Chapter 33.1

Hae-gang’s shoulders drooped with the weight of exhaustion as if she had been lifting and carrying heavy loads all day. Though she knew Woo-jin’s weekends were packed with responsibilities and he deserved rest, it still stung that he couldn’t spare a moment for her.

In her upset state, she uttered hateful words.

“Why don’t you just tell me to stop driving altogether and put you in the driver’s seat?” Hae-gang lashed out.

Woo-jin’s gaze flicked toward her, his disbelief palpable.

“Are you upset with me?”

Hae-gang lifted a hand to cover her face from Woo-jin’s scrutinizing stare.

“Who? Who’s upset?”

“It’s just us two here. Unless you’re upset with Han Dawn,” Woo-jin replied, his voice gentle and calm.

“No! Not at all!” she interjected hastily, cutting him off.

Woo-jin shifted gears again, covering his hand on the steering wheel with his own, as if unsure of what to make of her sudden outburst.

“I’ll drive from now on. Let’s take a detour since we’re out anyways,” he suggested.

Hae-gang’s gaze drifted towards their overlapping hands, unable to discern her own hand holding the steering wheel from Woo-jin’s larger one. But she could feel the warmth emanating from Woo-jin’s body, an unspoken comfort in his touch.

Gripping the steering wheel tighter, Hae-gang drew strength from the contact. Woo-jin’s voice was soothing, as if he were trying to placate a restless child.

“That’s enough for today. Good job. We can try again tomorrow.”

“We’re doing this again tomorrow? You’re not going to call the instructor?” she asked, surprised.

“Come to think of it, maybe it’s not a good idea to have your face on display. I’ll teach you better tomorrow, without getting angry. That’s what I meant,” Woo-jin explained.

Hae-gang didn’t push, letting the conversation drop as they rode in silence. She scratched her eyebrow, resigned to the fact that she couldn’t shake her annoyance.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s a bit awkward,” he murmured finally.

Hae-gang’s lips parted slightly, the unspoken words lingering in the air between them.

Normally, he would have dismissed it with a casual “Oh, come on,” but the added hesitance made him look endearingly cute. She dug her nails into the leather handle, her heart fluttering with excitement. This guy was something else.

He got out of the passenger seat, walked over to the driver’s side, and opened the door, extending his hand. Hae-gang suppressed her excitement and put on a nonchalant smile.

“It’s a bit much to ask for free, but if you buy me something delicious, I might consider it,” she teased.

Woo-jin took hold of the steering wheel once he saw Hae-gang had settled into the car, eager to put the difficulty behind them.

“What do you have in mind?” he asked, his words betraying his eagerness to please.

Hae-gang didn’t hesitate in his response, running a hand through his hair.

“Something that Min Woo-jin made himself.”

“…It won’t be delicious,” Woo-jin replied, a hint of self-deprecation in his tone.

“Then why did you treat the food you made as garbage like that?” Hae-gang retorted.

“I don’t recall using such strong language. And I’m a better cook than him, anyways,” Woo-jin countered.

“Let’s go find out for ourselves then. For your information, Min Woo-jin had a glint in his eye that day,” Hae-gang remarked, grinning.

As Woo-jin turned off the emergency lights and dried his face, a newfound gravity settled over his features as he gripped the steering wheel.

********

“He” didn’t deny his expectations; he knew what he wanted. Seo Hae-gang, the woman who had bewitched him, was now within his grasp, but he dared not hope for her. Even if she stood right beside Min Woo-jin, would it make a difference? Would he be able to save him with his own eyes? A faint sneer formed on his lips at the thought. It was an absurd notion. If Seo Hae-gang truly married Min Woo-jin, then he deserved to die.

He was the only one who could be tied to her as a married couple. Of course, everything changed if Hae-gang caused a scene and did not obey him. If she cried and clung to him, begging for mercy, it was a different story. He particularly enjoyed seeing her cry. The corners of her eyes, covered with soft flesh, turned red. Her lower lip, thicker than the upper, was bitten by her teeth, and when she glared at him with tears welling up in her eyes, he shuddered throughout his body.

“I don’t think I’ve done this before,” he muttered to himself, prompting an unwanted response. He made eye contact with the person sitting in the driver’s seat through the rearview mirror. Young-Gil, who filled the seat in place of Jae-min, did not resist his gaze and quietly lowered his eyes. He knew his predecessor’s words all too well. He was also one of the expendables, no different from Jung Jae-min.

He warned in a low voice, “It’s annoying, so don’t bother reminding me that you’re there.”

“All right,” came Young-Gil’s quick reply. His eyes closed, signifying the end of their conversation. Their love was no longer mutual. It had become one-sided, but it didn’t matter. He only had to love Hae-kang’s share.

What he wanted from Hae-gang was simple. If she cannot give love, then she must relinquish all other emotions to him.

If you want to support the Lunar Letters team, you can do so by pledging to us on Patreon and get to read advanced chapters of our novels! (Note: Patreon is not compulsory. Patrons are able to read ahead, but chapters will still be released to the public at a later date. This is only one way to financially support the team and keep the site running. Thank you very much!)

Browse our table of contents or Become a patron now!