Broken Loves Winter Storm

Yoon 42

Yoon stood up to greet her, smiling and exchanging pleasantries. She met his gaze with a smile and embraced him, catching him off guard.

The hostess led them to a private table, where Yoon gallantly pulled out a chair for her. She acknowledged the gesture, sat down, and ordered a drink. Initially, the atmosphere was awkward, but she broke the ice with a "How are you?" He returned her gentle smile and replied, "I am doing okay." She smiled again as the waiter placed her drink before him.

"I was surprised to hear you were here in Busan. Are you here for a conference?" Yoon inquired.

Park Cho grinned softly and said, "No, not at all... I came to see you," her gaze filled with longing.

"Oh, is there something you need that I can assist you with?" Yoon asked.

Park Cho took a sip of her drink gathering the courage to explain her presence in Busan. She closed her eyes, then looked across the table at him. He regarded her with a mix of confusion and curiosity.

"I came to tell you something important, something I should have said before you returned to Busan," Park confessed. Yoon braced himself; he did not want to hurt her feelings or make her feel unwelcome. He patiently waited for her to continue.

"We have shared nearly a decade of professional association, during which I have strived to maintain the utmost professionalism in your treatment. Your hard work to reclaim your life is commendable, and I admire your bravery and resolve to amend your past and progress forward. I must admit that initially, my thoughts were not entirely professional, but as I came to know and understand you better that changed.

Your leaving opened up inside of me a lot of feelings and I must confess to you that I have fallen in love with you. I know it's been a year since you left and I may be taking a chance and confessing to you out of unchartered waters with never having said how I feel and watching you move on without me, but I have to say it... I want to stay by your side."

Park Cho Hee reached for his hand, as she watched the sheer surprise on his face... Yoon was always a serious-looking person, you could never know what he was thinking at a given moment.

He did not hesitate to withdraw from her grasp. Taking a sip of his drink, he met her yearning gaze and spoke, "Park, I've known about your feelings for some time. You are a passionate and caring woman who has helped me through much of my healing process and life's challenges. You understand my deepest thoughts and the reasons I've survived all these years through my pain. I appreciate your desire to remain by my side, but I am still, after all this time, in love with Syung Mi. I need to work through that, and she must be honest about her feelings for me before I can move on with my life. I'm waiting for her... So, I'm sorry, but we are not meant to be," Yoon explained as gently as he could feeling sad that she came all this way not to get what she desired..

Park looked at him with longing eyes, teared up, and composed herself. "I understand... I knew this after meeting with her today. She is also in love with you.

They spent the rest of the evening talking and sharing plans. Yoon could not help but focus on what she said about Syung Mi.