ARHS 08

Chapter 8

“I can’t seem to take my eyes off our Chris.”

At the gentle voice beside her, So-min finally realized that Chairman Jin was standing next to her. Only after seeing his warm smile did she notice she had been staring at Chris for quite some time.

“These are good times. When love is just beginning, you can’t help but keep looking at the person you care about—just like Da-hee is doing.”

“Yes… that’s true.”

So-min forced an awkward smile.

“Shall we go play chess?”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Are you one of our employees?”

“Pardon?”

She had never actually said she worked for JR Group, so she couldn’t understand the intent behind his question.

“‘Chairman’ is what our employees call me. If you’re not an employee, it feels a bit strange.”

So that was what he meant.

“In that case, what should I call you?”

“Call me ‘Uncle,’ like Chris does.”

“That… might be a bit…”

Chairman Jin patted the hand that rested on his arm.

“If you’re Chris’s partner, you can call me that.”

“Yes, Uncle.”

So-min addressed him as he wished. His face softened into a quiet smile.

At this point, she became curious about the relationship between Chris and Chairman Jin. But once today was over, she wouldn’t see these people again. She didn’t want to pry into anything too personal.

Even walking beside the chairman, escorted by him, drew attention—just as it had when she was with Chris. But the gazes were entirely different.

When she was with Chris, the looks were cold and tinged with jealousy. Now, walking with the chairman, they were warm and favorable.

That alone made it easier for her to breathe.

Chairman Jin’s relaxed demeanor also helped.

“Chris asked what I wanted as an anniversary gift, so I told him to bring his partner to the party.”

“He must really dislike complicated social relationships if he said that.”

So-min added details from the brief conversation she had with Chris.

“That alone tells me he truly trusts you.”

She felt a pang of guilt, but relying on alcohol, she maintained a pleasant smile.

“There we are.”

The area inside the party venue was separated from the main hall. Familiar faces from the media were scattered around.

“Honey, this is Chris’s partner.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Chairman Jin’s wife was someone So-min had seen once before—at an event held in her mother’s art gallery. She remembered calling her a painter—Madam Kim.

She had been very young at the time, so she doubted the woman would remember her. And now she was living as Da-hee, not So-min.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Da-hee.”

“I wanted to talk to you earlier. Since you’re Chris’s girlfriend, you seem strangely familiar—like I’ve seen you somewhere.”

Could she have recognized her?

“You feel that way too? So do I. It’s like we’ve known each other for a long time.”

Even Chairman Jin said the same.

Fearing she might be exposed, So-min pressed her lips together.

“Oh, don’t be nervous. Chris has never brought someone this close to him or introduced them at a party like this. We’re just happy to meet you. We want to get to know you.”

Sensing her tension, Chairman Jin quickly reassured her.

“My husband is right. Let’s become friends today.”

“Alright.”

“Do you know how to play chess?”

“I only know the rules.”

That was an understatement—she was actually quite skilled—but she deliberately downplayed it.

In a party like this, the chess table wasn’t just for games. It carried meaning. The people here seemed highly skilled.

“Then you can play with our daughter. She only knows the rules as well. This is our daughter, A-young. She’s Chris’s girlfriend—say hello.”

Without her consent, So-min was seated at the table. A strong, overwhelming floral scent invaded her nose. The woman wearing an excessively heavy perfume looked at her with clear disapproval.

This was Chairman Jin’s daughter, but unlike her warm and friendly parents, she exuded a different aura—proud and haughty.

Still, not all children had to resemble their parents.

As the only daughter of JR Group’s chairman, A-young had enough wealth and power to justify her arrogance.

She lowered her gaze and scrutinized So-min from head to toe before suddenly extending her hand.

“I’m Jin A-young.”

Looking at the gaudy jeweled nails on her hand, So-min wondered idly if she could even wash her hair with them. If hair got stuck between the gems, it must hurt. Probably irritating.

There was no way she could assemble robot parts with hands like that.

The absurd thoughts made her almost laugh, but she managed to keep her expression composed and gently shook A-young’s hand.

“I’m Da-hee.”

After the awkward greeting, the chess game began.

Since she had to pretend to be only moderately skilled—just someone who knew the rules—she decided to focus on defense.

Whenever A-young moved her pieces, the glittering jeweled nails caught her eye, and So-min had to stifle her amusement.

But once the game started, A-young’s chess skills were better than expected.

Since when did “knowing the rules” become synonymous with being skilled?

“Are you really dating my brother?”

While pretending to play poorly, A-young asked casually.

From the moment they met and throughout the game, her gaze had been filled with hostility. So-min wasn’t surprised or flustered by the sudden question.

“I hope you wish we weren’t dating?”

She answered with a question of her own.

She already knew A-young wanted to hear that Chris and she had nothing between them. And that was the truth. But her role today was to avoid being exposed.

Come to think of it, wasn’t her entire life a kind of performance?

She had to act like the real daughter. She had to hide what she liked and pretend to obey whatever was given to her. She had to wear the mask of Da-hee, not So-min, and now she had to act like Chris’s genuine partner.

Not to mention pretending to be good at chess.

Her feelings always seemed genuine, yet in reality everything required acting.

At this point, she hardly knew what was real anymore.

“Oppa isn’t someone who would date just anyone.”

“If that’s what you want to believe, go ahead.”

“You sound very confident—for a fake.”

A-young’s tone was direct and hostile. It resembled the way she played chess.

Jin A-young showed through her words and expressions that she disliked So-min.

It was obvious why she refused to acknowledge her as Chris’s girlfriend—no need to ask.

A-young liked Chris. Anyone could tell.

“If I were confident, it’s not because I expect you to agree with me. What matters is how Chris and I feel.”

A-young’s mouth tightened into a straight line.

“Oppa doesn’t understand romantic feelings between men and women.”

Her words, spoken with conviction rather than concern, left So-min at a loss.

If A-young was this direct and aggressive, she must have made her feelings for Chris obvious. And since Chris was close to the chairman’s family, maintaining good relations with A-young would have been advantageous for him.

Not only that—if they had grown up like family, they must know each other well.

So why did Chris avoid complicated relationships? So-min couldn’t answer.

After all, she had only met Chris for the second time today.

“He’s aromantic. Asexual.”

The unexpected terms came from A-young’s lips.

“That’s what Chris is.”

At first, it had been hard to understand how someone with his looks and physique—someone who attended such parties—had never brought a partner.

Hearing her explanation, So-min began to understand him a little, though not completely.

Yet for some reason, she felt a pang of sympathy.

“Even if you threw yourself at him naked, it wouldn’t matter.”

“Pardon?”

“It means there’s no chance he’d ever date you. So stop wasting your time and go your own way.”

It wasn’t concern.

She simply couldn’t stand even the briefest presence of So-min beside Chris.

“My path is my own to walk.”

So-min smiled and moved her chess piece. As expected, A-young’s attacks left her defenses weak.

The game ended easily in So-min’s favor.

“That was my win.”

“You were lucky. Let’s play again.”

Lucky, huh?

“Fine. Let’s play another round.”

There was no reason to refuse, so she accepted.

A new game began, and their conversation faded away.

So-min no longer bothered to hide her skill. A-young continued attacking, and So-min exploited every opening. She won the second game—and the third.

Only when Madam Kim came to introduce her to someone else did she finally leave the chess table.