Body

The joke he made was so disgusting that Yeon-ha felt bile rising in her throat.
But she had to endure it.
She couldn’t risk upsetting Hyun-seok.

“Just hold on for a little while.”
If she just closed her eyes and acted like she hadn’t heard anything, it would be fine.
It wasn’t hard. She had been used to accepting any situation with indifference since childhood.

The lowly questions disguised as jokes continued.
For example, “Which parts of your face have been under the knife?” or “You must have a lot of experience, right?”
Instead of answering the rude questions, Yeon-ha simply smiled vacantly.
She had learned from experience that appearing naïve was the best strategy.

Hyun-seok didn’t seem to expect real answers anyway, quickly moving on to another topic.
As usual, the conversation revolved around how impressive he was, how privileged his background was compared to hers, and so on.

An empty conversation with an empty person.
She was exhausted.

It felt like ages had passed, but when she checked the clock, only one or two minutes had gone by.

Just as Yeon-ha was watching the sluggish minute hand with frustration, the hotel lounge doors—off-limits to just anyone—opened.
Out of habit, she turned toward the entrance.

And froze.

“Choi… Moo-jin?”

Her mind went blank with shock.

“Why is he here…?”

He shouldn’t be in this place.
He should be drinking with Chairman Kwon of K Construction right now.

For a brief moment, she wondered if he had come looking for her.
But then, she saw a petite woman walking closely beside him.

Her heart dropped.

The woman standing next to Moo-jin was the first name on the list of arranged marriage candidates—the youngest granddaughter of Chairman Kwon.

“So this whole thing was set up for her.”

The situation pieced itself together like a puzzle.

Yeon-ha’s eyes met Moo-jin’s in the air.
The nonsense Hyun-seok was babbling about passed through one ear and out the other.

It felt as if time had stopped.
As if it were just the two of them in the room.

Moo-jin’s dark eyes slowly shifted toward Hyun-seok.
That was enough to make Yeon-ha snap out of it and quickly look away.

It felt like she had seen something she shouldn’t have.

“You said you’re twenty-six, right?”

“No, twenty-eight.”

Yeon-ha tried to refocus on Hyun-seok, but Moo-jin had chosen to sit directly across from her at another table.

“Why… of all places?”

It was impossible not to be aware of his presence.

Every now and then, she felt his steady gaze on her.
It was deliberate. He was doing it to get a reaction out of her.

Hyun-seok, too self-absorbed to notice anyone behind him, continued rambling about his preferences.

“What? Late twenties?”

He frowned.

“Is he about to say what I think he is?”

“That’s a little disappointing. A woman’s age is like a Christmas cake, you know.”

Did he really just imply that women lost their value after twenty-five?

Yeon-ha’s ears burned with embarrassment.

It was more humiliating than the previous invasive questions.
Hyun-seok’s voice was loud enough that even Moo-jin’s table must have heard.

She could see Moo-jin and the woman talking warmly across from her.
Even if he had to see her on a blind date, she didn’t want him to witness this kind of treatment.

She opened her mouth, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere, but Hyun-seok beat her to it.

“Are you planning to quit your job once you get married? Women these days are so ridiculous, thinking they can keep working after marriage. Just stay home and have kids.”

“Unbelievable.”

“You get a husband who lets you live an easy life, and you still want more? Right, Yeon-ha? You understand, don’t you?”

It wasn’t advice—it was a demand.

But Yeon-ha had no intention of marrying him.
She had assumed he only agreed to this blind date because of his mother’s influence and that nothing serious would come of it.

But now, the conversation was taking an unsettling turn.

“You don’t have any fantasies about a wedding, right?”

Hyun-seok began bragging about his previous wedding, which had been so extravagant it had made headlines.
Now, for his second wedding, he wanted a “modest” ceremony.

Of course, he didn’t ask for her opinion at all.

Yeon-ha quickly cut in before the conversation could go any further.

“Excuse me, I need to use the powder room.”

She got up from her seat in a hurry.

“Powder room? Go ahead.”

Hyun-seok’s gaze swept up and down her body before he gestured dismissively.

She had done it to escape his nonsense, but as she glanced at Moo-jin’s table, regret hit her.

The sound of Chairman Kwon’s granddaughter laughing filled the air.
The two of them seemed to be getting along well.

“Moo-jin never makes jokes first, but… they must click somehow.”

No matter how much she tried to ignore it, curiosity kept creeping in.

“It’s none of my business.”

She repeated the thought to herself like a mantra.

After all, she had said it herself.
Moo-jin was here for his arranged date.
And she was here for hers.

That was the way things were supposed to be.

Inside the restroom, she finally felt some relief.
Without Hyun-seok and Moo-jin in sight, her nerves settled.

Even though she didn’t need to fix her makeup, she started organizing her pouch just to pass the time.

Just then, the sound of heels clicking against the floor echoed through the room.

She hoped she was wrong, but her instincts were rarely wrong.

Kwon Sung-ji.

The youngest granddaughter of Chairman Kwon.

Even in this space, she had no respite.

Yeon-ha lowered her head and quietly tidied her things.

The sound of running water broke the silence.

“Can you hand me that towel?”

Sung-ji’s voice was casual, as if she was used to giving orders.

Startled, Yeon-ha hesitated before handing over the towel.

“You’re Secretary Jung Yeon-ha, right?”

Yeon-ha froze.
She hadn’t expected Sung-ji to recognize her.

“You’re my future husband’s secretary. How could I not know?”

Yeon-ha looked up, seeing Sung-ji’s reflection in the mirror.

She was even more graceful and refined in person.

Unlike Yeon-ha’s simple black suit, Sung-ji’s satin dress exuded luxury.
She didn’t look like someone showing off wealth—she simply belonged to it.

Then, suddenly, Sung-ji pulled out a wallet.

“Oh, not much cash.”

After a moment of hesitation, she took out a black card and handed it to Yeon-ha.

“This has no spending limit. Buy yourself some better clothes and a designer bag. You need to look the part if you’re going to stand next to Moo-jin.”

Yeon-ha stared at the card, speechless.

“You look… cheap.”

For the first time, she looked at her own reflection next to Sung-ji’s.

It was like night and day.

Sung-ji smiled.

“Don’t be nervous. I’m not that uptight. I don’t mind if my husband needs to… relieve himself with someone like you.”

Yeon-ha’s stomach churned.

“Just make sure you use protection. I wouldn’t want my child to have an illegitimate sibling.”