IWYFB Chapter 2

For a fleeting moment, deep within Ji-woo, a glacier, one she had thought unbreakable, began to crack at the weight of his words.

A sharp, splintering sound echoed in her mind.

“That’s none of your concern.”

she retorted.

Though subtle at first, his breathing grew heavier, rougher, like a storm gathering on the horizon.

An eerie feeling crept over her as she turned her head. In his dark eyes, resentment flared like embers long smoldering.

“You have no idea how much I’ve been holding back.”

His voice, slipping through the tight press of his lips, was chilling, laced with restraint.

His shoulders stiffened as if to suppress a surge of emotion, and a heavy sigh soon followed.

“So don’t provoke me,” he warned.

“Your turn comes after we lay your father to rest. At the very least, I have the right to know why you disappeared for five years and only now decided to return.”

Ji-woo’s lips trembled slightly, though she smirked inwardly at his talk of ‘rights’.

“Digging up the past and harping on it, it’s all rather ridiculous, don’t you think? As if there was ever anything between us. I hadn’t realized you held grudges. It’s been so long, I hardly remember any of it.”

Her mocking tone darkened Tae-moo’s gaze, his expression hardening as if in disbelief.

Yet, instead of meeting her eyes, he turned away, staring ahead in silence.

When she had first arrived at the funeral hall, Ji-woo had seemed on the verge of collapse.

But now, in his presence, she held herself together, no matter the shape that resilience took. For now, that was enough for Tae-moo.

 

And then, the moment shattered.

From the far end of the corridor, the faint sound of footsteps grew louder.

Then, without hesitation, someone entered the room.

A child, barely held within the folds of an oversized hospital gown, dashed forward as if about to stumble.

“Jung-hoo! You’ll hurt yourself if you keep running like that!”

The gathered mourners turned in unison, their eyes drawn to the boy and the woman following behind him.

The child, undeterred, sprinted straight to Ji-woo and clung to her black mourning dress.

“Mom!”

Tae-moo, whose face rarely betrayed emotion, stared in open shock.

His dark eyes, usually unreadable, flickered with a storm of complex emotions.

The child, sensing his gaze, shrank back and hid behind Ji-woo’s skirt.

Tae-moo had begun to turn away when his gaze was suddenly ensnared, as though by an unseen force.

Peeking out from behind the child’s ear, just beyond Ji-woo’s shielding embrace, was a small but unmistakable birthmark, a deep red blemish.

His expression turned to stone.

Ji-woo’s world tilted.

Her mind went blank.

Instinctively, she pulled Jung-hoo further behind her, avoiding Tae-moo’s piercing stare.

Her eyes wavered violently, her knees threatening to give way beneath her.

“This… what is this?”

Tae-moo’s voice barely rose above a whisper, yet it carried the weight of an earthquake.

The boy’s figure was obscured beneath the folds of Ji-woo’s dress, but an eerie sense of familiarity struck him.

His heart pounded, loud, insistent.

Thump. Thump.

Blood roared in his veins, surging with an intensity he could not contain.

And then, as if the gears of his mind had rusted over, his thoughts came to a jarring halt.

The great machine that had always turned relentlessly inside him now stood still, its cogs jammed, frozen in place.

 

🍃

 

Ji-woo alternated between running and walking, her breath ragged as she slowed her steps.

No matter how fast she ran, she was already late today.

If the school were to name its most distant student, no one would hesitate to say it was her.

The school sat at the very entrance of town, while Ji-woo’s house lay at the opposite end.

If she overslept even a little, tardiness was inevitable.

Having dreamt the same dream over and over, she had woken up later than usual.

With her parents already gone to work, this being the busy farming season, waking up alone had been particularly difficult.

The breakfast her mother had prepared was nothing more than a fleeting temptation.

She barely managed to wash her face before grabbing her bag and heading out.

Stuffing the untucked hem of her blouse into her skirt, she broke into a sprint.

At first, she ran at full speed, but midway through, she slowed to a walk.

The morning sun was already sharp, making her squint, but the crisp air and cool breeze made up for it.

Though the school was far, Ji-woo never complained.

Because the road home was beautiful in every season.

In spring, cherry blossoms cascaded in full bloom on either side of the path.

In summer, despite the relentless heat, an emerald sea of leaves spread out in every direction.

Autumn draped the mountains in vivid hues of red and gold, and by winter, the world was cloaked in pristine white.

No matter the distance, she never resented the walk.

Without warning, a gust of wind nearly swept her off her feet.

Petals from barely blossomed cherry trees fluttered down, landing softly in her hair.

And then, without a sound, a black sedan passed beside her.

It drove a little further before slowing to a stop.

Someone stepped out.

Even from afar, the crisp uniform alone was enough to recognize him.

The reason she was late today.

The boy who had appeared in her dream just last night.

Han Tae-moo.

He attended a prestigious high school in the city, chauffeured to school every morning by a private driver.

According to the townsfolk, the Han family was the wealthiest in Haeju.

Once, the entire village had worked as tenants on their land, the Han family feeding the entire town.

Even now, during floods or droughts, they made massive donations, easing the burdens of the people.

Despite their vast fortune, they had one peculiarity, their bloodline bore few sons.

And so, as the sole heir of five generations, Han Tae-moo had been treated as precious from the moment he was born.

Not just by his family, but by the whole town.

With his striking features and rare elegance, he was admired by every girl in Haeju.

But as he approached, Ji-woo felt a pang of unease.

“You’re late for school,” he said.

His pristine uniform, without a single crease, only made his already flawless face stand out more.

His pale skin, so uncommon in the countryside, and the sharp features sculpted with precision made him seem untouchable, almost unreal.

As a flurry of white petals drifted past his dark hair, Ji-woo felt momentarily dazzled.

Last night, he had smiled at her in her dream.

Not just a passing smile, he had held her hand.

She had never once imagined him smiling, his face always impassive, devoid of expression.

Even in the dream, she had questioned if it was real.

“Get in. I’ll take you to school.”

She was still lost in the remnants of her dream, her mind hazy.

Was this her lucky day?

Her emotions flickered openly across her face, nearly bubbling into laughter, until she met his gaze and quickly pressed her lips together.

Still, a smile ghosted at the corners of her mouth.

“Are you sure?”

Tae-moo’s gaze lingered on her before a barely perceptible smile curved his lips.

Then, as if it had never been there, his expression turned blank once more.

“I wouldn’t have stopped if I wasn’t. Get in before I change my mind.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the car reversed, stopping beside him.

He opened the door, waiting.

She hesitated for only a moment.

If he was offering, she wouldn’t refuse.