Ephphatha Chapter 17

Seo Han-seong led her to a restaurant inside the department store. It was an act of consideration for her, as she seemed quite exhausted, and Seul-ah recognized this and felt grateful.  

 

Thanks to him ordering in line with her preferences, she was able to comfortably fill her stomach with a salad and half a salmon steak.  

 

Their conversation flowed smoothly. He asked her light questions that wouldn’t make her feel uncomfortable, and she responded without pressure, allowing the meal to progress naturally.  

 

“But how did you get hurt here? I’ve been curious since earlier.”  

 

She was a bit flustered when he pointed at her lips and asked.  

 

She awkwardly brushed it off, saying she had bitten down wrong while eating. He responded kindly, saying that he sometimes did the same.  

 

“What do you usually do at home?”  

 

“Nothing special. I take a short walk every day, do house chores… and I also work.”  

 

As she spoke, she felt like she might seem lazy, so she quickly added more. From the perspective of Seo Han-seong, a diligent man who had supposedly never dated and only studied, she must have seemed pathetic for living so idly due to her weak constitution.  

 

“What kind of work do you do?”  

 

“I receive academic papers from an acquaintance and translate them.”  

 

“I see. You probably haven’t had time to recover emotionally yet… Are you okay?”  

 

Thinking of her mother and Aunt Chae-young, a heavy weight pressed down on her heart. But Seul-ah nodded and smiled.  

 

Seo Han-seong, who had slightly furrowed his brows as if feeling sorry for her, soon spoke gently.  

 

“You’re also receiving support from President Kwak, so you could take some time off for a while.”  

 

“Huh? Oh… yes. That’s true, but I can’t just sit around doing nothing.”  

 

She had momentarily forgotten about it, but luckily, she responded quickly.  

 

Still, thinking about it again, it was absurd. Support, of all things.  

 

The image of Kwak Chi-gyeom admiring a painting surfaced in her mind, making her chuckle involuntarily. The way he acted and spoke, it felt like he could slash through a canvas with a knife at any moment. Yet, when he stood in front of a painting, he had an air of refinement.  

 

It didn’t suit him. Or maybe it did? But that was probably just because of his face.  

 

As her unnecessary thoughts wandered, her sunken mood naturally lifted. When Seul-ah chuckled again, Seo Han-seong tilted his head in curiosity.  

 

“What’s so funny?”  

 

“…Nothing.”  

 

Feeling guilty for no reason, Seul-ah awkwardly stabbed a cherry tomato with her fork.  

 

She put it in her mouth and slowly chewed, but then suddenly, she recalled Kwak Chi-gyeom grabbing her cheek. Her forehead creased slightly.  

 

Refined? That’s nonsense. He’s that kind of person.  

 

Swallowing the tomato with reluctance, Seul-ah’s gaze landed on Seo Han-seong, who was sitting across from her.  

 

He was quietly matching her slow eating pace. She had already noticed that he adjusted his cutting speed while checking her plate, which was still more than half full.  

 

“Sorry, I eat slowly… You don’t have to wait for me, just eat at your pace.”  

 

“I actually like eating slowly, too.”  

 

Consideration—something she’d never expect from a man who crushed tomatoes with brute force—definitely aligned more with Seul-ah’s ideal type.  

 

It seemed that Kwak Chi-gyeom had at least chosen the right person.  

 

If she had been told to marry someone like Kwak Chi-gyeom… She probably would’ve run away in fear long ago.  

 

As she observed Seo Han-seong’s neat handling of his fork, she thought about this, but then he suddenly asked another question.  

 

“Have you known President Kwak Chi-gyeom for a long time?”  

 

“Huh?”  

 

“I heard he knew your mother for a while. So, I was wondering if you also knew him before receiving his support.”  

 

“That’s… Why do you ask all of a sudden?”  

 

Maybe because she had just been thinking about Kwak Chi-gyeom, or maybe because his name had come up in conversation, but Seul-ah felt a twinge of nervousness and deflected the question.  

 

She had nothing but lies to say when it came to discussing her relationship with Kwak Chi-gyeom, so she uncomfortably shifted her gaze.  

 

Seeing this, Seo Han-seong gave an awkward smile.  

 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”  

 

“……”  

 

“I was just curious about how close you two are.”  

 

“…Why?”  

 

“No matter how I look at it, you two seem really well-matched… And even as a guy, I can see that President Kwak is quite a charismatic person.”  

 

“……”  

 

That didn’t feel like a sufficient answer.  

 

She stared at him blankly, wondering what exactly he was trying to say.  

 

Seo Han-seong lowered his gaze and resumed cutting his steak.  

 

Scrape, scrape.  

 

The sound of the knife scraping against the plate blended into the restaurant’s background music, and a brief silence settled over the table.  

 

It was Seo Han-seong who broke it.  

 

“If you don’t mind, can you answer me?”  

 

He paused his cutting and looked up. His expression was filled with resolve—almost unnecessarily solemn.  

 

“Then I think I’ll be able to ask you out for another meal.”  

 

“Ah…”  

 

Only then did Seul-ah realize what he meant, and her eyes widened.  

 

Her spine stiffened, and her cheeks grew slightly warm.  

 

Since dropping out of school, her social life and range of activities had shrunk significantly, so receiving a man’s interest felt somewhat unfamiliar.  

 

There were times when strangers had approached her while she was out on walks, but she always avoided them out of fear.  

 

Technically, Seo Han-seong was also a stranger, but she had unintentionally known him for a while, and she herself had approached him with marriage in mind.  

 

So she wasn’t scared—just flustered, embarrassed, and a little guilty.  

 

Still… she had to answer.  

 

Recalling Chi-gyeom’s warning that he would make things difficult for her if she didn’t open Ephphatha, she barely managed to open her mouth.  

 

Luckily, Seo Han-seong seemed like a decent guy.  

 

Her mother had chosen him, after all.  

 

“I first met President Kwak Chi-gyeom at my mother’s funeral.”  

 

“……”  

 

“We’re not in any kind of relationship.”  

 

At least this was the truth.  

 

It was a small comfort.  

 

Seo Han-seong smiled gently at her response.  

 

“Then let’s have another meal together next time, Seul-ah.”  

 

With her flushed face, Seul-ah nodded.  

 

***

 

“The smell of youth sure is overpowering.”  

 

As Chi-gyeom muttered with amusement, Kang Jin briefly glanced at him through the rearview mirror.  

 

Chi-gyeom, who had pushed his sunglasses up onto his forehead, had a cigarette in his mouth as he gazed out the window. His eyes were fixed on the entrance of an apartment complex, where Seo Han-seong and Han Seul-ah were playfully bickering over who should go in first.  

 

Even from inside the car, it was clear that Seul-ah’s cheeks were flushed as she tightly gripped the strap of the crossbody bag with both hands. Eventually, she seemed to have lost the argument, turning away to walk toward the apartment. But even as she walked, she kept glancing back and waving her hand as if telling Han-seong to hurry up—until her foot caught on the curb, sending her tumbling forward.  

 

Startled, Han-seong rushed forward to help her up.  

 

Kang Jin, who had instinctively leaned forward when Seul-ah fell, frowned slightly when he realized what he’d done.  

 

“You’re making a damn fuss.”  

 

Chi-gyeom scoffed at Kang Jin and shook his head, casually brushing aside a stray lock of hair that had slipped from under his sunglasses. He resumed watching the fresh-faced young couple.  

 

Seul-ah, apparently having scraped her palm when she fell, was pouting as she looked at her hand. Seeing her expression, along with Han-seong’s concerned face, made Chi-gyeom chuckle involuntarily.  

 

“Our client must be really pretty. The guys can’t seem to control themselves around her.”  

 

“…She just reminds me of Subin.”  

 

“Woof, woof.”  

 

“…….”  

 

As Chi-gyeom dismissed Kang Jin’s excuse with a mocking bark, the two finally parted ways. When Seul-ah smiled, putting her hands behind her back, Han-seong, despite his lingering concern, finally stepped away. Seul-ah bowed slightly in farewell before disappearing into the building, and only then did Han-seong head to his car.  

 

As Han-seong’s white sedan left the complex, Chi-gyeom spat out the cigarette he had been holding between his lips. He ran a hand through his hair in the same casual manner as before, then opened the car door.  

 

“Are you going to see Han Seul-ah?”  

 

“Why? Do you want to come too?”  

 

“No.”  

 

“Good. Just stay here. I was thinking of asking her how far she’s gotten with Seo Han-seong, but if Kang Jin’s heart shatters, who’s going to drive my car?”  

 

“Boss….”  

 

Chi-gyeom smirked at Kang Jin, who groaned as if protesting his words, then began striding away.  

 

However, just as he reached the spot where Han-seong’s car had been parked, his steps halted.  

 

The apartment’s front entrance swung open again, and Seul-ah came running out. She dusted off her palms in the air before spotting Chi-gyeom, her expression immediately turning coy as she trotted toward him.  

 

“I saw you standing there from earlier.”  

 

She pointed toward a black sedan parked in a discreet spot. Despite his attempt to keep it out of sight, she had spotted it right away.  

 

As he silently looked down at her, Seul-ah stepped back, scrunching her nose slightly.  

 

“I saw smoke coming out of the window.”  

 

“…….”  

 

“Why are you here?”  

 

Perhaps because the cigarette smell had drifted over, she took a couple more steps back. Her brows furrowed, and her nose remained pinched shut as she continued to inch away, as if avoiding something filthy.  

 

Well, well.  

 

Something about her reaction irked him, and Chi-gyeom’s smirk twisted slightly.  

 

“Why else? I came to check out the heirloom of my mother that you trashed.”  

 

At that, Seul-ah visibly flinched. The hand covering her nose slowly lowered, and guilt flickered across her eyes.  

 

“Oh… that…”  

 

Just as she hesitantly opened her bag to retrieve something, Chi-gyeom moved.  

 

With long strides, he closed the distance between them in just a few steps, suddenly standing right in front of her.  

 

Caught off guard by the abrupt proximity, Seul-ah instinctively stumbled backward. But instead of catching her, he simply brushed past.  

 

As she wobbled, barely regaining her balance, Seul-ah quickly turned and chased after him as he entered the apartment building.  

 

“Where are you going?”  

 

“Han Ji-seon must not have taught you any manners. Why do you always treat guests like this?”  

 

“…….”  

 

“Shouldn’t you at least invite me in for tea while we talk?”