If Only Spring Would Come.

“What?”

Bom was stunned into silence by Jun-young’s absurd response. Here to save me? Save me from what? Does someone look like they’re about to die?

“I told you, I’m a student now. If the academy does well, it helps you stay afloat, doesn’t it?”

His infuriatingly smug tone made Bom’s nostrils flare. If she could, she’d tie his obnoxious mouth shut and throw away the key.

“Stop spouting nonsense! Just tell me the truth—why are you really here?” she snapped, barely managing to keep her temper in check.

“I am telling the truth,” he said, his expression calm as ever.

“Cha Jun-young!”

Bom’s voice rose as his brazen replies tested the limits of her patience.

“Why else would I come to an art academy? To learn art, obviously.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Bom fumed. Her frustration boiled over as he stood there, exuding an infuriating air of calm while she felt like she was on the verge of exploding.

“I get it, it’s hard for you to accept, but that’s the truth,” Jun-young continued, unbothered. “Let’s stick to the point, since you wanted to keep this short. Twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays at five. I’m officially registered. Don’t believe me? Ask Eunju later.”

Bom clenched her fists, barely holding herself together. She knew Jun-young ran his own workshop and could manage his schedule, but it didn’t explain why he chose this academy.

“Fine. Let’s say, for some ridiculous reason, you’ve decided to start learning art. But why this place? There are plenty of other academies, and this one teaches elementary school kids. There’s no adult class!”

She didn’t buy his excuse for a second, but if he really had registered, the next logical question was: why here?

“It’s better to learn where you know someone, don’t you think? Besides, it doesn’t matter if it’s not an adult class. My skill level’s probably the same as theirs anyway,” he said with a shrug.

Unbelievable.

“It matters to me! I don’t want to see your face again! Did you forget how we broke up?!” Bom’s voice cracked as her anger and frustration erupted.

The sheer audacity of his nonchalant attitude left her reeling. While she had spent nearly a year patching herself back together, he stood there as if nothing had happened, as if none of it had mattered.

“I know you won’t believe me, but… I wanted to see you,” he said softly, his tone uncharacteristically subdued.

Bom froze for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden shift in his demeanor.

“Are you insane? You’re here to mess with me, aren’t you?!” she finally spat, her voice trembling with rage. It was the only explanation that made sense. Why else would he show up here with such absurd excuses?

“Hm, you’ve asked me plenty of questions,” Jun-young said, his expression calm but unreadable. “Let me ask just one: are you… seeing someone right now?”

His words hit her like a cold splash of water.

“Why do you care?” Bom shot back, her tone sharp.

“Answering a question with a question isn’t fair,” he replied smoothly.

“Fine! Yes, I am! And he’s a hundred times better than you!” she blurted out without hesitation.

Bom knew it wasn’t true—yet. She hadn’t even given Dong-wook her answer, but she would. Soon. And she wanted Jun-young to know she had moved on. She wanted to show him that his time in her life was over.

“Is it… Dong-wook?”

“…!”

Bom froze.

How does he know?

She hadn’t even told Dong-wook her answer yet. There was no way anyone could know. Had Jun-young seen them together and drawn the wrong conclusion? Or was he just fishing?

Her mind spun, grasping for an explanation. But Jun-young’s calm demeanor unsettled her. He should have been blindsided by Dong-wook’s name, yet he looked oddly composed, as if he already knew.

“It must be him. You’re not denying it,” he said, his voice tinged with disappointment.

“How did you…” Bom began, her voice faltering.

Before she could finish, a vibration interrupted them.

“Hold on,” Jun-young said, raising a hand. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone, glancing at the screen.

Bom clenched her fists, her mind still racing with unanswered questions. All she could do now was wait—and fume.

“Yes, hyung. …What? …Oh, really?”

Jun-young’s expression tightened as he spoke into his phone, a faint crease forming between his brows.

“Sorry, I’ll head back and resend it right away. …Yeah, I’m out somewhere at the moment. …Yes, I understand. My apologies, hyung.”

He ended the call with a short sigh and turned to Bom.

“Something came up, so I won’t be able to attend the first class. I’ll head out now. See you Thursday!”

Bom stood frozen in disbelief. This guy… he just does whatever he wants! Comes and goes as he pleases—everything on his terms!

“You’re seriously planning to keep coming here?”

“Yup. So don’t waste your energy trying to stop me.”

“Ugh…”

A long, exasperated sigh escaped her lips. Knowing Jun-young, if he said he would come, he would. He was infuriatingly stubborn like that. She had no doubt he’d show up again for the next class.

“Get back to your kids. They’re waiting,” Jun-young said lightly before turning and walking out of the supply room, completely unbothered by her simmering frustration.

“Arghhh!”

The moment he was gone, Bom clenched her fists and ground her teeth in silence, unable to fully release the fury boiling inside her. What is wrong with him? He stirs up chaos, doesn’t explain a thing, and then just leaves? What a jerk! What a total trash human!

“Ha…”

She ran her hands through her hair, letting out another deep sigh. Cha Jun-young, what the hell are you even thinking?

“I’m sorry, Bom!”

Later that evening, after all the classes had ended, Bom marched into the director’s office. Eunju, waiting for her, wasted no time clasping her hands together in a pleading gesture the moment Bom sat down.

“Okay, spill it. What the hell is going on?” Bom demanded, her tone calm but razor-sharp.

“Fine, I admit it! I messed up. But I had no choice!” Eunju confessed without hesitation, her face a mix of guilt and defensiveness.

“No choice? What do you mean, no choice?” Bom narrowed her eyes, folding her arms as she waited for a real explanation.

Eunju squirmed under the scrutiny before continuing.

“Of course I was shocked at first! Who wouldn’t be? I thought, ‘What kind of lunatic is this?’”

“And?”

“And… he begged. Said he absolutely had to take your class.”

“And you just… let him?”

“Well… he seemed really sincere, and he looked like he’d been reflecting on things…” Eunju’s voice trailed off, growing quieter with each word.

“Reflecting?!” Bom’s voice shot up. “If he were genuinely reflecting, he wouldn’t have come here in the first place! Doesn’t this entire situation seem ridiculous to you? What kind of psycho goes to their ex to learn how to draw? He obviously has ulterior motives!”

“Oh, come on. Ulterior motives? That’s a bit of a stretch…” Eunju tried weakly.

“Unnie!” Bom snapped, her frustration boiling over.

“I can’t believe you of all people went along with this! You! You know exactly how things ended between us. You hated him as much as I did! How could you—” Bom broke off, her voice cracking with disbelief.

Eunju had been her biggest pillar of support during the breakup, standing by her side alongside Dong-wook. How could the same person who had been so vehemently on her side now allow Jun-young to barge back into her life like this?

“I’m really sorry, okay? I mean it!” Eunju pleaded, her tone desperate.

“I don’t want an apology. I want a reason! Give me a reason I can actually accept!” Bom shot back, her tone steely.

“Well… like I said, he begged me. He seemed so desperate, and…”

“And you bought that?” Bom cut her off, incredulous. “You’re telling me that was enough to convince you?”

Eunju hesitated, looking visibly cornered. Finally, she added, “And… we did lose three students last month, so…”

“Wow. That’s your excuse? Even you have to admit how weak that sounds!”

Bom shook her head, utterly dumbfounded. What on earth is happening here?

“Ahem…”

Eunju cleared her throat awkwardly. Bom knew her well—this was the same Eunju who had never once worried about finances, even when the academy had far fewer students. With her well-off background and a husband who ran a successful business, money had never been a pressing concern.

“Let’s say, for argument’s sake, this is about money,” Bom said sharply. “Then just cut my salary instead!”

“What?! Why should I cut your salary?” Eunju shot back, aghast.

“Ugh… then what do you expect me to do?”

Bom was ready to lose her mind. She couldn’t even vent her anger properly—Eunju was pregnant, and Bom didn’t want to stress her out. The frustration was suffocating.

“Bom, the milk’s already spilled,” Eunju said soothingly. “Let’s just keep an eye on him for now, okay?”

“If he really has ulterior motives, wouldn’t it be better to keep him where we can watch him?”

“I don’t care! I’m not teaching him! No way!” Bom shouted, jumping up from her seat. She was done with this conversation. If she stayed a second longer, she might explode.

“I’ve made myself clear,” she said firmly before storming out of the director’s office.

But as Bom walked away, she already knew the truth: she would end up teaching Jun-young whether she liked it or not.

The faint clink of silverware broke the quiet hum of the restaurant as Bom set her fork down.

Soft classical music played in the background, but the elegant atmosphere did nothing to ease the tension. Across from her, Dong-wook sat stiffly, his nervousness written all over his face.

“Dong-wook,” Bom said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah?” he replied, his voice tight.

“I’ve thought about this a lot,” she began, her tone measured and deliberate. This was it—her long-awaited response to his confession.

“I’ve been asking myself… can I really see you as more than a friend?”

“…”

“And after all those years you spent watching me struggle in my relationship with Jun-young, can we start fresh? Can we even date like normal people?”

“…”

“It wasn’t easy to imagine at first,” Bom admitted. “But then I remembered something I said a long time ago. Do you remember?”

“What did you say?”

“I said that if I ever dated someone again, trust would be the most important thing to me.”

“Ah…” Dong-wook nodded slowly, recalling the conversation.

“That made me think: will I ever meet someone I trust as much as I trust you?”

“…”

“The answer was no. I can’t lose you, Dong-wook. I don’t think I’d know how to live without you.”

Dong-wook’s stiff expression softened, and a faint smile began to bloom on his face.

“It might feel weird and awkward at first,” Bom continued, “but I realized… there’s no reason we can’t try.”

Her answer was clear: yes.

Days of agonizing deliberation had led her to the one question that mattered most: could she live without Dong-wook? The answer had been immediate and overwhelming: no.

From there, everything else fell into place. Dong-wook was trustworthy, kind, and a good person. He made her feel safe, comfortable, and cared for. There was no reason to say no, no justification for rejecting someone so wonderful.

Today, Bom had made her decision: she would lose a friend—and gain a partner.

“You’re saying… you’ll accept me?” Dong-wook asked, his voice trembling slightly.

“My feelings might not match yours yet,” Bom admitted. “And I can’t promise we’ll move at the same pace. But if you’re okay with that… let’s take things slow and see where this goes.”

Dong-wook exhaled deeply, pressing a hand to his chest as if releasing all the tension he’d been holding inside.

“Ha…”

The sheer relief on his face made Bom chuckle softly.

“Hey, if you’re not okay with this, you can just dump me now,” she teased.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Choi Bom. How could I ever dump you?” Dong-wook replied, his tone half-annoyed, half-playful.

“Sorry,” Bom said with a grin.

“Don’t apologize for that. I’ll go at your pace, no matter what.”

His gentle words made her smile. Bom couldn’t help but feel that this relationship would be warm and steady—just like Dong-wook himself.

“Thank you. Oh, and…” Bom hesitated for a moment. “There’s something I should tell you. Jun-young showed up today.”

“…!”

Dong-wook’s face darkened slightly, the happiness fading from his expression. Bom quickly explained everything that had happened earlier, laying it all out without embellishment.

As she spoke, Dong-wook listened intently, but his expression grew more serious. Even though Bom hadn’t done anything wrong, guilt gnawed at her.

He’ll probably say it’s fine… because that’s who he is, she thought. And that only made her feel worse. She knew all too well that Dong-wook was someone who always put others before himself.

“I’m sorry,” Bom said, lowering her gaze. “I shouldn’t be bringing this up on a day like today…”

Dong-wook shook his head, a small, reassuring smile returning to his lips. “It’s okay. Thank you for telling me.”

After a pause, he added, “Do you want me to talk to him?”

“No, don’t,” Bom said firmly. “If he shows up again on Thursday, I’ll handle it. I didn’t get the chance to say everything I wanted to today.”

“You sure you’ll be okay?”

“Yeah. As long as you trust me.”

“Of course I trust you,” Dong-wook said with conviction.

“Then we’re good!” Bom replied with a bright smile.

While she wasn’t without worries about what might happen, Bom felt stronger knowing Dong-wook was by her side.

As for Cha Jun-young? Whatever his reasons for coming back, she wouldn’t let him disrupt her life again. Not this time. Not ever.