BC | Chapter 10

“Alright, I’ll read it for you, but keep in mind that this is a card you chose while thinking of  Yoo-eun.” Ha-jeong said.

At Ha-jeong’s words, Jun-young nodded. When Ha-jeong flipped over the card to reveal it, her eyes lit up with a sparkle. Already an attractive person, her radiant smile made Yoo-eun involuntarily fix her gaze on Ha-jeong’s face.

“See? Our Yoo-eun really has it all—smart, beautiful, and talented,” Ha-jeong said with a grin.

“What card is it? Why are you saying that?”

Jun-young showed even more interest in Yoo-eun’s fortune-telling.

“Because the world card came out.”

Jun-young lowered his gaze and looked at the card carefully. Yoo-eun quickly turned her gaze and checked the illustration on the card.

“Alpha and Omega, beginning and end. It means Yoo-eun’s world is complete,” Ha-jeong explained. “She’s already living a perfect life. So, what’s missing in Yoo-eun’s life right now? A boyfriend?”

Ha-jeong looked at Yoo-eun with eyes brimming with a meaningful, mischievous smile.

“They say your soulmate is already close?”

Ha-jeong smiled as if hinting that she already knew who it was. Her added comment made Jun-young choke on his coffee mid-sip, coughing uncontrollably.

“Are you already close?”

Coughing so hard that his face turned bright red, Jun-young barely managed to ask in a strained voice.

“Yeah. It says you’re completing an important stage of life, and it seems like a new chapter will begin with the connection that’s already by your side.”

As Yoo-eun met Ha-jeong’s gaze, Yoo-eun suddenly thought of that man, Jeong Beom-woo. Though no one was peering into her mind, she startled as if caught, her heart faintly fluttering in surprise.

Ha-jeong, with her artistically sensitive intuition, was quick to pick up on subtle cues. Noticing the slight shift in Yoo-eun’s emotions, Ha-jeong’s eyes arched upward slightly, as if she had caught on to something.

Yoo-eun pretended nothing was wrong and looked down at the laid-out tarot cards on the table below. The café latte she was sipping likely wasn’t unusually high in caffeine, yet her heart was racing faster and faster. As if under some strange hypnotic spell, her mind became filled with the image of Jeong Beom-woo’s cool and composed face.

“From now on, don’t think about the white bear!”

Upon hearing such words, for some reason, Yoo-eun’s mind becomes utterly consumed by thoughts of a white bear.

     “Don’t think about Jeong Beom-woo!”

As she made that resolve, it felt as if every memory of Jeong Beom-woo, buried deep in her subconscious, was being dragged to the surface. Between the mirrors, Jeong Beom-woo stood, and his reflections stretched endlessly. One of the endless reflections of Jeong Beom-woo turned its head slowly, like in a horror movie, and asked her.

     “Are you thinking about me right now?”

The moment the low, damp voice surfaced, a chill ran down the back of her neck. His voice was like a dark cave filled with moisture, resonating deeply with a rich tone.

Without intending to, Yoo-eun lightly shook her head, trying to shake off the thoughts of Jeong Beom-woo that were swelling in her mind. It was a conscious action, an attempt to break free from the unconscious grip.

“Looks like you’re thinking of someone?”

As Ha-jeong cleaned up the tarot cards, she asked with a playful tone, a question that seemed to test the waters. When they were younger, Yoo-eun would have easily fallen for such words, but now, she was at an age where she knew how to deflect them with ease.

“I can’t think of anyone in particular.”

Not anticipating that response would provoke Jun-young was the first mistake.

The three of them left the café and headed straight for the large auditorium where the exhibition was set up. To shake off the constant thoughts of Jeong Beom-woo that kept popping up in her head, Yoo-eun shuddered.

“Are you cold, noona? Do you want my scarf?”

“No, I’m not cold.”

Replying to Jun-young, Yoo-eun took long strides into the exhibition room.

It was just as the performance of another artist ended, and the break time was about to begin.

“Hello! Did you have a good lunch?”

At the familiar voice coming from behind, Yoo-eun turned around instinctively, as she was about to head toward the performance desk. Ha-jeong was standing face-to-face with the hospital’s publicity team member, Yoo Won-il.

“I’m just coming back from lunch. Did you enjoy your lunch too, Assistant Manager Yoo?”

At Ha-jeong’s cheerful greeting, Won-il nodded and responded.

“Yes, the food at our hospital is really delicious. So, I enjoyed it a lot.”

With his lunchtime greeting, the hospital’s PR team member, Won-il, couldn’t resist promoting the hospital. His gaze turned toward Yoo-eun, and he gave a slight nod, acknowledging her. Yoo-eun, in turn, gave a light nod of recognition.

“Then, I’ll just do a quick system check. Jun-young, could you help me for a moment?”

As soon as Ha-jeong and Jun-young left, Won-il quickly approached Yoo-eun. It was easy for Yoo-eun to realize that they had distanced themselves from the spot under the pretense of system checks. Ha-jeong, standing in front of the PC controlling the exhibition system, was keenly aware of the situation, and Yoo-eun could sense his heightened awareness of this side.

“Is there anything uncomfortable?” Won-il’s voice was soft, yet his eyes were focused, as if he was trying to read Yoo-eun’s feelings.

Every day, the day before yesterday, and even a few days ago, Won-il had approached Yoo-eun and asked if there was anything uncomfortable.

“Yeah, there’s nothing. You really must not be busy. You come all the way here just to ask the same question every day.”

Won-il was Yoon-eun’s high school classmate. He was also the one who first proposed the exhibition at Pureun Korea Hospital. The hospital was planning a special event for Christmas, requesting an exhibition to create an unforgettable experience for young patients who couldn’t go outside.

The goals of the promotion team in hosting the exhibition aligned well with the exhibition team’s plans, allowing the work to proceed smoothly. Yoo-eun had discreetly mentioned to Ha-jeong that Won-il was her high school classmate. She didn’t want rumors spreading that the exhibition was secured through personal connections rather than competence.

“You’re being a bit harsh with your words again. This is my job, you know? There’s nothing more important for our hospital’s PR team right now than this exhibition.”

However, Won-il approached without hesitation, offering a friendly greeting as if Yoo-eun’s cautious attempts to maintain distance were entirely futile.

“The response to the exhibition has been phenomenal. There’s even an article online today praising how the hospital isn’t just providing medical services but also doing great work to comfort the hearts of those who are unwell.”

Won-il held out his phone, as if to prove he wasn’t lying. The article featured a photo of Yoo-eun performing during the Christmas Eve event.

The performance desk was dimly lit, so the photo didn’t clearly capture Yoo-eun’s face. However, beneath the image, the caption read, “Artist Lee Yoo-eun during performance.” It was the kind of photo and article her father would likely appreciate.

“Send me the link to that article too,” Yoo-eun said.

Thinking of her father, Yoo-eun’s expression softened noticeably.

“Sure. I’ll send it to you right now. Got it?”

“Really? Let me check it again. Maybe there was a mistake with the link. I’ll resend it.”

Yoo-eun lightly tapped the screen and tilted her head in confusion. Standing close beside her, Won-il tapped the phone screen, and like magic, a new window appeared.

“Why is it that when you do it, it doesn’t work, but when I do it, it does?”

Won-il asked with his characteristic hearty smile. His long eyes without double eyelids, sharp jaw, and dark complexion gave off a strong, powerful image. He was the complete opposite of Jeong Beom-woo, who appeared delicate and sensitive.

“Ah, why is Jeong Beom-woo coming up again now?”

In Yoo-eun’s mind, Jeong Beom-woo seemed to have been etched in like a white bear. The psychological hypothesis that if you try not to think of a white bear, it will fill your mind with it, was being reenacted in Yoo-eun’s mind through Jeong Beom-woo.

Yoo-eun consciously shook her head. It was an action to shake off the thoughts of Jeong Beom-woo, as well as an answer to Won-il’s playful question.

“Why are you denying it again like that?”

Won-il laughed as if in disbelief.

“Yeah, what’s the point of shaking your head and denying it when you’ve just thought about it?”

Yoo-eun herself found her actions amusing. However, the more she tried to push Beom-woo out of her mind, the harder her mind worked to bring him up. It was the paradox of denial. The more she told herself not to think about him, the more he kept appearing in her thoughts. Hadn’t social psychologist Daniel Wegner already proven that if you just decide to think about something, it stops coming to mind?

Yoo-eun decided to openly think about the white bear, Beom-woo, once and for all. The moment she made that decision, a strange sense of calm washed over her, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

“I’m relieved to see that you don’t seem to be struggling too much. I was worried that because I asked you to work with me, you’d be too busy and wouldn’t be able to rest during the year-end holiday season.”

Won-il looked down at Yoo-eun with a more relaxed smile as he spoke.

“It’s tough, but I’m grateful that you suggested this.”

Satisfied with Yoo-eun’s kind response, Won-il smiled brightly.

“Do you know we’re having a company dinner today? The response has been so good that the budget is more than enough. Postpone your return home until tomorrow. Got it?”

“I have a performance tomorrow, you know? Let’s go home today.”

“Looks like our Yoo-eun has grown up.”

Just like back in high school, Won-il gently patted the top of Yoo-eun’s head with his large palm.