The Temperature Difference with Him (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
When Dan Woo mumbled as if letting the words slip, Ji An sniffled and replied.
“A friend like family must mean he’s a good guy, I guess.”
“He really is a good guy.”
Ji An lifted her head, her eyes red-rimmed. She looked out toward the rain-dampened yard and spoke.
“I always thought that was okay—even for a very long time. Because it was Ha Jun.”
Her voice trembled, and Dan Woo offered her his handkerchief—the very one she’d just returned to him moments before.
Ji An took the handkerchief, stifled a sob, then let out a small, wry laugh.
Dan Woo, handing it over again, did the same.
This handkerchief seemed to be doing all sorts of things now.
The moment he took it back, it felt as if his wariness toward her had eased. Maybe that navy-blue handkerchief had even gained some meaning.
“Thank you.”
“Did you have a fight with this ‘good guy’? Is that why you came all the way to Jeju alone?”
Dan Woo tried to understand her.
If she startled at the sound of thunder at the mere mention of his name, they must be closer than just “good friends.”
“I don’t know. It always felt like this low-level bickering. But then Ha Jun said, ‘What if we try living separately?’ And… uh—”
Ji An cut herself off, unable to voice the word “kept woman” aloud.
“I thought I was just angry at Ha Jun’s words, but maybe I wasn’t. Every time I remember that line, it feels like someone’s raking my heart with claws.”
“If crying helps ease your heart, then that’s already lucky.”
Dan Woo murmured and lifted his other foot onto the footrest.
Not family, yet closer than family—but not the kind of relationship that leads to marriage. And yet, he’s a good guy.
He caught himself unconsciously repeating those words about this stranger, then shook his head, realizing how absurd that sounded.
Once her tears stopped, Ji An let out a long sigh. Her words seemed directed more to herself than to Dan Woo.
“It feels like a relationship I can’t possibly end.”
If she drifted apart from Ha Jun, she’d never see Aunt Yeon Woo again—or Uncle Yoon Ho, Ha On, or Ha Min.
How could she explain this irony—that even his family had become precious to her?
“It’s funny… If I look through Ha Jun’s family photo albums, I can see exactly how I grew up. And also…”
Ji An suddenly choked up and spilled out more words, then abruptly bit her tongue.
What am I doing, blurting this out to a stranger?
She swallowed the story about eating miyeok-guk Aunt Yeon Woo made for her every birthday.
It was just that all those vague, fond memories now felt tainted—as if she’d merely been a kept woman all along.
Ji An pressed her lips into a tight line and exhaled deeply.
Now that she’d come this far, she wanted to untangle the strange knot this mess had become.
“Thank you. For listening to what’s on my mind.”
“Feel better now that you’ve cried it out?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s good enough.”
Out of nowhere, Dan Woo thought it might not be so bad living with her.
It didn’t seem like it’d cause any trouble—and honestly, it’d raise fewer suspicions than two men living alone, though that was a flimsy excuse.
But he kept that thought to himself.
Just then, the front door opened, and Tae Yoon walked in. He scanned the living room as he stepped inside.
When his eyes met Dan Woo’s, he shook his head—meaning he hadn’t been able to get through.
He probably guessed what was going on and was dodging calls.
“He wouldn’t even pick up my calls, so I spoke with the realtor he’d assigned the contract to, but they’re just as clueless.”
Only then did Tae Yoon sense the odd atmosphere in the house.
His boss sat side by side with the woman in front of the island counter, his gaze gentle as he looked at her.
Swallowing his questions, Tae Yoon turned to the woman and asked,
“Of all days, the weather had to turn like this. May I ask your name?”
“Kim Ji An.”
“Ah! Ms. Kim Ji An.”
Tae Yoon glanced at Dan Woo as if to say “Did you hear that?” and caught a flicker in his eyes—he already knew her name.
Carefully, Tae Yoon addressed Dan Woo.
“If it’s not inconvenient… would you consider staying together for now? As you can see, with the weather like this, it wouldn’t be right to send Ms. Ji An away immediately.”
Expecting a refusal, Tae Yoon was surprised when his boss gave a short nod, then lifted his chin—meaning “Go on.”
Encouraged by his boss’s positive response, Tae Yoon looked between the two and continued.
“You can live independently on the first and second floors. You’d share the kitchen, but… if it ever becomes uncomfortable, we could look into other accommodations.”
Instead of answering himself, Dan Woo turned to Ji An.
“What do you think? There’s a room upstairs too, so if you’re okay with that, we could give it a try. Living together briefly doesn’t seem too bad.”
“Huh?”
Startled by the unexpected suggestion, Ji An couldn’t answer right away.
In that pause, Dan Woo asked her again.
“Given the weather’s like this anyway, how about it? Don’t worry too much about how things turned out.”
“It doesn’t seem right for me to stay. The owner surely didn’t reserve that room for you, Dan Woo, so it’s only proper that I leave. It’d be terribly impolite.”
Now that Dan Woo’s intention was clear, Tae Yoon spoke more smoothly, offering Ji An a convincing reason.
“The previous owner might be avoiding your calls, but I bet he’ll answer mine somehow. Let’s stay together for a bit.”
She was indeed stuck because of the weather—and truly at a loss.
And yes, she’d need help tracking down the former owner who’d lied to her.
After weighing her options, Ji An finally nodded.
“I’ll stay with you. Thank you for your kindness.”
“Don’t mention it. With the weather like this, I was worried—but fortunately, that guest understood.”
Watching his boss step back, Tae Yoon let out a long breath.
After all, he couldn’t possibly kick out a woman frightened to tears by thunder in this downpour.
Deciding to ask for details tomorrow, he headed toward the guesthouse.
✦✦✦
After finishing the dishes, Ji An glanced at Dan Woo.
She’d been leaning against the island counter, and when Dan Woo turned to look, she spoke.
“I think I’ve found a reason to search for the right answer. A little deeper, and more precisely… Ah! Never mind.”
She covered her mouth and gave an awkward laugh—it had almost turned into another wordy moment.
As she headed toward her room, she added,
“I’m actually pretty good at staying quiet so I don’t bother others. Don’t worry.”
Dan Woo looked up and replied calmly.
“You’re not bothering me at all. Just be comfortable.”
“I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”
Seriously—what exactly are you so sorry about?
For the first time, discomfort flickered in Dan Woo’s eyes.
Yes, he’d been wronged—but strictly speaking, so had she.
He was about to add that it wasn’t her fault when—
Ji An’s phone rang.
Rrrrr. Rrrrr.
“Mom.” Her face stiffened at just those two characters.
She bit her lower lip, looked up—and Dan Woo gave a light nod.
Ji An closed her bedroom door slightly, pressed the phone to her ear, and answered.
“Mom.”
—Didn’t you hear your sister’s back in town?
“No, I didn’t.”
She didn’t even expect to hear something like, “Has my daughter been doing well?” At the very least, she wished her mom would say her name: “Ji An? It’s Mom.”
She wasn’t surprised anymore by those cold “Mom” messages after months of silence.
—When are you coming home? You know Janice’s schedule—I can’t believe you haven’t called once!
“…”
—Kim Ji An!
Ji An lowered the phone and stared at the screen.
Was there still some hope left in her? If she truly expected nothing, she wouldn’t feel let down.
Why do I still want to be my mom’s daughter?
On a night lit by thunder and lightning, she remembered clearly her mom’s back as she tightly hugged her older sister, covering both ears.
She, as a child, had waited her turn after screaming in fright—then pulled the blanket over her head and fell asleep alone.
—You’re busy with schedules, so just come home tonight.
“I’m too busy. I can’t.”
Ji An hung up without waiting for a reply.
This was the first time she’d refused her mom’s request to accompany Janice on her schedule.
Rrrrr. Rrrrr.
The phone rang again.
As the ringtone raced against her finger trying to end the call, Ji An finally turned the phone off.
She crumpled it in her hand and tossed it under the bed. It hit the wall with a soft scrape and fell silent.
✦✦✦
Last night, the woman who went into her room never came back out to the living room.
On the second-floor balcony, Dan Woo looked up at the sky cleared of rain and murmured,
“It must have been a long day.”
He assumed Ji An had fallen into a deep sleep.
Halfway down the stairs, he paused, then listened carefully—just in case someone unfamiliar was around.
Fortunately, the first floor was as quiet as ever.
Only the sunlight filling the living room was blindingly bright, as if spring had arrived out of season.
Crossing the yard, Dan Woo opened the guesthouse door, with the low wall between them.
Just as he closed the door, a slice of toast popped up from the toaster.
Tae Yoon looked at him and asked,
“Everything okay?”
“…”
Dan Woo pulled the freshly brewed coffee toward himself and nodded while scanning the small space.
Since Tae Yoon came to the main house every morning, this was his first time in the guesthouse.
Changing tactics, Tae Yoon asked again,
“Did something happen?”
“Nothing like what you’re thinking. This is Korea, after all.”
Tae Yoon narrowed his eyes, studying Dan Woo.
If you didn’t mean anything by it… then why?
He hadn’t expected his boss—who he thought would’ve insisted on taking her to a hotel—to agree to let her stay.
“Quit your nonsense and just catch that bastard.”
“This guy still won’t pick up the phone.”
Tae Yoon set his toast on both palms and nodded pointedly, forcing a choice.
Dan Woo took a big bite of his strawberry-jam toast—no cheese.
“Hurry up. We need to stop by the police station.”
“You’re serious?”
“Dead serious.”
He turned to Tae Yoon and added,
“Putting aside Ms. Kim Ji An for now—that guy’s a bad one, so we’ve got to catch him.”
It made logical sense—but Wu Dan Woo wasn’t the type to show mercy over someone else’s problems.
Watching his boss’s back, Tae Yoon muttered,
“Since when did you get so righteous?”
✦✦✦
He came home late after drinking with the governor.
Dan Woo’s steps paused briefly in front of the red compact car. It sat parked just as it had yesterday.
True to her word about not being noticeable, she hadn’t shown herself in three days.
“Kind of weird how much it’s bugging me.”
“Who? Ms. Kim Ji An?”
“Yeah.”
Inside, Dan Woo’s eyes landed on the neatly placed sneakers and plain slippers.
Making his presence known, he stepped into the kitchen and stared at the firmly closed bedroom door.
Taking long strides, he approached the room and called out,
“Hey, Ms. Kim Ji An?”
He knocked hesitantly, but only silence answered.
“Ugh! Seriously!”
Dan Woo finally called Tae Yoon from the guesthouse—figuring it’d be better to have two people than risk misunderstandings alone.
Tae Yoon, chopsticks in hand, pushed past him.
“Move aside.”
“What do you think you’re doing with those?”
“We need to open it. First thing’s first—check if she’s alive.”
Annoyed, Dan Woo snatched the chopsticks away. That was going too far, no matter what.
“Do you just say stuff like that so casually? …Of course she’s alive!”
“Give it back. Something feels off, right?”
As Dan Woo and Tae Yoon wrestled over the chopsticks, the bedroom door suddenly swung open.
Ji An, clearly half-asleep, blinked drowsily between the two of them.
Pointing at the chopsticks, she asked in a sleepy voice,
“What are you planning to do with those? You’re not seriously thinking of barging in, are you?”
She ran a hand through her long hair, swept it over one shoulder, and tilted her head slightly.
After a short sigh, she looked up at Dan Woo.
“Hmm. Didn’t I tell you? I’ve been staying out of your way, just like I promised.”
Dan Woo’s gaze fell on the pale line of her neck.
“There’s no need to go that far. You’re really not bothering me.”
“Well, I just…”
Ji An swallowed the rest and added something else.
“If you’re doing all this because of me, I’m sorry—but I’ve already done my part. I’ve been resting, eating, showering, and sleeping.”
For the past three days, Ji An had been deliberately doing exactly what Ha Jun hated.
Rolling around in bed, glued to it like one with the mattress.
The whole act of trying to “beat” Yoon Ha Jun was so absurd that she finally laughed—only now realizing how ridiculous it all was.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)