Chapter 117

The rain in spring looked like tiny beads of water made of gleaming green light. The sprouts on the trees were sparkling through these transparent droplets of water. A man opened a clean glass window and reached out his hand, feeling the raindrops. He slowly turned his head after hearing a sudden sound. As soon as the two people made eye contact, a bright smile flashed across the man's face. Affection and lingering feelings could be felt in those gleaming eyes; it was stifling.

-- Let's come here together again next year.

"Yes! Let's never break up. I'll always be with you, regardless of where you are!" As soon as the man spoke, the woman placed her hands together and made a vow. Even though there was no hope in her voice that was filled with excitement, she was happy at this moment.

The girl had watched the commercial several times before; she clicked on the first episode of City of Shadows. Even though she had seen it countless times and remembered all the lines by now, it was always new and exciting every time she watched it.

Rattle rattle.

Instead of opening the door, the person standing outside the room spoke in a sharp voice.

"Did you lock the door again? Come out and have dinner! What exactly are you hiding in your room? I don't know why your door is always locked. If you continue being like this, I'll open the door and enter your room when you're not around."

"Don't you dare! This is my territory. If anyone tries to enter, they'll get it from me!" the girl responded.

"Okay, okay, just come out of your room and have your dinner. It'll be nice if you can come out of your room on your own whenever it's time for dinner. Why do I have to call you every time!" The look in the girl's eyes kept changing as she listened to her sister's complaints. She lived with her sister, and her nosy sister seemed to think something terrible would happen if she skipped a meal. The girl had no choice but to turn off her monitor and get up from her chair. If she continued ignoring her nosy sister, she might barge into her room.

The girl hadn't even turned on the room light, and she scanned her dark room before leaving. The light from the living room shone through the gap of the open door and illuminated the room. A picture of Chae Woo-Jin on the wall and a life-size cardboard cutout on one side could be seen in the dark. She barely resisted the temptation to keep looking, and as soon as she shut the door, the sound of the door slamming and locking echoed silently in the air.

***

Park Eun-Soo looked at the picture hanging in the Gaon store and tried her best not to smile. It showed Woo-Jin wearing a necklace as a bracelet, and half of his face was covered with his right hand, which had a ring on one of his fingers. His carefree smile captured the cheerful and lively nature of the youth in their twenties. Seeing how he managed to effortlessly pull off women's jewelry as a man, Park Eun-Soo felt that celebrities were indeed different from normal people. The pictures of the models from the other brands didn't even catch her eye, probably because Woo-Jin was her son.

Just then, the store manager happened to see Park Eun-Soo and approached her. The Gaon boutique in this department store was directly managed by the headquarters. Even though it was barely a couple of times, Park Eun-Soo had swung by to do market research or look at the store displays, so the manager remembered her.

"You're here, Team Leader Park," the manager said.

Even though she was Brisingamen's CEO, Choi Min-Woo's wife, Park Eun-Soo had always put her position as a designer first before anything else. Additionally, many company employees, both at the headquarters and in the stores, were unaware of their relationship as she was not the type to go around revealing personal details. It was also harder for the store manager to find who she was, especially since the manager was scouted via a headhunter and had only become the manager of Gaon at the start of this year. The people who knew Park Eun-Soo well didn't go around spreading her information, let alone Park Eun-Soo herself. Since she visited the store from time to time, the manager felt at ease talking to her.

"You don't have to worry about me today. Just pretend I'm not here. I came to look around the department store for some market research." Park Eun-Soo went to the department store to browse the other jewelry boutiques and check out the design preferences of consumers, so she told the manager not to pay her any attention.

"There's a misunderstanding. I called you over intentionally because I have a favor to ask of you," the manager said.

"A favor? From me?"

"Yes! I've submitted a proposal to the head office, but if the opportunity arises, I hope that you can help me out as well." The manager gave a shy smile, pulled Park Eun-Soo into the boutique, and spoke softly, "Chae Woo-Jin."

"Woo...I mean, Chae Woo-Jin? What about him?" Park Eun-Soo asked.

"I was wondering if there's any chance we could host a fansign event. Ever since Chae Woo-Jin became our model, our brand awareness has risen significantly even though he's a newcomer. That's why other companies have been keeping an eye on us and thinking of ways to overcome the competition. Not too long ago, the models from the other brands had hosted fansign events here," the manager said.

Park Eun-Soo didn't know much about business and marketing, so she smiled awkwardly after hearing what the manager said and made a casual remark asking if that really happened.

"Recently, the hairpin Chae Woo-Jin used to pin his bangs during his classes in school, and the necklace he wore, have both been selling very well. I think it's great that Chae Woo-Jin modeled for our brand, but I truly didn't expect him to actively promote our products like this." These products weren't sponsored for an official event in the first place. Models seldom continued using the products they modeled for in their daily lives. Hence, if they were to show the consumers that Woo-Jin personally wore these products, more often than not, it would be a lot more effective than shooting a few commercials or .

"He's certainly a very popular actor, so his every move would be posted on the internet right away. Hence, I shared my opinion with the higher-ups yesterday that even if he doesn't host a fansign event, it would be good if he could just drop by the boutique at least once." Gaon didn't have a flagship store, so this boutique was the biggest one directly managed by the company's headquarters. It was also the boutique with the highest overall sales and was considered the main store of Gaon. Hence, if they were to hold a fansign event, this was the right place.

When the models from the other brands showed up, it had certainly hurt their sales on the day itself. Even though it wasn't just a one-day business, there were several jewelry brands in the department store, so models from these brands took turns having their fansign events. Thus, Gaon's exposure was bound to decrease. Chae Woo-Jin had the ability to create a ripple effect that other models from those brands could not compare to. The manager wasn't asking for much — she just wanted Chae Woo-Jin to drop by Gaon's boutique at least once.

"The design team doesn't have a say in such matters. If it's feasible, wouldn't the marketing department be processing it?" Park Eun-Soo asked.

"That must be the case, right? The models from the other brands have been coming here consecutively for the fansign events since last week, so I guess I have been rather impatient. I'm sorry for making you feel burdened," the manager apologized, but Park Eun-Soo gestured to her, telling her it was okay. She knew very well what it was like to have the desire to perform well.

"By the way, Chae Woo-Jin is currently shooting a movie. So, it's highly likely that he doesn't have much spare time after juggling both academics and work at the same time," Park Eun-Soo said.

"Ah, that's right!"

After comforting the disappointed manager, Park Eun-Soo left the boutique. She took a quick glance at the other boutiques and walked towards one of them. No, she was about to.

However, she was stopped by a middle-aged woman who grabbed her by the arm as she called out her name. "You're Park Eun-Soo...right?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm... Kang Hye-Min." Park Eun-Soo was still puzzled even after hearing the middle-aged woman's name. She didn't recognize her face or her name. Park Eun-Soo became guarded and tried to release herself from the woman's grip, but the middle-aged woman desperately held onto her arm.

"I'm Chae Mu-Seok's...second wife."

Upon hearing the name 'Chae Mu-Seok,' Park Eun-Soo stopped moving and stared blankly at the woman who identified herself as Kang Hye-Min. Chae Mu-Seok was Woo-Jin and Woo-Hee's biological father. Park Eun-Soo didn't know the name of the woman he married after their divorce, but she knew she was a young lady who was ten years her junior. However, the woman standing before Park Eun-Soo right now looked much older and more sickly than her.

"I happened to see you while I was walking around; that's why I blindly followed you. Can we...go somewhere close by and talk? Just for a bit...?" Kang Hye-Min said.

"Why should I do that? We are strangers who have nothing to do with one another, especially since you've divorced that person too." After learning the woman's identity, Park Eun-Soo let her guard down, but that didn't mean she was comfortable enough to sit down with her and talk. Even though she didn't know how Kang Hye-Min knew about her, Park Eun-Soo felt uncomfortable around her.

"Just for a little while, please. There's something I need to tell you."

Park Eun-Soo was conflicted for a moment after hearing her desperate plea. Kang Hye-Min was so thin that she was all skin and bones. She was only in her late thirties, but she looked like a middle-aged woman because of her sunken eyes and wrinkles. Upon a closer inspection, one could tell that her gaunt and skinny face used to be beautiful at one point. Her disheveled hair and expensive but untidy clothes gave people the impression that she was not currently of sound mind.

"There's something I must tell you about your son," Kang Hye-Min said.

"Do you know my son?" Park Eun-Soo asked her warily, thinking she wanted to talk about Woo-Jin. However, Kang Hye-Min was puzzled by her reaction.

"I'm sorry? Ah, no, I don't. But I'm aware you have a son. Just like me in the past...."

Park Eun-Soo could feel the sadness in the last part of her reply. She didn't have the heart to reject the woman who was starting to tear up. She left the department store and brought Kang Hye-Min to a nearby cafe. Kang Hye-Min looked hesitant after getting seated even though it seemed as though she had a lot to say.

Park Eun-Soo waited patiently as she watched Kang Hye-Min continuously fiddle with her warm cup of tea as she opened and closed her mouth repeatedly. Shortly after, Kang Hye-Min started to tell her what had happened in the past. Before getting to the main topic, she seemed to want to address an issue first.

"At first, my uncle[1] was the one who arranged my marriage with that person. I turned it down initially after learning he had been divorced and that he was a lot older than me. However, the more we heard about him, the more we realized he came from a very prestigious family beyond our imagination. It was a little weird too. Even though he had been divorced, he could easily find a better woman than me because of his family background. Back then, my father was a professor in a university. And my father...dreamed of becoming the president of the university with the help of that person."

To put it bluntly, as soon as Kang Hye-Min married him, her father quickly rose through the ranks in the university. Initially, the dean was the highest position her father could reach. However, after four years of Kang Hye-Min's marriage, her father became the university president.

"My marriage with him definitely had to do with increasing our status."

She used to think she was already living an affluent life free of difficulties and tribulations. But, after marrying Chae Mu-Seok, her status had risen exponentially — she had a personal assistant and chauffeur overnight. She didn't have to make a trip down to the department store; they went to her. They would open the boutiques anytime she wanted and greet her, even if it was at dawn. When she received a call from a department store in Hong Kong about a newly released product, she would take the plane and fly there to buy it on the day itself like it was nothing. When she suddenly craved the food she previously had in Japan, she would fly over immediately for lunch and fly back. She didn't have to think about which color to get because she could buy all of them regardless of the price if she liked them.

"At first, it felt like a dream. That person was also kind and well-mannered, so I mistakenly thought that I received such a blessing because I had saved a country in my previous life. I was such a fool," Kang Hye-Min said.

Seeing Kang Hye-Min mock herself, Park Eun-Soo could relate to her. Even though it was an arranged marriage, Park Eun-Soo used to think Chae Mu-Seok was gentlemanly and charismatic, even though he wasn't affectionate.

"It's all just a facade," Park Eun-Soo said.

"Yes, it was a facade. As soon as his father collapsed out of the blue, he revealed his true colors."

Two years after their wedding, her father-in-law collapsed due to a stroke and became partially paralyzed. As a result, Chae Mu-Seok took over all the family businesses. Since he was the only son, he took over everything peacefully because he didn't have any brothers or relatives to dispute management rights. After being the sole owner of everything, he acted like he no longer needed to regard others or care about anyone at all.

1. Her father's younger brother. ☜