Chapter 197: Waking Up From A Sweet Dream
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As though he was determined to play the role of a proper gentleman till the end, Ji-Won insisted on taking Su-Jin home. No matter how much she tried to dissuade him from it, he was very adamant on having his way.
"This place is quite far from your house. I was the one who brought you here, so it's only natural that I should be the one to take you back."
While Su-Jin gave her boss strange stares, which seemed to say 'What exactly is so natural about that logic?', truth be told, she still felt touched by his consideration.
Little did she know that, right at that moment, Ji-Won was acting on high orders, to the same extent as he acted based on his own will and desire.
'Since I was asked by your brother to make sure you get home safe, how can I do that if I leave you to go by yourself? Besides, if something were to happen to you, I might die and never be able to reincarnate.'
~~~
When the car finally pulled up on the alley in front of Su-Jin's house, it was already pretty late into the evening.
The sky had grown inky black, dotted by glittering white stars. Only a very thin trace of crimson light indicated the spot where the sun had disappeared from the canopy. The air was fragrant with a sweet smell of flowers coming from the gardens in the area. The light summer evening breeze blew the scent away, until it reached the few passersby who were walking slowly down the street.
Inside the car, Su-Jin and Ji-Won were both silent, appearing rather calm.
In truth, though, despite the quietness and tranquility they portrayed, they were both feeling slightly restless.
Being greeted with the sight of her front door, Su-Jin lamented and cursed all those green lights they had caught along the way there.
It was truly ironic indeed. When one didn't want time to pass by quickly, it did quite the opposite instead. Like the sand in an hourglass, it would slip away unnoticed at a rapid pace and, no matter how hard one tried to catch it, there was no chance of holding it between the fingers.
"Miss Park, we're here." Ji-Won suddenly announced in a low voice.
Despite the huskiness of his voice, Su-Jin keenly felt as though her ears had been hit by a shrill alarm. The words he had just spoken were now just as dreaded as her clock blaring in the morning to wake her up.
'I don't want to. Not yet. Don't wake me up just yet. I want to dream a little longer. Please, make this dream last just a tad bit longer.'
But even as she wailed and prayed like this, Su-Jin still moved to take off the seat belt. In one last desperate attempt to hold onto this moment a bit longer, she lingered inside the car. She hesitated for a couple of seconds before eventually opening her mouth to speak.
"Director Kang, would you like to come in for a cup of coffee or tea?"
Ji-Won was visibly startled by this unexpected invitation.
There were mixed feelings battling inside his heart, the struggle visible in his dark eyes.
While half of him nearly jumped up and down in excitement, wanting nothing more than to say yes, the other half kept urging him to refuse. It was too soon, too fast. Nothing good would come out of pushing the matter forward without proper thought. Not to mention that he was still uncertain of Su-Jin's opinion of him, as well as her feelings.
After taking a moment to recover, Ji-Won finally gave Su-Jin an answer. Unfortunately, considering her hopeful expectations, it was a rather disappointing answer.
"Thank you for the invitation, Miss Park. Maybe another time. Right now it's pretty late, and I'm sure both your brother and your friend must be worried about you."
Ji-Won paused for a second, allowing his eyes to feast on the young woman's features one last time before she left.
"Besides," he continued, his voice coming out slightly hoarse. "You've been working long hours these past couple of days. So you should turn in early tonight."
Little did Ji-Won know at the time that his words would be so far from being listened to.
Once Su-Jin got out of the car, Ji-Won waited for a little while, until he saw her entering the house. As soon as the door closed behind her, he turned the engine on and sped down the street, returning to the main boulevard.
Just as the car took a right, entering the large three-way street, Ji-Won's phone suddenly rang.
Luckily, he had to stop at a red light, so Ji-Won quickly fished the phone out of his jacket and glanced at the screen. Once he saw who it was, he sighed in weariness, but still decided to answer.
"Getting bored already?" Ji-Won greeted the other person.
"Wow, Ji-Won, with these mind reading abilities you should have become a shaman or something. How did you know I was feeling bored out of my mind?"
"It doesn't take supernatural abilities to know that about you, Seo-Jun." Ji-Won clicked his tongue, then added another sentence. "If you have that much time, why don't you give Gu Do-Shin a call? When you do, be sure to tell him that I'll definitely kill him the next chance I get!"
"Why? Did he put rocks in your food or something?" Seo-Jun asked, sounding slightly absentminded.
"That would have been preferable." Ji-Won muttered, his tone dripping with annoyance.
After grumbling for another split second, Ji-Won suddenly remembered something.
"What about you? I thought you went to have dinner with Miss Lee and Jung Seok. Didn't you see my message?"
"Trust me, I wanted nothing more than to have dinner with them, most especially with Miss Lee." Seo-Jun sighed sorrowfully. "Alas, I was cruelly rejected by both of them. Miss Lee had to hurry and pick up her little brother and make dinner for him, and Jung Seok wanted to see his mother in the hospital. So, I was left all by my lonesome. Kang Ji-Won, you'd better take responsibility for my misery!"
A moment later, afraid of being cussed out by Ji-Won, Seo-Jun quickly changed his whiny tone into a more serious one.
"Anyway, are you on your way home right now?"
"Yes. I just dropped Miss Park home."
"Ohoo, aren't you the gentleman." Seo-Jun snickered.
Hearing the mocking hint in his best friend's tone, Ji-Won opened his mouth, ready to say a few words from the heart. But before he got a chance to do so, Seo-Jun changed the subject.
"Come to the pub near your place. There is something I want to show you."
"Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
"You might want to see sooner rather than later. Besides, it's not something to talk about while at the office."
Ji-Won remained quiet for a moment, then agreed.
"Alright.. I am heading there right now."
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As though he was determined to play the role of a proper gentleman till the end, Ji-Won insisted on taking Su-Jin home. No matter how much she tried to dissuade him from it, he was very adamant on having his way.
"This place is quite far from your house. I was the one who brought you here, so it's only natural that I should be the one to take you back."
While Su-Jin gave her boss strange stares, which seemed to say 'What exactly is so natural about that logic?', truth be told, she still felt touched by his consideration.
Little did she know that, right at that moment, Ji-Won was acting on high orders, to the same extent as he acted based on his own will and desire.
'Since I was asked by your brother to make sure you get home safe, how can I do that if I leave you to go by yourself? Besides, if something were to happen to you, I might die and never be able to reincarnate.'
~~~
When the car finally pulled up on the alley in front of Su-Jin's house, it was already pretty late into the evening.
The sky had grown inky black, dotted by glittering white stars. Only a very thin trace of crimson light indicated the spot where the sun had disappeared from the canopy. The air was fragrant with a sweet smell of flowers coming from the gardens in the area. The light summer evening breeze blew the scent away, until it reached the few passersby who were walking slowly down the street.
Inside the car, Su-Jin and Ji-Won were both silent, appearing rather calm.
In truth, though, despite the quietness and tranquility they portrayed, they were both feeling slightly restless.
Being greeted with the sight of her front door, Su-Jin lamented and cursed all those green lights they had caught along the way there.
It was truly ironic indeed. When one didn't want time to pass by quickly, it did quite the opposite instead. Like the sand in an hourglass, it would slip away unnoticed at a rapid pace and, no matter how hard one tried to catch it, there was no chance of holding it between the fingers.
"Miss Park, we're here." Ji-Won suddenly announced in a low voice.
Despite the huskiness of his voice, Su-Jin keenly felt as though her ears had been hit by a shrill alarm. The words he had just spoken were now just as dreaded as her clock blaring in the morning to wake her up.
'I don't want to. Not yet. Don't wake me up just yet. I want to dream a little longer. Please, make this dream last just a tad bit longer.'
But even as she wailed and prayed like this, Su-Jin still moved to take off the seat belt. In one last desperate attempt to hold onto this moment a bit longer, she lingered inside the car. She hesitated for a couple of seconds before eventually opening her mouth to speak.
"Director Kang, would you like to come in for a cup of coffee or tea?"
Ji-Won was visibly startled by this unexpected invitation.
There were mixed feelings battling inside his heart, the struggle visible in his dark eyes.
While half of him nearly jumped up and down in excitement, wanting nothing more than to say yes, the other half kept urging him to refuse. It was too soon, too fast. Nothing good would come out of pushing the matter forward without proper thought. Not to mention that he was still uncertain of Su-Jin's opinion of him, as well as her feelings.
After taking a moment to recover, Ji-Won finally gave Su-Jin an answer. Unfortunately, considering her hopeful expectations, it was a rather disappointing answer.
"Thank you for the invitation, Miss Park. Maybe another time. Right now it's pretty late, and I'm sure both your brother and your friend must be worried about you."
Ji-Won paused for a second, allowing his eyes to feast on the young woman's features one last time before she left.
"Besides," he continued, his voice coming out slightly hoarse. "You've been working long hours these past couple of days. So you should turn in early tonight."
Little did Ji-Won know at the time that his words would be so far from being listened to.
Once Su-Jin got out of the car, Ji-Won waited for a little while, until he saw her entering the house. As soon as the door closed behind her, he turned the engine on and sped down the street, returning to the main boulevard.
Just as the car took a right, entering the large three-way street, Ji-Won's phone suddenly rang.
Luckily, he had to stop at a red light, so Ji-Won quickly fished the phone out of his jacket and glanced at the screen. Once he saw who it was, he sighed in weariness, but still decided to answer.
"Getting bored already?" Ji-Won greeted the other person.
"Wow, Ji-Won, with these mind reading abilities you should have become a shaman or something. How did you know I was feeling bored out of my mind?"
"It doesn't take supernatural abilities to know that about you, Seo-Jun." Ji-Won clicked his tongue, then added another sentence. "If you have that much time, why don't you give Gu Do-Shin a call? When you do, be sure to tell him that I'll definitely kill him the next chance I get!"
"Why? Did he put rocks in your food or something?" Seo-Jun asked, sounding slightly absentminded.
"That would have been preferable." Ji-Won muttered, his tone dripping with annoyance.
After grumbling for another split second, Ji-Won suddenly remembered something.
"What about you? I thought you went to have dinner with Miss Lee and Jung Seok. Didn't you see my message?"
"Trust me, I wanted nothing more than to have dinner with them, most especially with Miss Lee." Seo-Jun sighed sorrowfully. "Alas, I was cruelly rejected by both of them. Miss Lee had to hurry and pick up her little brother and make dinner for him, and Jung Seok wanted to see his mother in the hospital. So, I was left all by my lonesome. Kang Ji-Won, you'd better take responsibility for my misery!"
A moment later, afraid of being cussed out by Ji-Won, Seo-Jun quickly changed his whiny tone into a more serious one.
"Anyway, are you on your way home right now?"
"Yes. I just dropped Miss Park home."
"Ohoo, aren't you the gentleman." Seo-Jun snickered.
Hearing the mocking hint in his best friend's tone, Ji-Won opened his mouth, ready to say a few words from the heart. But before he got a chance to do so, Seo-Jun changed the subject.
"Come to the pub near your place. There is something I want to show you."
"Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
"You might want to see sooner rather than later. Besides, it's not something to talk about while at the office."
Ji-Won remained quiet for a moment, then agreed.
"Alright.. I am heading there right now."
As though he was determined to play the role of a proper gentleman till the end, Ji-Won insisted on taking Su-Jin home. No matter how much she tried to dissuade him from it, he was very adamant on having his way."This place is quite far from your house. I was the one who brought you here, so it's only natural that I should be the one to take you back."While Su-Jin gave her boss strange stares, which seemed to say 'What exactly is so natural about that logic?', truth be told, she still felt touched by his consideration.Little did she know that, right at that moment, Ji-Won was acting on high orders, to the same extent as he acted based on his own will and desire.'Since I was asked by your brother to make sure you get home safe, how can I do that if I leave you to go by yourself? Besides, if something were to happen to you, I might die and never be able to reincarnate.'~~~When the car finally pulled up on the alley in front of Su-Jin's house, it was already pretty late into the evening.The sky had grown inky black, dotted by glittering white stars. Only a very thin trace of crimson light indicated the spot where the sun had disappeared from the canopy. The air was fragrant with a sweet smell of flowers coming from the gardens in the area. The light summer evening breeze blew the scent away, until it reached the few passersby who were walking slowly down the street.Inside the car, Su-Jin and Ji-Won were both silent, appearing rather calm. In truth, though, despite the quietness and tranquility they portrayed, they were both feeling slightly restless.Being greeted with the sight of her front door, Su-Jin lamented and cursed all those green lights they had caught along the way there. It was truly ironic indeed. When one didn't want time to pass by quickly, it did quite the opposite instead. Like the sand in an hourglass, it would slip away unnoticed at a rapid pace and, no matter how hard one tried to catch it, there was no chance of holding it between the fingers. "Miss Park, we're here." Ji-Won suddenly announced in a low voice.Despite the huskiness of his voice, Su-Jin keenly felt as though her ears had been hit by a shrill alarm. The words he had just spoken were now just as dreaded as her clock blaring in the morning to wake her up.'I don't want to. Not yet. Don't wake me up just yet. I want to dream a little longer. Please, make this dream last just a tad bit longer.'But even as she wailed and prayed like this, Su-Jin still moved to take off the seat belt. In one last desperate attempt to hold onto this moment a bit longer, she lingered inside the car. She hesitated for a couple of seconds before eventually opening her mouth to speak."Director Kang, would you like to come in for a cup of coffee or tea?"Ji-Won was visibly startled by this unexpected invitation.There were mixed feelings battling inside his heart, the struggle visible in his dark eyes. While half of him nearly jumped up and down in excitement, wanting nothing more than to say yes, the other half kept urging him to refuse. It was too soon, too fast. Nothing good would come out of pushing the matter forward without proper thought. Not to mention that he was still uncertain of Su-Jin's opinion of him, as well as her feelings.After taking a moment to recover, Ji-Won finally gave Su-Jin an answer. Unfortunately, considering her hopeful expectations, it was a rather disappointing answer."Thank you for the invitation, Miss Park. Maybe another time. Right now it's pretty late, and I'm sure both your brother and your friend must be worried about you."Ji-Won paused for a second, allowing his eyes to feast on the young woman's features one last time before she left."Besides," he continued, his voice coming out slightly hoarse. "You've been working long hours these past couple of days. So you should turn in early tonight."Little did Ji-Won know at the time that his words would be so far from being listened to.Once Su-Jin got out of the car, Ji-Won waited for a little while, until he saw her entering the house. As soon as the door closed behind her, he turned the engine on and sped down the street, returning to the main boulevard.Just as the car took a right, entering the large three-way street, Ji-Won's phone suddenly rang. Luckily, he had to stop at a red light, so Ji-Won quickly fished the phone out of his jacket and glanced at the screen. Once he saw who it was, he sighed in weariness, but still decided to answer."Getting bored already?" Ji-Won greeted the other person."Wow, Ji-Won, with these mind reading abilities you should have become a shaman or something. How did you know I was feeling bored out of my mind?""It doesn't take supernatural abilities to know that about you, Seo-Jun." Ji-Won clicked his tongue, then added another sentence. "If you have that much time, why don't you give Gu Do-Shin a call? When you do, be sure to tell him that I'll definitely kill him the next chance I get!""Why? Did he put rocks in your food or something?" Seo-Jun asked, sounding slightly absentminded."That would have been preferable." Ji-Won muttered, his tone dripping with annoyance.After grumbling for another split second, Ji-Won suddenly remembered something."What about you? I thought you went to have dinner with Miss Lee and Jung Seok. Didn't you see my message?""Trust me, I wanted nothing more than to have dinner with them, most especially with Miss Lee." Seo-Jun sighed sorrowfully. "Alas, I was cruelly rejected by both of them. Miss Lee had to hurry and pick up her little brother and make dinner for him, and Jung Seok wanted to see his mother in the hospital. So, I was left all by my lonesome. Kang Ji-Won, you'd better take responsibility for my misery!"A moment later, afraid of being cussed out by Ji-Won, Seo-Jun quickly changed his whiny tone into a more serious one."Anyway, are you on your way home right now?""Yes. I just dropped Miss Park home.""Ohoo, aren't you the gentleman." Seo-Jun snickered. Hearing the mocking hint in his best friend's tone, Ji-Won opened his mouth, ready to say a few words from the heart. But before he got a chance to do so, Seo-Jun changed the subject. "Come to the pub near your place. There is something I want to show you.""Can't it wait until tomorrow?" "You might want to see sooner rather than later. Besides, it's not something to talk about while at the office."Ji-Won remained quiet for a moment, then agreed."Alright.. I am heading there right now."
