Chapter 27

The car left the main road and turned into an alley. Woojung glanced around, then spotted a familiar side street and exclaimed in admiration.

“Wow, I have to give you credit for your sense of direction.”

The car rolled slowly before stopping at the entrance to an uphill road. The more she thought about it, the more amazed she became. Kim Ju-shin had found his way through this maze of streets without a navigation system, even though taxi drivers sometimes got confused here. He’d handled the steering wheel without the slightest hesitation. He’d driven so smoothly that she could’ve mistaken him for someone who came here all the time.

“How did you memorize the way after coming here just once?”

It wasn’t just once, Woojung. I came here last night, too. I even saw you texting me after saying goodbye to Ha Yun-sang.

“Hmm. Because I’m smart?”

He answered with shameless nonchalance, his eyes narrowing into slits.

Inside the quietly resting car, the sound of rain filled the silence. Raindrops that couldn’t cling to the water-repellent windows slid smoothly down the glass.

Feeling bad about hopping out without another word, Woojung lingered for a moment before discreetly unclipping her seat belt.

“Thanks for bringing me home. Tomorrow, I’ll—”

“Not tomorrow.”

Ju-shin wrapped both arms around the steering wheel and rested his head against it. From his tilted viewpoint, he could see the woman ready to get out, Jung Woojung, her hand gripping the door handle.

“Next time. Whenever I want.”

Woojung scratched her round forehead and gave an embarrassed smile. Then she nodded slightly to show she agreed. After thanking him once more, she slung her long bag strap diagonally over her shoulder.

“Then drive safely!”

She slipped out through the small opening in the door to keep the rain from getting inside. Since both her hands were occupied opening her umbrella, she used her backside to push the door shut. The spot she’d pressed against darkened as the fabric got wet, but she didn’t care.

The yellow glow of the streetlights faintly illuminated the surroundings. Rainwater flowed in little streams down the slope. Every time she stepped onto the ground, her feet splashed through the water.

She’d had so much she wanted to tell him, but in the end, she hadn’t managed to say a single word. Forget talking—she’d been keeping her mouth shut so tightly that her tongue practically went dry because of how suddenly the atmosphere had changed.

Did something happen? And what exactly were those “preventive measures”? I should check my phone as soon as I get home. What is this, a treasure hunt?

At the moment, Kim Ju-shin occupied every corner of Jung Woojung’s mind. There wasn’t even a little room left for anything else.

She was just beginning to wonder how strange that was when—

“…!”

So lost in thought that she’d failed to notice the presence approaching from behind, Woojung froze in surprise. Even as a large figure bent down and squeezed beneath her umbrella, all she could do was stand there like a stone statue.

“That’s cold. I told you to let me walk with you.”

A scent of soap drifted through the air, mingling with the smell of rain. His selfishly broad shoulder made the space beneath the umbrella feel even smaller. She already knew who it was before she even tilted her gaze up to his face.

“…What?”

The sound of rain filled the awkward silence. Her widened eyes were unmistakably confused.

“Why…?”

“I don’t have an umbrella.”

She knew that wasn’t what she’d been asking. Kim Ju-shin shamelessly answered a different question, merely curling the corners of his lips into a faint smile.

“No, I mean…”

“Your shoulder’s getting wet.”

“Huh?”

“Mind if I get a little closer?”

The umbrella naturally passed into his hand, and suddenly the ceiling above them seemed to rise.

Why ask when he was going to do whatever he wanted anyway? Kim Ju-shin, who’d already complained about getting wet on top of his troubles with the orchard troublemakers, subtly pressed himself closer to her.

He acted as though nothing was unusual, but his left shoulder was pressed firmly against hers. Her heart pounded so wildly that it felt as though it had migrated into her shoulder. Even her spine seemed to tingle.

After a brief commotion, two pairs of feet began splashing through the rainwater.

A narrow alley. The slightest brush against each other. The warmth of another person. On a rainy evening, even the uncollected official trash bags and the enormous stuffed doll abandoned beside a used-clothing collection bin stirred something strange inside her.

Just like that unfamiliar orchard road at dawn, this romantic scenery had Kim Ju-shin in it.

“But seriously, why did you chase after me?”

Woojung moistened her increasingly dry lips.

“You said you hated getting wet, too. Don’t tell me you were worried I might be in danger? Did you want to walk me home?”

“Why are you so curious? If you keep asking, I’m going to get the wrong idea.”

Her head, which had been tilted sharply upward, now angled to one side. Ju-shin lowered his gaze to her clear, innocent face and merely shrugged.

She protested that he shouldn’t act so mysterious, but in the end, no answer came.

Before she knew it, they’d reached the last step. It was an old building at the far end of a row of similar-looking villas. Ju-shin looked over the cracked exterior walls and dark windows, then clicked his tongue softly.

“Seeing it for the second time makes it feel familiar, doesn’t it?”

Woojung hopped up the shallow steps of the shared entrance and stood beneath the eaves, briskly shaking the water off herself. The man who’d folded up the umbrella stared at her, as if to say, Are you seriously proud of getting carried home drunk?

As though she’d understood what his gaze meant, Jung Woojung laughed heartily. She kept glancing at the door behind her shoulder, making it pretty clear she wanted to go inside already.

Well, I should let her go, then.

Ju-shin smiled crookedly, set the umbrella down, and turned around. The rain was too heavy for him to leave without one.

“Take it with you!”

“No, it’s fine. You’ll need it tomorrow, PR Officer Jung.”

His drooping eyes peeked beyond the eaves.

“Good grief. You’re going to catch a cold.”

“Shall I get going, then?” His pitiful voice delivered its farewell.

“Huh? I said take it!”

Leaving her desperate shout behind, he sauntered straight into the rain. His wet face was smiling. He hoped Jung Woojung would hurry after him, just as he imagined her fretting and stamping her feet over what to do with him.

Before the rain could even darken his jacket, the two of them were reunited beneath the umbrella.

“Ahhh! You never listen! What is with this stubbornness?”

Following the warmth tugging at his jacket hem, he lowered his gaze. A little girl stood there, her brows furrowed fiercely as she threw a fit.

“Are you holding on to me?”

“Ha.”

Oh, this is a problem.

The man swept his wet hair back and smiled mischievously. Woojung let out an incredulous breath, but in the end, she couldn’t help laughing, too. His laughter was highly contagious. That was why.

Instead of staying beneath the eaves, the two of them had deliberately ventured into the rain. Now they stood facing each other beneath the umbrella, laughing far too freely.

“PR Officer Jung.”

“Ahahaha! What?”

“Why do you like Ha Yun-sang?”

“W-what…?”

Ju-shin stopped laughing and casually hit her with the question before she could recover.

“Uh…”

She could’ve just brushed it off with a lighthearted comment asking why he wanted to know. But for some reason, she couldn’t get the words out. Even the most clichéd lines hovered at the tip of her tongue: Is there really a reason to like someone? He’s lovable from head to toe. Just being himself is reason enough.

But all she could do was silently open and close her mouth.

Watching her, Ju-shin bent at the waist and smoothly lowered himself toward her. Their gazes drew level for a brief moment, meeting as though it were inevitable.

“You can’t answer.”

“…”

“Hm?”

“…I guess I can’t.”

What kind of answer is that?

Kim Ju-shin straightened up and snickered mockingly. He declared that meant she didn’t actually like him. Jung Woojung immediately denied it, insisting that couldn’t be true, but the way she foolishly scratched the back of her neck made her look thoroughly confused.

It was a voice that blended with the sound of the rain that finally broke through her confusion.

“Jung Woojung.”

Hearing her full name called so casually, Woojung lifted her small chin with a stern expression, as if warning him not to get cheeky.

“Woojuuuuuung.”

He drew out the last syllable of her name.

“PR Officer Jung.”

He reluctantly added her title.

Only then did Woojung nod in satisfaction.

His jet-black eyes stared at her intently, studying her clear eyes with their sharp contrast between black and white. Woojung didn’t look away, either. She stared right back at him.

As she gazed absentmindedly at his features, so beautiful they seemed drawn on, a rumor suddenly came to mind. Something about how clear eyes meant a person was in their right mind.

Before long, she heard a soft chuckle by her ear.

“It’s embarrassing when you look at me so intensely.”

Kim Ju-shin whispered the words, then lightly gripped her slender shoulder. Beneath his palm, he could feel her delicate frame and thin bones, as though they might crumble if he applied too much pressure.

Woojung glanced at the large hand resting on her shoulder, then looked up at him. As though he’d been waiting for her to do so, his pleasant, deep voice continued.

“I’ll be a little busy for a while.”

Woojung tilted her head. If an intern had something that would keep him busy, surely she, his assigned senior mentor, would’ve known about it. She rolled her eyes around, trying to remember if she’d missed something, but nothing came to mind.

“What is it? Did Manager Kang give you work? Or the team leader?”

“If you keep asking, I’m going to get the wrong idea.”

“No, but this is…”

“Ah, I really should get going now.”

Kim Ju-shin never gave her a proper answer. This time, too, he simply wore that inscrutable smile.

He left, but the umbrella remained behind. Alone, Woojung felt as though the umbrella were a huge roof over her head.

The droplets bouncing off the ground had noticeably decreased. The rain, which had been falling so persistently it seemed as though it would never stop, had finally begun to let up. Warm air mingled with the chilly breeze.

“What’s this about getting the wrong idea? You keep saying that. Is that really a thing?”

Woojung folded the umbrella and shook off the water with a few sharp flicks. She followed the fading image of him with her eyes, then let out a ticklish little laugh.

For some reason, she felt that once this rain stopped, summer would arrive early.

That brilliant, scorching season.