***
“Hah…” Ari sighed loudly as she stepped out of the elevator.
“Please don’t ask Eunyoung anything useless, okay?”
“Do you think I’m a kid? I would never do anything like that.”
Ari began to walk while pouting.
However, she stopped walking when she saw a familiar figure standing and wandering at the entrance to the office.
“Huh? No. Isn’t that Ojae?”
“… I think you’re right.”
Ojae continued wandering in front of the door, without knowing what to do.
“Isn’t he here to meet the boss?” Ari lowered her voice and asked Sun.
“You go in. Don’t say anything to him.”
“No, go in with me.”
“Ari.”
When Sun called Ari’s name seriously with a low voice, Ari said, “I got it. I’m going in.”
Ari made loud footsteps on purpose while pouting.
“Please get out of the way. I’m going in.”
Hearing Ari’s offensive words, Ojae quickly stepped back. As Ari entered the office, Sun approached Ojae.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
“… Do you have a minute?” Sun nodded after hearing Ojae’s question.
The two moved to one side of the hallway, avoiding the people who were coming and going.
After a long while, Ojae finally started speaking like he had finally built up his courage.
“Hmm. There is something that I would like to ask you.”
Hearing the familiar question, Sun smiled bitterly.
“… Do you know anything about Eunyoung’s ex-husband?”
“… Why are you asking about him?”
“Hah…”
Ojae was so frustrated, and he unbuttoned his shirt.
“This is crazy.”
He sighed and looked back at Sun.
“I actually like her. She’s been in my mind.”
His sudden confession made her eyes widen. She was so surprised.
“Oh, I know it’s happening all the sudden. No, but actually it’s not really sudden. It’s been a long time since I’ve liked her. I don’t even know what I’m talking about now.”
Ojae blamed himself, knuckling his own head for his unfortunate story.
“What happened to you yesterday?”
“Well… Yesterday…” After a moment of waiting, Ojae carefully started speaking. “Because her ex-husband kept calling her, it seemed like she did not really feel good about it. That’s all I can tell you for now.”
Hearing Ojae, Sun nodded.
Sun sighed deeply because she knew about Eunyoung’s wounds better than anyone else.
“I want to help her… I’m not sure what to do or how to help her… That’s why I’m asking you.”
He asked Sun with a firm expression as if he were determined.
Looking at his face for a moment, she slowly started speaking.
“Last time I talked with you at the orphanage, you advised me that it’s better to hear from Gyeonhui about what had happened to him in the past.”
Ojae remembered what he had said on the day he went to the orphanage with her.
“Same to you. I think you should hear it from Eunyoung directly.”
After hearing Sun, Ojae was discouraged by her face that was basically telling him to stop caring about Eunyoung anymore.
“And Eunyoung will overcome the trouble by herself. She’s strong, so you don’t need to worry about her so much.”
“Oh… Okay.” He bowed his head and answered weakly.
“However, if Eunyoung has someone like you beside her, she might get through the trouble better.”
“Really?”
“I know you’re a good person, but I hope that you will wait for her a little longer because she needs her own time too.”
Her comforting words brightened Ojae’s face.
“You’re right. I should have waited for her… I was in a hurry. Haha.”
Ojae smiled awkwardly, scratching the hair on the back of his head.
“Thank you, Sun. I feel much better now.”
“No, I just told you the truth.”
Sun said with a smile, but behind the smile, Ojae sensed an unknown pain from her.
Ojae looked at her and asked carefully.
“… Did you decide to meet him today?”
“…” She nodded slowly with a slightly firm expression.
After a while, Ojae looked at her again, seemingly determined.
“Before you meet him tonight, I have something to show you.”
Ojae’s expression seemed grim.
***
Through the hallway, the place where Ojae led her to was Gyeonhui’s office.
She had to hesitate to go into his office.
“This place is…”
“Oh, he’s not here today. He’s in Ganwon province now.”
“Gangwon province?”
“Yes. He’s been gone since this morning. I don’t know what’s going on with him all of a sudden. Come inside, please.”
Ojae was holding the door for her by standing at the door; Sun reluctantly stepped forward and went inside of the office.
‘Bang.’
As soon as she entered, Ojae quickly closed the door.
Sun slowly looked around his office.
His clean and luxurious office was impressive with a contrasting black interior.
“This way, please.”
Ojae guided her toward the window.
“This is it. This is what I wanted to show you.”
Ojae pointed to the pot placed under the window.
Following him, Sun also saw the pot.
It was a coffee tree that had flowers bursting in bloom.
“… This is…”
As soon as she saw the tree, she knew that the coffee tree was the one she planted by herself for him in the past.
The flower had never bloomed before but was now bursting in bloom, showing off its own beauty.
Suddenly, she remembered a memory that she had already forgotten.
No, actually, the memories that she tried not to remember and to push away came back to her mind.
‘If the coffee tree flower blooms later, let’s come back here together.’
That bright moment and the happy memory with him was tucked into the back of her mind deeply.
82. It’s our last.
Sun was lost in thought for a while and started speaking.
“Where did Gyeonhui go, exactly?”
Sun asked again about the place Gyeonhui had gone to.
“It was Gangwon-province. I think he said It was something about Jeonsun.”
Ojae furrowed his eyebrows and answered like he didn’t remember it clearly.
“Jeongsun…”
She thought for a moment, repeating the name of the city.
She thought that Gyeonhui still might have remembered the promise that they were supposed to revisit the city when the coffee tree flowers bloomed.
Sun slowly shook her head.
Firstly, she thought that he wasn’t going to remember the promise, and secondly, he shouldn’t have.
After catching her breath, she approached the coffee tree.
“You finally bloomed, flower…”
She said, covering the flowers with her hands carefully like she hadn’t seen the coffee flower before.
“Is this the first time you saw the coffee flowers too?”
Sun nodded slowly. “Yes, I’ve seen it only in a book…”