CH 8.1

When Geon Hyeong returned home after dropping off Shin Hee, the small lamp in the living room was still on as if it was waiting for him. However, Jung Won was nowhere to be seen in the living room or kitchen. It’s only 11pm. Jung Won usually always waits for him to come home even if it’s one or two in the morning. However, Geon Hyeong feels neglected and uncared for because Jung Won didn’t wait for him today.

In fact, he hasn’t lived in that house for long. During that short period of time, this unconsciously seemed to have become a new habit for him. Just like his new habit of eating breakfast.

The next morning, Hee Won and her younger siblings watched them sharply as if realizing something was wrong. Something was different about their  Jung Won Unnie and the Ajusshi living in the house.

Realizing that the conflict that arose between the two ‘rulers’ of the house could affect themselves, Hee Won quietly told Sung Won and Soo Hee to quickly finish their breakfast without much talking and move as quickly as possible. Soo Hee sat quietly at her table, Hee Won put down her spoon slowly, and Sung Won didn’t even touch his toys during the meal.

“I don’t want to eat, please just make coffee.”

“Okay.”

Jung Won left the cooked rice alone and immediately agreed to Geon Hyeong’s request.

Normally she would have said ‘coffee is not breakfast’ and reminded the man that as adults, they should set an example. Maybe even go as far as quoting some of their family rules. However, today she looked different. The nagging that was usually often heard is now gone. Geon Hyeong looked at Jung Won who was acting like that sharply.

“No, no, I want to eat. Please give me my rice.”

“Okay.”

Jung Won who replied again with the same words then pointed her chin at Hee Won, telling her to get rice for Geon Hyeong.

Usually, Jung Won would get up right away and prepare the rice for Geon Hyeong. But today, she avoided making eye contact with the man and just looked down at her bowl while busy finishing her rice.

The atmosphere in the kitchen that day was very quiet, there was no chatter except for the sound of their spoons and bowls.

The siblings who noticed the morning atmosphere hurriedly finished their breakfast and left the kitchen. In fact, Sung Won and Soo Hee, who were always getting nagged by Jung Won for eating too long, had finished their breakfast in no time. As soon as the siblings left the kitchen, Jung Won immediately stood up from her seat.

“Sit down for a while.”

“Why?”

“I should be the one asking you. What’s wrong with you?”

“What?”

Jung Won, who replied as if it was nothing, avoided Geon Hyeong’s eyes, even though Jung Won usually never behaved like that.

Actually, what’s wrong with this woman?

“Are you acting like this because Shin Hee came yesterday?”

“No.”

Jung Won hurriedly denied and shook her head. However, it seemed like that was the cause. Even so, it seemed like Jung Won would look even more pathetic if she told Geon Hyeong the truth.

“Then, did I do something wrong to you?”

“Nothing.”

“Then it’s not my fault. Never mind,” Geon Hyeong said briefly and stood up from his seat.

After confirming that Jung Won’s strange behavior wasn’t his fault, he quickly left the kitchen without hesitation, without asking any other questions or guesses. Jung Won again choked up at the sight of his back figure.

I don’t like that guy. I really don’t.

I don’t even like myself, Jung Won thought. Really, really.

***

That whole day, she couldn’t focus on work. On second thought, yesterday’s incident wasn’t the man’s fault. Her mother once said that guests who come to the house should always be welcomed with joy. They shouldn’t be greeted with a cold and rude attitude. However, she had been cold to Shin Hee and rude to Geon Hyeong.

She shouldn’t be angry that he brought his guest to the house. Moreover, he had been helped a lot by that man and after all, she had a debt to pay to Geon Hyeong. Geon Hyeong had helped her when her family was in trouble.

Why did I become such an ungrateful person? In fact, yesterday’s incident was not a big deal.

“Phew.”

“What are you doing? If you cut roughly like that, let alone flowers, the buds might not grow.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Seeing her prince approaching her, Jung Won instantly snapped out of her reverie and refocused on the roses in front of her.

It was a quiet afternoon, she was waiting to go home after finishing work at the cafeteria which was busy as usual. However, even though she was doing something she loved with the person who made her heart flutter, her mind was elsewhere.

“Hm, Sonsaengnim, I’m so sorry, but it looks like I have to leave now.”

“Why? You like these flowers.”

Of course, Jung Won loves roses that bloom in the summer. However, Jung Won was too busy thinking about Geon Hyeong at the moment that the roses and her favorite prince were nowhere to be seen. Even in the midst of the dazzling evening sunlight that broke through the greenhouse, the prince looked at Jung Won with his handsome face.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s not a big deal, it’s just that I have something to clean up at home.”

Jae Hyun, who nodded at Jung Won’s nervous answer, told Jung Won to wait for a while and walked to one corner of the greenhouse. He then picked up a small flower pot made of glass. Inside the glass bottle filled with green jelly were small green leaves with their roots.

“Wow, fingerose!”

“It’s a moonriver type. I made some yesterday as a gift. Here’s one for you.”

“Really? Wow, thank you.”

“You already know how to take care of it, right?”

Her prince said with a big smile. The prince’s face was shining brightly again, but because Geon Hyeong had messed up her brain, she didn’t feel like admiring the beauty of the tiny fingerose at the moment.

“I will take good care of her.”

“Thank you. Oh yeah, Jung Won ssi, if you have any problems, you can tell me. Who knows, I might be able to help you.”

“Thank you very much.”

Jae Hyun nodded in response to Jung Won’s answer and nodded towards the greenhouse door with his chin, as if telling her to leave immediately.

Jung Won had already made up her mind to apologize to the man.

Rule number 20, admitting your mistake and apologizing is the attitude of a brave man. It was clear that she was at fault yesterday. She herself felt disappointed with herself for not being graceful.

That night, Jung Won waited anxiously for Geon Hyeong to come home. It was already 12 o’clock at night. That man doesn’t usually come home early, but today it seems like he came home late. As soon as she heard someone coming in front of her house, she rushed to open the front door.

“Already home?”

“Hm.”

Geon Hyeong nodded his head lightly and looked at Jung Won who was waiting for him at the front door today.

Is she not angry anymore? All day today, Geon Hyeong’s mood was really bad. Although he didn’t know what caused it, he tried hard to ignore his feelings. He doesn’t want to admit that his mind is in turmoil just because of a tiny woman named Kang Jung Won.

As a result, kind-hearted Jason was forced to raise his hand and the other employees were forced to feel scared all day because Geon Hyeong’s attitude was colder than usual. He didn’t want to admit that it was all because of her.

Jung Won looked at Geon Hyeong who looked back at her deeply and thought that this man was waiting for an apology from her.

“Mm, did you eat?”

“I did.”

“Then, would you like some apricot tea?”

“That’s fine. I have something to talk to you about too.”

Jung Won was initially worried that Geon Hyeong would reject her invitation. But as it turned out, he just nodded his head.

But, what did she want to talk about? Before apologizing to him, Jung Won suddenly felt afraid of what Geon Hyeong would say. That’s why, we shouldn’t do wrong to others.

Jung Won puts the teacup on the dining table. She looks confused on how to start the conversation, Geon Hyeong beckons her with his eyes to sit next to him. That’s right, what’s so hard about apologizing, Jung Won thought.

“Hm, oh yeah, it’s really hot today, right?”

“Well, not bad.”

“Hm, Geon Hyeong ssi, about yesterday’s incident.”

Just as Jung Won gathered her courage and was about to apologize, her white-furred cat suddenly walked slowly into the kitchen.

Romeo, who woke up from his sleep in the middle of the night, stepped nonchalantly into the kitchen without paying attention to the two people, as if suspecting that his owner was eating something without giving it to him. The feline eater then clung to Jung Won’s leg, still not giving Geon Hyeong the slightest glance.

“You can’t. It’s getting late. You already ate a lot earlier. This cat is a strong eater because it’s a wild cat.”

Jung Won excitedly explained something that Geon Hyeong didn’t care about at all. Meanwhile, Romeo meowed as if to say ‘it’s good’ and jumped onto Jung Won’s lap.

“I told you not to. Goliath is already sleeping.”

Romeo, who was annoyed at being compared to other cats and not being given food even though he had seduced his master, finally bit the edge of the tablecloth and pulled it. Jung Won, who was surprised, tried to remove the tablecloth from Romeo’s bite.

Fortunately, Geon Hyeong was responsive and quickly picked up his teacup, but Jung Won wasn’t that quick. Jung Won’s teacup that was sitting on the edge of the dining table finally fell and the entire contents spilled out.

“Romeo, why are you so naughty? Shall I scold you?”

Jung Won, who was at a loss, lifted the heavy Romeo with both hands and looked at the cat fiercely.

Romeo who realized his actions and his angry master immediately broke free from Jung Won’s grip and ran away. As soon as Romeo escaped to the living room, Jung Won sighed in despair, while Geon Hyeong put his cup back on the table.

“Just a moment, let me clean this up first and then we’ll talk. What a mess, right?”

Jung Won couldn’t help but bend over to clean up Romeo’s mess. At that moment, her necklace suddenly broke and the ring hanging on her neck rolled in front of Geon Hyeong. Apparently, Romeo’s foot accidentally hit the necklace and made it break.

“What a mess.”

The house really seemed to be a house that couldn’t be quiet and calm. Her younger siblings were busy playing at night, while it was the cats’ turn to be busy playing in the middle of the night. Geon Hyeong bent down and picked up the ring that he thought was Jung Won’s necklace pendant that fell near his feet. Although it looks quite old, the ring still looks beautiful.

“Thank you.”

“Who did you get this ring from?”

Geon Hyeong, who had been looking at the ring, asked Jung Won quietly. The stone adorning the ring’s circumference was unmistakably a diamond, and the image of a flower engraved on the inside of the ring definitely symbolized this woman. Who was the man who had given her such an expensive item?

“From my mother. It was left by my mother.”

“Not from a man?”

“You know where?”

Jung Won’s eyes were wide open. This man, does he have a sixth sense, or is he used to assessing situations quickly? Her mother used to say that she got this ring from a man. Jung Won still remembers when her mom said that even though this ring wasn’t an expensive and luxurious item, it was given by someone very precious. If her mom had told her that, her dad would have sometimes pretended to be jealous.

“I’m just guessing. Because there’s no way you could have bought such an expensive item yourself. Maybe it’s from your prince, right?”

“Yes? Whose prince… ah, no, no way.”

For a moment, Jung Won forgot about the prince Geon Hyeong was referring to. However, she quickly shook her head in surprise once she remembered that the prince in question was Kim Jae Hyun sonsaengnim.

Why would her prince be brought up in this conversation? The only thing he gave her was the finger-sized rose in the glass bottle.

“You’re not lying to me, are you?”

“Of course.”

Jung Won who felt annoyed at being suspected hurriedly replied confidently.

“Whoever the man is, I don’t care. Just don’t accept things like this again from any man other than me.”

“Why?”

“Have you forgotten? You owe me a debt. And you’re still my partner.”

How could I forget, Jung Won thought. How could I forget if you explain with such passion. Sometimes, Jung Won wondered how she could not realize the attitude of the man in front of her. In fact, she wanted to apologize and settle the matter tonight, but this man didn’t give Jung Won that chance.

“Can I ask you for the same promise?”

“You have no right to. You don’t have to worry anyway. I’m not a cheap man who would accept money or jewelry from a woman like this.”

“What does….”

So you’re saying that I’m a cheap woman who accepts money and jewelry from men? Jung Won, who only then realized the misunderstanding and the meaning of Geon Hyeong’s words, chuckled at her own stupidity.

How should I deal with this person who has treated me so calmly? Jung Won clenched her fists angrily and counted inwardly to contain her anger. Suddenly, she felt sorry for spending all day yesterday thinking about how she should apologize to this person. Even though this person didn’t have this kind of humanity in the first place, how could I misjudge him again.

“You should thank my mother.”

“Why?”

Geon Hyeong who had been smiling sarcastically at her, looked at Jung Won who suddenly talked about something else in surprise. However, Jung Won, who was already angry, didn’t notice the change in his expression.

“My mom always reminds us not to forget our debts. And, my mom also said that no matter how bad a person is, he must have one positive value in him. Well, although it seems like my mother’s words might be wrong.”

Geon Hyeong gave her a sharp look but Jung Won ignored it. After all, she had heard worse from that man. Compared to Geon Hyeong’s sarcasm, Jung Won’s words were much softer.

“I feel like I was slapped by your words just now. And, this ring is really my mother’s ring.”

Jung Won, who looked at Geon Hyeong fiercely, immediately stood up from her chair and Geon Hyeong hurriedly held her hand.

“What else is there?”

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Geon Hyeong answered Jung Won’s really angry question earnestly.

“You also know that my character is not very good. I also can’t trust others easily. But I know I was wrong this time. I’m sorry.”

“You mean it?”

As Geon Hyeong nodded his head, Jung Won sighed and sat back in her chair.

“You shouldn’t be so suspicious like that. Do you know that it’s really a bad habit?”

“I apologized earlier.”

However, the ring was left by her mother? That meant her father was a fairly well-off person as well. Of course, it’s not impossible that the ring was gifted by another man. However, at that moment Geon Hyeong realized that Jung Won didn’t know how much the ring was worth. If she knew, maybe she would sell the ring and not get into a contract with him, Geon Hyeong thought. No, surely that woman would do something like that.

While Geon Hyeong was busy thinking about that, Jung Won was busy thinking about something. This man really apologized for his mistake. However, Jung Won herself had not managed to apologize to him.

“Hm, so it’s like this….”

“I’m going overseas tomorrow.”

“Overseas?”

“Yes. I’ll be gone for about a week. I’ll be leaving at dawn tomorrow because my flight is in the morning.”

It seems like the news about him going abroad is something he wanted to tell Jung Won earlier. While Jung Won was thinking about that, Geon Hyeong finished his drink and stood up from his chair.

“I’m going to take a shower first. You go to bed quickly. It’s getting late.”

Before Jung Won could answer anything, Geon Hyeong said what he needed to and left. What the hell, she had missed the chance to apologize again?

Jung Won, who was left alone, let out a long sigh. An apology that wasn’t difficult. However, for some reason she felt that it was very difficult. It was all because of her narrow-mindedness and her unyielding heart.