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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Accomplished Ex-Boyfriend
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Yeongin sat blankly for a long time even after Seonghyeok left, then finally got up.
She tried to sort out the jumbled mess in her mind but only concluded that it was impossible.
Her steps were heavy as she left the cafe and crossed the hotel lobby. Neither the brilliant chandelier, crafted to resemble pouring starlight, nor the unique paintings and sculptures caught her eye.
Yeongin, feeling as if she were in a daze, returned home. As she was about to take off her heels, she paused and looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror by the entrance.
"You seem to have put a lot of effort into your appearance. Are you disappointed I wasn't who you were expecting?"
His cutting words echoed in her ears.
Looking at herself, she couldn't deny his words. Even to her own eyes, she appeared dressed to impress her blind date.
She had no desire whatsoever to impress Oh Changgeun, yet being misunderstood felt a little unfair.
Then, a sudden thought struck her. Would Cha Seonghyeok have remained indifferent if her blind date hadn't been Oh Changgeun?
"I can't stand to see the woman who dumped me marry a scumbag like him. It would make me look pathetic."
Even giving him the benefit of the doubt, she couldn't possibly choose a marriage partner based on her accomplished ex-boyfriend's dignity and prestige, could she?
Yeongin averted her gaze from the mirror, took off her heels, and slipped her feet into her house slippers.
Her legs stopped moving as she passed through the hallway and reached the living room. The person she had expected to be out, given it was Saturday, was occupying the sofa.
"You were home?"
Arim, who had been engrossed in a mobile game while leaning back on the sofa, turned her head. The face mask covering her features looked rather grotesque.
"Why are you back so early? Did you break up before dinner?"
"Yeah."
"What did you decide?"
"About what?"
Arim furrowed her brows deeply.
"What else? Did you decide to get married?"
Yeongin couldn't retort that it was too hasty a question. Perhaps it was because she had just met someone far more impatient than her sister.
"He wants to get married."
Though she wondered if it could even be called a proposal.
"Really? Did you say yes?"
Arim's eyes widened and sparkled, and she shifted on her seat excitedly.
"Should I? Can I?"
A self-deprecating smile appeared on Yeongin's lips, then vanished.
"What are you even asking? Of course, you should. You two are a perfect match. Don't mind your brother and me, go ahead and get married first. Who cares about order these days? That's so old-fashioned."
Arim's reason for encouraging their marriage was nothing more or less than her conviction that whoever she married, he wouldn't be worse than Oh Changgeun. She absolutely could not tolerate Yeongin meeting a man better than herself.
"I'm going upstairs."
Arim was about to shout for a definite answer before she left, but she stopped herself.
It was because she found it encouraging that Yeongin, who knew Oh Changgeun's true nature as clearly as she did, was reacting this way. On the other hand, she was puzzled.
'Why doesn't she seem to hate him that much?'
A suspicious gaze followed Yeongin as she climbed the stairs.
'Does Oh Changgeun have some unexpected charm?'
This was a thought only possible because she couldn't imagine who Yeongin's blind date had actually been.
***
The next night.
Seonghyeok found himself back at the club where he had reunited with Yeongin. It was the same private room as last time.
As soon as he stepped into the room, Beomjun's voice rang out.
"The guest of honor has arrived!"
Seonghyeok watched him, unimpressed, as he sprang from his seat and scurried over.
"What took you so long?"
"I wasn't going to come, but I just stopped by for a bit. Why are you making such a fuss about another welcome party?"
Seonghyeok's expression was unenthusiastic because this welcome party was being held against his will.
This was already the third one today.
Unlike Beomjun, who lived for a good time, he didn't enjoy entertainment. He especially detested going around in large groups like this.
"We have to announce Cha Seonghyeok's return to the world!"
"You're really trying hard to find an excuse to drink."
Beomjun pretended not to hear a word, pulled Seonghyeok's arm, and seated him in the empty place of honor.
"Alright, first, have a drink."
Seonghyeok responded to his friends' greetings half-heartedly as he accepted the drink Beomjun poured for him.
It was at that moment a slurred voice reached his ears.
"Hey, Cha Seonghyeok..."
He turned his head and saw Changgeun's face, blurred and hazy with drink. His thin lips opened irritably.
"How was your blind date?"
Seonghyeok twisted the corner of his mouth into a sneer.
"Fine."
He hadn't come to this gathering solely because of Beomjun's insistence. His curiosity about Oh Changgeun's reaction was greater.
Seeing him act in a way he never had before, it seemed he was quite disheartened. Of course, Seonghyeok felt no remorse whatsoever. He only wished Changgeun wouldn't provoke him. However, that wish was not granted.
"That's hilarious. You got rejected."
Changgeun let out a scoff, as if he found it absurd, and Seonghyeok's brow furrowed.
"Rejected?"
"Jin Yeosa, or whoever that matchmaker woman was, said the woman wasn't interested, didn't she? At that point, it's clear Yeongin rejected you."
Beomjun, who had been quietly listening, wondering why the guy who usually found it hard to even speak a word to Seonghyeok was acting like this, interjected with a bewildered expression.
"What are you talking about? Rejected by Yeongin?"
"Cha Seonghyeok, that bastard, stole the blind date I painstakingly arranged by pestering my aunt, who already dislikes me!"
Changgeun couldn't contain his anger and burst out. He was even more furious with himself for not flat-out refusing when he was told to give up the blind date.
"What? You mean Seonghyeok was the one who went on the blind date with Yeongin yesterday, not you?"
Beomjun turned to Seonghyeok, his eyes full of questions.
"Why you?"
Seonghyeok retorted with a question instead of answering.
"And you, supposedly her brother, why are you just standing by while that scumbag makes advances on your sister?"
He had gone to the blind date because he thought Yeongin was truly serious about getting married. It was also because he believed Yeongin didn't know Changgeun's true nature. In the end, both assumptions were wide of the mark.
"What did I do...?"
Beomjun, feeling awkward, trailed off his sentence while avoiding Seonghyeok's gaze. At the same time, Changgeun scoffed, feigning a soliloquy.
"Cha Seonghyeok isn't so special after all. Getting rejected by an adopted child."
Seonghyeok let out a small laugh, then looked him directly in the eye and retorted.
"From now on, let's make sure we don't invite any bastards."
His low but clear voice pierced the ears of everyone in the room.
Changgeun's face, having had his complex targeted, flushed crimson.
Not content with merely humiliating Changgeun, Seonghyeok approached him, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him out of the room.
"Ugh!"
Changgeun, slammed against the wall with great force, winced in pain and hunched his shoulders.
"Stop hitting on Chae Yeongin. You filthy bastard, know your place."
Changgeun's eyes were wide with fear, and his trembling lips parted.
"Do you... like Yeongin...?"
"I hate you."
"..."
Changgeun subtly avoided Seonghyeok's threatening gaze, regretting internally that he had dared to act out, emboldened by the alcohol.
"From now on, make sure you're not at any gatherings I attend. I don't want to see your face ever again."
"Uh, uh..."
Changgeun, nodding frantically, took off like a shot the moment the hand gripping his clothes, as if to tear them, loosened its grip.
Seonghyeok watched his retreating figure with a scowl, then turned and walked down the opposite hallway.
He felt that drinking in such a foul mood would only lead to a terrible hangover tomorrow.
***
Hyesung Entertainment was an agency specializing in actors, consisting of a total of seven employees, including the CEO. Although small in scale, it was known as a lucrative venture in the industry due to several famous actors being affiliated with it.
Yeongin's official title was Management Team Leader.
Thanks to her all-around performance, encompassing artist recruitment, management, and media relations, she was truly Hyesung's undisputed ace.
True to its horizontal corporate culture, Hyesung's meetings were always intense. There was no hesitation in engaging in heated debates, even with the CEO present.
Today, Yeongin's opinion clashed with that of the Public Relations Team Leader.
"It would be better not to release articles about reshooting without a fee. If the lead actor spreads good deeds by working for free, it makes it harder for supporting actors to ask for their fees."
The lead actress in a drama starring Hyesung's top actor had abruptly dropped out. The reason was the discovery of an affair with a married man. As a result, it had been decided to cast another actress and reshoot.
The Public Relations Team Leader couldn't understand at all why Yeongin was against releasing a positive article about working without a fee.
"Team Leader Chae, our artist is the lead, so why worry about the supporting actors? Why miss an opportunity to boost our image?"
"For supporting actors, it's a matter of livelihood."
"That's their problem. They'll eventually rise to lead roles, won't they?"
"What are the odds of that? About 0.1%?"
"..."
The Public Relations Team Leader awkwardly fell silent.
"Our artist's image is already excellent. Not releasing a positive article won't hurt their good image. Instead, let's properly receive the reshoot fee, donate it, and then release an article about it. Explain that the fee was received for such-and-such reasons, and then it was donated. It might be a little delayed, but isn't that the path to mutual benefit?"
Kang Daepyo, who had been silently observing, asked Yeongin.
"What did Minwoo say?"
"He said he'd do whatever I suggested."
"Then let's proceed with Team Leader Chae's opinion. Meeting adjourned. Dismissed."
And so, the meeting concluded.
Yeongin, who had been suffering from a headache since morning, declined Kang Daepyo's offer to have dinner together and left work earlier than usual.
However, she ended up encountering the very person who had been unsettling her mind for the past few days.
And at home, no less.
"Well, look who's here, our junior."
Seonghyeok was sitting elegantly with his legs crossed on the living room sofa, smiling.
