In Search of Our Destiny - Chapter 217

Attracted by Su-Jin’s cheerful tone and relaxed manners, Ji-Won gave Su-Jin a side-glance.

The words cute and adorable unexpectedly popped inside his mind. This made him instantly become flustered and he quickly pulled his eyes away. He furtively raised a hand to his lips in order to hide a smile. But the loud, nervous chuckle that seeped through his lips was impossible to mask as a cough.

“Is something the matter?” Su-Jin inquired, eying him strangely.

Sure enough, she had seen his little gesture and was now intrigued by it.

Ji-Won cleared his throat and replied as nonchalantly as possible.

“N-Nothing… It’s really nothing. We should get going now. There are still lots of places left to visit around the village.”

Su-Jin thought something was off about Ji-Won’s current behavior. There was something especially odd about his eyes shifting around randomly, avoiding making contact with Su-Jin’s curious gaze.

This skittish action was quite similar to how she usually acted whenever there was reason to feel nervous or embarrassed.

‘That’s odd. What reason would Director Kang have to feel nervous or even embarrassed for?’

All of a sudden, an idea popped inside her head and she let out a silent gasp.

‘Could it be that he disliked my conduct during lunch? Or perhaps there was something I said that upset him?’

In less than a minute, Su-Jin tried to recollect the entire lunchtime, as well as all the conversations she had with him since they left the office.

Nevertheless, the result of this quick research was that she had been a proper lady for once. There were no accidents caused by her clumsiness, nor did she eat too fast or spoke too loudly.

As such, she was left even more baffled than before.

‘I really don’t remember doing or saying anything that could label me as uncouth. So, if that’s not the case, then why is he like this? Right now, Director Kang acts as though he doesn’t even want to gaze in my direction, let alone look me in the eye!’

Ultimately, as she couldn’t reach an answer by herself, Su-Jin decided to push the matter aside for now. Maybe she’ll find a better timing later to probe him for answers.

After leaving the restaurant, Su-Jin and Ji-Won first took the road opposite from the one that went up the mountain. Then they spent another hour and a half ambling along the narrow streets and getting lost in sightseeing.

They also stopped to check out two more Hanok houses.

One of them was also a two-story building, almost as big as the restaurant they previously visited. Both floors were turned into a café that was selling all sorts of delicious and refreshing beverages. Meanwhile, the other building was much smaller, with the ground floor being a traditional sweets shop.

Upon seeing the latter house, Su-Jin couldn’t help but become extremely excited. She hurried inside and bought several desserts of different types.

During this time, Ji-Won was once again very accommodating. He followed Su-Jin inside the shop and waited patiently in a corner until the young woman finished with her purchase.

Walking out of the shop, Su-Jin almost made the mistake of asking Ji-Won if he cared to try one of the desserts. Luckily, though, she quickly stopped herself, thus avoiding a big blunder.

‘That was close. I’m afraid that if I showed Director Kang the bag of sweets, he might blow his top in just a matter of seconds. I seriously wonder what this person does for his birthday. Could it be that he really doesn’t even get a cake? That would really be too tragic. After all, birthdays are all about blowing candles and making wishes, and one cannot make a wish without a cake.’

The two of them continued on their way for a little while longer, until they eventually reached a familiar place. The village wasn’t very big, so it wasn’t surprising that you’d end up going in circles at one point.

Coincidentally, though, they had somehow reached the same peculiar intersection as before.

Seeing that familiar spot, the two of them stopped and looked around in order to decide which way to go now.

Just then, Ji-Won got a strange vibe coming from that narrow and deep slope. He stared fixedly at the road, trying to imagine what he would find at its end.

“Should we go that way?” he asked all of a sudden.

“Hm?”

Su-Jin followed his line of sight and was instantly surprised.

“You want to climb all the way up there? It’s a dirt road as far as the eye can see. Wouldn’t you be uncomfortable climbing that slope with your shoes?”

The question was pertinent and, under normal circumstances, Ji-Won wouldn’t have even thought of doing something like that.

However, at that moment, the pull exerted by that place over his mind was much stronger than reason. It made him feel an odd mixture of eagerness and longing, like he was just about to meet a long-lost friend. It was as though something was calling for him to go up there.

Ji-Won couldn’t explain it, nor did he want to attempt it at the present time. All he knew was that he would regret it if he didn’t follow his instincts.

Even though the road wasn’t that difficult, ultimately, it still took them at least half an hour to reach the top.

At the end of the road there was another property, well nestled between the forest and the village. One wouldn’t be able to discover it easily, unless they took the same narrow and winding road up the mountain as Su-Jin and Ji-Won did.

The estate was relatively large in size and was enclosed by a brick wall. A two-story building peered from over the wall. The hip-and-gable roof style, as well as the traditional upturned eaves made it look both elegant and imposing.

From where she stood, Su-Jin could only see one side of the building, as well as the second floor. But even so, it was enough for her to conclude that it must have been a guesthouse.

The road they had just walked on ended abruptly in front of a large gate. The door panels were wide and made of massive, dark wood, while the roof mirrored that of the house.

This place looked ever older than all the other buildings they’ve seen in the village. But what really hit Su-Jin as strange was the eerie silence that surrounded the estate. Not only that, but this entire location somehow seemed to be isolated from the rest of the village.

Just when Su-Jin was beginning to wonder if anyone actually lived there, she heard someone calling her.

“Miss Park, you should come and see this.”