Chapter- 09
Seol-ah didn’t understand what was happening, but suddenly Taewook grabbed her wrist and pulled her so hard that her whole body lurched forward.
“Uh? W-wait, Team Leader…!”
Even while being dragged along by Taewook’s large hand, she somehow remembered to wave awkwardly at Buhyeon and say, “Good-bye!”
But then—behind the staircase, she saw Taewook standing there again.
“…?!”
Was she seeing things? Seol-ah blinked in shock and turned her head forward again.
There, in front of her, was the back of Taewook, walking quickly and almost dragging her toward the building entrance.
When she turned to look behind once more—there he was again, Taewook, standing still behind the stairs.
“…?!”
A ghost?
Am I still drunk?
Why on earth is Team Leader standing over there, too?
Seol-ah rubbed her eyes hard, not believing what she was seeing.
But even after blinking several times, the other Taewook remained there, staring straight at her from afar.
As she was pulled along by the firm grip on her wrist, Seol-ah could only glance back and forth between them in total confusion.
When Taewook opened the passenger door for her, Seol-ah hesitated before ducking her head and getting into the car.
She saw him walk around the front of the hood toward the driver’s seat.
It was her first time riding in his car, and she sat nervously as she clicked her seatbelt into place.
The interior was as clean and minimal as his personality—no decorations, no cushions, just a faint lavender-scented air freshener clipped to the vent.
When he got in, the subtle citrus scent of his cologne filled the closed space, brushing lightly against her nose.
It was the first time the two of them were alone together in such a confined space, and she struggled to hide her nerves.
“Seol-ah.”
“Yes?”
Her effort was immediately in vain.
“The person you tried to kiss wasn’t me,” he said flatly. “It was my brother.”
“…What? What did you just say?”
The shocking statement made her eyes go round as she gaped at him.
“I have an identical twin brother. His name is Choi Jung-wook. It seems you mistook him for me and… well, that’s how this little incident happened.”
While Seol-ah sat frozen in disbelief, Taewook’s expression remained calm and cold.
“Th-then when your mother asked about the person named Jung-wook who carried me home, that means…”
“Yes. You tried to kiss my brother last night—and he’s the one who carried you home.”
“Gasp.”
Seol-ah was completely at a loss.
How could something like this even happen?
Identical twins occur in only 0.4% of births—it’s rare enough just to meet one pair in real life, let alone confuse them so badly that she ended up in this kind of situation.
“Th-then the man I saw at the blind date too… that wasn’t you, it was your brother?”
“That’s right.”
“Oh my god. So I completely misunderstood you all this time—and I was terribly rude to your brother as well.”
“It’s fine. Mistaken identity is something I’ve lived with since childhood.”
He gave a faint, bitter smile as he looked at her.
“Since we were little, people have never been able to tell us apart. Sometimes they called me Jung-wook, and sometimes they called him Taewook. We’re the same age, same height, same face—it’s not surprising.”
He hated it. Even as children, sometimes their own parents couldn’t tell them apart.
“That’s why I avoid being around him.”
“So… he’s kind of like your doppelgänger,” Seol-ah murmured quietly.
Doppelgängers—two identical people who supposedly bring death when they meet.
“Because you don’t like being around someone who looks exactly like you…”
Taewook gave a small, humorless laugh.
“Something like that. Since becoming adults, our paths don’t cross often, so people rarely mistake us anymore. But recently, it seems you happened to meet my brother separately.”
“Ah! That was really just coincidence—pure coincidence!”
“Coincidence, huh…”
He repeated the word thoughtfully, stroking his jaw, then glanced at her before turning his gaze forward again.
He started the engine. The car rolled forward slowly as he turned the steering wheel to the left.
Watching him drive, Seol-ah lowered her head, biting her nails in embarrassment.
Idiot, Kim Seol-ah! You like the team leader, and yet you couldn’t even tell who he was? Ugh, how humiliating.
Just as the wave of self-disgust washed over her, his voice cut through the quiet—cool, low, with a hint of frost.
“You’re sure you weren’t drinking with my brother alone?”
Her eyes widened.
“O-of course! Never! I was drinking with my friend, Cha-hee. Your brother just happened to pass by—really!”
“And the kiss? That was also just a coincidence? You saw Jung-wook by chance, thought he was me, and decided to kiss him?”
The sharp tone made Seol-ah wilt. She answered in a small, guilty voice.
“Y-yes. I honestly thought it was you. After seeing you act like you didn’t know me at that blind date, then treating me like nothing happened at work, I felt… hurt, and angry. So when I saw you—well, who I thought was you—on the street, I just… acted without thinking because I still liked you.”
She spilled everything in a rush.
Then his next question came, cutting and direct:
“Are you certain there’s no lie in what you’ve just said?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking if you’re lying to me.”
Her pupils trembled. Did he really not believe her?
“Why would I lie to you, Team Leader…?”
She had worked under him for six months—always sincerely, honestly, or so she thought. Why did he sound so distrustful now?
Deflated, she pressed her lips together.
Taewook rested one arm on the steering wheel, tapping it lightly with his finger as he muttered under his breath,
“Of all people, it had to be him you tried to kiss…”
Seol-ah stared at him, wide-eyed.
“You couldn’t tell us apart?”
He slowly turned his head toward her, his gaze sharp and distant, as if lost inside some private storm.
“I really couldn’t. You look exactly alike. Even at the blind date, even on the street—there was no difference at all. How could I possibly know you were two different people?”
“I don’t think I look like him,” he said flatly.
A chill passed through the car. His face, once gentle, was now cold and unyielding.
Seol-ah faltered but tried to speak sincerely.
“M-maybe you think so, but to strangers, you’re indistinguishable. It’s like seeing two copies of the same person. How could someone who doesn’t know you tell the difference? I swear everything I’ve said is the truth.”
His reply came in an emotionless, cutting voice:
“You should be able to tell.”
It sounded less like a suggestion and more like an order.
“Tell us apart,” he said again.
As if mistakes were unacceptable.
“You have to know which one is me.”
“T-Team Leader…”
He sounded almost harsh, obsessed, forcing her to draw a line between him and his brother.
Her eyes wavered.
He had never spoken to her this way before.
No matter how much he disliked his twin, why did he sound so desperate—almost pained—about it?
What had happened between those two brothers?
The polite, composed man she’d admired now seemed darker, heavier, touched by something like obsession.
In a low voice, Seol-ah finally said,
“Okay. I understand. I probably won’t see your brother again, but if I ever do, I’ll make sure I can tell you apart.”
Silence filled the car again, thick and uneasy.
Seol-ah bit her lower lip, feeling the tension hang between them.
Time passed quietly—until the stillness itself began to hum.
