Chapter 42

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Waiting in the Rain
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42.

Holding the umbrella Mr. Joo had given her, Yeon-joo trudged on. Even without the exhaustion from her volunteer work, it had been a trying day.

"I like you, Yeon-joo."

She’d never known a person's voice could tremble like that until today.

How could receiving a confession feel so heavy? It was becoming unbearable, leaving her feeling increasingly helpless. She slightly regretted turning away, lost for words, when he’d asked for a chance.

Thinking of the distant future, she knew cutting things off as soon as possible would be the kindest thing for him. But not many people could be so cold in the face of such an earnest plea. Unable to bring herself to say the words, Yeon-joo had simply offered a small smile to conclude the conversation.

*‘I’ll be waiting. Have a nice weekend date with Mr. Joo.’*

“Ugh, this is driving me crazy! What does he want from me?!”

As Eun-seong's words popped into her head yet again, she stopped in her tracks and burst out in frustration. How was she supposed to get through a single day with her sanity intact?

She wondered if this was all really happening to her, but a sigh escaped her lips, as there was no other explanation but reality. Others might say she was being ungrateful for her good fortune, but—

“I'm about to burst. I feel like I'm going to explode...”

This situation, this conflict—none of it was welcome.

Meanwhile, the clock ticked toward nine. The rain was getting heavier, yet there was still no word from him. Where and how was he supposed to be waiting?

*He was just saying that, right? Surely he wouldn't wait all day without even telling me where?*

“Is he at the film set? No way, it's the weekend.”

Yeon-joo suddenly looked back the way she came. *Should I take a taxi to the set...?*

After a moment's thought, she shook her head. He wouldn't be at an empty film set. And even if he was? What would she do after taking a taxi all the way there to meet him?

“Stop thinking about it. Just stop. Please, Yeon-joo, stop caring...”

She closed her eyes, muttering, trying to convince herself. If Eun-seong were really waiting for her, he would have called. With his impatient nature, there was no way he would have gone this long without a single message, nor would he have been so vague about the location.

He must have just said it to get under her skin all day.

“Who am I to worry about him, when I've got my own problems? Besides, they say you're not supposed to worry about celebrities, right?”

And he wasn't just any celebrity. In that sense, Im Eun-seong was definitely not someone to be worried about.

Sigh. Yeon-joo started walking again. Exhausted by her own thoughts, weighed down by her own worries, the short walk home felt endlessly long.

The streaks of rain were starkly visible under a lone streetlight in a secluded spot. The pitter-patter of raindrops on her umbrella echoed mournfully on her way home.

She walked endlessly down the alley she could navigate with her eyes closed, staring at her feet and letting out one dry sigh after another—

“You're here earlier than I expected.”

A voice that stopped her in her tracks.

Her gaze fixed on the tips of her shoes, Yeon-joo slowly closed and opened her eyes. Then, turning her umbrella, she looked to the side. There, standing under the lonely streetlight without an umbrella of his own, was Eun-seong.

“How long have you been here?”

“Hmm. Since before it started raining.”

“And how do you know where I live?”

“I got the general location from Director Jin. There were so many alleys, I wasn't sure, but it looks like this is the right place.”

“I don't want you here. Please go back.”

“Then go inside. I won't stop you.”

“Then stay here. I'm leaving.”

With that brief farewell, Yeon-joo started walking again. She wanted to hurry and hide before her frantic heart leaped out of her chest.

How far did she get? She walked faster than before, walking and walking, walking and walking, and then... she stopped.

“I'm going crazy. I'm really, really going to lose my mind...”

Her hand tightened on the umbrella handle as she squeezed her eyes shut. After taking several deep breaths, she turned and hurried back. The sound of the rain drumming against her umbrella was so harsh, and the autumn wind chilled her fingertips.

*Why, in this rain? Why...?*

“You don't have an umbrella?”

Yeon-joo asked, having finally returned to where Eun-seong stood. He lifted his head. Even without being wet from the rain, his eyes held their characteristic moistness.

“It wasn't raining when I came out.”

“What about your car? Where's your car?”

When she asked where his car was, he just shrugged. A surge of frustration rose in her, and she pressed the bridge of her nose, her voice firm.

“Are you really someone who can just wander around like this? Aren't you the one with the precious portrait rights? What if someone recognizes you out here...?”

Yeon-joo's voice trailed off. He pulled a mask from his pocket and waved it with an innocent smile, and her heart felt like it was about to break.

*...I strictly taught my child that lying was bad, yet here I was, lying day in and day out.*

“I may not look it, but I'm a pro at hiding. I haven't been caught.”

“Is that, is that really something to brag about right now...?”

Another day, another lie.

I'm fine. I'm happy. I'm not in pain.

“I'm glad I waited.”

I'm content. I'm at ease. I want to keep living the way I have been.

“You and I... we were always destined to meet again.”

I don't love you.

***

So what becomes of us

As if she'd given up on going home, Yeon-joo sighed and stepped closer. Eun-seong raised an eyebrow. When she extended her arm to tilt the umbrella over him, he stepped right under it without hesitation.

“D-don't come so close.”

“Then don't offer me the umbrella. Why say something so nasty after sharing it?”

“That's not it. I might smell like sweat.”

“So what if you smell a little like sweat? You don't, and even if you did, I wouldn't care...”

He was about to say it was no big deal when his eyes widened dramatically.

“Why were you sweating? Why? For what reason?”

“Because I had reason to.”

“Where were you sweating?”

“In a car. Why? Is that enough for you?”

His eyes flashed as if his pupils were about to roll back into his head, leaving only the whites. As Eun-seong rolled his eyes, Yeon-joo gave him a pathetic look.

“So what's the plan? Aren't you going home?”

“We just met and you're already trying to get rid of me?”

“I came to give you the umbrella. So you wouldn't wander around pathetically without one. You have a certain social standing, after all. I was just trying to help you save face.”

As they bickered, the wind shifted, blowing rain under the umbrella. Eun-seong turned Yeon-joo's body, using her as a windbreak.

“Stand straight. I'm getting wet.”

“Ah... seriously... the difference is just... so stark...”

“What? A comparison? Who are you comparing to whom, and what to what? Stop being sarcastic and speak clearly.”

“Oh, forget it. Come here. We can't have your precious self getting wet.”

Yeon-joo blocked the wind and held the umbrella further over him. As her own body was exposed to the rain, Eun-seong snatched the umbrella from her.

“What were you doing when everyone else was growing? You can't even hold an umbrella properly. Give it here.”

*Ha! As if he doesn't realize he's the tall one, and he has the nerve to call me short?*

“That's Mr. Joo's umbrella, so use it carefully and give it ba—”

As Yeon-joo spoke, Eun-seong abruptly closed the umbrella. He spun it around wildly, just as he had with the broom before, flinging rainwater everywhere. Yeon-joo covered her head, her eyes wide with shock.

“You're splashing water all over me! What do you think you're doing?!”

“You dared to give me an umbrella that was given to you by another man.”

*What... what is he talking about?*

Staring at him with wide, incredulous eyes, she watched as Eun-seong pointed the tip of the umbrella at her. Yeon-joo lifted her chin as if daring him to stab her in the throat.

*Fine. Kill me. Just kill me!*

“If you're going to stab me, do it quickly. I don't want to get rained on.”

“You said you were already sweating buckets. What's a little rain matter?”

“What did the umbrella ever do to you?! Ugh, give it back!”

“No. You expect me to stand here looking at an umbrella another man gave you?”

“If you don't want to use it, fine! I'll use it by myself!”

As they argued, Eun-seong strode closer and took off his outer jacket. Then, with a less-than-gentle motion, he draped it over her head.

“Stop making a fuss and use this. It's the best I can do.”

“...You're a real mess.”

“Remember? We used to get caught in the rain all the time. Because you were always losing umbrellas.”

Her clothes were already soaked, but strangely, it felt refreshing. When he suddenly brought up the past, Yeon-joo replied defensively.

“You say that as if I was the only one who lost them. One out of every three times, it was you who lost it, you know.”

“So you do remember? And here you were, pretending you'd forgotten everything.”

Caught in her lie, a wave of heat washed over her. Her face flushed, she spoke calmly.

“There were some memories that were too good to forget completely.”

“...”

“There's no other reason. That's all.”

At her words, Eun-seong smiled. He reached out to adjust the jacket on her, and Yeon-joo took a step back.

“That's enough, you should wear it, Baeunim. You're already soaked...”

As Yeon-joo tried to take off the jacket, Eun-seong grabbed her wrist tightly. A mixture of hot and cold sensations swirled together, and unable to tell which was her own, she tensed her fingertips.

This rain, these downpours.

“Should I tell you something important?”

“What is it?”

*If this is a day that will never come again—*

*I wished this day would never end.*

“I'm hungry.”