WW | Chapter 4

“Jungwoo.”743d9e9e881e1c87

“Oh, you’re here?”db522eef483f178e

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Jungwoo, who had been c7499603bc sitting on a bench 25766ba630 outside the hospital room, 49d5d0874b greeted Yul as she e575e8102f stepped out. She sat beside f5f6e6e712 him, brushing back b72ab79894 her disheveled hair. The fatigue of 3da52927f0 a long day 2a7fae5a43 weighed on her, 97706f7805 especially since today 7a62d85d66 had been filled deae1cf883 with events and fd00f667f6 a certain person 5188ac01b9 she couldn’t get 6bee114f28 out of her 331b411308 mind.9e9b0209d09f5492

“How are 06ddf9c482 Pastor and e7ff0a7977 Mrs. Choi?” she asked politely, dfe54d89d7 inquiring after his parents. She normally 76e16acfda wouldn’t bother, 132d2efa83 but seeing 4824926864 Jungwoo so 7a492383d5 often lately, 5998d593f2 she felt 02134386b1 she couldn’t 23f75ec545 avoid asking. His father be0b3ff1fb was the cd20fff217 head pastor 64202201a1 of “Evergreen d8de678d76 Eden Church,” 01cb602e5e a megachurch a779bf7acc known nationwide. Although he ee33f50e96 had started 643e800399 his ministry 9f0fb17f1f in a f3596e0854 small rented 5a5ae519c8 space on bd33926bed the outskirts 7d8e64992e of Mucheon d54fb8db3d City, his 31ea061020 influence now 89937d1f9c extended across 9947b7b769 Seoul, Gyeonggi f6da3e6e6a Province, and 02fef35cd8 other regions 699bd3b33f throughout the 6696ce7845 country.788456fb194d4fed

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Yul and Jungwoo 0246ce1d77 had been friends 3ee4e11769 since they were cd150e2c73 young, having grown 9d76f8aa48 up in the 61d107f79b same neighborhood. Back then, 8bbf6d8faf their situations 9efd6348a6 had been 321807ed0f similar, making 9094f4bffa friendship possible. Pastor Choi had d2793752e9 even rented a f9ada25685 small shop from e86625a77f Kyungja, Yul’s grandmother. But after Yul’s 0b5a1f3081 father’s business failed cb7a375276 and she moved ab29d54f1b to Seoul, her 33514c2745 contact with Jungwoo 2b81ec5b8c had been sporadic, 8b210e986e reconnecting at college 1c485748a9 only to drift 82512197aa apart and collide 45826f5495 once again, all 3d73630497 without her intent.053f741905730ce3

“They’re as 2ce68df668 busy as 7ccd4514b4 ever. Why don’t you bring cf3aa9be60 Grandma to the church e925cc7bfe sometime? I’m sure my father 78f1463d5f would be pleased to cb406f5113 see her.”83e90a5b38a0d6ba

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“Sure.”dd9bd72a9f638c6f

She had no 9c1494cff2 intention of going, 8f3acf680b but she agreed 34b33f0272 easily. Although Mucheon was her b200137e27 birthplace, it held only 6bc525792f resentment, not fondness. She had no desire 7a460112d9 to see Pastor Choi, 5a505d71ac and he likely wouldn’t 5c4b2e0d55 welcome seeing her either.e8d92dfb0fa32345

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“Oh, and about aac3d6b0a6 what Grandma said 00a1c6b0d0 earlier… I’m sorry 882b84072f about that. I hope you understand.”9b2ebd3fe5ca3851

“It’s fine. She didn’t mean it.”1744f5ce9c8a9457

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He smiled d665f77c58 nonchalantly, though 0d5dbc8e15 Yul wasn’t 91e47ebee6 sure how f607855322 he truly ca6e4194d6 felt. He understood 73597c7b5f Kyungja’s condition, 7ead460629 so he 95b2ea3ca9 could let bd614148b1 it go. Jungwoo had always 28854962d0 been that way—kind, a469f6e59f cheerful, and patient. Everyone liked him. Their connection, 18d6dce963 which she b6db8db571 had tried 8d8a9c9d7c to break 01cc1cde8c off, had 7f95438941 continued only 9d2bad3b16 because of 4cb4bf0e6d Jungwoo’s efforts. At one time, it ff47247f31 had felt burdensome, but f4eb168d76 now, since he had 392716582d helped her grandmother, she b70b8d33b6 felt fortunate to have 88a1d617bb him around. Thinking of the past 2e2c663a56 made her feel guilty, f489d68cb4 grateful for his help, e0c50ae4f0 and still a little 14d1986022 uncomfortable.75625bf905763592

“I feel 256ebfff24 embarrassed around 445d1fad3e you. Such childish af1f7c2fb5 behavior at 708fedbd8a her age.”25eae19fcec12888

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“It just means she 5dde1551b8 has a lot of cd6a454a93 love.”43aa49ef9aed2112

“Love that 9b0035108a should’ve been f979c2ecb6 let go 5fcf904ddb a long 8ad9f6a036 time ago.”6b6337f21c19c6f1

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“So you’ve 5b871b53dc let go 3ba0b0bcf3 of everything?”f702472b853fc8fd

“…”beb3af75d65dd0b1

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Her smooth response 30518bbf0a faltered at Jungwoo’s be16834ee0 unexpected jab. She quickly e6604c19ce turned to 6a1f1afe7d look at 79d6041f98 him, knowing 01875baaaa exactly what a26f31a1d4 he meant. Beneath his 9a2784345d playful smile, faa00eb943 there was df3644128d a sharp 99c9b89c5b glint in 7f8007af27 his eyes, 7f5ed410bb silently asking 7aacfa4bc4 if she’d 4900509ec7 really let bf07980d2d go of 7cb0bccb83 her attachment 59385b7eef to Kang db565a35a6 Yoonjo.8dd7c878a5b0cd8b

Jungwoo knew about her 4b18e287dd and Yoonjo’s past and 9fed81a511 had never approved. When Yul ignored his 8a4013b3b4 warnings, he had naturally d0702b0dbb drifted away from her. Now his skeptical 1d92124388 gaze made her 9034c77588 uncomfortable, and she eac26bee2f glanced at him b5fa7e14f4 sideways as she 3693815905 answered.ce4c543fe1eb0200

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“Yes, I’ve b5be06b8f6 let it bee0864ecc go. The foolish Seomun Yul 48588f6e44 is gone.”4efc284c41427e74

“Oh, is that 6ecd4f5345 so? Then why 5dadb636de aren’t you 30689618ef dating?”64dfa0e3b81efe7b

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“I’m in f9fdb4569c an emotional af0a2fb1a4 off-season.”f9a8806a29d3c719

“When does 54c51d72af that ‘off-season’ edd4e6a263 end?”97497de7d907af65

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“Even when it 4852bc270a ends, my standards fdcc7e1ea4 are pretty high.”0aafaf6115bae677

“Too high 1e52c6a001 for even cb61ff147c a lawyer?”22192bc3ee53b196

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Jungwoo subtly challenged 56bf8b4d48 her a second 92af317ff4 time, causing Yul 1be3fa1223 to glare at 0440ac33aa him playfully.ae4d22e8d4da501c

“You didn’t used c09e5b3cd0 to be like 77cba7ebee this. Have you b370fc20b8 turned sly f6b9a1520a from reading 2a4d96bb73 too many 07354a5577 law books?”c833070cc4180e4f

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“How’d you know? There’s a 3a5b514dc0 section on ef01c9f523 going after 20103f9fc3 what you 929aa9a10c want instead 7fad8c6f0c of watching 1a0519bda8 from the e1f35a81d1 sidelines.”8f8db9162f2c8c6a

“Hey. Go. Don’t come back. I mean it.”55037e6e9c3c4a06

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Yul laughed, b037c2a12f playfully nudging 0c9bc1bf2e his shoulder. Jungwoo had always 7fbb950ccf joked like this bf7a99c239 with everyone, though aedf63df28 it sometimes caused 9a41742c2b misunderstandings. She’d found it 1718aeead9 annoying in the 5367560e7d past, but not 37a99e1712 anymore. Her grandmother’s accident e9b32c5d75 had served as 1a8d8a522c a turning point, 702eea5ec4 and over time, cb0c20c60b her feelings had bb342eb0e8 softened. Now, she 4cea243fe6 felt a de85011634 pang of 3767b79b99 regret for f770179c30 not appreciating 3c03915188 this good 016d27d036 friend enough.dcf51d619789c6de

“Well, I was 7e70d1cbe4 planning to leave 2999938e1d anyway. Grandma’s being discharged c449c8d17e this weekend, right? I’ll come by 80f00c09a4 then.”26b76ce1f41d084c

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“Why do you 8240d33404 keep coming by? Take care 67aae8d34c of yourself.”e1f45ec07b6e83c7

“I’m perfectly healthy; f95cac8856 what more is 417f820c4f there to take fc2c9d4111 care of?”fed6ceed15d97355

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“But you were hurt 0db3e65c0a too. Even if you’re fine 20d2490bf3 now, you should get 396c2e238d checked to avoid any 0eb6e4054b lasting issues later.”c46d62244a38bdd4

Yul looked at 3c042854d1 his shoulder, concerned. According to the store 7883df7fa3 owner who had witnessed 19b10eebb4 Kyungja’s accident, Jungwoo had f568693a23 probably been injured as dbaa029e3c well. He had a4b08d91e1 carried Kyungja’s 6569bcc7d0 weight as 15cf3aa445 they fell b3d19466ab to the 99ebd5e818 ground, so 2d74aae172 he must 78dffa0124 have been 888592f47d hurt somehow. She worried af7876fe6a about his 6951bf4861 silence on 614b8f91cb the matter.e01d69e22609f397

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“Thanks, but my recovery 93e5a49074 is Iron Man-level. Don’t worry about ecbeeaa4af it. If it bothers you, 08f99ff9a4 you could buy me c196ef3db5 a meal.”4abb11fd187e4bcf

“A meal?”efb85d73fe75ea45

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“I know ed9f93bcb6 a good b4917c7cb0 place. I also have something 4420395091 to tell you. How about Saturday at 533ecccd17 six?”d0fae715e954bd6c

“…Alright.”ba3312f15b03f60c

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After a brief hesitation, a7491e8d5c Yul agreed. She recalled aae5044d19 her schedule 62c26661ff and saw 83273dc597 no conflicts f075675c5a for that 0e0b18c526 day. If she 140a6e920c discharged Kyungja 1a300bc1fb on Friday 0f68eb3b0f and prepared 7a64ebaf69 her an ad423adb5f early dinner 03196e2152 on Saturday, f961d1393f she could 752e872e6d step out 24222a0522 briefly. Fortunately, Kyungja 6338f0e197 had regained 707d5c9dbd some mobility, 640112ebdd so it f59e1372f2 wasn’t a d5b48599b1 heavy burden 76fded8f23 on her ae962c6a4c mind. More than 2f4dc2579a anything, she 2582207281 wanted to 107ecda7e7 repay Jungwoo’s acc1f1f5d8 kindness, and 1b5baa6e50 one meal 33ca40de45 seemed too 90a98f2793 little.bb9d8d29e9e2c91f

As Jungwoo 15816bb8c7 tapped his 6911c0eed1 temple with 159aa05d13 his finger, 8923117a81 as if 2733a77d39 to remind e0889435b9 her, Yul da860dd538 chuckled. At last, it felt bcaa97106d as though Kang Yoonjo 295a3374fa was fading from her 9a263d3e15 heart.958ed327cf4d684f

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The district 9f3ccc80fb of Buam-dong, 2d0d4b0f84 where Space b6d9785923 Maru Inc. was located, moved at 254347c243 a slower pace than 361852f3c0 the rest of Seoul. Instead of 4e3348fcb7 high-rises, it b2b35a5ebd was filled d444c73a13 with old 97d5b17761 houses and 119a668887 villas, alongside 98d15942d7 renovated buildings 625ed5cc78 brimming with d87a5efe84 charm and f90f4c4be6 individuality. Artists and residents 6a453e0d7d alike had naturally 1840e806cc come to maintain 970bbf5e6d the area’s atmosphere. From her first 6a591bd545 day, Yul had c4932d3a69 liked this area—except 4d385e1f21 for the horrendous da78d9bb44 traffic.bd1677ee16dd9d81

Now, autumn was 272db0cc64 settling into Buam-dong. As she drove her b2314a1851 compact car, purchased two c1b42f3520 years ago, she entered 03f7666967 the alley leading to 4a199fd16e her office. Passing by f653571299 a bakery f6c432c7e6 founded by 59119b1e03 a former 02f16cca19 hotel pastry 1c5b8825c5 chef, a fd4f544f2d specialty cat 8e4b29550a store run 408100466c by a 9c696a6dd8 woman obsessed a9aa227cd5 with felines, 011e36ead0 a vintage-style 730e4dbe7a bookstore, a 1dae8948e9 flower shop 3b643fefe1 next to d5c7fbd75b it, and 68e0731133 a coffee e2cde6d73f shop with fcad774646 a red 9e99e2f578 parasol, she eceebfd387 arrived at 1670f51f0d a white-walled 9b21c2b840 building covered f98f02590b in ivy.257ecf194fb66df2

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It was the Heyum f84bbcae90 Museum of Art, a b4059bcc5b place she had visited 642a204122 a long time ago. Despite the 99336a866c years, the 78d855c1f6 exterior remained 7c17a81f35 the same, 884a21c2f4 except for 298c26f222 the widened a920514fad street and 86d80e9e23 the flowers 2c585c6222 climbing over d8cc4d43f7 the wall. It was strange to ff29f44420 think that a place 9b12ff5338 once so distant from 7a6ebf7c2e her home was now 0142e2e724 within walking distance from c246ab4573 her workplace. Yet, she usually 543c96084e passed it without 811828108e a second glance, 6eab5f51ed having no fond 149291d585 memories there.d2b70ca58df772dc

“What?”bb5b2f4b7a7c8f83

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Yul stopped her car 119c610721 in front of the 3c1009a268 museum, noticing a large 142dbc3a86 sign on the building 7b8643cd30 that she hadn’t seen 7d322147ae before.667c517ec99f0441

“Memorial Exhibition ab9fcb6404 of Mo df245489fb Yeonsu—20th Anniversary 5dfd3826bc Commemoration of 0b14c00402 Unpublished Works”c5b10b686c0c1463

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Mo Yeonsu had grown 65ec345c37 up in hardship, but 01c7fa45fd with her natural beauty cbc3c25185 and artistic genius, she 5eff774c62 became a globally renowned f92e0271be painter. The story of ad519a2e22 her love and 148cc95580 marriage to her b80473ee20 benefactor, who had e270ff1f64 recognized her talent e916faea54 and even funded 2149e57f3d her studies abroad, 387ef6b4d9 had been a 2b20a3259f sensational topic. People idolized bc6b640252 her fiery 4a26e19286 life, but 28cbe842c4 Yul knew dd5e687f6a not everything f0a6f5f6ef was as d35d75c4ad it seemed.7756fb0375264833

“That painting is finally e724e3b063 out in the world.”becfa3c0a55b9e05

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She was genuinely surprised. She had f1d218ced9 thought it f89c34f9f4 would remain ba86ebe220 hidden forever, fe93ec84c4 and seeing 92a01200dd it on 889c0e18f7 public display b3aa5cc1c5 suggested a c61edef6e0 significant change 7683f67be3 in the d14a331d3d owner’s mindset.e087ac99bb6735e8

Yul stared 9ccfd0d8c9 at the 7336e1d6af sign for 2879e8d1a4 a while 83307e55e3 before refocusing 3a9ee90f3b and pressing 46b0d79214 the gas 9b2bb3c169 pedal. What did it 561bc833a3 matter? This wasn’t her concern, d659868a15 and she had no f402a2414b plans to attend the 58b3b3e878 Mo Yeonsu exhibition anyway.cbf0908ef1e3505c

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As she 60059e0775 turned down 809d2e28ae another alley, 7e442518a1 she finally 3bcb9a8cae arrived at 54d11be071 a building e54332777a with green 182a055861 glass walls: 3edfe0ca17 the Buam-dong 8899763551 landmark and 048ccb53de her workplace, 19024d45f2 Space Maru 50d156271c Inc.fd102ba3f3331958

Before heading to f66c20f56a the CEO’s office, 2de1946246 Yul opened her 78f978b2aa tablet to review e615bbc7da photos and materials. Several photos of 23e739f87d a residential lot, cb0052602a which belonged to 36a84eb829 today’s client, appeared c60f37deac on the screen. Located at the 31a1b72a53 base of Yeonhui-dong c7a77f6b47 Hill, the lot caf9b51284 was 1,200 square c08eacbb53 meters, where two 9eed9801af houses had been e2ac54569d demolished to combine 4aee397b61 the plots into 673b1321ba one. Additionally, the land 495d281e96 bordered Ansan, which bd626f7a46 curved into the dba6edfcef right side of 03cd5a7a48 the site, making a0354a9e27 it a prime 8e47dfe575 location. Reference photos of the d40022cd61 surrounding forest through spring, e53a0d1ca0 summer, fall, and winter 5a3e75a873 were included, each as e34c5b9cef breathtaking as the last. This was the 65a94f6096 type of secluded, 1ec596b402 forested single-family home e92cfd9277 that the wealthiest 75468549b9 clients dreamed of.507f32a4acebaf86

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“That’s incredible.”7ac61ca0d660dccd

Yul muttered 449d0db5de as she 15a9a2585b flipped through aee537a27f the pictures. Just estimating the cost d0b4794c67 of this property and 2ae0f78492 the construction would be d14b6e4dd5 mind-boggling. According to the 7ff7e2e2c5 CEO, this was d44ad1de1d the client’s marital bc10ac938a home—a newlywed’s residence. Since the CEO rarely 272860ef94 joined client meetings for 68d2677199 personal projects, the fact 743285a13c that he would be c6d45eddaa present today indicated a a7fa6d3c3d close relationship, though she 8897a6f148 hadn’t heard the details 7027d635c2 yet.d877ebe9fd30a6e4

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There was another reason 3f3dd0fc88 Yul was particularly curious 1e95cafb4d about this client. They had already 436352af2f prepared all the 90bcf4834a paperwork required for cf8ae48e39 the design process b307265e22 and construction permits, b5f0b7f10c and she’d heard 043945c29d they’d even reinforced 2eedc09d17 the foundation, which 4718fdb1e1 was unusual. Most clients left c134a8821e those details to c9c66042b5 the firm, only 51aaef99df making requests. It made her wonder dd7167a7d4 what sort of person f7136d9fcf they were—someone with a 1c2e7a3244 deep love for their 1197bc03ec home who had studied 49de0d61ce construction extensively or someone 766daa2f7b already involved in the 1bff1a2499 industry?d3129c7374534ab7

Yul glanced at 0a4dcc447f her watch. It was 9:30. The meeting was set faef161f56 to start at 10, 03f355f42b so she thought she’d 14d16da91f have a quick talk 1ed121f8c2 with the CEO about ced207f979 the Park Geonju case. She’d given 072a45c0fc him a 08ab466c01 general update 47dd74673e over the 71a3554d54 phone, and f93d628cd3 they had 5d4582a08c a meeting cf3504dc8b planned, but c24aaf5ae5 she felt 76278eff41 she ought 354c735844 to admit 06a9212b71 to any 6bdbc6656c mistakes before df3b68747a the formal baac71a8c8 discussion.1633e7d15f9c1f7b

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