Chapter 6
“Do you think this might work?”
“Pardon?”
Secretary Seo’s eyes widened.
“According to diplomatic protocol based on reciprocity, it is considered appropriate courtesy to place in front someone who is a descendant of a recipient of a decoration from the monarch of the host country.”
Eunwoo relayed the contents of the call to Secretary Seo without changing a single word.
“Moreover, the state visit schedule also includes an exchange of decorations. This time, the honor being awarded is an MBE, a fifth-class order. But Chairman Kang received a KBE—a second-class order.”
“That’s a much higher rank, isn’t it?”
“Exactly. So when meeting the monarch who conferred the decoration, having Director Kang stand at the front signifies that Korea also respects the honor bestowed by the United Kingdom.”
“Ms. Eunwoo, could you summarize this briefly in a document?”
“Yes, I can do that right away.”
“Please keep it short enough to be checked via LMS on a phone. I’ll discuss it with the Presidential Office protocol officer immediately. The call shouldn’t take more than five minutes. Prepare it so you can send it as soon as I’m done.”
“Yes, Secretary!”
Though she wasn’t entirely certain, she believed it would work. If nothing else, she wanted to succeed at her job no matter what.
For Eunwoo, who had lost her memory, work was the only bridge connecting her past self to her present. That was why, for the past month and a half, she had cut down on sleep and prepared for this protocol far beyond the scope requested by the Strategy Office.
While Secretary Seo immediately placed a call to the Presidential Office, Eunwoo began drafting the requested document. As the call continued, sharp, raised voices could be heard from Seo’s end.
Eunwoo glanced up from her writing. It seemed the Presidential Office was displeased that an already agreed-upon matter was being challenged.
“Secretary Seo, I’ve sent the summary to your phone via message.”
Right on cue, Eunwoo finished the document and sent it to Seo’s personal phone. Seo quickly forwarded the message to the Presidential Office.
“Did… it work?”
“Probably?”
Out of nowhere, Secretary Seo raised his hand toward Eunwoo—a gesture for a high-five. Eunwoo lifted herself halfway from her chair and clapped her palm against his with a sharp smack.
“What is going on?”
At some point, Kang Heejae had emerged into the living room, fully dressed in formal protocol attire, and was now looking at them. Eunwoo, who had been excitedly celebrating, forgot even to breathe as she stared at him.
Dressed in a suit, he looked like a gentleman straight out of a portrait she might have seen in an art exhibition.
The tailored suit fit perfectly over his solid frame, accentuating his refined silhouette. The harmony between his lightly tanned skin and the deep blue tones of his attire made an already sophisticated man appear even more distinguished. His radiant presence made it difficult to look away.
“What could possibly be so exciting that you’re clapping like that?”
“Well… about that.”
Bzz—. Secretary Seo’s phone vibrated softly on the table. A message appeared on the dark screen.
<After internal discussion, we have concluded that Secretary Seo’s proposal is reasonable. We will renegotiate the sequence and contact you again.>
It was from the Presidential Office protocol officer. After reading it, Seo lifted his head proudly and addressed Kang Heejae.
“Ms. Kim Eunwoo pulled it off!”
Kang Heejae’s gaze shifted from Seo to Eunwoo.
He gave her a small nod. That was all.
There was no praise, no encouragement. The man who had said this was “something only Kim Eunwoo could do” reacted as if he had expected her to succeed all along.
Strangely, it was that minimal reaction that made her fingertips tingle.
His attitude felt as though he had trusted her despite having no particular connection to her—and at the same time, as if any order he gave must inevitably be fulfilled.
Standing still, Eunwoo quietly clenched and unclenched her dry hands.
The official welcoming ceremony was held at Horse Guards in Buckingham Palace. Originally the site of stables, it had been converted into a military facility, hence the name “Horse Guards.”
In the wide parade ground surrounded by ivory-colored buildings, the British royal guards stood in perfect formation, motionless like statues in full dress uniform.
Under the overcast sky, the soldiers exhaled faint breaths. Their chests rose beneath their uniforms, and the golden brass instruments raised toward the sky remained silent—until a loud announcement rang out from the entrance.
“Please rise and welcome the distinguished guest, President of the Republic of Korea.”
Moments later, in the distance, a golden four-horse carriage came into view. As the sound of hooves spread across the stillness of Horse Guards, a military band conductor raised his baton.
As the carriage carrying the President and First Lady circled the parade ground, the ceremonial music of welcome resounded throughout the area.
In time with the music, the British military fired a salute in honor of the state visit. Boom, boom—at intervals of three to five seconds, each blast sent the smell of gunpowder and white smoke spreading into the cloudy London sky.
Eunwoo stood below the platform on the right, among the entourage, witnessing this moment that would be recorded in history.
Once the President fully mounted the platform, the commander of the guard stepped forward and reported that preparations for inspection were complete. As the President descended to conduct the inspection, the Korean folk song Arirang echoed across the London sky.
The stirring melody, the sharp scent of gunpowder, and the disciplined footsteps of the guards—somewhere along the way, Eunwoo’s breathing grew faintly excited amid the clinking of weapons.
Since long ago, back when she was a short-haired girl, Eunwoo had admired England. A land of gentlemen and ladies from the world of Jane Austen’s novels—a place where monarchy and tradition endured, where past and present coexisted.
What unfolded before her now was exactly as she had imagined in her dreams. No—more majestic, more vivid than she had ever imagined, so much so that she could not take her eyes off it.
At that moment, raindrops began to fall over Horse Guards.
A drop landed on Eunwoo’s exposed forehead, her hair neatly tied up, and others settled on the shoulders of Kang Heejae, who wore a dark gray coat over his blue suit.
The aides standing beneath the platform, where no canopy had been installed, hurriedly opened umbrellas to shield those they served from the rain.
Eunwoo also opened the large umbrella she had been holding and raised it over Director Kang’s head. He briefly glanced back, then stepped half a pace closer, moving under the umbrella she held.
Was it the sudden humidity, or the reduced distance between them? The scent emanating from him grew stronger. Feeling slightly dizzy from it, Eunwoo tightened her grip on the umbrella.
Sensing the umbrella tremble, Kang Heejae turned his gaze toward her. Their eyes met.
Beneath the curved canopy, their gazes intertwined at a distance so close their shoulders could touch.
For a fleeting moment—no, what felt like a fleeting moment—Eunwoo thought she saw concern for her reflected in his dark eyes. Then, placing a hand at her waist, Kang Heejae gently pulled her closer.
Only after being drawn toward him did Eunwoo realize that her shoulder had been getting wet from the rain dripping off the edge of the umbrella.
Their bodies now close, his breath stirred the loose strands of her hair.
Though the sound of rain drumming loudly against the umbrella and the band’s performance of Arirang filled the air, in that moment beneath the umbrella with him, Eunwoo felt as though all sound had suddenly vanished into silence.
The cold, rain-soaked air of London, and the warmth mixed in his breath—so different from the chill around them—made her hand holding the umbrella tremble faintly.
Her breath caught. For that brief moment, beneath the narrow umbrella, it felt as though only the two of them existed.
But the illusion did not last long.
A thunderous roar shook the surroundings. With a clap of thunder, the rain intensified instantly, pouring down over Horse Guards.
The royal attendant hurried to direct the water pooling on the canopy to one side, and the black horses, once so majestic, shook their rain-soaked manes restlessly.
As if a pause had been lifted, the noise that had been wrapped around her returned to its full volume, surrounding her once more.
The melody of Arirang had long since ceased.
At the loud drumming of rain against the umbrella, Eunwoo looked up at the sky. From the heavy, churning clouds that seemed ready to swallow the world, torrents of rain poured down without pause.
A downpour that could neither be avoided nor escaped drenched the entire world in deep, dark hues.
