CHAPTER 10
Chaeyeon withdrew her gaze from Seola, as though she did not even want to exchange another word with her.
As she walked out the door, the sharp sound of her high heels echoed behind her.
“This makes no sense.”
Chaeyeon shook her head with a stiff expression.
“There has to be some kind of mistake.”
When she had heard that Ijun had not selected anyone as a wife candidate and that she had become the sole candidate through Chairman Kang’s recommendation, how thrilled had she been?
Chaeyeon hurried down the hallway.
She tried to calmly steady her breathing, but she could not settle down.
In the end, she pulled out her phone.
Her fingertips unconsciously tightened around it.
While the call was connecting, Chaeyeon quickly composed herself.
The face that had been hardened with anger only moments ago had completely disappeared.
“Chairman Kang, it’s Chaeyeon.”
Her voice was completely different from before, soft and affectionate.
“I’m calling because something is a little different from what I was told.”
Keeping a smile on her lips, Chaeyeon continued.
“I was definitely told that I was the only wife candidate, but when I arrived today, there was someone else as well.”
After waiting briefly for the response on the other end, she cautiously added.
“I believe you also told me that I was the only one.”
A low voice came through the receiver.
[There’s another one?]
A sharp gleam flashed in Chaeyeon’s eyes.
“Yes, definitely.”
[That shouldn’t be possible, but I’ll look into it.]
After that firm answer, the call ended.
Chaeyeon lowered her phone and fell into thought.
At least Chairman Kang had not known about this.
Chaeyeon’s expression hardened instantly.
“No way.”
“If even Chairman Kang doesn’t know about it…… could Ijun oppa have done this himself?”
The more she thought about it, the more it irritated her.
Unable to contain her anger, she walked straight toward the elevator and forcefully pressed the button.
As soon as the doors opened, she stepped inside and glared one last time toward the suite she had just left.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside the suite Chaeyeon had left behind had become much lighter.
Only after Chaeyeon’s footsteps had completely faded away did Seola let her exhausted back sink against the sofa.
Her shoulders, which had been rigid with tension moments ago, finally dropped heavily.
She had been told that the evening schedule would take place at the Myeongheon Hotel restaurant.
All she had to do was go downstairs at the appointed time.
Until then, she had to wait here.
“Then, I’ll be leaving now.”
“There are drinks prepared in the refrigerator, so please feel free to have some.”
“If you need anything, you may also use room service.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Thank you.”
After saying what he needed to say, Seokhun left.
Once the door closed, the room became quiet again.
Seola stood still for a while.
Then she slowly exhaled.
Apparently, she had been extremely tense without even realizing it.
There were only two wife candidates, Baek Chaeyeon, the person who had made Seola’s high school years miserable, was the other candidate, and there was also the possibility that Ijun had impulsively chosen her.
Her mind was confused for many reasons.
As she absentmindedly looked around, her gaze stopped at one wall.
A liquor cabinet that filled the entire wall caught her eye.
“Huh?”
Seola blinked.
“There’s alcohol.”
Rows of liquor bottles were visible behind the glass.
Seola hesitated for a moment before taking one out.
She did not normally enjoy drinking, but right now, she needed something, anything, to ease her tension.
Without even a glass, she took a sip straight from the bottle.
The alcohol burned sharply down her throat, but somehow it made her feel more clear-headed.
At least for this moment, it seemed as though the thoughts that had been confusing her mind had finally stopped.
Seola still could not believe any of this was real.
I have to ask Kang Ijun when I see him.
Why did he choose me as his wife candidate?
When I desperately begged him for help, he turned me away.
So why did he suddenly appear when I had not even asked for help and make me a wife candidate?
As she thought about it, Chaeyeon’s face suddenly came to mind.
Back in high school, one word from Chaeyeon had been enough to make their classmates turn their backs on Seola, forcing her to spend most of her time alone.
That was why Seola had clung even more desperately to her studies.
But it had never been what she wanted.
Seola unconsciously pouted.
“She’s still flashy…….”
“And I guess her personality hasn’t changed either.”
Her voice came out in a mumble.
After muttering to herself for quite some time, she checked the time and stood up.
Her body swayed slightly.
Apparently, the alcohol had affected her more than she expected.
Seola placed a hand against the wall and slowly walked toward the door.
After stepping into the hallway and stopping in front of the elevator, she absentmindedly looked at herself in the mirror.
Her face was redder than usual, and a faint drunken haze lingered around her eyes.
“Ah…….”
Seola pressed a hand to her forehead.
“I’m dizzy…….”
Even through her hazy mind, Seola somehow managed to follow the employee’s guidance to the private room where Ijun was waiting.
He was sitting in the seat of honor, drinking tea without giving Seola a glance.
Seola steadied her slightly swaying body under the influence of alcohol and spoke.
“When…… did you arrive?”
Ijun looked at Seola.
After assessing her condition in an instant, he set down his teacup and spoke.
“You’re exactly ten minutes late.”
“And.”
Ijun’s gaze remained fixed on Seola.
Her flushed face and slower-than-usual eyes caught his attention.
“Did you drink?”
“A little.”
Seola made a small gap between her fingers and added.
“Just a little.”
Judging by her expression alone, she looked like someone who had taken only a single sip.
But her flushed face and unfocused eyes told an entirely different story.
“I really only had a little.”
Her pronunciation was already noticeably slurred.
Ijun silently looked at Seola.
Then he slowly turned his gaze away.
Seola dropped heavily into a seat, her face flushed from the alcohol.
The Seola Ijun remembered was someone who always lived in a state of tension.
Her shoulders were always stiff, and even when she smiled, she would first check the other person’s expression.
She tended to keep her words to herself and was accustomed to enduring things on her own rather than asking for something.
When faced with an uncomfortable situation, she chose to take a step back rather than confront it.
But now was different.
At least for the moment, much of that wariness seemed to have faded.
“Why is my face so hot?”
Seola covered her cheeks with her hands and laughed softly.
Perhaps because of the alcohol, her expression was much gentler than usual.
“But.”
Seola tilted her head slightly.
“Why…… did you choose me as your wife candidate?”
A brief silence settled between the two of them.
Ijun looked at Seola before slowly opening his mouth.
“Are you curious about the reason?”
Seola nodded without hesitation.
“Yes.”
After moving her lips for a moment, she quietly continued.
“The other candidate who came today.”
Her alcohol-softened voice was much more honest than usual.
“She thought she was the only candidate.”
Seola calmly added it as though she were simply stating what had happened.
She did not bother mentioning that they had attended the same school.
“She didn’t like the fact that I was here.”
After saying that, Seola fell silent.
She felt that if she said anything more, she would only make herself look pathetic.
After looking at her for a moment, Ijun asked.
“Weren’t you planning to apply to become a wife candidate from the beginning?”
Seola lowered her gaze for a moment.
Then she raised her head again.
“Yes, I applied.”
“But it was my parents’ decision rather than my own.”
“Still, after actually coming here, I realized something.”
She slowly continued.
“I don’t think this is a place where I belong.”
“And the representative didn’t seem pleased when I went to see you again.”
Seola’s wavering gaze stopped for a moment.
“But I wondered why you chose me as your wife candidate.”
Her final words came out softer than she expected.
After asking the question, her chest strangely tightened.
Now, all that remained was Ijun’s answer.
“You were the only person who caught my attention.”
Seola’s heart seemed to drop heavily once before beginning to pound fiercely again.
For a moment, she could not say a word.
She wanted to believe this strange change was simply because of the alcohol.
The room remained quiet, but his voice lingered clearly in the air, circling her delicate ears.
Seola avoided his gaze for no reason.
Her already flushed face felt even hotter.
