Chapter 8
When Hyun-a lifted her head, the man who had been filling her thoughts was standing in the hotel lobby.
He was with several men in black suits. Beside him stood a mature-looking woman in a body-hugging dress that showed off her figure.
Hyun-a looked down at herself—sneakers and jeans.
I should have dressed up a little…
She tried to comfort herself by saying she had only worn comfortable shoes because of her ankle, but her eyes kept drifting toward the woman standing next to Yoon-gyeom.
Is she his girlfriend?
The woman looked slightly older than him, but just the thought that he might have a girlfriend made her feel disappointed.
That night…
Was the way he naturally treated her injured leg simply because he was used to women?
<Let me put a patch on it.>
After setting her down in the guest house bedroom, he had casually taken out the first-aid kit from the powder room. Afraid he might leave immediately, Hyun-a hadn’t even suggested that she would wash up first.
The long, pale fingers she had thought were beautiful wrapped around her ankle.
Embarrassed, she unknowingly curled her toes.
The dangerously close distance made her feel a tight pressure below her stomach.
Even the lingering regret when his hand slid down from her ankle was still vivid in her memory.
When Hyun-a raised her head again, her eyes met Yoon-gyeom’s in midair.
The ankle his white fingers had touched seemed to throb again.
Hyun-a quickly moved her feet and pressed the elevator button.
Seeing Yoon-gyeom with another woman felt like someone stabbing her heart with a skewer.
Ignore it. Don’t look.
She sensed people standing behind her and couldn’t lift her head.
“Baby… you should change your clothes before we go.”
Hyun-a involuntarily frowned at the woman’s sweet, drawn-out voice.
“You must’ve been busy with work. It’s rare to see you like this.”
The woman giggled softly.
The strong perfume scent from behind made Hyun-a’s mood sink lower and lower.
The moment the elevator doors opened, Hyun-a stepped inside and quickly pressed the penthouse password, trying hard not to look toward Yoon-gyeom.
<Should I get hurt again?>
His words kept circling in her mind.
<Don’t marry him. You and Jung Yi-chan don’t suit each other.>
Why did he have to say things like that…
I must look like someone who’s never even dated before. Getting excited over every word he said and replaying them over and over… this isn’t like me.
Hyun-a bit her lip tightly and shot Yoon-gyeom a resentful glance.
Yoon-gyeom was standing near the VIP-only elevator of Hwamyeong City Hotel.
Was he going to a hotel room with that woman?
Just imagining it made Hyun-a feel even worse.
As the elevator doors closed, their eyes met again.
Her chest rattled strangely.
The corner of his lips lifted as he slightly raised his chin.
Hyun-a bowed her head slightly in greeting, pretending to be calm.
Whether he changed clothes in a hotel room with that woman or did something else—she told herself she wouldn’t care.
Yet a strange sense of unfairness made her breathing grow heavier.
She hated herself for riding this emotional roller coaster all alone.
And yet the desire to be with that man made Hyun-a harbor a clumsy hope.
Jung Yoon-gyeom.
Perhaps he could become the key that would break this marriage.
“Get a grip, Baek Hyun-a. What are you even thinking? Marrying Jung Yi-chan is the path for Father. It’s already decided.”
She even said it out loud, scolding herself.
Only the mechanical sound of the empty elevator seemed to mock her.
Hyun-a let out a hollow laugh, feeling pathetic for letting herself get carried away by Yoon-gyeom.
The penthouse was a duplex.
The upper floor had three rooms and a minibar.
The lower floor had a living room, kitchen, two rooms, a study, and a dressing room.
Yi-chan used the large bedroom on the first floor as the master bedroom, and it seemed she would use the room next to the dressing room.
Hong Se-ra had told Hyun-a she could decorate the penthouse however she wanted until the suburban house was finished.
<Even if you live somewhere for just a month or two, the place needs to be comfortable so you can support your husband well. Spend as much money as you want. Go see it yourself and think it over. You won’t find a mother-in-law like me—consider yourself lucky.>
She had asked Hyun-a to look around first before hiring an interior company.
There was less than a month left before the engagement ceremony.
No one knew whether her father would last one month or three, so the wedding schedule had also been set quickly.
<It might be a bit rushed if we want it done while your father is still alive, but there are professionals for that. You always said you wanted a daughter, so please help Hyun-a prepare everything well.>
Jung Chan-su had said that kindly while smiling at Hyun-a and Se-ra.
There must be another reason Chan-su was rushing the marriage.
Maybe she was just being sensitive, but it was strange that the man who had once been her father’s rival was now suddenly so eager for the wedding.
Was it because it was an unwanted marriage that it felt even more uncomfortable?
She had come while Yi-chan was at work because she didn’t want to run into him.
Recently, the sticky looks he gave her had started to feel burdensome.
<You’re supposed to get closer before marriage. If you behave well, I’ll clean up the other girls for you.>
Yi-chan had said that while subtly stroking Hyun-a’s waist.
It had given her goosebumps, and she had jumped up and fled saying she had something to do.
That was just a few days ago.
“If we get married, he’ll do even worse things… will I be able to get used to it?”
If she couldn’t avoid marrying Yi-chan, it was clearly a gate she would have to pass through.
Marriage was almost like a contract for Hyun-a.
But ever since meeting Yoon-gyeom again, she kept giving it meaning.
The more she fell into these thoughts, the more she didn’t want to get married.
Am I having pre-marriage blues?
The fact that she kept associating everything with Yoon-gyeom made her feel like she wasn’t in her right mind.
Feeling self-loathing, Hyun-a went into the study on the first floor.
She placed her hand on the bookshelf that smelled strongly of new books.
Maybe she should ask if she could use this room as her own workspace.
Just as she reached for the doorknob—
The mechanical sound of the front door lock opening echoed through the living room.
“Uh… who is it?”
She slightly opened the study door and saw a man and woman entering through the entrance.
Hyun-a instinctively realized Yi-chan had returned with another woman he was seeing.
Not wanting to cause a scene, she thought she should quietly slip out through the door when she got a chance.
He had promised to restrain himself just the other day, but as expected, Yi-chan clearly wouldn’t change even after marriage.
Thinking she would have to live with a man like that forever made her chest feel tight.
“Hah… shall we rest now?”
Yi-chan whispered to the woman in a heated voice.
“Ahh… that tickles, oppa.”
The voice sounded strangely familiar.
Startled, Hyun-a peeked through the door to see the woman’s face.
“By the way… are you really going to marry Baek Hyun-a? What about me? Can’t you marry me instead? I’m prettier than my sister.”
Hyun-a almost screamed at the unbelievable sight.
The woman clinging to Yi-chan and speaking in a coquettish voice—
was her own younger sister, Soo-ah.
“Why is Soo-ah with Yi-chan…!”
Hyun-a looked again and again at Soo-ah’s face.
Her makeup was heavy, but there was no way she could fail to recognize her own sister.
“Oppa, just tell the chairman you’ll marry me instead. One of the conditions he wants is that the bride be Baek Woo-sik’s daughter anyway. I’m better than Baek Hyun-a, right? If my education is the problem… you can just take me abroad and send me to study when you go to an overseas branch.”
“Mm… I guess that could work.”
Yi-chan barely listened to her words, too busy touching her body.
“Oppa, are you listening?”
“…Stop talking and focus on me.”
“No, oppa.”
Soo-ah blocked Yi-chan’s face with her palm as he tried to kiss her.
“Oppa, say you’re dating me. Okay?”
“Soo-ah… we can talk about that later.”
Yi-chan had never kept a steady partner until now.
The same was true for Soo-ah.
“Why does the chairman only like Baek Hyun-a? I’m also Baek Woo-sik’s daughter.”
“That’s because you don’t have a single drop of Baek Woo-sik’s blood.”
Yi-chan answered mockingly.
“That’s why you and I can play around like this.”
“At least I’m not such a scumbag that I’d touch my future wife’s own sister.”
“I heard your mom and Baek Woo-sik never even registered their marriage.”
“Oppa!”
Yi-chan seemed to lose interest and removed his hand from Soo-ah’s chest.
“So, you don’t want to?”
“Oppa, do you really like me? You said I’m pretty.”
“You are. Can’t you feel how excited I am?”
Yi-chan pressed his body against Soo-ah as he spoke in a lewd voice.
“Then why won’t you date me? You could just marry me.”
“Ah… damn. Dating someone isn’t really my style. Marriage is like shackles too, but I’m only doing it because it’s Baek Hyun-a.”
“I can treat you better.”
“Stop whining. The old man said if I marry Baek Hyun-a, he’ll hand over half of his shares. If I get that, I’ll practically become the head of Hwamyeong. How could I give that up? He said he’d cancel the marriage if she brings some other guy he likes, but do you think that’s even possible?”
“Hah… what’s so special about Baek Hyun-a?”
“At least she’s worth being stubborn about to the old man. My father’s pushing it too, so the marriage can’t be avoided anyway. So let’s just enjoy what we can. Hmm?”
“You say that even though you know I like you?”
Soo-ah pouted her lips.
“I told you I like you too. Stop talking about Baek Hyun-a and let’s take this off first, okay?”
“If you marry Hyun-a, will you still be able to play with me like this?”
Yi-chan burst out laughing.
“Isn’t that what arranged marriages are for? If she gets jealous, that’d actually turn me on even more.”
At Yi-chan’s vulgar words, Hyun-a’s fingers gripping the doorknob trembled.
