As soon as the meal ended, Mrs. Cheon and Uncle Bang pulled Sahee away as if planned. Though neither had eaten much, they made many excuses about needing to take a walk to aid digestion.
"I've never seen the divine lady so flustered before!"
"Right, right! That guy and Hyeonji, they were totally in sync. Did you see when they exchanged numbers? Those sly looks in their eyes."
Hyeonji had shown interest in Hyeongu. The same went for her mother and Yunbok. It seemed all three were fixated on the fact that Hyeongu's father ran a fairly sizeable distribution company.
Even Park Jisoon's attempts to mediate several times were useless, knowing Hyeongu's great interest in Sahee. The atmosphere had ripened so much that if Hyeongu's mother had been there, it might have become a proper meeting between families.
To make matters worse, Hyeongu seemed to enjoy the attention, wearing a silly grin. Whatever he wanted to say, it was infuriating how he kept looking back at Sahee with smug eyes.
"At this rate, they'll be at the wedding hall within the year."
"Hey Mr. Bang. Stop saying scary things."
"Why not? Nobody in town knows about Hyeonji's almost-marriage because the divine lady didn't say a word, saying she had a bad feeling about it."
"Ugh! That's not the issue! Last time when that girl was getting married, do you know how much money she squeezed out?"
"Right, right. Where did all that money go?"
"How would I know?"
"Did they get it back?"
"You think they would?"
"Must have pocketed it good."
"Is this new? Look at them asking for money again today. What are they doing to always be out of money?"
"Still don't know why the engagement was broken off?"
"No idea. I think maybe the other side objected because we're a shaman's house, but it's suspicious, very suspicious."
Mrs. Cheon stuck out her tongue with a disgusted face.
"But at least Hyeonji knows her place? The divine lady didn't want her staying in the main hall because she was worried what she might do to CEO Jeong. Afraid something big might happen if they ran into each other."
"What, that's what it was?"
"Mr. Bang, you're slow. Can't you tell by looking at the size?"
"Come on, she knows who CEO Jeong is - she wouldn't dare."
"Tsk. If I were just 40 years younger, I'd try..."
"What? Mrs. Cheon, you were secretly ambitious?"
Mrs. Cheon blurted out without taking a breath, "He's not just ambitious, he's handsome! Tall, rich, and surely well-endowed too?" Uncle Bang let out a shocked gasp. Seeing his reaction, Sahee burst into laughter.
At the edge of her distant gaze, she caught a glimpse of light from the guest house.
"Know your place."
She turned her head away while stumbling over those words, but her heart felt unexpectedly restless. She was genuinely grateful for the noisy presence of the two people beside her.
"Yes!"
"Why suddenly?"
"I approve of Hyunhyun's marriage!"
"Wait, why are you suddenly approving?"
"It's not my money anyway, right? The sooner they leave, the less noise we'll have to deal with. By the way, Bang, when are you planning to go?"
"Sigh... I should leave. The nagging has started."
"You're forty years old!"
Uncle Bang shuddered and quickly moved next to Sahee, who was walking at the back. When he tried to use her as a shield by grabbing her shoulder, she coldly shook him off, which led to his whining.
"Yeon Sahee, you're the type who wouldn't even help if your uncle was drowning..."
*Gasp* Uncle Bang shut his mouth. Mrs. Cheon glared at him with fierce eyes. While Sahee wasn't bothered, the atmosphere had become awkward.
"Well, I need to take care of myself first."
Sahee replied curtly. Uncle Bang nodded vigorously with a pale face.
It seemed impossible to smooth things over now. Mrs. Cheon grabbed Sahee's hand. Her calloused, rough hand warmly enveloped Sahee's.
"Sahee."
"Yes."
"Are you really okay?"
Living in the same house as Cha Hyunji, yet only seeing each other once a year...
Even after more than a decade, Mrs. Cheon still looked at her with such concerned eyes. However, for Sahee, it was just a nightmare she wanted to forget.
Sahee calmly met Mrs. Cheon's gaze.
"About what?"
"This girl, really... If it gets too hard, you can go back to Seoul anytime. I'll buy you the ticket."
Sahee pretended not to hear and looked up at the cherry blossom trees that were just beginning to bud.
"The flowers seem to be blooming late this year."
"That's what the news said. Bang, since we're on the topic, why don't you bring your girlfriend to this year's picnic?"
"No! What are you talking about!"
The attention shifted back to Uncle Bang. Feeling apologetic and flustered, he unnecessarily raised his voice.
"Why are you so defensive?"
"I'm not at all?"
"We should at least see her face once!"
"Why does Mrs. Cheon need to see my girlfriend's face! Are you my mother?"
"Yes, you fool! I am your mother!"
"Oh, come on!"
Uncle Bang hurried ahead as if escaping. Mrs. Cheon laughed heartily at his behavior. Sahee also laughed softly while watching the two of them.
It was peaceful. She thought this temperature was just right for her.
Spring would soon arrive. Always trapped in past seasons and struggling, Sahee had always waited for spring here.
Hoping for full bloom. She wouldn't mind being swept away by streams of pale pink.
Sahee walked slowly, following the two of them.
* * *
After showering, Taeon threw his hair towel carelessly and sank into the sofa. When he tilted his head back, his wet hair stuck uncomfortably.
His eyes creased with slight discomfort, like the absence of a woman who had been irritating him for days.
*Sigh*
Raising his torso, Taeon lowered his head and rubbed his temples with his fingertips.
How absurd.
At the same time, a small laugh forced its way through his lips.
Since that encounter in the guest house courtyard, Yeon Sahee had vanished as if she never existed. No, while she had disappeared from sight like a nonexistent person, he knew she was somewhere in this theater.
Instead of the woman who had limped back and forth to the guest house several times a day, a middle-aged servant who was apparently acquainted with his mother had taken her place. The servant was skillful as a veteran should be, never being an eyesore. Above all, she became a good companion to his mother, who had been bored all along. It was certainly welcome.
She was incomparable to the woman who seemed clumsy at cleaning and always disturbed his mother's mood whenever she appeared.
However.
However... Taeon reached out and picked up the book lying on the coffee table.
Cotton dust.
The square hardcover children's book came into Taeon's hands.
It couldn't be found nearby, so one of his secretaries in Seoul had to drive down to the theater.
A story about black dust, once a troublemaker, wanting to become cotton candy and going on a journey. After struggling in a pastel world unable to find light, at the journey's end, it discovers the beautiful aurora light that had been buried in adversity - a predictable fable.
"I'm not cotton candy.
But that's okay.
This is who I am."
At the end of the fairy tale, the protagonist was smiling brightly in the dreamy light.
For a moment, he recalled the photo he had seen in her room. The young-faced Yeon Sahee smiling with crescent eyes overlapped with the protagonist of this fairy tale.
To the young woman smiling in the photo as if she had long since reached her happy ending, perhaps even if another nightmare unfolds, it would just be a predictable crisis on the way to a beautiful ending.
Like the golf ball at her feet. It must be just another act of violence from one of the countless crazy people she had encountered in her life.
How unpleasant indeed.
Taeon tapped the cover with his fingertips. Under his downcast gaze, he read the woman's name printed vertically.
Written by Yeon Sahee.
He firmly rubbed over it with his blunt thumb.
*Screech*
After the friction sound of his finger sliding over the bumpy printing, Taeon put down the book as if throwing it.
It didn't take long for him to leave the guest house.
"Meow"
"Meeow"
Sahee looked down at the cat whimpering under the fence. It was an unexpected guest she encountered while coming out to the porch to do some sketching.
The kitten was alone, somehow stranded here. It would hiss aggressively when she got close, but when she kept a reasonable distance, it would meow towards her.
"Where's your mother?"
Meeoow.
The cat tilted its head sideways. Sahee looked around with a troubled expression. If she could spot the mother cat, she'd help reunite them, but the surroundings were quiet.
"Are you cold?"
Meow! The cat cried out with its fur all puffed up, as if understanding her words. While it wasn't shivering severely, the temperature difference between day and night was significant. Sahee herself had come out wearing a thick cardigan.
"Wait here for a moment."
Sahee turned back and went to her room. As she climbed onto the porch on her knees, she carefully avoided knocking over the beer can she'd left next to her sketchbook.
What she found in the drawer was a soft gray blanket. Though the cat was too wary to be brought inside, this should be enough to keep it warm through the night.
However, the moment she opened the door, Sahee had to stop in place, her hand still gripping the doorknob.
The tension she had been trying to ignore and forget crept up from her ankles and instantly struck her throat.
The kitten had disappeared, and CEO Jeong Taeon was standing in the yard.
It was late at night.
A sudden night breeze scattered Sahee's voluminous hair. As she closed her eyes gently and removed the strands stuck to her cheek, she wished it was just a ghost.
"Ms. Yeon Sahee."
But the man's voice that brushed her ears was clear. A low, smooth bass. Wearing just a white shirt and navy slacks, the man looked uncomfortably at ease for an uninvited guest.
Sahee crossed the threshold, trying to hide her unease. Her second wish was that his calling her "Ms. Yeon Sahee" was merely addressing her as an employee of Younghwadang.
"...Do you need something?"
"Hasn't it been a while since you quit?"
The sound of her wish crumbling came back in polite terms.
It had only been two days.
The reason for his staring and tormenting. In Taeon's eyes as he finally revealed his intentions for coming here, there wasn't even a trace of hesitation.
"It's fine. Please let me know if you need anything."
Sahee pretended not to notice and avoided his gaze. As she sat on the porch putting on her sneakers, she had to endure his piercing stare.
"If I ask."
"..."
"Will Ms. Yeon Sahee do everything?"
Just as her face flushed hot at his languid voice, a cool shower cologne scent wafted over as if to cool it.
Taeon approached and sat casually on the porch. He smirked as he looked down at Sahee, who had instinctively flinched and leaned back.
"...No."
"Yet you say that?"
"If it's something I can't do, I'll contact someone else. There should still be people awake."
Sahee took a deep breath and stood up. The man's gaze slowly followed her as he sat leaning against the pillar with his legs crossed.
"Sit down."
"..."
"Is it difficult?"
"If you have something..."
"Ms. Yeon Sahee, will you make me sit?"
His loose smile was irritating. When Sahee just looked at him with wavering eyes without answering, Taeon's expression suddenly softened.
"Are you cold? Hugging that blanket."
He stared at her with calm eyes and arbitrarily picked up the beer can abandoned on the porch. The crisp sound of opening the can seemed deliberately showy.
"...Why are you really doing this?"
Taeon raised one eyebrow after taking a sip of beer. His eyes were so dry they seemed about to ignite.
"Don't you know?"
"Not at all."
"I think you do."
"..."
"See. You do know."
Taeon confirmed with an amused smile at her silence. Sahee's brow furrowed helplessly.
Bzzt.
That's when the phone rang. The mobile phone placed on top of the sketchbook started vibrating.
Taeon lowered his head and carefully checked the name on the screen. From not far away, Sahee saw the same name.
[Kim Juhwan]
After glancing once at Sahee who was breathing roughly, Taeon picked up the phone and handed it to her as if doing her a favor.
"Go ahead and answer it."
At his arrogant behavior that went beyond composure, an inexplicable spark flew inside her.