Chapter 71. You’re Right

“Get down. Let’s go home.”

“…Okay.”

Haeyoung couldn’t bring herself to say any of the arguments swirling in her head. She quietly followed Taeseong.

Taeseong’s place was a newly built high-end residential complex. On the way, she’d heard that he had bought the largest penthouse there.

They said it cost 15 billion won. It had even made headlines when a celebrity bought one outright in cash.

As Haeyoung walked down the hallway toward the front door, recalling an article she’d read a few months ago, she asked without thinking:

“Did you also buy this in cash?”

Taeseong stopped abruptly, pulling his old, tractor-like suitcase, and turned back with a baffled look.

“…Ha. That’s what you’re curious about?”

Haeyoung nodded timidly. Taeseong let out a dry laugh.

“Why, do I still look like a miserly rich guy to you?”
“No…”
“Yeah. I bought it in full cash.”

Embarrassed by his blunt answer, Haeyoung scratched the back of her neck.

When they entered, the entrance looked like a gallery, softly lit by low indirect lighting. Two paths led inside: one toward the living room, the other toward the bedroom.

Taeseong led her left, into the living room.

One wall held a gray sofa; another, a sliding wooden bookshelf crammed with books. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows opposite the entrance, the Han River and Seoul’s dazzling night view stretched wide.

The home was clean and simple, closer to a model house than a lived-in home.

“I only moved in recently after staying at my grandfather’s place. That’s why it feels a bit empty.”
“Oh…”
“Come here. I’ll show you the room you’ll be staying in.”
“Staying… in?”

Haeyoung tilted her head. She thought he was only letting her stay for tonight.

“Why, were you planning to just sleep one night and leave?”

Does he have CCTV installed in my brain? How does he know right away like that?

Doubt flickered in Haeyoung’s eyes.

“No, it’s just… it feels a bit wrong to stay here long-term.”
“Why would it be wrong?”
“Well…”

She couldn’t really think of a reason. Or maybe she didn’t want to.

“Stay here. Don’t go anywhere else. It’s not like it’s our first time living together.”

Taeseong’s words deepened her inner conflict.

Honestly, the house was too good to walk away from. If she left, she’d only end up in a rooftop room or a cheap goshiwon again.

You opportunist. You shallow person. Spineless Cha Haeyoung.

Even as she cursed herself inwardly, she gave a faint nod.

“Th-then, just until I find a room… I’ll stay here for a bit.”
“Good.”

Only then did Taeseong nod with satisfaction.

The next morning, Haeyoung woke up in Taeseong’s home.

“There’s a bathroom in the room. Wash up and rest comfortably. If you’re hungry, grab something from the kitchen. I have to head back to the office.”

After showing her the room, Taeseong left again for work. Thanks to that, Haeyoung could relax completely without tension.

“…This bed is ridiculously nice.”

She murmured, feeling the snug mattress wrap her body. After enjoying the comfort for a while, she finally looked around. Yesterday she had been too tired to notice.

As her eyes traced the round curve of the guest room, her mouth slowly dropped open.

“Why’s the guest room this nice? Then how amazing is the master bedroom?”

Unintentionally imagining Taeseong lying in that master bed, her cheeks flushed.

Her fingertips tingled, and her chest pounded.

“Ugh, what am I even thinking.”

She pressed her hand to her chest, trying to calm herself.

But another thought slipped in without warning.

So what happens now? No—what should I do now?

Taeseong’s feelings for her were certain. But she herself wasn’t sure.

She knew she still had lingering feelings—her heart still raced when she faced him.

But was it just remnants of an unfinished past, or something that could lead into the future?

And even if it could, should she really let it?

Being here, in a place she’d never step into if not for him, made it real. The gap between Joo Taeseong and Cha Haeyoung—their social class, their wealth—was undeniable.

Knowing about his ten-year devotion doesn’t change reality. I’m still just an aspiring writer. He’s still a chaebol heir.

At nineteen, she’d thought Taeseong deserved someone he truly loved. At thirty, she thought he deserved someone better.

Either way, Cha Haeyoung was never the right match.

“Ah, seriously—”

Falling deeper into the swamp of her thoughts, she flopped back onto the bed.

“…I don’t know. I don’t know anymore.”

Just then, her phone buzzed on the bedside table. She reached for it and checked the messenger.

Photo

I’ll be back soon. When I return, you’ll meet me, right?

It was a photo of a purple-red sunset in Los Angeles, sent with a romantic message. The sender was Kijun.

Smiling brightly, Haeyoung typed her reply.

Oppa, it’s been a while! How was America? Tell me lots of stories when you get back to Korea!

Kijun replied almost immediately, as if he’d been waiting.

Sure. I’ll buy you something delicious.

Haeyoung sent a cute puppy “OK” sticker, then turned off the screen.

She realized she’d known Kijun for ten years now.

It had been right after she gave her brother money and moved her grandmother to a new hospital outside Pohang. That’s where she had met Kijun by chance.

The hospital turned out to belong to his family’s foundation. He had persistently asked about her situation, offering help, which she initially refused.

Later, when her brother Cha Haejin reappeared demanding money and causing a scene at the hospital, Kijun had stepped in to help.

After learning more, he offered his hand again, and this time she accepted.

Thanks to him, she could move her grandmother again and live hidden, as if abroad, when people were looking for her. For her, it had been a matter of survival.

Since then, they had kept in touch off and on—for ten years.

“Time really, really flies.”

The years she hadn’t felt until now suddenly pressed down on her.

Meanwhile, in a luxury boutique on Rodeo Drive, Los Angeles, a blonde, green-eyed staff member asked Kijun:

“We also offer engraving services. Would you like that?”

Kijun had been staring at the cute puppy sticker Haeyoung sent. Only after the staff repeated the question did he answer:

“Oh, yes.”
“Could you write the initials on this paper?”

Given an extravagant pen, Kijun neatly wrote:

〈H.Y〉

The staff smiled.
“Is this for a proposal?”

Considering he was buying a new release along with a five-carat diamond ring, it was a fitting question.

Kijun’s lips curved slightly, pleased by the question.

“Yes. That’s my plan.”

The woman excused herself and stepped into the back.

Kijun looked back at his phone, at the chat with Haeyoung. For the past month and a half, they had only exchanged messages while he was on his business trip. He longed to hear her voice.

“I’ll be back in Korea soon. I just have to endure until then.”

He slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Ten years ago, it was Minjoo’s blunt words that had made him finally realize his feelings.

He had once mocked Taeseong for being awkward with emotions. But in truth, the awkward one had been himself.

Now that he had accepted his feelings, he wanted to truly have Haeyoung.