Chapter 44
“Hey, Young-ah, let’s eat.”
Not long after setting the table, Yeonwoo woke Seyoung.
“Okay.”
Seyoung leapt up from the sofa and rushed over to the dining table.
“Wow, you even made doenjang jjigae!”
“I can’t promise it tastes good.”
Of course, it was nearly impossible for soybean paste stew made with store-bought paste to taste bad—but still, you never knew.
Taking a spoonful of the stew, Seyoung’s eyes widened in delight, and she shot a thumbs-up.
“It’s so delicious!”
“Good. Now dig in.”
“Mm-hm.”
Seyoung ate as if she hadn’t eaten in days, scarfing down bowl after bowl. Only after finishing her second helping of rice did she finally pat her stomach with satisfaction.
“Want some alcohol?”
“Yes, please!”
“Then let’s just have one can of beer each.”
“Sure.”
Even though it seemed impossible for her to have room left, Seyoung downed the beer in a single gulp as well.
“Hey, Yeonwoo.”
“Yeah?”
“I’m really going to do well here. I’ll forget about Segwon oppa and just focus on my work.”
“I told you to erase Samgwon from your memory completely. Did something even happen between you two?”
“No, nothing happened. I just liked him on my own, sulked on my own, broke up on my own… all of that.”
“Damn it, seriously. I ought to do something about that guy.”
“Well, he did treat me okay sometimes. He’d buy me meals and coffee when I visited Korea University.”
“That’s just his habit. Do you think you’re the only one he buys meals and coffee for?”
Yeonwoo knew she had to be firm at times like this. Giving Seyoung false hope would only make things worse.
“That’s why you threw all your regrets away and came to Cheongbong, right? Even the village name is nice—Cheongchun-ri. Doesn’t it sound like a place where good encounters might happen?”
“Cheongchun-ri may mean ‘Youth Village,’ but keep in mind the average resident is in their late sixties.”
“Hehehe.”
At least she was laughing. Deep down, Seyoung probably wanted to cry.
“So… how are things between you and Master Beom?”
Yeonwoo’s cheeks flushed pink as she began recounting what had happened so far. For a while, it felt like they were back in their carefree school days.
Bang.
Getting out of his car, Sajun peered over the fence.
That was quick.
The lights in Yeonwoo’s living room were already blazing. The terrace door was wide open too—like she’d been preparing dinner.
He looked down at the bag of bread he’d bought at the bakery and debated what to do. Rather than giving it to her now, he thought maybe he should use it as an excuse to go see her later.
If he was going to spend a passionate night with Yeonwoo, he needed to get ready. A shower to wash off the sweat, a clean shave, trimmed nails… what else?
Just then, laughter drifted over the fence from Yeonwoo’s house.
There was only one person he knew who laughed like that.
Her best friend, Jung Seyoung.
“Hahaha, that’s insane!”
“I told you, isn’t it funny?”
Sajun’s eyebrow twitched.
She had come down fast.
Her earnest résumé, promising dedication, had gone straight into his father’s hands—the hospital director—and was instantly approved.
After all, they had been sorely lacking a neurosurgeon. Too many patients had been transferred out for lack of a specialist. His father had been overjoyed, calling it a blessing for Cheongbong Sarang Hospital. Sajun had thought so too.
But he had overlooked one thing.
Neither of them had any ties to this town.
Sajun tightened his grip on the bread bag.
There’s no way she’s living here, right?
Sigh…
He rubbed his face and let out a long breath.
The lingerie shop, cosmetics store, convenience store, pharmacy—those were all signs pointing clearly in one direction. And now, Seyoung was blotting out all of those signals.
Tonight wasn’t the only night, but with another uninvited guest around, finding time alone with Yeonwoo was only going to get harder.
His stomach churned. The savory aroma wafting over the fence didn’t help.
Rrrring. Rrrring.
His phone buzzed, snapping him out of his thoughts. Seeing the caller ID, his expression softened as he answered.
“Yes, Mother.”
—“Are you home from work?”
“Yes. I just got back.”
—“Then come by for dinner. I made steamed pumpkin wraps. They turned out wonderful.”
“Yes, I’ll be right over.”
—“Good. Drive safely.”
“Yes.”
She wouldn’t call him home for no reason. It must be because Grandfather was asking for him.
Well, it wasn’t so bad. He’d get to eat his mother’s warm cooking for once.
Grandfather would probably nag, sure, but that was the kind of nagging you could only hear while he was still alive.
And of course, there would be the usual pestering about blind dates, but he could manage that.
Ding, ding.
A text from Chanwoo popped up.
“The festival is packed with people, so why am I still alone? If you want to save me, can’t you come back?”
Utterly useless.
Ignoring him was the best option.
Sajun looked at the bread in his hand for a long moment, then set it back in the car.
Looked like the bread was meant for his mother after all.
The next morning, having received her acceptance message from the hospital the night before, Seyoung clung to the back of Yeonwoo’s bicycle as they made their way there together.
Yeonwoo had suggested calling a taxi, but Seyoung insisted on riding along, humming a little tune.
“Yeonwoo, the countryside roads feel so romantic.”
“I’m dying here, pedaling this thing.”
It pained her to see Yeonwoo struggling, but unfortunately, Seyoung had never learned to ride a bike.
“I’ll learn so I can take you around instead. Just wait a little.”
“Forget that—what about your car? Did you just come with nothing but your body?”
“It got confiscated. Dad bought it for me with his money anyway. I’m broke.”
Her father had thrown her out with nothing when she suddenly abandoned city life to come to the countryside.
He had every right to be angry.
When she entered medical school, Seyoung had been her parents’ pride and joy. She excelled academically, and her grades were outstanding.
But when she chose to specialize in surgery, following in Yeonwoo’s footsteps, her parents had been skeptical.
She endured four years of scolding and nagging that practically left her ears bleeding—one year as an intern, three as a resident.
And when Yeonwoo decided to go to Africa, Seyoung hadn’t hesitated to apply alongside her. She wanted to find courage there and start fresh, so she applied to Korea University Hospital instead of her alma mater.
But life there had been no easier. Stress drove her to overeat, which led to weight gain, which created more stress. The vicious cycle continued.
She figured living where Yeonwoo was would be less stressful.
Sure, it was disappointing not to see Segwon often, but the chances of him ever liking her had always been near zero. He only treated her decently because she was his younger sibling’s friend—buying her meals and coffee. If not for that, he would never have spared her a glance.
Who would like someone as fat and gluttonous as her?
The money she had saved up had all been lost in coin investments. Just as she’d told Yeonwoo, she was basically broke.
Still, there was one bit of good news—Cheongbong paid higher salaries than Seoul. If she saved diligently, she could eventually buy a car.
Honk, honk!
Who was honking this early in the morning?
As the horn blared, Yeonwoo slowly pulled the bike to the side of the road.
She thought it was just to let a car pass, but no.
A sleek black sedan came to a stop beside them.
“What’s with that car?”
“That’s Master Beom’s.”
“What?”
Seyoung’s eyes went wide as the car door opened.
A long leg stepped out, followed by Sajun himself. Despite the rumors of him being shot, he looked as tall and strikingly handsome as ever.
“Master Beom!”
Seyoung greeted him brightly, and he tilted his head slightly, lips curling into a faint smile.
