Chapter 10
Today, Si-yeon had no schedule.
Hae-yoon went to work.
She had temporarily moved to the Management Team to help because everyone was busy dealing with Si-yeon’s situation.
“Good morning.”
As soon as Hae-yoon sat down, she felt everyone’s eyes on her.
Since the PR Team had handled the scandal, it was only natural that Hae-yoon had become the hot topic after last night’s dating rumor.
“Hae-yoon, it’s true, right?”
Unable to hold back her curiosity, one employee rolled her chair over and stopped beside Hae-yoon.
Hae-yoon smiled awkwardly and nodded.
“Yes, it’s true.”
“You really are dating that DY Group executive director?”
“Yes.”
“How did you even meet someone like him?”
“My late grandfather knew Chairman Do Gi-seop.”
If they had been complete strangers, everyone would have been suspicious.
Fortunately, their grandfathers had shared a deep friendship.
After hearing the story, the employees looked fascinated.
For a moment, Hae-yoon felt like she had become a celebrity herself.
Being a celebrity… must be exhausting.
She sighed to herself and turned on her computer.
“I’ll organize the articles we’ll use to promote Actress Si-yeon’s movie.”
People always said a crisis could become an opportunity.
Until yesterday, Si-yeon had been crying as if the world had ended.
Now things were different.
After the dating rumor was cleared up as a misunderstanding, it actually increased interest in the movie that would be released a few months later.
That was good news.
The morning passed quickly.
“Let’s go eat lunch.”
Everyone started discussing what to eat.
Hae-yoon picked up the phone she had left face down.
“Ha…”
“What’s wrong, Hae-yoon? Something happen?”
“Well…”
She awkwardly showed her coworker her phone screen.
“The reporters are driving me crazy.”
“Oh my…”
“And they’re not even entertainment reporters.”
Her phone number had practically become public.
She didn’t mind, since she worked in the entertainment industry.
The problem was that even business reporters, whom she would normally never hear from, were calling her.
“Well, your boyfriend isn’t exactly an ordinary person.”
Her coworker carefully watched her reaction.
In truth, everyone at Line Entertainment had been flooded with calls since yesterday.
“Don’t worry. You know how this works.”
“People will lose interest soon.”
“Yes… that’s true…”
Except for one person who won’t.
That was the real problem.
***
[Let’s have dinner tonight.]
It was from a phone number she had intentionally not saved.
A pointless act of stubbornness.
Even so, she immediately knew who had sent it.
Do In-hyuk.
Overnight, he had become the most troublesome person in her life.
“Hae-yoon, let’s go eat.”
“Ah, okay.”
She deliberately ignored the message and slipped her phone into her pocket.
For now…
She simply wanted to avoid another headache.
* * *
She wasn’t even sure how the day had passed.
After going out for work and returning to the office, Hae-yoon was exhausted.
She even turned down her coworkers’ invitation to grab a beer.
She just wanted to go home and rest.
Dragging her tired body, she finally reached her apartment building.
Pressing gently against one aching eyelid, she walked toward the entrance.
“Hae-yoon.”
She couldn’t go inside.
Min-gyu had been waiting for her.
He hurried over.
“What are you doing here?”
“What about you?”
“You won’t answer my calls or reply to my texts.”
Of course not.
She had blocked him.
Without answering, Hae-yoon walked past him.
But Min-gyu quickly stepped in front of her.
“My mom wants to meet you!”
He grabbed her hand.
“I even knelt in front of her yesterday.”
“I begged her to let me marry you.”
“…”
“I don’t think she expected me to go that far.”
“She was shocked.”
“She asked if I was really that serious.”
“…”
“She wants to meet the woman who stole her son’s heart.”
“So everything’s been solved now!”
Min-gyu looked completely relieved.
As if all the problems had disappeared.
Hae-yoon couldn’t believe how badly she had judged his character.
When she first met Choi Min-gyu through a blind date…
She had never imagined he was this kind of person.
Even while dating him, she had never noticed anything particularly strange.
Apparently…
He had been wearing a convincing mask all along.
“We broke up yesterday.”
“You know that.”
She pulled her hand free and stepped back.
“Stop this.”
“And don’t come looking for me anymore.”
“It makes me uncomfortable.”
“…What?”
“Uncomfortable?”
Min-gyu frowned deeply.
“Not for me.”
“I never broke up with you.”
“Do you know how hard it was for us to get back together?”
“You promised you’d do better.”
“You begged me for another chance.”
“You even talked about marriage.”
“And then you secretly went on a blind date with another woman.”
“I already explained that!”
“So I’m just supposed to accept it?”
“Ha…”
“Yoon Hae-yoon.”
“Why are you so frustrating?”
“Why can’t you be more flexible?”
Once again…
Min-gyu blamed everything on her.
He openly looked annoyed.
As if she were the problem.
He even ran both hands through his hair in frustration.
“I really was planning to marry you.”
“You know that!”
“You know how much I…”
His eyes suddenly became fierce.
His body tensed as if he were about to lunge at her.
Instinctively, Hae-yoon flinched.
“Miss Yoon Hae-yoon.”
She knew that voice.
Even before turning around…
She recognized it.
It was In-hyuk.
After noticing Min-gyu, In-hyuk immediately stepped in front of Hae-yoon.
“So…”
“You either don’t understand words…”
“Or you simply refuse to.”
His eyes slowly looked Min-gyu up and down.
“You even came all the way to her home.”
“What the hell, Yoon Hae-yoon?”
“Why is this guy at your apartment?”
It had taken Min-gyu more than six months of dating just to walk Hae-yoon home once.
She had always been careful.
Even then, her grandfather Tae-soo always came out to the main road to meet her.
Min-gyu had barely ever even seen the apartment itself.
So how did In-hyuk know where she lived?
“Hey! Yoon Hae-yoon!”
Min-gyu shouted angrily.
“Damn it…”
“Were you cheating on me?”
“Weren’t you?”
“You were, right?”
He kept accusing Hae-yoon of being the one who had cheated.
He was yelling so loudly that she worried the neighbors would misunderstand.
Just as she couldn’t stand it anymore…
In-hyuk stretched out an arm to stop her.
“I suppose I should thank you.”
Min-gyu glared at him.
“Thanks to you…”
“I got my chance.”
“…What?”
“I was rejected because she already had a boyfriend.”
In-hyuk took Hae-yoon’s hand and gently pulled her to his side.
“But thanks to your stupidity…”
“I ended up with a woman like Yoon Hae-yoon.”
Min-gyu’s eyes shook.
The words thanks to you hit him exactly where it hurt.
“No…”
“You can’t seriously be dating this guy…”
Hae-yoon let go of In-hyuk’s hand.
For a brief second…
Hope appeared on Min-gyu’s face.
At the same time, In-hyuk narrowed his eyes.
Then…
Hae-yoon linked her arm through In-hyuk’s.
She moved even closer.
“That’s right.”
“I’m dating him now.”
“At least I don’t think he’ll hurt me the way you did.”
She tightened her grip around his arm.
She felt she had to make things absolutely clear.
“Let’s go inside, In-hyuk.”
“What?”
“Inside?”
“Hey, Yoon Hae-yoon!”
“Where are you going?”
Min-gyu had never even been allowed inside her apartment.
Her grandfather Tae-soo had always refused.
But now…
In-hyuk was going inside?
Min-gyu completely lost his mind.
Just then, a security guard making his rounds hurried over.
“Is there a problem?”
Hae-yoon had lived here with Tae-soo for years and knew the security staff well.
Recognizing her, the guard immediately called another guard over.
“You can’t come here and cause a disturbance!”
“I’m her boyfriend!”
The guard clicked his tongue.
“Young man, you shouldn’t lie.”
Anyone looking at them would naturally assume In-hyuk was Hae-yoon’s boyfriend.
As the security guards grabbed Min-gyu, he struggled wildly.
Hae-yoon quickly grabbed In-hyuk’s arm.
“Let’s go inside.”
Leaving Min-gyu shouting behind them…
The two walked away.
His yelling continued all the way.
Hae-yoon hurried upstairs to the fourth floor.
She was slightly out of breath.
She worried the guards might accidentally let Min-gyu go.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she entered the passcode.
What if In-hyuk notices?
“Thank you.”
Fortunately…
In-hyuk had politely turned his head away while she entered the code.
The door opened.
They stepped inside together.
Bang.
The old front door slammed shut with a loud noise.
“Ah…”
Only then did Hae-yoon realize…
She had just carelessly invited a man into her home.
