Chapter 106: Their First Meeting
TL: Aniea
‘...Has it already been a year?’
At that time, Kim Eun-ha was trapped in deep self-loathing. She couldn’t accept herself for being unable to even ride a common elevator properly.
Even though she had been undergoing regular therapy sessions and taking medication to overcome it, her symptoms showed no signs of improvement. So, she made a drastic decision.
-Don’t provide security today.
-It’s dangerous, young lady.
-It’s broad daylight in the middle of Seoul. There are so many eyes around that the chances of an attack are extremely low, and kidnapping should be virtually impossible.
-What’s more concerning is the possibility of breathing difficulty or acute shock due to trauma. You don’t need to push yourself this hard....
-No. I’m not okay.
Kim Eun-ha firmly cut off Team Leader Kang’s words. Back then, her position within the group was far more unstable than it is now.
At the time, she believed that if her weakness was exposed, she would never survive the successor competition.
-Claustrophobia varies depending on how much control one has over the situation. If the security team is nearby, I’ll never be able to overcome it properly.
-There must be a better way....
-There isn’t. This is the best option.
In the end, Team Leader Kang Dae-ho, unable to break Kim Eun-ha’s stubbornness, withdrew all security personnel.
Of course, he initially attempted to secretly assign some guards, but her sharp gaze did not miss them.
Left alone, Kim Eun-ha headed toward a relatively deserted area. Finally, she found a suitable building.
Standing in front of the elevator with a deeply tense expression. Her hand trembled even before pressing the button.
-Whew... Get it together. Kim Eun-ha.
Tick- Wooong-
As she pressed the button with a deep breath, the elevator made a sound and the doors opened.
Perhaps because the building was old, the elevator interior was rather narrow, and the mirror was covered with all kinds of stickers and grime, making it difficult to recognize one’s own face.
Just staring at it gave off an eerie atmosphere for no apparent reason. It felt like looking into the mouth of a monster.
‘...Should I look for another place?’
Whish, whish-
Kim Eun-ha shook her head, forcefully tossing aside the weak thought that had briefly crossed her mind.
She knew that if she kept hesitating, her resolve would only weaken. So, she tightly shut her eyes and stepped onto the elevator.
From the moment her foot stepped inside, her breathing quickened and her vision became blurred. Yet, she clenched her teeth and stubbornly walked to the corner.
-It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s nothing.
Muttering to herself continuously as if hypnotizing herself. However, contrary to her determination, the moment the door began to slowly close, panic surged.
-......!!
Drrrk- Thud!
The door closed before she could even reach out to stop it. In that instant, Kim Eun-ha’s mind went completely blank.
Just a moment, it’ll only take a moment.
The doors will open soon.
She tightly shut her eyes and tried to calm herself, but unfortunately, she didn’t even realize she hadn’t pressed the button.
The elevator, having no will of its own, stayed still, and naturally, the doors did not reopen.
As time passed, the fear buried deep in her heart began to crawl out.
-Haa, haa...
Her breathing became shallow.
Strength left her legs.
Even as the world spun around her, the trauma continued to choke her relentlessly.
Her vision narrowed from hyperventilation, and the walls around her seemed to close in, pressing down on her.
Unable to hold out any longer, Kim Eun-ha collapsed to the floor. She didn’t even have the strength to scream.
‘No, no, no, no....’
Creak-!
Her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if to shield her. Her nails dug into her flesh, causing blood to seep out.
The pain brought her back to her senses for a brief moment, but it only made things worse.
-What are the chances a guard will come?
None. She had clearly warned them that if anyone secretly followed her, they’d be fired.
-Someone else?
Unlikely. She had purposely wandered around to find a deserted alley.
-Cell phone?
In her bag. But she didn’t have the strength to dig through it.
All possibilities of escaping the current situation were erased, and an even greater despair came crashing down. Her heart also rapidly crumbled.
Was she really going to die like this?
So futilely?
What about her revenge?
...Stupid Kim Eun-ha.
Endless self-blame, and her mind drifting further away.
It was just then, when she sensed her own death approaching, that the doors suddenly opened and a ray of salvation poured in.
-...Huh?
Pause-
The person who had been about to step into the elevator hesitated. He seemed very startled by the scene inside and didn’t speak for a moment.
-...Excuse me? Are you okay?
Fortunately, he quickly came to his senses and checked on Kim Eun-ha’s condition. She desperately tried to respond, but all she could do was open and close her mouth.
Just because the doors opened didn’t mean all her symptoms disappeared at once. She had already spent too much of her strength by then.
-There’s been an unusually high number of calls today....
Mumbling something while looking at Kim Eun-ha, he seemed to come to a decision and swiftly approached her.
-Doesn’t smell like alcohol, but why’s she breathing like this... Ah, could this be hyperventilation!?
Crash-
There was the sound of something spilling onto the floor, and suddenly a convenience store plastic bag appeared by Kim Eun-ha’s mouth.
-It’s okay. Stay calm and breathe slowly.
Crumple- rustle-
With each breath, the plastic bag crumpled and then expanded again. Her breathing began to stabilize little by little.
Only then did Kim Eun-ha realize that the person was a man around her age. She was too disoriented to see his face clearly.
-Hello. Is this 119? There’s a woman here who collapsed from hyperventilation. Yes. Yes. No, I’m just a passing substitute driver...
While continually checking on Kim Eun-ha, he held the phone in place with his shoulder and neck and spoke with the 119 operator.
-What? No ambulances available? Ah, the smoke I saw earlier on the way here... It’ll take 20 minutes!? Hmm. This woman seems to be in pretty serious condition too... Alright, understood. Yes. Yes.
Click-
The man’s voice, which had been coming through intermittently, disappeared. He put his phone away deftly and asked Kim Eun-ha a question.
-Excuse me. Can you stand?
Kim Eun-ha tried with all her might to nod, but her body was completely frozen and she couldn’t manage even such a simple motion.
Instead, as she strained herself, all strength left her body and she began to slump to the side.
As she was about to collapse, the man grabbed her shoulder instinctively, without a second thought.
-Ma’am, this is all being recorded on an action cam right now, okay? I have no ill intentions at all. Please don’t sue me later or anything?
Crack-!
At the word “ma’am” the plastic bag completely crumpled.
No matter how bad her condition was, how could he use that kind of term with her? She almost sprang up on the spot.
But at the moment, she didn’t even have the strength to sit up, let alone talk back. So, Kim Eun-ha quietly rested in the man’s arms and focused on her breathing.
-Your breathing seems to be stabilizing now, so I’m going to take you to a hospital. I’ll need to touch you for a moment. Please bear with it even if it’s uncomfortable.
After muttering for a while, he hoisted Kim Eun-ha onto his back like a piece of luggage and headed to the nearest emergency room.
Around that time, Kim Eun-ha’s mental strength hit its limit and she completely lost consciousness. It wasn’t until much later that she found out who the man was.
-...He ran away?
-Yes. We checked the hospital CCTV and after laying you down on the bed, he immediately ran out when the doctors approached.
-Didn’t he give his name when checking you in?
-He didn’t check you in at all. While the doctors and nurses were treating you, he literally ran away. For now, we’re tracking him...
-No, it’s fine. He saved my life after all. He must’ve had his reasons. Just find out who he is so I can thank him later.
-Understood.
The name of the man they identified was “Kang Woo-ju”. The reason he left in such a hurry was because he had been on his way to a substitute driving job.
There was an old pool hall on the second floor of the building Kim Eun-ha had entered, and someone had apparently called for a driver from there.
“...Even now, it’s just absurd.”
Shake, shake-
Kim Eun-ha, returning to reality, shook her head to brush off her thoughts. No matter how many times she thought about it, Kang Woo-ju’s actions were truly incomprehensible.
Saving someone’s life and then casually returning to work as if nothing had happened. His mental fortitude was truly top-notch.
‘I didn’t think he really wouldn’t recognize me....’
To be honest, when she first met him at the Theater Troupe, she thought he was just pretending not to know her. The way he jokingly bantered so nonchalantly was suspicious, too.
But after watching him closely from up close, it became clear that he truly didn’t remember her face.
It was a rare thing.
And it wasn’t the kind of face that should be easy to forget.
Personally, it was a bit of a shock.
‘It means he never once saw me as a woman.’
To Kang Woo-ju at the time, maybe she was just [Patient 1], or [Drunk Woman 1]?
He apparently had a habit of taking drunk juniors home, so it wasn’t an impossible explanation.
‘...He’s just too nice.’
He claimed that everything he did was calculated, but from the outside, it was hard to see it that way.
Even taking drunk freshmen home wasn’t because of any ulterior motive, but simply because he thought of his younger sister.
‘He’s good with kids too.’
Kang Woo-ju said he didn’t really like kids, but that didn’t add up either.
He quickly grew close to the orphanage children, who were usually very wary of strangers.
Even now, he remembered the names and traits of dozens of kids, one by one.
‘He’s pretty good at discipline too.’
When he needed to be strict, he was strict. So much so that even kids like Kim Cheol-su, who had a rough personality, didn’t dare to speak up in front of him. A prime example being Kim Cheol-su.
Thanks to that, it was an open secret that Kang Woo-ju was the nuns’ number one pick, something that everyone knew except him.
The head of the orphanage even went so far as to say to Kim Eun-ha every time she saw her, “Woo-ju ssi would make such a wonderful father. Hohoho.”
‘If I were to actually marry Woo-ju ssi....’
She didn’t really have a desire to have children. But just hypothetically, if she were to have a child with him, what kind of scene would unfold before her eyes?
-Daddy!
Wobble wobble-
A daughter with eyes just like Kang Woo-ju’s running with her short little legs to leap into his arms.
He lifts her up with one arm and holds her close, using his other hand to smooth her hair. His face lit up with a bright smile.
A peaceful scene that warmed a corner of her heart. Unconsciously, a gentle smile formed on Kim Eun-ha’s lips.
“Not bad.”
“What isn’t?”
“......!?”
Startled by a sudden voice from behind, Kim Eun-ha’s eyes flew wide open.
Then, as if pleased to have surprised her, she saw Kang Woo-ju’s face grinning cheerfully.
“What’s not bad?”
“Forget it.”
“Huh?”
“Two would be too much to handle.”
Just dealing with Kang Woo-ju was exhausting enough. If she had a child with the same personality as him, it would completely drain her energy.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Ah, I should go practice now.”
“...Aren’t you dodging the question a little too obviously?”
Kang Woo-ju pouted exaggeratedly in protest, and Kim Eun-ha, finding him quite adorable, quietly lifted the corners of her mouth.
*****
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