Understanding is born from empathy

At the heartwarming display of affection exhibited by their two superiors, Su-Jin and Yeon-Ah felt speechless. The two exchanged stunned glances, unable to make sense of the situation.

Granted, it wasn't really such a surprising thing coming from the ever-cheerful Kim Seo-Jun. One could easily imagine him running around, playing with children and laughing foolishly.

However, seeing the cold-hearted Kang Ji-Won looking so affectionate while picking up a young girl, even twirling her into the air twice, was a very strange sight indeed.

Su-Jin stared at Ji-Won, watching in disbelief as his icy mask melted before her very eyes.

At that moment, Ji-Won suddenly looked like a very different person altogether. His eyes were sparkling with delight and his cheeks gained a faint tinge of pink.

Sure enough, he didn't resemble the Grim Reaper Su-Jin had thought him to be, but rather a warm-blooded human being.

This was such a rare sight that Su-Jin could barely wrap her mind around it. She was so stunned that she almost failed to react when two little boys ran very close to her, almost knocking her into Yeon-Ah.

While Ji-Won and Seo-Jun were thus engaged in catching up with the kids, Su-Jin eventually turned towards Director Cha. The old woman had also retreated to the back of the room and was now gazing at the cheerful group with motherly affection.

"I see the children like Director Kang very much." Su-Jin said in a quiet voice.

By bringing up the subject in this manner, she was hoping to find out more about that person. For a moment, though, Su-Jin worried that Director Cha might find her words to be slightly rude.

But to her luck, Su-Jin saw the old woman smiling fondly.

"Yes, indeed they love him very much. Up until two months ago, they only knew him by name and considered him a sort of mysterious Santa Clause. They never saw him, but they always received his gifts with joy and pleasure. Two months ago, though, Ji-Won personally came to see me."

Reaching up to here, Director Cha stopped speaking for a moment.

The tender smile from her lips now reached her eyes as well. When her eyes settled on Ji-Won, she seemed to be the embodiment of a mother, gazing warmly at her child. Yet, there was a shadow veiling her warm affection.

Looking carefully, Su-Jin could recognize it as being grief. Director Cha was clearly thinking of something sad as she watched Ji-Won playing with the children.

After a short pause, Director Cha's voice sounded next to Su-Jin in the same steady manner as before.

"That time was the first I had seen Ji-Won in more than ten years. Instead of a young boy, he was now a man. With his now tall and dashing figure he seemed unlike his past scrawny self. But even if his body had grown, to me he looked the same as the last time I had seen him, when he was barely fourteen years old. Especially that gaze inside his pitch-black eyes was just as intense as before. His face and hair… Everything was very familiar. He looked so much like her, except for his eyes." the old woman finished the last words in an undertone.

'Her? I wonder who Director Cha is talking about. Could it be his mother?'

The woman's words had definitely caught Su-Jin's attention and she wanted to know more about it. But then she thought that asking about such a personal matter directly might be considered rude. After all, her relationship to Director Kang was merely that of boss and subordinate, so there were things she couldn't easily talk about.

In the end, Su-Jin decided to inquire about something else that had piqued her curiosity.

"So, does that mean you've known Director Kang since he was very young?" she asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

For a second there, her mind struggled to envision a young Kang Ji-Won, but failed. She could only see a pale, glaring face, with burning black eyes and ruffled raven-black hair. There was no way she could associate that kind of sour face and dark expression with a young boy of fourteen years old.

Director Cha's next words pulled Su-Jin out of her thoughts.

"Oh, yes indeed, I've known Ji-Won since he was a small child. His mother used to bring him here very often when she was alive."

It appeared that Director Cha had just remembered something unpleasant from the past because, just as she finished her words, her expression turned sorrowful.

Hearing the old woman's words, Su-Jin let out a gasp.

'So it seems that Director Kang's mother is no longer alive. Then, was the person Director Cha mentioned just now, the one he resembles, his mother? Well, regardless of who that person is, I guess Director Kang and I have something in common. He also doesn't have a mother... just like me.'

This thought made Su-Jin feel a sudden pang of pity for Ji-Won. Perhaps she could now try and understand him a little. Maybe one of the reasons why he was so cold and unfeeling could be attributed to the loss of his mother.

Meanwhile, Director Cha continued her storytelling. Her quiet, steady voice was tinged with sadness.

"After Madam Kang died, Ji-Won used to come here almost every week. Sometimes he came here just to play with the kids. Other times he simply hid himself in the backyard, ignoring everyone as he read his books. Since this was a place that his mother used to love dearly, I think being here made him feel safe, at least to some extent. Then, two years later, he suddenly stopped coming. We later heard that he had left the country in order to finish his studies abroad. He was gone for more than ten years."

Both women remained quiet, each deep in her own thoughts.

Su-Jin glanced towards Ji-Won, looking at him with slightly different eyes. Her feelings quivered, threatening a small change of heart towards someone who, until that moment, only induced a strong dislike.

As if sensing her intense stare, Ji-Won turned his head and looked in Su-Jin's direction. Seeing her troubled expression made his smile falter slowly and he suddenly felt uncomfortable. It was as though his entire being, inside and out, was currently exposed before someone else's eyes.

He wanted to look away, but before he averted his eyes, Ji-Won saw a strange expression passing over Su-Jin's face. It was quick and subtle, but his keen eyes managed to catch its meaning.

'What was that look for? Was that… pity I saw in her eyes just now?'

As he asked himself that, Ji-Won felt a confusing mixture of emotions battling inside his chest.

He didn't mind seeing that Su-Jin had relinquished the scornful look she usually had in her eyes when looking at him. But, at the same time, he didn't like the fact that he had somehow managed to incur her pity.

It was definitely better than being hated, but why did this change make him feel so troubled instead? Why did he keep thinking that being pitied by that woman was such a loathsome thing? Did he really dislike her so much as to refuse even that small good-will coming from her?

Under these disturbing thoughts, Ji-Won's mind began to buzz. So, in order to avoid getting a headache, he decided to put everything aside for the moment. He would have enough time to think about it after the weekend.