SMW 96

Rain was pouring heavily outside the wide, floor-to-ceiling glass windows. A thick mist rising from the distant pond further blurred the natural colors of the landscape. Outside was truly a world of water. Because of that, just watching it made me feel as if I were submerged in water myself.

“It seems Mr. Han Yeo-reum has finished bathing.”

As I stared blankly out the window, a voice drifted from behind. I turned to see an elderly man in a suit standing there. He was the one who had guided Choi Seol and me here while we were drenched in the rain.

“I knocked, but since there was no response, I took the liberty of entering.”

“It’s alright. I just didn’t hear you.”

Flustered by his polite demeanor, I quickly waved my hand, and the man smiled as he held out a large paper shopping bag.

“The clothes you were wearing are being [stolen content][visit our site]laundered, so the President had new ones ordered from the boutique he usually frequents. They just arrived, so I brought them to you.”

Did Choi Seol ask for this? Even so, the aura of the packaging alone screamed “expensive,” making me feel a bit burdened to accept it so readily.

“You really didn’t have to go this far…”

“It would be uncomfortable if you continued to wear only a bathrobe.”

That was true. Because of the sudden downpour, not only my clothes but even the bag I brought were soaking wet, leaving me with nothing to change into. Consequently, I was currently facing a complete stranger while wearing nothing but a single bathrobe over my bare skin.

“…Then, thank you. I’ll wear them well.”

I eventually took the paper bag and gave a polite bow. The man wore a satisfied smile.

“By the way, I see you were looking at the garden. How is it? Do you like it?”

As I looked in the direction the man was gesturing, the scenery outside the [visit our site]window that I had been watching until [unauthorized copy]a moment ago came back into view. I looked back at the man and nodded.

“Yes, it’s wonderful. It’s my first time seeing such a large garden at a house. The pond is lovely, too.”

“The pond? Ah, you must be referring to the rear garden leading to the annex where you were earlier.”

For a moment, I almost bit my tongue. No, maybe I should have actually bitten it. I had just dug my own grave.

“It’s a shame it’s raining; otherwise, I would have given you a proper tour.”

“No, the tour… I’ve seen enough. Thank you… for the offer.”

I tried my best to hide my embarrassment, but the more I spoke, the more intimidated I felt under the man’s gaze. He was the very person who had witnessed Choi Seol and me kissing. Despite that, he had guided me into the house and given me a room without any sign of surprise or displeasure.

Feeling the fresh air of the room and the floor that was warm enough to make the soles of my feet tickle, I kept my mouth shut. I was simply at a loss for what else to say. I recalled Choi Seol calling him Executive Director Kang, but given the situation, we hadn’t had a chance to introduce ourselves, making it awkward to know how to address him. Still, I should at least greet him properly.

“Um… thank you for inviting me into your home.”

“You may call me Executive Director Kang. I currently assist the Chairman of H.S. and his family.”

Noticing my struggle to find an appropriate title, he offered a belated introduction.

“And there is no need to thank me. This is the President’s family home. It is only natural for me to attend to his guest.”

“Still… I feel bad for dropping in so suddenly without notice.”

“I was notified in advance by Chief Baek Hee-won. After all, this is a place where outsiders cannot enter without a prior appointment.”

Executive Director Kang brushed off my apology once again. He seemed to think for a moment before speaking suggestively.

“Come to think of it, I heard from Chief Baek that you were coming to this house, but it didn’t seem like the two of you had a prior appointment.”

“…Yes. That’s right. I just came here on my own.”

As I instinctively lowered my head, the scene of our reunion kiss—which anyone could see was not a planned appointment—flashed through my mind.

“The President was just about to head back to the company, so if things had gone differently, you might have missed each other.”

“Ah.”

With a low exclamation, a chill ran down my spine. I unconsciously looked out the window at the torrential rain. I thought about how truly miserable I would have felt if I had come all this way only to find him gone and get soaked in the rain. Perhaps that was why Executive Director Kang’s following words stirred my heart.

“In any case, I am glad the two of you met. Thanks to Mr. Han Yeo-reum, the President seems to be in a good mood for the first time in a while, so it is I who should be thanking you. You’ve worked hard traveling such a long distance.”

A benevolent smile appeared behind Executive Director Kang’s glasses. In that moment, I felt a surge of emotion.

“Yes. It really… was a long way.”

In terms of time, it took about five Read on Read BL Novelshours from the countryside to this spot in Seoul, visit our sitebut [Read on Read BL Novels]it felt as if ten years had passed to finally arrive here.

“Actually, it still doesn’t feel real that I’ve met him. I never expected that I would end up coming all the way here.”

Even while Choi Seol was away showering, I still couldn’t wrap my head around the current situation. Not just that. The title of ‘President’ that Executive Director Kang used, the fact that this was the family home of the H.S. conglomerate chairman, and that Choi Seol was its heir, Baek Seol-ha—all of it felt surreal. Nothing felt less realistic than the fact that I was being treated with such hospitality by this elderly gentleman. But most unreal of all was that, despite everything, I had actually met Choi Seol.

As recently as yesterday, I thought we would never meet again unless he contacted me first. I had no way of reaching him. Moreover, I didn’t want to desperately seek out someone whose heart might have already drifted away. To be honest, I was most afraid that when we met again, he would no longer be the Choi Seol I knew, and that I would be hurt.

“I see. But since you’ve come this far, there must have been something that made you change your mind.”

It was a strange thing. To be sharing such stories with a stranger whose identity I didn’t even fully know. Perhaps I just wanted confirmation of something—that being here wasn’t a dream, but a reality brought about by my own choice.

I nodded at Executive Director Kang’s question.

“It wasn’t anything grand… it’s just that the weather was a bit cold.”

“The weather?”

“I rushed out barefoot in a hurry to feed the stray cats, and when I snapped out of it, my hands and feet were freezing. You know how it is—on days like that, you always miss a warm summer.”

“I know. In winter, we always miss summer, and when summer comes, we miss winter.”

“Exactly. Because of that, I wanted to see him even more.”

Perhaps because there were too many such days, I eventually reached a point where I couldn’t bear the longing for you.

That day was just another ordinary day. A day when you suddenly came to mind while I was feeding the cats, as usual.

• Ah, attention to all village residents. The agricultural cooperative has a few announcements to make…

It had been a while since I’d heard the village head’s morning broadcast. For a moment, I thought about using it as a wake-up call to get out of bed, but the air touching the tip of my nose was too chilly to give up the warmth of my blankets. I already felt overwhelmed thinking about how I would survive the dead of winter.

While I was fidgeting and worrying needlessly under the covers, a wake-up call more powerful than the village head’s broadcast appeared.

「Meow.」

「Il-sun-i?」

The moment I heard the cat, I kicked off the blankets and dashed out to the backyard. The moment I stepped onto the veranda, a chill more pure than the air inside the room sent a shiver through me. In the past, I would have stomped my feet and made a huge fuss, but I had no time for that now. I searched the area intently for the source of the meow, and the sound echoed again.

I didn’t have to look far. Looking down right below the veranda, a cat with a mix of black and white fur was staring straight at me.

「…Was it you, I-sun-i?」

It was a kitten that a grey cat, who occasionally came with Il-sun-i’s mother, had brought along one day. Since it was the second kitten to come to my house around the same time as Il-sun-i, I named it I-sun-i. It seemed this little guy was the identity of today’s wake-up call. A sudden wave of emptiness hit me, and I flopped down onto the veranda. Then, I-sun-i, who had been acting as if he were about to run toward the food bowl, also sat down on his rump and stared at me intently. I gazed quietly into those golden eyes and spoke.

「Have you seen Il-sun-i?」

「Meow.」

「You two were close. Don’t you remember [stolen content]playing together when you were little? You even got scolded for digging in the garden where my mom stolen contentplanted seeds. You used to fall asleep leaning on each other when the sunlight was nice.」

Regardless of my words, I-sun-i began grooming his fur. Heartless thing. He used to act like he’d die without the other, yet now that they haven’t seen each other for a bit, he’s acting like a total stranger.

「You can’t do that. Whether human or animal, there’s such a thing as affection and manners. Your friend is missing; at least pretend to be worried.」

「Meow.」

「…Fine. I’ll give you food, so just wait a second.」

I stood up and looked for my slippers. In my rush to get out, I hadn’t even put on proper outerwear, and I was barefoot. Only then did I shudder at the cold seeping up from the soles of my feet. While I debated whether I should go back and dress properly, the cats began to linger around the yard one by one, likely having heard the news of food. Since it was only the beginning of winter, I figured a brief chill would be fine, so instead of going back inside, I just put on my slippers and stepped back into the yard.

「All done. I’ve changed the water too, so drink as much as you want.」

Even though I had fetched fresh water to the point where my hands and feet were turning red from the cold, the cats were already keeping their distance and eyeing me warily. They looked ready to hiss and jump over the wall the moment I took a single step toward them. I clicked my tongue and unconsciously muttered.

「You really are heartless unauthorized copythings. Am I the only one who’s visit our sitealways sincere? You [unauthorized copy]weren’t this way with Choi Seol…」

「Meow?」

「…Never mind. I’m leaving, so eat your fill in peace.」

I immediately turned away from the food bowls and trudged away. After getting some distance, I looked back to see the cats already burying their heads in the bowls. It seemed like there were exceptionally many of them today, as if a rumor of a great restaurant had spread. Just in case, I scanned the area again, but Il-sun-i was still nowhere to be seen.

「I guess Il-sun-i didn’t come today either.」

My inner thoughts escaped through someone else’s mouth. Noona was standing right beside me, watching the cats.