Initially, Ji-Won hadn't planned on interrupting Su-Jin. But, for some reason, the words got blurted out before he could stop himself.
'Heaven help me! Did I sound weird just now? No, of course I didn't just sound weird, I sounded like an utter idiot. Asking that... seriously… Ji-Won, you were supposed to be intelligent, so couldn't you have thought about something better to say?! Also, what the heck is it with you interrupting her whenever she is about to state her relationship with that man?'
Ji-Won groaned and cursed internally, feeling a sudden urge to slap himself. It was as if, ever since he met Su-Jin, his brain to mouth filter had become faulty. Even his IQ seemed to have plummeted, reaching the center of the planet.
Meanwhile, Su-Jin was gaping at him in utter disbelief. Ji-Won's question, as well as his expression surprised her a lot.
"Well, yes… of course he is." she stuttered.
Then, she noticed Ji-Won's expression turning even gloomier. Without knowing exactly why that happened, she could only make assumptions.
'What in the world is happening to this person? Is knowing that a brother is good to his sister such a bad thing? He's looking as though he's lost money on a bet or something.'
Nevertheless, no matter how surprising it must have been, she decided not to give this matter too much thought. Since Su-Jin believed that Ji-Won was an only child, she thought he might not understand the bond between siblings. Therefore, it wasn't all that strange for him to question Min-Jun's behaviour towards her.
Thinking that perhaps it might lighten the mood, she tried to turn the heavy subject into a joke.
"Would he dare not to be good to me? After all, if he upsets me and I leave, he will be very upset. So, you see, he has to treat me well."
Unexpectedly, Ji-Won's face sank even further.
"It seems that…" Ji-Won coughed lightly before finishing his words awkwardly. "You two are very close indeed."
Afterwards, he avoided looking at Su-Jin. He looked up ahead, tightening his grasp on the steering wheel and focusing his entire attention on driving.
The words he said just now had flown out of his mouth before he could stop them. A split second later, he realized what he just said and, once again, felt like hitting his head against the steering wheel.
'Dammit. I wanted to change the subject so why the heck am I still blabbing about this? She will definitely think I'm crazy.'
Nevertheless, Ji-Won mustered every bit of willpower he got in order to keep anything from showing on his face. After all, he still had his pride to maintain.
"Well yes, naturally. Why wouldn't we be?" he heard Su-Jin inquiring.
She had arched an eyebrow and was looking at him in slight confusion. Hadn't she already made it clear that Min-Jun and her were close and good to each other?
For a moment, Su-Jin forgot all about her anxious feelings and instead gazed openly at Ji-Won. She was honestly trying to figure out the reason for the man's strange behavior.
Instead of a proper reply, Ji-Won simply made a non-committal sound and kept looking ahead. He refused to open his mouth again, lest something else even more idioting came out of it.
Seeing how he didn't want to respond, Su-Jin ultimately gave up. She turned her head to the side and continued to stare outside.
Just like this, they both fell silent once again.
Luckily, this time, the atmosphere was less stressful than in the beginning. Even with the awkward and strange moments, their previous conversation had managed to help them break the ice. So, they could now continue their ride in perfect silence without feeling it to be too stifling.
However, not even twenty minutes later, something happened that startled both of them.
Just when they were about to change lanes, a car suddenly appeared in front of them. It cut their path unexpectedly, forcing Ji-Won to hit the breaks. At the same time, he also pulled the wheel in order to avoid hitting anything.
The car stopped with a loud screech and their bodies leaned dangerously forward.
Ji-Won subconsciously spread his right arm in front of Su-Jin's chest, blocking her body so it wouldn't hit the dashboard. He already knew she was wearing a seatbelt, but his body had moved before he could stop himself, instinctively trying to protect Su-Jin from harm.
"Are you alright?" he asked, staring at her attentively.
"Y-yes. I'm alright." Su-Jin let out a shaky breath.
Earlier, when she saw that car appearing suddenly in front of them, she had been frightened out of her wits. However, despite her heart beating wildly and painfully in her chest, she didn't have much of a reaction. So, she could safely say that she was alright.
A moment later, Su-Jin noticed Ji-Won's arm blocking in front of her chest and her eyes widened in surprise. She turned to look at him, wanting to say something. But, as soon as her eyes laid on him, all the words died on her lips.
The sight of his pale face caused her to gasp in fright.
"Director Kang, is there something wrong?"
Ji-Won shook his head slowly, yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hide the pallor of his skin. Beads of cold sweat were beginning to form at his temples and his forehead was already covered in a sheen of perspiration.
His breaths were coming out in rough pants, his chest moving up and down rather violently.
Ji-Won was staring up ahead, but it was clear that he couldn't see anything.
Realizing that he hadn't heard her the first time, Su-Jin tried to call out to him again. This time, she even shifted closer, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Director Kang, can you hear me? What's the matter?"
Unexpectedly, Ji-Won seemed to wake up from his trance. At her touch he slowly turned his head and looked into her eyes.
At the same time, honks began to blare all around them.