Chapter 38

Seonghun laughed and sat beside Director Heo, greeting everyone with a smile and responding casually.

“Were you talking about me?”

His gaze passed over Seoyeora, who was sitting beyond Director Heo, but he showed no reaction — not even a flicker in his eyes.

“I heard Jeongyeon and Yeora were classmates. And you and Director Gamjeong? Everyone says you two are super close — friends so close it’s almost hard not to feel jealous.”

Seonghun smiled slightly and replied with a flat tone.

“Who said they were jealous?”

Director Heo looked at Seoyeora gently and said:

“Yeora did. She said everyone was jealous.”

Seonghun didn’t feel the need to reply seriously. He just smiled.

Trying to change the subject, Director Heo poured Seonghun a shot of soju.

“How about it? Want to catch up a bit?”

“I’ll take it slow.”

Just then, something unexpected happened — Dohoon suddenly dropped into the empty seat to Jeongyeon’s right.

His temples and ears were red, clearly tipsy.

The sticky summer air clung to her skin. A bad feeling crept over her like a warning.

“Seonghun, you’re here?”

Dohoon spoke with underlying hostility. His slurred tone made it obvious he was drunk.

Seonghun kept it polite but distant.

“You’ve had a lot to drink, huh?”

Director Heo looked between them, then snapped his fingers as if he figured something out.

“Ah, Dohoon, you went to the same school too, right? Looks like I accidentally set up a reunion.”

Dohoon laughed loudly and exaggeratedly.

“Hahaha. Thank you, Director. For bringing us all together like this.”

Everyone around the table watched Dohoon nervously, unsure what he might do next.

Then, Dohoon casually draped an arm over Jeongyeon’s shoulder and said:

“Right, Jeongyeon? You, me, that guy, and Yeora all here together… what a hilarious mess. Hahaha.”

What a jerk. If you’re going to drink, at least keep it together. How much did he even drink?

Jeongyeon tried to gently shake his hand off, but his grip was strong.

Then suddenly, Seonghun stood up and walked over, removing Dohoon’s hand from her shoulder.

“You could at least get drunk with some dignity. What are you doing?”

His voice was calm but filled with cold anger.

“Oh? So now she’s yours? Acting all noble, like you’re the only one who matters?”

Even Director Heo could feel how tense things had gotten.

Seonghun turned to Director Heo with a composed smile and tried to ease the situation.

“Don’t worry, Director. We’re classmates — we get a little rough when we hang out. I think he’s just had too much to drink. I’ll help him sober up.”

He gently took Dohoon by the back of the neck and led him out of the barbecue area, acting as naturally as possible.

Some staff glanced at them with concern and whispered.

Jeongyeon stood up too, worried. If they were left alone, a fight might break out — she knew how bad it could get.

“Excuse me, I’ll go too. I think Manager Go’s more drunk than usual.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Director Heo said.

She gave him a grateful look and quickly followed the two men out.

Outside, a quiet forest path appeared. Soft yellow lights lit the wooden deck, creating a peaceful, scenic vibe. The chirping insects and cicadas filled the summer night with a gentle sound.

To the left was the ocean, and the right led deeper into the woods.

But there was no sign of the two men.

Only the sounds of cicadas and bugs filled the air — no sign of heavy breathing or footsteps.

She had come out quickly, but they were already gone.

Then, far off, she heard the ocean waves crashing and faint male voices arguing.

She quickly headed down the left path, toward the sea.

At the end of the path, she saw them.

They hadn’t noticed her yet — they were too deep in their heated exchange.

Seonghun’s voice was low and almost gentle, but it carried a chilling edge.

“If you’re going to drink, at least don’t be a burden. Did you come here just to cause trouble?”

“Hah. Who’s causing trouble? You’re the one who doesn’t know when to back off.”

“At least I’m sober. What about you? How much do you have to hurt Jeongyeon before this ends? Can’t you see she’s suffering?”

“Hah! You think you’re the only one who cares about her? You always acted like the perfect boyfriend. Even when we were dating, it was like I didn’t even exist.”

Seonghun clicked his tongue and stared coldly at Dohoon.

“When you two were getting ready for the wedding, didn’t you tell her to handle it alone because it was ‘too annoying’? The day she went dress shopping, you bailed last minute because of something at home. And when she got hit by a motorcycle and broke her toe — where were you? Drunk and unreachable. Do you really think you deserved to be her boyfriend?”

While Jeongyeon had vented her complaints before, Seonghun had always stayed quiet — just stayed by her side.

He was the one who came with her to pick out the dress, even in sunglasses and a mask.

He was the one who helped her when she got injured, taking her home when her actual boyfriend was nowhere to be found.

“Dohoon.”

She stepped forward, finally revealing herself.

Both men turned to look at her. She walked over to stand beside Seonghun and looked at Dohoon calmly.

Dohoon’s drunkenness seemed to have lessened. His eyes looked like a cold winter sea, close to tears.

“Please… let’s not get involved with each other anymore. We’ll have to work together, but let’s avoid each other whenever we can.”

As soon as she finished, a tear fell from Dohoon’s eye.

He, who was always confident and carefree, now looked like a man who had lost everything.

“Jeongyeon… can we talk? Just the two of us? One last time…”

Maybe he wanted to apologize for real. Maybe he wanted to stop his threats about dragging Seonghun down.

If that was the case, she wanted to get a promise from him — he couldn’t ruin Seonghun’s life.

She turned to Seonghun with pleading eyes.

“Let me talk to Dohoon. Just for a bit.”

She was asking him to leave them alone for a moment.

“No. Who knows what he’ll try to pull?”

Seonghun refused, clearly disgusted by Dohoon’s crocodile tears.

“I know Dohoon better than you do. There are things I need to settle with him.”

Seonghun let out an annoyed laugh, his eyebrow twitching.

Dohoon. Dohoon. Always Dohoon.

Tonight, that man had turned back into her “Dohoon.” The moment he cried those fake tears to win her sympathy.

Seonghun’s heart burned hot with frustration.

He couldn’t let her go — not when there was a chance they’d reconnect. Not when they were alone together.

Because she had called that man… “Dohoon.”