Chapter 5. Getting to Know Haru (1)
I’m not going back. Never.
“I have to persuade Lee Shinrok.”
She had no clear plan for how to convince him, but Haru’s resolve was firm.
She would never return to Cha Hyowon.
Haru left the main building and wandered aimlessly. Sangil Hospital was vast, composed of multiple centers spread across separate buildings. The spacing between them resembled a small apartment complex, and, with consideration for inpatients, cafés and convenience stores were scattered along the walking paths.
Naturally, her steps turned toward a café—and that was when she saw Lee Shinrok.
Her heart thudded.
Sensing danger, her body moved before her mind could catch up. She quickly slipped behind a tree large enough to conceal her and clamped her lips shut, afraid even the sound of her breathing might give her away.
She pressed her back tightly against the trunk, careful not to reveal even a strand of hair or the edge of her shadow.
He didn’t notice her, right? The distance was considerable, and he was looking at his phone. Unless he had eyes on the back of his head, there was no way he could have seen her.
“I already thanked him yesterday… I don’t need to do it again.”
Today, she didn’t want complicated conversations disturbing the fragile peace she had barely found.
She slowly opened her tightly shut eyes and glanced around the tree.
Huh?
Shinrok was gone.
Even if he had passed by, she should at least have seen his back. But it was as if he had vanished into thin air—no matter how much she looked around, she couldn’t find him.
“He didn’t seem to be walking that fast…”
She muttered as she stepped out from behind the tree—
A faint scent of musk brushed past her nose.
Her heart slammed again.
No way… right? Please, no.
Pressing the heat from her flushed face with the back of her hand, she rounded the tree.
She was doomed.
Shinrok stood there, unmoving. She had to tilt her head far back just to meet his gaze—he was that tall. If she had known this would happen, she would’ve worn heels instead of slip-ons. The overwhelming height difference made her neck ache.
“What were you doing over there?”
The short question carried a sharp edge—as if he had clearly seen her trying to run away the moment she spotted him.
“I was looking for something…”
She improvised an excuse on the spot, but he didn’t look convinced. With a faintly dismissive glance, he scanned the spot where she had been hiding.
“Must’ve been important.”
“You’d regret losing it.”
“Hmm.”
“I—I’m serious.”
Haru bit her lip. She wanted to take back what she had just blurted out. It was obvious she was fumbling for an excuse, avoiding his gaze and wetting her lips nervously—yet she had insisted too strongly.
“Who said it wasn’t?”
“That’s how it sounded.”
“Maybe you have a talent for hearing things.”
I need to watch what I say around him.
One slip of the tongue, and he’ll seize it without mercy.
“How is your father?”
At a moment when the conversation could have easily fallen apart, Shinrok changed the subject.
“He’s doing better. He finished all his meals today.”
“That’s good.”
“The surgery is scheduled for Sunday.”
Normally, surgeries weren’t performed on Sundays, but Professor Hong’s schedule had been fully booked for a year, and Sunday was the only available time. Without Shinrok, he wouldn’t have gone so far as to give up his day off and overwork himself.
Back then, Haru had been too happy that her adoptive father could receive surgery to even notice Professor Hong’s grumbling. Now that she thought of it, she should bring a small gift tomorrow.
And for Shinrok as well.
“They said you’re an executive director of Sangil Group…”
“Professor Hong must’ve been talking nonsense again.”
“Not exactly. I think he was just frustrated that I didn’t know much.”
She answered calmly, but it stung a little inside. It was the way he seemed to look down on her—as if she were far beneath him.
“Didn’t he ask about our relationship?”
“He did. I told him we don’t know each other.”
“Did he believe you?”
Haru shrugged awkwardly.
“I’m not sure. I told him the truth, so whether he believes it or not is up to him.”
“That’s a pretty dangerous way of thinking.”
“What is?”
When she tilted her head in confusion, Shinrok spoke bluntly, almost harshly.
“Leaving judgment to others. If you’re unlucky, it won’t end with just stepping in something unpleasant.”
He wasn’t wrong—but Haru saw it differently.
“Professor Hong doesn’t seem like someone who would say unnecessary things.”
“How do you know?”
“He seemed very conscious of you. Even aside from that, he doesn’t seem foolish enough to act in a way that would put him out of favor. That’s probably how he became the head of the VIP Center, isn’t it?”
She had almost been scammed when desperation clouded her judgment, but fundamentally, Haru wasn’t a bad judge of character. She wasn’t the type to miss the subtle aura of someone skilled in social maneuvering.
“I was wondering where that boldness came from. If you’re an executive at Sangil Group, I suppose handling scammers—and even being called Nolbu’s wife—is something you can manage.”
Even as she acknowledged him, her words carried a sting. Perhaps it was because she had heard him call her ugly and compare her to Nolbu’s wife. Setting everything else aside, she was still curious what that even meant.
“Why am I Nolbu’s wife?”
“You don’t even understand the swallow that brought the gourd seeds?”
“How does that make me Nolbu’s wife? I’ve never been greedy, and I never asked for any seeds.”
Haru calmly laid out her argument point by point. Shinrok puffed his cheeks slightly, as if he had no intention of listening to anything she said.
“Haven’t you ever been told you’re a bit strange?”
She had never met a man like him.
“You show up out of nowhere and just pick fights.”
Because of that, she had tossed and turned several times before falling asleep, thinking about his face and the things he had said.
“Does it bother you?”
“Of course it does.”
“Do you know what that’s called?”
What is he going to say now?
Without realizing it, Haru pulled her chin in slightly and looked up at him.
“It’s called being marked.”
When she looked completely puzzled, he smiled deliberately and leaned in, whispering:
“You’ve been marked by me.”
Heat rushed to her face. Haru clenched her teeth, and Shinrok burst into laughter.
“So you’re going to ‘mark’ me and torment me because I don’t want to go back to Cha Hyowon?”
“Torment you? What do you think Chairman Kang would say about that?”
“You said I’ve been marked.”
Haru shot back with a challenging glare. Even the word itself felt like an act of aggression—she couldn’t let it slide.
“There’s no tree that won’t fall after a hundred strikes. So for now, I’ll be the woodcutter.”
“You must’ve read a lot of fairy tales. First Nolbu’s wife, now a woodcutter—are you going to bring up a fairy next?”
“She’s right in front of me.”
Shinrok lowered his hand in a sweeping gesture, praising her beauty.
“You look lively today. Soft and fresh—you’re like a fairy.”
“You really like wordplay, don’t you?”
“No, you’re just entertaining, Ms. Haru.”
“That’s the first time I’ve heard that.”
Even though she was indirectly calling him rude, Shinrok didn’t seem to care.
“Better than being called boring.”
“Why should I hear that from you, Executive Director Lee Shinrok?”
“It’s a compliment. Did it offend you?”
Instead of answering, Haru lightly punched his chest with her fist.
What is wrong with this man?
It’s like he’s deliberately trying to get under my skin.
“I’m getting hungry. Let’s grab something to eat.”
“I’m not interested.”
“Even if you’re not, come along. Think of the effort someone took to make time for you.”
Shinrok grabbed her wrist—clearly intending to stop her from running away.
But the moment his large, warm hand touched her, her shoulders tensed.
Thump, thump.
Her heartbeat rang loudly in her ears, and heat spread across her face and ears.
Despite his rude and teasing personality, there was something undeniably compelling about his assertiveness. She didn’t dislike his touch.
She couldn’t say for sure if she would react the same way if another man had grabbed her wrist—but one thing was certain:
She didn’t entirely hate being led like this.
