To My Brother’s Friend - Chapter 70

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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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Chapter 70
“What brings you here?”
Kwon Yeol’s pupils trembled for a moment.
In Hee-jo’s voice and eyes, which had always carried such tender warmth, a wall of caution now stood as impenetrable as armor.
That unfamiliar gaze and cool tone pierced his chest like a blade.
Ignoring the sensation of his heart being torn to shreds, Kwon Yeol opened his mouth with utmost care, desperate not to startle her.
“I came to take you home, Hee-jo.”
“Is there perhaps another procedure remaining? Or if there’s anything else needed on the paperwork, please tell me.”
Kwon Yeol felt his throat burn.
She harbored not the slightest thought that he had rushed here because he loved her.
It was entirely his fault.
“You.”
“…Yes?”
“I need you.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Because I love you.”
Hee-jo’s eyes widened dramatically.
A silence as though time itself had frozen descended upon the courtyard.
Han Young-sook, who stood beside them holding her breath, clapped her hand over her mouth.
Hee-jo’s lips trembled faintly.
“…What did you just say?”
As though unable to believe it—or unwilling to believe it—Hee-jo repeated his words in a daze.
Kwon Yeol did not look away; he met her gaze directly.
“I said I love you.”
Between their locked eyes, ineffable and complex emotions rippled.
Hee-jo’s lips parted and closed, her trembling hands clenched and unclenched, before she finally forced herself to speak again.
“…If there’s something you need, just tell me. That kind of joke doesn’t suit you.”
At the word “joke,” Kwon Yeol drew in a sharp breath.
“I regret it.”
“…”
“Not giving you my trust.”
His usual composure vanished entirely as he continued with desperate urgency.
“It was difficult for me to acknowledge my own feelings. It felt like I shouldn’t.”
A younger sister he was meant to care for in place of a deceased friend.
To think of her as anything more felt contemptible to him—as though he were betraying Hee-jae.
Above all, he feared becoming an indelible wound for this child who yearned for a simple, warm family.
Unable to be certain of her feelings toward him, he had cowardly drawn a line, believing that was the only way he could remain by her side.
But before coming here.
At his grandfather’s words, Kwon Yeol had come to this place, clinging to desperate hope.
“There were two reasons I accepted her. First, she possesses considerable ability. Second…she truly loves you.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“The moment you reached the highest peak, I erased myself and hid away, fearing my existence would become your only weakness. If that isn’t love, then what is it?”
With that, Grandfather regarded his eldest grandson with a look of disappointment.
“Even I understand it, yet only you, the one involved, remain oblivious. Tsk, I thought you were clever, but your lack of perception in this regard is truly astounding.”
Clinging to those words alone, Kwon Yeol had come searching for Hee-jo.
“I love you.”
“You….”
“I want you, Hee-jo’s Brother.”
If, just if, your feelings toward me were the same as mine.
Then I would never let Hee-jo go, I vowed to myself.
“Not because of the contract, not as your friend’s sister—I’ve fallen in love with the woman named Yoon Hee-jo. I love you, Hee-jo.”
Even as I gazed desperately into Hee-jo’s eyes, my characteristic intensity and cool demeanor remained unshaken—truly, that was me.
Hee-jo felt her heart trembling.
Foolishly, despite all my resolve to forget.
“If you truly care for that girl, you must also know how to let her go. That is the path to protecting both yourself and her.”
“I understand.”
But recalling the conversation between Chairman Beom and Kwon Yeol, Hee-jo barely managed to steady herself.
“Please leave. I have nothing more to say.”
“If you still hate me, if the very sight of me disgusts you, then I’ll wait.”
At the word “wait,” Hee-jo’s shoulders flinched slightly.
As if unwilling to miss even that subtle tremor, Kwon Yeol continued with desperate urgency.
“I can wait for months, for years.”
“…I don’t understand why you’re doing this. Please go back. This isn’t where you’re needed.”
Her rejection struck like a blade through my heart, the pain overwhelming.
Yet this too was a burden I had to bear.
“Hee-jo.”
As my name was called, trembling pupils dilated, eyes brimming with conflicted emotions—love and resentment intertwined.
Kwon Yeol decided to stake his entire life on that confused gaze.
“Let me prove it. By your side.”
* * *
Hee-jo gave no answer.
But Kwon Yeol interpreted that silence as tacit consent of his own accord.
From that day forward, Kwon Yeol and seven sturdy men began staying on the Small Island.
Whether they had planned it from the start, Captain Park’s ship seemed to endlessly disgorge supplies.
Their lodging was an Empty House not far from Hee-jo’s home.
Among the Empty Houses that had naturally appeared as the island’s population dwindled, Kwon Yeol chose the one closest to Hee-jo while also being the largest.
Once the men changed into work clothes and rolled up their sleeves with borrowed tools, it took less than half a day to transform the dilapidated house into a proper dwelling.
“What on earth is all this?”
“They say Yoon Teacher’s husband came from Seoul.”
“Wait, her husband is eight people strong?”
“What nonsense is this man spouting! The one over there with the best bearing and the shiniest appearance—that’s Yoon Teacher’s husband, and the rest are his lackeys, or so I heard.”
“So, Yoon Teacher’s husband is a, a gangster?”
The small, quiet island village erupted into chaos in an instant.
Han Young-sook watched the commotion unfold, releasing a deep sigh.
Her concern was evident—she worried whether Hee-jo might be startled, whether the fragile stability her student had only just found might shatter once more.
“Hey, Hee-jo. Should we leave Beom Executive Director alone?”
“…He’s someone unrelated to me. He’s free to do whatever he wants, wherever he wants.”
Hee-jo instinctively raised her hand to cradle her lower abdomen.
Her words were cold, yet anxiety rippled beneath the surface.
‘How long is he planning to stay?’
He wouldn’t stay much longer, surely.
If divorce proceedings or documents bearing her consent were needed, she hoped he’d finish quickly and leave.
She didn’t want to lose the peace she’d barely found.
Most of all, what terrified her was the thought that he might discover the child’s existence.
But—
She couldn’t help the way her thoughts kept drifting toward the house where Kwon Yeol was staying.
…What was that confession, anyway?
“Not because of the contract, not as my friend’s sister—I fell in love with you, Yoon Hee-jo. I love you, Hee-jo.”
Why did she find herself turning those words over and over in her mind?
In the end, Hee-jo shook her head vigorously.
‘I wish he’d just go. I wish this moment would pass….’
* * *
Yet contrary to Hee-jo’s wishes, Kwon Yeol had already been on this small island for a week.
During that time, Kwon Yeol and his subordinates had traveled throughout the island, taking on all manner of difficult work.
They repaired roofs battered by typhoons, hauled up heavy fishing boats, and some even ventured to the mainland to procure medicinal herbs and daily necessities the village lacked.
In just one week, “Yoon Teacher’s husband and his lackeys” had become indispensable guests to the island village’s elderly residents.
Among them, Kwon Yeol was like Hee-jo’s shadow.
Whenever even the slightest creak sounded from the Red-Roofed House where the two of them stayed, Kwon Yeol appeared first.
Before long, even Han Young-sook had grown accustomed to receiving Kwon Yeol’s help.
“Teacher, you’ve brought side dishes?”
“Yes, Beom Executive Director went to the harbor earlier and brought them….”
Han Young-sook caught herself, pressing her lips together with a flustered expression.
“Oh my, what’s wrong with me? I nearly forgot I’d left the medicinal herbs on the fire. Beom Executive Director happened to bring them over….”
Han Young-sook fidgeted awkwardly with her apron and quietly excused herself from the uncomfortable atmosphere.
“…Sigh.”
Hee-jo exhaled softly.
He’d leave if she just left him alone. He was a busy man with places to be and work waiting for him.
She told herself he’d come here only because he had business nearby, or perhaps out of some lingering guilt toward her friend’s brother.
After all, they were married, even if it was contractual.
To push away his love confession that had echoed through her mind all this time, Hee-jo compulsively recalled a conversation between Chairman Beom and Kwon Yeol.
‘It’s absolutely not because of any feelings he has for me.’
With that thought, Hee-jo deliberately turned away from the foolish hope that threatened to lift her head.
‘He’ll leave soon enough.’
But Kwon Yeol showed no signs of departing.
His gaze followed my every movement throughout the day.
Whenever I headed to school for classes, I could sense him trailing behind at a measured distance.
Wherever I went, his eyes remained fixed upon me.
There was even a moment when I stumbled and nearly fell, and he rushed forward to catch my arm.
Fearing the child in my womb might be discovered, I instinctively jerked my hand away with force.
“…I’m sorry. I was afraid you’d fall, so my hand moved before I could think.”
Though he had every reason to feel embarrassed, Kwon Yeol instead apologized for startling me and carefully withdrew.
“Ugh…”
The memory faded as quickly as it had surfaced.
Suddenly, an ominous pain surged through me.
Hee-jo pressed her palm firmly against her chest.
At least there was one mercy—the food prepared by Han Young-sook’s relatives suited my palate, so I hadn’t skipped meals.
Yet perhaps because Kwon Yeol weighed so heavily on my mind.
My solar plexus felt rigid and constricted.
Once I became aware of the pain, my physical condition deteriorated rapidly beyond control.
‘Perhaps a walk would help ease this tension.’
I left the house to soothe my restless heart and walked for some time.
Suddenly, the world spun dizzily before my eyes, and my body lurched sharply to the side.

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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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