Chapter 86

Chapter 86: Chapter 86

“Well, I lost my cell phone. I don’t know where I lost it while I was busy meeting with my team managers. I didn’t have time to buy a new phone and contact you. So, I just left for Paris, though you probably don’t believe me.”

“Does it make any sense?”

“Yes, it does. As that agency is a subsidiary of Soran’s company, I think she made it up on purpose.”

“You mean traveling to Paris together?”

“I think they set up the travel plan like that because I didn’t want to meet her. Probably, they wanted to arrange a reunion between us in Paris.”

“What about her suicide attempt? Was it also fabricated?”

“Well, she attempted it accidentally. She must have been pretty upset as things didn’t work out well as she planned.”

“What the heck is this? This kind of fabrication is so preposterous!”

She was ashamed of herself as she got overly nervous and misunderstood him.

“Were you disappointed because I didn’t go to France with you?”

“Yes, it looks like this is a crazy, dull soap opera.”

“Crazy?”

“Why not? This involves a married woman.”

Arum thought he went on a secret trip with Soran. As it turned out that he didn’t, she lost interest suddenly.

“Married woman…”

“Am I wrong? This is kind of a predestined love that can never be realized. I just thought I can’t separate you guys’ love, and I have to give up…”

Hojoon faked a laugh.

“How dare you can laugh at me? I’ve been a tragic heroine for a whole week.”

“That’s why you cleaned the whole house, right?” said Hojoon with a bright smile, with his arms folded.

“I think I have to disappear more often, so you can do more cleaning. You’ve done a great job.” He asked, “Don’t you think this is a positive change?”

“Well, I’ve got some other things to take care of. All the junk boxes in that small room. I’m going to call a second-hand item dealer,” she said, holding her cell phone.

“Tell me which one you want to contact,” he said, looking for the used item dealer’s phone list.

“If you find one, let me know. A lot of them are unused open items, so they’re like new. If I sell these to someone you know, I think I could get paid more. Don’t you think so?”

The doorbell rang.

“Do you have a guest coming?” asked Hojoon, looking at the door.

“Nope,” she said, tilting her head.

“We’ve got a package for you,” someone said on the other side of the door.

“Delivering a package? I’ve got nothing like that…”

She quickly opened the door as he sat at the table and watched. A couple of middle-aged men in jumpers were standing outside with a flat box.

“Are you Arum Yang?”

“Yes, I am. May I ask what business has brought you here?”

“We’re from Koun Korean Dress shop. You placed an order for a hanbok, didn’t you?”

“Oh…”

She was embarrassed. The day before her wedding photo session her hanbok had been mixed up with someone else. She canceled the order and got a refund. That was three years ago, so why was this hanbok being delivered to her now? Obviously, it was the wrong item.

“Sorry, but I didn’t…”

When she refused to accept the package, one of them said, “We know that. You canceled the purchase. We made a big mistake at that time. Sorry about that.”

“That’s fine. That’s history.”

“Our shop closed last month.”

“Oh my god…” she exclaimed.

“So, we decided to donate these kinds of dresses to the customers who returned them. Making a hanbok is difficult, so they’re too precious to throw away.”

“Wait a minute. I didn’t contact you to ask for this. Did anybody contact you?”

Come to think of it, she felt strange that they came to her current location as she moved from her previous apartment unit.

“Mr. Konsu Han asked us to send it to you. A surprise gift!”

Dang it, that bastard! She clenched her fists firmly.

She heard Hojoon spit out his coffee.

“No, thanks. I don’t want it.”

The moment she refused the gift, Hojoon walked up to them and received the box.

“Thanks. You can give it to me.”

“Why did you take it?” she shouted with surprise.

“As this is a gift, you have to take it. Thanks.”

He let them leave.

“Hojoon!”

“Why?”

“What are you doing? Don’t you know what that is?”She was dumbfounded at Konsu’s decision to send the hanbok to her, but she couldn’t understand why Hojoon received it. “Konsu and I ordered this hanbok for our wedding.”

“I know.”

“You took it even though you knew? Don’t you see this trash over here? I dumped it all to erase my memories. You told me I should never buy stuff that I don’t use, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“If that’s true, I should dump this dress. Don’t you think so? You told me I should dump anything related to bad memories when you mentioned the energy of your house and the feng shui of love in your video lecture, right? Why did you take it then?”

Opening the gift box, he explained, “Do you know why I work as a feng shui consultant?”

Pouting, she frowned.

Why is this guy suddenly talking about feng shui?

As if to read her mind, he said, “This kind of feng shui only exists in our country. Have you heard about ‘bibo’ feng shui?”

She never heard about it, to say the least.

“What is it?”

According to him, things should not be given up simply because they are bad or useless. The art of figuring out how to improve and use things better is bibo feng shui.

“There are not many myongdang in our country as it had lots of mountain ridges and is a peninsula. So, our ancestors cultivated the wisdom of improving the bad soil. Bibo feng shui was developed, based on this concept. You can’t move because the feng shui of your house is bad, but you can just fix your house and turn it into a better place for living.

While listening to him quietly, she tilted her head.

She asked, “By the way, what does this bibo feng shui have to do with this dress?”

“My point is that you should make good use of our ancestors’ wisdom. You should fix this dress to better suit you instead of dumping it.”

“No, I don’t like it.”

She thought no matter how wise their ancestors were, she couldn’t improve the situation. Whenever she saw this dress, she would inevitably recall Konsu and their breakup.

“I would rather dump it,” she said firmly.

That was the only solution. Dumping it once and for all, but the moment he took out the hanbok, she hesitated.

“Wow, it’s pretty!” she exclaimed before she knew.

The design was refined and the color was harmonious. The jeogori was light green and yellow and made of two pieces of overlapping cloth. The skirt was the traditional crimson, but it was designed a bit big like a western party dress, adding elegance.

The designer of this dress was a talented man who had also produced movies and drama costumes. It was more polite than an improved hanbok but more youthful than a traditional hanbok. So, she purchased this hanhok instead of renting it like other people.

During the holidays, she planned to do a costume play by wearing this hanbok, but it was all her vain greed. This hanbok was so beautiful that she wanted to buy it again even if she went had to remember those days.

“Do you know about shock therapy?”

“Doesn’t it mean that one’s shock is forgotten by shock?”

“Sort of. It means you just forget your old memories by using a more intense impact. ”

“Is it possible?”

“Would you like to try if it’s possible? I have a secret method. ”

“I doubt it!”

“What if that’s possible?”

“No, thanks. I’m not a sucker.”

“Can you forgive me if I can make it come true?”

Hojoon’s eyes were full of confidence. Arum suddenly felt the urge to challenge him.

Was it because he really had a secret method that he was so confident?

She decided to be a sucker once more.

***

Arum exited Kyongbok Palace Subway Station in the hanbok.

“Oh my… I must be crazy. This is not what I want. ”

She felt ashamed dressed in the hanbok. Before she exited completely, she turned back down the stairs. Hoojun followed her also dressed in a hanbok and pulled her back.

“Where are you going?”

“Let me just go back. I’m afraid I’m going to give myself trauma while trying to erase the memories of my break up.”

“Don’t you think this is surefire shock therapy?” Pointing at a couple dressed in hanbok and dragged her towards them. “Look at them. We’re not the only couple dressed in hanbok. There are many others over there.”

“As there are lots of them, let’s not do it.”

“Arum, do you know what I’ve been thinking for a week when I lost track of you? Dating like a regular person. I vowed I would date when I got back to Korea. I have made that commitment. “