Impure Tenderness

Prologue

The café was empty except for the cold air that filled it. Once Jinju switched on a small light, Junhui, relying on its dim glow, made his way over to the paraffin heater in the center of the room and switched it on.

"Shall we head up to the second floor?" Junhui's quiet voice echoed throughout the empty café.

The heater was on now, but it would still take some time for the café to warm up.

"No," Jinju replied, frowning and shaking her head.

"Okay, if you don't want to, I don't want to either."

Junhui turned off the light and took his coat off. Upon sitting himself down on the cot next to the heater, he pulled her into his lap. As the CEO of the hotel, he had never expected to choose such a humble place for this moment instead of one of his fancy rooms. Nevertheless, it couldn’t be helped. Jinju wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled, her beaming eyes full of anticipation.

"Our relationship has become like the snow that fell today."

The heavy snow had fallen in a romantic, yet intense manner. Just like that, their emotions inevitably spiraled out of control after a certain point.

"I hope we get a lot of snow this winter."

As soon as Junhui finished speaking, their breaths became intertwined, calm yet forceful.

"Hah-"

Junhui didn't even give Jinju a chance to catch her breath. After she let out a small gasp, he buried his face in her neck, kissing her and unbuttoning her cardigan. Piece by piece, her clothes fell to the floor.

Jinju shivered as the cold air caressed her bare skin.

"I'll warm you up," Junhui murmured.

And just like his words, it didn't take long for her body to feel the warmth of his hot breath as it touched every inch of her. Jinju's delicate frame was barely visible in the dimly lit café, now only lit up by the glow of the heater.

"I'm afraid I might break you.”

"I'm not as fragile as I look."

Junhui gazed into Jinju's eyes as if he wanted to etch the image of her into his mind. Her sincere gaze was almost mesmerizing to behold. But the woe was her. He enchanted himself that this love was nothing but a planned revenge., and harbored grudges within his violent desires.

‘Jinju Baek… why must you have that mother? Why must I have that father? And why must we meet at this peculiar timing?’

As Jinju began to feel more and more euphoric, she splayed her fingers and grasped his arms. In return, Junhui held her tenderly, contrasting his forceful jolts.

“Gasp-”

Jinju was feeling a strange sensation that she had never experienced before. Her eyes welled up with tears, yet she couldn't help feeling happy.

‘If you knew that this was all part of my plan, you wouldn't just shed tears. You would wail and want to die. I know that everything can't be undone and that I’ll never be able to regain the happy days I’ve lost, even if I hurt you. But this is all I can do. I’ve been living for this day, this moment, yearning for hot revenge with my cold heart. You will realize that someday or other.’

"I love you."

Junhui tried to look at her with a loving gaze while maintaining his intense motions.

‘The more tender I am, the more miserable she will become.’

Outside the window, the snow began to fall gently once again.

# Chapter 1. I Met You.

Surreally, everything was still the same. Seven years had passed, yet Café Jinju remained unchanged: the tiny garden, the wooden swing swaying gently in the winter breeze, the quaint two-story building, and the breathtaking view that casts a somber mood. . Even the scent of the wind had remained the same.

Knock, knock!

Jinju knocked on the glass door of the café, but it seemed to be deserted.

Bam, bam!

She pounded on the door, but there was no response from within. She pulled out her phone and checked the message she had received in the morning.

[Mom: I’m leaving Haerang. I'm sorry for everything. I miss you, my daughter.]

She attempted to call the number written above the message, but the detached, robotic voice on the other end of the line simply said that the number had been disconnected. She peered through the glass, scanning the café, but it was still silent as if frozen in time.

"Where did she go?"

Jinju tightened her scarf as she shivered in the cold. Frowning, she made her way to the back of the café. She tapped on several flowerpots before finally picking one up, letting out an involuntary snort.

"How obvious…" she muttered, reaching for the key that had been hidden beneath it.

With a sore expression, she straightened up and walked toward the door. Upon unlocking it and entering the café, she was met with a blast of cold air.

"Brrr, it’s freezing.”

She clasped her hands together in front of her mouth and let out a hot breath before scanning the café and making her way over to the kitchen, feeling parched. As she reached for the refrigerator, a note on its door caught her attention.

[Dear Jinju,

I know it's shameless of me to say so, but if you’re here, please make yourself at home. One day, your forgiveness and my courage will meet... I’ll wait. I hope that day comes soon.]

She slumped down, clutching the note, feeling like an entire load of tension had just been released. It was a relief. Knowing that her mother would wait, that she wouldn't go anywhere that they couldn't meet each other. That fact alone made visiting the café worthwhile.

“Whew…”

Now relieved of her anxiety, Jinju was feeling a little bit hungry. She checked the fridge, but of course, found nothing to eat. She wasn't sure just how long the café had been closed. She couldn’t help but turn her body as she sat in front of a paraffin heater that had conveniently been left on.

"Well, at least I won't freeze to death… maybe I should go to the supermarket though."

She quickly grabbed her purse and made her way out of the cafe. After grabbing some milk, bread, ramyeon, and other items, she returned to the café with her grocery bag in hand. As she was heading back, she felt a vibration in her jacket pocket. Sniffling in the cold winter air, she pulled out her phone to find several missed calls and messages.

[Ms. Jang: Hey, Ms. Jinju. What happened? We've been waiting for you in Hongdae. We tried calling you, but you didn't answer. Nothing’s up, right?]

“Oh… right.”

Jinju was supposed to meet up with her fellow Korean teachers the day after winter vacation started today. However, she had completely forgotten about it after receiving the sudden text message from her mom at dawn, mindlessly taking a bus and arriving in this small town, Haerang.

[ - I'm so sorry, Ms. Jang. Something urgent came up. I'll contact you once I'm back in Seoul...]

She was planning on calling, but she didn't want to reveal too much, so she sent a message with her frozen hands.

“Argh!”

As soon as she sent her message, she collided with a solid object.

"Are you… alright?" a voice asked from nearby as she looked up to see a man's torso in front of her.

"Yeah, I'm okay. How about you?"

She replied, reflexively taking a step back.

"As you can probably see, I'm not really fragile enough to have gotten hurt.”

Indeed, his body had seemed so sturdy that she didn't even feel like she had bumped into a person. A refreshing scent of wood also emanated from the man and lingered in her nose. Stepping back, she could see that he was tall, had neatly styled hair, and was wearing a suit along with with a long black coat.

He looked chic and elegant, which seemed out of place in a seaside village like Haerang. Despite the dirt roads, his shoes were shiny and free of any grime. It looked like he had just stepped out of a black sedan, parked far away but remaining there like it was his bodyguard.

"Well then…"

Well, since nobody was hurt, it wasn't exactly a major accident. Since she had said she was fine, she thought that the aftermath of their unexpected collision was over. However, the man in front of Café Jinju seemed to have rooted himself there, making the situation awkward.

His thick eyebrows framed his big, deep eyes, and when he gazed at her, she felt somehow mesmerized. Although she had never seen him before, he looked familiar, like a celebrity she had seen on TV. She was about to squint to get a better look at him, but quickly stopped herself.

"I suppose the owner went somewhere. The heater is on, so they'll probably be back soon," the man said casually, glancing back at Jinju.

"This café is closed. It won't be... I mean, it can't open for a while."

"…Are you the owner of this café?"

The man's eyes widened.

Jinju had guessed that he might be a regular at Café Jinju, though it looked unlikely, but it was definitely his first visit since he didn't know who the owner was.

"No, just…”

Jinju furrowed her brows and gave him a vague response.

"…Just?”

“This is my acquaintance's place."

Upon hearing her words, he raised his eyebrows and took a moment to process them before slowly fixing his gaze back on her face. His eyebrows twitched subtly, and as she walked past him, his pupils followed her, staring at her back coldly. Just as Jinju was about to unlock the café door and open it…

"Excuse me!”

The man grabbed the glass door, leaving Jinju looking at him as if to ask what the hell he was doing.

"I have an important matter to discuss with your mother."

He met her gaze with a faint smile on his face. Jinju stared into his deep eyes, but turned her head. Her eyes, coincidentally, bore the color of a deep blue sea. This fact put her in a bad mood. She had never mentioned that her aforementioned acquaintance was her mother and she wasn’t a fan of his blatant assumption.

"I believe that only family can enter each other’s property freely, especially parents and children.”

He said, indicating toward the key in her hand with his chin and chuckling slightly.

“What brings you here?" Jinju responded with a blank expression.

She found the pesky man to be bothersome. It was chilly outside, and she was famished, her body was exhausted from the long journey.

It seems better to talk about it here."

At that moment, a sudden gust of wind interrupted them. The weather was way too cold. The man casually took out his business card case, opened it, and handed her a thin, rectangular piece of paper. As Jinju’s hair blew in the wind, she tucked some of the runaway strands behind her ear before grabbing the card and studying it.