When I Reach You (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10

Dawn had not yet broken.

The woman applying lipstick in front of the mirror bitterly smiled when she saw the man reflected behind her.

The man, lying flat on his stomach on the bed without moving for hours, was buried in soft white blankets, only his hair barely visible.

“Oppa.”

They had been together for three months and greeted countless mornings together.

“You still haven’t left.”

That same man had changed. Unless it was a day they had specifically agreed on, he never contacted her first—but last night, he had suddenly called her to a hotel.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Da Jin-ah.”

Her name was called affectionately, yet the fingers holding the lipstick trembled, turning pale. The woman slammed the lipstick onto the dressing table and snapped at the man trapped under the blanket.

“It’s Da Jin, not Da Jeong!”

“Right, Da Jin-ah. I really liked that proud side of yours. Outside or inside.”

A low, mocking laugh leaked from under the blanket.

“What’s the problem?”

“What’s the problem…”

The man’s voice, buried in the blanket, was barely audible.

“Probably from the moment you answered my call and came to this hotel?”

Da Jin couldn’t hear the rest of his words.

The man didn’t lift his face once and didn’t move an inch from that position.

“Leave.”

At the clear voice, the woman who had been staring at the back of his head for a long while bit her lip hard, grabbed her bag from the sofa, and walked out the door.

Bang!

The sound of the door closing echoed loudly through the hotel room. It perfectly conveyed the woman’s anger.

Only then did the man sit up from under the blanket.

As the blanket fell away, his toned upper body was revealed without reserve.

“This is more like it.”

He recalled Da Jin arriving at the hotel in less than thirty minutes after one phone call.

She would easily respond to even his smallest kindness, and if he gave her his business card during the day, she would call by evening at the latest.

No one ever took more than a day.

Except—

Only Ji Eun Jae, that damn Ji Eun Jae, always did this.

Tae Gyu stared at his phone on the table, spat out a low curse, and roughly ruffled his already messy hair.

A hollow laugh escaped him.

As he exhaled deeply into the air, Tae Gyu’s gaze turned to the dressing table. He saw the lipstick Da Jin had left behind. He walked over heavily and picked it up. It was the luxury C-brand lipstick he had gifted her not long ago.

Remembering Eun Jae searching for something in front of the elevator a few days ago, the corner of Tae Gyu’s mouth twisted into a sneer.

He was waiting for Eun Jae’s call after three failed attempts.

It had only been two days.

[This is the timeline separator]

Eun Jae lay blankly staring at the ceiling.

It was the start of another boring day.

Come to think of it, except for the past few days, her days had always been like this.

The events of the past few days felt like a dream.

Looking at her powerless self, unable to do anything, she laughed.

A thought occurred to her now: maybe it would have been better to accept the man’s proposal.

“Because you need this marriage that much.”

She remembered his words and the look in his eyes.

Those black eyes that shone brilliantly like black pearls. The deeper she looked, the more they drew her in.

To be so sincere about a fake marriage.

The lack he showed, despite seeming to have everything, was just enough to shake her.

“Even if it were more than 200 million won, I would be willing to pay. To me, Ji Eun Jae-ssi is worth that much.”

A low-level employee who, by sheer luck, caught the chairman’s eye and was scouted with a nine-figure salary.

He acted as if he would give her anything as long as she joined his company.

It would have been easier if that were the case.

He said he could give her anything else. Why did it have to be marriage?

“I will do my absolute best so that you never regret this choice.”

When he spoke, he was cautious, always careful not to upset her even slightly.

A contract marriage set for one year. He even considered what would happen afterward, though she didn’t need to worry about it.

Truthfully, just the fact that her mother, who was constantly in and out of the hospital, could stay comfortably was more than worth it to her.

Eun Jae let out a deep sigh, groped around the bed, and picked up her phone.

His face seemed to float on the ceiling.

She would probably think of him every time she looked, right?

It wasn’t a face one could easily forget. Was he that handsome?

She rationalized it to herself that way. Eun Jae rolled the phone in her hand, repeating meaningless actions.

Then, perfectly timed, her phone rang.

Eun Jae, who had been lying listlessly on the bed moments ago, shot upright. She checked the screen and couldn’t hide her disappointment.

She had secretly hoped it was him. Well, he had no reason to call her.

No—that wasn’t true. He said he needed her that much; he could at least call once to test the waters.

Eun Jae stared blankly at Tae Gyu’s number on the screen for a long time, still thinking of the man.

She didn’t know anymore. Why did he keep wandering through her mind?

“You’re really persistent, Yoon Tae Gyu.”

Even the day before yesterday, he had called three times, but she deliberately ignored them. There was no reason to answer.

The long vibration stopped, and shortly after, a short buzz announced a text message.

—I picked up something in front of the elevator.

It was definitely something she had tried to forget until a few days ago. At Tae Gyu’s words that he had it, Eun Jae immediately called him without hesitation.

The ringtone didn’t last long before Tae Gyu’s voice came through.

[Hey, Ji Eun Jae. You’re so obvious.]

“Yoon Tae Gyu, do you have the keychain? The one with the teddy bear?”

[…Huh? Yeah.]

As soon as Tae Gyu answered, Eun Jae got out of bed, looked in the mirror, hurriedly brushed her bangs up, and pulled a cap low over her head.

“Where are you? I’ll come there now.”

[This is the timeline separator]

Of all places, why here again.

The place Eun Jae arrived at was in front of the man’s officetel. She stood a little off to the side, waiting for Tae Gyu, wary of being spotted by loan sharks.

Not long after arriving, a black sedan smoothly stopped in front of her. The passenger window rolled down, revealing Tae Gyu’s face through the gap.

“Get in.”

“No, the keychain first—”

“Just get in first.”

Eun Jae let out a long sigh and opened the passenger door. The moment she sat down, Tae Gyu’s hand reached toward her.

He was trying to fasten her seatbelt.

Eun Jae lightly blocked his hand, pulled the belt herself, and asked,

“Where are we going?”

Tae Gyu leaned back with a hollow laugh.

“I’m hungry. Let’s eat first. I haven’t eaten all day.”

“Yoon Tae Gyu.”

“It’s fine, right? I found your thing for you.”

Not avoiding Tae Gyu’s persistent gaze as he waited for her answer, she pulled the belt tight and clicked it into place.

With a click, the belt locked, and Tae Gyu smiled brightly and stepped on the accelerator.

[This is the timeline separator]

They arrived at the W Hotel lounge.

From the moment they entered the familiar parking lot, Eun Jae couldn’t help but laugh.

A place she normally struggled to visit even once—she had come twice this week alone.

Sitting in the lounge, Eun Jae looked at a completely different view from that day. The sun was about to set, painting the sky with twilight.

Was it because it had been night last time?

The night view that day had been so beautiful.

Suddenly thinking of the man again, Eun Jae frowned.

“Ji Eun Jae-ssi. Look around later—eat first before it gets cold.”

How funny must I have looked, staring outside instead of eating the delicious food in front of me.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Nothing. Hurry and give it to me—my keychain.”

As Eun Jae narrowed her eyes and held out her hand, Tae Gyu frowned as if to say, what’s the rush?

“I’ll give it to you after you finish eating.”

“Hey.”

“What.”

“Give it now.”

Tae Gyu clicked his tongue in disapproval, then reached into his pants pocket. The keychain dangling from his finger jingled in front of Eun Jae’s eyes.

It wasn’t hers.

It was her fault for rushing out without checking.

Eun Jae let out a deep sigh and looked at Tae Gyu.

“Why. Not it?”

I don’t know. When I lost it, I was ready to throw it away without regret, so why did I run out the moment I heard he found it?

“Did you really pick it up in front of the elevator?”

It looked brand new, like he had bought it in a hurry after hearing I lost it. You would totally do that.

“Yeah. Why?”

“Nothing.”

Tae Gyu placed the keychain in Eun Jae’s lowered hand.

“Don’t be too attached to something you lost. If it’s yours, it’ll come back to you even if you don’t look for it.”

Still staring at Eun Jae’s unchanging expression, Tae Gyu changed his words.

“What does it look like? Should I look again?”

“Never mind.”

“Maybe you dropped it nearby? Then it should be around there. I’ll go—”

Eun Jae’s eyes widened as she listened quietly to Tae Gyu.

“That’s right! It could be.”

“What?”

Eun Jae suddenly slammed the table, grabbed her bag, and stood up. Tae Gyu looked at her in bewilderment as she hurriedly got up.

“Hey! Where are you going?”

“Thanks, Yoon Tae Gyu.”

Flashing a quick smile, Eun Jae turned and walked away briskly.

Yeah. It might be at his place.

Two thoughts rapidly crossed Eun Jae’s mind.

That she might find the keychain again.

And the excuse that she might see him one more time.

That strange gap made Eun Jae’s heart race.

[This is the timeline separator]

Seon Woo’s steps toward the professor’s office were heavy. Lost in his own thoughts, his pace was slow.

Should I contact her? I have the keychain—tell her to come get it. Then what? Say marriage is too fast, so let’s date instead?

It might have been better not knowing.

It had already been almost a month since that small, pale woman shattered his calm daily life.

Whenever his mind had a gap, her face appeared without fail.

The way she trembled in the bathroom, the flustered expression when he told her to come inside, the slightly flushed cheeks when she pulled her hand away, the lips that ate so neatly in the hotel lounge.

Moments he had passed without thought now tormented him vividly.

This is ridiculous—how much did I even see her?

“Hey, Professor Yoon!”

Seon Woo stopped at the voice calling him and looked back. He saw Hye Ji, slightly out of breath.

He waited until Hye Ji reached him, then started walking again.

“Just call me by name.”

“No, what were you thinking so deeply about? I called you several times.”

Several times?

Seon Woo stopped again, tilted his head, and asked Hye Ji with a meaningful look,

“How many times?”

“At least ten.”

“I just heard you now.”

“What’s wrong with you lately?”

When Seon Woo stared at her, Hye Ji cleared her throat awkwardly and looked away.

“Even you can tell I’m weird lately.”

“Yeah, you’re weird.”

Like a screw is loose somewhere, wasting time on a strange woman for no reason.

“Why am I like this?”

“Stop talking nonsense. Make time tonight.”

“For what?”

Seon Woo shoved his hands in his pockets with an annoyed look and quickened his pace.

“You said you’d treat me to dinner to thank me for switching your schedule last week for that blind date.”

“Today I—”

Reading that he was about to say no, Hye Ji blocked his path more firmly.

“It’s tonight or never.”

Hye Ji handed him a silver envelope.

“What’s this?”

The envelope had the W Hotel logo. It looked like a lounge dining voucher.

“I have something important to say. See you later.”

As soon as Seon Woo took the envelope, Hye Ji turned and walked away lightly, hands in her pockets, a faint smile on her face.

[This is the timeline separator]

Night had fallen over the W Hotel lounge as Seon Woo rested his chin on his hand and gazed at the view.

Hye Ji, cutting her steak, let out a small laugh. To her, Yoon Seon Woo—who was serious about food—not eating and looking elsewhere felt completely foreign.

After slowly admiring that version of Seon Woo, Hye Ji looked away.

“What is it, Yoon Seon Woo? Why are you staring like it’s your first time here?”

Well, he came three or four times a week.

Ever since coming here with that woman a few days ago, even the air felt different.

Was the night view always this beautiful?

The sparkling city lights glittered in Seon Woo’s eyes.

“The night view is worth seeing.”

“So, when is your twenty-eighth blind date?”

“Why twenty-eighth?”

“The half-day you took the other morning—wasn’t that for a blind date?”

She seemed to mean the day he had called the woman to his place.

It wasn’t a blind date, but… similar enough.

“It crashed and burned. Spectacularly.”

Seon Woo downed the non-alcoholic champagne in one go. Because he drank it too fast, the carbonation stung as it went down.

“How about me as your twenty-eighth blind date partner?”

“Don’t joke around.”

“Yoon Seon Woo, marry me.”

Seon Woo silently met Hye Ji’s quiet, direct gaze.

“You know my situation—having to keep going on annoying blind dates—and you know better than anyone how things are for you. I’ll match everything to you.”

So this is how that woman felt.

She must have been flustered. Bewildered. Shocked.

Even in this situation, he was thinking of her. He almost laughed at himself—

When his phone on the table vibrated.

—Ji Eun Jae

Seeing the woman’s name on the screen, the corner of Seon Woo’s mouth softly lifted.

The timing was impeccable.

While he was momentarily distracted by the phone, Hye Ji drove the final nail.

“Let’s do it with me.”

Seon Woo looked back and forth between Hye Ji sitting across from him and the name ringing on his phone, then let out a small laugh.

What kind of fateful joke is this.