Ephphatha Chapter 10
by Ariana“Ah, this friend here.”
Because Chi-gyeom suddenly stepped aside without warning, Seul-ah found herself directly facing Seo Han-seong and his mother. She was so flustered that she opened her mouth but couldn’t find the words, so she simply bowed her head in greeting.
“Uh, I’m Han Seul-ah.”
“Yes, nice to meet you. I’m Seo Han-seong.”
Seo Han-seong’s voice was as gentle as his appearance. His tone was soft, with a slight touch of a melodious quality. Perhaps because she had been running into Kwak Chi-gyeom the most lately, Seul-ah had grown accustomed to his rough voice. Now, Han-seong’s smooth tone tickled her ears, making her unconsciously rub her earlobe.
He handed her a business card as well. It bore the emblem of the Southern District Prosecutors’ Office along with his name and contact information.
“I don’t have a business card…”
She mumbled awkwardly, and Han-seong smiled.
“I have enough of an eye for that. You still look like a student. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m not a student…”
“You came with President Kwak. Are you his girlfriend?”
Before Seul-ah could even shake her head in shock at the word “girlfriend,” Chi-gyeom spoke up first.
“She’s someone I sponsor.”
“Sponsor?”
Seul-ah turned to look at him, wondering what on earth he was talking about, but he continued speaking without so much as glancing at her.
“She’s Ms. Han Ji-seon’s daughter.”
“……”
The woman’s eyes widened in surprise before she quickly masked her expression.
“Ah… So you’re Han Ji-seon’s daughter.”
The unenthusiastic tone made it clear that Seo Han-seong’s mother knew about her mother. It also revealed that she did not hold a favorable impression of Han Ji-seon—the illegitimate child cast out by the Yugang Group.
Meanwhile, Han-seong simply maintained a faint, indifferent smile. Whether it was because he harbored no prejudice about her background or because he was unaware of it, Seul-ah couldn’t tell. When their eyes met, he smiled even more warmly, making her glance away awkwardly.
“When she was alive, she worried a lot about her frail daughter. That’s why I promised to sponsor her.”
“What? When she was alive?”
“Ah, Ms. Han Ji-seon recently passed away.”
“……”
Seo Han-seong and his mother both turned their gazes toward Seul-ah. The woman looked shocked, while Han-seong seemed sympathetic.
“Oh my, how did that happen?”
“……”
“How did I not hear about this…?”
The lawyer who had handled her mother’s inheritance had promised to keep her suicide out of the media spotlight. He had said it was the last thing he could do for his former university senior’s honor. It had indeed remained quiet, and for that, Seul-ah was grateful. She had already suffered enough under the label of an illegitimate child; she didn’t want her mother’s death to become yet another stigma.
Even now, she didn’t want to say out loud that her mother had jumped into the Han River herself. Her stomach churned with unease, and she bit at the soft flesh inside her mouth.
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Chi-gyeom smoothly changed the subject.
“Han Ji-seon was a devoted art lover, so I thought her daughter might be as well. I brought her here to lift her spirits, but it seems she’s not interested at all. In that sense, may I accompany you instead, madam?”
At Chi-gyeom’s nonchalant remark, Seo Han-seong’s mother, who had been watching Seul-ah with a complicated expression, eventually nodded.
“I get along well with you, so I don’t mind. Han-seong has no interest in art, so I was worried he’d be bored on his own….”
“Then, shall we go?”
“Hmm.”
Lee Kyung-sook glanced back at her son. If she left with Chi-gyeom, Han-seong would naturally be left alone with Han Ji-seon’s daughter. That thought made her hesitate, but Han-seong smiled and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Go ahead and enjoy yourself.”
“……”
Lee Kyung-sook vaguely recalled hearing about Han Ji-seon’s daughter before. She remembered meeting Han Ji-seon a few times at auctions, where she had mentioned having a sickly daughter at home.
She took a moment to observe Seul-ah from head to toe.
The girl was strikingly beautiful, much like her mother. Her slender figure, delicate jawline, and fragile gaze naturally evoked a protective instinct. Even Lee Kyung-sook felt it, so she could only imagine how much stronger the effect must be on men.
Sure enough, Chi-gyeom, despite his lighthearted jokes, frequently checked on Seul-ah, and even passing men stole glances at her.
The only exception was her own son. Han-seong, who had always remained indifferent no matter how many beautiful women were introduced to him, seemed as composed as ever. His usual upright and rigid personality, which had always rendered any matchmaking attempts futile, was now a source of reassurance for her.
“I’ll be borrowing President Kwak for a bit. My son will keep you company instead.”
“Ah… Okay.”
Seul-ah glanced at Chi-gyeom, but he didn’t look back at her. Instead, he simply escorted Lee Kyung-sook away.
Left alone with Seo Han-seong, she darted her eyes around uncomfortably before clearing her throat awkwardly.
His response came immediately.
“Do you have a cold?”
Startled by his sudden question, she reflexively took a step to the side. Noticing her reaction, he gave a sheepish smile and stepped away as well.
“Sorry. If you’re uncomfortable, I won’t talk to you. Just relax.”
“……”
Han-seong moved toward a nearby easel. He had said he had no interest in art, yet he stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, staring at the paintings. It was obvious he was just pretending to be interested so she wouldn’t feel pressured.
At that moment, Chi-gyeom glanced over in their direction. He looked between them, noting the awkward distance between them, then jerked his chin toward Han-seong in a wordless reprimand.
Seul-ah sighed and reluctantly took a step forward.
“I don’t have a cold.”
As she softly opened her mouth to speak, Seo Han-seong turned his head.
“I’m not uncomfortable. Just a little bored…”
At her added remark, he approached with a gentle smile. Not too close, keeping a reasonable distance, he seemed like someone accustomed to consideration. He was worlds apart from a certain thug who had the audacity to break into someone else’s home.
“Then shall we pass the time together?”
“Yes. I’d like that.”
“I’m… sorry about your mother.”
Seul-ah only responded with an awkward smile. How unpleasant would it be for him to know she had entered a prearranged situation set up by his mother before her death? A sense of discomfort settled in one corner of her mind.
“How old are you? You look young.”
“I’m twenty-five.”
“You look younger than your age. I thought you were a high school student.”
“That’s a bit much… What about you?”
She already knew his age but pretended not to.
“I’m much older than you, Miss Seul-ah.”
“Okay. Oh, and you can speak comfortably with me.”
“Can I really do that when we’ve just met?”
Really, he’s completely different from someone else. She briefly cast a sidelong glance at Kwak Chi-gyeom’s dark head.
“At first, I thought you were President Kwak Chi-gyeom’s girlfriend.”
“What?”
“You two standing side by side looked like a perfect couple.”
“What…? No way. Absolutely not.”
She barely managed to keep her expression neutral, resisting the urge to frown. A couple? Even as a misunderstanding, she wanted nothing to do with him. When she shook her head again, Seo Han-seong smiled knowingly.
“I’ve heard a lot about President Kwak, but he seems like a good person, contrary to the rumors.”
“What rumors?”
Instead of outright asking what made him seem like a good person, she inquired indirectly. Seo Han-seong, looking puzzled, returned the question.
“Didn’t you say you were receiving support from him?”
“Oh… yes, well.”
“Then you must know about Gimon Market. Or do you not?”
Gimon Market? She didn’t know what that was, but to avoid suspicion, she made up an excuse.
“I’ve been overwhelmed lately, so I haven’t paid attention to anything else. The sponsorship happened suddenly, too…”
“Ah…”
At last, he seemed to put his doubts aside and looked at her with a sympathetic expression, as if he understood her loss.
“Gimon Market is an art investment company run by President Kwak Chi-gyeom.”
“……”
He runs a company? That man? And an art investment company at that? He’s really the president? She couldn’t believe it, but since she was now one of his sponsored individuals, she kept her reaction in check.
“I’m not the right person to go into too much detail, but… Anyway, since he provides sponsorships and even attends charity events, he seems like a good person, which is reassuring.”
“……”
“I heard he met your mother at auctions a few times, so I was a bit worried. Honestly, I came today because I was curious about what kind of person President Kwak is.”
“……”
From the context, the rumors about Kwak Chi-gyeom didn’t seem positive. Seul-ah was curious but didn’t probe further, only nodding in response.
Seo Han-seong, who had been watching her intently, smiled at her just as a vibrating sound rang from his chest pocket. He took out his phone from inside his suit and apologized to her.
“Sorry, I need to take this call.”
“Go ahead.”
Seul-ah briefly watched Seo Han-seong walk away before shifting her gaze to Kwak Chi-gyeom. He was engaged in a conversation with Seo Han-seong’s mother in front of a painting of an elderly couple and a cat.
Gimon Market. An art investment company. A president. A gallery VIP.
She couldn’t believe how all the new information about Kwak Chi-gyeom was completely at odds with his behavior.
Still unable to reconcile the image of the man with these facts, Seul-ah gave in to curiosity and pulled out her phone to search for Gimon Market.
[ Gimon Market is a small investment company established three years ago. Primarily involved in art investments. Founder: Kwak Chi-gyeom. ]
Since the company was still relatively new, that was all the information available. But since it appeared in corporate databases, it didn’t seem to be a lie.
Not a gangster, but the president of a legitimate company? She couldn’t believe it, so she kept rereading the phrase “Founder: Kwak Chi-gyeom.”
“Hello.”
A sudden unfamiliar voice interrupted her thoughts. When she looked up, a man she had never seen before was standing in front of her. He had a friendly face and had tied his hair back into a small knot at the nape of his neck. Judging by his casual clothing, he didn’t seem to be a gallery staff member.
“Who are you?”
“I haven’t seen you before. Who are you here with?”
“Huh? Why do you ask…?”
“Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it—”
Before the man could finish speaking, Seul-ah’s gaze moved past his shoulder. Following her line of sight, the man turned and noticed Chi-gyeom approaching with a casual swagger. Recognizing him, the man raised a hand in greeting.
“Bro.”
“Daeseok, what business do you have with my partner?”