in my town, are you?”
“Is there even a story worth chasing?”
“You’d know better than me. You know I’ve cut myself off from the outside world.”
“Good. Keep it that way. Don’t bother finding out. Things are incredibly messy these days. But seriously, I’m not coming for work. Just figured I’d see your face while I’m at it… and do a little inspection.”
“Inspection?”
“I heard a major corporation’s investing in your area. But the property they’re buying is… interesting. I just want to take a look. It’s not even my department anyway. Just me sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.”
“Oh… things have been a little noisy around here lately. Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow. But remember, I’m unemployed, so I’m not buying lunch.”
“I know, brat. The editor even gave me the company card to treat you.”
“Our editor really hands that thing out way too easily.”
“We only use the corporate card to fill our stomachs. Don’t worry about her. That woman’s eating premium Korean beef every meal.”
“Well… she has always been generous.”
Smiling to herself, Byeol stepped outside.
The pink helmet Woo-hyun had worn yesterday still hung from her scooter.
The same pink helmet she barely used herself.
Seriously… how small is his face?
How did a women’s-size helmet fit him so perfectly?
She turned the helmet over in her hands before bursting into laughter.
Hae-sung continued rambling on the phone, barely noticing whether she was listening, before hanging up because he needed to use the bathroom.
His one-sided lectures…
Oddly enough, she’d missed them.
Out of curiosity, she slipped on the helmet Woo-hyun had worn.
A strange expression crossed her face.
The next second she yanked it off and shoved it under the scooter seat.
“This is ridiculous.”
Her hand trembled slightly.
Her eyebrows twitched with reluctant defeat.
“No.
It’s just because I have so much hair.”
Right.
That had to be it.
She started the scooter, fastened her own helmet securely, and headed toward Farewell Fisheries.
Parking outside, she saw her parents busily preparing for the lunchtime rush.
Beyond the restaurant’s clear glass walls lay an entirely different world.
Not the fragile bubble she’d built for herself—
but the real world where ordinary people lived.
She had abandoned journalism in order to become one of them.
It’s okay.
Right now…
I’m full.
My back is warm.
My mind is peaceful.
I have nothing to worry about.
I am happy.
Later That Day
“We’re meeting Assemblyman Jeong Chan-joo at 5:30. Find us a restaurant.”
At Woo-hyun’s instruction, Assistant Manager Oh immediately pulled out his smartphone and walked off while making a call.
The wind whistled eerily between the concrete pillars.
This was already Woo-hyun’s second visit to the Para Para Hotel today.
Looking at his employees—who all looked exhausted from last night’s drinking—he clicked his tongue.
“Just how late did you people drink? We’re here on a business trip, not vacation.”
Manager Park, the main culprit behind the previous night’s drinking session, scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“I’m sorry, Director. The owner of the seafood restaurant kept bringing us complimentary dishes, so… we ended up drinking too much. We’ll pull ourselves together.”
“Don’t make mistakes. Once we get back to headquarters, you’ll all have plenty to do. Redo the commercial district analysis and obtain the original blueprints.”
“Yes, sir.”
Hands in his pockets, Woo-hyun climbed the stairs.
It felt completely different from when he’d visited alone yesterday.
Or with Byeol.
Now he noticed the harsher atmosphere, along with all the concrete damage caused by years of exposure to the sea breeze.
There was much more that needed repair than he’d initially thought.
Fortunately, structural work wasn’t his department.
As soon as he reached the third floor, exactly as expected, several pairs of eyes emerged from the shadows.
Mackerel.
Cheese.
Marshmallow.
Red Bean.
Even the cats that had kept their distance this morning slowly padded over before crouching nearby.
Their food bowl and water dish were both empty.
As Woo-hyun filled the water bowl, Red Bean rubbed briefly against his leg before walking away again.
Just like someone I know.
That morning, after riding behind Byeol on her scooter, they’d arrived at a tiny local restaurant.
Just as she’d promised…
There was no sign.
The humble little building had a low ceiling, pale jade-colored window film, and the fragrant aroma of sesame oil drifting out through the sliding door.
But the “boyfriend” she’d mentioned?
He never appeared.
Instead…
There was simply an unbelievably delicious home-cooked meal.
What on earth was that?
Before he’d realized it, he’d cleaned every grain of rice from his bowl.
People always said familiar flavors were the most dangerous.
If the meal had been mediocre, his pride wouldn’t have taken such a blow.
A simple ₩5,000 home-style breakfast had completely erased the memory of yesterday’s ₩500,000 luxury course meal.
Without thinking, Woo-hyun opened the cooler, took out another bottle of cold water, and refilled the cats’ bowl.
The cats immediately gathered around to drink.
His employees stared in surprise.
Assistant Manager Oh, having successfully booked the restaurant, cautiously approached.
“Director… are you taking care of these cats?”
“Someone I know has been feeding them. Until I give further instructions, don’t touch anything here.”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
“And… does anyone have paper and a pen?”
“I’ll get them. What do you need them for?”
“Do I really have to explain that? I’m going to write something.”
At the icy reply, Assistant Manager Oh quickly bowed and hurried downstairs with two employees.
Woo-hyun instructed the rest of the staff to inspect the upper floors before leaning casually against the sofa.
At that moment…
Marshmallow, the fluffy white cat, wandered over and plopped its entire belly onto his foot.
Should he laugh?
Or not?
You watched me with her twice, and now you’ve already decided I’m safe?
Suppressing a sneeze after the cat brushed against his nose, Woo-hyun accepted the pen and paper from the returning Assistant Manager Oh.
“Thanks.”
Glancing down at Marshmallow—who had effectively pinned him in place—he began writing.
Assistant Manager Oh couldn’t hide his curiosity.
Woo-hyun filled an entire sheet of A4 paper without hesitation.
Numbered clauses.
One through nine.
No one could make sense of them.
After finishing with a signature, he placed the paper on the sofa and weighed it down with the water bottle.
“Is that for the owner of these things?”
As Assistant Manager Oh leaned in for a closer look, Woo-hyun gently blocked his view and smiled.
“It’s a love letter.”
“Please don’t read it.”
“…Excuse me?”
“A rather aggressive love letter.”
Assistant Manager Oh swallowed hard.
He’d managed to catch words like proof of facts, compensation for damages, settlement, and innocence.
Yet somehow…
Woo-hyun was calling it a love letter.
Before he could investigate further, one of the cats climbed onto the paper and flopped down squarely on top of it.
As though guarding the “love letter.”
Smiling with satisfaction, Woo-hyun looked toward the employees who had already reached the top floor and called out calmly,
“Let’s go eat.
I found a surprisingly good restaurant.”
