Chapter 18: An Unwanted Encounter

The curt greeting jolted me back to the harsh reality. It wasn’t Seon Woo-jung. The man standing unequivocally before me was Han Jung-woo.

‘This must be a mere coincidence, right?’

Han Jung-woo, suddenly materializing in a foreign land where I had no connections, not even in Korea, felt like a plot device so forced it would be derided as contrived even in a television drama.

Yet, if this wasn’t a coincidence, it implied Han Jung-woo had sought me out—a notion utterly baseless. After all, he was the very person who had wished to sever Yoo Seo-jin from his life more than anyone else.

“To think we’d meet here, Director Han Jung-woo.”

As I offered a slight bow, Han Jung-woo merely gave an indifferent nod in return. His dark eyes, utterly devoid of warmth, slowly swept over my battered state.

From my split lip to my bruised cheek, my clearly beaten appearance seemed to displease him. Han Jung-woo’s brow furrowed in a visible scowl.

“Get in. I’ll drive you.”

Han Jung-woo gestured with his chin toward the car he had just stepped out of. After an encounter that blurred the lines between coincidence and pursuit, this inscrutable offer of kindness could only be met with a firm refusal.

“I must decline.”

Han Jung-woo’s sentiments toward Yoo Seo-jin were anything but favorable; they bordered on outright revulsion. There was no telling what grim fate might await me if I dared to step into his car.

I gave a final, dismissive nod and attempted to bypass Han Jung-woo, but then my arm was seized. Why did it seem everyone was intent on grabbing me today?

“You’d be wise to get in while I’m still asking politely.”

Since his words proved ineffective, he now resorted to threats. Yet, getting into Han Jung-woo’s car was a fate I’d rather die than endure, so I brazenly ignored his presumptuous offer.

“Yoo Seo-jin—”

I wrenched free from Han Jung-woo’s grasp, ignoring his call, and strode towards the roadside. Fortuitously, as if my luck had finally turned, I spotted a passing taxi just then and raised my arm high.

‘Please, just stop.’

Noticing my hand waving with such fervent desperation, the taxi slowly decelerated before coming to a stop directly in front of me.

I ducked into the taxi, my head bowed low to conceal my swollen cheek. Though the interior light flickered on, the dimness of the cabin mercifully prevented the driver from getting a clear view of my disheveled state.

[Where to?]

The driver’s voice was kind as he inquired about my destination. Just as I was about to utter the resort’s name, the half-closed door swung open once more, and someone slipped inside.

It was Han Jung-woo.

[JMI.]

Instead of me, Han Jung-woo had rattled off a destination to the taxi driver: the very resort where I had been residing for quite some time.

While I questioned how Han Jung-woo knew my exact lodging, an even greater enigma was why he had abandoned his own car to follow me into this taxi.

“No, why leave a perfectly good car—”

“Isn’t it my prerogative to ride whatever I please?”

I yearned to shout at him to get out immediately, but the taxi had already begun to move. To create as much distance as possible from Han Jung-woo, I pressed myself firmly against the window.

“Who struck you?”

As the awkward silence stretched, Han Jung-woo finally spoke. I, with my gaze deliberately averted, replied curtly.

“I don’t know.”

“Did you see their face?”

“I don’t recall.”

Not knowing their name was indeed true, but their face remained disturbingly vivid in my memory. How could I possibly forget something that had transpired mere moments ago?

Nevertheless, I had retaliated with more than just a simple blow, so I harbored no sense of injustice.

Observing my clear disinclination to continue the conversation, Han Jung-woo seemed to concede, remaining silent for the rest of the journey. Consequently, we didn’t exchange another word until we finally arrived at the resort.

“Allow me to cover the taxi fare.”

“Suit yourself.”

While I harbored no desire to owe Han Jung-woo a single thing, proposing to split the fare in this situation would have been utterly absurd.

Given that he was practically swimming in money, the taxi fare would undoubtedly be mere pocket change to him.

Entrusting the payment to Han Jung-woo, I exited the taxi and made my way into the resort. In the interim, Han Jung-woo, having settled the fare, seamlessly followed behind me.

‘Is today truly cursed, or what?’

First, some contemptible fellow was stalking me, and now it’s Han Jung-woo.

Unable to continue to my room with him trailing behind, I halted and turned back. Han Jung-woo, who had been following, stopped in sync with me.

“Why are you trailing me?”

“Who, me?”

Han Jung-woo let out a scoff, as if utterly incredulous. I was about to retort, ‘Who else could it be but you?’, when he simply walked past me.

“I’m not sure what misconception you’re harboring, Yoo Seo-jin, but—”

Han Jung-woo, prolonging his words, then conspicuously opened a door with a card key he retrieved from his pocket. It was the unit directly adjacent to the one I was occupying.

“I’m staying here as well.”

“…”

“There’s a week-long conference, you see.”

If Han Jung-woo was indeed attending the conference Jae-hyun had spoken of, then his presence at this resort was hardly unusual.

A few more questions undeniably lingered, yet I found myself unwilling to ponder them further. The extent of my interest in him was, quite frankly, precisely this limited.

“It seems we’ll be seeing a lot of each other for a while.”

“That will not happen.”

In stark contrast to my decisive declaration, Han Jung-woo wore a subtle smile. A shiver of ominous foreboding prickled my skin.

“Well then, I’ll head in first.”

With that ambiguous farewell, Han Jung-woo disappeared into his room. *Bang*, the resounding slam of the door echoed through the empty corridor.

****

I spent the entire night wide awake.

The mere thought of Han Jung-woo, of all people, occupying the room directly beside mine, transformed a once-comfortable space into one of profound unease.

Coincidence or not, the prospect of constantly running into Han Jung-woo during the week-long conference could not possibly bode well for me.

‘Why did he have to come here?’

From Jae-hyun to now Han Jung-woo—this was hardly a concierge service designed to track me down. All the arduous effort I had invested in severing Yoo Seo-jin’s ties now felt utterly futile.

“It seems we’ll be seeing a lot of each other for a while.”

Han Jung-woo’s parting words echoed relentlessly in my mind. The fact that the man who once shuddered at merely being in the same space as me had uttered such a phrase first could not possibly bode well.

‘Surely he isn’t trying to eliminate me entirely?’

Han Jung-woo was precisely the sort of man who would meticulously eradicate anything that displeased him, and then some. Yet, even after a prolonged period of contemplation, I could discern no reason for him to target me.

I had left on my own accord, hadn’t I? Wasn’t that sufficient? Or had my unexpected presence at his work destination simply soured his mood?

Was he, therefore, planning to eradicate me entirely given this unexpected opportunity?

‘No, I’m overthinking this.’

Even if money could seemingly accomplish anything in this world, Yoo Seo-jin was, though perhaps not as affluent as Han Jung-woo, still the scion of a considerably wealthy family.

Should anything befall me, Yoo Hae-jung would certainly not remain idle. Would Han Jung-woo genuinely go to such bothersome lengths simply to eliminate me?

‘I haven’t the faintest clue what this bastard is thinking.’

After tossing and turning in agony beneath the covers for what felt like an eternity, I finally pushed myself up. It was the predawn hours, a pale bluish light filtering through the slight gap in the curtains.

Han Jung-woo’s true intentions spiraled deeper into an impenetrable labyrinth. The only undeniable truth was that I could not allow things to continue as they were.

I needed to sever all connections related to Yoo Seo-jin even more definitively.

‘I must leave.’

While I had no specific destination in mind, it was no different from when I first arrived here. I came without a purpose, staying if I liked it, and moving on if I didn’t.

The timing of my departure had merely been accelerated.

Rising from the bed, I retrieved the suitcase I had stowed away deep within the closet. Then, with little care, I haphazardly crammed clothes and other necessities inside.

In stark contrast to its initial slender form, the suitcase now bulged to its fullest capacity. It appeared my belongings had unintentionally proliferated during my stay.

I managed to zip the suitcase closed with considerable effort, then simply donned an outer garment and departed the room. It was an uncommonly early hour for checkout, yet, thankfully, a staff member was already present at the front desk.

‘This is the way to go.’

As I slipped on my shoes, I quickly searched for the earliest flight that would take me away from this place. After swiftly completing the booking, I opened my door, and at that very instant, the door to the adjacent unit also swung open.

As if by some meticulously orchestrated timing, it happened simultaneously.

Our eyes, upon finding each other, widened perceptibly. Han Jung-woo’s gaze, which had lingered on my face for an extended moment, then shifted deliberately to my suitcase.

“Where are you off to?”

Han Jung-woo questioned, but naturally, I offered no reply. I calmly locked my room door and headed towards the front desk. Han Jung-woo, however, swiftly closed the distance between us, extending his leg to block my path.

It wasn’t a display of his long legs, but rather his method of obstructing my way, which was infuriating both yesterday and today. Han Jung-woo tilted his head askew and asked again.

“Yoo Seo-jin, are you simply ignoring my words? I asked where you’re going.”

“I’d rather not answer.”

Perhaps my sharp retort had an effect, as Han Jung-woo withdrew the leg that had been blocking me. Just as I thought he would let me pass quietly, he suddenly snatched my suitcase and shoved it away.

“So you weren’t deaf after all.”

The unexpected proximity forced me to instinctively recoil. Han Jung-woo relentlessly pursued me as I retreated. Inevitably, I soon found my back against a wall.

There was no longer any escape.

“Move aside.”

“I don’t recall you answering yet.”

“I told you I didn’t want to speak.”

“Ah, right.”

Han Jung-woo shrugged impudently. This bastard had always been ill-mannered and unpredictable, but today, his behavior was particularly egregious.

“It seems we’ll be seeing a lot of each other for a while.”

The ominous phrase resurfaced, sending a shiver down my spine. His declaration of frequent encounters likely served as a warning, perhaps even a threat to slowly wear me down.

‘If he’d just left me alone, he could have lived happily with Jung Hee-soo. Why is he doing this to me?’

Unspoken grievances swelled, filling my cheeks. Han Jung-woo, true to his unpleasant nature, merely smirked at my discomfort.

My flight was soon, and I just wished he would let me go.

“Let’s meet.”