In Search of Our Destiny - Chapter 226

After he finally stumbled out of the car, Ji-Won took a moment to inhale deeply. Then he let all the air out slowly, in one long sigh.

Earlier he may have been a little honest, but not entirely. It was true that his heart was palpitating but, in truth, it was slightly more serious than what he made it seem. Even now his chest was stinging and he felt his heart was in his throat. He had to gulp a few times in order to alleviate the sensation.

Luckily, he was able to control his mind enough to avoid a stronger reaction. Surprisingly, it was mainly thanks to Su-Jin. Her presence there gave Ji-Won the impulse needed to strengthen his resolve and to be calmer. While she was in his car, he was responsible for her well-being. Therefore, he had to make sure nothing happened to either of them.

After taking a minute to do a breathing exercise in order to calm himself down, Ji-Won pulled out his phone. The signal was very poor up on the mountain but fortunately, it still seemed to work.

It took him several minutes to assess the situation and talk with the service company.

Ji-Won didn’t stay long outside but, when he returned inside the car, he was already drenched. Large drops of rain hung from the tips of his hair and his eyelashes were heavy with residual water. Small streams of water were also visible sliding down his cheeks.

Su-Jin’s eyes followed the traces of water as they slid further down Ji-Won’s neck, until they finally got lost under the collar of his shirt. For a split second, she felt an inexplicable urge to touch that place. The feeling was so strong and compelling that it gave Su-Jin the sensation of being caught in a net with no way out.

Just like a satellite orbiting around a planet, so did Su-Jin find herself unable to escape the strong gravitational pull exerted by Ji-Won’s presence. Her entire focus was hung up on every little move and gesture Ji-Won made. It was almost like her very soul was inexplicably drawn towards the other person.

During this time, the unsuspecting Kang Ji-Won was rubbing a hand through his drenched hair.

“There is no sign of the rain letting up any time soon.” He grumbled in an undertone.

With a loud gulp, Su-Jin quickly averted her gaze from Ji-Won’s exposed neck.

“Is the situation that bad?” she asked.

Then, in an attempt to shift her attention even further from the man’s enticing image, she forced herself to stare out the window.

“Is the car really stuck?”

“Yes, I’m afraid there’s no chance of moving it from here without help.” Ji-Won sighed. “The service company said they’ll send the nearest team. If the road isn’t blocked due to the storm, they should be arriving here in less than half an hour.”

“I see.” Su-Jin let out a deep breath, speaking in a calm voice. “Then I guess there’s no helping it. We’ll just have to wait here for them.”

She tried to smile, appearing nearly unbothered by any of this. But, in truth, Su-Jin’s mind was far from being tranquil. After all, having to sit with her boss, whom she fancied, in such a narrow space would turn anyone into a complete mess.

Just then, Su-Jin happened to notice Ji-Won dabbing the back of his hand against his face, trying to dry himself off.

Seeing this, Su-Jin quickly opened the glove compartment, trying to find a box of paper towels. Unfortunately, her search had brought no results. There were lots of things there, such as snacks and bottles of water. There was even a small bottle of medicine. But, in all that mess, there was not even one paper towel.

Disappointed, Su-Jin was just closing the door to the compartment glove, when she suddenly thought of something.

‘Should I give him that? After all, there is no way we can still reach ‘Summer Triangle Villa’ today, not in this weather. So, it shouldn’t matter if Director Kang uses the handkerchief and I wash it afterwards. It’s not like the owner will know.’

With that thought in mind, Su-Jin slowly opened the blue box and pulled out the white handkerchief.

“Here, you can use this.” she said.

Ji-Won glanced down and saw what she was holding. Without thinking too much about it, he accepted the object.

As he stretched out a hand to take the handkerchief, Ji-Won’s fingers accidentally brushed against Su-Jin’s. When they touched, a peculiar tingling sensation burst from where their skin connected. The shockwaves of this strange sensation reached all the way up to their scalp and down to their toes.

A violent shiver coursed through their bodies, causing them both to jump in shock. The next instant, Ji-Won and Su-Jin simultaneously drew back their hands from each other as though they had been burnt. They retreated as far as the narrow width of the car allowed them to, pressing their backs into their seats and avoiding to look at each other.

“T-Thank you, Miss Park.” Ji-Won spoke after a short moment of awkward silence.

“Mh, y-you’re most welcome, Director Kang.” Su-Jin replied and turned to give him a nervous smile.

Ji-Won finished wiping his face and was just about to return the handkerchief to Su-Jin, when his eyes accidentally caught a glimpse of something colorful staining the pure whiteness of the fabric. His movements suddenly halted, while his eyes grew wider in stupor.

In just a matter of two seconds, Ji-Won’s face lost all color, appearing even whiter than the object he was holding.

Unsure of how to react, he simply sat there, staring blankly at the three letters, until a voice gradually broke through the murkiness of his mind.

“…ang… ctor… ng… right…”

The sound was low at first, the words broken and unintelligible.

A second later, though, a shout exploded inside the car.

“DIRECTOR KANG, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” Su-Jin called out in panic.

Ji-Won woke up with a start and turned his head slowly to the side. He gaped at the person next to him, blinking in confusion as though it was the first time he was seeing her.

“Miss… Park?” he asked in a barely audible whisper.