Chapter 317: Did he make trouble?

Chapter 317: Did he make trouble?

Jin-Yeok walked away after that, and I was left with Ki-hoon at the dining table.

It wasn’t awkward, just silent. I could feel his gaze on me and not on the food in front of him.

He had something to say, I could feel it. But for some reason, he kept it to himself and just watched me eat.

He did say he felt full just watching me eat.

"Can I...?" I gulped down the food in my mouth and asked properly. "Can I come sit next to you?"

He looked surprised but immediately nodded, not wanting to lose this opportunity.

I picked up my main dish and walked towards his table.

April was there. She was going to carry the rest of my dish towards the place I was heading for but I shook my head.

"It’s fine. I’ll just have whatever is in front of me." I said and she nodded, heading back to her position.

I sat down and started munching slowly so I wouldn’t be called a chipmunk once again and Ki-hoon stared.

Sitting so close to him, his gaze was even more intent than before.

Was he really going to stare at me the whole time?

Then, he reached his hand towards me and brushed my hair softly.

"Jo-Pil, how are you doing these days?" He finally asked and I looked up at him.

"Great, if I might say so," I said and smiled. "Life’s very comfortable these days."

"Don’t you feel affected by your incoming heat?" he asked and I paused.

Ah, that was really a thing.

I met his eyes and said,

"If I said I was starting to get used to it, would you believe me?" I asked and his lips curled, smiling softly.

"Yeah, you were always like that." He mumbled. "There was a time in the past when I thought I would forever stare at your face and only I had what honor."

Honor? Now, that’s a bit much but I get where he’s coming from.

"At that time, you were the only thing I cared about. I had no interest in taking over my father’s fortune and only thought of having a quiet and happy life with you. Once college was over, I planned to pro--" he paused, his shoulder stiffening as he realized what he was about to say.

And then he began to laugh.

I stayed silent. Even when he didn’t finish his statement, I knew what it was.

I knew the plans this man had for me and our future.

"Anyway, I was a big idiot for believing what that bastard said to me and all the fabricated evidence." Ah, so he was calling his cousin a bastard now.

Did he make trouble?

Come to think of it, his cousin was a villain in this story, fighting against Ki-hoon just to take over the company.

This issue... Was it due to his haste?

"You were caught in a net," I said to him, turning my head away. "And I was probably caught in a much deeper part of that net."

He stared at me with regret in his eyes.

If not for what happened on the last, if not for that awful separation, we would’ve been living happily together, which was probably what he was thinking about, but now that I’ve seen the bigger picture, I don’t think that’s true.

Yes, we would’ve been a loving couple, and he might’ve given up his right to inherit the company, but is that where it ends? Certainly not.

His greedy cousin would try all he could to get rid of the thorn on his side. The only threat to his seat.

And while we live our somewhat quiet life, we could suddenly get into a car crash that would end our lives.

We would have no idea how we died or who our enemy was. An oblivious and tragic end. That was what awaited us.

So, that’s why they said all things happen for a reason.

While it was unfortunate, it was for the best.

Him, Ki-hoon, holding absolute power in his company was for the best.

"I understand," I mumbled, lowering my head. "But I don’t regret the life I’m living right now. I don’t remember much of my past with you but I appreciate your feelings than anything." I raised my gaze and then smiled. "So let’s do our best going forward, okay?"

He stared at me with a thumping heart. A pained heart.

In the end, it was too late and there was nothing he could do to reverse the past.

"Alright." He said and then got up, kissed my forehead, and added, "Goodnight, Jo-Pil. Sleep well."

"I will," I said and watched him walk away.

His words left a subtle sadness in my heart and it became quite hard to swallow my food. It felt like I would throw up but it was fine.

I was fine.

Then... Why were these tears rolling down my face?

"Ah, chucks!" I exclaimed but didn’t try to wipe them away.

I bowed my head, sadly thinking of how life would’ve been if everyone had been normal and we all met in normal circumstances.

Well, that wouldn’t have been possible because we wouldn’t have been able to live together like this if it were normal circumstances.

"I should stop having these useless thoughts and just continue eating," I said to myself but still didn’t clean the tears.

It became bothersome that I lost my appetite.

My spoon fell and April immediately went to pick it up, only to find me squeezing my pants tight, biting my lips, and crying for no apparent reason.

I just... Needed this type of release.

She looked at me and then placed the spoon on the table, watching me from my side.

She didn’t walk back to her post and I wondered if this was her way of comforting me.

How sloppy but... Thank you anyway.

After I calmed down, I went up to my room. As I opened the door, I found Min-Cheol seated on my bed, waiting patiently with one of my books in his hand.

He was probably reading to stay awake. But last time I checked, he would fall asleep whenever he was reading a book, haha.

As soon as he noticed me, he placed the book down, smiling at me.

"Hyung, you’re finally here."