Chapter 119: A Bond Connected by the Heavens
TL: Aniea
"This is the place."
Hmm-
Kim Eun-ha bit her lips gently as she looked at the old commercial building closed off by a shutter.
She had somewhat anticipated it ever since she heard the story from Kang Woo-ju, but with things like this, there was nothing she could find out.
"Eun-ha ssi."
"Yes?"
At that moment, Kang Woo-ju suddenly spoke to her. In a serious and heavy tone unlike usual. Naturally, Kim Eun-ha’s expression also stiffened.
"Isn’t it about time you told me too?"
"...Told you what?"
"Your expression darkened ever since I brought up the watch shop. I get the feeling there's something I don’t know."
"......."
At Kang Woo-ju’s sharp question that struck the core, Kim Eun-ha couldn’t open her mouth easily. She wasn’t sure if she could really tell him this.
It would be nice if, as usual, he just pretended not to know. But looking at Kang Woo-ju’s eyes, she could clearly see the determined will to hear everything no matter what.
"Of course, if it’s something difficult for you to share with me, you don’t have to say it. Then I won’t press you any further either."
"......."
Kang Woo-ju's bold statement followed. In response, Kim Eun-ha quietly looked into his eyes.
If she had heard this kind of talk before she met Kang Woo-ju, she would have ignored it outright. Even if the one saying it had been Secretary Yoon, it would have been the same.
‘There’s nothing good that can come from Woo-ju ssi getting involved in this.’
It wasn’t a problem he could solve anyway. It would only put Kang Woo-ju’s life in more danger for no reason.
Perhaps Kang Woo-ju might not be able to endure her ugly inner thoughts and might distance himself far away.
That’s how dangerous and deeply personal the case related to her parents was.
However, when she looked into his dark eyes that seemed to contain the universe just like his name, Kim Eun-ha’s heart kept swaying.
‘...Do I want to be understood?’
Kim Eun-ha calmly looked back at her heart, surprisingly so. It wasn’t a difficult task, as it was something she often did.
Kim Eun-ha, she was currently in a very emotionally lonely state. It was the result of pushing herself since the day she lost her parents.
However, as a human too, she couldn’t completely erase the desire to lean on someone. And that someone was Kang Woo-ju.
‘...It’s because of rational affection.’
She was a twisted being.
She couldn’t love properly.
Even if Kang Woo-ju confessed to her first, she was a troublesome woman who couldn’t purely accept his feelings. That was Kim Eun-ha.
Even though she knew herself too well, Kim Eun-ha hesitated once more.
Even if she were to confess everything honestly, maybe Kang Woo-ju would still stay by her side.
"...I’m sorry."
After much contemplation, Kim Eun-ha kept her mouth shut. There were many tangled reasons behind her decision, but the biggest one was this.
‘I don’t want to be hated.’
The emotional stability gained when he understood her after she confessed all the truth. On the other hand, the mental shock if she were to be rejected by Kang Woo-ju.
When she put the two side by side, it was clear that the risk was far too great compared to the gain.
To her, who grew up as a member of Mirae Group. This was by no means the right choice.
‘...Will he be disappointed?’
Even after making the decision, her heart was not at ease. Surely, Kang Woo-ju had also made a big decision in his own way to ask her.
From his position, he might feel like she had drawn a line. Which wasn’t entirely wrong either.
"A-Actually! I don’t really know much about it either... it’s a ridiculous story too, and I wasn’t sure enough to tell Woo-ju ssi! So...!!"
Kim Eun-ha rambled and made excuses in a way that even felt unfamiliar to herself. Her hands, losing direction, flailed around in the air.
"......!?"
Tap-
At that moment, something touched Kim Eun-ha’s lips. Before she knew it, Kang Woo-ju had raised his right index finger and gently pressed it against her lips.
Caught off guard by the sudden skinship, she couldn’t react and just blinked, and then Kang Woo-ju, tapping her lips playfully, spoke.
"It’s okay. You don’t need to explain. I understand what you’re trying to say. I’m not so young that I’d sulk or be disappointed over something like this."
"...Woo-ju ssi."
"For me, it’s much harder to see Eun-ha ssi making that troubled expression. So let’s end this conversation here."
"......."
Pause-
Without thinking, Kang Woo-ju flinched as he reached out toward Kim Eun-ha. He had probably been about to pat her head, but stopped midway for no reason, ending up in an awkward position.
"...What is it. That hand?"
"...It happened before I realized it."
"You're being sneaky."
"N-No, it’s absolutely not like that!"
"Then what is it?"
"I just... your hair..."
Perhaps he realized it sounded strange even as he spoke, because Kang Woo-ju rolled his eyes around, avoiding her gaze. At the same time, he quickly tried to hide his hand behind his back.
Grab-!
Kim Eun-ha snatched his wrist. At the moment he widened his eyes in surprise.
"???"
Kim Eun-ha pulled his hand and placed it on top of her head. Kang Woo-ju froze completely with a blank look, not knowing what to do.
"...Uh, Eun-ha ssi?"
"......."
Kim Eun-ha didn’t respond.
She only added a bit of strength to the hand she was holding, gently rubbing Kang Woo-ju’s palm back and forth a few times.
At that, Kang Woo-ju, who had been frozen like a statue, began to move his body with subtle awareness.
His hand, larger than it appeared, carefully patted Kim Eun-ha’s head.
‘...Soft.’
And warm.
At the touch, filled with a mysterious sense of longing, Kim Eun-ha closed her eyes completely and savored the sensation.
Until now, she had never even imagined someone other than a designer touching her hair. But just for today, she made an exception.
"Just follow the direction of the strands."
"Pardon?"
"Don’t mess it up."
"...Ah, okay."
Though his expression was subtle, Kang Woo-ju perfectly followed her instructions, and Kim Eun-ha smiled with satisfaction at the corners of her lips.
***
"It appears the youngest lady has visited the workshop."
"...Eun-ha?"
Chairman Kim Seok-ho, who had been reading a newspaper in his office, lifted his head. A neatly dressed elderly man entered his line of sight.
"Yes, sir. That is correct."
The old man lightly bowed as he answered. His precise and refined movement was so ingrained in his body that anyone would find it admirable.
But Chairman Kim Seok-ho only nodded calmly, as if it were all too familiar.
"She’s later than expected."
"Most likely because the young master..."
"Young master, my foot. That punk."
"My apologies."
Tsk-
Chairman Kim Seok-ho clicked his tongue in displeasure, though an understated smile lingered at the corners of his lips.
The elderly man in the suit, who was well aware of this, did not show it outwardly but quietly swallowed a chuckle.
Even after decades of serving at Kim Seok-ho’s side, such a human side of the Chairman was still rare to witness.
"Tsk tsk. I was going to give him a decent allowance as thanks for saving my granddaughter, but it seems like the brat doesn’t even recognize the value."
"But wasn’t that exactly why you liked him even more? Because he knew the value of the watch yet wasn’t swayed by the money in front of him. A rare kind of fellow."
"...Ahem! Butler Kim! Watch your words. When did I ever say such a thing?"
"My apologies. It appears I was momentarily mistaken."
"Of course you were."
Ahem-
Kim Seok-ho cleared his throat with a sheepish expression. Since it was truly rare to see him embarrassed, the corners of Butler Kim’s mouth twitched as he bowed his head.
But it was only for a moment. With his expression quickly back in place, Butler Kim continued.
"When the youngest lady visited the workshop, she was accompanied by the young ma... by Kang Woo-ju."
"...That boy came along too?"
"Yes. They came together, just the two of them."
Rustle-!
At that moment, the edge of the newspaper in Kim Seok-ho’s hand crumpled. The furrow between his brows deepened visibly, with no effort to hide it.
"...I thought he wasn’t the greedy type. But it looks like he was planning to take the whole thing for himself. Isn’t this guy actually someone planted by Daehan Group?"
"Under your orders, we conducted cross-verification over ten times. Not just with Daehan Group, but with all others, there’s no sign of anyone contacting Kang Woo-ju before the young lady did."
"What about bribing the secretary?"
"As you know, Secretary Yoon A-sol follows no one's orders but the youngest lady’s. In fact, this time, it was the young lady who took the initiative..."
"I get it. I said I get it."
Kim Seok-ho waved his hand in the air to cut him off, his face now thoroughly scrunched.
He had already received the report several times before, but the content had not changed even a single word. That just meant Kang Woo-ju was truly innocent.
Chairman Kim Seok-ho, displeased about something, irritably set the newspaper down on his desk and pulled out a cigarette from his inner pocket.
Click! Click!
Then, with the cigarette in his mouth, Kim Seok-ho tried to light it, but the cheap lighter had apparently reached the end of its life and wouldn’t catch fire.
"Do you have a lighter on you?"
"It’s bad for your health. Please refrain."
"You’re not my wife, so stop nagging. Just give it here."
Knowing that no one in the world could break the Chairman’s stubbornness, Butler Kim said nothing more and silently pulled out a lighter to ignite it.
Fwoosh-! Inhale-
The tip of the cigarette burned red. Kim Seok-ho took a deep breath, soothing his hollow insides with smoke.
"Hoo.... What do you think?"
"He is an upright young man."
There was no proper subject or context. A vague, floating question. But Butler Kim, having grasped the Chairman’s true intentions, answered without hesitation.
At this, Kim Seok-ho raised an eyebrow in surprise. He exhaled another puff of smoke and spoke again.
"That's a rather generous assessment, especially coming from you."
"I only speak as I see it. Please don’t overestimate this old man’s judgment."
"Such humility."
Scratch, scratch-
Kim Seok-ho shook his head as he crushed the cigarette butt in the ashtray after just two drags.
Until now, Butler Kim’s eye for people had never once been wrong. The Mirae Group had come this far largely thanks to his insight.
‘...Didn’t Director Baek once say he was like a wild dog with the cunning of a snake?’
Park Ji-hoon of the neighboring Daehan Group was even worse. He had summarized him with just one word: ‘scoundrel.’
Not only that, but most of the talents that Kim Seok-ho had brought in received harsh evaluations from him. So much so that even a “passable” remark was considered a passing grade.
That’s how high Butler Kim’s standards were, and the fact that a positive comment came from him was something rarely seen even throughout Mirae Group’s history.
‘That’s why I can’t help but trust it.’
Whether for better or worse.
Butler Kim’s instincts had never failed. It was no coincidence that whenever Chairman Kim Seok-ho needed to bring someone into the family, he always sent Butler Kim first to verify them.
"Is he a tree straight enough to lean on?"
"That depends on how you raise him, doesn’t it? Move the sapling to good soil, prune the unnecessary branches, catch the pests, it can all be managed."
"Sounds inefficient."
Even if Kim Eun-ha and Kang Woo-ju were to marry, Mirae Group would gain nothing. On the contrary, they’d end up having to make excuses to the other groom candidates.
With so many appealing talents already lined up, what reason was there to pick Kang Woo-ju?
"That may be true. However-"
"However?"
When Butler Kim cut himself off mid-sentence, Kim Seok-ho, who was about to place another cigarette in his mouth, turned his head.
"A doctor, a judge, a president... Haven’t you spent your whole life seeking noble bloodlines, sir? And yet you’ve never been satisfied."
"...What are you trying to say?"
Kim Seok-ho narrowed his brow in displeasure. Nevertheless, Butler Kim smiled gently and lifted the lighter again.
"If it’s something humans can’t obtain by their own power, then how about a bond connected by the heavens?"
"......."
Fwoosh-!
Once again, the tip of the cigarette flared to life.
Inhale- Exhale-
Kim Seok-ho silently chain-smoked for a while.
*****
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