Chapter 24
“What do you mean.”
Baek Seong-tae gave a bitter smile. The reason he was cooperating with Kang Dasom was simple—he was only acting for his own purposes.
“If you need anything else, please let me know anytime.”
“Okay. Just wait a little longer, Suha and Ji-hwan will be getting married soon.”
Once those two were married, it would be their turn next. When that happened, Kang Dasom would be able to officially present herself as the fiancée of the Chunmyeong heir and also gain some influence over UL Electronics.
Kang Dasom knew exactly what Baek Seong-tae wanted.
“Thank you.”
Before reaching home, Dasom scribbled something on a piece of personal stationery, tore it off, and handed it to Baek.
“This is next week’s schedule.”
As Kang Yeong-jun’s man, Baek Seong-tae was currently moving around like Dasom’s personal secretary. Of course, Dasom knew Yeong-jun hadn’t assigned him out of kindness.
Until the engagement was finalized, Baek Seong-tae was there to keep an eye on her.
In her previous life, she had been so naïve—she hadn’t realized it and had even bowed her head gratefully to him, thinking he was helping her.
‘He probably didn’t have malicious intentions, but still.’
Knowing the real purpose and deceiving Yeong-jun alongside him, versus reporting everything back to Yeong-jun, were two completely different matters.
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
“And here—if Secretary Seo needs anything, make sure she’s supported.”
Dasom handed him a card.
“This card…”
“It’s not mine. It’s money my brother will never be able to trace, so use it freely.”
At the last film investors’ gathering, she had received a card from Kang Jong-woo, one that had money on it without being problematic.
“Thank you.”
Baek Seong-tae didn’t bother asking where it came from. That was one of his good traits. Yeong-jun had probably valued the same thing about him.
“The pleasure is mine.”
The car arrived at the house. Baek stepped out first and opened the rear door for her.
When Lee Suha became a full member of the Aria Club, Kang Dasom was simultaneously appointed a full member as well. To celebrate, Jung Hana hosted a small party in the club lounge.
“Oh my, congratulations.”
“I’ll definitely attend the wedding.”
“Thank you.”
“Chunmyeong must be so fortunate, having three future daughters-in-law who all get along this well.”
“I think we’re just lucky.”
At the reception, the guests were busy praising Suha. Hardly anyone came to speak with Dasom, who had also become a full member.
“My little sister is just too nice.”
Standing at the back, Jung Hana sipped on a non-alcoholic cocktail. Covering her lips with the glass, she tilted her mouth into a mocking smirk.
It had been Dasom’s idea to spotlight Suha as the star of the party. Hana had warned her that doing so might cause her to be overlooked.
‘Let the bride-to-be enjoy herself one last time before she leaves. Later on, they’ll see who the real owner is. And besides—why would I ever be overlooked, when you’re here with me, unni?’
Hearing those words, which seemed to come straight from Dasom’s heart, Hana couldn’t help but laugh inside.
How could she be so blunt and precise about her desires? There was something about her that made it impossible to hate her.
Still, perhaps out of concern, Hana stayed close to Dasom throughout the event. The more perceptive guests even approached Dasom rather than Suha.
Dasom made a point of remembering exactly who those people were. The clueless ones didn’t matter—whether they turned into opportunists or got left behind, that was their problem. The real ones were these.
“Oh right, unni, you use social media, don’t you?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Follow me too.”
“Didn’t you say you don’t use that sort of thing?”
“I made an account recently. It doesn’t have many followers yet though.”
Dasom took out her phone and showed her account. Until now, she hadn’t been allowed to create one.
As an illegitimate child, she had been ordered by Seo Mi-yeong to stay hidden—why go public and let the internet talk about her, dragging shame on the family?
Of course, Mi-yeong probably hadn’t come up with that reasoning herself. It was most likely the idea of the youngest, Kang Ji-hye.
The irony was that Ji-hye herself had flaunted her face all over social media, posting about her luxury birthday gifts and causing needless trouble for the PR team when it turned into news articles.
Dasom, however, had recently convinced Yeong-jun that since Suha was marrying soon, it would be good for her to start managing her public image as well.
No matter how strong Seo Mi-yeong’s influence was, she could never overrule Kang Yeong-jun.
Dasom and Hana followed each other, and other women nearby also came over to show their accounts.
“There’s really nothing on yours yet. You should start taking and uploading more photos.”
“I just made it a few days ago. And… I’m not sure what I should post.”
“It’s simple. Just take good pictures and upload them—only the ones that come out well. Hey, why don’t we take one now?”
“Really? Can I post it too?”
“Of course, that’s why we’re taking it. With your pretty face in the photo, my followers will grow quickly too.”
“Okay.”
Hana opened the camera app and pulled Dasom close. She positioned Suha in the background, deliberately blurred, and tagged the event name.
“This one came out well. How about we post it?”
Almost simultaneously, both Hana and Dasom uploaded the photo.
“Let’s take pictures often.”
“I’d love that. Honestly, it was boring that you didn’t use social media before. Ah, I’ll also recommend some people you should follow.”
“Thanks. Really, I don’t know what I’d do without you, unni.”
After Dasom’s post, a few news articles surfaced online, and gossip spread in some communities.
It wasn’t headline-worthy, but among those who paid attention, word spread that Dasom was close to Hana—and that she was soon to become Yoon Seong-hoon’s fiancée.
Little by little, Dasom was weaving herself into Hana’s daily life.
At the Chunmyeong Department Store lounge, Dasom texted Hana.
[Unni, can I see you for just 10 minutes?]
[Where are you?]
[I’m at our department store lounge. I’ll come to you.]
[No way lol, I’m literally walking into the lounge right now. Wait, I’ll come to you!]
Almost immediately, Hana appeared, waving.
“I didn’t know you were here. I was going to go find you…”
“And how were you going to guess where I’d be at this hour?”
“Well, it’s not like you’d suddenly be in Busan or something.”
“True. Ah, but I actually come here every Sunday morning.”
“Every Sunday morning? Why?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? Every Sunday morning there’s a Black Label preview event for members. And you know how sensitive I am to trends.”
“I didn’t know. Then maybe I should start coming every Sunday morning too.”
“That’d be great. Since we’re here anyway, want to shop together? You only said 10 minutes, but do you have something else after this?”
Dasom fiddled with her phone, then grinned.
“Not anymore.”
“Honestly, you’re impossible.”
“It wasn’t anything urgent, so it’s fine.”
“Then come this way. I saw your SNS—you tend to buy a bit too randomly.”
Hana led her into a private room she had reserved in advance. Since her parents ran a domestic entertainment company, she had grown up meeting countless celebrities, which had sharpened her taste.
When Dasom put on the clothes and accessories Hana picked out, she looked like a completely different person in the mirror.
“Oh my, oh my, you’re totally a mannequin for clothes, girl.”
