Chapter 15

What am I looking at now?

A man with thinning hair that exposed his scalp, a bloated double chin, and sweat endlessly dripping down his face as he wiped it away with a tacky gray plaid handkerchief.

The very same fool who had proudly boasted about his virility in his forties.

“…Huh?”

One corner of Tae-jo’s eyebrow arched.

Why is she with that guy again?

I went out of my way to separate them.

So that’s why this is so irritating.

He wasn’t annoyed with the man.

He was annoyed with Kang Soo-ah for failing to take advantage of the opportunity he had deliberately created for her.

“…Is something wrong, sir?”

Standing beside him, General Manager Choi cautiously studied Tae-jo’s expression, cold sweat beginning to form on his forehead.

“I suppose today’s food isn’t very good.”

“…Pardon?”

Following Tae-jo’s gaze, the general manager looked toward the lounge.

A middle-aged couple sat dining with a younger man and woman.

Unlike the man, who was greedily devouring his steak, the woman hadn’t touched a single bite of her food.

Judging by her expression, she looked as though she were forcing herself to eat the worst meal in the world.

Good grief…

Looking at the man beside her, the manager could easily understand why.

“General Manager?”

“Yes, sir?”

“We should make sure our guests leave this hotel with nothing but good memories, shouldn’t we?”

He didn’t know their circumstances.

But…

A faint smile crossed Tae-jo’s lips as he strode toward the kitchen.

The accidental phone call…

Only now did he understand what Kang Soo-ah had been struggling with before dialing his number.

If she rolls into my hands on her own…

That wouldn’t be so bad.

Before he made the first move himself.

“Assemblyman, I heard you’re preparing for the by-election?”

Chomp. Chomp.

“Isn’t the schedule a little too tight?”

Chomp. Chomp.

Every time Toilet Guy spoke, the sound of him chewing echoed through the table.

Even Mi-hyang, whose stomach wasn’t particularly strong, had clearly lost her appetite. She maintained a strained smile with difficulty.

“Wouldn’t it be better to aim for next year’s general election instead? If you’re planning a political comeback, perhaps you should take more time to prepare. Your public image is still… well…”

Chomp. Chomp.

Soo-ah glanced at Hak-seon, who sat diagonally across from her.

His square jaw had tightened, his pride obviously wounded by Toilet Guy’s comments.

She could practically read what was going through his mind.

Byeongjin Distribution.

In the past, Hak-seon wouldn’t even have associated with a company he considered beneath his status.

“My parents also said they’ll do everything they can to help you return to politics, Assemblyman.”

Chomp. Chomp.

“Really?”

Only then did Hak-seon pick up his knife again, looking much more satisfied.

“Yes. My parents have always been devoted supporters of yours. They still say that if you hadn’t ruined your own reputation, you would’ve been the next presidential candidate.”

“…What?”

Hak-seon’s face flushed bright red.

Soo-ah barely managed to suppress a laugh.

She couldn’t believe someone would say something like that directly to his face.

She had never expected Toilet Guy’s complete lack of tact to be this amusing.

“Oh!”

Toilet Guy suddenly set down his fork and knife before reaching inside his jacket.

When his thick hand emerged over the table again, it held a small velvet box.

“This is a gift for Mother.”

He opened the box with an oily smile.

“…Excuse me? M-Mother?”

Mi-hyang blinked in bewilderment.

“I had it specially imported from France. It’s very expensive.”

“Oh, no… I really couldn’t possibly accept something like this…”

“They say a son-in-law should win over his mother-in-law first! Hahaha!”

Pleased with his own joke, Toilet Guy laughed loudly, even shaking his shoulders.

Although she hadn’t eaten a thing, Soo-ah suddenly felt nauseated.

As she fought the urge to cover her mouth and reached for her water glass—

“Ma’am, we’ve prepared a fresh dish for you.”

A lounge server approached and placed a new plate in front of Soo-ah.

“I didn’t order—”

“Our General Manager wanted to ensure you leave our hotel with nothing but pleasant memories. This is a complimentary gift from the hotel.”

After bowing politely, the server walked away.

Soo-ah couldn’t take her eyes off the plate.

A bagel topped with tomato and cream cheese.

Could it be…?

Her gaze quickly swept across the lounge.

But nowhere could she find him.

Everyone remained momentarily distracted by the unexpected gesture.

Then—

“Assemblyman, I’d really like us to move the wedding along quickly. I’m not getting any younger. Hahaha. My parents keep nagging me to give them grandchildren already. Since Ms. Soo-ah is still young, this is the perfect time for us to have lots of children.”

Toilet Guy’s words finally pushed Soo-ah’s patience to its limit.

“Well, if we’ve already decided, then sooner is better.”

Hak-seon agreed without hesitation.

No.

Soo-ah looked toward Mi-hyang.

She had never expected anything from Hak-seon.

Mi-hyang was the only person she could still hope for.

Mi-hyang looked visibly distressed.

Yet after hesitating, she lowered her eyes helplessly.

There was…

No other choice.

“No.”

“I can’t marry him.”

The words escaped Soo-ah before she could stop them.

Hak-seon frowned irritably.

“This again—”

“There’s someone I’m seeing.”

Her voice was calm.

Firm.

“…W-What? Soo-ah, is that true?”

Mi-hyang’s face lit up before she quickly glanced nervously toward Hak-seon.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

Hak-seon looked unconvinced.

It made sense.

Until now, Soo-ah had reacted to the mere mention of marriage as though she were terrified of it.

“When?”

“Who is he?”

Mi-hyang asked eagerly, her eyes shining.

“I met him…”

“At the event you sent me to.”

“D-Dear…”

As Mi-hyang mentally reviewed the list of families who had attended that event, her eyes widened in shock as she looked toward Hak-seon.

Keeping her expression perfectly composed, Soo-ah met Hak-seon’s gaze.

He was clearly interested.

He had apparently already heard part of the story from Mi-hyang.

Even so…

He wasn’t sure whether he should give up the man sitting right in front of him.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Byeon Gi-nam.”

“If I’d known this dinner was arranged for that purpose, I would’ve told my parents beforehand.”

Without even looking at Gi-nam’s stunned face, Soo-ah offered him an empty apology.

“Mom…”

“If you’d told me beforehand, none of this awkwardness would’ve happened.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know either…”

Soo-ah stared directly at Hak-seon.

“Why don’t we end things here today?”

“It wouldn’t be fair to Mr. Byeon either.”

“I heard he wants a modest and respectable woman.”

Once she’d told one lie…

The rest came surprisingly easily.

Calmly, Soo-ah began planning her next move.

This lie was only meant to stop the marriage for now.

But the more she thought about it…

The more it seemed like her best option.

Three months until applications opened for overseas assignments.

Five months until deployment.

She only had to endure until then.

If she could deceive Hak-seon and Mi-hyang for just a little while longer…

“Assemblyman, what is this supposed to mean?”

Finally recovering from his shock, Gi-nam raised his voice in protest.

He waved the jewelry box in his hand.

When Mi-hyang showed no reaction, he snapped it shut and stuffed it back into his pocket.

“I thought you and I were on the same page.”

“Well, of course I think you’d make an excellent son-in-law.”

“But how can I ignore my daughter after she’s gone this far?”

“That wouldn’t be fair to you either.”

With the smoothness of a veteran politician, Hak-seon slipped away from responsibility like an eel.

Listening to the two men talk, Soo-ah had to resist the urge to laugh bitterly.

“I’ll sort everything out soon and arrange another meeting.”

“Finish your meal before you go, all right?”

Hak-seon poured more wine into Gi-nam’s glass as though soothing him.

Only after the immediate crisis had passed did Soo-ah finally take a sip of water.

“Soo-ah, aren’t you coming with us?”

“No.”

“I think I’ll head back to the office.”

“At this hour?”

“You know how busy work is.”

“And… this man you’re seeing…”

“I’ll tell you later.”

“We can talk once we get home.”

Soo-ah deliberately emphasized every word so Hak-seon could hear.

By then, Gi-nam had already stormed off in frustration while Hak-seon was settling the bill.

“…All right.”

As Mi-hyang climbed into the seat beside Hak-seon, Soo-ah closed the rear door.

Moments later…

The sedan pulled away from the hotel.

The instant it disappeared from view, Soo-ah took out her phone.

He had said it himself.

Anything.

He would grant her one favor.

Maybe this was madness.

But right now…

She was desperate enough to grasp even a single straw.

Her thumb pressed the screen.

As the phone rang…

She debated hanging up over and over again.

Then—

The ringing stopped.

“…This is Kang Soo-ah.”

“I know, Ms. Kang Soo-ah.”

“Did you dial the wrong number again?”

A low chuckle came from the other end.

“…Um…”

“Could we meet?”

“When?”

Soo-ah instinctively pulled the phone slightly away from her ear.

For some reason…

His voice sounded much closer than before.

“I’d prefer as soon as possi—”

“How about right now?”

His voice suddenly came—

From directly behind her.

“!”

Soo-ah spun around, her eyes widening.

“How long have you been here?”

“Let’s see…”

“Probably since the moment you were trying your hardest not to throw up.”

So…

The bagel really had been from him.

“So.”

“Why did you want to see me?”

“Well…”

Just as Soo-ah struggled to figure out where to begin—

“I knew this would happen!”

A furious shout thundered across the entrance.

Both of them turned at the same time.

Byeon Gi-nam was marching toward them, his face flushed with rage.