MWFL 27

Chapter 27

I’m Coming Right Now

Yoon-joo’s eyes, which had widened in apparent surprise, quickly returned to their usual size.

“I finished preparing dinner, so I came to tell your grandfather.”

The woman answered in her usual emotionless voice and looked past Shinwoo’s shoulder.

“Father. Dinner is ready.”

“Is it? I’ll come down once Shinwoo leaves.”

After hearing his answer, Yoon-joo met Shinwoo’s gaze again.

“Were you coming out to leave?”

“No. I came out to take a phone call, but the call ended.”

“I’m going to the kitchen, so make yourself comfortable and take your call.”

As soon as Yoon-joo finished speaking, she turned and headed toward the kitchen.

Shinwoo quietly watched her before returning to the room.

“You said you were going to take a call. Why did you come back in?”

“The call ended. I was going to go outside and make the call.”

“You’re leaving already? You haven’t visited in a long time. Stay and eat.”

“I’m watching my diet. I’ll eat at home.”

The older man looked at his grandson with disappointment before asking,

“But doesn’t my grandson have a girlfriend?”

“No.”

“None? You’re popular enough to make the news. Shouldn’t pretty women be chasing after you?”

“Just because they chase me doesn’t mean I date them. I have to like them first.”

Yong-won nodded in agreement before speaking again.

“If you take after me, you must have pretty high standards. I wonder what kind of woman you like.”

“Why? Are you planning to introduce someone to me?”

“Why not? Tell me.”

Shinwoo chuckled, but then his brow subtly furrowed.

Joo Harin’s face suddenly flashed vividly through his mind.

Why is she suddenly popping into my head?

“Asking me all sorts of strange things now. I don’t have a particular type.”

He calmly composed his expression as though he had never thought about it.

“There’s no way a man doesn’t have a type. And even if you didn’t before, you should have one now. You’re over thirty. Isn’t it time you got married?”

“Ah. I must have been here too long. Grandpa, I’m going to take my leave now.”

He stood up with a small smile at the end of his words.

“When are you coming again? You’re not too busy until baseball season starts, are you? Come by often.”

Again, the face of the woman who had filled his schedule with an impossibly busy itinerary came to mind.

“Looks like I won’t be free at all because of someone.”

“Someone? Who is it?”

“There’s someone. The kind of person who growls like she’s going to eat me alive whenever she sees me. I really should get going.”

Looking puzzled, the older man stood and followed his grandson into the living room.

“Don’t come out. Eat your dinner.”

“All right. Even if you’re busy, make time to come visit.”

“Yes.”

When they reached the entrance, Yoon-joo came out of the kitchen.

“Leaving?”

“Yes.”

“All right. Take care.”

“Yes. I’ll be going.”

Shinwoo bowed politely toward Yoon-joo before immediately walking out the front door.

The moment the door closed completely behind him, he drew a deep breath.

The cold air filled his chest, and the oppressive feeling inside him eased somewhat.

The house had never once felt comfortable to Shinwoo.

Ten years of his memories had disappeared, leaving him with only three months of memories connected to this place.

So it was only natural that he didn’t feel comfortable here.

As soon as he got into his car, he didn’t start driving immediately. Instead, he called the person whose call he had missed earlier.

“As soon as the call connected, an incredulous voice came through.”

“You getting arrogant because you’re so hot these days, Cha Shinwoo? You don’t answer your hyung’s calls right away anymore?”

“Don’t call yourself my hyung. Why did you call?”

The person on the other end was Min Han-gyeol, Shinwoo’s closest friend. They had played together on the same baseball team throughout middle and high school and had also been teammates for three years with the Seoul Griffins.

Of course, of all the many years Shinwoo had spent with Han-gyeol, he remembered only four.

“You came back to Korea and didn’t even contact me?”

“I’m contacting you now. Isn’t that enough?”

“Yeah. Thanks, you bastard.”

Shinwoo chuckled.

“But can you talk right now?”

“You’re asking that a little late. Yeah. Go ahead.”

“It’s nothing serious. Coach Park Dong-hoon, who was with us when I was at Sangmu, became the head coach of our old school last year. You know Coach Park Dong-hoon, right?”

There was no way Shinwoo wouldn’t know him. Park Dong-hoon had played professional baseball for more than twenty years.

“Yeah, I know him. Why?”

“Take one day off and go coach the kids at the school.”

Shinwoo’s expression immediately became indifferent at the unwelcome request.

“Why would I?”

“I knew you’d react like this. The kids want to meet their seniors, and Coach really wants you to come.”

“You can go.”

“Hey. I’ve already been retired for years. And are you and I even on the same level? The kids’ eyes will light up if a major leaguer comes.”

Han-gyeol had retired from professional baseball after only four years and started a business.

“But is it a middle school or a high school?”

“Seongyeon High School. The kids’ performance was terrible this year. Go once to boost their morale.”

“Who’s on the coaching staff now? It’ll be a pain if there’s someone I don’t remember.”

Han-gyeol was one of the few people who knew that Shinwoo had lost his memories.

At first, Shinwoo hadn’t told him either. But perhaps because they had spent so many years together, Han-gyeol had figured it out himself.

“The coaches are around the same age as the head coach, so there’s no one who was active during our time.”

“Fine. I’ll ask my manager first.”

“You’re going to ask Donggu? You need his permission for something like that? Donggu’s really grown up, huh?”

Shinwoo was thinking of Harin, not Donggu, when he said that.

“No. There’s someone else.”

“Oh! Daol? You signed with them, right? Who’s your contact?”

“There’s a very strict manager named Joo Harin. I’ll ask her and let you know.”

His friend, who had been talking excitedly, suddenly went quiet.

“Hey. Are you listening?”

“Huh? Yeah… Yeah. I’m listening.”

A moment later, his voice came back sounding somewhat flustered.

“Min Han-gyeol. Why did you suddenly get weird?”

“I spilled some coffee. It’s fine. Keep talking.”

“I’ll ask our strict manager…”

Shinwoo’s voice suddenly trailed off.

At the same time, he frowned.

Can’t I even make a decision like this on my own?

Is Joo Harin my boss? If anything, I’m the one with the upper hand. So why am I worrying about what she thinks?

His pride was suddenly hurt.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Really? You said you had to ask her.”

“Min Han-gyeol. Am I the kind of person who does something just because someone tells me to, or doesn’t do something because they tell me not to? Is that all I am?!”

“Huh? No, of course not. But why are you suddenly getting angry?”

“Hmm.”

Shinwoo cleared his throat and composed his expression.

“Anyway, find out when the coach wants me to visit and let me know.”

“Got it. Thanks, buddy.”

“If you’re grateful, buy me a meal.”

“I have to see your face before I buy you food. Make some time soon.”

“I will. I need to drive now. I’m hanging up.”

He put down his phone and started the engine.

Just as he grabbed the steering wheel and was about to press the pedal, white snowflakes began settling one by one across the windshield.

He crossed his arms over the steering wheel and lightly rested his chin on them.

The fine snowflakes that had been drifting down quickly grew thicker, soon pouring heavily from the sky.

Within only a few minutes, the windshield was completely covered in white.

Shinwoo’s peaceful expression, as though he were admiring a painting, gradually twisted.

“Ah. This is driving me crazy because of that damn woman who follows me around like a ghost.”

Against his will, he remembered Harin carefully walking along the snowy road.

Haah.

He let out a long sigh and slowly straightened his upper body.

His eyes gleamed with the determination of someone who had just made a major decision as he gripped the steering wheel tightly.

“What does she have to do with me? I should stop worrying about her and just go home.”

He muttered the words with excessive determination before immediately pressing the accelerator.

Harin left the office after nine at night.

Overwhelmed by fatigue, all she could think about was getting home quickly as she exited the company’s main entrance.

The moment the cold air slipped through her collar, she stopped and widened her eyes.

The entire world had turned dazzlingly white.

“Wow. What happened?”

She knew it was snowing, but she never imagined this much snow would accumulate.

“Ah… I don’t even have an umbrella.”

She looked helplessly at the sky, which was still pouring down snow.

Without deliberating for long, she called a taxi.

But even after waiting for quite some time, she couldn’t get one.

“Let’s just go.”

She slowly descended the lobby steps and placed one foot onto the road, which was buried beneath thick snow.

Her foot sank deep into the snow, and a rush of icy cold seeped into her shoe.

Since there had been no snow forecast, she had casually worn her most comfortable loafers.

I should have worn boots.

Regret came too late.

Her right foot moved slowly and landed on the ground with a soft crunch.

“…!”

Her foot slipped slightly, causing her body to stagger.

She put strength into her legs and was about to take another step when the phone tightly gripped in her hand began vibrating.

—Player Cha Shinwoo

The moment she saw the caller, she stopped moving and immediately pressed the answer button.

“Yes. Please go ahead.”

She answered in as calm a voice as possible.

“—Stop where you are for a moment.”

At Shinwoo’s low voice, Harin slowly closed her eyes before opening them again.

“—I can see Manager Joo. Wait there.”

Before she could say anything, his low, clear voice came through again.

—I’m coming right now.