Moon's Labyrinths

“What can I do for you, Ms . Jiyoon?”

The director exited after Sungyoon did . She asked the question as she closed the door .

“It is about time for me to go . I came to say goodbye . ”

“Oh my! Is it already that time?”

The director opened the door once again to check the clock on the wall of her office . It really was around that time when Jiyoon’s volunteer work finished . She always left around this time . No, actually, she had stayed later than usual that day . It seemed that the delay happened because she had waited for the conversation between Sungyoon and the director to come to an end .

“You should have just left . It really isn’t that important to say goodbye to this old woman . ”

Jiyoon vigorously shook her head from side to side .

“It is really bad manners if I don’t . ”

As she said those words, Jiyoon glanced towards Sungyoon .

“Also, I had a question I would like to ask Shinhae’s father . ”

“You have a question for me?”

She didn’t have much of a relationship with him . They were basically strangers with Shinhae as the only common point between the two of them . They talked to each other if they had to, but for the most part, they ignored each other’s presence . Their relationship could be described as being indifferent . At the very least, it was like that for Sungyoon .

There was only one reason why she would want to talk with him .

“Does it perhaps have anything to do with Shinhae?”

If that was the case, it was a different story . Did something bad happen to her without him noticing it? Sungyoon’s face hardened as he put on a fierce expression . He pushed his face towards Jiyoon .

If it was any other man, she would have backed away in disgust . However, she just turned her head as she blushed .

“Ah . It is nothing like that . It is a personal matter . You had told me about the moon last time . I was wondering if I can hear a more detailed account . ”

‘What? It isn’t about Shinhae . ’

At that moment, he remembered that Jiyoon wanted to take the state examination, and she wanted to get assigned to the moon . His rapid interest quickly turned into disinterest . It was a bit of a funny sight . Jiyoon and the director quickly reaffirmed one fact as they watched Sungyoon’s face .

Unlike his normal self, when it came to Shinhae, he was a very easy person to read .

Sungyoon became conflicted for a brief moment . However, he had no reason to be troubled by her request . She wasn’t asking for a difficult favor . Moreover, he still owed her a lot for what she had done for his daughter . It wouldn’t be difficult to create some time for her .

“That won’t be too difficult . I just have to warn you that I’ve only been a Connector for less than half a year . I’m a beginner . I know less than you think . Are you ok with that?”

“Yes . That’ll be enough . ”

She had few personal connections to people who had business ties to the moon . This included her parents . However, the only connector she knew was Sungyoon . Even if he was a beginner, he had gathered moonstones on the moon . His perspective on the subject would be a great help to her .

“Let’s do that . ”

Sungyoon checked the time on his wristwatch .

“First, I have to go pick up Shinhae . If I head out right now, I’ll arrive around the time when the kindergarten bus drops off Shinhae . May we have this conversation after that?”

“Of course . ”

Jiyoon didn’t hesitate as she agreed . She would be seeing that cute child once again, so it wasn’t a bad thing . In fact, it lit a fire within her . She wanted to touch Shinhae’s soft cheeks to her heart’s content .

“Ho-hooht! It sounds like a date . ”

The director, who had witnessed everything from the side, spoke up in a playful manner .

Both of them had opposite reactions . Jiyoon’s face slightly reddened, while Sungyoon looked baffled as if the director was speaking nonsense .

“Why don’t you take this opportunity to just date her?”

“I’m already in my late thirties . ”

“You are a Connector . You’ll live for a long time in a youthful body . ”

The director’s eyes glinted with a mischievous light . Of course, she wasn’t being serious . It was what old people liked to do . It was like a game to them . They tried to play matchmaker to people they liked .

“What do you think about each other?”

Her questions were slowly getting more mischievous . Jiyoon stole a glance towards the man .

She had never thought about him like that until now . However, the director’s question made her think about Sungyoon once again .

He was a divorced man with a daughter . In society, those two characteristics were considered negative . However, a cute child like Shinhae wasn’t a burden . She thought that the little girl was a plus factor . Jiyoon adored her that much .

Also, even though Sungyoon wasn’t the most handsome man, he looked handsome enough to enter into the entertainment world . He was cold and disinterested when it came to strangers, but towards his family, he was loyal and loving . That was a plus . Moreover, he didn’t show interest in other women even if they were beautiful .

His occupation was dangerous, but a Connector made a lot of money . He was a bit older, but his appearance would remain youthful throughout the duration of his long life . His age wasn’t a negative factor at all .

‘Huh? Now that I think about it, this person isn’t so bad?’

If one went by societal standards, he would receive a high valuation as a marriage candidate .

It was sudden and unexpected, but she was reassessing Sungyoon . However, the man was firm with his answer .

“I don’t like her because she is pretty . ”

It was such an unexpected answer that Jiyoon and the director were struck speechless .

Unlike the baffled director, Jiyoon felt another emotion alongside the bafflement .

It was a feeling of displeasure .

“I don’t like you either!”

She reflexively spoke in a sullen tone . However, her words couldn’t hurt him at all, and it made Jiyoon more irritated .

But unlike her, the director quickly regained her composure . She had lived for a long time, and her past experiences weren’t without substance .

The smile on the director’s lips remained as she asked the question .

“You don’t like her because she is pretty . That’s a first! Is there any reason behind it?”

“It isn’t complicated . My ex-wife is trash, and she’s also very pretty . ”

“Mmm! I see . ”

Sungyoon spoke as if it was nothing . But from Jiyoon and the director’s perspective, they were having a hard time accepting his logic .

“Ah . Excuse me . . . ”

Jiyoon quickly spoke .

“I said I didn’t like you... I would like to cancel those words . ”

It seemed she felt guilty after hearing Sungyoon’s words . She was hesitant as she tried to take back her words . She looked like a little puppy, and the sight of Jiyoon made the director subconsciously reach out towards her .

Of course, it didn’t work against Sungyoon .

“Understood . ”

That was the end of it . It seemed Sungyoon hadn’t taken her words to heart, so she inwardly let out a sigh of relief . However, it was also proof that he really wasn’t interested in her .

‘Mmm! I can’t quite put a finger on it . ’

Until now, she had liked it when a man didn’t show any interest in her . It made her life easier . So, why was it different right now? It felt as if a thorn was pricking at her heart .

She tilted her head in puzzlement . The director could guess what was happening within the girl’s heart, so she let out a satisfied smile .

‘It is good to be young . ’

There was a sweet yet bitter scent coming from Jiyoon . Alongside her beauty, it created a scene that could bring a smile to one’s face .

Of course, it wasn’t love . She hadn’t known Sungyoon for a long time . There was no way love would have developed within her heart .

However, a very small seed of interest towards Sungyoon had started to sprout within her . It was obvious .

She didn’t know what had been the catalyst . It might have been his handsome face, or it might have been the indignation created when he showed no interest in her . She had never been treated this way, so it might be curiosity . It might have happened when she saw his undying love for Shinhae . Maybe, it was all of the above .

The director was sure of one thing . She didn’t know if it would be a good or bad experience for Jiyoon . However, this experience would allow her to take one step forward in her maturity . If her prediction was right, Sungyoon was the ideal partner for Jiyoon to go through this experience .

‘If the worst comes to pass with this man, he would just leave her with the pain of a broken heart . ’

If the best possible scenario comes to pass...

Jiyoon was taken aback when she was swept up by her newly discovered emotion . Sungyoon remained brusque . The director let out a deep and meaningful smile as she watched both of them .

She had told them to date in a joking manner earlier . Her words were half-joking, but she had also been half-serious .

* * *

Jiyoon inwardly wondered how things had turned out like this? She had been doing her best in her volunteer work at the orphanage when she had coincidentally run across Sungyoon . So she had tried to take advantage of the opportunity since she wanted to know more details in regard to the moon .

She intended to keep it simple . They would go to a cafe with Shinhae . While she drank coffee, she would harass Shinhae a little bit by touching her soft mochi-like cheeks, and she would listen to Sungyoon’s story . That had been her plan .

However, her plan had gone awry by a lot . She wasn’t in a cafe . She was in an unfamiliar place .

Tap! Tap! Tap!

She heard the sound of someone not used to using a kitchen knife . Jiyoon stretched her neck as she tried to see where the sound was coming from .

Sungyoon was chopping something . At a glance, she could tell that he wasn’t used to cooking . He looked awkward in the kitchen . There was a cookbook open next to the cutting board, and he kept looking at it before cooking . Each ingredient was measured in a measuring cup . It was obvious that he was a novice at cooking .

“Unni?”

Shinhae had been in Jiyoon’s arms as they read a book . The little girl looked at her with questioning eyes .

“Ah! I’m sorry!”

Jiyoon had taken her eyes off from the book for a brief moment . She went back to reading the book to Shinhae . Her sonorous voice rang out as the smell of food started to wash over them .

This place was Sungyoon’s house .

She had planned on going to a cafe, and she was going to leave after a short conversation . However, her plan went awry as soon as she met Shinhae .

Of course, Shinhae became glad to see Jiyoon . If others saw this sight, one would think Jiyoon was a young mother .

However, Sungyoon and Jiyoon’s plan started to go wrong from that point on .

‘Can unni go after she eats dinner with us?’

Shinhae’s innocent eyes were planted on the two .

Recently, Sungyoon was learning how to cook . The reason being that he wanted to make Shinhae delicious and nutritious food with his own hands . It had been a mess at the start, but he had lived on his own during his college days . He thought back on those memories, and he was able to make decent tasting food .

The problem was the fact that Shinhae really liked Sungyoon’s cooking . He had been taken aback by this fact . However, he was also happy that Shinhae liked the food that was cooked by him . Still, he was certain his food didn’t taste very good .

This was why Sungyoon came up with a theory . No, it wasn’t a theory . It was a fact . His daughter didn’t like the taste of the food . She liked the fact that her father had cooked for her . Miyun hadn’t been a mother to her . She was a subhuman that didn’t even bother to cook for her own daughter . Moreover, Shinhae had experienced her mother abandoning her, and she had to be separated from her father for a brief time . This was why she was happy when eating food cooked by her father . It didn’t matter to her that the food wasn’t tasty .

Of course, this made Sungyoon put all his love and concentration into his cooking . Shinhae’s happiness and excitement was the ultimate motivation for him .

He wanted Shinhae’s happiness to grow and amplify . He wanted to be at a level where she would want to boast to others about his food .

Of course, when the little girl proposed the idea, Sungyoon and Jiyoon tried to say no . However, they became conflicted when confronted with Shinhae’s sad face . She had lowered her head, and her voice had become full of sadness . Sungyoon was the first to change his mind . He officially invited Jiyoon to dinner . Of course, Jiyoon couldn’t turn down the invitation . She hadn’t met him that often, but she’d never seen him make such a desperate face .

As a result, Jiyoon was playing with Shinhae, while Sungyoon was in a desperate struggle to prepare dinner . This was how they had arrived at their current situation .