Chapter 227: Thus The Past Comes Out
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Noticing her boss's abnormal behavior, Su-Jin grew very worried. She tried calling out his name, but to no avail. Ji-Won's mind seemed to have blanked out and he wasn't reacting to any external stimulus.
While almost losing her head in panic, Su-Jin ultimately yelled out the man's name.
"DIRECTOR KANG, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"
Next instant, she reached out and shook him by the shoulder.
"Director Kang, why are you spacing out like this? What's wrong?"
In her frantic desire to find out what was happening and why, Su-Jin completely disregarded Ji-Won's position as her boss. At that moment, she was just a young woman frightened for the well-being of the man she liked.
Thus, rather than stopping her current behavior, she continued to vigorously shake him.
"Director Kang, please say something. You're really scaring me right now." she pleaded softly.
Yet, instead of answering her question, Ji-Won merely mumbled something inaudible. Then, he raised the hand he was holding the handkerchief with and placed it in front of Su-Jin's eyes.
"Miss Park… This… Why do you have this?"
Su-Jin gaped at him in disbelief.
'So this is what's going on? Was Director Kang rendered in this state by the mere sight of this handkerchief?'
As soon as she thought that, realization finally dawned on her.
'Then, does this mean he is actually the owner of this handkerchief? Then, all those years ago it was him all along?'
Before she could finish processing this idea, Su-Jin saw Ji-Won lowering his hand and leaning closer.
"Miss Park, please tell me. Why do you have this handkerchief? Where did you find it? How come it's in your possession?"
Ji-Won fired question after question, appearing on the verge of hysteria.
Without giving Su-Jin the slightest chance to react, he grabbed her by both shoulders and pulled her towards him.
Next thing she knew, Su-Jin was merely a few centimeters away from Ji-Won's face, staring wide-eyed at his distraught expression.
She saw the man's handsome features slowly getting distorted by a mixture of confusion, panic and sorrow. All this while, though, his trembling eyes were searching for hers, still holding onto a small glimmer of hope.
Seeing him like this, Su-Jin felt a pang of pain inside her chest. Whether it was only caused by pity for his past or due to her feelings for him, it didn't really matter. At that moment, Su-Jin realized that, for whatever reason, she didn't want this person to suffer.
Just then, Ji-Won's hands slid down Su-Jin's arms, his fingers digging deeper and deeper into her skin.
With a small wince, she tried to break free from his grasp, but, just like a frenzied animal about to lose its precious food, Ji-Won caught an even better grip on Su-Jin's upper body.
Sensing that it was no use to fight him, Su-Jin eventually stopped moving. Her arms relaxed on either side of her body and she stared fixedly at the man who was holding her trapped.
"I… I found it." Su-Jin finally managed to reply.
"Found it? Where? Where did you find it?" Ji-Won asked urgently.
'Would you just calm down for a moment so I can find my words?! With all this questioning I can't even think properly, let alone answer you!' Su-Jin almost blurted out half in panic and half in frustration.
It was true that Ji-Won's almost hysterical behavior was giving her an extremely anxious feeling. With every second he continued to stare at her so intensely, she could feel her heart rate increasing rapidly. All her thoughts were jumbled up in a hazy mess, making it almost impossible for her to choose one and stick with it.
However, what she actually said out loud sounded entirely different from her thoughts.
"Director Kang, please calm down so I can explain. You see, I found this handkerchief many years ago."
Glancing down at her arms, Su-Jin noticed the white piece of cloth was still tightly clutched between Ji-Won's fingers and her body.
With a small sigh, she continued to speak in the same tone as before.
"It happened exactly fourteen years ago, during my parent's funeral. So as to not disturb the other guests with my loud wailing, Mi-Suk's mother took me outside of the funeral hall for a breath of fresh air. For some unknown reason, I somehow ended up alone for a bit. And that's when someone came up to me. I think that person was a boy, not much older than me. Though, frankly I can't be very sure. During that time I had been crying until my eyes were swollen and red, so I could barely see his face properly. All I remember were the boy's black hair and white armband.
Though I was still young, I knew that wearing such a piece of cloth around his arm meant the boy was also there for a funeral. Judging by the single black stripe of his armband, it meant he was just another male in the departed's family, and not the main mourner. Possibly the brother of someone who just died, or perhaps that person's… son."
Reaching up to here, Su-Jin stopped talking. She looked at Ji-Won's face attentively, careful for every change in his expression.
Meanwhile, Ji-Won was speechless. He gaped at Su-Jin in utter disbelief. Though he heard the words, he could hardly make sense of them.
After a long moment of silence, he finally moved. He released Su-Jin's arms, leaning back into his seat. He fiddled with the handkerchief, brushing his thumbs over the three initials sewn on the fabric.
Though she was very curious to know what he was thinking about, Su-Jin refrained from asking anything. Instead, she simply watched him quietly, waiting until he felt like talking.
Sure enough, a couple of moments later, Ji-Won finally opened his mouth to speak.
"On the 7th of July, fourteen years ago, I was at my mother's funeral. I have little recollection of what was happening around me. But one thing I do remember is ending up on the hallway next to another funeral hall. There, I saw a little girl standing next to the wreaths. She was crying her heart out, all the while rubbing at her eyes with both hands."
Ji-Won paused. He stared at the piece of cloth in his hands with an unfathomable gaze.
"For some inexplicable reason, it was painful to see her cry. But, at that moment, I had nothing else on me, apart from this, the handkerchief my mother had sewn herself.. She even embroidered it with my initials, so it was important to me."
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Noticing her boss's abnormal behavior, Su-Jin grew very worried. She tried calling out his name, but to no avail. Ji-Won's mind seemed to have blanked out and he wasn't reacting to any external stimulus.
While almost losing her head in panic, Su-Jin ultimately yelled out the man's name.
"DIRECTOR KANG, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"
Next instant, she reached out and shook him by the shoulder.
"Director Kang, why are you spacing out like this? What's wrong?"
In her frantic desire to find out what was happening and why, Su-Jin completely disregarded Ji-Won's position as her boss. At that moment, she was just a young woman frightened for the well-being of the man she liked.
Thus, rather than stopping her current behavior, she continued to vigorously shake him.
"Director Kang, please say something. You're really scaring me right now." she pleaded softly.
Yet, instead of answering her question, Ji-Won merely mumbled something inaudible. Then, he raised the hand he was holding the handkerchief with and placed it in front of Su-Jin's eyes.
"Miss Park… This… Why do you have this?"
Su-Jin gaped at him in disbelief.
'So this is what's going on? Was Director Kang rendered in this state by the mere sight of this handkerchief?'
As soon as she thought that, realization finally dawned on her.
'Then, does this mean he is actually the owner of this handkerchief? Then, all those years ago it was him all along?'
Before she could finish processing this idea, Su-Jin saw Ji-Won lowering his hand and leaning closer.
"Miss Park, please tell me. Why do you have this handkerchief? Where did you find it? How come it's in your possession?"
Ji-Won fired question after question, appearing on the verge of hysteria.
Without giving Su-Jin the slightest chance to react, he grabbed her by both shoulders and pulled her towards him.
Next thing she knew, Su-Jin was merely a few centimeters away from Ji-Won's face, staring wide-eyed at his distraught expression.
She saw the man's handsome features slowly getting distorted by a mixture of confusion, panic and sorrow. All this while, though, his trembling eyes were searching for hers, still holding onto a small glimmer of hope.
Seeing him like this, Su-Jin felt a pang of pain inside her chest. Whether it was only caused by pity for his past or due to her feelings for him, it didn't really matter. At that moment, Su-Jin realized that, for whatever reason, she didn't want this person to suffer.
Just then, Ji-Won's hands slid down Su-Jin's arms, his fingers digging deeper and deeper into her skin.
With a small wince, she tried to break free from his grasp, but, just like a frenzied animal about to lose its precious food, Ji-Won caught an even better grip on Su-Jin's upper body.
Sensing that it was no use to fight him, Su-Jin eventually stopped moving. Her arms relaxed on either side of her body and she stared fixedly at the man who was holding her trapped.
"I… I found it." Su-Jin finally managed to reply.
"Found it? Where? Where did you find it?" Ji-Won asked urgently.
'Would you just calm down for a moment so I can find my words?! With all this questioning I can't even think properly, let alone answer you!' Su-Jin almost blurted out half in panic and half in frustration.
It was true that Ji-Won's almost hysterical behavior was giving her an extremely anxious feeling. With every second he continued to stare at her so intensely, she could feel her heart rate increasing rapidly. All her thoughts were jumbled up in a hazy mess, making it almost impossible for her to choose one and stick with it.
However, what she actually said out loud sounded entirely different from her thoughts.
"Director Kang, please calm down so I can explain. You see, I found this handkerchief many years ago."
Glancing down at her arms, Su-Jin noticed the white piece of cloth was still tightly clutched between Ji-Won's fingers and her body.
With a small sigh, she continued to speak in the same tone as before.
"It happened exactly fourteen years ago, during my parent's funeral. So as to not disturb the other guests with my loud wailing, Mi-Suk's mother took me outside of the funeral hall for a breath of fresh air. For some unknown reason, I somehow ended up alone for a bit. And that's when someone came up to me. I think that person was a boy, not much older than me. Though, frankly I can't be very sure. During that time I had been crying until my eyes were swollen and red, so I could barely see his face properly. All I remember were the boy's black hair and white armband.
Though I was still young, I knew that wearing such a piece of cloth around his arm meant the boy was also there for a funeral. Judging by the single black stripe of his armband, it meant he was just another male in the departed's family, and not the main mourner. Possibly the brother of someone who just died, or perhaps that person's… son."
Reaching up to here, Su-Jin stopped talking. She looked at Ji-Won's face attentively, careful for every change in his expression.
Meanwhile, Ji-Won was speechless. He gaped at Su-Jin in utter disbelief. Though he heard the words, he could hardly make sense of them.
After a long moment of silence, he finally moved. He released Su-Jin's arms, leaning back into his seat. He fiddled with the handkerchief, brushing his thumbs over the three initials sewn on the fabric.
Though she was very curious to know what he was thinking about, Su-Jin refrained from asking anything. Instead, she simply watched him quietly, waiting until he felt like talking.
Sure enough, a couple of moments later, Ji-Won finally opened his mouth to speak.
"On the 7th of July, fourteen years ago, I was at my mother's funeral. I have little recollection of what was happening around me. But one thing I do remember is ending up on the hallway next to another funeral hall. There, I saw a little girl standing next to the wreaths. She was crying her heart out, all the while rubbing at her eyes with both hands."
Ji-Won paused. He stared at the piece of cloth in his hands with an unfathomable gaze.
"For some inexplicable reason, it was painful to see her cry. But, at that moment, I had nothing else on me, apart from this, the handkerchief my mother had sewn herself.. She even embroidered it with my initials, so it was important to me."
Noticing her boss's abnormal behavior, Su-Jin grew very worried. She tried calling out his name, but to no avail. Ji-Won's mind seemed to have blanked out and he wasn't reacting to any external stimulus. While almost losing her head in panic, Su-Jin ultimately yelled out the man's name."DIRECTOR KANG, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"Next instant, she reached out and shook him by the shoulder. "Director Kang, why are you spacing out like this? What's wrong?" In her frantic desire to find out what was happening and why, Su-Jin completely disregarded Ji-Won's position as her boss. At that moment, she was just a young woman frightened for the well-being of the man she liked.Thus, rather than stopping her current behavior, she continued to vigorously shake him. "Director Kang, please say something. You're really scaring me right now." she pleaded softly. Yet, instead of answering her question, Ji-Won merely mumbled something inaudible. Then, he raised the hand he was holding the handkerchief with and placed it in front of Su-Jin's eyes. "Miss Park This Why do you have this?"Su-Jin gaped at him in disbelief. 'So this is what's going on? Was Director Kang rendered in this state by the mere sight of this handkerchief?' As soon as she thought that, realization finally dawned on her.'Then, does this mean he is actually the owner of this handkerchief? Then, all those years ago it was him all along?'Before she could finish processing this idea, Su-Jin saw Ji-Won lowering his hand and leaning closer."Miss Park, please tell me. Why do you have this handkerchief? Where did you find it? How come it's in your possession?" Ji-Won fired question after question, appearing on the verge of hysteria. Without giving Su-Jin the slightest chance to react, he grabbed her by both shoulders and pulled her towards him.Next thing she knew, Su-Jin was merely a few centimeters away from Ji-Won's face, staring wide-eyed at his distraught expression.She saw the man's handsome features slowly getting distorted by a mixture of confusion, panic and sorrow. All this while, though, his trembling eyes were searching for hers, still holding onto a small glimmer of hope.Seeing him like this, Su-Jin felt a pang of pain inside her chest. Whether it was only caused by pity for his past or due to her feelings for him, it didn't really matter. At that moment, Su-Jin realized that, for whatever reason, she didn't want this person to suffer.Just then, Ji-Won's hands slid down Su-Jin's arms, his fingers digging deeper and deeper into her skin.With a small wince, she tried to break free from his grasp, but, just like a frenzied animal about to lose its precious food, Ji-Won caught an even better grip on Su-Jin's upper body.Sensing that it was no use to fight him, Su-Jin eventually stopped moving. Her arms relaxed on either side of her body and she stared fixedly at the man who was holding her trapped."I I found it." Su-Jin finally managed to reply."Found it? Where? Where did you find it?" Ji-Won asked urgently.'Would you just calm down for a moment so I can find my words?! With all this questioning I can't even think properly, let alone answer you!' Su-Jin almost blurted out half in panic and half in frustration. It was true that Ji-Won's almost hysterical behavior was giving her an extremely anxious feeling. With every second he continued to stare at her so intensely, she could feel her heart rate increasing rapidly. All her thoughts were jumbled up in a hazy mess, making it almost impossible for her to choose one and stick with it.However, what she actually said out loud sounded entirely different from her thoughts."Director Kang, please calm down so I can explain. You see, I found this handkerchief many years ago." Glancing down at her arms, Su-Jin noticed the white piece of cloth was still tightly clutched between Ji-Won's fingers and her body. With a small sigh, she continued to speak in the same tone as before."It happened exactly fourteen years ago, during my parent's funeral. So as to not disturb the other guests with my loud wailing, Mi-Suk's mother took me outside of the funeral hall for a breath of fresh air. For some unknown reason, I somehow ended up alone for a bit. And that's when someone came up to me. I think that person was a boy, not much older than me. Though, frankly I can't be very sure. During that time I had been crying until my eyes were swollen and red, so I could barely see his face properly. All I remember were the boy's black hair and white armband.Though I was still young, I knew that wearing such a piece of cloth around his arm meant the boy was also there for a funeral. Judging by the single black stripe of his armband, it meant he was just another male in the departed's family, and not the main mourner. Possibly the brother of someone who just died, or perhaps that person's son."Reaching up to here, Su-Jin stopped talking. She looked at Ji-Won's face attentively, careful for every change in his expression. Meanwhile, Ji-Won was speechless. He gaped at Su-Jin in utter disbelief. Though he heard the words, he could hardly make sense of them. After a long moment of silence, he finally moved. He released Su-Jin's arms, leaning back into his seat. He fiddled with the handkerchief, brushing his thumbs over the three initials sewn on the fabric. Though she was very curious to know what he was thinking about, Su-Jin refrained from asking anything. Instead, she simply watched him quietly, waiting until he felt like talking. Sure enough, a couple of moments later, Ji-Won finally opened his mouth to speak."On the 7th of July, fourteen years ago, I was at my mother's funeral. I have little recollection of what was happening around me. But one thing I do remember is ending up on the hallway next to another funeral hall. There, I saw a little girl standing next to the wreaths. She was crying her heart out, all the while rubbing at her eyes with both hands."Ji-Won paused. He stared at the piece of cloth in his hands with an unfathomable gaze. "For some inexplicable reason, it was painful to see her cry. But, at that moment, I had nothing else on me, apart from this, the handkerchief my mother had sewn herself.. She even embroidered it with my initials, so it was important to me."
