Impossible Romance - Chapter 67

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

67.

“Welcome.”
The Restaurant Owner rose to his feet at the arrival of this unfamiliar outsider.
“I’m looking for someone. Has anyone moved to this area recently, within the last few months?”
The man wore a vibrant summer shirt, his exposed chest and forearms marked with dark tattoos. The gold chain around his neck added to his rather intimidating presence.
“Look, even if this place is remote, there are plenty of people moving in and out. I wouldn’t know.”
The Restaurant Owner answered curtly.
“Then, have you seen a woman like this?”
The man produced a photograph. The image was badly worn, as though he’d been carrying it for quite some time.
“I can’t say I have. Never seen anyone like that before.”
The Restaurant Owner pretended to examine the photo while shifting his body, which conveniently blocked the view of where I sat.
“It’s been months now. And I’ve been to this neighborhood before. You’re telling me you haven’t seen her.”
Another man standing beside him grumbled in frustration.
“My apologies for the intrusion. If you happen to see her, please contact us.”
The man nodded at his colleague’s words and surveyed the restaurant. Most of the customers eating appeared to be island residents.
Once the two men left, I exhaled silently in relief.
“This neighborhood isn’t some den of crime, and yet these types show up looking for people. It’s disgusting. Even if I knew something, I wouldn’t tell them.”
The Restaurant Owner settled back into his seat with irritation.
I felt a wave of gratitude and managed to swallow some of the broth.
“That’s true. Our village is developing, so things should get better. Na-yeon, try this.”
Byung-ho offered me a potato pancake as a side dish, lightening the mood.
“Thank you.”
I began eating the potato pancake along with the water-based raw fish soup, releasing the tension from moments before and focusing solely on the meal.
The instant I took a bite of the cutlassfish, sweetness bloomed across my tongue. As the refreshing broth spread through my mouth, my entire body felt revitalized.
Byung-ho watched me intently as I ate with obvious enjoyment.
Sensing his gaze, I looked at him with a puzzled expression.
“It’s delicious, isn’t it?”
Byung-ho broke into an innocent smile, his white teeth gleaming.
“Yes.”
I answered quietly and continued savoring the soup.
“You don’t talk much, do you, Jun-hee?”
“Oh, it’s really delicious. Truly.”
Uncertain how best to respond, I selected my words carefully and laughed.
“It’s fine. Between us, don’t worry about it. Be comfortable.”
“Okay.”
I nodded quietly.
Silence settled over our table for a while. For some reason, Byung-ho seemed tense. I observed him briefly before picking up my chopsticks again.
“Would you like to go to the Mainland on Saturday?”
Suddenly, Byung-ho lifted his head and looked at Jun-hee.
“The Mainland?”
“There’s a Movie Theater there, and I heard they’re showing something really entertaining. I thought we could watch it together.”
Belatedly, Byung-ho pretended to be unbothered as he picked up some side dishes, but the tips of his ears had flushed crimson.
“That’s right. The girl from the Bookstore shouldn’t spend weekends alone either—you two should go on dates and all that.”
Even the Restaurant Owner sitting at the counter chimed in. Sitting so close to the register had been the source of trouble.
Flustered, Jun-hee chewed thoughtfully on a piece of food in her mouth. This was unmistakably a date proposal. But Jun-hee had never once thought of Byung-ho in a romantic light.
Unlike other men, he had simply made her feel comfortable, which was why she had let him stay by her side. Yet for me, Kwon Seok-ha was the only man, and that would remain true.
The only sounds in the restaurant were the occasional noises of people eating. Since the Restaurant Owner was staring directly at her, Jun-hee had to choose her words carefully.
As Grandmother Kim had said, there were no secrets on this Island. Rumors spread faster than the internet—and they were exaggerated far more.
“Well…”
Just as she was about to politely decline, Byung-ho beat her to it.
“Oh, did you know? I heard they’re bringing offshore wind power to our Neighborhood?”
For some reason, Byung-ho’s face had turned bright red as he suddenly changed the subject.
“Offshore wind power?”
Jun-hee was relieved by the shift in topic and showed her curiosity.
“Yes. It’s about setting up generators in the Sea—the government is pushing it as an eco-friendly initiative. But I don’t think it’ll be easy.”
“Why not?”
“Well, if they set those up, where will all the fish go? Fishermen will take a huge hit, so they’d need compensation to agree. Otherwise, the opposition will be fierce.”
As someone who worked alongside the Village Chief on crucial Village matters, Byung-ho knew quite a lot.
“Why are you spouting nonsense after asking her on a date?”
Once again, it was the Restaurant Owner sitting at the counter causing trouble.
“Oh, right. Actually, I have work on Saturday. I forgot. Na-yeon, I’m sorry. I brought it up first.”
Having anticipated the answer from Jun-hee’s demeanor, Byung-ho graciously took the initiative. If the Restaurant Owner learned about the two of them going on a date, the news would spread across the Island within an hour.
“Yes. I’m busy on weekends too. It seems difficult.”
“I thought it might be. Ha ha. Let’s finish up and head out.”
“Yes.”
Jun-hee laughed awkwardly and began eating the remaining cold noodle soup. Suddenly, the meal with Kim Byung-ho had become uncomfortable. And even in this moment, Kwon Seok-ha crossed my mind.

***

“Jun-hee, has she contacted you at all?”
Late at night, Lee Sook-hyun spoke to her husband Ahn Sung-sik as she removed her makeup in front of the mirror. Dark spots had recently accumulated across her pale, oily complexion.
“No. And even if she does come back, she won’t contact you.”
Ahn Sung-sik lay in bed and turned his back to her—his way of expressing maximum displeasure. He knew all the circumstances that had unfolded. But he had been unable to stand up to Lee Sook-hyun’s forceful nature and stop her.
He had thought it better for Jun-hee to make a small sacrifice than for his son Ahn Jun-young to turn the household upside down with his business ventures. Now he regretted every bit of it.
“Where on earth did she go, really? Even Jun-young’s friends are searching everywhere for her. Did she really go overseas? If so, that’s too much. Are we really that hateful to her? That ungrateful girl.”
Lee Sook-hyun’s anger had not yet subsided at the thought that Jun-hee had betrayed her, her own mother. And the loss of Kwon Seok-ha—that excellent source of income—when Jun-hee disappeared made her tremble at the very thought.
“Dear, you’ll be punished for talking like that. Jun-hee wasn’t born just to look after you or Jun-young!”
Ahn Sung-sik, who had been lying down, suddenly sprang up from bed. Though it was late, he finally took Jun-hee’s side and rebuked Lee Sook-hyun.
“What did you say? Punished? Is that what you say to your wife?”
But Lee Sook-hyun was not one to be intimidated by Ahn Sung-sik’s tone.
“Put your hand on your heart and think about it. What have you done well by Jun-hee? Ugh, I shouldn’t even bother speaking.”
Frustrated, Ahn Sung-sik got up and opened the bedroom door.
“Where are you going? At this hour?”
Lee Sook-hyun’s sharp voice struck his ears.
“I don’t want to sleep with you. I’m sleeping in the living room.”
Ahn Sung-sik stepped out and shut the door firmly behind him.
Lee Sook-hyun glared at his retreating figure and pouted her lips.
“That wretched Jun-hee is the problem, so why is he taking it out on me?”
Even as she vented her irritation and anger, her heart felt uneasy. When she tried to recall how well she had treated Jun-hee, nothing came to mind.
“What did I do so wrong? There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the benefits of raising a good daughter, is there?”
As Lee Sook-hyun muttered while removing her makeup, she pouted at her reflection in the mirror, but soon her mood soured entirely. Suddenly hating the sight of her own face in the mirror, she turned away and lay down on the bed.

***

Tension filled the Strategy Conference Room at the highest level of the Seonjin Group Headquarters from early morning. About a dozen executives sat with tense expressions, summoned by Chairman Kwon’s order.

“As the saying goes, a path of silk makes people lazy. A company and a nation only develop when people compete with one another.”

Chairman Kwon’s conviction was, unfortunately, one of talent competition. While he himself enjoyed the thrill of orchestrating it, those subjected to it found it unbearable. One misstep in the competition meant becoming a failure, cast aside without mercy.
He enjoyed pitting people against each other not only for the position of successor, but also for director and manager positions. The executives had to work tirelessly to win Chairman Kwon’s favor.
That conviction activated once more. Everyone believed Chairman Kwon had already marked Kwon Seok-ha as his successor, yet suddenly he made Kwon Seok-jun compete against him.

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