When Your Pain Becomes Mine

34. The Causes of Pain

"Are they eating the stir-fried rice cake?"

Eunwoo asked while cutting the hamburger with a knife.

"Yes, I forgot to tell them about lunch today..."

Sun looked at Eunwoo and spoke while feeling sorry for him.

"But no matter what, they still should've waited for me to take care of business before they started eating… they're rude."

Sun said it while having a bite of the salad in her mouth, like a spoiled princess. Eunwoo couldn't resist smiling. It was so cute.

"What are you laughing about?"

"You look lively."

"Do I?"

"Yes, it's great to see."

She thought about his words for a moment.

You look bright, positive, and energetic. She had heard it from people frequently since childhood, but at some point, it became strange to her.

Maybe he felt that her mind sank a little?

"Wow, it's delicious."

"I know, right? I tried it once and crave it all the time now." She smiled at him quickly.

"There are a lot of great restaurants here; there are some fancy stores too."

Eunwoo responded with a giggle.

"Do you like fancy products, Dr. Park?"

"Yeah, especially the note pads. I just keep buying one or two of them without using them."

"Oh, I do too. Whenever I look at a pretty pen or a notebook, I tend to buy one. I don't know why."

Sun smiled brightly after learning that she had so much in common with him.

"That's why I had to buy them like this."

Inside the shopping bag was full of Kid's Fan products.

"Wow, did you buy all of them? You can buy them with the staff discount if you tell them in advance…"

"No, I have to buy it at full price because I'm not buying it as a friend, but as a consumer. I'm a fan of the designer Cheonsun after all."

"Oh... That's cool."

Sun smiled shyly and continued eating her food awkwardly.

Eunwoo, who was staring at her smile, started speaking.

"I'll come here often to hang out with you and buy things too."

"Well, I'll treat you next time then. Promise me, okay?"

Eunwoo nodded with a smile upon hearing Sun's words.

"... Sure. By the way, has he returned?"

Hearing Eunwoo's careful question, she slowly shook her head.

"I don't know..."

She never called or looked for him, so she had no way of knowing about him.

"Are you guys talking about me?"

Then, they heard a familiar voice behind her back.

When she quickly turned her head in surprise, she could see that Gyeonhui was standing there with a severe face.

"Gyeon... Gyeonhui..."

Sun reflexively called his name. Eunwoo, who looked back, could see his face too.

"I didn't know you guys were so interested in me." Smiling wryly, Gyeonhui looked at Eunwoo.

"I wouldn't say interested, but I'm just curious."

As he looked at Eunwoo, who answered effortlessly, he scowled slightly.

"Are we close enough for you to be curious?"

"It's good to know about a friend of my friend."

"A friend?"

"A distant friend is still a friend, isn't it?"

Eunwoo, who was establishing himself as Sun's friend, made Gyeonhui scowl.

Gyeonhui saw Sun and moved his gaze to Eunwoo again before opening his mouth to talk.

"So, you're saying that you're her friend too?"

"Yes, for now."

"You're not honest."

"I'm honest. It's just that it would take quite a while for me to tell people what I truly feel sometimes."

"That's exactly what a dishonest person is. It becomes untrue if you express your words when it's already too late, and that means you're going to deceive other people."

Eunwoo was no longer smiling upon hearing his words. Nonetheless, he was still giggling because Sun was holding a napkin on the table tightly in embarrassment

"Sun, I'm gonna use the restroom real quick."

"Sure... Thank you."

She answered weakly, understanding Eunwoo's consideration.

"You don't need to come back, just go and do your thing."

Gyeonhui spoke in a sharp tone. Eunwoo stopped for a moment and whispered to him.

"Don't be mistaken. I'm leaving for a second for her because she already feels so ashamed. I'm considering her, not you.

"The more you know, the more you'll understand that she's too good to be yours." Eunwoo smiled and went outside.

"Hah." Gyeonhui laughed loudly, outraged.

As Eunwoo moved away, Sun started talking as she watched Gyeonhui.

"... What's going on?"

Her cold, sinking voice got on his nerves.

"Your products and the shelves in your office were so messy."

"No. It's not a mess. I just checked them a little while ago."

"It is." He said again in a sinking voice.

"I got it. I'll tell my people to recheck them."

"Do it by yourself. Right now."

Sun looked at him still. "No, I don't want to do it."

"What?"

"I took a half-day off. Ari will do it just fine."

Her tone was straightforward; she was furious.

"What makes you so defiant like this? You pulled my hair out."

She laughed after hearing Gyeonhui's words.

"You're laughing?"

"... Really, was it that painful?"

"Of course…"

"Are you really trying to make me feel guilty because it was so painful? Seriously?" Sun's voice trembled lightly.

He couldn't speak anymore as if he were surprised.

Glaring at him, she slowly opened her mouth, "I hope you get even sicker. I hope you get as sick as I was. If only you could experience half of what I had to go through."

She looked embittered and scowled. She struggled to continue talking.

"... You can't say that, no, you shouldn't."

She was staring at him before rising from her seat and leaving for good.

"... Hah." Gyeonhui, who looked embarrassed, could only let out a sigh without stopping her.

***

"Hmm."

Eunwoo waited for her at the entrance with a slightly worrisome look.

Eunwoo left the restaurant for her, but his mind was still heavy.

Then he could see her coming out with a firm expression.

Eunwoo raised his hand slightly to reveal his location. However, she just passed in front of him without seeing him.

"... Miss Sun?"

He called her, but she walked as if she hadn't heard anything. Eventually, he took a quick step and stopped her by holding her shoulder.

"Miss Sun."

Eunwoo lowered his head and asked while keeping his gaze at her.

"... Oh, Dr. Park."

Sun looked like she wasn't herself at that time based on the look on her face. She looked at Eunwoo and spoke in a small voice.

"Are you okay?" Eunwoo asked in a concerned voice.

"... Yes."

Her eyes still had tears on it, but she managed to show a smile.

She was obviously crying, but she still tried to laugh. Eunwoo's heart became more and more heartbroken.

Eunwoo grabbed her wrist silently and led her to the parking lot where his car was located.

***

On the Do-san main street.

Lunchtime had just ended, and the road was full of cars. Eunwoo's car stood in the left lane, waiting for a traffic signal. As she turned her head to check on the street sign, she looked at Eunwoo again.

"Don't we have to make a right to go to Samsung Station?"

"That's right."

"Really? But why aren't we..."

"I'm going to stop by somewhere."

When the signal changed, Eunwoo smiled and turned the steering wheel to Olympic Boulevard.

Unlike the center of the city, Olympic Boulevard was desolate.

As he speeded up, Eunwoo pressed the button on the handle to play music. The sound of the flute continued with a cheerful rhythm, and the voice of the singer rang out.

The lyrics started with "Strawberry Sherbet, Yellow Lemonade." It sounded fresh.

"Sometimes, I go on a drive to feel better like this."

"Ah..."

Sun nodded awkwardly.

Eunwoo smiled; he then opened the sunroof as well as the windows in front and in the back.

A cold, strong wind swept over her forehead and swung through the car.

As he cleaned up his wind-blown head, Sun soon thought of other things and let go of his hand.

She felt a little refreshed as she rushed down the streets with exciting music.

It was a bit chilly, but that made her feel much better.

Her swollen head and heart felt a little calmer due to the cold wind. However, something in her heart still weighed her down heavily.

She tried to push her pain back into the depths of her heart once more with her eyes closed.

At that time, Eunwoo was still watching her. He raised the volume of the music and yelled,

"Waaaa!"

His sudden actions surprised her a little.

"Sometimes, this makes me feel alive. Give it a try."

Sun shook her head with an awkward smile.

"Give it a try. Come on. Waaaaaa!"

Eunwoo screamed again with a broad smile.

She was smiling so awkward now, but after a moment of contemplation, she reluctantly opened her small mouth.

"Wa..."

"Louder!"

"Waa..."

"Louder!!"

When she grew brave upon hearing his words, she screamed with great force.

"Oh! Oh, my."

However, she quickly closed her mouth because her voice was much louder than she thought.

Eunwoo reached out and gently grabbed her wrist as she covered her mouth. He smiled and looked at her silently as he waited for what she would do next.

'Do it again!'

As she read his eyes, she took a deep breath and yelled again, seemingly determined.

She opened her windpipe.

Her mind felt like a core being ejected from a fruit press.

They looked at each other and laughed together. As if she felt a little better, she stuck her face out of the window and enjoyed the cool breeze.

Looking at her, Eunwoo smiled and slowly increased the volume of the music.