Chapter 171. I Can’t Let Her Go (8)

Weekly Chapter 2/3

The space felt unfamiliar after a long absence. Although a cleaning assistant visited once a week to maintain cleanliness, the indoor air was stale. Lee-Seob opened the windows to let out the stagnant air and slowly walked around the house. Then, he took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and slumped onto the living room sofa, sipping the cold liquid.

Since Minkyung left, he had visited this place only once. That time, he had barely dared to open his eyes, unwilling to look closely at any corner of the space that still bore traces of their love.

As Minkyung had informed the driver, there was something she had returned inside the walk-in closet. She mentioned documents, but the moment Lee-Seob heard from Kim Gicheon that she had left something behind, he already knew what it was.

The Blue Moon of Paris.

He never told Minkyung, but he had bought a matching ring as well. He had ordered it to fit her finger size, but only received it after she had already left for China. It had the same design as the pendant—a crescent moon cradling a blue sapphire. Lee-Seob had shoved the ring deep into the dresser, along with the necklace that Minkyung had returned.

Even on the day he placed the necklace around her neck, she had already emotionally distanced herself. The realization had been unbearably painful, and he had never once taken the necklace out to look at it.

He ran his palm over the sofa he was sitting on. Sitting just like this, he had placed her on his lap and fastened the necklace around her neck… His eyes grew hot again.

‘What a pathetic fool.’

This was why he had avoided setting foot in the apartment. Even just seeing the apartment complex from a distance made him feel uneasy. It was an unpleasant, bitter, yet strangely sweet sensation, like swallowing a syrupy but acrid medicine. It made him nauseous, as if he might vomit.

In the car, the moment he heard that she had prepared meeting materials and slide presentations, anger surged through him. He was furious that he hadn’t known, that she had been made to work like that, and yet at the same time, he was overwhelmed.

Kang Minkyung had written those reports either out of her perfectionist work ethic or perhaps out of a slight sense of guilt. But at least during those late nights and early mornings, while she worked on those reports, she must have thought of Tae Lee-Seob. His habits, his irritability, his persistence, and his pettiness—she must have remembered them all. Just the thought of that was enough to make his heart feel like it would explode.

Lee-Seob stood from the sofa and walked to the dressing room. He wanted to take out the necklace that she had briefly worn around her neck. Whatever it was, he wanted to hold something that still carried her traces. If he had known it would come to this, he would have stolen even just a single pen from her office desk. There was nothing left—nothing to hold, nothing to touch.

He rummaged through the deep recesses of the dresser and found the necklace case and the ring case. As he was about to take them out, something caught his eye, making him pause. A shopping bag he hadn’t noticed before stood there. Judging by its crumpled state, it had likely been buried deep inside and only brought out during cleaning.

“What is this?”

Inside the shopping bag was a summer cotton shirt. It was from a brand Seonae liked. Lee-Seob assumed she must have visited when he wasn’t around and left it for him. He removed the plastic wrap and picked up a receipt card that had fallen to the floor. He absentmindedly folded it to set it aside but then unfolded it again. The purchase date was from a long time ago.

‘Why hadn’t she mentioned it all this time?’

Feeling uneasy, Lee-Seob hung up the shirt and checked his phone’s calendar. His face contorted.

‘No way. It can’t be.’

Shaking his head, he stood still for a while, deep in thought. Finally, he opened the necklace case that had been sitting on top of his watch stand. Inside, along with the necklace, was a small folded piece of paper. A short message was written on it.

— I have already received the moon you gave me. That’s why I am returning the Paris moon… You once said the moon holds a mysterious power. From time to time, when I look at the moon, I will make a wish for the one who once gave it to me. I wish you health and happiness… I have always been grateful… Kang Minkyung.

He put the note down and covered his face with both hands. The late afternoon when he had placed the necklace on her flashed through his mind like a film reel.

— Did you know? The moon has mysterious powers.

— Gravity?

— Ha, gravity? Minkyung, the moon has mystical, magical power—something a physics student like you wouldn’t understand.

He traced over the crescent moon of the pendant once more.

— Now, Kang Minkyung belongs to me.

She had laughed softly. Smiling, she pressed her lips to his. Even when he tried to pull away, saying she would catch his cold, she clung to him, sucking on his lips and drawing his tongue in deeply.

‘Sleep a little more.’

His eyes had been filled with tears, but the memory was blurred, indistinct. He only recalled her embracing him, stroking him, and patting him gently as he drifted back into sleep.

Lee-Seob covered his eyes with his arm and collapsed to the floor, burying his face in his knees. The sobs he had been holding back finally burst out. Even clenching his teeth, the sound continued to escape.

If he was going to be like this—if he was going to be like this…

What kind of pathetic bastard thought he could go on a marriage meeting? As if he could brazenly pull off something like getting married.

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