In Search of Our Destiny - Chapter 231

The moment Ji-Won felt Su-Jin’s hand on his forehead, his entire body froze. His mind went blank and, for an instant, all he could hear was the cracking sound of his self-control. Then it all came tumbling down, crashing against his skull and shattering into million pieces.

Everything he had kept telling himself during this entire time, all the things he had wanted to tell her, but always hesitated to say out loud, as well as all his doubts and worries… Everything fell at his feet, like a sea of shards from a broken glass.

Su-Jin’s quiet mumblings fell on deaf ears. At that moment, Ji-Won couldn’t hear anything she was saying.

As he held her tightly in his arms, he breathed in deeply. His nostrils greedily inhaled her scent, before letting it out slowly. Along with that breath, a deep, resonating whisper came out of his throat.

“Shh, don’t move. Just let me stay like this for a little while longer.”

Su-Jin instinctively struggled slightly.

“B-But… Director Kang…”

In response to that, Ji-Won’s arms pressed Su-Jin even more against his chest. Then, he lowered his head, breathing softly next to her ear.

“Don’t move just yet. Please… Just for a little bit.”

The rich and deep voice resonated from Ji-Won’s chest, making his words sound both tender and pleading.

All of a sudden, his tight hold sent jolts up her spine. She could feel the movements and vibrations falling in sync with her own breathing, and she was momentarily taken aback.

Luckily, the man kept his word. A couple of minutes later he released Su-Jin, pushing her slightly by the shoulders. Then, he leaned back into his seat, pressing his eyes closed. The two, sword-like eyebrows furrowed into a light frown, drawing a small crease on the man’s otherwise smooth forehead.

During this entire time Su-Jin found it hard to fully regain her wits. She continued to gape in Ji-Won’s direction with a flabbergasted expression plastered on her face.

‘What in heaven’s name just happened?! Did… Did Director Kang actually… hug me? I must be dreaming right now. Of course that must be the case. There is absolutely no way he would do such a thing… and so out of the blue…’

Reaching up to here, Su-Jin’s thoughts slowly faded into silence. She tried to focus on Ji-Won’s expression, as though she could somehow see the answers to all her questions written there.

Needless to say that she didn’t find any of that. Instead, she saw a good-looking man, whose weary appearance was still quite alarming.

“Director Kang, are you… feeling better now?” Su-Jin asked tentatively.

“Mhm.” Ji-Won let out a low hum. “A little bit better. I’ll just rest until we reach the village.”

“Ah, yes… yes of course.” Su-Jin stuttered, falling back into her seat and looking out the window. “You do that. I’ll wake you up when we arrive at the village.”

After that, silence fell between them.

Whether Ji-Won actually fell asleep or simply rested with his eyes closed, Su-Jin didn’t know, nor did she dare to try and make sure of it. On the contrary, she kept herself at a distance. Her body was turned halfway and her eyes were fixed on the window. She couldn’t really tell what she was looking at, but anything was better than having to see her boss’s face.

Ji-Won’s behavior from just a moment ago rendered Su-Jin positively stunned. In this muddle-headed state it was virtually impossible to find a proper explanation for what just happened. Heck, she couldn’t even reason with herself for long enough to calm down her pounding heart, let alone find the energy to think reasonably.

Several minutes passed since Ji-Won had laid back in the back seat. Su-Jin could see his reflection in the window and, even though the image was rather blurry, she could still make out the man’s outline.

Ji-Won’s eyes were still tightly shut and his chest was moving up and down at regular intervals. His forehead no longer had a frown and he seemed a little more relaxed.

Just when Su-Jin was about to exhale in relief, she felt a thump on her shoulder, followed by a pressure on her side. Something soft tickled her neck, leaving behind a warm sensation.

When she finally turned her head to see what was happening, Su-Jin froze.

It appeared that Ji-Won had really fallen asleep because, even when his body slid sideways on the back seat, he didn’t wake up. His weight pulled him down towards Su-Jin and, ultimately, his head landed on her shoulder.

For a short moment, Su-Jin was feeling conflicted. As she stared down at Ji-Won’s head, she was caught between the desire to fling the man away from her, and wanting to touch his silky black hair.

Then, he moved slightly and she finally began to panic.

‘Oh, heavens above, why does stuff like this keep happening today? I really don’t think my poor heart can handle any more than this.’

As though he heard her thoughts, Ji-Won chose that exact moment to move slightly. He let out a long exhale, leaning his head back a little. His eyebrows furrowed again, and a small wince escaped through his lips.

The warm puff of breath brushed against the side of Su-Jin’s exposed neck, causing goosebumps to instantly raise on her skin. Her heart almost jumped out of her throat, while the entire chest felt like it was run over by a stampede of wild horses.

Not knowing what gods or spirits were at work, Su-Jin saw herself doing something unbelievable. Her hand moved as though it was possessed, touching Ji-Won’s forehead right between his eyebrows. She pressed a fingertip against the small crease and saw with delight how his frown gradually subsided.

Encouraged by this reaction, Su-Jin felt emboldened enough to continue.

Her finger slid down along Ji-Won’s nose, resembling a dragonfly gliding on the surface of a lake.

Then, all of a sudden, Su-Jin’s eyes landed on Ji-Won’s mouth and her hand hesitated in midair.