In Search of Our Destiny - Chapter 225

An hour later, they were driving on a mountain road that supposedly reached the isolated property of ‘Summer Triangle Villa’.

Since their destination was located between the village and the temple, all they had to do was drive up the mountain until they found the exit towards the guesthouse.

Less than fifteen minutes after they left the village area, Su-Jin suddenly began to worry.

The road ahead was getting narrower by the kilometer. The pavement had stopped at some point and they were now driving on a dirt road. With the heavy rain that continued to pour, they would soon end up getting stuck in the mud.

“Director Kang, are you sure this is the right way?” Su-Jin asked without hiding her concern.

“I checked the map and this seems to be the way towards Samcheonsa temple. The road to the guesthouse should be somewhere on the right, so we need to pay attention and see where the two roads intersect.”

“I’m honestly worried that soon you won’t even be able to see one meter up ahead, let alone the crossroad.” Su-Jin muttered more to herself.

As expected, Ji-Won was too focused on driving and didn’t hear anything.

Nevertheless, he had somehow managed to pick up the note of concern in Su-Jin’s voice.

“Don’t worry, Miss Park, we’ll get there soon.” He tried to comfort her.

That’s what he said, but not even two seconds after his last word fell, a powerful gust of wind sent a loose branch their way. It approached like a cannonball, ready to break through the windshield at any moment.

By some miraculous chance, Su-Jin happened to glance in that direction at that exact time. When she saw the incoming projectile, her blood ran cold.

“Director Kang, watch out!”

Su-Jin’s unexpected scream caused Ji-Won to flinch. He saw the young woman in his peripheral vision, pointing at something up ahead.

The large piece of wood was now very close. Just a few meters and it would hit the car.

As soon as he realized this, Ji-Won instantly blanched.

However, despite the huge shock, it only took him a split second to react. He pulled hard on the steering wheel and the car swerved towards the side of the road.

This saved them from the impact, but threw them into another difficulty.

Due to the forceful maneuver, two of the four wheels sank heavily into the muddy ground. Next, they began to spin without grip, while the rest of the car remained askew on the road.

Seeing this, Ji-Won took off his foot from the accelerator and stopped the engine. Then, he stared blankly through the windshield, with his fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly.

“Dammit!” he cussed through gritted teeth.

Through the heavy curtain of rain he could barely see traces of where the branch landed. That spot was littered with pieces of wood and there was even a deep dent in the ground. Luckily all this happened several meters away from the car.

“Director Kang, are you alright?” Su-Jin asked in apprehension.

Ji-Won’s head turned slowly, his eyes searching for hers. When they finally met, their gazes expressed the worry and fright they were both feeling.

“I’m alright.” Ji-Won finally croaked.

Su-Jin was startled to hear the man’s voice sounding so extremely hoarse. Her brows wrinkled into a frown and she quickly took off the seatbelt. The next moment, she leaned sideways in her seat in order to get closer to Ji-Won.

“Are you sure nothing’s wrong?” she insisted, probing him with her eyes.

“Mn, I’m sure.” Ji-Won nodded slowly.

Then, seeing the young woman’s concerned look he eventually decided to be a little more honest.

“My heart is just palpitating a bit, but I guess it’s just the normal amount of fright. Other than that I’m alright.”

“So, you don’t have a queasy stomach, nor do you experience shortness of breath? No incoming panic attacks, right?”

Su-Jin slowly enunciated each of those things, then finished with all the seriousness she was capable of.

“Director Kang, you need to tell me right away if something like that is about to happen. Otherwise, I won’t be able to prepare and… and…”

Su-Jin’s ramblings slowly faded away, her words gradually getting lost in silence.

A second later, her eyes opened wide, resembling a pair of saucers.

Guided more by instinct than reason, Ji-Won had stretched a hand out towards Su-Jin. Next, he placed his palm gently on top of the young woman’s head.

While Su-Jin stared at him speechlessly, Ji-Won took the opportunity and allowed his fingers to pat and rub her chestnut colored hair. The strands that wrapped around his fingertips felt soft to the touch.

For a moment, Ji-Won couldn’t take his mind away from the wonderful sensation. It was like his very heart got tickled by that softness, not just his fingers.

After acting like a hoodlum for a few more seconds, patting and rubbing Su-Jin’s hair, Ji-Won finally snapped out of his daze. He reluctantly pulled his hand away and gave Su-Jin a small smile. But when he eventually spoke again, his tone retained some of the softness of his touch.

“Like I said, I am feeling alright. It was just a little scare, nothing more.” He hesitated, then asked in a quiet voice. “What about you, Miss Park? You look a little pale yourself. Are you feeling well?”

The flabbergasted young woman had been left in complete bemusement. As a consequence, not only she couldn’t reply, but she could barely even think properly.

‘No really, after what you just did, how do you expect me to feel alright?! You’re acting so intimately, speaking with such gentleness… What am I supposed to believe now? How am I supposed to not… to not like you, dammit?! Director Kang, you big idiot!’ Su-Jin howled inside her head.

In the end, though, she found it in herself to give a short reply. It was merely a vague grunt, followed by a shake of the head, meaning to say nothing was wrong.

Ji-Won seemed satisfied with this answer, because he eventually stopped worrying. Instead, he looked through the window on his side, trying to see the state of the road. Unfortunately, the rain was still coming down hard, so he could barely see anything apart from the area close to the car.

Even through her silent wails, Su-Jin was still somehow able to hear her boss talking to her.

“This doesn’t look good. I’m afraid we won’t be able to move the car from this spot. We might have to call for someone to pick it up.” Ji-Won stopped to glance outside again, then turned to look at Su-Jin. “Miss Park, wait right here. I’m going out to check on the situation and make a phone call.”

Without waiting for her to react, Ji-Won took off his seatbelt and got out of the car.