Chapter 11
Pure Love
11.
A Sea of Flowers
“Seong-hun hyung!”
Following the voice, Seong-hun’s gaze shifted, and a small smirk escaped his lips before he even realized it. His cousin, Hyeon-wook, was peeking his head through the door with a broad grin, and Seong-hun couldn’t help but smile back.
“Hyung, are you busy?”
“What the… when did you get here?”
Seong-hun stood up from his seat. Only then did Hyeon-wook step fully into the office, his smile widening.
“Just arrived. I thought about going straight to Domyeongjae, but I wanted to see you first.”
“You should’ve called. Dropping in without a word…”
“Doesn’t showing up unannounced let me see this side of you? I like that you’re happy to see me.”
As Hyeon-wook teased him with his usual cheekiness, Seong-hun gave him a light playful jab in the side before sitting down on the sofa.
Twenty-nine-year-old Hyeon-wook was the son of Seong-hun’s uncle, Nam Tae-jin, the President of Seoyang Construction.
The two cousins were on good terms. Though they didn’t see each other often, it was an undeniable fact that Hyeon-wook had followed Seong-hun around like a shadow since they were children.
As Hyeon-wook joined him on the sofa, a secretary brought in drinks. Hyeon-wook drained his glass of orange juice in a few gulps and let out a long sigh.
“Ah, even if it’s for work, it feels good to be here.”
“What’s so good about a dusty construction site!”
“What do you mean? It’s cool. A space filled with the fierce sweat and passion of men. Kwah. A place where people with real muscles—totally different from gym muscles—gather. I like it.”
“Then come and work here.”
“No.”
At Hyeon-wook’s instantaneous, clean-cut refusal, Seong-hun stared at him flatly. Hyeon-wook feigned ignorance and scratched his neck.
Hyeon-wook was a rarity in the Nam family: sociable, approachable, and high-spirited. As if he had inherited the exact destiny of President Nam Tae-jin—who was said to be born under a lucky star for a life of leisure—Hyeon-wook was currently living a life far removed from the family business.
He made furniture in a private workshop. When he grew tired of that, he would grab a camera and take off on a whim to travel.
A life with nothing to envy, a free soul—that was the kind of person Hyeon-wook was.
“Hyung, you should take it easy too. You should rest at least when you’re away from my dad!”
Seong-hun parted his lips slightly to retort.
“I think the one taking it easy because we’re apart isn’t me, but your father.”
“Ah. Right. You’re right. My dad goes out to play golf every single day lately. He’s incredibly diligent when it comes to that. He’s usually such a late sleeper, but he’ll head out at dawn for golf.”
As Hyeon-wook rambled on as if taddling, Seong-hun took a sip of his tea. Despite his father being the president of a construction company, Hyeon-wook knew the extent of his father’s capabilities all too well.
‘Our company is kept alive by Seong-hun, not me,’ was a phrase the man wore like a habit. He was proud of that fact and even went so far as to call himself Seong-hun’s ‘figurehead president.’
“No matter how much I think about it, you should have been my father’s son. Dad said he’s getting some deer antler tonic made for you because he’s worried you’ll wear yourself out.”
“Please, I’m begging you, tell him not to do such useless and futile things.”
“Anyway, he’s constantly fretting that you might collapse. Why does he worry about your health while piling on this much work? He’s my dad, but he’s really immature!”
“I’m serving him comfortably precisely because he’s immature. If your father had his personality and maturity, I would have cut ties long ago.”
When Seong-hun expressed his lack of concern in a roundabout way, Hyeon-wook beamed. He found his cousin impressive for looking after an immature father without a single word of complaint. Since Hyeon-wook himself fought with his dad every time their eyes met, Seong-hun seemed like a saint to him.
I couldn’t even imitate that if I were born again. Accepting this quickly, Hyeon-wook shook his head.
“…Hyung, no matter how I look at it, I don’t think I could live like you. How can a person just work every day? There are so many fun and wonderful things in the world.”
“Sure, there are many fun and wonderful things. So many that I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“Whoa, whoa. You don’t know? Hyung, just make some time. I’ll show you everything in style. You just need to give me the time.”
“Is that so? Then do you want to work at the company in my place?”
“……No?”
“I need time to try anything ‘in style.’ So come into the office. I’ll clear a spot for you.”
“No? I’m fine, though? Shall we act like the last part of this conversation never happened?”
When Hyeon-wook turned dead serious, insisting that was absolutely out of the question, Seong-hun couldn’t help but chuckle. Hyeon-wook laughed along and tapped the table.
“Hyung. What time are you off?”
Seong-hun pushed back his sleeve to check the time.
“One hour.”
“At most?”
“At least.”
“Hoooom.” Hyeon-wook made a dissatisfied face at Seong-hun not leaving immediately, but he soon nodded. He couldn’t very well demand an immediate exit after barging in uninvited.
“Then get to work, hyung. I’ll just look at my phone.”
The moment he finished speaking, Seong-hun stood up. Returning to his desk, he glanced back and asked Hyeon-wook.
“How long are you staying at Domyeongjae?”
“Me? I don’t know. I came without much thought. A week? Ten days? Or until you leave?”
At Hyeon-wook’s vague answer, Seong-hun let out a short breath and sat down.
“Hyung. If I’m distracting, should I wait outside?”
“Just don’t talk to me and just breathe. That’ll do.”
“Yes, sir!”
Since he had to move diligently to finish his work within the hour, Seong-hun fixed his eyes back on the monitor.
Though she had started the task with grand ambitions, Yeon-woo was growing exhausted by the never-ending workload. Having taken over the duties without a detailed explanation, she wasn’t even sure if her methods were correct. She had sought out Eun-ja, who had dumped the work on her, to ask for verification, but the only response she got was:
“If I were gonna check every little thing, I woulda just done it myself. Why d’you think I gave you the work? Just figure it out.”
Yeon-woo pulled dishes from the storage, filled a large basket, and carried them outside. As she lifted and set them down, a groan escaped her lips involuntarily. She had no idea how many times she had repeated this, and a primal doubt began to surface: why on earth were this many dishes even necessary?
Just as she reached for the pile of dishes again, she heard a sound behind her. Turning around, she saw Manager Moon Ok-rye.
Yeon-woo stood up reflexively. Her stiff legs wouldn’t cooperate, making her stumble.
Yeon-woo scanned her surroundings before looking back at Manager Moon.
“Is there something else you need me to do?”
Not knowing what time or where to eat, Yeon-woo had gone hungry all day. She had thought about contacting Ja-yeong, her mother’s friend, but she didn’t have a phone, and Ja-yeong was off duty today.
When Yeon-woo remained silent with her lips pressed tight, Manager Moon clicked her tongue.
“Is that walkie-talkie just for show? When it’s mealtime, you gotta radio in. You carrying that around just for waist exercise? Who’s gonna look after you? You gotta look after yourself.”
Yeon-woo still kept her mouth shut. She considered explaining that she had lost track of time because she was so focused on finishing the work quickly, but she gave up. Manager Moon’s expression was far too stern, and her blunt way of speaking made Yeon-woo even more tongue-tied.
“Unless you’re plannin’ on crawlin’ into a coffin tomorrow, pack it up and wash your hands for the day!”
“Then what should I do now?”
When Yeon-woo asked immediately while pulling off her rubber gloves, Manager Moon looked appalled. She had expected a question about whether she could rest now, but hearing her ask for more work made her wonder what kind of girl this was.
Manager Moon was about to tell her to get some rest since she’d have to pull night duty once the other employees left, but instead, she lifted her chin and spoke.
“The Vice President is comin’ home, so go to Unseondang like yesterday and do some sweepin’. Air the place out, too.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Without a word of complaint, Yeon-woo tidied her spot and started walking. Watching her go, Manager Moon shook her head and muttered to herself.
“A tough one’s come in. Tough, real tough.”
But as Eun-ja said, how many days would she last? Usually, the ones who held on so stubbornly were the ones who burned out the fastest.
Maybe I should set a new date for interviews, Manager Moon thought briefly.
It seemed likely that Yeon-woo would quit sooner than expected.
Seong-hun returned to Domyeongjae, leaving work with Hyeon-wook, who had shown up at the office without warning. As they walked through the main building toward Unseondang, Hyeon-wook chatted away.
“Nothing ever changes here. Every time I come, even Grandma Moon is exactly the same.”
Hyeon-wook pointed to a tree with a thick trunk.
“Hyung, remember? Back in the day, when I’d climb up there, you’d have to get me down.”
Instead of a direct answer, Seong-hun let out a small chuckle.
“It’s probably been a while since you’ve been to Domyeongjae.”
“Well, it hasn’t been that long. I like it here. Maybe because I went to middle school here, but strangely, my heart feels at ease whenever I come to Domyeongjae.”
As if to prove his words, Hyeon-wook exhaled deeply. His long sigh sounded peaceful, and Seong-hun slowed his pace to match Hyeon-wook’s relaxed stride.
On the path toward Unseondang, the sight of the two cousins walking side-by-side after so long was quite warm. Seong-hun in his sharp, tailored suit and Hyeon-wook in his comfortable hoodie looked every bit the part of brothers—the dignified older brother and the somewhat immature younger brother.
“……Huh?”
It was just as the roof tiles of Unseondang, laid carefully one by one, came into view. Hyeon-wook, who had been talking non-stop while walking with Seong-hun, came to a halt.
Stopping behind him, Seong-hun looked at Hyeon-wook.
“Yeon… woo?”
Hyeon-wook called out an unfamiliar name while staring into the courtyard, and Seong-hun’s head turned slowly.
In that split second, a flurry of thoughts gathered and swelled. It felt as if the events that had occurred around this time yesterday were being reenacted.
In this space that had always been ordinary, a strange sense of romance began to tilt in.
The hour of the sunset. The shrrrk, shrrrk of a broom sweeping the yard.
“Ji Yeon-woo? Whoa, no way, it is Ji Yeon-woo!”
Today, the woman who had been the subject of his idle, wandering thoughts during breaks turned around. The sunset, gradually turning purple as the sun dipped low, served as the backdrop behind her.
As he watched her, the boundaries covering his pupils began to loosen.
“Hey! Yeon-woo! Ji Yeon-woo!”
An emotion he had never experienced before surged within him.
As if she had been sweeping away the fallen petals from during the day, she stood straight amidst a mound of gathered blossoms.
When their eyes met, Seong-hun’s fingertips twitched. The veins on the back of his hand gripping his briefcase stood out, and as her gaze shifted from him to Hyeon-wook, he swallowed hard despite himself.
Suddenly, his heart began to beat so violently that his breath naturally grew long. His heart felt heavy, yet at the same time, it felt light enough to fly.
No, it felt as if it were crumbling into emptiness—
No. That wasn’t it either. His heart, full and swollen without a single tilted corner, felt hot and yet chilling; it was a nonsensical situation where he felt burning heat and freezing cold simultaneously.
“Yeon-woo! It’s me, Hyeon-wook!”
In a word, his feelings were beyond direction.
Hyeon-wook walked quickly toward her and offered a hand to shake. Seong-hun watched them silently.
“Yeon-woo, you know me, right? I’m Hyeon-wook. Nam Hyeon-wook. Domyeong Middle School, 3rd Grade, Class 2! You remember me, don’t you?”
……Yeon-woo.
“Wow, I can’t believe I’m running into Ji Yeon-woo here. Good to see you, friend!”
Yeon-woo.
Ji Yeon-woo.
That was the name of the woman standing in the middle of a sea of flowers.
