chapter 24

What percentage is the probability of accidentally coming in contact in Korea with a man you met in France nine years ago? Yeonhwa couldn’t hide her surprised face at Gojun’s appearance that was so different from nine years ago. Gojun, who remained in Yeonhwa’s head, was a boy with a skinny body and hair covering his eyes. She didn’t think that he would remain the same as he was then, but she didn’t expect that it would be so different. So, even after meeting twice with him, she didn’t think that he was Gojun.

“Hello, Yeonhwa Song.”

When she saw Gojun laughing while calling her name, Yeonhwa was amused. This situation was so embarrassing and confusing. Yeonhwa, whose lips only flickered, barely picked up her voice.

“…You said your name was Gojun. By the way… How did this happen?”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

“Really… Are you the artist? Gojun?”

It was unbelievable. At first, it was also difficult for Gojun to believe in this coincidence. Gojun’s lips went up.

“Do you still have my paintings?”

“……”

“The picture that Ms Yeonhwa bought from me in France.”

Only now that Yeonhwa believed that the person in front of her was Gojun.

“It looks like what you said was true.”

As if she had been struck in the back of her head, Yeonhwa was just standing with her lips wide open. Gojun, who liked Yeonhwa’s reaction, took a step while smiling. He, step-by-step, approached Yeonhwa.

“Thank you for finding me first.”

He reached out to Yeonhwa.

“A formal greeting.”

Yeonhwa looked down at Gojun’s hand, as he didn’t bring it back down. Then hesitantly raised her right hand, and wrapped it around his hand.

“My name is Gojun.”

“… …”

“Please take care of me in the future.”

There was a café under the museum, but Gojun was reluctant to go to a cafe where museum staff could go because he didn’t want people to find out who he was. He was worried that his name would come out during the conservation with Yeonhwa. When he said that his studio was not far away, she happily agreed to go to his studio. There was no reason to refuse because, in the case of interviews, it was also done in the painter’s studio. His studio was a ten minutes drive away from her office. As soon as she entered the studio, Yeonhwa was surprised.

“Wow.”

Works were hung on the walls, and wooden chairs and white canvases were placed in a spot from where the sunlight came in. It gave the feeling of being in a small exhibition hall. Yeonhwa was excited. Gojun poured water into the coffee pot and asked Yeonhwa, who was busy watching the paintings.

“Would you like some coffee?”

Yeonhwa, embarrassed, approached Gojun.

“I’ll do it.”

She tried to reach out for the coffee pot, but Gojun put down the coffee pot and pushed her back slightly.

“Guests should just watch.”

“……”

“Shall I make it hot or cold?”

“Hot.”

Yeonhwa watched Gojun preparing coffee from a distance. Gojun smiled at the gaze he felt from the side.

“My face will be pierced. I’m a little uncomfortable.”

As if meeting an old friend, Gojun was very happy meeting Yeonhwa, but she seemed to be very careful with each word. Gojun quickly noticed that she was maintaining a sense of tension as she was doing business. Yeonhwa sat on a chair in front of the canvas. After a while, Gojun served the coffee and pulled a chair next to her and sat down.

“I want to talk to you, can I do that?”

“Yes, please be comfortable.”

“Aren’t you awkward with me?”

At the honest question, Yeonhwa slowly murmured.

“Because I am seeing you after nine years and you are also a famous artist.”

“I understand. You can be comfortable with me little by little.”

Yeonhwa wrapped the cup with both hands and spoke to Gojun.

“Why didn’t you say that you were the artist Gojun from the beginning?”

“At first, I wasn’t sure it was you.”

Nine years have passed, but it was worth it. Gojun took a sip of coffee and added; “When we met at the museum, I knew it was you, but I wanted to surprise you a little.”

“Thanks, I was surprised. Very.”

“Then it was successful.”

Gojun smiled lightly. Looking down, Yeonhwa rubbed a cup of coffee with her fingernails.

“I never expected you to be the artist Gojun because your face has changed a lot from nine years ago.”

“I filled my stomach with bread every day.”

Yeonhwa raised her eyes and looked at him. Gojun said it casually because it has already passed.

“People living in France didn’t welcome me as an Asian, and my father was a drunkard.”

‘I have never told anyone about my circumstances. I didn’t feel the need to speak, nor did I want to speak. However, since Yeonhwa is in front of me, the inner story came out without my knowledge.’

“When my father, who drank like usual, insulted me by destroying all of my paintings, I went to Tertre Square running away from our house.”

Yeonhwa silently listened to Gojun’s story.

“Actually, it was so hard that I went there to give up everything.”

Gojun lifted the corner of his mouth.

“I met you there.”

“……”

“There, I decided to live again.”

A lot of emotions crossed Yeonhwa’s mind, who pressed her lips firmly. She was grateful that Gojun survived and remembered her, but her heart was shaken by his heart-breaking past. Gojun erased the smile from the corner of his mouth, and talked to Yeonhwa sincerely.

“Now I’m here talking with you.”

“……”

“Nine years ago, thanks to you, I decided to live and paint again… I am really grateful.”

Yeonhwa shook her head.

“All I did was buy a good picture.”

“And you made an appointment with me.”

Yeonhwa also vaguely remembered the promise she made with Gojun at the Tertre square.

“Our dreams have come true. You became a curator and I am a painter.”

Now she remembered the promise more clearly.

“You have become a cool painter.”

“So you can brag that you know such a wonderful painter.”

The two, who were looking at each other, burst into laughter at the same time.

***

At the museum parking lot. The sky, which had been dyed in orange, was quickly covered in black. The nearby street lamps lit one by one, and the lights in the museum, which had been lightly lit, were completely turned off. Gunwoo, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, did not take his eyes off the building of the museum. When there were only a few cars left, Gunwoo realized that Yeonhwa’s car was not in the parking lot. Gunwoo slowly pulled out his cell phone and called Yeonhwa.

[Hello.]

He leaned his head against the seat and asked.

“Are you off work yet?”

[I’m leaving now.]

“…This is wrong.”

‘You and I, if I had known that it would’ve turned out like this, I would have contacted you even if it had bothered you.’

[Yeah? What did you just say?]

Gunwoo opened the car and said.

“Let’s eat dinner together.”

[Are you coming now?]

“Yes, now.”

[Okay. Drive carefully.]

Gunwoo hung up the phone and turned the steering wheel at the same time as he stepped on the accelerator. When Yeonhwa told Ahnseong on the phone that she would have dinner with Gunwoo, Ahnseong set up a table in the dining room next to the kitchen while Yeonhwa came home. After taking a shower, Yeonhwa burst into admiration as she saw the side dishes on the table.

“Wow! You have prepared so much.”

Ahnseong shook her head as if it was nothing.

“I didn’t prepare much.”

“I will eat with my husband.”

“Then I’ll go home.”

Ahnseong took off her apron and left the house. It wasn’t long after Ahnseong was gone when Yeonhwa came out of the kitchen as she heard the sound of the front door opening. She made eye contact with Gunwoo standing in the living room.

“Welcome back.”

“I’ll wash my hands.”

“Yes, come to the dining room.”

Gunwoo took off his jacket and put on a shirt and stepped inside the dining room. Gunwoo’s body was reflected in Yeonhwa’s eyes when she raised her head. Even though he was wearing a shirt, his strong upper body was clearly revealed. Because of his wide shoulders, the shirt was wrinkled, and the button on the chest seemed to be barely holding the shirt.

“It looks delicious.”

Gunwoo sat across Yeonhwa.

“If you want more tell me.”

“Are you not going to eat?”

“I am.”

Yeonhwa shrugged her shoulders as if she had committed a crime, and opened the lid of the bowl. But at that moment, she remembered the abs of Gunwoo, which she had forgotten. On the first day they slept in one bed, Yeonhwa saw Gunwoo’s body, whose gown was half off. She pretended to be okay, but asked Gunwoo to be careful about wearing a gown that day… Actually, it wasn’t okay. For several days, Gunwoo’s body occupied Yeonhwa’s memory. She scolded herself to stop thinking. To hide her heated cheeks, Yeonhwa bowed her head down and ate rice with a spoon. When the red colour of her face gradually subsided, Gunwoo spoke first.

“I was outside today, so I stopped by the museum. I didn’t see you when you left after work.”

It was an excuse. I was looking for Gojun’s presence. Yeonhwa put down the spoon for a while and answered.

“I was also working outside today, so I went there.”

It seemed to me that I heard my wife’s voice, but was it an illusion? It could have been. I may have heard it wrong. I’m feeling a little relieved in my heart. As if Yeonhwa remembered something, she quickly blinked her eyelids.

“Do you remember the man who had an accident with me?”

“…no.”

I don’t want to remember. I just want to erase it from the memories of Yeonhwa. Yeonhwa tilted her head to one side at Gunwoo’s blunt answer.

“We ate dinner together.”

“……”

“You also paid for it.”

“……I think I remember.”

I thought that Gunwoo had memory loss. It hasn’t even been a year or a month, but you can’t remember. Yeonhwa moved the spoon again.

“He was the artist I suggested for an exhibition the other day.”

“……”

“I met him today because I had an interview.”

Gunwoo’s head became blank.

“Is there a place you had gone…”

“Yes, the studio of artist Gojun.”

“…”

“We are working together for an exhibition.”

Thunder and lightning struck Gunwoo’s head. ‘It’s work, so you have to understand. I’m her husband, but can’t I talk to her? I hate that you are getting to know him, I hope that you don’t get close.’ Because of the shock, the spoon he was holding in his hand was shaking slightly. Jealousy’s volcano was just about to erupt but he was barely enduring that it would look ridiculous if he were to confess his heart.

“Oh… That’s it.”

“Do it well. The exhibition.”

“Okay.”

‘I thought he hated artist Gojun?’

He even told her to do well, so she thought he didn’t care about Gojun. As for the conversation, Yeonhwa talked about Gojun.

“Nine years ago, I met artist Gojun in France.”

Gunwoo also knew. Gojun said it directly to him. She turned her head to the back wall and pointed at the painting with the lotus.

“That’s the painting of artist Gojun, which I bought at the Tertre square at that time.”

There was a trace of Gojun in his house. That painting was already hanging over there when Gunwoo returned from America. Not even knowing that it was Gojun’s painting, Gunwoo liked that painting a little bit. Gunwoo, barely holding back his anger, forced himself to eat rice. After that, Yeonhwa said something more, but it didn’t flow into Gunwoo’s ears.

“Is there a place you have gone… …?”

“Yes, the studio of artist Gojun.”

Only the fact that she had been to Gojun’s studio came into his head. After eating, Yeonhwa left the dining room first, and Gunwoo sat in a chair for a while. Fire burst from his eyes looking at the picture in front. Gunwoo was thinking about it now. How does he get rid of that so that Yeonhwa won’t doubt him?

***

It was the next evening. Gunwoo arrived at a bar in Gangnam with Secretary Kim. As he went down to the basement of the bar, the interior with a high ceiling came in his view. The uniquely patterned walls and colourful lights hanging from the ceiling created an exotic atmosphere. When the employees saw Gunwoo, they bowed down.

“The guest is in the room.”

‘I arrived 10 min earlier than the promised time, but the other person was a little faster.’ As the staff guided them to a private room inside the bar, Gunwoo and Secretary Kim followed up. When the employee opened the door, he saw the face of the person who was waiting there.

“Long time no see.”

Gojun, who was sitting on the sofa, stood up. Gunwoo stood in front of Gojun. Gojun, smiled, shrugged as if he had never expected it.

“I didn’t know we would meet again like this.”

“……”

“Gunwoo, you were looking for me.”

Secretary Kim did not know what happened. A huge spark splattered between the two in a very short moment.