Impossible Romance - Chapter 77

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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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77.

After finishing my morning preparations, I left my apartment and headed straight to the Ice Cream Bookstore. Though I could have entered through the back door connected to my home, I preferred walking beneath the sunlight, gazing at the Blue Sea.
With lush greenery and an endless expanse of azure waters, interspersed with nameless wildflowers lining the path, the bookstore appeared after just a few steps.
“Executive Director, why are you following me?”
I opened the bookstore door and whirled around to glare at Kwon Seok-ha. I’d reluctantly prepared breakfast for him, and now he’d pursued me all the way to the bookstore.
“Not Executive Director—call me Jun-hee’s Brother. And I’m not following you; I came for coffee.”
Kwon Seok-ha passed by me with an exasperated expression and entered the bookstore first, walking toward the coffee machine as though he owned the place.
“Do I need to clean this before using it?”
At his question, I shook my head and moved toward the stack of books piled on the desk—new arrivals from yesterday’s order.
He was a man beyond reason anyway. He’d amuse himself and leave once his vacation ended. That was the healthiest way to think about it.
The sound of Kwon Seok-ha bustling around the coffee machine—cleaning or whatever he was doing—filled the bookstore like white noise. I filtered out the sound and organized the newly ordered books.
As a small bookstore, I was limited in the types and quantities of books I could stock. I organized them primarily around this week’s Reading Club selection and stood from my seat.
While arranging the books with their spines facing outward, I rose onto my tiptoes to place one on a higher shelf. Somehow, Kwon Seok-ha had drawn close and now stood behind me.
My heart quickened as he took the book from my hands and placed it effortlessly on the shelf. I slowly lowered my heels back to the ground.
Throughout it all, Kwon Seok-ha remained still behind me, as though embracing me. The fresh scent of his shampoo drifted delicately to my nose.
A hushed silence settled over the small bookstore. In that moment where everything seemed suspended, Kwon Seok-ha recalled the kiss we’d shared the night before.
The thought of holding me close and finishing what we’d left undone yesterday made his pants tighten. Even he found it ridiculous, and he let out a quiet laugh. Whenever he saw me, he lost his mind—he was clearly out of his senses.
Just then, the door chime rang with a soft “ding,” and someone entered. I quickly slipped from his embrace as though I’d been waiting for the interruption.
“Hello, Teacher!”
The visitor was a first-grade elementary student. Dressed entirely in pink—skirt, shirt, and headband—the small child’s plump cheeks puffed out as her eyes sparkled with delight.
The girl was a regular customer who visited the bookstore nearly every day. Though she rarely purchased books, I genuinely enjoyed her visits.
“Soo-yeon’s here! Want to look at the new fairy tale book I just got?”
“Yes! But who is this mister?”
Soo-yeon tilted her head back considerably to look up at Kwon Seok-ha, her eyes brimming with curiosity.
“Who do you think?”
Kwon Seok-ha lowered his head and asked playfully.
“Is he your boyfriend, Teacher?”
Soo-yeon gasped as though surprised by her own answer, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Yes!”
“No!”
Kwon Seok-ha and I answered simultaneously, our responses contradicting each other.
“Wow! Teacher’s boyfriend! Mister, you’re so handsome! Teacher, you’re so lucky….”
But Soo-yeon seemed to have heard only the answer she wanted. With her face flushed red from her secret crush on her classmate Ji-hoon, she stared at Kwon Seok-ha with her mouth agape.
“Isn’t it? I think so too. In that case, I’ll buy you juice.”
“Yay! This is so fun!”
Kwon Seok-ha patted Soo-yeon’s head and looked at me.
“You heard that, Teacher? One juice and a coffee, please.”
Watching the two of them, I sighed and retrieved juice from the refrigerator. After pouring coffee, I brought the drinks to Kwon Seok-ha and Soo-yeon, who had settled by the window.
Soo-yeon sipped her juice slowly while staring intently at the handsome Kwon Seok-ha.
“Right. You’re at the age where you’d love a pretty boy.”
Kwon Seok-ha shrugged and took a sip of his coffee.
“Once you finish your coffee, please leave. Stop disrupting business.”
Jun-hee placed her hands on her hips and spoke as coldly as she could manage.
“Soo-yeon, let’s look at some books.”
Kwon Seok-ha pretended not to hear Jun-hee and spoke to Soo-yeon instead.
“Yes!”
Soo-yeon’s face lit up with excitement as she smiled brightly.
“What kind of books should we read? Since this is the Ice Cream Bookstore, maybe we should look at first love stories?”
“Why is ice cream connected to first love?”
Soo-yeon blinked her eyes as she asked.
“Well, why do you think? Ice cream is sweet, isn’t it?”
“Yes!”
“Because it’s so sweet and pretty, it’s like first love.”
“Oh… Then I should give ice cream to my friend that I like!”
Soo-yeon nodded as if she’d just realized something important.
“That’s a great idea. And there’s one more reason.”
“What’s that?”
Soo-yeon’s large, clear eyes sparkled with curiosity once more.
“I think the bookstore owner might know this, but the bookstore’s name is Ice Cream Bookstore, after all.”
“Wow, that’s right!”
Soo-yeon’s exclamation was as pure and clear as her nature.
Kwon Seok-ha, who had spoken in a hushed tone, turned to look at Jun-hee.
Jun-hee’s face flushed red like someone caught with a secret, and she quickly turned away. Not wanting to show her flustered cheeks, she deliberately looked elsewhere.
The bookstore’s name was indeed chosen while recalling the happy times I spent with Kwon Seok-ha. But how could he have noticed that? Embarrassed that my true feelings were exposed, I covered my face with both hands.
“Oh? Teacher, you’re covering your face!”
Soo-yeon, completely oblivious, innocently reported Jun-hee’s action.
“You must have a fever. This gentleman should buy you ice cream. Good idea, right?”
“Yes!”
Hearing Soo-yeon’s cheerful response, Jun-hee lowered her hands from her face. She was about to say something to Kwon Seok-ha when his phone rang.
Kwon Seok-ha took his phone from his jacket and pressed the answer button.
“Hwang Manager? I’m enjoying my vacation.”
Annoyance was evident on Kwon Seok-ha’s face as he spoke. After exchanging a few words about company matters, he continued.
“Do I really have to be there? Understood.”
After ending the call, Kwon Seok-ha stood up from his seat.
“Soo-yeon, something very important came up and they say they really need me. I’ll be back soon. Take care of the teacher.”
“Yes!”
“Jun-hee, I’ll just be gone for a few hours.”
“No. You don’t need to come back at all. Just stay away.”
Jun-hee showed Kwon Seok-ha out with a curt tone, yet he simply winked at her with an amused smile before stepping outside.
“Teacher.”
“Hmm?”
“Your boyfriend is really cool!”
Soo-yeon, who had already fallen for Kwon Seok-ha, clutched her juice with both hands and gazed at Jun-hee.
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
Even as Jun-hee said this, her eyes remained fixed on the window, unable to look away until Kwon Seok-ha disappeared from view.

***

The day at the Ice Cream Bookstore unfolded with leisurely ease. Kwon Seok-ha never came, even after lunch had passed. It seemed he must be occupied with something important.
Jun-hee had told him not to come, yet she found herself waiting for him. Every time the door chimed, she would lift her head to check the customer—a habit she couldn’t break.
As the sun descended in the distance, painting the Blue Sea in shades of crimson, the door chimed once more as someone entered.
Jun-hee looked up with anticipation, but the moment she saw the man before her, a sickening premonition washed over her entire body.
“Wow, you changed your name and buried yourself here so well. The islanders kept you hidden, didn’t they?”
Park Dong-gil, his chest marked with dark tattoos, deliberately pulled his shirt open as he stepped inside. Outside, similarly built men stood guard around the perimeter.
“Who are you?”
Anxiety and fear flashed across Jun-hee’s face.
“Jun-young is looking for you. He misses his sister so much—he’s been pestering me every day. Don’t you want to see your brother?”
With each step Park Dong-gil took toward her, Jun-hee’s skin crawled. Thinking she had to escape, she backed away until she reached the rear door.
“My brother isn’t here. Even if he were, I don’t want to see him. So please leave!”
Jun-hee spoke clearly and firmly.
“You two can settle that when you meet. For now, you’re coming with me.”
“No! Help!”
Jun-hee immediately turned and opened the rear door, but her hair was seized in the brutal grip of the man’s hand.

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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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