Impossible Romance - Chapter 73

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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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73.

Since returning from the island, Seok-ha had been consumed by an even busier schedule. Yet truthfully, his mind remained anchored there—where Jun-hee was.
When he’d visited the Village Bookstore, Seok-ha had recognized its owner was Jun-hee. Not immediately, of course, but as he’d traced the source of his lingering preoccupation, the answer became unmistakable.
The Ice Cream Bookstore.
Even the name felt distinctly like her. Memories of moments they’d shared surfaced, drawing a quiet laugh from his lips.
He leaned toward the expansive storefront window, peering inside. In truth, even without bending so deeply, the modest bookstore revealed itself at a glance.
Within the charming interior that mirrored her sensibilities, he spotted the objects she favored. Particularly striking was the laptop adorned with various stickers—the same ones he’d always seen at home.
She’d complained they were outdated, yet she continued using them carefully. He was grateful for that.
As he turned to leave, the man’s guarded demeanor confirmed his suspicion. He now understood why his investigators had failed to find her—the villagers had protected her. With her name changed, discovery would have been nearly impossible.
He’d instructed the Field Survey Team to recognize the bookstore owner’s importance and monitor her activities daily. While the directive was ostensibly to prevent contact with competitors, it conveniently allowed him to track her movements from the office here. That had been his true intention all along.
When Seok-jun occasionally attempted to shake his resolve, as if he’d discovered something, it struck Seok-ha as pathetic. Yet his heart ached with each passing day. Did she know how he suffered, knowing where she was yet unable to rush to her? A mere week had felt as agonizing as enduring ten years.
“Executive Director, everything is prepared.”
Hwang Manager entered with a knock, his face radiant with joy.
Seok-ha nodded lightly and rose from his seat. He donned the jacket he’d carefully selected before leaving home, then examined himself once more in the mirror.
Then he stepped out of the Executive Office.
The Secretary’s Office buzzed with festive energy. Seonjin had secured the offshore wind power development rights after an intensely competitive final round. The news was breaking across media outlets at this very moment.
Having learned of this the previous night, Seok-ha had delivered the victory report to Chairman Kwon. His parents, present at the time, had been overjoyed, and the expressions of his uncle and aunt, as well as Seok-jun, required no elaboration. With this achievement, the tiresome comparisons with Seok-jun would cease.
As he descended by elevator and stepped toward the first-floor entrance, camera flashes erupted from every direction. While the operational team was conducting the media briefing, the cameras converged on Seok-ha—the true architect of the victory.
“Congratulations on Seonjin Trading being selected as the final preferred negotiation partner for offshore wind power development by the government. Would you share your thoughts?”
“We’ve heard internal competition was fierce. Would it be fair to say the succession structure is now solidified?”
“There were rumors you’re getting married soon. Is that true?”
The reporters’ questions grew increasingly probing.
“Our operational team will provide thorough responses to all inquiries.”
Seok-ha answered briefly and gestured, whereupon security personnel safely escorted him to his vehicle.
Even as Seok-ha walked, the flashes continued relentlessly. Each frame of the handsome, capable chaebol heir was disseminated through articles like glossy photographs.

***

It had been a long, arduous journey. Seok-ha had come from Seoul in one breath, yet the time he couldn’t reach Jun-hee made every moment feel interminable and distant.
Seok-ha, who had left his car in the parking lot near the Dock, walked slowly toward the bookstore with a bouquet of flowers in hand. He instructed Hwang Manager and the other attendants to join the Field Survey Team, choosing to walk alone.
He didn’t want anyone else present at his reunion with Jun-hee. As the bookstore drew near, his heart began to race. It was an exhilaration he hadn’t tasted in far too long.
Now that he had secured business rights worth tens of trillions of won, Seok-ha stood at the apex of the world. With this feeling coursing through him, he intended to meet Jun-hee and finally propose—something he hadn’t managed before. No one would oppose his marriage. Not even his mother, Han Seon-young, could stop him.
Inside the bookstore, Jun-hee sat lost in deep thought. At the sight of her adorable, lovely figure, a smile bloomed unbidden on his lips. She seemed far more suited to a place like this than to the Company.
He wanted to gaze at her a moment longer, but his hand moved first. The moment he grasped the handle and opened the door, the bell chimed, and Jun-hee lifted her head. Her eyes widened as she saw me—an expression of disbelief, as though this reality couldn’t be real.
“I came for coffee. I heard you sell it here.”
Seok-ha walked toward her slowly, his voice deep and measured.
“How… how did you get here?”
Perhaps because she had been thinking of Seok-ha so intensely just moments before, Jun-hee couldn’t believe he was standing before her—as if a figment of her imagination had suddenly become flesh and blood.
“I took a boat. I had something to tell you.”
Seok-ha looked at Jun-hee and slowly lifted the corners of his mouth into a gentle smile, then extended the bouquet toward her. The roses he had meant to give her that day had long since withered away.
But that didn’t matter. He had found her again like this, and now he could give her a fresh bouquet.
“I love you.”
The simple words resonated through the bookstore.
A confession that seemed out of place in this small nine-pyeong space—with bookshelves crammed full of volumes and two worn tables.
No, in this space where time seemed to have stopped, the declaration of love crashed through like a wave, shaking everything in an instant. Jun-hee stood speechless, as though drenched by sudden spray.
Seok-ha gazed at Jun-hee trembling before him with tender eyes, taking in every detail. The way her stubbornly curly hair was pulled back tightly with a rubber band was endearing.
Her dark brows and clear, large eyes, her round nostrils and quivering lashes—he had never forgotten them for a moment. Nor the flush that had crept across her cheeks, turning them rosy from their earlier composure.
Jun-hee stared blankly at the bouquet he held out to her.
She couldn’t let herself be swept away by his sudden arrival, nor could she accept this bouquet.
For Seok-ha’s sake, and for her own, she couldn’t let the time and effort she had spent running away come to nothing.
“I’m sorry.”
Jun-hee answered with difficulty, as though she had only just found her voice after a long silence. Tears glistened in her eyes, but she clenched her teeth, refusing to let them fall.
“I came too late, didn’t I? I’m sorry.”
“No. Don’t say that. We’re not meant to be.”
“Not meant to be? Who says that? Then, consider this just a courtesy bouquet.”
Seok-ha placed the bouquet into Jun-hee’s arms.
“Even if you do this, I…”
“Then throw it away? That’s worse than accepting it.”
He raised his thick brows at an angle.
Jun-hee looked down at the bouquet in her arms. Woven with roses and wildflowers, it was large and lush enough to cover her entire chest.
‘Flowers are innocent.’
She changed her mind about handing the bouquet back to him. If she refused it as he suggested, he would simply leave it behind anyway.
“We don’t sell coffee here. Please leave.”
Jun-hee spoke while holding the bouquet. Seeing Seok-ha in this place was already too great a shock. She didn’t have the strength to bear watching him drink coffee in this space.
“So you discriminate against customers? This place has problems.”
“…”
“Iced Americano. Strong.”
He pulled money from his wallet and placed it in a wooden donation box. It appeared to be a self-service payment system.
“I’m not selling it.”
“You’re going to take the money and run? Should I report you?”
Seok-ha waved his phone in front of my face.
I stared at the piggy bank I’d made with resentful eyes. Just moments ago, I’d wanted to cry, but seeing Seok-ha’s behavior, the tears that had been welling up vanished instantly.
He’d reverted to his old self—a spoiled, arrogant rich boy. I couldn’t believe this was the same person who’d confessed to me less than ten minutes ago.
“Please sit down. I’ll make you some.”
While I brewed the coffee, Seok-ha settled into a chair by the window overlooking the sea. He was leisurely admiring the view when I returned with the coffee and offered it to him.
“Drink it and don’t come back.”
At my deliberately cold words, Seok-ha turned to look at me.
“That might be difficult.”
He answered brazenly, flashing me a smug smile.
“Why?”
At his words, my heart began pounding again. I had no idea what he was trying to say.
“Because you’re mine.”

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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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