TYW Ch 4

“Do you think I did well?”

“By my standards, yes. To be honest, for a woman like me who has never experienced the feeling of love, it could be misleading.”

“That much?”

“Yes.”

“So, how do you think a woman like you, who has never experienced love, could feel it?”

Rieul’s face flushed red. Even though it was just a curious question, to her it sounded like a flirtatious one.

‘I already like you. Don’t you really know? Am I really not showing my feelings?’

“Then, what about you, Lee Woogeon, who has never really loved someone? What would make you feel love?”

The man looked at Rieul with an interested expression. “An interesting question.”

“Don’t you often get questions like that?”

“I often hear questions like, ‘Have you ever loved someone?’, ‘Do you know what love is?’, or ‘Have you ever loved a woman?’ But a question like this, it’s my first time hearing it.”

Rieul felt a little pleased, thinking that she was different from other women.

“I’m also curious, do you have a type of man you like?”

Rieul pondered for a moment.

‘I’m not sure, but if I fell in love at first sight with you, I probably couldn’t define what an ideal type is.’

“Tall, yes.”

“Good at cooking, warm words, masculine, competent, and his room smells of wood. Also, good at playing football, tennis, and ice hockey. Sometimes says harsh words, but in the end gives in. When Rieul revealed it, she glanced at Woogeon. The man’s expression looked very dissatisfied.

‘Why? Are my feelings for you so disliked?’

“Also, his face is handsome, his eyes are long and sharp, his eyelids are thin, and his nose is sharp—”

Woogeon frowned and laughed cynically.

“So, in the end there’s someone you like, but you chose me because of money.”

“What?”

“Is there a man like that in Seattle?”

“Your first love?”

“Maybe… “

The man sneered cynically, as if very offended.

“I don’t know if first love is important in Korea, but in the western world, it doesn’t mean much—” Rieul replied calmly.

“I think so too.” Woogeon agreed.

“Thankfully.”

“But this makes me curious.”

“Curious about what?”

“Well, I’m not the type of man who is faithful to one woman. But seeing the woman who is about to marry me talk plainly about her first love, it makes me curious. I’ve never been ignored by any woman before.”

“Then, do you really not understand?”

Rieul looked at Woogeon with a slightly confused expression. Woogeon showed a dissatisfied expression again.

“Don’t understand what?”

“That kind of man.”

“Is there a man like that? Who is good at football, ice hockey, tennis, and what was it? Wood scent? That’s very detailed.”

Woogeon began to tidy the table, whether offended or annoyed.

“That’s you, Woogeon.”

The man paused instantly. “What do you mean?”

He looked at Rieul with an incredulous expression. ‘How could she not realize this?’

“In your room, there’s a deep wood scent. Like the scent of wood that has stood firm for a long time, as if forming a deep forest.”

Woogeon looked surprised, as if he had just realized something.

“Woogeon, you have a ‘forest’.”

“And in your small library, I saw victory trophies from football, ice hockey, and tennis tournaments. Your eyes are long and sharp, your eyelids are thin.”

The man swallowed, looking confused.

“Since the first time I saw you, I’ve liked you.”

***

Woogeon’s back, as he put the cutlery into the dishwasher, looked restless.

Rieul sat in the dining table chair, finishing the Hanrabong ade that Woogeon made while slurping loudly with a straw. The sound seemed to wake Woogeon, who then sighed deeply and looked at Rieul. “It’s late. I have to work tomorrow.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Rieul immediately got up from her chair and pushed it back into place. Woogeon put the last glass into the dishwasher and turned it on. When they returned to the living room, they both looked at the bedroom, making Rieul’s heart race.

“The room inside is well prepared. Go to sleep.”

“Huh, you’re not sleeping with me?”

“I’ll sleep in another room.”

“Why?”

“Don’t you really know?”

Woogeon’s expression showed disbelief again.

“Did I burden you because I revealed my feelings?”

Woogeon sighed deeply, sounding heavy and pressured.

“Tonight, I have to sleep alone.”

“Sorry, if I made you uncomfortable.”

“You really have a lot of ways to surprise someone, Miss Rieul.”

‘What does that mean…’

“You know you’re a bit sly, don’t you?”

“No, not at all.”

“After showering, spreading the same scent as me from the shower gel, then saying you like the man who is about to be your husband—is that innocent? Rieul, your words about never feeling love for a man, that’s a lie, isn’t it? You’re really sly.”

“What?”

“With such an innocent face, keep saying ‘What? What?’ It’s funny.”

“Woogeon.”

“I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve hugged women without feelings.”

“I often do it, no matter if it hurts the woman’s feelings. But with you, I can’t.”

“Because of grandfather?”

“Because I’ve never received such a confession before.”

“What kind of confession…?”

“You said my room smells of wood. You said I have a forest. That’s the first time I’ve heard such a confession, so I was really surprised. And now, I feel so hot, like a dog in heat. I want to enter you, whether it’s the first time or not.”

“So, if you don’t want to cry, you better go to sleep immediately.”

Woogeon glanced at Rieul before walking to another room. The sound of the door closing was firm. Rieul, who felt unsteady, finally entered the master bedroom with staggering steps.

***

Woogeon returned to his room and sighed deeply, as if pressing his throat.

“Wood scent in the room? She said I have a forest?”

With such an innocent face, she’s kidding now? And about her gaze? Woogeon chuckled, disbelieving what he had just heard. Usually, only men say such words—this is the first time a woman, who is even nine years younger and claims to have never felt love, said such a thing to him. At most, women usually just say “I like you. I will make you feel true love.” Such clichéd sentences that he usually hears. However, when remembering how Rieul spoke in a calm tone and expressionless face, Woogeon’s heart raced, burning hot.

Like just finishing a 42.195 km marathon, his heartbeat raced so much that he pressed his chest with his hand.

‘So sly, really. Is it because she studied English literature, so her words are so good?’ She looks quiet, but apparently if there’s a chance, she can jump onto the hot stove. Woogeon felt like he had just received a direct blow to his chest.

‘Anyway, she’s not my type.’

***

Before his cell phone alarm rang, Woogeon had already opened his heavy eyelids from fatigue. His head felt faint, like it was covered in fog. He got out of bed in one motion and went to the bathroom to take a cold shower. Tense thoughts made it difficult for him to sleep. His heart was beating fast, as if tireless. While tightening the belt of his bathrobe, Woogeon cursed softly. He had to prepare to go to work in the dressing room. And he didn’t bring anything last night. Woogeon rubbed his tired face with his big hands.

‘God…’ 

He stared at the big door leading to the master bedroom. The door felt so heavy, as if guarded by Cerberus at the gates of hell. Maybe the woman was still asleep. All night, his dreams felt so intense. He dreamed of making love to many women he had met. Faces he no longer remembered their names, only the shapes of their bodies remained in his memory. Like a girl whose breasts were so big and round, or whose hip shape was so beautiful that it was clearly recorded in his head. But then, suddenly, the shadow of Yeon Rieul appeared who softly said, “You have a forest.”

That’s when Woogeon woke up suddenly. It had been a long time since his mind was so disturbed like this. The woman’s confession made Woogeon remember every corner of his house—the room, the library, every corner he used to pass without thinking. ‘Why does the shadow of my house come to mind so clearly?’ After showering, Woogeon looked at his reflection in the sink mirror.

“Oppa, what perfume are you wearing? Oppa smells of wood.”

“Oppa, do you like wood-scented perfume?”

“Oppa, is your hobby maybe woodworking?”

While driving, the words of the women who had sat in the passenger seat next to him suddenly came back to mind. At that time, he just thought they were flirting with him. His perfume wasn’t entirely wood-scented, but it was close enough, so he just assumed that was the reason. Woogeon clenched his jaw, as if he had made a decision, then opened the master bedroom door.

The fresh morning air enveloped the small reading room that he now paid more attention to. Trophies lined up on the bookshelf. Woogeon’s forehead furrowed. Pretending to be nonchalant, he stepped into the bedroom. A strong gust of wood scent immediately greeted him, a scent he hadn’t noticed before. Since when has the wood scent in this room been so sharp? The scent is so old and classic. Woogeon did like furniture, so most of the furniture in his house was custom-made from regional craftsmen, made from wood that had gone through decades of aging. So, there was indeed such a strong wood scent in this room. Woogeon was amazed at the woman who had such a sensitive sense of smell.

‘Too sensitive for unimportant things.’

As he stepped across the room towards the dressing room, he realized that the bed surface didn’t look prominent at all. With slow steps, he moved towards the bed that was slightly lit by light seeping through the gaps in the thick curtains. The woman was sleeping on her side, her small body making her almost invisible. Her regular breathing sounded so sweet, making Woogeon’s body heat up uncontrollably, before his brain could process the feeling.

‘Damn it.’

Woogeon looked at the woman. Her cheeks looked a little swollen, maybe because she ate something salty before bed.

“Lee Woogeon, you have a forest inside you. I’ve liked you since the first time I saw you.”

Woogeon frowned again while extending his long arm, gently flicking the woman’s slightly protruding cheek with his finger. The woman was sound asleep as if passed out.

‘So brave, as small as a peanut.’

‘Keeps disturbing my mind like a woodpecker. This is clearly a nuisance, no doubt about it.’

He had clearly confirmed that she was not his type.

***

Rieul woke up feeling refreshed as if her head had cleared.

“Uhm.”

Because the room was dark due to the blackout curtains, she groped towards the bedside table until the light immediately turned on. When she took a deep breath, the deep old wood scent seeped into her lungs, providing an extraordinary sense of comfort. After washing her face in the bathroom, she changed clothes with the dress she wore yesterday, then checked her phone.

Lee Woogeon

[I’ve called someone to take care of the housework, so have breakfast before you leave.] [Don’t just leave.]

Rieul was a little surprised when she came out of the master bedroom and headed to the living room. The morning sunlight flooded the quiet living room. Soon, the sound of footsteps was heard.

“Good morning, Madam.”

The call of Madam sounded a bit foreign and surprising to Rieul.

‘It feels like I don’t deserve to be called that yet.’

“Vice Director Lee ordered to prepare breakfast. He asked us to prepare according to your wishes, so we have prepared hanjeongsik and sandwiches.”

A soft smile escaped Rieul’s lips. As she headed to the dining room, she found a steaming doenjang soup in an earthenware pot with an appetizing spicy aroma. In addition, there was beef bulgogi, stir-fried beet greens, stir-fried bean sprouts, kimchi, dongchimi, cucumber pickles, and radish pickles, all neatly arranged. Her appetite was awakened.

“Wow, I’m going to enjoy this meal.”

Seeing the abundant and warm dishes, a wide smile bloomed on Rieul’s face.

 ***

The sandwiches were wrapped and placed in a shopping bag. The driver arrived to pick her up, and Rieul sat in the back seat, gazing at the Seoul autumn that was slowly turning colorful. Just looking at it, her mind felt refreshed and clear.

The cell phone bell rang. Rieul thought it was her grandfather, but it turned out to be Lee Woogeon. Remembering the man’s very angry face last night, she answered the phone cautiously.

“Yes, this is Yeon Rieul.”

—I heard you’re on your way home.

“Yes, thank you. My breakfast was very filling earlier.”

—Very filling?

“Huh, don’t you know? I ate a lot, there was beef bulgogi, doenjang soup, vegetables, kimchi, everything was complete—”

—Good, then.

Although the voice on the other end of the phone sounded flat, to Rieul it sounded gentle. It made her smile faintly as she looked at the refreshing bright blue sky.

“How’s your work? Is it going well?”

—I just finished a meeting and returned to the office—

“You’re working hard.”

—Did you sleep well?

“Huh, very well. I slept without dreaming at all. Ah, your mattress seems very comfortable. It felt like passing out last night.”

—Good to hear.

“Lee Woogeon… Did you sleep well?”

—I had a nightmare last night.

“Why?”

—Why, indeed? My mind is a mess.

“A mess? Why a mess?”

—I misspoke. I’ll hang up.

“Are you angry? Did I do something wrong again?”

—Nothing. I’m just busy.

“Oh, okay. Please continue working. See you at the wedding day.”

“Yes,” Woogeon replied briefly before hanging up.

Rieul stared at her cell phone screen that returned to standby mode. Suddenly, she remembered her first love confession in her life yesterday. Apparently, expressing feelings wasn’t as difficult as she imagined. And apparently, hearing it could surprise someone so much. It didn’t feel that difficult, to the point that Rieul felt capable of expressing her feelings to Woogeon a hundred more times.

Soon, the car she was in entered the Seongbuk-dong alley.

***