Chapter 28
– The Annoying One
Chaesoo-hwa arrived at DK Foods’ headquarters at exactly 11:30 a.m.
She already stood out in any crowd, but today she had put extra effort into her hair and outfit, making her truly the crane among chickens.
The most expensive hair treatment.
A carefully crafted, soft, goddess-like hairstyle created personally by the salon’s head stylist.
A designer ivory chiffon dress, one of only five in the entire country.
Italian handcrafted high heels that had never even been officially imported into Korea.
And, carried casually—but with the brand logo positioned just right on purpose—a handbag worth as much as a compact car.
With a woman like that sitting in the company lobby, how could she not draw attention?
Chaesoo-hwa sat on a lobby bench, legs crossed, her face expressionless.
Her aura was so overwhelming that her posture could easily have been taken as arrogant—yet somehow, it didn’t feel that way.
Men and women alike stole second glances as they passed her.
The more fashion-conscious female employees looked at her with eyes full of admiration.
The men didn’t even dare think of approaching her; they just kept their distance, watching her like she was a celebrity on TV.
Basking in those gazes, Chaesoo-hwa lowered her eyes slightly, scanning the elevator.
“Ugh, why isn’t it coming down?”
She muttered irritably and checked her phone messages.
Dumb Dong-geun
Noona, the Director’s coming down. Senior Hana’s not at her desk either.
The message had come a few minutes ago from her loyal informant, Goo Dong-geun.
She switched her camera app to selfie mode and fussed with her hair.
“Wow, I really do look pretty today. Time to put that girl—what was her name? Hana?—in her place.”
A tteokbokki shop owner’s daughter, daring to flirt with Do Si-wan? The nerve!
Meanwhile, spotting her from afar, Si-wan clicked his tongue inwardly.
Ugh, why is she here again? Tsk.
He glanced quickly at Hana.
She was staring at Chaesoo-hwa, eyes sparkling. Then she murmured,
“Wow, she’s gorgeous. Is she a celebrity?”
The words slipped out before she realized, impressed by Soo-hwa’s near-perfect proportions and finely sculpted features.
Hana wasn’t particularly interested in clothes, shoes, or handbag brands. She couldn’t even recognize a logo, so that said it all.
Still, seeing Soo-hwa, she immediately thought, Even if I don’t know the brand, that’s gotta be expensive.
Curiosity filled her gaze as she looked.
That, for some reason, made Si-wan suddenly irritated.
Of course, the irritation wasn’t directed at Hana—it was at Chaesoo-hwa.
Even on any other day, an unannounced visit from Soo-hwa would have been uncomfortable. He had told her many times never to show up without calling.
But today—the day he was supposed to have lunch with Hana—it wasn’t just uncomfortable; it was downright infuriating.
Still, though he might look prickly, Si-wan wasn’t heartless. He didn’t have it in him to send Soo-hwa, who was like a little sister, away coldly.
The best option? Avoid her entirely.
Si-wan tugged gently at Hana’s sleeve.
“Ms. Joo, shall we go out the side door? I know a great pork gukbap place in that direction.”
“Oh, sure.”
Afraid of making eye contact with Soo-hwa, Si-wan quickly turned and led Hana away.
Then, from the lobby, a clear, beautiful voice rang out:
“Si-wan oppa!”
He heard it perfectly, but clenched his teeth and kept walking. If he turned around, things would definitely, absolutely, become a hassle.
Hana tilted her head.
“Director, I think she’s calling you.”
“Huh? Someone’s calling me? I didn’t hear anything. Hahaha.”
“She definitely said ‘Si-wan oppa’…”
“What? I don’t have a younger sister, so maybe she’s looking for some other oppa. Lunchtime’s short, so let’s walk a bit faster, okay?”
Then came the sharp, furious tap tap tap of high heels from behind—before Soo-hwa grabbed his shoulder.
“Oppa!”
Si-wan squeezed his eyes shut.
Haah…
He quickly schooled his expression and turned around, looking slightly startled—then widened his eyes as if in real surprise.
“Oh? Soo-hwa, it’s you.”
“Yeah. Didn’t you see me?”
She was a little out of breath from how quickly she’d walked, but she smiled brilliantly, full of warmth—while cursing him to hell in her mind.
You bastard Do Si-wan! I know you saw me! How dare you pretend you didn’t? Wow… unbelievable.
Still smiling sweetly, Soo-hwa turned her gaze to Hana.
“Oh my, oppa! Who’s this?”
Hana was taken aback.
Was she seriously asking that out of nowhere?
Anyone who’d gone through Korea’s regular education system wouldn’t ask like that.
It seemed like she was questioning Si-wan, but judging by her gaze and body language, she was addressing Hana directly.
It wasn’t exactly offensive—
Must’ve lived abroad. She’s gonna get called rude a lot.
Hana could be friends with eccentric people, but rude people? She wanted nothing to do with them.
Si-wan was eccentric, but he was a good person—that’s why she could be here going to lunch with him.
This glamorous woman, however, seemed far more likely to be rude, so Hana wasn’t keen on getting involved.
If Hana and Si-wan had a clear romantic relationship, she might have recognized this for the dominance display it was. But as things stood, there was no official relationship—just a strange undercurrent—so she didn’t realize this was a “testing the waters” move.
Either way, Hana didn’t bother responding much.
No need to be equally rude; she just gave a faint, polite smile.
Honestly, there was no reason to go out of her way to say, Hello, I’m Joo Hana.
Besides, she didn’t even know what Soo-hwa’s relationship to Si-wan was—jumping in to answer would feel awkward.
So she just observed the “rude goddess” before her like she was watching TV.
She’s tall and slender. Maybe a model? Wow, her skin is amazing.
It’s not just men who like pretty women—Hana did too.
Not in a romantic way, of course. More like admiring a beautifully painted masterpiece.
Her silence made Si-wan feel increasingly uncomfortable.
He shifted his stance to insert his shoulder between the two women, looking down at Soo-hwa with a cold expression.
“Why are you here?”
His tone was icy.
Anyone else might have shrunk back, but Soo-hwa didn’t care in the slightest.
“I came to have lunch with you, oppa.”
She gently nudged him aside and beamed at Hana.
Then she bent slightly at the waist to meet Hana’s eye level.
“Excuse me, were you on your way to eat with oppa?”
This time it was direct enough that Hana had no choice but to nod.
“Yes. The Director said he’d treat me.”
“Oh my, really? Wow, Si-wan oppa, I didn’t know you were like that!”
Soo-hwa giggled suddenly and tapped Si-wan’s shoulder.
His expression grew even colder.
He’d known Soo-hwa a long time—long enough to know her personality inside out.
She was showing interest in Hana, and it was not in a good way.
Frankly, there was nothing about Hana that would normally catch Soo-hwa’s interest.
She wasn’t wearing high-end brands, she wasn’t celebrity-level gorgeous, nor was she someone famous or from a powerful family.
In Si-wan’s eyes, Soo-hwa looked like a predator eyeing prey.
And standing this close to both of them, he realized something else—
Hana was really… cute.
She was actually older than Soo-hwa by a few years, yet she looked younger.
More than that, she had a face that made you want to protect her—pure protective instinct.
The way she stood there with that slightly pouty expression… unbearably cute.
By contrast, Soo-hwa looked all the more unpleasant today, probably because of her behavior.
Sure, she was beautiful, but still irritating. Normally she was one of the peers he was most fond of, but today? He wasn’t feeling any of that fondness.
Why was this woman making his bountiful-lunch goddess uncomfortable?
If his eyes had usually been as sharp as a razor, now they were like a finely honed dagger—one you could believe would kill with a single stab.
“Chaesoo-hwa.”
His voice carried the chill of Siberia.
