Chapter 4
[Hello. This is Do In-hyuk. Would you have some time to meet today?]
That was the text Hae-yoon had received from In-hyuk that afternoon.
Thanks to it, she was now enjoying a luxurious meal at a fine dining restaurant with an amazing view.
When he said he had made a reservation, she hadn’t expected a place this nice.
She had arrived early and was quietly looking out at the city below while waiting for him.
“It must be because of what happened yesterday.”
He was probably worried.
She understood why.
As Hae-yoon slowly shook her head, she sensed someone approaching.
“You came early.”
“Oh, yes. Hello.”
It felt a little awkward.
She wasn’t sure if it was because of Chairman Gi-seop’s sudden marriage proposal, or because she had accidentally witnessed In-hyuk’s private life.
Maybe it was both.
Trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling, Hae-yoon took a sip of water.
Before long, their steak and pasta arrived.
Even in this awkward situation, she found herself amazed by how delicious the vongole pasta smelled.
“Let’s eat first.”
Right.
They could talk after the meal.
She nodded and turned her attention to the pasta she had been eyeing.
As expected, it tasted just as good as it smelled.
She even forgot how uncomfortable the situation was.
Expensive restaurants really are different.
Thinking that, she happily twirled more pasta around her fork.
When she had finished about half of it—
“I don’t intend to date for very long.”
He’s bringing up the main topic this suddenly?
She gently dabbed her lips with a napkin and picked up her glass.
The movement of her mouth stopped.
She swallowed.
“Oh… I see.”
Maybe that was a good thing.
The longer they dated, the more likely people would find out.
She didn’t know how serious their relationship was, but they were both people who attracted attention.
That kind of relationship wasn’t good for an actress whose career depended on her public image.
“I think it would be better if we got married within this year…”
“What? Marriage? Marriage?”
Hae-yoon was so shocked that she swallowed the wrong way.
She started coughing violently.
Her throat burned, tears filled her eyes, and she struggled to breathe.
In-hyuk quickly stood up.
She raised a hand to stop him.
“I’m okay.”
“Use this.”
Seeing that she had dropped her napkin, In-hyuk immediately took out his handkerchief and handed it to her.
She quickly covered her mouth with it and continued coughing.
“Mar… cough! Ah… just a moment.”
After calming down a little, she drank some water and cleared her throat.
Her eyes were watery from coughing so much.
It was understandable.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Si-yeon was carrying Line Entertainment on her shoulders.
Recently, one of the company’s most popular male actors had left after his contract ended, making her even more important.
And now she was getting married?
To Do In-hyuk of DY Group?
“M-Marriage… You mean marriage…”
Hae-yoon wasn’t even the company’s CEO, but she suddenly became overwhelmed with worry.
Should I change jobs?
Wouldn’t it be better to leave before the PR Team gets buried trying to clean up the aftermath?
“Um… well…”
She paused to organize her thoughts.
She wasn’t sure how much she should say.
News headlines she could easily imagine flashed through her mind.
[Photo: “Love Knows No Age or Retirement” Actress Hong Si-yeon Wins the Heart of a Chaebol Heir 22 Years Younger]
[Actress Hong Si-yeon in a Passionate Romance with a Businessman Young Enough to Be Her Son. She Doesn’t Care What the Public Thinks.]
[Forbidden Love? The Class of Hong Si-yeon, Who Captivated a Chaebol Heir 22 Years Younger.]
No matter how positively she tried to think, she couldn’t imagine a single article congratulating them.
She could already picture countless people gossiping about Si-yeon.
“Isn’t it a little too soon?”
She had chosen those words carefully.
Lowering the handkerchief from her mouth, she cautiously watched In-hyuk’s reaction.
“Marriage is something you should think about carefully.”
She secretly observed his expression.
She didn’t want her words to offend him.
“There are a lot of things to consider, aren’t there? Like coming from completely different backgrounds.”
She avoided looking directly at him.
What she really wanted to mention came next.
“Like the age difference.”
“The age difference?”
In-hyuk finally spoke.
When she nodded hesitantly, he tilted his head.
He clearly didn’t understand what she meant.
“Ah… You’re really open-minded.”
She meant it as a compliment.
But In-hyuk frowned.
Then he even crossed his arms.
Feeling slightly wronged, she hurried to explain.
“No, that’s not what I mean. It’s just… it’s not exactly common. It would be surprising even the other way around, but I’ve only ever seen couples with a twenty-two-year age gap overseas…”
In-hyuk had been waiting to hear where she was going with this.
Instead, he frowned even more.
Seeing his reaction, Hae-yoon gradually lost confidence.
Her voice became quieter until she couldn’t even finish her sentence.
“How exactly did you calculate a twenty-two-year age difference between us?”
“Huh? Well… Actress Si-yeon is fifty-five…”
“Wait.”
This time, In-hyuk interrupted before she could finish.
“Who?”
“…What?”
Silence.
Hae-yoon slowly pointed at herself with a doubtful expression.
“The marriage you were talking about… was it me?”
It was obviously a silly question.
But In-hyuk’s annoyed expression suddenly changed.
The muscles beneath his eyes twitched.
He uncrossed his arms and calmly placed his hands on his thighs.
His posture even became polite.
“I heard my grandfather already spoke to you.”
“Yes, he did. But I refused.”
“…”
“I thought you had refused too…”
Hae-yoon suddenly read the movement of his lips.
It looked like he silently cursed.
It was completely different from his neat and proper image.
Then she noticed his ears.
They were so red it looked like they might burst.
He had managed to keep his face perfectly calm.
Apparently, controlling his ears was impossible.
“…I’m sorry, Miss Yoon Hae-yoon. It seems I misunderstood the situation.”
“Oh… Yes. It was quite a big misunderstanding.”
She answered quickly.
She wanted to make things easier for him since he must have been very embarrassed.
He shut his eyes tightly and let out a deep breath.
Yesterday, when he talked to Gi-seop, the Chairman had never mentioned any of this.
That old man…
For the first time, the always-polite In-hyuk clenched his fists so tightly they trembled as he silently cursed his grandfather.
“First of all, I’m sorry for bringing it up so suddenly. I should have confirmed everything before saying anything.”
“It’s okay.”
In-hyuk took a sip of water.
It was embarrassing.
But since he had already started, he had to finish what he came to say.
Unlike before, he now truly needed this marriage.
“Then let me ask properly.”
“…Yes?”
“Please marry me.”
The redness had disappeared from his ears.
His expression was serious again.
For someone proposing marriage, his voice and expression were incredibly calm.
Honestly, the embarrassed version of him from earlier had seemed much more human.
“It won’t be a bad choice for you, Miss Yoon Hae-yoon. I’ll do my best as a husband. I don’t want the person who becomes my family to be disappointed.”
“Um…”
“I know you rejected my grandfather’s sudden proposal. I did too. But…”
“No, Mr. Do In-hyuk. Please wait.”
He sounded like a robot trying to complete an assigned task.
Hae-yoon quickly interrupted him.
“I’m really sorry for cutting you off.”
She knew it was rude.
But if she didn’t stop him now, she wouldn’t get another chance.
“I actually have a boyfriend.”
“…What?”
“That’s why I refused the blind date.”
In-hyuk’s ears immediately turned bright red again.
There was a reason Hae-yoon hadn’t told Chairman Gi-seop.
Her ex-boyfriend had contacted her recently, and they had decided to try dating again.
They had only gotten back together a few days ago, so she had wanted to keep it private.
“…I’m sorry.”
For some reason, Hae-yoon felt she should apologize to him.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that she had unintentionally embarrassed him twice.
“…Let’s just continue eating.”
In-hyuk gestured toward the food.
Instead of picking up his fork, he grabbed his glass and drank all the remaining water in one gulp.
That crazy old man.
The name he used for Gi-seop in his mind became even harsher than before.
“Um… Mr. Do In-hyuk.”
At that moment, Hae-yoon called him carefully.
“But even if I didn’t have a boyfriend… I still would have rejected your proposal.”
