Chapter 55: The Invitation That Couldn’t Be Accepted

Hae-su couldn’t take his eyes off the neat, familiar name displayed on the screen.

Without saying a word, Se-ha stared at it for a long moment before reaching toward the red decline button.

At the same time, Hae-su reached out as well.

As if to stop him, he gently caught Se-ha’s index and middle fingers.

“Answer it.”

“…”

“If you don’t, they’ll worry something happened…”

But Se-ha had no reason to listen to Hae-su.

More than anything, he had no desire to answer Ji-woo’s call in this atmosphere.

Leaving everything else aside, he wasn’t insensitive enough to answer Ji-woo’s phone while Hae-su sat right beside him, able to hear every word.

Just a few sentences, and you’ve managed to turn me into garbage that isn’t even worth sorting.

That thought alone made him want to ignore every word Hae-su said.

Se-ha firmly held Hae-su’s hand where it had become tangled with his, then slowly let it go.

Seeing Hae-su’s hand hover awkwardly with nowhere to go, he quietly guided it back to its rightful place.

Only after watching it fall onto Hae-su’s thigh did he finally look away.

He irritably brushed back the bangs that had fallen across his forehead, damp with cold sweat.

“I’ll handle it myself.”

Handling it himself meant only one thing.

He rejected Ji-woo’s call without another moment’s hesitation.

“It’s not something Mr. Choi Hae-su needs to worry about.”

Everything he’d done to push Hae-su away until now rose up in protest.

Every contradiction in Se-ha’s actions demanded an explanation.

Wasn’t Kwon Se-ha the one who had wanted to hurt Choi Hae-su more than anyone else?

His clumsy attempt only filled him with self-loathing.

Once again, the atmosphere sank to rock bottom.

The evening commute was chaotic.

Knowing he had plans to drink, Se-ha hadn’t driven to work that day.

That morning, before leaving home, he had apologized to Yoon Ji-woo for not being able to drive her to their meeting place.

She hadn’t replied that everything was fine because of those words.

Instead, Ji-woo turned away with a pout and announced that she planned to drink tonight.

She even added that she wouldn’t be coming home early.

Only after warning him that she absolutely wouldn’t answer her phone did she finally smile brightly.

Part of her wanted Kwon Se-ha to worry for once.

It was a small act of revenge.

Leaving him with that cheerful goodbye, Yoon Ji-woo walked into the bar where they were meeting.

The place was famous for its elegant atmosphere.

At first glance, it looked so refined that it was difficult to tell whether it was a bar or an upscale restaurant.

Ji-woo personally preferred cheaper, noisier places, so she never quite felt comfortable here.

Still, if it meant meeting this person, it was worth putting up with.

The shelves and menu were filled with drinks that only genuine liquor enthusiasts would seek out.

So he still liked alcohol.

Some things never changed.

“Sunbae!”

“Oh, Ji-woo.”

“What is this? You couldn’t wait and drink together with me?”

The person who had arrived before Ji-woo had apparently uncorked a bottle of wine quite some time ago.

Ordinarily she would have scolded him, but today she found herself strangely pleased instead.

Her steps felt so light that she could easily let it slide.

She really was in an unusually good mood.

“Sorry. I only just finished everything I was busy with. Once the wine was sitting in front of me, I couldn’t make myself wait.”

“Of course.”

“Ji-woo, you look happy. Is this the glow of someone who’s about to get married?”

“Do I? That’s a relief. I have to take good care of myself until the wedding.”

She was simply happy to see a face she hadn’t seen in years.

How long had it been since they last met?

While Ji-woo busily took in every detail of his face, the man sitting across from her paid no attention to her lingering gaze.

Despite already finishing half a bottle of wine, his expression hadn’t changed in the slightest.

His name was Choi Young.

He had been Ji-woo’s senior since their university days.

Although he didn’t dislike drinking, if he wasn’t in the mood for a gathering, he refused without hesitation.

Many people surrounded him, but he always maintained a certain distance from them.

He rarely spoke about his personal feelings.

“Sunbae… you haven’t changed at all.”

“Well… except you’ve got a few more wrinkles.”

He was still handsome.

For someone so sociable, he was surprisingly full of secrets.

When she was twenty, Ji-woo had genuinely developed feelings for the talented, charming senior who seemed good at everything.

That had been more than ten years ago.

It wasn’t exactly something she should be reminiscing about right before marrying Kwon Se-ha.

Still, she was simply glad to see him again.

The moment she sat down, Ji-woo slid a wedding invitation across the table.

“Here. My invitation.”

“You could’ve just sent me the mobile version.”

“I wanted to give this one to you in person.”

“I see… It’s good to see you again after so long.”

His low voice was as pleasant as ever.

Now that he lectured at a university, she wondered how popular he must be with students fifteen years younger than himself.

He opened the invitation and looked at it for a long time without speaking.

Then he smiled faintly and nodded.

“Yoon Ji-woo, you’re marrying quite an impressive man.”

“Really?”

“You are. From the articles… and the photos, anyway. He seemed straightforward. A good person.”

“Mm. I heard Kwon Se-ha is even on the university website?”

Hearing someone as accomplished as Choi Young praise Se-ha filled her with pride.

Compliments never seemed to lose their charm.

And the thought that such an extraordinary man was her fiancé made her want to tell everyone she met.

“You have to come.”

“I’ll introduce you properly—’this is my husband.'”

“He’s even more handsome in person.”

She had once sincerely loved the man sitting across from her.

Now, however, he remained only as a pleasant memory of first love.

Back then, after being rejected, it had felt as though the sky itself had collapsed.

But enough time had passed for even that pain to become a fond memory.

That was why Ji-woo could speak so openly about Se-ha in front of him.

“I really wanted to introduce you.”

At the wedding she wanted Se-ha to meet the man who had once been everyone’s university crush—including her own.

She imagined teasing Se-ha by telling him all about her old one-sided love.

Maybe even someone as proud as Kwon Se-ha would get just a little jealous.

As he watched Ji-woo’s excited face, Choi Young’s expression slowly darkened.

Like someone worried about disappointing a person standing on the threshold of the happiest day of her life, he remained silent for a long while.

“Ji-woo.”

“Yes?”

“I can’t come to your wedding.”

His gentle yet piercing eyes settled on Ji-woo.

The words that left his elegant lips shattered all the cheerful anticipation she’d been carrying.

“…Huh? Why? Are you busy that day?”

“Yes.”

“Something came up.”

“But I didn’t want to cancel today’s meeting.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I wanted you to congratulate me…”

“Congratulations.”

“That’s why dinner—and the drinks—are on me tonight.”

Without offering any real explanation, Choi Young quietly slipped the invitation back into its envelope.

Then he carefully placed it on the table, far away from himself, as though he didn’t want even a drop of moisture touching it.

All he could offer the bewildered Ji-woo was another sincere apology.

“I’m sorry for disappointing you.”

“…Come on.”

“That really takes the wind out of my sails.”

“I saw your wedding photos.”

“They turned out beautifully.”

“You still look like a college student.”

Whether he accepted the invitation or not, he wasn’t coming.

If today’s dinner had been canceled instead, that would have hurt her even more.

With slumped shoulders, Ji-woo popped a lemon-flavored cracker into her mouth.

“So what’s the point…”

“Why do I suddenly feel so empty?”

Watching her quietly, Choi Young refilled her wine glass with an awkward smile.

She knew he wouldn’t explain further.

That only made the frustration worse.

“Normally the person handing out invitations pays for dinner.”

“But today you’re paying for everything, just like you said.”

“I’m too annoyed to let you off.”

“I’m ordering all the expensive dishes.”

Fortunately, Ji-woo wasn’t the type to cling stubbornly to things she couldn’t change.

Complaining any further would only ruin the evening.

She didn’t particularly want him apologizing over and over either.

He had been the person she most wanted to invite to the wedding.

But sometimes life simply turned out that way.

“Haha. Fair enough.”

“And you’d better give me a generous wedding gift.”

“Promise.”

Choi Young laughed in disbelief.

Seeing the tension disappear, Ji-woo rested her chin on one hand, ready to settle into casual conversation.

“So how have you been?”

“How’s work under Professor Ha?”

“Who knows.”

“I thought I’d finally have some free time during the professor’s sabbatical.”

“Turns out I was wrong.”

The awkward mood gradually disappeared.

She wasn’t exactly depressed anymore.

If anything, she’d just found something to complain to Se-ha about when she got home.

Her spirits lifted again.

“Once this research project is over, I’m thinking of moving.”

“Moving?”

“Yeah.”

“As long as I can still commute.”

“I want somewhere with clean air and good water.”

“What?”

“You sound like an old man.”

Someone who rarely spoke about his personal life was suddenly sharing his plans.

Surprised, Ji-woo’s eyes widened.

She thought for a moment before suddenly clapping her hands.

“Are you getting married too?”

“Hm?”

“No, seriously.”

“If anyone should be getting married first, it should’ve been you.”

“Is there someone special?”

“…That’s not it.”

“I was wondering where your imagination was going.”

Chuckling at her excitement, he leaned back fully into his chair.

For a moment, he said nothing.

He blinked slowly, looking like someone fighting off drowsiness while deep in thought.

Ji-woo watched him with shining eyes.

An expression that said:

Don’t lie.

Whatever it is, I’ll congratulate you.

She believed that if the man she’d once loved was choosing to tell her something, it had to be news that would make anyone happy.

“I’m just…”

“I’m thinking of living with my younger sibling.”

His unexpected answer reminded Ji-woo of something she had completely forgotten.

“Your sibling?”

“The one you’ve always talked about but I’ve never met?”

“Yeah.”

Ah…

When was it?

This wasn’t the first time he had mentioned that sibling.

His younger sibling…

Someone whose name and face Ji-woo had never known.

She remembered spending a long time alone in her room, thinking about that mysterious person.

Naturally, memories of a certain day began to surface.

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