No Need to Worry
His other name was “Jay K.”
He was a famous architect who worked on projects all over the world. Not long ago, Thomas Heidi, a master architect who had won the Pritzker Prize, even gave credit in his acceptance speech to his student and partner, Jay, praising his genius talent.
Yuli first met Je-ho right after she entered university. Back then, he was different from now. He had a gentle impression and used to smile with his eyes curved softly. But now, he had changed so sharply that even looking at him felt like being cut.
— It’s nothing. No need to worry.
Ten years ago, Je-ho had said that with a bright smile. It would be a complete lie to say her heart hadn’t fluttered at the crescent shape of his smiling eyes. It might sound silly, but he had been her first love—beautiful and unforgettable.
The memories from ten years ago, now faint, slowly began to rise in Yuli’s mind.
It was when Assemblyman Chae’s approval rating was soaring. As his political influence grew, more companies tried to form ties with him, and all eyes turned to his eldest daughter, Yuli.
Even though she had just entered university, proposals kept coming. Among them, Assemblyman Chae chose KG Group, one of the top-ranking conglomerates.
At that time, the heir of KG Group was not Executive Director Kwon Woo-sik, the second son, but Vice Chairman Kwon Je-woong, the eldest son. Therefore, the arranged marriage partner was not Kwon Min-woo, but Kwon Je-ho.
Yuli was speechless when her father told her to marry someone she had never even seen.
When she went to complain to her best friend Hyun-kyung, Hyun-kyung opened her mouth in shock.
“Kwon Je-ho of KG Group? Wow, that’s huge! I’ve only heard of him, never seen him.”
Even Hyun-kyung, the youngest daughter of Cheong-A Group, had never seen him. The only answer was that he was a mysterious figure.
In the end, Yuli decided to meet Kwon Je-ho herself and settle things directly. But it wasn’t easy to meet him.
One day, she got a call from her father’s well-informed aide.
— He’ll be at the outdoor tennis court all afternoon.
It was a sports club only members could enter. But fortunately, it was outdoors. If she climbed over the wall, she could see him.
Even though she was wearing a skirt, Yuli struggled to climb the wall. As she carefully made her way down, holding onto cracks in the surface, she heard a sharp whistle and a guard shouting from afar.
“What are you doing there?”
Ah!
Startled, she slipped. Just as she thought she would fall, someone grabbed her waist and gently placed her on the ground.
Did the guard run over that fast?
Yuli turned around in surprise—and quickly realized she was wrong. The person who helped her was a man in tennis clothes. Behind him, the guard was still running toward them, out of breath.
And then—
Wow…
Even in that tense moment, Yuli couldn’t help but stare.
Why is he so dazzling?
He looked like the perfect combination of her ideal type. If the situation had been different, she might have asked for his number.
But she had more important matters.
“Thank you for helping me.”
She quickly thanked him and tried to leave, but before she could take a step, his hand grabbed her shoulder. Before she could resist, he half-embraced her and turned toward the approaching guard.
“No need to run. She’s with me.”
The guard stopped, still suspicious. The man smiled brightly and pulled Yuli closer.
“She’s my fiancée. She didn’t want to go around to the main gate, so she climbed over the wall. I’m sorry.”
He bowed his head. The guard hurriedly bowed back.
“No, it’s fine, Member Kwon Je-ho.”
At the name, Yuli’s eyes widened.
Member Kwon Je-ho?
She tried to look at his face properly, but he was too tall. Only after the guard left did Je-ho remove his hand from her shoulder. Finally free, Yuli stepped back and looked up.
He was even more handsome up close. It was the first time in her life she had seen such a beautiful being right in front of her. Was he a sculpture or a person?
“Assemblyman Chae’s aide was asking about my schedule….”
His low voice pulled her back to reality. When she blinked, she saw his cold expression.
“Was this your plan? To come here in person and beg?”
The bright smile he had shown to the guard was gone. Only contempt remained in his eyes.
Although it was Yuli’s first time seeing him, it seemed he already knew her. Since she often appeared in her father’s campaigns, her photos were easy to find online.
“I have no intention of getting married, so stop wasting your time. Give up, kid.”
He patted her head like she was truly a child.
Yuli finally understood. He didn’t want the marriage either.
Frowning, she spread her arms and blocked his way.
“Beg? Who’s begging? I hate arranged marriage just as much as you do!”
“Then that’s good. We won’t have to see each other again.”
After saying that, he pushed her arm aside with his finger. He was the one who had grabbed her waist and shoulder first, yet now he acted as if he didn’t want to touch her at all.
Ha, so what if he’s handsome? He’s completely rude!
She canceled all her thoughts about him being her ideal man. It annoyed her that her heart had wavered even for a moment.
Still, it was a relief that he didn’t want the marriage either. She comforted herself, thinking they would never meet again.
But less than a month later, her wish shattered.
Through her major professor’s introduction, she joined a volunteer group repairing houses for the underprivileged—and met him again.
Was this what it felt like to meet an enemy on a narrow bridge?
In front of the professor, they kept proper manners. Behind his back, they glared at each other. No wonder the volunteer work didn’t go smoothly.
Last time, he had taken the lead. This time, Yuli decided to act first.
When she saw him going outside to throw away trash, she quickly followed.
“Let’s not come to the next volunteer meeting.”
Even though he knew what she meant, Je-ho pretended not to hear and went down the steps.
“You said we shouldn’t see each other again. This makes it uncomfortable for both of us.”
“Then why should I be the one to quit instead of you?”
Only after putting the trash in the bin did he look at her.
“So you’re telling me to quit?”
He shrugged and walked back up the stairs. Yuli followed again.
“I would if I could. But unlike you, I can’t quit easily. Because—”
“Are you worried people will say Assemblyman Chae’s eldest daughter gave up volunteering after one day?”
Yuli stopped in her tracks. He was right. If she quit immediately, rumors would spread.
When she didn’t follow, he stopped and turned around.
“The way your face scrunched up… I must be right.”
“Yes. You’re right.”
She didn’t try to deny it. Surely he would step back now.
But he showed no reaction and simply turned around again.
“Excuse me!”
As the distance grew, she hurried up the stairs. But in her rush, she slipped. She grabbed the railing, but her necklace got caught and snapped.
The necklace flew toward the cliff beside the stairs.
“No!”
She bent over the railing, trying to climb down. But Je-ho grabbed her.
“Are you crazy?”
“My necklace fell down there!”
She pointed to where it had landed halfway down the cliff.
“Do you think this is some low wall you can just climb? You’re going down there for that necklace?”
“It’s not just a necklace. It’s my mom’s keepsake!”
The moment she said it, tears fell.
Maybe it was reckless to climb down. But she couldn’t lose the only thing her mother left her.
She should have kept it safely in her jewelry box.
Blaming herself made her cry harder.
Just then—
“Damn it.”
After looking at her tearful face, Je-ho swore softly and jumped over the railing.
A moment later, he came back holding the necklace.
Yuli stared at him and the necklace in disbelief. Then her eyes fell on his arm—scratched and bleeding.
He glanced at it, then smiled at her, his eyes curving again.
“It’s nothing. No need to worry.”
It sounded like nothing special, but to Yuli, it was comforting. Tears poured down again.
“I said don’t worry.”
As she cried even more, he frowned and wiped the tears from her cheek.
At that careless yet gentle gesture, Yuli felt her heart drop for the first time in her life.
After that day, she was confused.
She was firmly against arranged marriage, but whenever she thought of Je-ho, her resolve wavered. Some nights, she even wondered if she should just marry him.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—
Not long after, a scandal broke out in an overseas construction project. The blame fell on Vice Chairman Kwon Je-woong. He took responsibility and stepped down.
He left the country with his family, and the marriage talks faded away. People said they would never return to Korea.
Her first love ended before it even began.
After that, her life fell into chaos. Love became something distant. Her once soft emotions dried up. Her once beating heart felt dead.
…
And yet—
Coming back from her memories, Yuli frowned.
Why did he suddenly return?
From the way he had looked at her like a stranger, it seemed he didn’t remember her.
Ten years was a long time. Their connection had been too short to expect him to remember. Besides, that day in the mall had been chaotic, and both of them were soaked.
Or maybe he had recognized her but pretended not to.
Their relationship had begun and ended at the same time. Perhaps it wasn’t even a relationship.
As she was about to start her car, her phone chimed inside her handbag. A message from Min-woo.
<Yuli, I’m sorry. Are you very angry?>
So he finally realized what he had done?
Instead of replying, she put the phone back into her bag. Even if she overlooked his behavior because of today’s accident, she didn’t feel like talking to him right now.
After a few more notifications, it went silent.
Her gaze shifted to Je-ho’s jacket lying beside her handbag.
She reached out and gently touched the dark fabric.
His wound had looked quite deep… He must have gone to the hospital right away, right?
The jacket felt cold yet soft—just like its owner.
