Even if I have to cross the line - Chapter 2

It was in the spring when Hayun met Kang Chaehyun at the age of nineteen.

At 7 AM, Hayun opened her eyes to the sound of her alarm. As she hurriedly moved around, she paused to glance down at the still quiet first floor. After confirming the time with her tired eyes, she dashed down the stairs, her feet pounding against each step.

And then—bang!

“Uncle, aren’t you going to work?!”

A groaning sound floated out from beneath the thick covers.

As Hayeon stepped closer and yanked the blanket off, she saw a figure wriggling like a worm beneath it. The sunlight pouring in made him bury their face into the pillow, shaking their back.

“Wha—what…”

“…How can you possibly be getting married in a few days looking like this?”

With a disappointed look, Hayun sighed as she stared at Taegun’s back.

“Seriously, why would you drink so much, so that you can’t handle it? Do you think you’re still in your twenties? You’re forty!”

After pouring out her frustration, Hayun clicked her tongue and turned away.

“I might send a picture to Ji-eun Unni.”

“Uh, uh… Hayeon, isn’t that a bit too cruel?”

Fortunately, it seemed that the mention of his beloved fiancé jolted Taegun awake, and he wrapped himself in the blanket and sat up. He grinned awkwardly and asked Hayeon, who was about to leave the room.

“Hayun, honey water.”

“…That leech.”

“Hey! What kind of tone is that when talking to your father?”

Even if he said it with a face that wasn’t at all serious, it wouldn’t work on her. Hayun shook her head, but a faint smile had appeared on her lips as she retrieved honey from the pantry.

Father.

She had never expected that such a simple word would bring her such comfort.

Three years ago, when her parents had died in a car accident and she was left alone in the world, the person who had reached out to her and said, “Let’s live together,” was none other than Taegun. From then on, he often referred to himself as Hayeon’s father. He would say that since she already had a dad, he would be her father instead.

Hayeon didn’t dislike Taegun’s attitude. Because of him, she realized she wasn’t alone in this world.

“Drink this.”

Taegun gulped down the honey water Hayeon handed him and finally exhaled deeply, looking like he was alive again. Then he lamented, “They were mixing drinks like fools at the bachelor party. It was stronger than the bomb shots Juwon mixed when I enlisted.”

Hayeon smiled at the mention of Taegun’s father, Juwon. For the past three years, Taegun had often shared stories about his parents with her.

“Ah, by the way, Hayun.”

“Yes?”

“I’m not sure if you’ll remember since it was when you were a child.”

As Hayun was tidying up the empty glass and about to head out, she raised an eyebrow at Taegun, who suddenly brought up memories.

“When you were about five or six, you came over to my house and met my cousin. Do you remember? You declared that you were going to marry him, and Juwon had to hold you back by the neck.”

“There’s no way I’d remember that.”

Hayun shook her head, completely unaware of the story from more than a decade ago.

“Right. I guess it makes sense,” Taegun murmured.

“But why?”

“Ah, here’s the thing.”

Clearing his throat, Taegun straightened his posture.

“That cousin called me yesterday to say he’s coming back this weekend.”

“He’s coming for your wedding?”

“Yeah.”

Taegun looked a bit uneasy, squinting his eyes as he spoke cautiously.

“But he doesn’t have a place to stay, so he asked if he could stay at our house until the wedding. Is that okay?”

Seeing Taegun anxiously checking her reaction, Hayun chuckled lightly as if she had heard a silly joke.

“Of course! We have too many rooms as it is.”

Hayun shrugged while looking around the spacious house, which was too big for just the two of them.

“Then I’ll ask Auntie to prepare the guest room. Oh, does he leave right after the wedding?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t heard.”

“Ah, I see.”

Hayun nodded softly and returned to the kitchen to place the empty glass in the sink.

Glancing at the clock, she realized it was already past 8 o’clock.

This wasn’t the time for leisurely conversations.

Picking up her bag, which she had carelessly thrown on the sofa, Hayeon shouted toward the bedroom, “Uncle, if you don’t get ready now, you’ll really be late!”

“Oh no!”

Seeing Taegun’s unassuming appearance, which was hard to believe for the vice president of one of Korea’s largest conglomerates, KW, Hayeon burst out laughing and shook her head.

And so, on Saturday, at the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport.

Holding a placard that read “WELCOME KANG CHAEHUN” next to Taegun, Hayeon watched the people emerging one by one as the doors opened.

“So, what does he look like?”

“Huh?”

“The one named Kang Chaehun. I came out without even knowing how he looks.”

At Hayeon’s question, Taegun, who had been eagerly staring at the arrival hall, smiled.

“He’s handsome.”

“…? What’s with that simple answer? You don’t have a picture? We came out to meet him; I need to recognize him!”

“I’m telling you he’s handsome! If you see someone who stands out among the crowd, that’s Kang Chaehun.”

Is he messing with me?

Hayun looked at Taegun, who was dead serious, and felt utterly bewildered.

“You’ll know when you see him.”

Just as those words ended, Taegun raised both hands and shouted.

“Chaehun!”

Taegun’s loud voice made Hayeon turn her head toward the arrival hall.

At the same time, a pair of indifferent eyes seemed to find their way here, as if they had heard someone calling.

In that moment, Hayun held her breath.

The instant their eyes met, she felt a loud crash within herself, as if something had collapsed.

Her grip tightened around the placard, and the edge crumpled in her hand, but she didn’t have time to notice.

Is Uncle joking with me?! This is beyond just being handsome!

Her lips parted, breathing out only air instead of words.

“Hah.”

Hayeon’s eyes fluttered rapidly.

In the middle of a face that seemed to have been carefully crafted by God, what first caught her attention was his gaze that radiated warmth.

Upon closer inspection, there was a faint double eyelid on his left eye.

They say a man with uneven eyes is a flirt.

Recalling a rumor she had once heard, Hayun unconsciously licked her lips. The fruity scent of the lip balm she had applied while waiting for Chaehun lingered.

Hayun’s brows twitched slightly.

Her lips, which often chapped even in the summer, were one of her insecurities.

She bit her lips softly to hide them and noticed the man approaching her, pulling a suitcase behind him.

It was evident that all attention in the arrival hall was directed toward him, even without needing confirmation.

The man, whose large figure made it necessary for Hayun to tilt her head back, appeared to be well over 6 feet tall. The outline of his body beneath his shirt, combined with his height, exuded an overwhelming force.

She instinctively shrank back.

Hayun felt a shadow cast over her as the man approached, and she lowered her gaze slowly.

The scent that wafted from him made her mouth dry for no reason.

“Hyung.”

Is this what it feels like to be struck by a first love?

As a low voice echoed above her head, Hayun involuntarily tightened her abdomen and pressed her palm down on the placard she was holding, letting out a long, thin breath. It felt like the breath escaping her was also tinged with heat.

“It’s been a while, Chaehun.”

Seeing Taegun embrace Chaehun, who was a head taller than him, and patting his back, Hayun blinked rapidly.

When Taegun’s gaze met Hayun’s, it was accompanied by Chaehun’s eyes, and Hayun felt her back stiffen.

Unaware of her state, Taegun placed a hand on Hayun’s shoulder and spoke.

“Do you remember who this is? You met him about ten years ago.”

Hoping for a little recognition, Taegun’s question led Chaehun’s eyes to slowly close before opening again.

From the way he tilted his head, it was clear he didn’t remember. Taegun nodded in understanding, his expression confirming it.

“Right. Our Hayun has grown a lot since then. If I met you now, I wouldn’t recognize you either.”

Taegun looked at Hayun with warmth in his eyes, and Hayun felt a surge of warmth through her body.

Yet Chaehun kept his gaze on her, his expression unreadable as if he were inspecting her.

Hayun suddenly felt the corners of her mouth twitch.

“Should I say something? What should I say?”

But she couldn’t come up with anything to say.

“Hayun, say hello.”

At Taegun’s urging, Hayun felt her cheeks warm as she raised her head again.

The moment she faced Chaehun, her mind emptied.

“Hi…”

“……?”

Chaehun’s expression didn’t change, and the silence stretched between them.

Hayun’s heartbeat thumped in her ears, feeling as if the sound was echoing through the air, drowning out the chatter of the crowd.

In that moment, it felt like they were alone, completely isolated from the world around them.

“Uh… I’m Hayun.”

At her small introduction, Chaehun’s gaze softened.

“Nice to meet you.”

A quiet smile spread across his face, and Hayun felt something strange flutter in her stomach.

“What… is this feeling?”

A slight warmth began to rise in her chest, but it quickly faded.

But before Hayun could think too deeply about it, Taegun interrupted.

“Come on, let’s get going.”

With that, Taegun took the lead and began walking, while Chaehun fell in step beside him.

Hayun trailed behind, lost in thought.

It was hard to shake off the strange feeling she’d experienced when they locked eyes.

Could this feeling be love at first sight?

As the three of them walked together toward the exit, Hayun found herself glancing at Chaehun more and more.

The way he laughed, his low voice, and the warmth radiating from him made her heart race.

In the depths of her mind, a thought took root:

“Just maybe I could fall for him.