At the Lee Manor, the festivities had begun. Spectacular performances unfolded – it felt like an opera and a circus combined, especially in the youth corner.
"Look, it's so beautiful!"
"Yeah, I agree. Hey, has anyone seen Joon-Hyuk?"
"No, no," everyone replied. They were all seated while their parents discussed business.
The young people continued chatting. A girl named Erine started the conversation:
"You know, I'm so excited for Star and Joon-Hyuk's wedding."
A boy wrapped his arm around Erine's waist and whispered near her ear:
"And us… Don't you think about us at all?"
Erine looked at him and said:
"Our parents are right there, be careful, haha."
Hyunsik (the boy) scoffed:
"Hey, idiots, don't do that in front of me. You know I'm single – it hurts too much."
Another girl named Areum added:
"Hey, have you guys seen Star's new post?"
A girl named Ari responded sharply:
"What about her new post?"
Areum smirked:
"Oh, madam is still mad because she couldn't win Joon-Hyuk's heart before Star did?"
A boy (let's name him Taeyang) spoke up:
"Hey Arian, you've been quiet this whole time. What's wrong with you?"
A young man with icy blue eyes and a strikingly handsome face turned to Taeyang and said coldly:
"Nothing you're saying interests me."
Chills ran down everyone's spine. Minji approached the group and greeted them with a smile:
"Hello."
"Hi, Minji," they all replied.
She turned to Arian and said:
"Come with me."
Arian stood and followed her to a quiet corner. Back at the group, someone muttered:
"Arian always has that arrogant face. It'll get him nowhere, that idiot."
Taeyang added:
"Shut up, idiot," Ari snapped.
In the room where Minji and Arian stood, Minji said:
"Arian, please, can you contact Joon-Hyuk?"
Arian looked at her coldly.
"No."
"Please… do it for Mom. If you can't do it for me, your cousin, then do it for your aunt. Look at her, she's so sad. I beg you."
Arian looked over at Madam Lee. Seeing her sad face, he ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
"Give me his number."
Meanwhile, our two protagonists remained completely unaware of this.
Joon-Hyuk was deep in thought:
"This girl told me to follow her, and like a dog, I'm following. What's wrong with me?"
Suddenly, a ringtone echoed from his pocket. Hana turned around, startled.
"What was that?!"
Joon-Hyuk sighed and pulled out his phone.
"It's just my phone," he muttered, ending with "idiot" under his breath.
"Turn around and show me the way."
She thought angrily, "What a jerk."
He answered the call in a cold voice.
"Hello?"
On the other end, a voice said:
"If you don't want to make your mother even sadder, come back right now."
Then the call ended. Recognizing the voice, Joonhuk clenched his phone tightly, gritting his teeth.
"That son of a…," he growled.
He yelled out:
"Hey, country girl, how much further is it?!"
Hana turned around, her clothes still clinging to her body, transparent from being soaked. She was flushed with embarrassment and anger.
"You grumpy jerk! Can't you see I'm helping you here?! I'm soaking wet down to my bones, and I'm freezing! I admit, thank you for your jacket, but that doesn't give you the right to be so rude!"
Joon-Hyuk walked towards her, making her step back. When he reached her, he bent down to her level and, wearing an arrogant smile, locked eyes with her as he buttoned up the jacket around her without even looking at what he was doing.
Once he finished, he said:
"I think we've arrived."
Hana, cheeks burning, turned around and saw it was indeed the village's second emergency gate. She turned back to respond, but Joon-Hyuk had already walked over to a tree to take another call.
As he spoke on the phone, Hana watched him, still overwhelmed by what had just happened, thinking to herself:
"Is it possible to ever forget this stranger?"