BYB 27

Chapter 27

Eunho, who was swallowing his soda, immediately turned his head in the direction Minhyuk was pointing. And then, he froze right there.

Jiwoo, wearing a light pink flared dress, was walking down the street, smiling alongside an unfamiliar man.

“……”

After being frozen like a statue for a few seconds, Eunho slowly set his drink down. It felt as if all the blood in his body had turned ice-cold. His sunken eyes stared intently at the woman’s receding back.

Who is that?

His head throbbed with a dull shock. Getting hit with a hammer wouldn’t have hurt as much as this.

“Thank you for coming all this way. I wasn’t really in a position to travel up to Seoul.” “It didn’t take long to get to Hanju City at all. I should have come sooner.”

Ahn Inseok smiled brightly as he adjusted the strap of his bag over his shoulder. Jiwoo smiled back, but seeing him after a long time felt slightly unfamiliar, making her smile come out a bit awkward.

“What is it you wanted to talk about? You sounded so urgent when you called, but I couldn’t guess what it was at all…” “You’re in a rush, Reporter Cha,” Inseok scolded playfully. “Where is it? That place you said serves good coffee. Let’s sit down and talk first.” “It’s right at the intersection ahead.” “Have you been doing well?”

At Inseok’s question, Jiwoo pondered for a moment before nodding her head.

I think… I’ve been doing well. The first month after coming back down, feeling as if she had been driven out, was truly depressing. But as she adapted to the work at the pub, her heart gradually brightened up. At first, doing business felt awkward, but sharing daily moments with customers gradually became precious to her.

Thinking about that made her feel suddenly grateful to her father.

Even after seeing Jiwoo arrive back in her hometown with packed bags, Cha Woncheol hadn’t asked a single question. He simply patted her back, pretending not to notice her dark expression.

—Right, taking a leave of absence is good too. Get some rest. How can anyone live working all their life?

At first, he told her to sit at the counter for just an hour, then two hours, and then eventually handed over serving and kitchen work, gradually helping Jiwoo adjust to the pub. Thanks to that, Jiwoo was able to quickly forget the bad memories from her workplace.

Minhyuk, the part-timer, also made Jiwoo laugh with his characteristic bright personality. Jiwoo liked him because he was brave, had a great personality, and felt like a real younger brother to her. So she quickly found joy and motivation in running the shop.

And on top of that, Song Chunsam, who had suddenly barged into her life one day.

Though she didn’t want to admit it, she couldn’t deny the fact that after the kiss, she found herself even more drawn to him. That suspicious yet charming man was growing on her a little more each day.

Jiwoo forced herself to clear her thoughts of Song Chunsam, who was floating around in her mind, and replied with a smile.

“Our pub can’t run without me now.” “Oh, really?” “I think I have a knack for business.”

Inseok burst into a hollow, disbelieving laugh.

“Cha Jiwoo doing business? No way, that sounds like a fast track to ruining a store.” “Don’t look down on me!” Jiwoo retorted sharply. In the meantime, the two of them had arrived at the cafe.

“Let’s go in.”

The cafe was quiet. Looking around, Jiwoo chose a corner seat by the window and sat down. After ordering coffee, she asked again.

“What brings you all the way here?” “To pick you up.”

Jiwoo’s face instantly froze. Inseok continued, pretending not to notice.

“It’s about time you come back up to Seoul.” “No, I…” “Reinstated, Reporter Cha.”

Jiwoo fiddled with her cup as she answered.

“Senior, I’m sorry, but my mind is made up. I’m not going back. Business suits my temperament and I like it. I’m going to become the God of Business in Okjae-dong.”

Hearing Jiwoo’s words, Inseok took a sip of his coffee and chuckled.

“I almost spat out my drink.” “I’m serious.”

Jiwoo glared at him without any real malice. Just as she was about to object, Inseok spoke up again.

“Cha Jiwoo. The truth about those ridiculous rumors about you has been revealed. It’s all been posted on the company bulletin board.” “…What?” “That day you went to give materials to Senior Yoo Myeongwoo from Jangjin Daily—in the hotel room the two of you entered, Senior Myeongwoo’s wife was actually in there with him. Photos showing his wife entering the room first before you met him have all been released.”

Startled, Jiwoo covered her mouth with her hand.

Back then, Senior Myeongwoo’s wife had stepped forward herself to clarify that it was a misunderstanding, but no one had listened. Instead, she was treated like an attention-seeker, and her post was eventually deleted.

“Why on earth would those materials… No, where did they suddenly come from?”

True to her nature as a reporter, Jiwoo asked a sharp question.

While clearing her name was a relief, it was a development hard to understand. Who would perform such a favor for her? How did they obtain the CCTV footage that was previously claimed impossible to hand over, and why clarify it now after staying quiet when everything first blew up?

“I don’t know. Someone posted it anonymously.” “……” “Who posted it doesn’t matter. What matters is that the misunderstanding has been cleared.”

It didn’t make sense, but Inseok didn’t seem to have any intention of explaining it. Jiwoo bit her inner lip. There were so many things she wanted to ask, but her mind was entangled in a mess, unable to organize a single thought.

“Wait a moment, Senior. In whose hands was such material held…?”

Inseok abruptly cut Jiwoo off mid-sentence.

“Enough of that. Either way, no one can point fingers at you anymore. So come back to work and pursue your dream…”

It was right then.

A large shadow cast over Jiwoo’s head. And then, a terribly sweet voice struck the back of Jiwoo’s neck.

“Honey.”

Sweet, yet chilling.

“What are you doing here?”

It was Song Chunsam.

Ten minutes earlier.

Sparks flew in Eunho’s eyes.

Cha Jiwoo is meeting a man right in front of my eyes.

Barely holding back his rage, he lowered his gaze and let out a sigh. Then, snickering to suppress his surging anger, he stirred his cup noodles. He tried hard to take deep breaths to calm his breathing.

“……”

You, who opened your lips to share a breath with me, you, who breathed heavily throughout our kiss, you, who blushed and gasped in surprise—you’re meeting a man in front of my eyes while I suffer all day because of you?

Strength poured into his fists.

Snap!

The wooden chopsticks crumpled like a sheet of paper.

“Whoa! Hyung, what happened? Hold on a second, I’ll get you a new pair.”

Minhyuk quickly returned to the counter and brought back a fresh pair of wooden chopsticks. Throwing the broken chopsticks into the trash can, he said:

“Here you go. Use these new ones. Wow, those wooden chopsticks were crazy weak. Did they make them out of toothpicks or what?” “……” “By the way, who’s that? Someone from Noona’s company?” “…Company?”

Turning to Minhyuk with icy eyes, Eunho asked back. Cha Jiwoo’s workplace was Bravo Youth Beer, so he couldn’t understand what other company Minhyuk was talking about.

“Yes, Noona’s company. She’s currently on a leave of absence.” “…Cha Jiwoo had a job?” “Ah, you didn’t know? Noona is a reporter.” “A reporter?”

Cha Jiwoo is a reporter?

Suddenly, their first encounter in the middle of Seoul flashed through his mind.

No wonder. She did look like an office worker.

Because he hadn’t wanted to pry into someone else’s life, he had quickly erased the thought, but he had been slightly curious back then. Why an office worker from Seoul was serving at a local pub in the countryside.

However, right after that, he had fallen head over heels for Cha Jiwoo, completely forgetting such minor questions.

“How can someone so weak manage to be a reporter…”

She trips over her own feet every day and cuts her hands whenever she chops vegetables; did she even cover her stories properly?

He pictured a image of her being swept away by a crowd, swaying back and forth before collapsing with a small thud. Worry caused his brow to furrow. The image of a reporter in Eunho’s mind was someone far more tenacious and gritty than Cha Jiwoo.

What kind of reporting can someone so small and delicate do! A safe desk job suits her perfectly.

Though he obstinately thought that way, he was still curious. Eunho searched for “Reporter Cha Jiwoo” on a portal site. Shortly after, a profile appeared. An ID photo showing her with neatly tied-up hair, dressed in a black suit.

“!”

Her clear, shining eyes and the gentle smile gracing her lips were elegant. Her skin was fair and clean, yet her cheeks held a healthy flush that made her look spirited and full of life. Her firm jawline gave a subtle glimpse of her principles as a journalist.

Eunho held his breath for a moment. Ah, why is she so pretty?

She wasn’t just pretty; to Song Eunho—who usually detested reporters—she looked like someone exceptionally trustworthy. If a woman like this came to interview him, he felt like he would spill things he wasn’t even asked about. As long as she smiled nicely, what would a silly family secret even matter?

“Reporter Cha Jiwoo. It suits her.”

Eunho ultimately had to admit it.

“In any case, why did someone from her company come all the way here?”

Minhyuk muttered to himself. Eunho checked her affiliation and company homepage listed under Jiwoo’s photo.

Affiliation: HK Daily.

His brow instantly furrowed. Following Eunho’s gaze, Minhyuk nodded.

“Oh, right. A reporter for HK Daily.”

Clicking into the homepage, a list of articles she had written appeared. Eunho scanned the headlines with his eyes. All of her articles belonged to the Social Affairs tab. Among them, those covering environmental issues stood out the most.

Polar bears, abnormal climate, rising sea levels, and ozone layer.

National park installs a cable car with zero environmental damage.

Low-carbon footprint.

The issues Jiwoo had maintained a steady interest in and reported on clearly revealed what kind of person she was.

—You’re going to leave so much food behind, I can’t serve you like this. —Wasted food costs money, too.

Looking at her articles, the words she had said when they met again in Hanju City came back to his mind.

And here I was, mocking your worries about the planet.