Chapter 3 – Yoon Bora
Bora got up from her seat and, as soon as she arrived home, started removing the makeup that had occupied her mind all day.
She soaked a cotton pad with makeup remover and pressed it onto her eyelashes, slowly rubbing it off. Black mascara came off in thick layers.
She meticulously erased the tint from her eyebrows and lips, cleansed her whole face, and finally took a shower. Only then did the tension in her entire body release, leaving her legs weak.
“Haah…”
Without even properly drying her hair, Bora collapsed onto her bed. Her dazed eyes landed on the rabbit doll beside her pillow.
“Tusun… I had such a hard day today.”
Her fingers, weakly touching the long ears of the silent Tusun, moved without much strength.
“I heard he was supposed to be really scary, so I was so nervous… but he wasn’t that frightening at all.”
In fact, she was more flustered because he was handsome and well-built. The rumors about him being harsh and eccentric, supposedly causing all his blind dates to fail, seemed exaggerated.
Although he spoke directly, he didn’t seem rude or selfish.
And to think the first thing he said to her was, ‘You’re very pretty.’
“He seems to have an eye for people… or rather, who’s that old man telling me to make him soft? It must be someone important to Han Kang-yoon, right?”
Although she had reluctantly agreed to the meeting, she had nodded simply because she felt she had to handle Han Kang-yoon.
Bora had always enjoyed talking with her grandparents, feeling comfortable in their presence. Even the most eccentric elderly person would clasp her hand and smile warmly after just a few minutes of conversation.
Her family’s healthcare business had also played a role in shaping her career ambitions.
Bora wanted to create comfortable spaces for the elderly that allowed them to live safely and happily until their final days. Unlike other silver towns popping up everywhere, she encouraged personal development and maintained social connections so the elderly could have small jobs or activities.
Her thorough management of diets, clean environments, professional caretakers, and always-available medical staff had kept her business at the top of the industry for over three years.
“Haah… I really just said whatever came to mind, half-or-full gamble,” she muttered.
Thinking back to how Han Kang-yoon had accepted her casual words so easily, Bora recalled his relaxed expression. She had spoken offhandedly to secure some benefit for herself after being pushed into a blind date.
“Wow… Kangsan Group really is impressive. They said yes without even asking the amount.”
While fidgeting with Tusun’s ears, her phone vibrated. She glanced at the screen, seeing an unknown number, and assumed it was spam. As she moved to delete it, she noticed the message began with: ‘Bora-ssi.’
“Han Kang-yoon…?”
Bora-ssi, it was nice meeting you today. Would you like to have lunch together tomorrow?
The message was short and direct, yet entirely to the point.
“Shouldn’t he have said something like, ‘If you’re free…’?”
Even as she thought that, her fingers were already typing a reply.
“Yes, it was nice meeting you as well. What time and where shall we meet tomorrow?”
Perhaps she should have added an emoji. But her fingers had already sent the message.
“I’ll come to the main gate of De Bit at 12 PM. Let me know if you have any preferred food. I eat anything. See you at 12 tomorrow. Good night.”
A strange tickle ran down the back of her neck.
Bora stared at her phone a bit longer, then scooped Tusun into her arms.
“My, he really does things his own way. So blunt.”
But that bluntness was somehow very appealing.
Bora, amused at herself, buried her face into Tusun’s soft belly. She was also calculating how much investment to request and how to approach it.
Knock knock.
“Can I come in?”
Her mother’s voice pulled Bora up from the mattress.
“Yeah.”
Her mother, wearing a luxurious silk robe of cream and soft pink, approached with sparkling eyes.
“How was it? Everyone was curious when I went golfing today and heard you had a blind date.”
“What’s there to be curious about? Mom, please don’t go telling everyone what I’m doing.”
“Oh, sweetie. Our golf group has known each other for years—some even before you were born. They’re like family.”
Family… Bora knew that, due to the family business’s decline, her parents weren’t being invited as often as before. She kept quiet to avoid arguing with her mother.
“Anyway, how was it? Not as good as Han Kang-moon, but still, he’s the second son of Kangsan Construction. He might even give you more shares later. Did he seem sharp? Hmm?”
Her mother’s focus was solely on Han Kang-yoon’s wealth. Bora let out a quiet sigh and nodded lightly.
“Yeah. He’s got a decent figure. Not as wild as I expected.”
“See? I told you, you have to meet people yourself. Did he ask for an after-meeting? Huh?”
“He just sent a message for lunch tomorrow.”
“Of course. You got your looks from me, so men can’t help but like you. You should thank me, okay?”
Her mother playfully smacked Bora’s shoulder, smiling brightly.
Bora knew that her mother’s cheerfulness came from wealth. Born as the youngest daughter of a mid-sized company, her mother had always had everything she wanted.
After marrying her father, she had lived as a truly wealthy lady, never needing to ask anyone for anything.
Her mother probably had no clue about Bitchan Group’s financial situation, debts, or the severity of their troubles. And regarding Bora’s own business, her mother likely just let it pass in one ear and out the other.
“I’ll rest for a bit, Mom.”
“Okay. Oh, put on a face mask before bed, alright? A woman’s beauty is her life. I gave birth to you beautifully; if you can’t use it as a weapon, that’s foolish, okay?”
“Fine, now leave.”
Bora pushed her mother out, closed the door, sighed, and flopped back onto the bed.
“Must be nice… for her, the only important thing is looking good, even in this situation.”
Still, she opened her vanity drawer and took out a tea tree sheet mask.
“At least I should show some effort.”
After carefully applying the mask to her face, Bora turned on her tablet to check De Bit’s financial status over the past few months. Her gaze was serious.
“Good heavens…”
After subtracting payroll, maintenance, and countless other expenses, the remaining revenue barely brought a sigh. And this month’s interest payment alone ran into tens of millions of won.
‘At this rate, I’ll either have to close or sell the business within a few months.’
Bora stared blankly at the red numbers on the Excel sheet, then closed the tablet and shut her eyes.
“Don’t frown. Everything will be fine. I don’t know who that old man is, but we’ll handle it carefully! You can do it, Yoon Bora.”
With her eyes closed, Han Kang-yoon’s image from earlier in the day came vividly to mind.
His neat suit, tidy hair, thick eyebrows, and handsome face. But more than his appearance, it was his low, firm voice that had moved her.
There was a seriousness that suggested he didn’t speak lightly and a reliability that implied he wouldn’t easily betray trust.
She couldn’t judge a person after just one meeting, but one thing was certain.
“He’s at least ten times better than Han Kang-moon.”
The memory of Han Kang-moon’s high-pitched, cracking voice made Bora frown.
“Then, for the investor, I should find a good restaurant. I don’t know many places near the town.”
She usually ate lunch with employees in the Silver Town’s cafeteria, so she couldn’t think of a proper spot for lunch with Kang-yoon.
“He looks like the type who only visits Michelin two-star restaurants… Shall I surprise him?”
Her mother frowned, but Bora recalled the restaurants she had been going to with her father since childhood. Maybe testing whether someone who could share her future would respect her tastes could be fun.
“Hopefully he won’t complain about me taking him here?”
Tomorrow’s lunch would be all or nothing. Since she had already cast the die once, she doubted Kang-yoon would get upset if she tried again.
Putting aside the headache-inducing numbers for a moment, Bora couldn’t help but twitch her lips as she pictured Kang-yoon’s handsome face.
