Impossible Romance - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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23.

After just a couple of beers, Jun-hee’s cheeks flushed crimson as she tapped them with the back of her hand.
“Do you happen to be seeing anyone?”
Shim Hyun-sung’s hesitant voice suddenly turned serious.
That heavy burden from childhood had transformed into affection at some point. Or perhaps affection had simply buried that weight beneath it. If I could, I wanted to take responsibility for Jun-hee for the rest of my life.
More precisely, I wanted to live loving her. Surely she felt the same way. Why else would she still keep in contact with me, or come without hesitation whenever I asked to meet?
“No one.”
Jun-hee’s answer was quite straightforward. She lifted her glass, still half-full of beer, and gently swirled it in her hand.
Dating, she thought.
Parents who needed money every month, a troublemaking older brother, and a younger sibling just beginning to recover.
In such circumstances, dreaming of romance was nothing but wishful thinking.
“You should get married too, shouldn’t you? Are you really sure there’s no one?”
Shim Hyun-sung asked again, as if probing her. His face bore traces of anticipation and faint hope, though Jun-hee couldn’t see them.
“Marriage? What are you talking about?”
Jun-hee spoke languidly, her intoxication rising, and her face looked beautiful beneath the warm light. Watching her, Hyun-sung smiled, his lips curving upward. He seemed to be in good spirits.
“You know? They say marriage is happiest when similar people meet and share their lives together.”
Shim Hyun-sung drained the last half-glass of beer remaining.
“That does seem right. Yeah, that’s probably true.”
Jun-hee appeared to agree wholeheartedly with what he said. She nodded several times before finishing the rest of her beer.

The two of us left the restaurant pleasantly full and pleasantly tipsy. Unbeknownst to me, it seemed Kwon Seok-ha had triggered the store’s golden bell—a lucky draw—just ten minutes after arriving and before he left.
When I heard that everyone leaving after that point had their meals paid for, I thanked Kwon Seok-ha even though he wasn’t there. Those who came in after that time lamented missing out on such fortune.
“That hyung really does have a generous spirit. He paid for every table in the restaurant during that time.”
Kim Hyun-sung, whose drinks were now free, shrugged his shoulders happily.
“Well, he must have plenty of money.”
I spoke cynically, but I felt the weight of it nonetheless. Today too, I noticed that no one in this alley was unfamiliar with Kwon Seok-ha. It made sense since the Company was right in front of us, but the fact that so many eyes were watching became a burden for me.
‘I’ll need to be more careful with my actions going forward.’
With that silent resolution, I said goodbye to Kim Hyun-sung.
“Should we part ways here? Or are you taking the Subway too? If we’re heading the same direction…,”
“You’re leaving already?”
Kim Hyun-sung’s expression fell. The animated face from moments before became slightly downcast.
I’d eaten and drunk, so I was at a loss for what else we should do here.
“Then, should we go to a karaoke place?”
The best I could come up with was a karaoke room.
“No. Rather, I have something I want to say.”
Kim Hyun-sung glanced around before speaking.
“Say it.”
“No, not here though.”
Kim Hyun-sung looked around again.
“Then, should we do it over there?”
There was an alley next to the Dak-galbi Restaurant. It had a small park and benches, making it seem like a good place to talk.
“I was thinking of going somewhere else. Somewhere a bit nicer.”
Kim Hyun-sung seemed hesitant, as if he didn’t like that location.
“What’s with all this? If you need to go somewhere else, let’s do this another time. Everyone in our department comes in early, and I’m the youngest.”
I felt the time was getting late and wanted to hurry home to rest. I needed to wash quickly and wake up early to leave, but having drunk alcohol made me anxious.
“Fine. I’ll say it over there.”
Kim Hyun-sung, who had been hesitating, headed straight for the bench. I understood that he was being considerate of my concern about my seniors’ eyes, and he didn’t want to become a boyfriend who would complicate my future from the start.
I stood for a moment, then followed him to the bench and sat down.

A few yellow street lamps illuminated the park, and since the Food Alley street still bustled with people, there were pedestrians here as well.
Though it was late at night, the weather as autumn approached was pleasantly warm and crisp. Seeing so many people out at this hour, it was certainly better than the oppressive heat of summer.
Even after coming this far, Kim Hyun-sung couldn’t bring himself to speak easily.
“Do you happen to need money?”
Jun-hee, growing impatient from waiting, finally opened her mouth.
“What? You really are hopeless with reading the room—you haven’t changed a bit since we were kids.”
Shim Hyun-sung laughed as if exasperated, then asked again.
“So what is it? Why can’t you just say it?”
In Jun-hee’s experience, when an old friend couldn’t speak up like this, it was usually about money.
She was already thinking that if Shim Hyun-sung asked to borrow money, she’d have to break her savings account to lend it to him.
“Let’s stay in touch more often.”
Shim Hyun-sung spoke with his face still flushed, apparently still feeling the effects of alcohol.
“Why are you dragging out something so simple as staying in touch?”
Jun-hee laughed in disbelief.
“What I mean is, I’d like it if we saw each other more often.”
“What?”
“Actually, I like you. I have since we were kids, and now that we’re both adults, I thought maybe we could date seriously. Besides, we already know each other’s families. Like you said, we’re similar people.”
After finishing his confession, Shim Hyun-sung gazed at Jun-hee with an intense look.
Jun-hee’s eyes widened slightly. Rather than joy at hearing a confession, she felt bewildered. No, before that, she found herself thinking about how to reject him.
Still, he was an old friend, and she didn’t want to reject him coldly. Besides, she didn’t even understand why he liked her in the first place.
“Oh, I—I like you too. But as a friend!”
Jun-hee quickly added the word “friend,” worried that Hyun-sung might misunderstand. She didn’t want to lose a friend over this.
“I don’t want to be just friends with you—I want to be your lover…,”
“Hyun-sung, I like someone else.”
Trying to cut off Shim Hyun-sung’s bombshell confession, Jun-hee’s true feelings tumbled out instead. At least it was dark at night—a small mercy. She quickly composed her flustered expression.
“What? You just said you weren’t dating anyone….”
“I’m not dating anyone. It’s just unrequited love. And right now, I’m not in a position to be in a relationship.”
This was her honest feeling. For Jun-hee, romance was a luxury. Especially with the man she’d just confessed to loving unrequitedly—there was no way they could ever be together. She’d never even hoped for it.
“Is it that senior? Do you think you and that senior could ever work out?”
Shim Hyun-sung, whose spirits had quickly dampened, asked in a serious tone.
“…No. It’s absolutely not that person.”
Jun-hee denied it strongly. Though a strong denial is often an affirmation, she couldn’t be honest with Shim Hyun-sung.
Especially in this alley—it was the street of Seonjin Group people. Rumors could spread from anywhere, and she had no idea how gossip might form. Her feelings for Kwon Seok-ha were something she’d have to take to her grave.
“Then I still have a chance. If it’s just unrequited love and not an actual relationship, I could take that position too. If I try hard enough.”
Shim Hyun-sung spoke in a whisper, his face brightening with a glimmer of hope. In truth, he believed Jun-hee liked Kwon Seok-ha. And though she’d denied it, it didn’t matter to him.
Since Jun-hee said it was only unrequited love, she’d forget about it eventually. If he tried hard by her side, he could even shorten that time. So he thought it was worth a try.
“That won’t happen. There’s no romance in my future.”
Jun-hee laughed bitterly. But somehow finding hope in her words, Shim Hyun-sung didn’t read her expression properly and felt his heart lighten, a smile settling on his face.
That was when it happened.
“What are you two doing? Still playing house? It’s a shame to see you like this alone.”
Kwon Seok-ha, whom I thought had left, revealed his face beneath the street lamp. Even the simple motion of rising from the bench drew attention.
And in that instant, time seemed to stop. The park, which had been filled with white noise, suddenly felt eerily silent.
Had he been here the whole time?
Shim Hyun-sung’s face flushed crimson, and Jun-hee was equally flustered.
“….”
“….”
“Why don’t you continue what you were doing? It looked entertaining.”
Kwon Seok-ha stood with his arms crossed.
“Executive Director, why are you here? You left earlier.”
Like a startled sparrow uttering a final chirp in desperation, Jun-hee protested with the tips of her ears burning red.
Being caught at this moment, hearing Shim Hyun-sung’s confession, was mortifying beyond words.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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