Never Take Off the Ring

The chairman’s face, plastered prominently at the top of the article, looked especially spiteful. Related stories listed things like “Teen Stock Millionaire Rankings.” And there, as if to flaunt it, Kwon Hyun-jin’s name sat proudly among them.

The chairman had shown extraordinary generosity to his eldest grandson, who had just been accepted to S University. There was a reason the madam had been seething with fury.

I stopped reading there and set my phone down. Hanseong Electronics was a towering conglomerate that stood as the twin pillar opposite Kwonjin.

From the stock-gift article all the way to the rumors of Kwon Hyun-jin’s engagement—every piece of it was shocking, yet none of it surprised me. I felt only a quiet, even calm.

I had already sensed that something like this would come someday. Kwon Hyun-jin had never once mentioned the stock transfer to me. At some point, anything concerning the Kwon family had become taboo between us.

He steered the car smoothly out of the university district, casting sidelong glances at me the entire time.

“You’re wearing the necklace?”

Whether his name was trending on the portal sites or not, his entire attention was fixed on the chain around my neck.

“Na-hee, it looks really good on you.”

Every time we stopped at a light he brushed my hair aside and checked the nape of my neck. Resting his head against the steering wheel, he gazed at me with a thoroughly satisfied smile.

“But why only the necklace?”

“The bracelet was too loose. I was worried it might slip off.”

Once we merged onto the expressway, Kwon Hyun-jin kept his eyes on the road while his right hand stroked my wrist. His hands were so large that my wrist disappeared between his thumb and forefinger with room to spare.

“It feels like it might snap…”

“It’s not that bad.”

“You’d better not have lost weight.”

Brows furrowed, he jerked his chin toward the glove box.

“Na-hee, open that for me.”

Thinking he needed wet wipes, I pulled out a few sheets and handed them over. Then I pretended nothing was wrong and turned my face to the window.

I had told myself I was fine, but my stomach was spinning.

“Let’s stop at a rest area later. I want roasted chestnuts.”

“…Where the hell are your eyes even located, Lee Na-hee.”

Suddenly scolding me, Kwon Hyun-jin reached into the glove box himself. He wasn’t after the wipes. Next to them sat a small box.

He thrust it straight into my hands so unexpectedly that I just sat there blankly.

“What is this…?”

“What do you think?”

He turned the wheel to enter the rest area. On the fourth finger of his left hand, a ring I had never seen before caught the light.

“You noticed pretty fast.”

He gave a short laugh and showed me his left hand. How on earth had I missed it until now?

“I was so frustrated I almost choked. You’re dense—way too dense.”

The article and the engagement talk from a moment ago had left me too unsettled to look carefully at anything.

“Open the box.”

“…”

“Na-hee, hurry.”

Under his urging I stared down at the white box resting on my knees.

This was a couple ring. The instant I understood what it was, the little box suddenly felt as heavy as a stone.

“I said open it.”

At the next prodding I slowly lifted the lid.

Inside lay a ring identical to the one on Kwon Hyun-jin’s finger. It looked as though four slender bands of different metals had been stacked together—an unusual design. The center band of white ceramic sparkled with tightly set diamonds.

“On my hand, ordinary stuff just disappears. I wanted something that would stand out a little.”

True enough, even among men his hands were large; the broad ring suited him perfectly.

“Try it on. Let’s see if the size is right.”

Even while parking he kept watching my motionless hand.

I had never imagined couple rings. With mixed feelings I slipped it onto my finger. To my surprise, it fit exactly.

“Not bad. I thought it might look weird on such thin fingers.”

His fingers tapped a light rhythm on the steering wheel. He looked thoroughly pleased.

Once the car was stopped, Kwon Hyun-jin took my hand and caressed it. When our left hands, both wearing the matching rings, overlapped, we truly looked like a couple.

“It’s pretty, Na-hee.”

He stared fixedly at our side-by-side hands, then pressed soft kisses one after another onto the back of my ringed hand. After that he cupped my cheek and did not forget to kiss my lips as well.

“Really pretty.”

His already handsome face shone even brighter than the midday sun.

What was so wonderful about this? Having never worn accessories before, I felt as though a shackle had been locked around my finger; it was stifling.

“What if I lose it? Or if it slips off?”

“Then I’ll just buy a new one.”

He answered lightly and got out of the car.

I had been fidgeting with the empty case out of nameless anxiety when Kwon Hyun-jin snatched it away and tossed it straight into the rest-area trash can.

“Never take the ring off. Got it?”

It had been a long time since he looked this happy.

Not wanting to ruin the trip from the very start, I quietly followed after him.

After arriving in Busan we ate lunch, then wandered through tourist spots like Yonggungsa Temple and Gijang. Kwon Hyun-jin never let go of my hand for a single moment. It was the same inside the car. He spun the ring around and around or brought my hand to his lips for a kiss. Sometimes he simply looked at the matching ring on his own hand and smiled contentedly.

“When’s your orientation?”

“I didn’t go.”

“You didn’t go to orientation?”

“Yeah.”

His casual answer left only me dumbfounded. No wonder he had never mentioned a word about it; it had felt strange.

“How are you going to handle department life?”

“I don’t have to.”

“What do you mean you don’t have to…”

“I’m not interested. Na-hee, hold on a second.”

Kwon Hyun-jin checked his phone with visible irritation. It had been ringing for a while.

My heart plummeted.

Secretary Office Chief Yoon Jong-oh. That was the name that flashed across the screen.

Girlfriend?

Had he actually told Director Yoon about me? No… surely not. My lips went dry with anxiety. Before I could ask, Kwon Hyun-jin pointed toward the stairs.

“I’m going to buy the tickets.”

While I waited alone for him to purchase the marine cable-car tickets, every possible thought raced through my head.

My hand felt as heavy as if a brick had been laid on it. The ring, perched like a crown on my pale, thin finger, looked nothing but awkward.

Was this how a thief felt carrying stolen goods? Every time I looked at the ring my heart hammered with the same unease as someone wearing clothes they had stolen.

“Lee Na-hee. Stay right there. You look fucking gorgeous right now.”

Kwon Hyun-jin photographed me against the sea. He also took pictures of our overlapping hands. His phone gallery, which had been almost empty, was now filled entirely with photos of me.

On a wind-swept bench at Taejongdae we spent a while simply looking around. Even then Kwon Hyun-jin kept fidgeting with the couple ring.

“Kwon Hyun-jin. About this… the ring.”

Better to say it quickly. I couldn’t bring myself to meet his eyes, so I stared at the ground instead.

“It doesn’t seem to suit my hand very well.”

At the difficult words I finally managed to force out, Kwon Hyun-jin seemed to sense something.

After a short pause he answered.

“We can resize it.”

“It’s also uncomfortable.”

“You’ll get used to it soon.”

“Hyun-jin. Please, this ring…”

His eyes, darkened and sunken, were fixed only on me. My lips froze of their own accord.

“The ring… just…”

“Just what.”

As if the earlier joy had never existed, Kwon Hyun-jin’s voice had turned cold as ice.