When I Reach You (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 11

Seon Woo’s gaze was perfectly fixed on one spot. His mind went blank, and the ringing of the bell on the table completely filled his world.

Even today alone, I couldn’t count how many times your face flickered through my thoughts.

Every time the bell rang, I reflexively turned my head, hoping against hope—and I couldn’t let go of my phone all day.

Was I really waiting this long just for your name to appear?

Even amidst the confusion, his nerves instinctively reaching toward the woman left Seon Woo bewildered.

The earlier feelings of fluster, disbelief, and absurdity had long since faded away.

Though he wasn’t entirely sure what rooted this emotion stretching toward her, confirmation could wait. Right now, what mattered was hearing her reason for coming.

Without another thought, his hand reached decisively for his phone.

Whether her answer was yes or no—it no longer mattered.

“I’ll take the call later.”

For the first time, Hye Ji summoned courage. As Seon Woo moved to pick up his phone, she stretched out her hand and blocked it.

“Let’s do it—with me, Seon Woo.”

If this were the usual Yoon Seon Woo, his eyes would’ve already turned icy cold.

He should’ve snapped, “What are you doing? Move your hand,” and unleashed a barrage of irritated words.

Yet strangely, Seon Woo’s silent gaze felt unusually warm.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

So you couldn’t hate me, couldn’t resent me, couldn’t even cling to me.

It felt as though she’d already heard his answer. Fighting back bitter tears rising alongside a wave of humiliation, Hye Ji bit her lip tightly.

“For someone who keeps complaining about their situation, you’re being awfully sincere.”

“Why? Is sincerity not allowed?”

Meanwhile, the loud ringing gradually subsided. Seon Woo quietly stared down at his phone, still blocked by Hye Ji’s hand.

“I need to go.”

“Where?”

To the woman who would finally break this tiresome chain of blind dates.

“I thought I’d never see her again, but it seems my mind has changed.”

To the woman who would bring Ye Rim to me.

“Honestly, I was quite fond of her.”

With a faint smile, Seon Woo unfolded the napkin before him and let it flutter gently onto Hye Ji’s hand.

Still holding her hand along with the napkin, Seon Woo slid his phone out from underneath.

“If you marry me, you’ll have to live like this for the rest of your life.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Go on a blind date. You’re capable, and beautiful.”

Just so you know, my standards are high—he added with a soft chuckle. Watching him, Hye Ji bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

“This isn’t me rejecting your proposal because of her. From the very beginning, my answer was always no.”

Seon Woo slowly, meticulously wiped his phone with the napkin.

Almost as if buying time to keep talking.

You always do this—normally indifferent and prickly, yet occasionally so tender, as if forbidding any reply or objection to your words.

For quite some time, I lingered beside you. Watching that empty seat beside you—never offered to anyone else—I thought:

Maybe, just maybe, that seat could one day be mine.

It was a delusion.

You were simply unreachable by anyone—that’s all it was.

And I was no different from the others.

“You and I—we’ve known each other for ten years. I don’t want to lose a capable colleague like this.”

*Colleague…* The word he spoke, the one I’d never wanted to hear from his lips, pierced me like a dagger.

The bitter smile spreading across my lips felt unpleasant.

“Thirteen years.”

The length of time I’ve silently loved you.

After burying such a long time inside me, I just wanted to be honest with you once—just once. Yet even that single chance was denied to me.

“Right. Thirteen years.”

I have never—*not once*—considered Yoon Seon Woo as a friend.

From the moment I first saw you at the school’s main gate, from learning we were in the same department, from the time you casually handed me a canned coffee—

You probably don’t even remember, but from that moment, I liked you.

“You swore you’d never marry like your parents did.”

“…….”

“You know perfectly well why I’m even considering this marriage.”

Hye Ji’s parents had an arranged marriage. There was no love between them, and not long after Hye Ji was born, they ultimately turned their backs on each other.

That’s why I wanted you—*you*—to be the one beside me.

Because I thought, with you, I could be happy.

“I’m not the person who can make you happy.”

As Seon Woo stood up without hesitation and began walking away from her, his retreating figure blurred tearfully in Hye Ji’s eyes.

[This is the timeline separator]

The call ended abruptly.

Should I try calling again?

“No, what if he’s deliberately not answering?”

Wait—maybe he’s just busy. He might’ve missed it.

Pacing restlessly in front of the man’s officetel entrance, Eun Jae finally stopped, absentmindedly gnawing on her fingernails.

Lost in thought, she repeatedly conjured and erased various scenarios of what he might be going through right now.

A tangle of complicated thoughts and emotions swirled within her. Using the spotless glass door—unmarked by a single fingerprint—as a mirror, she smoothed her hair, then tugged her cap down low, trying to clear her mind.

Suddenly, her reflection in the glass looked pitiful.

Why on earth did I come all the way here?

I only need to find the keychain. Should I just leave a text? Say, *If it’s missing, that’s fine—but if you have it, could you leave it at the lobby? I’ll come pick it up.* That kind of message?

A deep sigh escaped Eun Jae as she tried to type out the message she’d rehearsed in her head.

Her hand, clutching the phone, dropped limply, unable to type a single word.

“Ugh… Ji Eun Jae, just be honest.”

It wasn’t really about the keychain, was it?

Coming all the way here to retrieve it was just an excuse.

To be honest, I don’t even know anymore. So many indiscernible emotions are tangled together now—I can’t even tell what’s real.

Yes, I wanted to get the keychain back—and yes, I also wanted to talk more with him…

“Enough. Let’s go. Go.”

Just one step forward, and it would truly be a cliff’s edge. After arrogantly refusing him with misplaced pride, what’s the point of seeking conversation now?

Shoving her phone deep into her jacket pocket, Eun Jae began dragging her reluctant feet away, step by painful step.

She’d barely taken one step when her phone buzzed inside her pocket. Eun Jae froze, then quickly pulled it out.

As soon as she saw the caller’s name, she urgently tapped the answer button and pressed the phone to her ear.

“Hello…?”

[Where are you now? I’m coming to you.]

Even before the usual greeting could finish, his voice rushed in. Right after, she thought she faintly heard the *beep-beep* of a car’s door locks releasing.

At the sound of his voice, all her uneasy, trembling thoughts from moments before vanished.

“Oh—I’m right in front of your officetel, sir.”

His soft laughter drifted through the receiver—probably because she’d called him “sir.” Flustered, Eun Jae scrambled for something to say.

“Oh! I mean—there wasn’t really a proper title I could use…”

[It’ll take about ten minutes. Can you wait that long?]

He’s arriving sooner than expected.

Just as she was about to nod and reply—

[Wait five minutes for me.]

A brief silence followed the *thud* of a car door closing. Eun Jae gulped, swallowed hard, and answered, startled:

“Oh—no, no, take your time. I’ll wait in the lobby.”

[See you soon.]

After his chuckling reply, she heard the engine start. Even after she murmured “Yes,” the call lingered a moment longer before finally disconnecting.

Only after hanging up did she realize:

“Oh—what? Ji Eun Jae, why are you smiling?”

She hadn’t even noticed she was smiling.

“So… did something good happen?”

At that familiar voice, Eun Jae’s expression instantly turned cold. Seeing three men approaching, she took a step back.

A few weeks ago—

These were the same men she’d encountered at the hospital.

Within just two steps, her back hit the wall. A chill ran down her spine, mirroring the threatening faces before her.

“Someone said they saw you here, so I came on a hunch—and here you are, right on cue.”

Though he spoke with a smile, the man’s gestures and movements were rough. In an instant, he seized Eun Jae’s chin, his coarse grip unmistakable.

“Thanks, Eun Jae.”

Trembling, Eun Jae shouted in a shaky voice:

“I *did* try! If you hadn’t barged into my workplace and caused such a scene—!”

After ransacking her home, these men later caused a disturbance at her office too. It was a small company, but one she’d been reasonably satisfied with.

Because of that incident, a few days later, she was fired without even a chance to explain.

“For that measly salary—how many lifetimes would it take?”

Though it was nighttime, they stood near the officetel’s main entrance. Passersby glanced over occasionally, though no one lingered.

“Then what do you expect me to do? I need to work to repay the money!”

“How about… waiting ten years or so?”

At Kwon Seung Cheol’s words, the two men behind him burst into louder laughter—mocking laughter.

I know, too—that two hundred million won isn’t an amount easily repaid.

Just then, her tightly gripped phone vibrated. She didn’t need to check the screen to know who it was.

As her phone lit up brightly in the darkness, Kwon Seung Cheol’s gaze shifted from her chin to her hand.

“Who is it?”

“None of your business.”

Desperately, Eun Jae tried to hide the man’s name glowing on the screen.

Kwon Seung Cheol had always tried to link everyone around Eun Jae to money—like a hyena, always on the prowl for any possible source of funds.

Though he’d harassed her under the guise of ‘repaying kindness,’ the man was truly someone Eun Jae was deeply grateful to.

Even though stepping in had placed him in danger, he hadn’t simply walked past.

If you keep hovering around me like this, you’ll sink into this swamp too.

So, let’s end things here.

Eun Jae opened her tightly shut eyes and spoke with resolute firmness:

“Shall we move somewhere else first? Lots of people pass by here—and if the police show up, it’ll be quite troublesome for you.”

“Hah—what *am* I going to do with you?”

As Kwon Seung Cheol’s other hand slowly slid down her shoulder, Eun Jae roughly swatted it away.

“Get your hand off me.”

“When I saw you from afar, I didn’t realize—but you’re prettier than I thought. We’ve never faced each other like this before, have we?”

The man gripping her chin smirked slyly, curling the corners of his mouth. His vile, invasive gaze clung to every part of her.

Her tightly sealed lips nearly bled. Honestly, shouting and threats would’ve been easier to endure.

At that moment—selfishly, shamefully—*his* face surfaced in her mind.

She’d only pretended otherwise; truth was, she was terrified. She wasn’t brave enough to handle all this alone.

Just as she squeezed her burning, swollen eyes shut—

“Take that hand off her.”

A slightly breathless voice. A slightly angered voice.

That familiar, low baritone tickled Eun Jae’s ear.

“Oh—Uncle…”

Relief filled her eyes with tears the moment she saw him.

“What are you doing here?”

“We weren’t *doing* anything yet—just *about* to begin.”

As Seon Woo slowly approached Seung Cheol, two men stepped in front of him, blocking the way.

Then, one of them suddenly recognized Seon Woo—and his eyes bulged in shock. His pointing finger trembled violently.

“Y-you! You damn —! You’re that damn — from back then!”

“You remembered me well.”

Seon Woo coldly looked down at the two men fidgeting before him.

“That’s right. That damn — from back then.”

Under Seon Woo’s icy stare, the man inexplicably shrank, even stuttering:

“Y-you! You damn —! Have you completely lost your mind?!”

“How many times must I hunt down this damn —, huh?!”

With casual flicks of his palms against their shoulders, Seon Woo closed the distance to Eun Jae—neither man dared stop him.

Effortlessly, he reached her in one swift motion, and without hesitation, peeled Kwon Seung Cheol’s rough hand away from her chin with his bare hand.

Eun Jae’s eyes widened in astonishment, flicking between Seon Woo’s hand and his face.

Seon Woo gently but firmly pushed Seung Cheol back by the chest, widening the gap, and stood protectively in front of Eun Jae.

“Who the hell are you?”

“None of your concern.”

Caught off guard, Seung Cheol staggered back a step after a sudden blow to his solar plexus, glaring at Seon Woo.

“What even *are* you to her?”

Seon Woo’s hand softly, reassuringly encircled Eun Jae’s shoulder.

“What if I *am* something to her?”

With a gentle tug, he pulled her close—and she collapsed into his arms.

Startled, Eun Jae looked up at him with wide eyes. Seon Woo quietly met her gaze, then smiled as his thumb brushed away the dampness gathering at her eyes.

His impossibly tender gaze persistently followed her. As the man bent slightly, his face drew nearer—

Finally, his lips settled softly against her ear, whispering:

“Why didn’t you answer my calls, sweetheart?”

“…….”

“I was worried.”“`