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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: It's Okay to Disappear Like Cinderella...
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Click.
Yi Yeon fastened her seatbelt the moment she got into Do Hyun's car.
Thanks to Do Hyun's favor, she had about an hour of leeway to prepare for work and could head in comfortably without worrying about being late.
'I really didn't expect him to wait.'
Do Hyun had sat quietly on the sofa, waiting patiently until Yi Yeon was fully ready and came down.
Yi Yeon glanced at Do Hyun sitting beside her.
The side profile of a man focused on driving was incredibly sexy.
His firmly defined arm muscles, the slow movement of his hands along the steering wheel, and the occasional turn of his face to check the side mirror—every detail was so handsome that she couldn't tear her eyes away.
Any woman who saw him would lose it.
How lucky that only Yi Yeon could see him like this.
As her thoughts wandered, Yi Yeon's heart suddenly started pounding wildly.
What the hell am I thinking? What's so lucky about it!
"Should I pull over?"
Do Hyun's voice snapped her out of her flustered panic over her racing heart, making Yi Yeon blink in surprise.
She blinked and asked what he meant.
"If you keep staring like that, I can't focus on driving."
He must have known she was watching from the start, because Do Hyun smirked and lifted the corner of his mouth.
"N-No... I wasn't looking! I wasn't looking at you, Vice President! I was looking at the hair on your hand!"
Yi Yeon's face flushed apple-red as she vehemently denied it and launched into a barrage of nonsense.
Of all things, why say she was looking at the hair on his hand?
It was mortifying.
Why hair of all excuses! I'm going crazy.
Yi Yeon wanted to crawl into any hole she could find, be it a mouse hole or a sewer.
Do Hyun's eyes crinkled at the corners as Yi Yeon rambled on.
Seeing him laugh out loud like that, it seemed he found the hair comment amusing...
"Stop staring at the hair. We're here, so get out."
Phew, what a relief. She needed to get to the office quickly and separate from Do Hyun.
She needed time to calm her chaotic feelings.
But there was no time to settle down right after arriving at work.
Do Hyun was currently pushing a new card launch as part of marketing efforts, collaborating with influencers hot among kids and young people.
The top influencer in terms of reach had flatly refused meetings with Woosung Card until now. Then, out of nowhere yesterday, they contacted saying they wanted to meet with Woosung Card representatives.
Yi Yeon checked as soon as she arrived to see if there was an empty meeting room, gathering feedback from the marketing team staff she'd met with. Most rooms equipped for PPTs were already booked.
Still, Yi Yeon was frantically making calls to secure a room.
Bzzz.
Bzzz.
Bzzz.
Yi Yeon frowned at the relentless vibrations.
"Why is it buzzing like this?"
She was on edge because she absolutely had to secure a room before lunch.
When she ignored the calls, irregular vibrations continued as texts came in.
Wondering what the urgent message was, Yi Yeon picked up her phone.
[Yi Yeon! Help me out! Please! You're the only one I can turn to, you know that, right?]
[Please...]
[Help me!]
[No, save me!]
It was Ha Yul making her phone buzz nonstop.
[What? What's wrong?]
She couldn't ignore Ha Yul's desperate messages.
Worried about what was going on, Yi Yeon replied immediately.
The moment Yi Yeon soothed her incessantly ringing phone, Ha Yul called as if she'd been waiting.
"What's wrong?"
Yi Yeon answered quickly, alarmed by the uncharacteristic urgency in Ha Yul's voice.
[I'm near your office right now! Can we meet for a bit? This is something I need to explain in person, so I can wait until you get off work! Just give me 30 minutes?]
Ha Yul's voice mixed desperation with politeness.
What huge thing had happened that she'd wait until quitting time? An inexplicable anxiety made Yi Yeon's chest tighten.
"What's so urgent! You're making my heart race too."
[It's a big deal for me, and it's a big deal for you too.]
Ha Yul trailed off.
"For me too?"
[I'll explain the details when we meet.]
Luckily, it was almost lunch, so it seemed best to hear Ha Yul out over a meal.
"Lunch is soon, so want to eat together and talk? I'll buy."
[You're the best! I'll wait at the cafe then!]
Yi Yeon said okay and hung up.
'What on earth is going on with her?'
Gripping her rising anxiety, Yi Yeon dove back into her unfinished tasks.
* * *
Fortunately, a room had canceled for that day.
After booking it, Yi Yeon headed to the cafe where Ha Yul was waiting as soon as lunch started, her mind lighter.
[Almost there, so come out front! Let's go eat right away.]
She texted Ha Yul that she was on her way and hurried to not waste her short lunch break.
"Yi Yeon!"
Ha Yul spotted her and came running, clinging to her arm and linking it cutely in a way that didn't suit her.
"W-Why are you doing this?"
She was worried, sure, but creepy was creepy.
Even when Yi Yeon shook her arm, Ha Yul didn't care and dragged her along, saying they were going to eat.
"Where are you taking me? I know a good place."
Ha Yul didn't look like she was at death's door, contrary to expectations.
"I reserved somewhere!"
"How do you know the good spots around here?"
"I looked it up, duh. This is near your office. I needed something private, so I searched for places with private rooms, but there weren't many."
Sometimes Ha Yul's thoroughness was scary. She'd even checked for private rooms.
"You're thorough."
Ha Yul shrugged and grinned.
The place she dragged her to was a course restaurant called Tuna Artisan.
The interior looked like a true artisan would handle the fish, and even the lunch course was pricey.
'She plans to bankrupt me.'
Fine, if her friend was in trouble, this much was nothing.
The two entered a private room reserved under Ha Yul's name.
⋮
"What?"
Yi Yeon dropped her tuna sashimi in shock at Ha Yul's words right as the course dishes started coming out.
"So! Youngsin is going to openly announce you? Why would they? Aren't they the ones who denied your existence?"
"They totally denied me before! But the rumors about the illegitimate daughter are already everywhere... I think some big secret funds scandal just blew up at Youngsin, so they're trying to cover it with me. Throw out any scrap of news, right? 'Youngsin's rumored youngest daughter's first official appearance!'"
Ha Yul tried to play it cool, but her eyes were wavering.
Yi Yeon knew Ha Yul hated getting tangled with her family more than anything.
"Honestly, I don't want to play into their dirty scheme of just using me, but since the rumors are out there anyway, maybe it won't be so bad to just settle in as Youngsin's youngest daughter."
Ha Yul had hinted before that she could never be free from Youngsin.
It was obvious her feelings weren't being considered at all.
Seeing Ha Yul like that, Yi Yeon bit her lower lip in pity.
"There's a VIP party Youngsin is hosting with a famous overseas designer. I have to attend that... So, what I'm saying is... could you come with me?"
Is she asking me?
Yi Yeon stared at Ha Yul in bewilderment, but Ha Yul was already clasping her hands together in plea toward her.
"Are you crazy? How could I go there! And if I go like this, people will just whisper insults as I pass by!"
She wanted to help, but she couldn't.
She knew it was an event for chaebols and celebrities only. Going like this would just draw whispers about her looks.
It was absurd. Both she and Ha Yul would get trashed.
"I've never been to events like that. I won't have anyone on my side. Who knows what side those people will take..."
Ha Yul trailed off, and Yi Yeon's resolve weakened despite herself.
"Just stay by my side quietly. I'll lean on you. Just stand there. Having you next to me would make me feel safer."
Hearing that final plea to rely on her made it hard to refuse outright.
"Okay. But being next to me might draw even more attention."
As Yi Yeon gave in and answered, Ha Yul's pleading face vanished, replaced by clenched fists and fiery eyes.
"They're going to stare anyway, so might as well draw all the attention properly! I'll make those bastards drown in Im Ha Yul! It's not my fault I was born like this!"
Seeing Ha Yul perk up eased Yi Yeon's worries, but then Ha Yul turned serious and asked.
"But... Yi Yeon, no matter what, don't you think that look won't work?"
"What do you mean?"
Ha Yul cleared her throat, plopped back down, crossed her legs, and propped her chin.
"You can't keep going around like that forever. Don't you think it's time you practiced going out as your real self?"
Ha Yul had a point, but Yi Yeon still lacked confidence.
She'd grown too used to the convenience this appearance brought. Letting it go in one go wasn't easy.
"I... haven't thought about that yet."
"Since we're going together anyway, wouldn't it be better to have pretty Yi Yeon next to Im Ha Yul? It'll just be for a short time, a short time!"
She was beating around the bush that being ugly would be embarrassing.
Yi Yeon seriously debated retracting her softened heart toward Ha Yul.
"I won't ask for much. Just 3 hours! You can stay 3 hours and disappear like Cinderella. I'll handle all the prep. You just show up!"
"Ah... seriously, Im Ha Yul."
"No one will recognize your real face anyway—it's been so long. Who'd think this ugly duckling and Yu Yi Yeon are the same person?"
'Maybe? Would even the Vice President not recognize me?'
Yi Yeon suddenly wondered if Do Hyun would fail to recognize her.
What would Do Hyun think if he saw her original self?
No, why was she thinking about Do Hyun again?
Yi Yeon shook off the sudden thought of him.
She took a deep breath in and let it out.
"Just 3 hours."
Because it was Ha Yul, because it was Ha Yul's request.
Ha Yul had leaned on her and comforted her in tough times before—she couldn't ignore that gratitude.
It had been years; what big deal could happen from a 3-hour disguise?
"Eek! Thank you! Yi Yeon, I'm so glad you're my friend! Don't worry! I'll take care of everything."
Yi Yeon didn't know what "taking care" meant, but Ha Yul's overwhelming emotion stopped her from asking more. She wasn't sure what mindset she nodded in.
"We finished eating, so time for some caffeine!"
"Weren't you just at a cafe?"
"I was just sipping something. Coffee on an empty stomach hurts. There's a cafe in your office building, right? Let's go there. I'll walk you back, and you can head up right after."
"Sure, whatever."
She had no idea what possessed her to agree.
The two entered the Woosung Card cafe and lined up to order.
Lunchtime cafe seat wars were fierce.
"At least there are still empty spots."
"If we came any later, even these would be taken."
That's when Yi Yeon spotted a rare silhouette walking into the cafe from afar.
