In Search of Our Destiny - Chapter 216

While Ji-Won was troubled by these conflicting thoughts, the two of them had somehow arrived at a narrow intersection.

Most of the streets looked almost the same, but this place was pretty unique. It was all because of one street that went up the mountain. The rather deep slope up ahead seemed difficult to climb, especially under those weather conditions.

They had been walking around for more than an hour without either of them realizing. One of them had been too absorbed in his thoughts, while the other was too fascinated with her surroundings to even notice the passage of time.

But at this point, the glaring sun was difficult to ignore any longer.

Glancing at his watch, Ji-Won saw it was already past lunch time.

“Should we take a break and continue after we eat something?”

“Sounds good to me.” Su-Jin breathed a sigh of relief.

A small drop of sweat slid down her forehead and was about to enter her eyes. She quickly raised a hand, brushing the back of her palm across the area.

Just then, a hand appeared in Su-Jin’s line of sight, holding out a small handkerchief.

“Here, take this.” Ji-Won said.

Hearing those words, Su-Jin’s heart unexpectedly made a loud and violent thump.

She clearly heard the man’s voice sounding low and deep, holding that magnetic pull she had recently noticed in his tone.

However, for some unknown reason, her mind mixed that alluring, manly sound with a more childish voice.

Her head snapped up and, for a split second, she expected to see a young boy, handing her a white handkerchief. What she saw, though, was something very different from her imagination.

The man standing in front of her was gazing at her with eyes quite unlike a child’s. The two pupils were of the deepest black, darker than anything Su-Jin had ever seen. Much like the man’s voice, his gaze also had the same unusual magnetic power over her. With just one glance into his eyes, she felt her soul being sucked inside those pupils. She felt trapped by that gaze, unable to escape its power.

Yet, at the same time, the man’s expression was mild, almost tender. His thin lips were hooked up in an attractive curve. His entire face was suffused with a light pink. Su-Jin supposed it was most probably from the effort of walking into that weather.

In the meantime, Ji-Won had stopped half a meter away from Su-Jin. The sun rays fell down on him, reflecting the brightness into his raven black hair and surrounding his body in a hazy halo.

Looking up at him from that angle gave Su-Jin the impression that Ji-Won was glowing from inside out.

‘Is this how that little boy would look like after all these years? Would he be this handsome as well? But what if… Just… What if Director Kang really is…’

“Miss Park?”

Su-Jin once again heard Ji-Won’s voice coming from somewhere close. She blinked several times, feeling her mind gradually clearing.

“Yes?” she replied quietly.

“Take this and use it to wipe your face.” Ji-Won gestured towards the object he was holding.

Only now did Su-Jin notice that he wasn’t offering her a handkerchief, but a tissue.

All of a sudden, she began feeling extremely self-conscious, and also a tad bit silly.

While berating her mind for coming up with such foolish ideas, Su-Jin quickly took the tissue from Ji-Won’s hand and thanked the man without making eye contact.

Afterwards, they took a left and walked along the street until they found a massive, two-story building.

On the ground floor there was a restaurant that seemed to serve traditional food. The upper floor had all the window panels pushed open, revealing the inside of a teahouse.

After craning his neck left and right, Ji-Won finally turned to ask for Su-Jin’s opinion.

“How about this place? We can have lunch here, then rest for a while longer in that teahouse.”

“It sounds perfect. Let’s do that!”

Su-Jin suddenly became excited. She took a moment to ravage the building with her eyes, taking in the beauty of the place, before following Ji-Won inside.

While having lunch, the two of them discussed more about their plans and how to work on the concept. They also made a list of the places they had seen so far, highlighting the ones which might be better candidates for the touristic experiences they wanted to create.

Since Eunpyeong Hanok Village was a historical area that still followed traditions, Su-Jin believed it was possible to come up with offers that could satisfy a large variety of customers.

There were opportunities there for people who enjoyed sightseeing and even for those who simply wanted to escape the bustling city. The clean air at the foot of the mountain, coupled with the reduced number of vehicles, made the small village a perfect place for enjoying a healthy respite.

There were also spots where people could get a breath of nature. Apart from the village itself, there were also two temples nearby, Jingwansa to the South and Samcheonsa to the North. Furthermore, there was also a mountain path where people could go hiking.

The lunch they had was delicious and the service was very good. If you added the beautiful scenery to that, it made this location the perfect environment to spend a free afternoon.

Since Ji-Won was aiming for people pertaining to the middle-class, the affordable prices of the place represented a big plus as well.

All in all, the area seemed like a goldmine of ideas for the likes of Su-Jin and Ji-Won.

After spending another hour drinking tea and envisioning their future clients enjoying the tourist offers their team will create, Su-Jin and Ji-Won left the restaurant and continued with their walk.

“Aah, I feel alive again!” Su-Jin smiled in contentment.

With her eyes slightly narrowed and the corners of her lips hooked up, she looked just like a cat that had eaten a good lunch and now simply wanted to laze around in the grass.