Chapter 9. Push and Pull (1)
Shinrok stepped into the café. A man slightly older than him followed a few paces behind. Haru, who had arrived ten minutes earlier, rose from her seat to greet them.
Their mere presence made the café feel instantly full, as if the air itself had been compressed. Not a single detail about Shinrok was out of place—his hair, his clothes, even the way he walked and the calm vitality on his face all seemed to emit a quiet brilliance.
His beauty was so overwhelming that it rendered everyone beside him almost invisible. It felt as though every light in the café had chosen to shine solely on Lee Shinrok.
“Hello,” Haru greeted them.
Shinrok introduced the man beside him.
“This is attorney Chae Suwan from Sangil Law Firm. And this is On Haru.”
“Hello. I’m Chae Suwan.”
“Nice to meet you.”
It was an abrupt meeting, but since Chae Suwan had helped ease a burden, Haru felt it was proper to greet him politely.
“I already contacted the police station on the way here and told them I would be handling things instead of Haru. You don’t need to contact them separately. If you have any questions or matters to resolve, contact me directly.”
Chae Suwan handed her a business card. Haru’s eyes widened when she saw his title—Legal Team Leader of Sangil Group. He wasn’t just some ordinary lawyer as she had assumed. The weight of it pressed down on her.
“Let’s talk while having something to drink.”
Noticing Haru’s tension, Shinrok spoke to ease the atmosphere, then turned to Chae Suwan.
“What do you want?”
“The usual.”
The familiarity between them made the mood feel unexpectedly relaxed. Haru found it strange hearing Shinrok casually call him “hyung,” his expression soft and unguarded.
“And Haru?”
“I’ll pay for mine.”
As Haru stood up, reaching for her wallet, Shinrok lightly pressed down on the back of her hand.
“Let’s talk. I’ll get it. What do you want?”
“Citron tea.”
“Not too hot. Right?”
The tone suggested he remembered that she couldn’t drink hot beverages well. Haru responded with a slightly sulky expression.
“Let’s talk comfortably.”
As Shinrok walked toward the counter, it looked as though he was deliberately giving them space. From the moment he entered, he had drawn every gaze in the café. When he stood at the counter, even the part-time employees stared at him as if mesmerized.
His beauty was so striking it made the word “ordinary” feel like an insult. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on him as if they had fallen under a spell.
To Shinrok, this seemed normal. His movements and speech were natural, but from an outsider’s perspective, it was anything but appropriate.
“From this point on, everything we discuss will be confidential. Until the matter is resolved, I’ll proceed first and report later.”
As Haru couldn’t take her eyes off Shinrok, Chae Suwan smiled faintly.
“He’s handsome, isn’t he? Executive Director Lee Shinrok is popular wherever he goes.”
“……Yes.”
“And before you ask how I know him or why I’m helping, I’ve been strictly told not to explain any of that. So don’t worry about it.”
It was reassuring in a way, but Chae Suwan himself also looked curious about why Shinrok was going so far for Haru. Haru could sense it easily, like the faintest change in the air.
“You and Executive Director Lee Shinrok are not in the kind of relationship you might misunderstand.”
“Really?”
“I met him for the first time yesterday. I only found out today that he’s an executive at Sangil Group. And I’m not in a situation where I can afford to be involved with anyone like that.”
She hadn’t expected to be defending herself in front of a lawyer.
“I really, really, really hope you don’t misunderstand anything in that direction.”
“Now that I think about it, I don’t think there’s any misunderstanding.”
“Yes, of course.”
“It seems like Shinrok finally found what he was looking for.”
“Pardon?”
Chae Suwan was completely different from Professor Hong. While Hong had been careful with his words due to hierarchy, Chae Suwan spoke casually, even using Shinrok’s name comfortably. How many people could speak that freely with a Sangil Group executive?
Probably only family or someone who had known him since childhood.
“The thing he was looking for… it seems like he finally found it.”
The words unsettled Haru. It felt as if one more person had learned that she was Cha Hyowon. Her lips suddenly felt dry.
“Don’t worry. I won’t say anything that would harm either of you.”
“You seem quite close with the Executive Director. You call him ‘hyung,’ and even use his name casually.”
“He’s my cousin.”
So that was it—family.
Chae Suwan gave off the impression of being on Shinrok’s side, like a trusted ally from the same ship. The kind of supporting character you’d see in a drama or film.
“If someone asks about me… what will you say?”
“Someone I know.”
“And if they don’t believe you?”
“Then I’ll ask why I need to explain further.”
Even if he said that, Haru had a feeling he would adjust his words depending on the situation. He would say whatever benefited Shinrok.
While they were lightly clasping hands, Shinrok returned with their drinks. He placed Haru’s citron tea in front of her first, then handed Chae Suwan his drink.
“Where were we?”
As he set down his sparkling water over ice, Shinrok scanned their expressions as if he had been observing them while ordering.
“I said that Lee Cheolgon and Kim Youngsook approached under the pretense of organ donation, but their real goal was organ trafficking. Haru almost had her organs stolen.”
Chae Suwan was sly. He casually dropped the statement as if it were just part of the conversation and smiled at Haru.
“It’s a bigger case than expected, so I told her she shouldn’t get involved.”
Haru wrapped both hands around her cup of citron tea. Chae Suwan’s effortless way of speaking without blinking made her hands feel cold. She wasn’t sure whether it was right to entrust Lee Cheolgon and Kim Youngsook’s case to someone like him.
“You said the fraud amount was 50 million won, right?”
So he even knew the exact amount. It felt as if nothing that was visible was unknown to him. Haru felt completely exposed in front of Shinrok. She feared that even secrets she had never told anyone might be uncovered.
“I’ll recover it by tomorrow morning. Please give me the account number.”
“Is that possible?”
“If the Executive Director told me to retrieve it, then I have to make it happen.”
Chae Suwan spoke casually, full of confidence. Shinrok only smiled faintly without responding. It was impossible to tell whether he was amused because he knew his cousin well or because he understood everything too clearly.
“Since she was almost tricked into a fake marriage, we’ll also claim compensation. Don’t be surprised if a larger amount is deposited—it will include various additional fees.”
“You can recover that within a day?”
“They’ll agree to pay.”
It was an extraordinary level of confidence.
Haru turned to Shinrok, trying to judge whether she could trust those words. As she looked at him, he tilted his chin slightly after taking a sip of sparkling water.
“It’s not nonsense. You can trust it.”
“I think this should be enough for today. I’ll get going first.”
As if out of courtesy, Chae Suwan took a sip of coffee and stood up. Compared to the seriousness of the topic, the meeting had been surprisingly short. It almost felt like a phone call would have been better.
After he left, Shinrok stared at Haru.
“Did you dream of me?”
