Chapter 63: Director Cha Reminisces

Young Ji-Won had yet to inherit his father's strong presence and piercing stare. Yet, even at that young age he had already inherited his mother's elegant and beautiful appearance. His face was slightly angular, with pale cheeks and thin lips. 

But instead of looking cold and distant like the adult version, the young Ji-Won seemed rather warm and innocent. His lips were slightly curved as he smiled at the camera, the corners of his eyes narrowing a little in childish delight.

Su-Jin silently stared at the picture for a full minute as if in a trance. She simply couldn't believe her luck. Just a little while ago she was wondering what Ji-Won's parents looked like, and now she was able to see a picture of the entire family together. 

Just then, the little girl's voice sounded from next to her, bringing Su-Jin out of her thoughts.

"Isn't Uncle Ji-Won very handsome in this picture? I've seen other pictures of him from when he was young. Grandma Cha showed them to me, but this one is my very favorite." The little girl stated, puffing her chest proudly as though Ji-Won really was her family's treasure.

"Mn, you're right. Uncle..." Su-Jin stopped, clearing her throat awkwardly. "I mean Director Kang really is very handsome." Su-Jin agreed, showing the little girl a good-natured smile.

Satisfied with having her point made, the little girl beamed with delight. Then, she turned on her heels and was ready to leave the office, when she noticed that Su-Jin wasn't following her.

"Let's go. We should go back or else we'll miss the rest of the activities." The little girl pulled at Su-Jin's hand.

But Su-Jin didn't move, nor did she answer. She stood fixated in the same spot, staring at another photograph.

Just as she had been about to leave, Su-Jin's eyes unexpectedly caught a glimpse of something familiar. 

In a frame, right next to the one showing Ji-Won and parents, were two other people Su-Jin was very familiar with. The man and woman inside the frame were smiling brightly in the direction of the camera. Yet, they weren't looking straight at it. Instead, their happy faces were tilted slightly, their heads almost touching as though they were telling each other a sweet secret.

The woman in the photograph looked remarkably similar to Su-Jin. She had the same long, dark-chestnut colored hair and a beautiful pair of hazel eyes. The woman's face was illuminated by a charming smile, causing her delicate features to appear even more beautiful. 

Meanwhile, the man standing on her left looked very handsome in his dark brown suit. A few strands of thick, dark colored hair fell over his forehead, but he didn't seem to care. He kept his head tilted to one side, while his light brown eyes were fixated on the woman next to him. 

The cameraman was lucky enough to catch the sheer adoration that overflowed from the man's eyes as he gazed down at his wife. The love and sweetness that surrounded the couple was almost intoxicating. 

"Mom… dad…?" 

Su-Jin stretched a trembling hand and took the picture off the wall. She continued to stare at the picture of her parents in disbelief. 

Through her muddleheaded state she barely noticed that her parent's surroundings were the same as the one in Ji-Won's picture. 

This bit of information made Su-Jin's brain fall into a daze.

From what she could remember, her father used to work as a manager for a big company in the financial sector. Her mother was a curator for a well-known art gallery. 

Even though they couldn't be considered extremely rich people, it appeared that, due to their line of work, the Park husband and wife weren't part of the low-class either. At least, they were positioned high enough to be invited to these kinds of high-class events like the one in the picture. They also appeared to have come across Angel orphanage as well.

"I see you've found our wall of memories."

Director Cha's voice suddenly rang from behind, startling Su-Jin. The unexpected sound gave Su-Jin such a huge fright that she almost dropped the picture.

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Grasping the corners of the frame with trembling fingers, Su-Jin slowly turned on her heels. She awkwardly stared at Director Cha's smiling face.

After a couple of seconds, Su-Jin eventually found her voice. 

"Uhm, I… I apologize for entering your office like this. It's just that... the little one wanted to show me a picture of Director Kang."

As she finished speaking, Su-Jin gestured with her free hand towards the wall where Ji-Won's family picture occupied the largest space. 

"I see." Director Cha nodded her head slowly, then she said affably. "It's quite alright. I don't mind having you young ones see these pictures."

The old woman took a few steps, stopping in front of the wall right next to Su-Jin. Since neither of them spoke another word, a heavy silence fell inside the office. 

The little girl that brought Su-Jin there stood near the door, staring between the other two in confusion. She instinctively felt that something was wrong, but her childlike mind couldn't comprehend what was going on, so she kept her mouth shut for the entire time.

Peering at Director Cha from the corner of her eyes, Su-Jin noticed a trace of melancholy blurring the woman's vision. When she finally spoke, Director Cha's voice sounded slightly hoarser than before, as though she found it difficult to say the words. 

"That picture was taken at a fundraiser party. The beneficiary was Angel orphanage and the event was held by Chairman Kang and his wife. Young Ji-Won insisted on taking part as well, so, in the end, his parents brought him along. They all looked so happy when taking that photograph."

Director Cha paused for a moment, showing a sad smile. 

"Sadly, though, that was the last time the entire family was seen together at a public event." 

"Why is that?" Su-Jin blurted out the question before she could stop herself.

"Regardless of the reason, it is the Kang family's business. We, as outsiders, shouldn't pry too much into their family's matters." Director Cha replied in a mild tone. 

Then, without waiting for the young woman to reply, Director Cha turned to glance at the frame Su-Jin was still holding onto. She lifted a hand, gesturing for Su-Jin to give her the picture. 

Though she felt reluctant to part with her parent's photograph, Su-Jin still obediently handed it over.

Director Cha stared at the image inside the frame for a moment before continuing to speak.

"This picture was taken many years ago at the same fundraiser party. I remember this couple very well. Manager Park and his wife were really wonderful people." Director Cha sighed as she reminisced. "At that time we had such a difficult time finding investors willing to donate, but he was the one who saved us by convincing his company to help raise the existing funds."

Director Cha was so lost in her own memories that she didn't notice Su-Jin's change in expression. 

In the beginning, the young woman had merely seemed speechless. But as the old woman continued to reminisce, Su-Jin's expression slowly turned into a grimace, as though she was about to cry.

After a short while, she finally couldn't hold back her emotions and a choked sentence came out from her trembling lips.

"These are… my parents," Su-Jin said in a shaky voice, barely holding back her sobs. 

As she finished her words, tears finally formed inside her eyes.. The salty liquid pooled, then slowly overflowed, forming two small streams across Su-Jin's cheeks.

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