Chapter Five: An Encounter Is...

An encounter is when you walk toward me, and I walk toward you.

—

"Brother, come join us too."

The girl spoke as she reached out her hand, looking at him with a hint of challenge and discontent.

Jinwon hesitated for only a second before taking her hand without delay.

Rachel Liu was momentarily stunned. She had meant it as a joke, but the crucial point was that Jinwon didn't seem to take it as one.

Her hand was pulled toward the dance floor, and Rachel felt her heart fluttering—was Jinwon angered?

Indeed, Jinwon was upset, but... he thought it was better for him to keep an eye on Rachel on the dance floor than to let her be surrounded by others. Why let the water flow to outsiders?

The dance floor was becoming crowded, but it was still bearable. Rachel felt a little awkward, but the music and darkness concealed everything. Soon enough, she was moving to the beat.

The shifting colored lights cast a phantom glow on her, making her appear not only beautiful but also enchanting.

People tried to approach and strike up conversation—Jinwon could hardly imagine what would happen to Rachel if he wasn't here. Would she be devoured?

He had to admit, he was worried. She was only seventeen!

Imagine, at his age, still having to bring a minor out clubbing—it was exhausting.

Jinwon moved awkwardly with the music, mind racing, while Rachel seemed completely lost in the dance, pouring all her energy into the movement as if she were venting something.

After five or six minutes, as the song ended, Jinwon quickly pulled Rachel off the stage. Rachel, catching her breath, asked, "What is it? Isn’t it fun?"

She was thoroughly enjoying herself. Here, there were no acquaintances, no mother, no Kim Tan—nothing at all. Here she could be her true self.

Jinwon’s face was expressionless, but his eyes were gentle. "Want to keep dancing? Your feet don’t hurt anymore?"

Rachel froze in an instant.

It was as if something really stabbed her heart in that moment.

It hurt, but there was also a gentle warmth. She couldn’t describe the feeling, but she knew Jinwon meant only what he said, nothing more—no hidden meanings, no intentions beyond their relationship. Yet, she suddenly found her eyes wet.

Fortunately, the lighting was dim. Rachel turned her head slightly upward, refusing to let her tears fall, pretending to be watching the people in the center of the dance floor.

But she quickly realized she couldn’t hold back. Without even glancing at Jinwon, she rushed outside. Jinwon was caught off guard—by the time he tried to stop her, she was several meters away. It wasn’t a long distance, but with the crowd, he couldn’t catch up.

"You made our little sister cry," Lee Youngjae said, having finished his game of pool and squeezing through the crowd to reach Jinwon. The music was loud; he had to raise his voice.

"Cry?" Jinwon had no time to dwell on Youngjae’s slip of the tongue—"our little sister."

"Yep, she cried." Youngjae looked at Jinwon with some concern. He suddenly wondered if Rachel had feelings for Jinwon, but was forced by family circumstances to marry Kim Tan. Now Jinwon had broken up with Jeon Hyunju, and the two had come to Beijing to meet. How tragic!

In some ways, Youngjae and Han Ji-eun were quite a match.

Jinwon gave Youngjae’s arm a pat. "I’ll be right back."

Youngjae shrugged, drinking his wine alone. Women approached, and he greeted them all with a cheerful smile.

Although Youngjae was famous in Korea, he hadn’t yet broken into the Chinese market. This trip to film in China was his preparation for entering the industry here. Not many people recognized him, so he drank, embraced women, and then saw Han Ji-eun burst in clumsily.

He raised an eyebrow. What was this girl doing here?

Han Ji-eun’s arrival was quite abrupt, especially given her outfit—jeans, flip-flops, and a T-shirt. She barged in without hesitation.

Youngjae could only make this face:

⊙﹏⊙b

He turned to the woman beside him. "See that girl? I guarantee I can hook her in under a minute."

The woman was a foreigner—blond, blue-eyed, tall. She laughed dismissively. "Her?"

She clearly didn’t believe it.

Youngjae put down his wine, hands in his pockets, and walked up to Han Ji-eun. She appeared both curious and timid.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Startled by the sudden voice, Han Ji-eun jumped back. Seeing it was Youngjae, she replied irritably, "I’m looking for Rachel. The front desk said you came to this bar together, so I thought I’d come by."

She looked around, paying no attention to Youngjae, which irritated him. The blonde was still watching with interest. He suddenly leaned in close to Han Ji-eun’s face.

Han Ji-eun was so startled she froze, holding her breath.

Youngjae was tall. His face might not be classically handsome, but his features were pleasant and his lips... full, making him look rather adorable.

Stop it, Han Ji-eun, what are you thinking!

Youngjae chuckled softly. See? That’s his charm!

But the next second, he was pushed away.

"Go away, pervert!"

Han Ji-eun ran out of the bar.

Youngjae was instantly wounded.

Pervert...

So many girls begged for his autograph, which he never gave. He even offered a kiss and was called a pervert.

—

Jinwon searched the area but couldn’t find Rachel. Yet he wasn’t lacking in emotional intelligence; with a little thought, he understood how Rachel must be feeling. He sighed helplessly, feeling a bit sorry for the girl.

He knew a bit about Rachel’s situation, so, instead of returning to the bar, he turned again.

He’d look for her one more time.

Sure enough, Rachel was by the lake. Jinwon always thought coming to the lake late at night wasn’t particularly romantic, especially since they had once saved someone here.

The night breeze blew quietly; the heat had faded, leaving a cool and pleasant wind. Rachel stood by the lake in her peach-pink dress, the fitted fabric outlining her still somewhat girlish figure.

Peach-pink was a difficult color to wear. If you weren’t a goddess, you’d immediately look like a 'special worker'—there was no middle ground. Yet on Rachel, it brought out a fresh, vibrant innocence.

Perhaps that was a kind of advantage.

Jinwon didn’t slow his pace, so Rachel turned and saw him with some surprise.

"Oppa?"

Jinwon nodded and walked to her side, suddenly noticing how much shorter she seemed.

Then he saw Rachel holding a pair of shoes in her hand.

"Feet hurt?"

Rachel nodded.

"I’ll go get you some band-aids." The ground wasn’t cold, but near the lake it was damp. A girl shouldn’t stand barefoot.

Rachel tilted her head and smiled at him teasingly. "Are you this nice to every woman?"

The wind lifted her hair, carrying a faint fragrance.

With that smile, she looked adorably sweet.

Jinwon was momentarily at a loss for words. He replied helplessly, "Because you’re my little sister."

And also my sister-in-law.

But he didn’t say that; it wasn’t the right moment.

Rachel, however, didn’t dwell on his answer. She asked, "Oppa, why did you break up?"

To her, Jinwon wasn’t the unfaithful type—he seemed a responsible, good man.

"Because she said Cinderella could never really be with the prince. Wearing the glass slipper hurt her feet."

There was nothing to hide, so Jinwon told her the reason Jeon Hyunju had given for the breakup.

Rachel laughed—shoes again. She raised her hand and tossed her expensive shoes into the lake.

She turned to the dumbfounded Jinwon and said, "Let’s go, oppa."

Jinwon wanted to say something, but Rachel was already skipping ahead, barefoot.

Should he...?

He’d had to carry her the first time, but not now. Though he didn’t think going barefoot was good, after all, there were boundaries between men and women.

He simply followed behind, watching her, somehow feeling her joy.

Suddenly, Rachel said, "Oppa, I feel so free now."

"…"

"Because I threw away what was holding me back, I’m happy," Rachel continued. "Why force yourself to wear painful things for the sake of appearances? It’s better to be barefoot and comfortable, like now."

—A typical artistic young woman.

"Mm." Jinwon smiled. She wasn’t wrong, but, "Those shoes were new, weren’t they?"

Rachel looked at him, puzzled. "Yeah, why?"

"New shoes always hurt, especially leather ones. You can’t throw out every pair—you have to break them in. After you’ve endured the blisters, they’ll fit comfortably. Understand?"

That night, when Rachel returned to her room, Han Ji-eun was nearly asleep. Her cheeks were flushed, and she seemed out of sorts.

Rachel showered and slipped into bed. Han Ji-eun tossed and turned, facing her. In the morning, Rachel woke to find Han Ji-eun hugging her.

==

Rachel gently pushed her arm away, freshened up, and went down to breakfast, where she bumped into the hurriedly arriving man—Yu Minghyuk.

Then Jinwon came down right after.

"Rachel, can you do me a favor?" Jinwon said. "Minghyuk’s friend isn’t doing well in the hospital—could you go see her?"

"Me?"

"It’s a communication issue," Minghyuk explained. "Ruiying’s mental state is terrible. I can’t persuade her, and it’s inconvenient for me. I’m counting on you."