Chapter 45

July 23rd, 2023

The place where Ju Shin-hwan wrote down by e-mail was none other than the art gallery he owned. It was also Seoul’s yolk land, which is known for its high land prices. Why is this rich neighborhood so narrow and steep, I regretted bringing my car as soon as I entered the alley.

“Wow, the smell of high-grade petrol is making me shudder.”

Not only company B, but also company A, company P, and company F. I could do a crossword using only the names of the foreign car brands scattered everywhere. Every time I stepped on the accelerator, I got cold sweat on my forehead, thinking that if I scratched it wrong, months’ worth of living expenses would be lost.

Ting-ling. I heard the navigation alarm that I finally arrived at my destination, and I took a breath that I held back.

“…See if I ever come to this neighborhood again.”

Before getting out of the car, I rolled up my sleeves slightly and looked at my watch. Only an apostle would have one. I hadn’t thought I’d ever use it again after Simeon gave it to me, but you never know.

I painstakingly found my watch, which was lying around, and put it on for a simple reason. I didn’t want him to see my face. He wasn’t an apostle, after all, but he was by Simeon’s side at the time, and I wanted to avoid situations where Simeon and other apostles were in trouble because of me.

When I turned the silver bezel to the left, I felt a thin film passing over my face with a click. Then, I lowered the angle of the mirror to reflect my face. A black mask hid my features, and I looked like the Apostle.

“Is this too much…?”

Somehow, I’d ended up impersonating an apostle, but oh well. It couldn’t hurt to be careful.

I didn’t want to come empty-handed, so I got out of the car with a tart I bought at a nearby bakery. Even though it was daytime, the neighborhood was as quiet as death. In addition, the gallery had no visitors, and the doors were tightly closed during the exhibition break. I had no choice but to ring the bell on the wall and wait patiently.

“Whoo…”

If you ask me what I’m here for, I’ll answer, ‘I’m the person who recently emailed you’, seems like a sketchy fan, and it’s embarrassing to put a cell phone on the entrance camera, which is the size of a fingernail, saying, ‘I’m here because you invited me’. But honestly, ‘I have something to tell you about’ sounds like a cult preaching apocalypticism.

Then I heard the noise of the microphone connecting to the front door intercom. I took a short breath to say hello first, but suddenly the automatic door opened.

“Um…?”

What? All I did was stand in front of the front door camera with a tart box. But you’re opening the door so easily? There were even no guards or information staff inside the gallery. Perhaps because there were so many things that I was in a regrettable position, my guard is up.

“I’m going in? Okay? …I’m going in?”

While I was talking to the air, the door was about to close, so I quickly went inside. Passing through the short corridor, a huge hall surrounded by pure white stone. It was so quiet that I felt like I could hear not only the sound of footsteps but also my breathing loudly. It was an art gallery, but there wasn’t a single painting on display. The only work was a statue of an unknown woman holding a water bottle in the center of the open hall.

It was at the time when my eyes were drawn to the marble texture like the skin of a living person.

“Do you like that piece?”

The sudden voice startled me, and I turned to see a middle-aged man standing next to me. His hair, grey with age, was slicked back neatly, giving him a distinctive look. He had well-groomed eyebrows, half-moon-shaped eyes, and a gentle smile with depth. For the first time, I realized that wrinkles at the corners of the eyes and mouth can be attractive to some people.

This person, who looks much plumper than the picture, is the current owner of <Blue Hope> and a retired violin master.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Ju Shin-hwan.”

He even politely reached out his hand and offered a handshake. His sudden appearance made me stiff and held hands a beat late. Even though he retired a long time ago, I felt a hard callus in his hands as a violinist.

“I’m Shin Hajae… Thank you for inviting me so readily, even though I sent you a mail at short notice. Sir.”

“Thank you for coming, too. Shin Hajae. Wasn’t it hard going uphill?”

“Oh, yes. I brought the car, so it was fine.”

Although foreign cars were parked in the alley so much that I sweated out, I couldn’t complain to his friendly face. It was not until I let go of the hand, I shook hands that I realized that there was a tart box in my left hand. With both hands, I politely picked up the paper bag and held it out to him.

“This isn’t much, but…it’s a gift.”

“Haha, what a surprise.”

Ju Shin-hwan smiled pleasantly as he picked up the bag. Seeing the store’s mark engraved on the paper bag and exclaimed, “Oh,” it seemed to be a store he knew originally.

“Ther tarts in this store, it’s pretty good. Have you tried it?”

“What? Uh… No.”

“Then let’s eat together.”

“What?”

As the topic of the conversation changed quickly, I was mesmerized like a person in a car with a sharp curve. As I stood there dumbfounded, Ju Shin-hwan picked up the bag and turned away. My gaze fell on the corner where the hall led to the corridor, where a woman in a suit with her hair neatly tied back into one ponytail stood.

“Secretary Yoon. Please prepare some tea to go with the tarts.”

“Yes, sir.”

Since when has Secretary Yoon been standing there. In order to work with Ju Shin-hwan in the first place, do you have to have the ability to kill the sound of footsteps. No, it’s not time for this kind of nonsense. If I don’t hurry up and refuse, I’ll be sitting across from him leisurely drinking tea.

“Sir! I’m really fine. I don’t really like sweets.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

In a moment, Ju Shin-hwan’s expression hardened a little. Is it because I bought something I didn’t even like, or because I refused the offer to eat together. Or maybe it’s because you noticed I lied. I rolled my eyes and blurted out the first words that came to mind.

“I’m sorry I bought it without even trying it. But since it is a famous store… Oh, come to think of it, you might not like sweets. But it didn’t seem polite to come empty-handed. So…”

Phew. I stopped talking and raised my head at the sound of laughter. Ju Shin-hwan was smiling with his hands slightly covering his mouth with grace. Was it so ridiculous to make excuses in such a hurry. When I coughed awkwardly, Ju Shin-hwan barely managed to wipe the smile off his face before whispering in a soft voice.

“Oh, excuse me.”

He seemed like such a nice guy that it was embarrassing to be so wary before meeting him, but I felt a strange tingle in the pit of my stomach. It occurred to me that maybe the stern face, not the gentle smile, was the real Ju Shin-hwan.

But there’s always a reason when someone is kind without expecting anything in return. I looked around frantically, wondering if it was another trap Simeon had set for me. Just then, Ju Shin-hwan, who was walking ahead of me, suddenly stopped.

“Shin Ha-jae.”

“Yes, sir?”

I didn’t do anything wrong, but my whole body moved like a thief. On the other hand, Ju Shin-hwan was consistent. I felt like he was looking through something inside me with calm eyes.

“If you don’t mind, can I ask how old you are?”

“I’m 26 this year.”

“Hmm. This must be what it’s like to have a son.”

A son. According to the information I saw on the internet, Ju Shin-hwan is 54 years old this year. It would have felt like this if my father hadn’t died in an accident that day. I thought so, but on the other hand, I laughed it off because it was a very unrealistic imagination. I mean, which father uses the utmost respect for his son.

“Excuse me, sir. You can speak freely.”

“It’s become a habit. Is it uncomfortable to hear?”

“What? No. I’m fine, but…”

When I shook my hand in a hurry, Ju Shin-hwan walked away with a bright smile. Even though he was just walking, his upright posture gave him an air of dignity.

From the moment I met him, I knew there was a different kind of insurmountable barrier between him and Simeon. He was clearly respectful and polite to me, keeping the right amount of distance, but I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable with him. Maybe he’s even more difficult than Simeon.

“Go in first.”

While lost in thought for a moment, Ju Shin-hwan led me to a room.

This place, quite far from the central hall, was like a private space for Ju Shin-hwan, not a visitor. Perhaps that’s why the room of about 15-square-metre room gave off a completely different atmosphere from the outside surrounded by clean white. From the colorful carpet on the floor, the hand-made items arranged in the old wooden cabinet, and the antique gramophone next to the light green rubber tree, it reminded me of an antique shop.

The warm atmosphere of this place, where the sun was shining through the windows, strangely did not match the gift.