Chapter 4

Seong Tae followed Woo Hyun persistently, as if he wouldn't let things go today. Woo Hyun sat at a nice wooden desk, and Seong Tae stood defiantly in front of him. Woohyun indifferently flipped through the documents on his desk.

"Senior."

"What?"

"Look over there."

Woo Hyun turned his head in the direction Seong Tae's finger pointed. There was a charming little table that didn't quite match the urban, sleek interior of the room. On it were various instant coffees, even a hand-drip coffee machine. Woo Hyun frowned.

"What is that?"

"It's all coffee."

"No wonder it smelled so strongly of coffee."

"You keep going to cafés, so I figured you must need coffee, and I've got it all set up there. It's nicer than any corporate pantry, so why do you keep going to cafés? Do you have a girlfriend? Huh?"

"Yes."

"Right! You've got a girl— wait, what?"

Seong Tae, who had responded thoughtlessly, looked at Woo Hyun with a surprised expression. Woo Hyun continued to silently flip through the documents.

"You're joking, right?"

Seong Tae asked, blinking for a moment.

"No."

Woo Hyun looked up. His face was so expressionless taht it felt dry. He interlaced his smooth, flawless fingers.

"You know I don't joke about things like this."

As Woo Hyun said, Seong Tae knew better than anyone that he didn't joke about such matters. With his impressive background and a face that was not just handsome but even alluring, women were constantly drawn to him. Woo Hyun had been in several relationships, but they never lasted long. The reason was always the same:

'I thought I could love that woman, but I couldn't!'

Woo Hyun couldn't turn his liking for a woman into love. It wasn't that his sexual orientation was different either. According to him, he literally just couldn't love. Since that last relationship, three years had passed, and Woo Hyun hadn't dated any women. He'd cut off all blind dates, and Seong Tae knew that Woo Hyun's parents were incredibly worried because of it. He knew even more certainly that Woo Hyun wouldn't joke about women.

Seong Tae, looking dumbfounded, asked...

"So, when on earth did this happen? And who is she? Are you two dating?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"Just a woman I'm meeting."

"Are you really just meeting her? Not dating?"

"Yeah."

"Senior, aren't things going to get complicated like before?"

Seong Tae immediately thought of a particular woman. Woo Hyun had met her through his parents' introduction. Woo Hyun didn't ask her out again and even indirectly expressed his refusal. The woman then asked to be his friend. He refused several times, but she was persistent, and Woo Hyun, out of consideration for his parents, reluctantly had a few meals with her. After that, the woman grew obsessive. She confessed to Woo Hyun and, of course, was rejected.

She became a malicious stalker, harassing Woo Hyun for two months until her parents practically exiled her overseas, which finally ended it. It was a concise story, but Woo Hyun had suffered from intense stress because of it, which made him even more reluctant to meet women.

"She's not that kind of woman."

Woo Hyun recalled the woman's eyes. She was a woman with no expectations of people. Yet, the reason she didn't refuse his request was that she yearned for someone comfortable, even if she didn't love them. Just like himself.

"Are you sure?"

Seong Tae asked with a skeptical expression.

"Yeah."

"I don't know whether to congratulate you or mourn."

Seong Tae scratched his cheek, a troubled look on his face.

"There's nothing to do either. You can leave now."

Woo Hyun gestured towards the door.

"You're sending me away already? Aren't you going to tell me how you met?"

"So you can tell my parents if I do?"

"..."

Seong Tae flinched. Woo Hyun gazed at Seong Tae with a dry expression. Woo Hyun had known from the beginning that Seong Tae was monitoring him at his parents' behest. He hadn't mentioned it because there was nothing to report. But, now it was different.

"Don't tell my parents anything."

"They'll be happy..."

"You know that, don't you?"

Woo Hyun said briefly. Seong Tae couldn't argue with that. Even after trying his best to love someone for a long time, Woo Hyun had never managed to love any woman. No woman would last long by his side. In the end, even if he were to report this, his parents would only fall into despair again, just as they had expected.

"I understand."

Seong Tae said, bowing politely before disappearing. Woo Hyun flipped through the stacks of overdue documents, then closed the folder again. He turned his head and stared absently at the tree leaves half-obscuring the window. They were bare branches in winter, but now they swayed with lush green foliage. Beyond them, he could see the city skyline, the view Woo Hyun loved most.

This building was originally a house his maternal grandfather had left to Woo Hyun. The idea was that he would achieve great success by absorbing the energy of the diplomats, politicians, and various figures from political and business circles who resided nearby. However, Woo Hyun chose to become a financial advisor, a profession far removed from politics and business.

A year after his grandfather passed away, Woo Hyun decided to tear down the old house. His family tried to stop him. His father, furious that he was squandering his inheritance, even threw a flowerpot at him. Still, Woo Hyun wouldn't back down. The old house was demolished, and in its place, Woo Hyun built the modern structure that stands today.

In a neighborhood filled with similar, castle-like homes, the contemporary building became a subject of interest. Curious individuals from political and business circles began to wonder about the owner of the tasteful building. Later, when people learned that the owner was the eccentric 'Ma Woo Hyun,' born from prominent paternal and maternal families in the political and business world, their interest in him grew even stronger. This interest turned into observation, and soon, their focus shifted from 'Ma Woo Hyun', the person to 'Ma Woo Hyun', the financial advisor and his endeavors.

High returns, secure asset management, and a reliable background.

Naturally, people from the political and business circles began to reach out to Woo Hyun. To test him, they started entrusting him with the financial planning for their newborn grandchildren or acquaintances, rather than their own massive assets. People gradually grew satisfied with his stable and meticulous work. As Woo Hyun steadily expanded his reputation in the industry, he reached a point where he couldn't handle the workload alone, so he brought in Seong Tae, who specialized in real estate.

Around the time when financial advisor Ma Woo Hyun's name began to spread by word of mouth among the political and business elite, his father called him home and asked.

'Was this all planned?'

'Yes!'

Woo Hyun had poured his every effort into planning this building from the moment he decided to construct it. He saw it as a home he would live in his whole life and a workplace. Since it was an inheritance left by his beloved maternal grandfather, he wanted to use it in the most valuable way possible. And just as his grandfather had intended, he ended up working with people from the political and business world. Though, of course, it was a slightly different direction than his grandfather had envisioned.

'Well then, you rascal. You should have told me about that plan. At least, I wouldn't have thrown the flowerpot.'

'You would have opposed it anyway. And it was a gamble for me too.'

At Woo Hyun's reply, Assemblyman Ma was speechless for a moment. As Woo Hyun said, even if he had known beforehand, he couldn't have respected his opinion. That day, his father fully approved of Woo Hyun's business, stating that he wouldn't interfere with his work from then on. After that, the business stabilized to some extent. Several months of incredibly busy time passed. Leaves sprouted on the bare branches, and the sharp wind softened considerably. And before he knew it, early summer had arrived.

It was a particularly humid day, with the wind blowing in through the window. The ends of the wind, which made his hair stir, felt damp. It's going to rain, he thought. As that thought settled, work slipped through his fingers. Unable to concentrate, Woo Hyun impulsively rose from his seat. He grabbed an umbrella and walked out aimlessly, taking a different path than usual. By the time he was halfway down the street, rain poured down.

Woo Hyun, who loved rainy days, walked with his black long umbrella. As the splashing raindrops dyed the toes of his shoes and the hems of his pants dark, he spotted a café tucked away in a corner.

~~~~~

Miel's Translations