Chapter 02
Beneath his twisted brows, Lee Han’s eyes scanned the woman standing before him.
Just minutes ago, she had left him with a very strong impression.
—The place you’re standing in now, that’s my spot.
Originally, Lee Han had come here to meet his friend, who was also tied to him in business, Cha Seung-jae.
But then, right when he was about to jump up after receiving an absurd call—
his arranged date turned out to be the same woman he’d just caught secretly watching porn in the elevator. Things had just gotten interesting.
“Are you Mr. Cha Seung-jae?”
Clearly embarrassed, the woman couldn’t even look him in the eye as she asked.
After a moment’s thought, Lee Han gave a nod.
The woman, who introduced herself as Bae Da-in, hesitated shyly before sliding into the seat across from him.
—They say she’s the daughter of the chairman of ‘HomeN.’ And apparently, in this day and age, she’s still taking bridal lessons. Do I really need to show up for something like this? She’ll be some boring, stiff woman, obviously.
Yet, for some reason, the woman in front of him didn’t match that description at all.
She hardly looked like the type to meekly stay home taking bridal lessons. Dance classes at a club, maybe.
—If you happen to like her, then go ahead and give it a shot.
The ridiculous words Seung-jae had once thrown at him echoed in his ears.
What a way to pass the buck.
Lee Han silently studied the woman in front of him—someone he couldn’t possibly find appealing in any way.
She sat with her eyes downcast, saying nothing.
Watching her tug again and again at the hem of her short leather skirt, he almost laughed.
She’d dressed so provocatively, yet acted all shy? Ridiculous.
—You’ve blown off so many blind dates you’ve lost count. It’s not hard for you, is it? Just brush her off in my place.
Just like Seung-jae said, Lee Han was a professional at ditching arranged dates.
Every time he was forced into one, he never lasted longer than ten minutes.
The method was simple. Either he got up and left, or he pushed the other person to leave.
“I believe in platonic love, so I won’t even hold hands.”
“Even if I get married, I’ll still keep seeing my lover.”
Whether he sounded like a celibate monk or a shameless bastard, he always had lines that sent the women running.
The same women who had been dazzled by his perfect résumé and handsome face just moments before would storm off in disgust.
Rumors about him spread everywhere, but since he had no intention of dating women anyway, he didn’t care.
He could easily pull the same trick today—but this time was different.
In all the countless arranged dates he’d sat through, he’d never encountered a character like her.
Just one look at her suspicious outfit, clearly chosen to sabotage the meeting, and he instinctively judged her to be a kindred spirit.
Still, wasn’t her ploy a bit too obvious? Almost sloppy.
For some reason, an unfamiliar sense of stubbornness flared up inside him. He didn’t want to let her off so easily.
He was curious how she’d react.
After a long silence, Lee Han finally parted his lips.
“Do you like me?”
“Pardon?”
That was the first question he asked, right after nothing more than exchanging names.
Startled, Ha-ru’s darkly shadowed eyelids flicked up.
On her way here, she’d rehearsed over and over.
Just treat it like an interview, she thought. If questions came, she’d just give vague, safe answers.
Since she knew Da-in better than anyone, she figured it wouldn’t be hard to answer on her behalf.
But to be asked, right off the bat, if she liked him—this wasn’t on the list of expected questions.
“You’d need to like me if we’re going to move things forward, don’t you think?”
Talking about “moving things forward” from the start?
This Cha Seung-jae guy must be the blunt, bulldozer type.
“Since you were watching that kind of video in the elevator, I figured you must be pretty open-minded.”
“……”
“Oh wait, was it not secretly? Maybe you meant to watch it openly.”
So it wasn’t flirtation—he was mocking her.
His sarcastic tone lodged in her ears.
Startled by how one careless mistake had branded her with such a sleazy label, Ha-ru opened her mouth to protest.
“I wasn’t—!”
But she quickly swallowed the words back down.
She wasn’t Dan Ha-ru right now—she was Bae Da-in.
Which meant Da-in’s reputation had already been damaged. But since Da-in had caused this situation herself, it couldn’t be helped.
She could apologize later.
“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think badly of you for that. Quite the opposite, actually.”
His cryptic words made Ha-ru narrow her eyes, trying to gauge his meaning.
Her thickly mascaraed lashes cast shadows across her lids.
Lee Han, as though to clarify, continued smoothly.
“I don’t carry prejudices. No preconceptions, no bias.”
“Ah… I see.”
Should she thank him for that? Be relieved? She couldn’t quite calculate the right response.
It sounded considerate, but at the same time, she felt like she was being toyed with.
“Are you looking to get married soon?”
Another question shot at her, and Ha-ru’s brain raced.
If she were Da-in, she would’ve answered like this:
“I believe in destiny, but when it comes to marriage, I want to be careful. Even if I do get married, I’d like to date for a long time first, to really get to know the person.”
She thought it was a pretty good answer. But for some reason, the man’s face twisted into a faint sneer.
“Then you must be quick on the preparation, considering you quit your job to stay home for bridal training.”
Bridal training? She hadn’t seen that one coming.
How had that rumor even started? It had to be Da-in’s parents, covering something up with a convenient lie.
Catching on, Ha-ru replied calmly again.
“‘Bridal training’ sounds fancier than it is. Cooking, housekeeping… those are useful skills even outside of marriage, aren’t they?”
Just then, Lee Han’s eyes shifted absentmindedly toward the café entrance.
And he froze.
A woman had just walked in.
The only woman his arsenal of tricks had never worked on.
No matter what he said, she would stick to him like glue, never letting go.
Armed with the favor of both his father and grandfather, she was relentless—Yoo Byeol-na.
He silently prayed their eyes wouldn’t meet. But true to her nickname, “Tae Lee Han Detector,” she spotted him instantly.
Her unusually striking face lit up, and she waved eagerly.
Then, catching sight of Ha-ru sitting across from him, she faltered.
Her smiling face stiffened.
In that instant, Lee Han thought—this was the perfect chance.
He scrapped his plan to end things quickly.
His gaze shifted back to Ha-ru.
“You seem to be missing the most important part of bridal training.”
His low words left Ha-ru floundering, unable to respond.
Her dazed eyes blinked rapidly, and Lee Han offered a hint.
“There’s something every married couple must do together.”
“What do you… mean?”
Things married couples must do together…
Images puffed up like clouds in her mind until one floated clearly into focus.
The moment she imagined it, her cheeks flared hot.
For once, she was grateful for the heavy makeup masking her face.
“Exactly. Whatever it was you just imagined, Miss Bae Da-in.”
Lee Han’s lips curved into a sly grin.
As though he’d read her mind.
“Wh—what do you think I was imagining?”
Had the blush managed to seep through her thick makeup?
Startled, Ha-ru stammered.
Even as she tried to keep a straight face, her restless eyes betrayed her, and Lee Han chuckled.
Despite all that flashy makeup, she was transparent. Teasing her was turning out to be entertaining.
“Seems to me you were thinking the same thing I was. Or am I wrong?”
The truth was, the man across from her was undeniably good-looking.
Ha-ru was used to facing off against gorgeous men in her work—
actors so handsome they looked sculpted from marble.
But even so, this man’s looks stood out.
That wasn’t easy to achieve.
Feeling guilty for letting such a blasphemous thought cross her mind, she swallowed nervously.
Unable to say either yes or no, she hesitated. But Lee Han was quicker to answer for her.
“Sounds like I’ve got my answer.”
Studying the flush on her cheeks—whether blush or genuine—he reached into his wallet and pulled something out.
“No need to keep talking here.”
He dropped it onto the table and jerked his chin.
Her eyes followed the motion—and widened.
“Let’s go upstairs.”
What she saw was a hotel room key card.
