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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Did You Recognize Me?
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“Hello. I’m Eom Ji Hu.”
Under his neatly groomed, sharply defined eyebrows curved a pair of half-moon eyes. He gave off that endearing puppy-like charm women adored, his gaze radiating the purest kindness imaginable.
The plump cheeks of his apple cheeks below them softened what might otherwise have seemed sharp due to his eyebrows.
Right, now I remember.
Back in college, that eye smile of his had set many a girl’s heart aflutter. With his handsome features and natural gift of gab, he’d been incredibly popular.
Congrats, looks like Assistant Manager Kang has fallen head over heels too?
Eom Ji Hu, who had once been Yi Yeon’s one and only guy friend.
Despite all that time spent as her closest confidant, it had ended in an instant with his absurd confession.
Wow… the world really was ridiculously small.
‘My head’s gonna explode!’
Suddenly, the drunken confession he’d made to Yi Yeon flashed through her mind.
‘Yu Yi Yeon was a girl from the very start. I never once thought of you as just a friend. Every time you looked at me so prettily, it made me insanely happy.’
Cold sweat broke out all of a sudden, along with a surging sense of crisis.
No good. I need to keep my eyes more dead-fish-like.
Ever since she’d started sharing info with Do Hyun, controlling her eyes had become a real struggle.
She couldn’t stop them from widening unconsciously in surprise.
But with Ji Hu, she wanted to hide it even if it meant squinting. She didn’t want to get caught.
After all the effort she’d put into the disguise and maintaining it.
If anyone who knew her real appearance found out, it was game over. And if that person was Ji Hu? Absolute worst-case scenario.
Yi Yeon stared piercingly at Ji Hu until she noticed his outstretched hand was still hanging there, unwithdrawn.
Yi Yeon shifted her gaze from his hand back to his eyes.
‘Did he recognize me?’
He was just smiling, impossible to read.
It had been the same back then. Ji Hu had a real talent for hiding his feelings. She hadn’t noticed he liked her for years.
“Secretary Yu, Ji Hu is trying to greet you. His hand must feel so awkward.”
She should have shut that mouth of his down sooner.
By now, if she wasn’t taking his hand, he should’ve had the sense to lower it—but he was still holding it out steadfastly, clearly with no such intention.
Her mind was already a whirlwind these days, and the thought of Ji Hu piling on made a headache creep in already.
Her head felt ready to burst from scheming because of Ji Hu, and there seemed to be so many more explosions ahead…
Yi Yeon couldn’t even begin to guess how many more things she’d have to worry about going forward.
‘Why’d he pick Woosung Card out of all the companies in the world?’
And out of all the departments, why the Management Planning Group where Do Hyun was an executive.
Talk about a sticky fate.
Yi Yeon decided to focus on reality instead of his unreadable vibe. She grabbed Ji Hu’s hand, feigning maximum calm.
“Yes, Vice President’s secretary, Yu Yi Yeon.”
She’d meant to give it a light squeeze and pull away, but she felt strength grip her from Ji Hu’s hand.
That grip kept her from withdrawing right away.
‘Why’s he making me uneasy like this?’
“Nice to meet you. Looking forward to working with you.”
It was right as she turned to head back to her seat. Yi Yeon’s eyes locked with Do Hyun’s piercing stare.
That look again.
Persistent eyes. Eyes that seemed to crave something from Yi Yeon.
‘How long has he been watching?’
Yi Yeon’s heart started thumping wildly once more. Even as she moved, her hand and arm stiffened rigidly, feeling all wrong.
Do Hyun sat in his chair utterly motionless, like a CCTV camera fixed solely on Yi Yeon.
That intense gaze made her shrink inward completely.
Once Yeon Jeong and Ji Hu stepped into the office to pay their respects, Do Hyun finally withdrew his gaze from Yi Yeon.
“Haa…”
At the sigh that escaped her, Yi Yeon drew in a deep breath and let it out.
Having finished greeting Do Hyun as well, they gave Yi Yeon a light hello and headed down to their own office.
What on earth had just happened?
Yi Yeon felt deeply unsettled. She’d thought she’d never cross paths with Ji Hu again.
She’d figured he was just living well off somewhere.
But that “somewhere” turning out to be Woosung Card…
All Yi Yeon could do was pray Ji Hu truly hadn’t recognized her.
* * *
Time flew by without waiting for Yi Yeon.
Before she knew it, Friday had arrived.
For some reason, Do Hyun had seemed to be avoiding her ever since returning from the columbarium.
‘Is he mad at me?’
Didn’t seem like it.
‘Did he figure out I like him?’
Nah, no way he’d think that just from the bouquet.
‘Does he think I gave him the bouquet?’
It had been three days since Do Hyun started coming home late, citing evening appointments.
‘Should I ask when we’re gonna share info? No way he’s meeting Jeong Hee Ra, right?’
Nearly three days in, every wild thought imaginable started creeping in, and anxiety set her on edge.
But she couldn’t bring herself to ask first.
She feared that even asking “Why’ve you been avoiding me lately?” might give away a hint of her feelings. Now that she was aware of them, she’d grown even more cautious.
Truth be told, this was the more natural dynamic under their contract terms anyway.
Unrequited love sure wasn’t easy—and with the target being nightmare-difficulty An Do Hyun, it was a real disaster.
“I have an appointment tonight.”
At least now, he’d give her advance notice if he had plans.
‘Yeah, he’s not mad. Just genuinely busy.’
He’d announce it and vanish, sure—but it was still massive progress.
“Does he have plans tonight too?”
If he didn’t say first, she’d have to claim her own evening appointment, she thought, checking the time on her phone.
Quitting time was almost here. Ha Yul had said she’d come pick her up, so she was probably nearly there.
That’s when Do Hyun emerged from the office, bag in hand.
“I might be pretty late tonight.”
Evening plans confirmed!
“Yes, got it.”
“Go on ahead.”
Not heading home herself, but Yi Yeon nodded anyway.
Him coming late tonight was a huge relief.
If Do Hyun were waiting at home, she’d have felt bad about being late—but now she could relax and stick by Ha Yul’s side.
[Basement Level 3 Parking, B337.]
Ha Yul had sent her location now that she’d arrived.
[Okay okay, hang tight a sec. I’ll dash right over!]
Yi Yeon headed down to Basement Level 3 and made for the spot.
No need to hunt around— one car bursting with presence jumped right into her view.
Yi Yeon strode her long legs toward the blazing red sports car parked in B337.
“Yu Yi Yeon! You coming or what?”
The car took after its owner. Yi Yeon waved at Ha Yul, who shot her a glare as fierce as the sports car itself.
“I bolted out right on quitting time!”
“Quit yapping and get in—we’re late for the reservation.”
Ha Yul hopped out, all but shoved Yi Yeon into the passenger seat, and peeled out fast.
“Where we headed? Aren’t we going to that party tonight?”
“Didn’t I say I’d handle everything?”
So Yi Yeon had been quietly tagging along…
Thanks to Ha Yul’s convincing, Yi Yeon was venturing out into the world without her disguise for the first time in years.
Dropping her routine felt unnerving, but knowing it was just three hours sparked a budding thrill.
What if Do Hyun saw her—would he finally show some interest? The vague fantasy made her chest itch with excitement.
Unlikely, though.
He barely spared Jeong Hee Ra a glance—what difference would her changed looks make?
Yi Yeon let out a small sigh, thanks to Do Hyun dominating her thoughts whenever she had a free moment.
“Jeong Hee Ra showed up at the office after forever. Her figure looks even better now.”
Yi Yeon tossed out the words, wanting to vent to her friend.
“What? That vixen’s back? Why’s she always throwing herself at a married man!”
Ha Yul smacked the steering wheel, exploding on Yi Yeon’s behalf. The sight made her laugh.
“Jeong Hee Ra doesn’t know the Vice President’s married.”
“Doesn’t matter if she knows or not—it’s infuriating! Fix that title thing first. An Do Hyun’s yours on paper right now.”
“Wh-what’re you even saying! You know the household registry’s all that ties us—why call him mine!”
What embarrassing nonsense. Yi Yeon fanned herself against the rising flush.
“Huh? Random hand-fanning? Spill—what’s going on with you two?”
“As if hand-fanning means anything. I’m just hot, that’s all.”
“That’s the point—our Beep-Beep’s got the AC cranked to arctic levels. Why fan yourself? I’m freezing over here.”
Persistent as ever. Yi Yeon opted for a subject change.
“I prepped to really dive in tonight! Check it—brought a kinda dressy one-piece and cosmetics?”
Yi Yeon proudly fished the dress from the shopping bag at her feet.
The dress unfurled with a soft rustle: a long one-piece that could go open-shoulder. She’d splurged on it yesterday after work, steeling herself for today.
“You messing with me, Yu Yi Yeon? That’s a regular dress, not a gown!”
“But it shows the shoulders?”
“Shoulders are amateur hour. Plenty flash cleavage. Fine—what about your hair? How’re you doing your hair? Ditch the wig and it’ll be a total bird’s nest!”
“Huh? How’d you know? Right, totally forgot the hair.”
“Knew it. We’re almost there.”
“Im Ha Yul, I’m shaking.”
“Hey, me too.”
“That’s why I came prepared.”
Yi Yeon bent down again to rummage through the shopping bag.
Where’d it go? After a good long search, she found it. Yi Yeon held it triumphantly aloft.
“Calming pills!”
“You gran or what? Calming pills at our age?”
“Calming pills work fine at our age too? I’m seriously freaking out that bad.”
“Chill. Just stick by my side like a talisman.”
The spot Ha Yul brought her to was a renowned salon. A fave among celebs and big-name stars.
Hair and makeup in one space meant perfect setup from head to toe.
“Hey, isn’t this place insanely pricey?”
“My family does their official events here. They told me to get ready here too? So I booked us together! I said I’d cover it all. VIP room’s got a bunch of dresses suited for us—change there and we’re off.”
Yi Yeon’s shopping bag ended up pointless.
They stepped in to find a swarm of staff at reception.
Ha Yul gave her name, and a staffer who looked mid-level came out to guide them.
“Stow your stuff here, change into gowns, and come on out.”
VIP got their own room, complete with separate lockers inside.
“Wow, what’s all this?”
One wall had several gowns hanging neatly, plus accessories, shoes, bags—everything perfectly arranged for easy browsing.
“Did the manager step out to the restroom?”
Looks like the staff had set it up and taken a quick break. Seeing it all so neatly displayed, Yi Yeon thought, yep, the rich world’s a whole other level.
“Right this way, ladies.”
The two emerged in gowns, each assigned their own hair designer.
“Um, sorry, but I’m wearing a wig right now due to… circumstances. It might be kinda matted.”
“No worries at all! That’s nothing. We get folks who haven’t washed in days. You must brush well—it’s in great shape! Shampoo first. This way?”
