Chapter 36
With a dazed face and her mind elsewhere, Haru only snapped back to her senses when the elevator’s voice announced arrival at the first floor.
As soon as the doors opened and she stepped out, her phone vibrated.
Then she remembered the calls that had been coming nonstop back in the hotel room.
Checking the caller ID, she saw it was Dain, and immediately pressed the answer button.
—Why didn’t you pick up? Do you even know who I just ran into?
The moment she answered, Dain’s voice practically pierced through the receiver.
But before hearing about who Dain had met, there was something Haru needed to ask first.
The name that had been circling on her tongue finally came out.
“Do you happen to know someone named Tae I-han?”
—Tae I-han? Of course I do. That’s the name of our CEO.
“What?”
Only then did Haru realize why the name had felt unfamiliar, yet oddly familiar at the same time.
It was the name of the CEO of the company where she worked.
Suddenly she remembered Nari once telling her that Tae I-han and Cha Seung-jae were not only business partners but also friends.
She recalled seeing them together in a workshop photo, and even once encountering him in the GN Media building elevator…
Once one piece clicked, everything else fell into place like a puzzle.
A short sigh slipped from Haru’s lips.
—But why are you suddenly asking about our CEO? Ah, never mind that! What’s important is, I was just at the bar and—
“Sorry. I’ll call you later.”
Cutting Dain off mid-sentence, Haru hung up.
Her steps grew unsteady. Her legs lost strength, and it felt like the ground beneath her was sinking.
She flagged down the first taxi she saw and climbed into the back seat.
Pulling out her phone, she opened a search portal.
With trembling hands, she typed the name “Tae I-han” into the search bar.
There wasn’t a single photo of his face, but his profile came up right away.
She confirmed that he was the CEO of GN Media, as well as the third son of GN Group’s vice chairman.
Being the CEO of an entertainment company was intimidating enough—but a third-generation chaebol?
And on top of that, the CEO of her own workplace.
The moment these overwhelming facts piled up, Haru felt both shocked and a dull ache in her chest.
“Didn’t I tell you our CEO is so handsome he puts most actors to shame? Guess that looks really do pay off.”
Dain’s gossip from before suddenly came back to her.
That he was a notorious womanizer.
Something that was practically common knowledge to those in the industry.
“Why now of all times.”
If only she had found out a little earlier. If she had, she never would have gotten close to him.
She felt pathetic—her body already given, and perhaps her heart stolen as well.
She regretted ever suggesting that they act like a real couple as part of their contract.
Recently, as they had grown closer, she had fallen into the illusion that they might truly be lovers.
“But it’s just a contract.”
She was nothing more than a fake girlfriend, just another woman passing through his life.
And yet she had been foolish enough to dream.
Her eyes reddened as she stared out the taxi window.
The phone vibrated in her hand again. She didn’t need to check to know who was calling.
And so she didn’t pick up.
**
At the GN Media café on the first floor.
Dain had called Haru over, saying she had something to talk about.
Sitting across from her, Dain studied Haru’s face cautiously.
She already had bad news to deliver, and Haru’s gloomy expression made it all the harder.
How could she tell her that her boyfriend was out pretending to be single, flirting with other women, acting like a jerk?
No, she had to. Haru deserved to know.
Especially since she was the one who had introduced him in the first place.
Sipping her coffee nervously, Dain finally gathered the courage to speak.
“Hey, Haru. There’s something I need to tell you. About your boyfriend.”
“Yeah. Turns out I wasn’t the only one lying.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Haru’s words made Dain’s eyes widen.
While Dain looked flustered, Haru remained oddly calm.
And that worried Dain even more.
That expression, that tone—Haru only used them when she was truly upset.
“He, just like me, showed up to the blind date in Cha Seung-jae’s place.”
“What?”
“Isn’t that what you were about to tell me?”
“No, that’s not what I was going to say. Then yesterday… he wasn’t….”
He wasn’t really Cha Seung-jae, nor Haru’s boyfriend.
Realizing she had slapped the wrong man, Dain gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.
No wonder he had looked so clueless. He really hadn’t known.
As she squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment over her mistake, a sudden thought struck her, and she asked urgently:
“Wait. Then who is he? That so-called friend of Cha Seung-jae?”
“Your CEO, Tae I-han.”
“What? So that’s why you suddenly asked about him yesterday?”
Lowering her voice, Dain pressed her for confirmation. Haru simply nodded.
Equally shocked, Dain blinked blankly before asking again.
“But how did you find out?”
“He confessed himself.”
Dain let out a dumbfounded gasp.
But knowing the truth only made it more confusing.
Why had he lied in the first place, why had he hidden it, and then why reveal it himself later?
Tilting her head in thought, Dain’s eyes suddenly went wide again.
“Wait a sec—then he must’ve known you were my friend all along, right?”
“Probably.”
He had to have known that the one meant to attend the blind date was Dain, his temporary secretary.
And that she was Haru’s friend.
Not to mention that Haru was the daughter of the Home & Inn chairman.
A shiver ran down her spine.
“How am I supposed to keep working as his secretary now?”
Dain shuddered, unsettled.
Then she remembered Haru—who must be even more shaken by all this.
“Are you okay? I mean, hey. Having the CEO as your boyfriend isn’t exactly a bad deal. If anything, it’s great!”
As she muttered, Dain suddenly realized they were still inside the company building and glanced nervously around.
“No wonder. You called him handsome.”
Of course. Only their CEO could earn that word from Dan Haru’s mouth.
Just yesterday, after seeing Seung-jae, Dain had thought Haru’s standards weren’t that high. But now it all made sense.
“But isn’t your CEO supposed to be a womanizer?”
Haru reminded her of the rumors Dain herself had once shared.
“Oh, right. Yeah, there were rumors, but—”
“Who’s saying I’m into women?”
A familiar voice cut straight through their conversation.
Both women turned toward it at once. It was Tae I-han.
“C-CEO. What are you doing here…?”
“I came to talk to Ms. Dan Haru.”
“O-oh, of course. Please, go ahead.”
Realizing the situation, Dain quickly excused herself.
Looking down at Haru, I-han spoke.
“Why won’t you answer my calls?”
“This is the office.”
“No need to state the obvious.”
“Why are you making this so uncomfortable?”
“Am I making you uncomfortable?”
The quick retort made Haru lower her voice, glancing nervously around.
“What if someone sees? What then?”
She sighed heavily.
It wouldn’t do anyone any good for the CEO to be seen like this with an employee.
She pushed back her chair to leave.
“Stop this.”
“We haven’t even started. Stop what, exactly? Are you just going to keep avoiding me like this?”
Her steps faltered.
He exhaled softly, speaking in a low voice.
“Let’s talk. You can get angry after you hear me out.”
Meeting his gaze directly, Haru slowly stepped back.
