Impossible Romance - Chapter 33

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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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33.

“Exactly. It’s rare that we both have free time on the same day.”
I drained my refreshing juice, quenching my thirst. After eating beer and chicken at the hof bar earlier, I’d been craving something crisp and citrusy.
“You said you were so busy we couldn’t even catch a glimpse of you, so what’s the occasion that you’re here this late?”
Si-eun spoke with a tone of bewilderment, offering a gentle jab. We’d arranged to meet with friends, but I’d always declined, claiming I was too busy.
“I changed jobs recently. I’ve been swamped with adjusting to the new workplace. Sorry about that.”
“Come on? You might as well try to fool a ghost. You’ve got something to tell me, don’t you?”
She was truly my best friend. Si-eun narrowed her eyes and stared directly at me.
“No, I don’t.”
I laughed and waved my hand dismissively.
Si-eun was my college classmate and best friend, but I couldn’t talk about anything related to Kwon Seok-ha. Especially not about Han Seon-young. Perhaps once everything settled down, I could tell her then.
“Did you get into a fight with someone at work? Now that I think about it, you look like you’ve lost weight?”
Si-eun, with her sharp eye for detail, examined me from every angle.
“A fight? Am I a child? That’s not it at all.”
I forced a smile and looked down at my juice glass, now mostly empty. The ice had melted, and droplets of condensation trickled down the rim.
It wasn’t a fight, and I hadn’t even been able to fight back. It was more like a one-sided assault. Like standing in the middle of a road, being pelted by hail that fell only on me.
It felt as though massive hailstones—the kind other people easily dodged, the kind you’d rarely encounter in a lifetime—were pouring down on my head by the bucketful.
Suddenly, the music flowing through the cafe seemed to pierce my ears. When I looked up, Si-eun was watching me with concern.
“It’s a man, isn’t it?”
“…No, it’s not.”
Si-eun was truly a ghost of a friend—she could sense everything. But I couldn’t admit it. To do so would mean dredging up far too many sordid details. I wasn’t emotionally prepared to bare it all just yet.
“Don’t lie to me! Tell your unnie everything. I’ll help you sort it out.”
Si-eun’s face took on the expression of a detective as she pierced me with her gaze.
“Next time. I promise I’ll tell you next time.”
I neither confirmed nor denied it, but in doing so, I’d inadvertently admitted it was indeed about a man.
“Wait—didn’t you have an older guy you liked back in college? Is it him?”
“What?”
Caught off guard by her sudden question, I blinked in confusion.
“You know, what was his name—Kwon Dol-ha? Kwon Dol-seok? We even made up that cute nickname ‘Dol-dol’ for him. I thought that’s who you wanted to talk about today. Right?”
At Si-eun’s words, I took another sip of juice to hide my reaction. She really did have incredible intuition. Having spent so much time together in college, there was no way I could have avoided mentioning Kwon Seok-ha.
But I could never admit—then or now—that I’d harbored feelings for the heir to the Seonjin Group. So back then, I’d created a fictional name, “Kwon Dol-ha,” and passed him off as just some older guy I had a crush on.
Even though I’d made up the name playfully, my close friends had taken it seriously and never teased me about it. So “Kwon Dol-ha” had essentially become the real man I was pining for.
I never thought she’d still remember that after all these years.
“It’s not him! I’m talking about someone else.”
“Based on how intensely you crushed on him back then, I didn’t think you’d give up so easily.”
Si-eun laughed teasingly.
“That was over a long time ago. He’s already married with two kids. So please, don’t bring it up again.”
I spoke the unfamiliar lie, breaking into a cold sweat.
“Really? You seemed to like him a lot back then.”
“I didn’t. Are you going to keep teasing me? Do you want to ruin someone’s wedding?”
“Come on, you still like him, don’t you?”
Si-eun teased her even more enthusiastically.
“No, absolutely not! Erase it from your memory. Please, I’m begging you.”
Jun-hee clasped her hands together in supplication, and she meant every word. She desperately wanted to erase that dark chapter from her university days—when she’d carelessly confessed her one-sided crush to her friend.
“Ha, okay, okay. But look at the time—we’ve been chatting so long. I should get going now.”
Si-eun checked the time on her phone and opened the public transit app.
“You’re right. It’s gotten late.”
Looking around the cafe, I noticed the crowd had thinned considerably. Through the window, people hurrying home moved with quickened steps.
“Hey, my bus comes in two minutes. I’m heading out. Let’s all three of us get together next time—you, me, and Da-hae.”
Si-eun checked the bus arrival time on the app and stood up hastily.
“Yeah, go ahead.”
I watched Si-eun hurry out of the cafe, pretending to gather my things slowly before sitting back down. It seemed I needed to stay a bit longer before heading home.

***

I lingered in the cafe as long as I could, even hearing the staff announce closing time before finally leaving. Still reluctant to go home, I deliberately waited until the last bus and got off one stop before my usual one.
I wanted to arrive home as late as possible. Despite knowing the night was dark, I decided to walk a bit further. Tonight, I didn’t want to see Kwon Seok-ha.
It had been a long and exhausting day. Seeing him would tangle my emotions into a painful knot.
I could manage if I treated him indifferently, but my feelings refused to obey my thoughts. Fortunately, at this hour, he would already be asleep.
The road leading to the officetel was well-maintained and pleasant to walk on. However, the late hour and the dark clouds obscuring the moon—threatening rain at any moment—made me hunch my shoulders.
‘Didn’t they say it would rain?’
I was walking while conscious of the darkened surroundings.
“Gasp!”
I was startled, thinking I’d seen something that wasn’t there.
Kwon Seok-ha stood on the road leading to the officetel, watching me.
Was he on his way home from work? Had his work run late, forcing him to work overtime? Seeing him in an unexpected place left my mind scrambled.
Surely he hadn’t come to pick me up.
He usually took a car, so that possibility was nearly zero. Perhaps he’d taken a taxi and gotten off nearby. My plan to sneak into the apartment without Kwon Seok-ha knowing had fallen apart spectacularly.
Standing in a thin coat, Kwon Seok-ha was a man who suited the autumn night perfectly. Watching him stand motionless as if waiting for someone, I opened my mouth.
“Why are you here?”
“Is it really this difficult to give me a simple greeting morning and night?”
His head tilted slightly, and his answer was filled with displeasure.
“A greeting…?”
I spoke with a bewildered expression, and then I remembered what Kwon Seok-ha had said this morning.

“My condition is simple. Morning and evening greetings.”

“Ah…”
Jun-hee bit her lower lip gently.
“Now you remember? We agreed to forget about that night in exchange for a proper greeting. And you’re already doing this on the first day?”
Seeing Kwon Seok-ha speak with displeasure, I felt anger surge up first. I wanted to hurl back every insult his mother had inflicted upon me.
But if I did that, my emotions would spiral out of control and expose everything I was holding back. Instead of lashing out, I stared at him with a hardened expression.
“Were you standing here just to hear my greeting?”
“Of course not. I just finished work too.”
As far as I knew, Kwon Seok-ha had no schedule at this hour. It seemed a new appointment had suddenly come up after I left. For an executive like him, such things were commonplace.
“Should I give you the greeting now?”
I asked with a resentful tone. Part of me wanted to express anger rather than courtesy, but I held back for the sake of my future career.
“Is this your home? Go home and do it properly.”
Kwon Seok-ha uttered only what he needed to say in a cold voice, then turned away abruptly.
Watching his broad back, I pushed my lips forward and then pressed them firmly together. When I thought of Han Seon-young, he was a man I didn’t even want to speak to, yet I couldn’t act on that feeling. My heart grew complicated.
Having gotten off a station earlier than usual, the path home was long and dark, but with him beside me, it felt reassuring somehow. His shadow stretched long alongside the extended tree-lined street.
“Hurry up.”
Impatient with my slow pace, Kwon Seok-ha came back toward me. With long strides, he was at my side in an instant.
“I’m walking.”
I glared at him slightly and continued walking.
That was when it happened.
I had thought the wind smelled damp, but suddenly rain began to pour down.

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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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