Episode 4
Even after Seong-hyeok left, Yeong-in sat there for a long time in a daze before finally standing up.
She tried to untangle the mess in her head, but all she could conclude was that it was impossible.
Her steps felt heavy as she walked out of the café and crossed the hotel lobby. The dazzling chandelier that seemed to rain starlight, the unique paintings and sculptures—none of it registered in her mind.
Back home, still feeling as if she were under some kind of spell, Yeong-in paused mid-motion while taking off her heels and caught her reflection in the full-length mirror in the entryway.
“Looks like you put in a lot of effort today. Are you disappointed it wasn’t the man you were waiting for?”
His sharp voice echoed in her ears.
Looking at herself now, she couldn’t deny his words. Even in her own eyes, it looked like she had dressed to impress her blind date partner.
She hadn’t cared in the slightest about impressing Oh Chang-geun, yet it still felt unfair to be misunderstood.
Then a thought struck her: if the blind date partner hadn’t been Oh Chang-geun, would Cha Seong-hyeok have cared at all?
“I couldn’t stand the thought of the woman who dumped me marrying a trash like that. It’d make me look pathetic.”
Even if she generously accepted that he might think that way, it wasn’t as though she could choose her marriage partner based on preserving the dignity of her perfect ex-boyfriend.
Tearing her gaze away from the mirror, Yeong-in slipped off her heels and put on her house slippers.
She walked down the hallway and froze as soon as she reached the living room. Someone she thought would be out partying on a Saturday evening was sitting there instead.
“You’re home?”
Arim turned her head from where she was lounging on the sofa, absorbed in a mobile game. The sheet mask plastered over her face made her look almost eerie.
“Why are you back so early? You didn’t even stay for dinner?”
“Yeah.”
“So? What’s the decision?”
“What decision?”
Arim’s brows furrowed sharply.
“What do you mean, what? Did you agree to marry him or not?”
Yeong-in didn’t retort that it was a bit too soon for such a question. Maybe it was because she had just met someone even more impatient than her sister.
“He asked me to marry him.”
She wasn’t even sure if that counted as a proper proposal.
“Really? Did you say yes?”
Arim’s eyes widened, and she shifted eagerly in her seat.
“Should I? Would it be okay if I did?”
A faintly self-mocking smile flickered across Yeong-in’s lips before vanishing.
“Why are you asking? Of course it’s okay. You two look great together. Forget about waiting for your brother or me to marry first—who even cares about that kind of order these days? It’s so outdated.”
Arim’s eagerness to push her sister into marriage had nothing to do with well-wishes. She was simply confident that whoever she ended up with wouldn’t be worse than Oh Chang-geun. She couldn’t stand the thought of Yeong-in marrying someone better than her own future husband.
“I’m heading upstairs.”
Arim almost shouted after her, demanding a definite answer, but stopped herself.
Considering how well Yeong-in knew Oh Chang-geun’s true nature, even this much reaction felt promising. And yet, a thought niggled at her.
*Why doesn’t she seem completely opposed to it?*
Her suspicious gaze followed Yeong-in as she ascended the stairs.
*Could it be there’s something unexpectedly appealing about Oh Chang-geun?*
It was the only possible thought for someone who had no idea who Yeong-in’s actual blind date had been.
***
The following night.
Seong-hyeok found himself back at the same club where he had run into Yeong-in before—this time in the same VIP room.
The moment he stepped inside, he heard Beom-jun’s voice.
“The man of the hour is here!”
Seong-hyeok’s eyes narrowed as he watched Beom-jun leap up and scurry toward him.
“Why are you so late?”
“I wasn’t planning to come at all. What’s with another welcome party?”
The displeasure on Seong-hyeok’s face was obvious. It wasn’t even his idea to have this celebration, yet here it was—again.
This was the third one already.
Unlike Beom-jun, who lived for parties, Seong-hyeok had no interest in nightlife, especially noisy gatherings like this.
“We need to let the world know Cha Seong-hyeok is back!”
“Looks more like you’re just looking for an excuse to drink.”
Pretending not to hear, Beom-jun grabbed Seong-hyeok’s arm and guided him to the empty seat at the head of the table.
“Come on, at least have a drink.”
Seong-hyeok accepted the glass with a perfunctory nod, answering his friends’ greetings half-heartedly.
Then came a slurred voice.
“Hey… Cha Seong-hyeok…”
He turned his head to see Chang-geun, his face hazy with drunkenness, his thin lips twitching irritably.
“How was the blind date?”
Seong-hyeok’s lips curled in a mocking smirk.
“It went well.”
Truthfully, his curiosity about how Chang-geun would react was a big part of why he’d agreed to come tonight.
Seeing him this dejected, doing things he’d never usually do, confirmed how crushed he was. Not that Seong-hyeok felt even a shred of guilt. He only hoped Chang-geun wouldn’t push his luck. But of course, that was wishful thinking.
“Funny. You got rejected.”
As Chang-geun let out a derisive laugh, Seong-hyeok’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Rejected?”
“That matchmaker lady—Madam Jin or whatever—said the girl wasn’t interested. That counts as getting rejected, doesn’t it?”
Beom-jun, who usually struggled to even speak around Seong-hyeok, couldn’t help but interject in confusion.
“What are you talking about? Yeong-in rejected him?”
“The blind date I begged my aunt to arrange—the one I pulled every string for—this bastard stole it from me!”
Unable to hold back his anger, Chang-geun yelled, his face contorting with rage. What enraged him even more was his own weakness in failing to refuse Seong-hyeok outright when he’d demanded the date.
“What? So it wasn’t you but Seong-hyeok who went on that date with Yeong-in?”
Beom-jun turned to Seong-hyeok, his eyes full of questions.
“Why would you—”
But Seong-hyeok cut him off with a question of his own.
“You’re her brother, yet you just stood by and let that scumbag sniff around her?”
He’d gone to the blind date because he’d thought Yeong-in might actually be serious about marriage—or that she didn’t know the kind of man Chang-geun really was. In hindsight, both assumptions had been wrong.
“I didn’t do anything…”
Beom-jun trailed off awkwardly, unable to meet Seong-hyeok’s piercing gaze.
Just then, Chang-geun muttered bitterly under his breath.
“So much for Cha Seong-hyeok. Got dumped by an adopted brat…”
Seong-hyeok let out a low laugh and fixed him with a cold stare.
“From now on, leave out the illegitimate sons when we meet.”
Though soft, his voice carried clearly to everyone in the room.
Chang-geun’s face flushed crimson at the direct hit to his inferiority complex.
Not stopping there, Seong-hyeok strode over, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him out of the room.
“Ugh!”
Shoved hard against the wall, Chang-geun curled in on himself in pain.
“Stay the hell away from Chae Yeong-in. You filthy bastard, know your place.”
Chang-geun’s lips trembled as he met Seong-hyeok’s threatening gaze.
“D-Do you… like her?”
“I hate you.”
“…”
Unable to hold his stare, Chang-geun looked away, regretting every word he’d said in his drunken bravado.
“From now on, if I’m at a gathering, stay away. I don’t ever want to see your face again.”
“O-Okay…”
As soon as Seong-hyeok released his grip, Chang-geun bolted down the hallway, clutching at his crumpled collar.
Watching him flee, Seong-hyeok scowled before turning toward the opposite corridor.
He had no intention of drinking more—the thought of it only made him imagine tomorrow’s hangover with disgust.
***
Hyesung Entertainment was a boutique agency specializing in actors, with a total staff of seven including the CEO.
Though small in size, the agency was home to several famous actors and was considered a hidden gem in the industry.
Yeong-in’s official title was Management Team Leader.
Thanks to her all-around skill in scouting, managing artists, and handling media relations, she was widely regarded as Hyesung’s ace.
True to the company’s flat hierarchy, meetings were always lively, with no one afraid to clash even in front of the CEO.
Today, Yeong-in found herself at odds with the head of PR.
“It’d be better not to release a story about reshooting without pay. If our lead actor gets praised for waiving their fee, the supporting cast will feel pressured not to demand theirs.”
The issue had come up because the lead actress in one of their dramas had abruptly dropped out after being caught in an affair with a married man. They had decided to reshoot with a replacement actress.
The PR head couldn’t understand why Yeong-in opposed running a positive story about their lead.
“Team Leader Chae, our artist is the lead. Why are you worrying about the supporting cast? This is a great opportunity to boost their image.”
“Supporting actors depend on their paychecks to make a living.”
“That’s their problem. They’ll get their chance to be leads someday.”
“What are the odds of that? About 0.1%?”
“…”
The PR head awkwardly shut his mouth.
“Our artist’s image is already excellent. Not running a feel-good story won’t damage it. Instead, let’s take the proper fee for the reshoots, donate it, and then release a story about that. It might take a little longer, but wouldn’t that be more sustainable for everyone?”
CEO Kang, who had been silently observing, spoke up.
“What does Min-woo think?”
“He said he’ll go along with whatever I suggest.”
“Then we’ll go with Team Leader Chae’s plan. Meeting adjourned.”
With that, the discussion ended.
Still plagued by a headache since morning, Yeong-in turned down CEO Kang’s invitation to dinner and left work earlier than usual.
But the person who had been occupying her mind for days was waiting for her—
At her house.
“Well, look who’s home. My junior.”
Seong-hyeok sat on the living room sofa, legs elegantly crossed, smiling.
(Continued…)
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