In Search of Our Destiny - Chapter 214

Ultimately, seeing how Su-Jin continued to keep silent, Ji-Won grew increasingly worried. He didn’t want her to misunderstand the reason behind his question, so he hurried to explain himself.

“I mean, it is a rather unusual idea, not to mention a risky one. Going for such a remote place, instead of choosing something with a more commercial appeal, also planning activities based on traditional festivals instead of picking the usual tourist attractions… There must have been something that sparked the idea. I’m curious to know what that was.”

“I see.” Su-Jin sighed in relief.

In truth, for a second there she had been worried of what Director Kang might think. What if he suspected the source of her ideas? After all, it wasn’t all that rare for bosses to doubt their employees.

Su-Jin wanted to avoid that from happening at all cost, so she decided to reply truthfully.

“To be honest, it all started with a TV drama.”

“A TV drama?” Ji-Won replied in stupefaction. He could have guessed anything but that.

Then again, when it came to sudden bursts of inspiration, nothing was too strange or wild. One could get an idea even from staring at a tree for a few seconds. So, getting a indea like that after watching a TV drama wasn’t all that odd.

“What was so special about this drama then?” he continued to inquire.

“Well…” Su-Jin hummed absentmindedly. “It was rather the idea behind the plot that caught my attention and made me remember something. The notion of being star-crossed lovers made me reminisce about the story behind Chilseok festival.”

“Ah, the one about those two lovers who were punished by the Lord of Heaven to only meet one day in an entire year?”

“Director Kang, you know about that as well?” Su-Jin gasped in surprise.

Ji-Won’s lips pulled up into a small smile.

“Mn, I know the story very well. My mother used to tell me about it. For some reason, she said it was her favorite love story.”

Hearing this, Su-Jin’s expression slowly turned complicated.

‘I guess Mi-Suk isn’t the only person who would think such a tragic story is actually romantic. If they met, these two women would have gotten along perfectly.’

“Actually, Mi-Suk said the same thing when we discussed this subject the other night.” Su-Jin said, unable to keep this to herself.

“What about you?” Ji-Won’s interest suddenly perked up.

“Me? I simply called it tragic.” Su-Jin shrugged. Then, as if she had just remembered something, her expression changed into a grimace. “But the worst came from Min-Jun, who outright called it plain stupid. He even gave us a bunch of arguments that I could hardly refute at the time.”

A soft chuckle came from Ji-Won’s direction, but he quickly masked it with a light cough.

“So, what was it about the Chilseok festival that made you think of this new concept?” he asked, trying to go back to the original subject.

“Oh, that…” Su-Jin smiled and answered simply. “I was actually reminded of my own experience. Even as a small child I was still impressed by the atmosphere surrounding the festival, by the gaiety and the beauty of that place. So, I wanted to create an opportunity for other people to experience the same thing at least once. And it’s not just this festival, but others as well. I hope in the future we could find other places to include in this concept, and help people rediscover the beauty of our festivals.”

After reaching this point in her speech, Su-Jin fell silent. She turned to look out the window, a light smile still lingering on her lips.

Ji-Won was really impressed with the young woman’s heartfelt words. Even though he had never been one to enjoy crowded festivities, he could easily imagine the things she just talked about. He could also relate to her desire to create something enjoyable for other people.

Working hard in order to make people happy was a notion his mother instilled in him ever since he was a child. Although this sentiment had dulled over the years, mostly due to her absence, the seed she had planted deep inside his heart wasn’t gone. Instead of dying, it miraculously withstood the winter that had settled inside Ji-Won’s heart after his mother’s death.

Just like that, the small seed remained buried underneath all those negative emotions, waiting for spring to come and for water to finally reach it and give it strength to grow.

At present, Su-Jin’s appearance in his life represented an overflowing river, drowning Ji-Won’s heart under its refreshing waters. She was his spring, the breath of life his soul had been waiting for all these years.

Unbeknownst to Ji-Won, his feelings kept growing and growing, until he ultimately couldn’t stop them anymore. At this point, Ji-Won wasn’t sure he would be able to stop and go back to how he used to be, even if he wanted to.

This new realization startled Ji-Won. Blaring alarms exploded inside his head and it took all his willpower not to blurt out everything in front of Su-Jin.

Still, in the end, he managed to stay calm. As he drove the car towards their destination, he made a silent promise to himself.

‘If I act too rashly right now, she might think badly of me, maybe even reject my feelings. So, I need to find the right moment to bring this matter up. Once that moment comes, though, I won’t hesitate any longer. I will tell Miss Park how I feel, come what may!’

When they finally arrived at Eunpyeong Hanok Village, the sun was already high up on the bright firmament.

Outside, the weather was fine, with a clear blue sky and just a little windy. The only downside was the relatively high level of humidity. Even though the village was very close to the mountain, and many of its streets and houses were built high on the slopes, the air was still steaming.

Inside the car, though, Ji-Won and Su-Jin felt rather comfortable. The former was focused on driving the car, while the latter was gazing out the window, eager to see their destination as soon as possible.

Just then, Su-Jin spotted an enclosed area right next to the outer wall of the village. There were several cars parked inside, most probably belonging to tourists.

“Ah, isn’t that a parking lot?” she mumbled in an undertone.