Chapter 229: Chapter 235

“Oh, no. I’m going to eat it. I hear there is no restaurant nearby. So, I’m eating it alone…”

“Alone? I think It’s too much for you to eat it alone…”

“Well…I’m going to eat the leftovers for dinner,” said Yu Zuung, citing a plausible reason but shedding cold sweat at her questioning.

Hyunwoo took side with her and said,

“Haha. You complained so much that you were bored as you had to stay home over the weekend. Is this the reason you came here to relieve your boredom? I wish you had headed for the Ani & Funny office instead.”

“Even that place is boring. I thought I could be less bored if I worked in a different place like this…”

But Suji was still suspicious of her strange behavior. Hyunwoo also felt it.

As Yu Zuung and Hyunwoo reacted weirdly, Suji made a curious expression and asked.

“What’s wrong with you both? You look weird. Did you do something wrong to me?”

“Oh, no. Not at all. Hahaha,” said Hyunwoo with an awkward smile.

At that moment, he was annoyed by what was happening to him.

Come to think of it, he felt he was stupid when he found himself trying to check out Suji’s feelings though he didn’t do anything wrong. Besides, what Suji was upset was a simple lunch box that Yu Zuung prepared for him.

Do I need to feel a sense of guilt about this?

Yu Zuung felt the same way. Though Suji was suspicious, it was not a big deal because she could clear the air by explaining her position.

Hyunwoo broke the ice by suggesting a fresh solution.

“Why don’t we have lunch among us three? Let’s have a quick lunch. I’ve got to get back to work.”

“No, I want to eat alone,” said Yu Zuung, backing off.

But Hyunwoo stopped her.

“No, no, you don’t have to. Let’s eat together. Suji, come here. I know a very good spot for our lunch.”

Hyunwoo walked ahead of them.

Suji quickly held his hand and followed him as if to show she was on intimate terms with him.

Only then did Yu Zuung follow them reluctantly like a cow being dragged to a slaughterhouse.

Suji’s lunch box contained kimbap that she made by hand, while Yu Zuung purchased the lunch box from a supermarket downtown.

Hyunwoo and Suji enjoyed lunch comfortably while chattering, but Yu Zuung was nervous while eating with them.

Sensing Yu Zuung’s nervousness, Hyunwoo stopped using his chopsticks momentarily and spoke to her in English,

“Let me tell you one thing, Suji, as Yu Zuung feels a burden to be here with us. Yu Zuung and I are just a boss and employee, no more or no less. Do you get it, Suji?”

“Yeah, I trust you,” replied Suji readily.

This time he told Yu Zuung.

“I know how you care about me, but your actions can make others misunderstand your relationship with me. So, be careful next time. Okay?”

“Yes, sir. Sorry I acted tactlessly.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. And there is nothing you could help me with here at KOVE DREAM. So, just have your lunch and go back.”

“Got it,” replied Yu Zuung in a dejected voice.

“As we cleared up the misunderstanding, let’s have lunch in a relaxed mood. As the atmosphere is awkward, I can’t stimulate any appetite,” said Hyunwoo.

Only then did Yu Zuung seem to feel a bit relaxed.

But she was still uncomfortable. Though Hyunwoo and Suji took turns talking to her, their conversation didn’t last long.

After lunch, Hyunwoo stood up first and said, “Suji, I’m sorry. I’m pretty busy now. Though I would like to spend more time with you, I really can’t.”

“But you need a break to digest a meal, don’t you?”

“Well, I can digest it while working. You can understand me, right?”

“Yeah,” said Suji, nodding her head. Though she didn’t like it, she could do nothing.

“Goodbye, Yu Zuung!”

“Bye, boss!”

Hyunwoo headed back for the warehouse, leaving Suji and Yu Zuung behind.

Suji was not conscious of Yu Zuung at all. Or, she pretended not to. Yu Zuung continuously tried to read her mind, though.

Cleaning her spot, Suji said goodbye to her first.

“Let me take my leave first. Take care.”

“Oh, you, too. I’m sorry about what happened today.”

At that moment, Suji stopped moving and asked, “Sorry about what?”

“I think I made you misunderstand my relationship with Hyunwoo.”

What Suji wanted to hear from Yu Zuung was that kind of perfunctory reply. She wanted to draw a clear line between her and Hyunwoo.

“As you said so, let me ask. What do you think of Hyunwoo? Is it true that your relationship with him is only that of a boss and employee, no more or no less?”

She could not answer easily. She didn’t want to reply. Even though she was right before Suji, his sweetheart, she didn’t want to deny her genuine feelings about him.

Nonetheless, she had to reply for the sake of Hyunwoo.

“Yes.”

“Then, why did you bring the lunch box for him? To be honest with you, I really can’t understand your behavior. Are you sure you brought it here for your own lunch?”

“Yeah.”

Yu Zuung’s voice began to shrink more and more. Though she wanted to have it out with Suji deep inside, she held back her desire because that would make Hyunwoo stressed out.

Suji didn’t ask anymore but gave her a warning before she left.

“I wish you were careful in the future. Don’t you think Hyunwoo and I will get into trouble because of you?”

“Yeah…”

Suji left first like that.

Left alone, Yu Zuung felt like crying, but she didn’t, biting her lips.

Why should I cry? What did I do wrong?

She suddenly felt it was not fair. Is it wrong to like somebody? Even if the other party is a married man, a woman can like him as long as she doesn’t trample on his happiness.

Besides, Hyunwoo and Suji were not husband and wife yet. It wouldn’t be a sin even if Yu Zuung took Hyunwoo from Suji.

Suddenly, she got rebellious about Suji’s warning.

Did she say Hyunwoo and her should not get into trouble because of me? Why not? I can take responsibility for him.

When she thought as far as that, she wanted to break their relationship.

But that was not true love. Yu Zuung didn’t want Hyunwoo to feel stressed because of her. Rather, she wished to see him happy.

She went back home with drooping shoulders.

Leaving the KOVE DREAM warehouse, Suji went straight to her house.

Though she showed her tough image to Yu Zuung, she was more sullen on her way back. She felt she was losing Hyunwoo’s affection little by little.

Of course, he would love her less because of Yu Zuung. Hyunwoo was not the type of man who would have an affair with another woman.

Maybe his focus on work was to blame for that if any. Like her father, Hyunwoo tended to put a priority on his work rather than his family.

And that made life difficult for her.

Entering her room, she had a blank expression. Though she was looking out the window, she was absent-minded.

After some time, she had a call from Jungsu.

“There is an interesting movie at the theater. I really want to watch it, but I don’t want to enjoy it alone.”

Though Jungsu didn’t directly ask her for a date, obviously he suggested he wanted to watch it with her.

Momentarily, she vacillated. She thought she could feel better after watching the movie. As a matter of fact, she felt good without any reason if she was with him.

But she was startled at the moment.

What am I thinking now?

She thought that Hyunwoo wasn’t interested in another woman, but she was interested in another man.

She clearly rejected his offer.

“We are not lovers, as you know. We can have a meal, but it’s a burden on me to watch the movie with you.”

“I just asked you as I feel comfortable with you. I didn’t know you thought that way. Sorry. Let me watch it alone then.”

After the call, she felt sorry. She could have replied softly, but she did so in a sharp tone.

She felt she wanted to call him back and comfort him.

But she held it back. She felt she might feel more toward him if she did so. She had to draw a line resolutely.

She suddenly asked herself, ‘Why?’ because of what he told her recently.

You should not love someone out of obligation.

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She might have been loving Hyunwoo out of obligation. Though she already felt affection for Jungsu, she was trying not to be attracted to him just because she met Hyunwoo first and should not betray him.

Hyunwoo might feel the same way. Though he is more attracted to Yu Zuung, he might refrain from getting close to her because of Suji.

When it was late at night, she felt more and more like a tragic heroine. She even shed tears.

And she suddenly saw Hyunwoo coming back home. He used to come back home late at night.

He looked quite tired.

But she wanted to have a talk with him. Rather she had to. She needed to know how he thought of her and their future.

Suji called Hyunwoo.

“Hyunwoo, I want to see you for a minute. I’ve got something to talk with you about.”

He hesitated for a moment as he was too tired. But he came out readily, thinking of what happened during the da?”

“Sure.”

As he didn’t take a shower after work, he smelled sweaty.

She didn’t care at all. Holding his arm, she leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“I know how hard you are trying to care about me. I just kept complaining to you, though. But you were always so accepting.”

“Hum… did you complain only? I have no idea. What you did was always lovely to me,” said he with a smile.

She smiled, too, but looked gloomy. She wanted to ask him one thing by all means, but she felt he might not give her the reply she wanted to hear.

Nonetheless, she had to ask. Without hearing his answer she felt she could not go to sleep for several days.

“Hyunwoo. If we…”

“Yeah…”

“If we got married…”

“Oh, yeah…”

At that moment, he was startled at the word, ‘marriage.’

But she was convinced that she was now dating him on the condition she would get married to him.

“Do you think we can live like this even after we get married?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean you are going to be snowed under work all the time, and I will be missing you every day…”

Hyunwoo could not reply easily.

He knew what kind of life she wanted. It was an ordinary life, an affluent life. A life that required less care about others and total focus on the family.

Hyunwoo was not confident that he could maintain such a life.

“Well, I think I could be a little more faithful to my family.”

“A little more faithful?”

Hyunwoo agonized. He wanted to give her the answer she wanted, but that would be a lie and a false promise to her. He couldn’t lie to avoid a moment of crisis. He felt the more one loved one’s partner, the more honest one should be.

“Well, I’m afraid that’s going to be my destiny. I promise I will try harder. I told you this before. I’ll never change my affection for you ten years or one hundred years later.”

“I know that. But you know that’s not what I want. I want a family. I want a person who is by my side when I am going through hard times. Can you be that kind of person to me?”

“I’m always beside you, Suji. Like now.”

She didn’t reply, though. For she was disappointed. Though he beat around the bush, the gist of what he said was he would not change his lifestyle even after he got married.

She let out a sigh and let go of his arms.

She stopped walking before she knew so did Hyunwoo.

He looked at her, whose sad eyes seemed to touch him.

“How about we split temporarily?” she said abruptly.

Hyunwoo’s heart sank.

“Why did you suddenly bring it up?”

“If we spend some time apart, I think we can appreciate how much we need each other and how precious we are to each other. You and I might be dating out of obligation.”

“Out of obligation? I am not meeting you out of obligation, Suji.”

“Stop it. Let’s separate for the time being,” said she resolutely.

Hyunwoo drew a sigh.

Suddenly, he conjured up the image of a woman.

“Are you saying this because of Yu Zuung? You don’t have to split if you think so. She and I are not…”

“I know. I already told you I trust you.”

“Then, are you saying this because of Jungsu?”

She didn’t answer readily.

Hyunwoo could now figure out her intention.

Suji didn’t try to lie. Rather she confided to him her feelings toward Jungsu.

“To be honest with you, I can’t say Jungsu hasn’t affected me. Sometimes, I meet him for a meal and compare him with you before I notice.”

Hyunwoo had nothing to say. Even he sometimes compared her to Yu Zuung.

“I can say this clearly, though. You’re the best man I’ve ever seen. But you have one fatal weakness. You are far from homely.”

Hyunwoo was heartbroken to hear that.

“You might need a woman who is beside you when you need her. But I need a man who is by my side when I need him.”

Hyunwoo became impatient. He wanted to change her mind by all means.

“The reality is different from the ideal. Reality bites. Look at the people around you. Most of them get by like that. They report to work early in the morning and come back home late at night. There are so many people who can’t spend time with their families even during the weekend because of work.”

“I know. But we should not need to live like them. We’re affluent enough not to live like that, aren’t we? Why should we give up that kind of life?”

Hyunwoo couldn’t say anything. She was right. But he was not confident he could live like that.

“Don’t contact me for the time being, Hyunwoo. Let’s contact only when I can accept you just as you’re now, or you can be confident you will be the type of man that I want.”

“What if…”

Hyunwoo didn’t continue what he had to say next. What if Hyunwoo or Suji would not budge?

The answer would be clear in that case. He didn’t want to ask that.

“I’m tired. Let me go to sleep early tonight,” said Suji.

She turned back and headed for her house first. He was looking at her disappearing in the dark.

Suji’s bombshell announcement was a great pain to Hyunwoo.

But he felt it only momentarily. He could not afford to feel heartbroken because he was so busy. The next morning he had to report to work early in the morning, and the very thought of her was erased from his mind before he knew.

Of course, her face flashed in his mind from time to time, but it was fleeting. He was literally snowed under during the day.

When he came back after work, though, he missed her so much. He wanted to rush her house next to his and hug her tightly.

But that wouldn’t change the situation. Rather Suji would feel more disappointed at his actions.

Just looking at the window of Suji’s room helplessly, he let out a sigh and went back into his room.

What’s strange was that he missed her less and less as time went by. It looked as if he was accepting the reality of separation.

Out of sight, out of mind? Hyunwoo and Suji were feeling like that.

Ah…am I splitting with her like this?

There was some woman who was watching him all along.

She was Yu Zuung. Every night she put a chair near the window and looked out with a blank look. She just waited for Hyunwoo to come back and disappear into his room.

She felt something strange about his behavior since the day when she brought the lunch box for him. He would come back home and look at Suji’s house with a sad sigh.

He repeated it not a day or two but every day.

Yu Zuung was convinced now.

There must be something wrong between them.

Probably it was not because of that lunch box incident. Though Suji showed her tough image before her, she was suspicious of Yu Zuung’s relationship with him deep inside.

She wanted to visit Suji and defend Hyunwoo’s position. She wanted to ask Suji not to torment him anymore.

On the other hand, Yu Zuung wanted to take him away from her.

Yea, he is not possessed by any woman now.

Though she felt sorry to Hyunwoo, she would make up for that for a long time in the future. Then, he will stop being sad and feel happy again.

I can make him happy. I can be the woman that he is dreaming about.

Her eyes were glittering before she knew.