Chapter 17 — The Finish Line of Years Gone By

The party announcing the official sponsor of the Bình Minh International Marathon was held at the most luxurious five-star hotel in the city, gathering representatives of more than twenty businesses, partner sports clubs, and the media. Khue, as the head of the organizing committee, had to be present early to supervise all preparations, with a tense face but still maintaining the necessary professional demeanor.

Son came with Huan as a representative of Bạt Phong Club, one of the main professional partners of the tournament. He was not used to flashy social events like this, feeling a bit constrained in the borrowed suit, but still tried to remain calm and blend into the general atmosphere.

"Can you look at me to see if it's okay?" Huan asked, pulling at the collar of his vest, looking as clumsy as his friend. "I see all the classy people, it's like we're lost in a TV show."

"Why are you worrying about the vest? Worry about whether the club introduction speech later goes well or not," Son replied, but the corner of his mouth also slightly raised, partly relieving the tension thanks to his friend's familiar joke.

The two stood in a corner of the banquet room, watching Khue move flexibly between groups of guests, greeting, introducing, and handling each situation that arose with a skill that Son couldn't help but secretly admire. This is a completely different Khue than the girl sitting under the phoenix tree writing books, but at the same time, he still recognizes in that confident look the same dedication and thoughtfulness that he has loved since the first days of knowing her.

In the middle of the party, when Khue was chatting with a group of sponsors, an elegant, well-dressed middle-aged man approached with a friendly smile.

"Khue, long time no see." The man said, his voice warm. "I heard you're working on a big project, the whole company is talking about it."

"Mr. Nhan." Khue was a bit surprised, but quickly regained composure and smiled politely. "I didn't expect you to be here too."

"Your company is one of the silver sponsors of the tournament, of course it must be present," Kỷ Đắc Nhân replied, his eyes still maintaining the familiar politeness even though it had been more than two years since they officially broke up after canceling their engagement. "Are you okay? Work must be very busy these days."

"I'm fine, thank you," Khue replied, trying to keep the conversation at an appropriate social level.

From afar, Son happened to see that scene — Khue was chatting intimately with an elegant man, somewhat closer than usual between two business partners. A vague feeling of discomfort crept into his heart, although he tried to brush it away immediately, reminding himself that he had no right to be jealous of someone whose current relationship was still unclear.

Huan, standing next to him, immediately recognized the unusual expression on his friend's face and curiously looked in the direction of Son's eyes. "Who is that? It looks familiar but I can't remember."

"I don't know," Son replied curtly, trying to turn his eyes away but was not very successful.

A while later, when the party moved to a free exchange session, Khue went to where Son was standing and noticed his somewhat strange expression.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"Nothing," Son replied, his voice a bit harder than necessary, a familiar reflex from many years ago whenever he tried to hide his true feelings.

Khue frowned, immediately realizing the abnormality, and when she glanced at Kỷ Đắc Nhân who was standing and chatting with another group not far away, she suddenly understood the problem. "Did you see me talking to Mr. Nhan just now?"

Son remained silent and did not deny.

"That's Kỷ Đắc Nhân, the son of a long-time business partner with my family," Khue explained, his voice was straightforward, without evasion. "We were engaged, but I broke off the engagement two months before the wedding, more than two years ago. Now we only have a pure business partnership, nothing else."

Khue's frankness made Son a bit surprised, but also felt much more relieved. "I'm sorry for being so unreasonably upset. I have no right to be jealous."

"No, I think you have that right," Khue replied with sincere eyes. "Because I also feel the same when I see Ms. Diễm Khanh working with you every day, even though she is very professional and kind."

That sentence made Son pause, realizing that they were both sharing a similar insecurity. "Diễm Khanh and I used to have a relationship, yes," he said, deciding to be straightforward like Khue just did. "Lasted for nearly a year, during the period when I was still playing professionally. We broke up peacefully, now we are just good colleagues. She once told me that my heart always has a locked corner that she has never been able to reach."

Khue remained silent before that confession, feeling her heart tighten with a complex emotion - both a bit of jealousy towards the past and a vague hope when she heard about the "locked corner" that Son mentioned.

"That locked corner..." she asked hesitantly, not daring to look him straight in the eyes.

"You know the answer, right?" Son spoke, his voice was gentle but contained many unsaid things.

The two stood there, amidst the lavish atmosphere of the party, the sparkling chandeliers above their heads, the melodious background music from the live band, but in that moment, they both felt like they were standing in a private space just for them, where all the layers of work, all social distance were temporarily dissolved, leaving only two people who once loved each other with all the clarity of seventeen years old, now trying to find their way back to each other amidst the chaos of adulthood. into.

"Mr. Son, Ms. Khue, sorry to bother you." An assistant of Khue appeared, breaking that private moment. "Miss Khue, the Chairman wants to meet you to introduce you to some important sponsors."

Khue felt a little regretful, but still had to return to her work role. "I have to go. Let's talk later, okay?"

"Okay." Son nodded, watching her leave in the crowd. A feeling of warmth and regret arose in his heart because the important conversation that had just opened had been interrupted again, like so many other times during the past weeks since they met again.

Kỷ Đắc Nhân, who happened to be passing by, stopped for a moment next to Son, his eyes observing delicately. "Are you the coach of the Bạt Phong Club? I heard Khue mention you a few times."

"Yes, I'm Son," he replied, a bit surprised by the initiative to start a conversation.

"I was her fiancé," Đắc Nhân spoke frankly, without beating around the bush, making Son a bit surprised by that straightforwardness. "But don't worry, I don't intend to fight anything. I just want to tell you something, because I think you should know." He paused, his eyes becoming serious. "During the time she was with me, Khue never really opened up completely. At that time I didn't understand why, until she told me that there was a part of her heart that always belonged to someone else, even though she didn't say who it was. Now that I met you, I think I understand."

Son stood speechless before that unexpected and sincere sharing from someone he could have considered an emotional rival.

"Don't make her wait again," Đắc Nhân added, then nodded slightly to say goodbye, turned and left to join the crowd, leaving Son standing there with an indescribable emotion.

Huan approached and observed the conversation from afar even though he couldn't hear the content clearly. "What did that man say that made you look so blank?"

"Nothing," Son replied, but this time his voice was no longer evasive as usual, but carried a new determination. "I just realized, we shouldn't wait any longer."

"Wait what?" Huan asked, frowning.

"Waiting for the perfect moment to tell Khue everything," Son replied, looking towards the end of the banquet room, where Khue was still busy with work. "I think, there will never be a perfect time. If we keep waiting, we will miss each other again, not because of circumstances, but because of our own indecision." Huan patted his friend's shoulder, nodded in agreement, didn't say anything else, just let his eyes replace words of encouragement. The two stood there, amidst the lavish party that was still going on around them, sharing a meaningful moment of silence, before turning back to join the moving crowd, carrying a new determination that was gradually forming more clearly in Son's heart - it was time for him to no longer be able to continue to hide from what needed to be faced.