Chapter 44. I Hope It Shines Bright Blue
When the college entrance exam ended, the sky was already darkening.
Taeseong finished the exam without nerves, just like he would a mock test.
His grades were more than enough to get into the film department he had always aimed for.
That made him even more relaxed.
Of course, it would have been the same even if his grandfather, Chairman Ju, had wanted him to enter the nation’s top business school instead.
Amidst the crowd flowing out the school gate, Taeseong took out his phone to call Haeyoung.
[The number you have dialed is currently unavailable—]
A machine voice came through the receiver.
“Why isn’t she turning her phone on already?”
Grumbling, he pulled the phone away from his ear.
He wanted to buy her favorite cake and celebrate the end of exams by blowing out candles together, but the person he needed to ask was unreachable.
“Guess I’m not that lucky when it comes to food.”
With a small laugh, he pocketed his phone and quickened his steps.
Just as he stepped out the school gate, a loud car horn blared from across the street.
Everyone turned at the near-deafening noise.
But the annoyed frowns quickly turned into looks of awe.
“Wow, look at that car. It’s insane.”
“Yeah, that’s gotta cost over a hundred million won.”
Especially the boys interested in cars couldn’t take their eyes off it.
But to Taeseong, cars like that held no interest.
His family garage was full of even better cars. Of course, he didn’t have a license yet to drive them.
So he started walking away without even glancing, until a familiar voice called from where the horn had sounded.
“Taeseong!”
He turned toward the car.
“Noona?”
Minjoo had stepped out of the driver’s seat and was walking toward him quickly.
Her slightly glamorous outfit felt out of place in front of the school.
“Ha… I thought you’d already left. Thank goodness.”
“What are you doing here?”
He asked, surprised.
“Ever since the accident, every time I called, you said you were too busy studying until after the exam. Did you forget our promise too?”
Minjoo scrunched her nose with a hurt expression.
He searched his memory at her words, but nothing came to mind.
Seeing him struggle to recall, Minjoo bit her lip lightly.
“You really don’t remember?”
“…Huh?”
“Back at your high school entrance ceremony, we made a promise.”
“Ah—.”
Her detailed reminder finally jogged his memory.
“When your college exam ends, I’ll treat you to something delicious.”
“Really? You have to keep that promise.”
He had been seventeen then, excited about confessing to her.
He had thought, When I become a real adult after the exam, I’ll become a man worthy of her and confess.
Fueled by that thought, he forced the promise out of her.
But in his impatience, he had confessed at eighteen and was rejected.
“Taeseong… I know how you feel, but this isn’t right. You’re still just a kid. A minor. And I’m already an adult.”
“Noona, I—”
“Let’s talk again in the future.”
After that, Minjoo went abroad to study.
He had waited to become an adult, just like she said.
He had liked her naturally since childhood, always wanting to stay by her side.
But now, those desperate, overwhelming feelings felt faint.
He couldn’t even remember a promise he had once been so excited about.
As he stood there silently, Minjoo spoke again.
“I made a reservation months in advance.”
“……”
“I’ve been looking forward to this promise so much.”
She grabbed his arm gently.
“…Alright.”
“Come on, get in.”
She pointed to the passenger seat.
But Taeseong didn’t move. He looked at her and spoke quietly.
“But noona. I can’t stay long.”
“Huh…?”
“I have to go home early.”
At his clear boundary, the flush on Minjoo’s face faded.
“We’re having a small family celebration dinner.”
His face looked calm as he lied. In truth, there was no such dinner planned.
Chairman Ju was away on a business trip, and when their housekeeper Jincheon suggested cooking something nice, both Haeyoung and Taeseong had declined.
“What’s the big deal about an exam. I just want to go home and sleep, or watch all the movies I missed.”
But he acted as if he had an important family promise.
“…I see. Then we can’t help it. The meal won’t take long anyway.”
Minjoo forced a smile as she opened the passenger door.
Unlike before, Taeseong now carried an unapproachable aura, making her even more desperate.
At the Restaurant
The place Minjoo reserved was a fusion dining restaurant run by a recently famous chef, difficult to book even months in advance.
It was known for refusing under-the-table deals or VIP favors, insisting on strict reservation order.
Minjoo had booked it as soon as she returned to Korea, aligning it with the exam date.
She planned to use their old promise as an excuse to grow closer again.
After all, she was the one who rejected his first confession. This time, she needed to take the lead.
“Taeseong, does the food suit your taste?”
As appetizers were cleared, Minjoo asked softly.
“Yeah. It’s good.”
But his answer sounded empty.
He had been fiddling with his phone the entire meal.
Suppressing her displeasure, Minjoo asked carefully.
“Are you waiting for someone to call?”
“No, no.”
He quickly shoved his phone into his pocket.
He had asked Haeyoung three times what cake she wanted, but she hadn’t replied.
Was her phone still off, or was she ignoring him?
Or did she go out somewhere, maybe with that Moon Cha Kyung girl?
Even with his phone put away, his mind was full of Haeyoung.
His lack of response made Minjoo fall silent too.
Soon, the main course was served.
“Here is your Hanwoo steak with black truffle sauce.”
“Mm.”
Minjoo hummed softly, then gestured elegantly to the staff.
“Excuse me.”
The server approached with a smile.
“Please bring a 2008 Veuve Clicquot Vintage.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She ordered the champagne she had pre-arranged.
But Taeseong simply stared blankly at his food.
When the champagne arrived, Minjoo poured him a glass.
“Want some?”
For the first time that evening, Taeseong looked directly into her eyes.
“Noona, I’m still underage.”
“I know, but the exam’s over and you’ll be twenty soon. Just one sip won’t hurt.”
Despite her persuasion, his eyes remained firm.
It wasn’t that he had never tasted alcohol.
After his father’s memorial rites, he had taken a ritual sip. But that hardly counted as drinking.
More importantly, he didn’t want his first proper drink to be with Minjoo.
Not that he held any romantic ideals about it – he just didn’t feel like it.
“I’m still wearing my school uniform. It doesn’t feel right. Next time, okay?”
“…Okay.”
With the uniform excuse, Minjoo couldn’t insist further.
She drank alone instead.
She had hoped to loosen the mood with alcohol, but even that last strategy had failed.
Taeseong was no longer the boy she could easily reach out and grab.
Now, he felt like a man just beyond her grasp.
That made him all the more irresistible.
She wanted him. Desperately.
She didn’t want to lose him to that country girl.
Meanwhile, at Home
Contrary to what Taeseong imagined, Haeyoung returned home right after her exam. So quickly she forgot to even turn her phone on.
And she started packing.
She pulled out the bag she had brought when she first came to this house.
As she folded her clothes neatly, her conversation with Chairman Ju replayed in her mind.
“Grandpa, once exams are over, I want to go down to Pohang for a while.”
“Right away?”
“Yes. Grandma said she’ll take a winter break from work, so I want to spend time with her… and I want to see my friends too.”
“What about school?”
“Well… there’s experiential leave. I can use up to about three weeks…”
In truth, her school only allowed about three weeks of absence, at the school’s discretion.
But she wanted to stay in Pohang until winter break.
Spending time with her grandma and friends was part of it.
But there was another reason.
She needed physical distance to start forgetting Ju Taeseong.
