WW | Chapter 2

Park Geonju’s face froze in an instant as he turned toward the sound. Even with alcohol clouding his mind, he immediately recognized the man who had scoffed. He must have remembered him from long ago—longer even than Yul had known him.

“What the hell? Aren’t you Kang Yoonjo?” Park’s voice took on a sharp edge.

But the real shift in atmosphere wasn’t just because of his tone. A few nearby people, including staff members, quickly straightened their clothes and stood up straighter. An employee from the LK side, who’d just noticed Kang Yoonjo, hurried over and bowed.

“Executive Director, you’ve arrived?”

Executive Director?

Yul repeated the words internally, not fully grasping them. Her brain, which had been overheating with anger because of Park, started cooling down and processing the situation.

So, this Kang Yoonjo—the one person she never wanted to see again—was the Executive Director of LK Construction, the company sponsoring the architecture fair.

Ha! Unbelievable.

A curse, one she’d never actually voiced before, almost spilled out. She’d thought it at least a hundred times, but accepting Park Geonju’s request was a mistake from the start. Thanks to him as a catalyst, a flood of unwanted memories had resurfaced, memories of people who had tormented her. But one thorn lodged deep in her heart had always been Kang Yoonjo, her yeokrin, her vulnerable spot.

The trash of her life.

“Executive Director, huh? The gangster’s son climbed the ladder, didn’t he?”

Maybe it was that high school fear had faded with time, or maybe the alcohol had numbed his sense of caution, but Park spat out his words roughly.

“Please leave.”

Unable to stand it anymore, a staff member took hold of Park’s arm. Moments ago, he’d only been using words to keep Park in check, but with the Executive Director present, his tone had changed completely.

“Let go!”

Park roughly shoved the staff member’s hand away, hitting his chest with an elbow. Seeing the staff’s startled face, Yoonjo gave a small nod, signaling to let it go.

Park’s bloodshot eyes rolled between Yul and Yoonjo before his lips twisted into a smirk.

“You two still hanging around together?”

“Sir, you seem intoxicated. Let’s step outside and talk.”

Yul barely managed to keep her composure, forcing herself to speak in a calming tone. She needed to get this troublemaker out of here before the situation turned uglier and led to some vile rumors.

“Oh, no, no, no. Seomun Yul, you’re the one who clung to Kang Yoonjo like a parasite, isn’t that right?”

Park sneered, pointing his finger right at her face. The stench of alcohol mixed with the pain in her abdomen and a wave of humiliation made her feel dizzy. Where were the security guards? Why hadn’t they come to get this nuisance out of here?

“Could you please call security?” she asked a nearby staff member, finally taking a breath. At that moment, her gaze collided with Yoonjo’s. His emotionless eyes seemed to see right through her, a faint glint of something unreadable.

“Oh, while we’re at it, let me ask you something. You slept with Kang Yoonjo back then, didn’t you?”

“Watch your mouth,” Yul shot back, her voice sharp and controlled.

“Because otherwise, there’s no way the great Kang Yoonjo would’ve kept you around, right?”

“Shut up and get out of here before I make you.”

Her words came out through gritted teeth, filled with anger. If she could, she would’ve dragged him out and slammed him onto the concrete floor. It felt like she was being transported back to those bleak, exhausting days in high school—the third time she’d transferred.

“Pretending to be so innocent and classy while secretly spreading your legs, huh? Isn’t that right, Yoonjo?”

He seemed to have moved on from Yul and was now targeting Yoonjo directly. But it was Yul who felt the urgency. She didn’t want to think about what kind of filthy things Park might say or how Yoonjo might react. She despised the idea of being dragged through gossip, her name tossed around with speculation. She just wanted all of them to disappear from her sight.

As she steadied her breathing, Yoonjo, standing alone amid the mess, caught her eye. He showed no reaction, even as Park lashed out like a flailing fish. His gaze was focused solely on her, steady and unfazed.

Watching her with an unwavering gaze, he slipped one hand into his pocket and leaned slightly forward.

“How would you like me to handle this?”

The voice she hadn’t heard in six years pierced her ears. It was deep and calm, familiar but slightly altered. Like a wine that had aged and gained a certain weight.

“If I say yes, it’ll be trashy. If I say no, it’ll sound shameless.”

It felt like he was half-serious, half-teasing, as if seeking her opinion.

Yul turned her head to glare at Yoonjo. His lips seemed to be curved in a faint smile, yet his gaze was icy, sending a chill through her. She had no way of knowing what he was thinking or at whom his anger was directed.

“You two dating or what?” Park, feeling left out, glared and spat the words, his voice dripping with jealousy. But his words still didn’t reach Yoonjo.

“Should I clean it up for you? Just like last time—completely,” he said, his voice deliberate, a quiet threat behind it.

Though his words were calm, Yul didn’t take them lightly. She knew the claws he hid behind that quiet expression. He was as likely to be threatening Park as he was tempting her, inviting her to rely on him again. Just like before, he seemed to imply, I’ll help if you ask.

Ha! Yul let out a scoffing laugh and met his gaze. Sure, you could probably do that. But she had no intention of accepting his help, not for something like this.

“There, over here,” she called to two security guards who had just stepped off the elevator. She pointed at Park. “This man is severely disrupting the event. Please escort him out, and if he causes further trouble, call the police.”

“What? You… Seomun Yul!” Park ranted.

“Let’s go, sir.”

The event staff joined the security guards, helping drag Park out. He hurled curses and threats as he struggled, but Yul didn’t look back. She didn’t feel any satisfaction from it. She’d already taken in enough filth.

“You’ve changed, Seomun Yul.”

Kang Yoonjo tilted his head, letting out a faint chuckle. The glint of approval in his eyes made her laugh bitterly.

“And you haven’t changed at all, have you?” she retorted.

On the outside, maybe, but deep down, still the same.

“The gangster’s son.”

She knew it was petty and low to fling such an insult, putting herself on the same level as Park Geonju, but she didn’t care. Unlike Park, she had every right to say it. Yoonjo had been despicable and cowardly at the end, leaving her to pick up the pieces alone. She had walked away in utter despair, and now, here he was, forcing her to spit out words she’d buried.

While she burned with resentment, Yoonjo’s expression remained unchanged. Gone was the fragile look he’d had long ago, replaced by a firm, almost unyielding strength, like a tall pine tree in midsummer. No matter how much she braced herself against him, he remained steady, unaffected.

“Right. And you…” His lips curved as though he welcomed her hostility.

“You were the one who clung to the gangster’s son.”

The way he replied so smoothly left her stunned, as if she’d been stripped bare. Memories of her, drawn toward him, then coldly rejected, flooded her mind. Yoonjo’s words were painfully true. She had reached out to him at her breaking point, and it was his small mercy that had changed the course of her life.

“You’ve done well, Team Leader Seomun Yul from Space Maru.”

Satisfied, as if he’d gotten the reaction he wanted, Yoonjo reverted to his role as LK’s Executive Director. Expressionless, he continued speaking, his face like a darkened window with no warmth.

“Why don’t you go home and take something for that pain?”

“…”

“We’ll meet again.”

He left her with a cryptic smile, turning to walk away. The crowd murmured and followed him, leaving Yul alone. She stood there, stunned, slowly realizing a few things. He knew where she worked, knew her title. He was an executive of the company sponsoring her work. In a sense, she’d been reporting to him, working under his watch. And he had definitely noticed her struggle with cramps just now.

Yul turned away. Outside, colorful lines continued to cascade across the glass wall display. Her prideful work had just crumbled into waste.

Her phone buzzed in her hand, grounding her back to reality. Mechanically, she opened it to find a text message.

[I’m on my way to see Grandma at the hospital. When are you coming?]

“Ah, Grandma…”

Seeing the message from Jung-woo, she sighed, realizing she’d forgotten something important. The storm that had just blown through was massive enough to knock everything else out of her mind. She glanced toward the hall entrance where Yoonjo had disappeared and muttered words she hadn’t had the chance to say.

What painkillers? Thanks to you, it hurts even more, you idiot.