Impossible Romance - Chapter 72

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

72.

“Hide me?”
I looked at Seok-jun, trying to discern what he meant.
How much did this man actually know? Or was he simply guessing?
“Seok-ha is nearby right now. Well, to be precise, he’s on some island in the area, but that’s not important. Anyway, he’ll come back here today. So spend today with me instead. You’re avoiding Seok-ha anyway, aren’t you?”
Seok-jun, with his handsome face, narrowed his eyes as he spoke—as though he were dangling a sweet candy before me, trying to tempt me.
Seok-ha was on an island?
I was startled, but I forced myself to remain composed. From what Seok-jun said, it seemed he didn’t know which island she lived on—we had simply met by chance today.
“I appreciate the offer, but I came from another city, so I can just go back there. Please pretend you didn’t see me. That would be helping me.”
I refused flatly and stepped back.
“I’ve felt this before, but why do you keep drawing a line with me? I’m offering to help—why do you insist on struggling like this?”
Seok-jun caught my arm again as I tried to leave. He knew how important I was to Seok-ha, and he was already scheming—calculating how to use me to his advantage.
“Because the Department Head and I aren’t on the same side.”
“The same… side?”
Seok-jun’s brow furrowed.
“Yes. The Department Head and I—we’re not on the same side. And I have no intention of going in that direction. The Executive Director feels the same way. I’m not avoiding you. Now, I should go.”
I turned quickly, afraid he might grab me again. I considered asking him to keep it secret from Seok-ha, but that would likely backfire. Seok-jun didn’t seem like the type to comply willingly.
“Jun-hee!”
Seok-jun called out to me once more, but I disappeared swiftly into the crowd. However, Seok-jun was not a man to give up so easily.
If he could get one over on Seok-ha, he was willing to do anything right now. Besides, he’d been killing time because he didn’t want to go to the island anyway. Seok-jun plunged into the crowd after me.

Jun-hee emerged from the Book Fair and surveyed her surroundings. The knowledge that Kwon Seok-ha was nearby offered no comfort. He claimed to have gone to the Island, but there was no way to know when he might have returned to the Mainland.
It seemed she would need to stay elsewhere for several days before going to the Island. Or perhaps she should pack her belongings and relocate. How long would it take to settle into a new place and build a life there? How long would she have to live like this?
The sudden confrontation with reality left her mind in turmoil. Then her phone rang. Jun-hee quickly answered her mobile.
“Hello?”
―Na-yeon!
Kim Byung-ho’s voice sounded more serious than ever.
“Is something wrong at the Bookstore?”
―Someone came looking for Na-yeon!
“For me?”
My heart began to race.
Could Kwon Seok-ha have come all the way there? The world went dark before my eyes.
―To be precise, they came to meet the Bookstore owner, not Na-yeon.
“Oh, I see. But why did you call me about it?”
At Kim Byung-ho’s words, I managed to calm myself slightly.
That’s right—nothing had happened yet. I reassured myself that there was no need to panic prematurely.
―It just felt suspicious. Fortunately, they left the Island by boat a little while ago. Still, you might run into them when you come back later, so be careful. I’m sorry. I just felt like I should tell you.
“Oh, thank you. I’ll be careful when I return.”
I hung up the phone. I understood Kim Byung-ho’s concern. Without saying it aloud, he must have realized there was a story behind a woman living alone on an Island with no connections.
It wasn’t just Kim Byung-ho—Grandmother Kim and the Raw Fish Restaurant Owner had done the same. Whenever rough-looking people came searching for me, they would deny knowing anything and turn them away.
Looking back, it was thanks to the villagers that I could live here. Even now, if anything troubled them even slightly, they would inform me like this.
I decided to muster a little more courage and continue living. If there were people helping me like this, surely I deserved to enjoy this happiness a little longer.
Suddenly, it struck me that these people, who shared not a drop of blood with me, felt more like Family than my actual relatives. It was ironic—I had fled from my Family, yet here I felt the warmth of kinship.

***

Seok-ha disembarked from the boat and gazed out at the sea. The Field Survey Team had been commuting between the mainland and the island for some time now, conducting their work. It was a necessary procedure—basic investigation and securing resident consent before development could begin.
As the head of this project, Seok-ha didn’t visit often. He received daily reports on progress, but his responsibilities with the government ministries far outweighed his duties on the island itself.
Regarding the submarine cable project alone, mountains of work awaited his attention. In other words, he couldn’t remain on the island to oversee the fieldwork directly.
In the darkness of night, Seok-ha stared endlessly toward the distant shore where lights flickered faintly. For some reason, his feet refused to move. If he admitted that he wanted to visit the bookstore on that island one more time, they’d surely call him mad.
“Did you come back from the island?”
Seok-jun’s voice reached him from nearby. When Seok-ha turned, his brother approached slowly and stood beside him.
“Why didn’t you go?”
“Why would I need to? Grandfather was pushing me, so I just came along to make up the numbers.”
Seok-jun shrugged his shoulders.
Seok-ha glanced at him briefly, then turned his gaze back to the island, obscured by darkness.
“Are you staying the night here?”
Seok-jun asked, studying Seok-ha’s expression carefully.
He wondered if Seok-ha was still searching for Jun-hee. Even if he was, Seok-jun had no intention of telling him that he’d seen her. He knew all too well how much she tormented him, which made him even more reluctant to reveal anything.
Instead, he would watch his brother’s suffering from the sidelines, and only reveal the truth after some time had passed. The thought of how exhilarating that moment would be sent shivers down his spine.
“I need to head back right away. I have a breakfast meeting tomorrow.”
Seok-ha pressed his tired, dry eyes with his palms before pulling his hands away.
“Did you find the person you were looking for?”
“Out of nowhere? Do you know something?”
Seok-ha’s gaze sharpened. He knew that the person Seok-jun was referring to was Jun-hee.
“I’m just in a good mood watching you suffer because of that woman.”
Seok-jun smiled, recalling Jun-hee from earlier that day. He’d always been inferior to Seok-ha, harboring a deep inferiority complex. The thought that he was one step ahead when it came to Jun-hee lifted his spirits considerably.
“Are you a pervert? If you know something, spit it out.”
“I don’t.”
“Then drop your interest.”
Seok-ha shot him a piercing glare and strode toward the waiting car. He despised even hearing Jun-hee’s name from his brother’s lips.
‘He knows nothing. How should I use this?’
Watching Seok-ha’s retreating figure, Seok-jun’s mind began to work.
Now that he knew Jun-hee’s new name, locating her would be easier than taking candy from a baby. Once he had her location, she wouldn’t be able to escape him.
In a surprisingly good mood, Seok-jun hummed to himself as he walked.

***

From the bookstore, the sea appeared no larger than the palm of my hand. Even such a vast, boundless ocean could be concealed by this small space.
I lifted my head from the desk where I’d been contemplating next week’s Reading Club selection, gazing out toward that distant sea. As always, it stretched endlessly before me, yet there was something tender about it. My heart felt suddenly open, and warmth bloomed within me. And inevitably, Kwon Seok-ha came to mind.
I wondered if he was doing well. Being a workaholic, was he neglecting his health? Was he pulling all-nighters?
He should be living healthily and happily.
At the end of such thoughts, longing took hold—like an anchor that a departing ship couldn’t quite sever, tethering me and preventing me from moving forward.
Each time I cut that anchor free, it inevitably reappeared, creating yearning and stirring my heart. By now, I should have been able to forget, yet as time passed, the anchor only grew more steadfast.
Had he really come here?
Though I couldn’t be certain it was Kwon Seok-ha, after that unfamiliar man visited the bookstore, there had been no further incidents. The village continued its quiet yet bustling rhythm.
I needed to work.
I shook my head and refocused on my notebook, pressing my pen firmly as I checked off each new release from this month. Since I would be selecting one of these for the Reading Club, I had to be careful.
Ding.
The door opened, and the bell chimed brightly as the sea breeze swept through. A customer had arrived.
I lifted my head and, seeing the man standing at the entrance, slowly rose from my seat.

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