Chapter 228: Talking About The Past

All of a sudden, a soft gasp broke Ji-Won's quiet monologue. 

"K.J.W…" Su-Jin breathed out in a whisper. "So that really was you…"

"Mn." Ji-Won nodded slowly. 

Next, Su-Jin watched with surprise how the man's lips slowly pulled up into a smile. His eyes also curved as he continued to reminisce. 

"At that time, I didn't think of my mother. I only thought that the little girl needed this handkerchief more than I did. So, I gave it to her." he said quietly, then sighed. "When I thought back on that event I had moments when I regretted it. But I kept telling myself that, if she had seen me helping someone else like that, mother would have been proud of me."

Hearing that, Su-Jin's heart leaped inside her chest. 

The next moment, though, a soft whine unexpectedly broke out through her lips. It sounded like the whimpers of a small animal in pain.

Startled and ashamed, Su-Jin clasped both hands over her mouth, preventing further sounds from escaping.

Ultimately, though, she wasn't able to stop the torrent of sobs that soon reached her throat. 

Tears gradually pooled in her eyes, causing her vision to turn blurry. Then, they fell in streams down her cheeks.

Through the mist she had over her eyes, Su-Jin was still somehow able to see the outline of a man. That person reached out a hand towards her and, merely a second later, a gentle touch landed on her face. 

The soft fingertips brushed away the moisture left behind by the tears. They followed the wet traces all the way down to her lips, where they paused, hovering a millimeter above the skin.

Next, Ji-Won leaned his head down and spoke in a low, tender whisper. 

"Thank you, Miss Park, for taking such good care of this handkerchief and for returning it to me now." 

Before Su-Jin could regain her wits to reply, Ji-Won wrapped an arm around the young woman's back, pulling her in a side hug. As he continued to speak, he gave her shoulder a light squeeze. 

"You can cry if you want. It's just the two of us here, so you don't have to worry about being seen." he said softly. 

At this, Su-Jin gave a start. 

"B-but you w-will s-see…" she barely managed to speak through broken sobs. 

As she pushed herself away from Ji-Won, Su-Jin stubbornly avoided looking into his eyes. 

On the other hand, Ji-Won's expression was warm. He allowed her to move away slightly and, when he spoke next, his voice even carried a small smile.

"That's true, but what is it that I haven't already seen? I can't believe you are so shy now, when you used to cry so freely." 

With this reminder, Su-Jin let out a low whimper and instantly covered her face with both hands. 

"You're being unfair." she chided through her palms. "Back then you scolded me for crying, but now you're telling me I can let it all out. As if that's something I can do in front of anyone." she finished in an almost inaudible mumble.

"Back then I was just trying to cope with my own pain and loss. I didn't know how to handle that feeling of hollowness I had inside my heart. Seeing you cry like that in front of those wreaths made me remember something my mother once told me."

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"Eh?" 

Su-Jin pulled apart her hands and raised her eyes. She stared intently at Ji-Won, curious to know what he'll say next. For a moment, she even forgot to care that her face was suffused with a blush and also stained with tears.

"Mh." Ji-Won hummed. 

He brought a hand up to Su-Jin's face and gently rubbed his thumb across her cheek. Wherever he touched, the skin was left dry and red.

"My mother once told me that, when she dies, she hopes I won't cry too much, because then she would find it hard to leave. But if her soul lingers for too long on earth without moving on, she might get lost forever."

Upon hearing this, Su-Jin's complexion turned from bright red to ghostly white. Her eyes widened in fright and she choked out another sob. 

'If… if that's really true, then does that mean my parents could be lost? Are they now forever wandering the earth, unable to move on because of my tears back then?'

The very idea caused Su-Jin's stomach to churn painfully. Tears gushed out of her eyes in new, much wider streams than the first time.

"Don't worry, Miss Park." Ji-Won hurried to appease her. 

As if knowing exactly why she looked so scared, Ji-Won continued to wipe off her tears and speak softly.

"That's just something my mother said. It's not necessarily true."

"But what if it is true?" Su-Jin argued. She continued to sob until her shoulders began to shake. "What if my parents are now… just lost somewhere?" 

"I'm sure they aren't. But if they are…" Ji-Won quickly added, seeing her ready to argue. "Then there is only one thing you can do."

"And what is that?" 

"Of course, that is to visit your parents' graves on their death anniversary and show them a big, dazzling smile. Tell them you are living well and that you are trying your best. Show them how happy you are to be alive and I am sure their souls will be able to move on."

Su-Jin sniffled. She tilted her head to one side, as though carefully pondering over the man's words.

"Mn, I guess I can do that. I will ask Min-Jun to do the same thing tomorrow morning when we visit the graves. I am sure mother and father would like to know we are both doing well, that we're both healthy and happy." Su-Jin spoke slowly. 

Then, thinking about something else, she quickly added.

"Director Kang, there is something else I would like to talk to you about."

Here, Su-Jin paused, biting her lower lip. She seemed to be carefully pondering over her next words.

"What is it, Miss Park?" Ji-Won asked, then added with an encouraging smile. "No matter what it is, please feel free to tell me."

Su-Jin inhaled deeply, then slowly pushed herself further away from Ji-Won. Picking up the blue box, she opened the lid, exposing part of its content.

"You see…" she began slowly. "That day, when we met at the funeral house, I found something else apart from the handkerchief…"

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