Chapter 166: The Truth Behind Ji-Won’s Condition

While listening to her words, Ji-Won threw Su-Jin a complicated look. 

It wasn't that he didn't know the reason why Seo-Jun chose to lie to the security guard. His problem wasn't with that, but with the lie Seo-Jun chose to tell. There must have been other excuses his friend could have given, other than Ji-Won being a drunkard. 

In the end, though, what had already been said couldn't be unsaid and, therefore, there was nothing Ji-Won could do about it. His face, once lost, was lost forever. Or so he thought at least.

Little did Ji-Won know that he was the only one stressing over this matter. While he was being so overly dramatic all by himself, neither the security guard, nor Su-Jin for that matter, were reading too much into it. 

As a matter of fact, Su-Jin had other things on her mind. She was now contemplating how to inquire Ji-Won about his condition. 

In the end, despite thinking long and hard, Su-Jin couldn't think of any roundabout ways to do this. So, she eventually decided to simply ask, openly and without pretense.

"Director Kang, could you tell me what happened tonight? Deputy Director Kim mentioned that this wasn't the first time it happened."

Having his thoughts so abruptly interrupted caused Ji-Won to be momentarily bewildered. Soon enough, though, Su-Jin's words finally sunk in and he woke up from his daze with a start. His eyes widened and he stared at Su-Jin in shock. Even though he wasn't having a fever anymore, he could feel his body instantly breaking into a cold sweat.

"That… he t-told you about t-that?" he stuttered. 

Su-Jin shook her head slowly. She looked back at him and continued to speak in all seriousness. 

"Deputy Director Kim didn't want to tell me anything more than that. He said that you should be the one to do it."

A long silence followed these words. 

Su-Jin didn't continue to ask more, waiting for Ji-Won to either answer her questions, or refuse to say anything about it. 

In the meantime, Ji-Won merely stared in Su-Jin's direction, wearing a complicated expression. Seconds later, the mixture of emotions that battled inside his chest were beginning to show on his face. Nervousness, apprehension, confusion, hope and curiosity… all these were swirling inside his heart, giving birth to a tempest-like feeling. 

While the two people in the room seemed unable to break out of their own thoughts, the silence became more stifling. It gradually turned the entire living room into a somber space. Both Ji-Won and Su-Jin's faces looked worse than if they had been at a funeral.

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By the time she felt the shift in atmosphere to be unbearable, Su-Jin was already feeling very regretful. Her throat tightened and she couldn't immediately bring herself to speak. Silently, though, she was berating herself with everything she got.

'I shouldn't have asked. It's clear as daylight that Director Kang doesn't want to tell me anything. And why should he? There is nothing that compels him to share his private matters with a stranger.'

To Su-Jin's amazement, after reaching this conclusion, she felt surprisingly calmer. Making an effort to stand up, she turned to face Ji-Won. 

"It's alright, Director Kang, you don't have to force yourself. If you don't want to say anything or if it's something that you're not comfortable with, I… I won't ask about it again."

All of a sudden, Ji-Won decided to move. He pushed against the wall and walked towards the sofa. Since his body was still rather weak, it took him a few strides to reach Su-Jin. 

Meanwhile, the latter watched with amazement as Ji-Won stepped closer and closer, until he was standing right in front of her. But instead of stopping there, Ji-Won moved past Su-Jin and sat on the edge of the sofa. 

The first thing he did after sitting down was to pluck the album from where Su-Jin had thrown it. As he stretched one hand towards the album and touched one of its corners, his fingers trembled ever so slightly. He clutched the square object tightly, pressing it closer to his chest. As he did so, his nails dug into the covers, almost leaving dents on the smooth leather.

Standing with her back facing Ji-Won, Su-Jin hadn't seen anything. But when she heard the rustle of fabric, and realized that Ji-Won wasn't going to move away anytime soon, she finally turned around. Careful to leave at least half an arm between them, she quietly sat back down on the sofa next to him.

Just then, Ji-Won's lips parted and his deep and magnetic voice reverberated inside the living room.

"When I was twelve years old, my mother died in a traffic accident. Both the cars that had been involved were in complete shambles. It was so bad that it took the paramedics a full hour to get everyone out. The two people riding the other car died upon impact. As did my mother."

Ji-Won paused, seemingly trying to find his words. After taking a deep breath, he finally continued.

"When the accident happened, my mother was alone inside the car. Since I wasn't even in the car at that time, there can be no case of any first-hand traumatic experience that I can think of. Later that night, the police came to our house to tell us about the accident. After insisting that I went as well, my father eventually relented. All the way to the site my mind had been picturing all sorts of scenes, trying to get myself ready for what I was about to witness. But when we got there, reality proved to be much more gruesome than my childish mind could ever have imagined."

Here, Ji-Won took another break in order to breathe out slowly. His fingers dung into the cover of the album, as though the presence of that object was enough to calm his agitated mind. 

Su-Jin didn't know why, but seeing him like that had a huge impact on her. The image of a sorrowful Kang Ji-Won tugged at her heartstrings in a way nothing else had ever done before. 

Yet, contrary to expectations, what Su-Jin felt at that moment wasn't only worry and pity.. There was something else blended in that jumble of emotions, something that could very well be mistaken for affection.

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