Chapter 1.2

“Chief.”  

– Don’t like that idea? Then just say you’re undergoing treatment for alcoholism. Out of everything I’ve used so far, that one’s the cleanest. It even lets you part ways on a somewhat warm note. 

The furrow on Su-eon’s forehead deepened. 

Cho-ah’s insane. Completely and utterly insane. She was never normal to begin with, but today, she seemed especially out of her mind.  

“How can someone who passes out after two cans of beer claim to be an alcoholic? Stop spouting nonsense and come back immediately. Otherwise, I’ll call the assemblywoman right now.”  

– Oh, so you’re planning to blow everything up? That’s not a bad idea either. But think carefully, Sis.” 

Cho-ah whispered in a coaxing tone.  

– Do you really need to make such a big deal out of something that’ll be over in just an hour if you go out there wearing that dress and sit down?  

“And who’s the one that made this a big deal in the first place…….”  

– Anyway, I’m counting on our all-capable Secretary Ji. Good luck.  

“Don’t hang up, Chief. Wait.”  

– And eat more, will you? What’s up with your pants size? The zipper wouldn’t even close properly.  

“Chief? Miss! Jung Cho…… Heyyyy!!”  

Su-eon, trembling with rage, shouted at the top of her lungs, but there was no response.  

“Achoo!”  

Still holding her phone, Su-eon sneezed loudly. Her body shivered. 

Unbelievable. Truly unbelievable. Sniffling, she muttered cynically to herself. Her head throbbed painfully.  

[It doesn’t matter what you do. Just get her there. The rest will be handled between the families.]  

The icy, commanding voice of Assemblywoman Yeo echoed in her mind, and Su-eon straightened her shoulders. She pressed the screen to call the assemblywoman’s aide. At that moment, her phone vibrated in her hand. It was the secretary of Executive Director Ki Seung-jo.  

<The director has arrived. He’s on his way up now.>  

Cursing under her breath, Su-eon quickly slipped into Jung Cho-ah’s dress.  

* * *  

“Chief Jung Cho-ah?”  

A heavy voice resonated behind her, causing Ji Su-eon to tense her shoulders. It felt as though she had been transported back to her first day at work. She took a quiet breath to steady herself before slowly turning around. Standing at the door, Ki Seung-jo was staring at her.  

He’s big.  

That was the first thought that came to her upon seeing him. Anyone in her position would have thought the same. Su-eon felt a momentary sense of intimidation at his enormous frame and quietly scanned him.  

The man, who had risen to an incomparably higher position since the last time she had seen him, still had eyes that seemed endlessly deep—like staring into a bottomless, dark ocean at night.  

But that was all. The only thing that remained unchanged were his eyes. His face, unreadable then as it was now, no longer carried even a trace of the youthful softness it had in the past.  

Su-eon lowered her head first, intending to apologize after addressing the situation.  

“Hello. I’m from the Planning Department at the World Hotel—”  

Before she could finish, Ki Seung-jo, who had been silently watching her, suddenly reached out toward the door. Su-eon halted mid-sentence. Just as he was about to close the door, a man’s voice interrupted from outside.  

“……Executive Director?”  

Su-eon, who had spoken with him a few times over scheduling matters, recognized the voice as belonging to Ki Seung-jo’s secretary.  

“It’s fine. You can leave for the day.” 

Ki Seung-jo said in a gentle yet firm tone.  

His secretary, sounding slightly flustered, replied with a hesitant acknowledgment. The sound of his voice, leaving a polite farewell, faded beyond the closing door. With a click, the door shut, and all external noise was cut off.  

“…….”  

Su-eon, maintaining her composure, watched as Ki Seung-jo approached her. The private room, which had never felt small before, now seemed to contract under the sheer intensity of his presence. Perhaps this was the influence of Ki Seung-jo from K.U. Electronics, a man widely regarded as extraordinary in the business world. 

This was the man whose mere gaze or gesture could make everyone around him move instinctively—the Executive Director of K.U. Electronics, Ki Seung-jo. Even from a distance, when she had only brushed past him, his overwhelming aura had been palpable. Now, standing face-to-face with him, the sheer force of it hit her skin like a tangible wave.  

It wouldn’t be as easy as she thought, Su-eon realized. She pressed her stiff lips together, summoning her resolve.  

“Excuse me, Executive Director Ki Seung-jo.”  

“Shall we sit down and talk?”  

Just as he had done with his secretary, Ki Seung-jo gently urged Ji Su-eon. She looked at him with a troubled expression as he slowly pulled out a chair for her.

This wasn’t a situation where she was supposed to sit across from him. It was supposed to be a brief meeting—standing—where she would explain the circumstances, organize how to handle things moving forward, and then wrap it up.

“I’m just curious.” 

He said, smiling as he looked at Su-eon, who remained motionless.

“Are you waiting for me to pull out the chair for you?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“If it’s not that, and you’re still standing there…”

He tapped the backrest of the chair lightly with his fingertips. The gesture reminded her of the way he used to stand on the court, casually bouncing a basketball while confidently eyeing the hoop—as if certain of his victory. His gaze, both proud and unshakable, was the same now.

“Do you want to run away?” 

Ki Seung-jo suddenly asked.

“…What?”

“You have a hesitant look on your face.”

“…”

“I happened to hear some rumors. Running away seems to be your specialty.”  

As Ki Seung-jo smiled faintly, Su-eon realized that he had mistaken her for Jung Cho-ah. She needed to clarify immediately that she was not Cheif Jung Cho-ah. If she did, Ki Seung-jo would leave this place right away.

If that happened, this matchmaking meeting would truly fall apart. Still, she thought it best to try to manage the situation and reschedule. If all else failed, she could even use one of the excuses Jung Cho-ah had previously employed. That had been Su-eon’s initial plan.

She hadn’t anticipated Ki Seung-jo mistaking her for Jung Cho-ah the moment he saw her.

“They say your matchmaking partners fall into two categories: the men who got stood up and the men who didn’t, Jung Cho-ah.”

Ki Seung-jo, now with the smile gone from his face, looked directly at Su-eon.

“Which category do I fall into?”

Su-eon felt a sense of defeat. If Ki Seung-jo had come here knowing that much about Jung Cho-ah, he wouldn’t believe any excuse she gave him—especially not in a situation like this. After a brief moment of deliberation, Su-eon lifted her head.

She decided to be Jung Cho-ah for just one hour. Even if it caused trouble later, it was better than letting rumors spread that World Hotel’s Jung Cho-ah had stood up Ki Seung-jo of K.U. Electronics and sent him away.

“Since you’re pressing me so much, I have no choice but to confess.”

Looking at Ki Seung-jo, who raised his eyes slightly, Su-eon spoke honestly.

“Rebellion runs in my family. I don’t particularly like doing things I’m told to do.”

It wasn’t a fabricated statement—it was the truth. Since childhood, Ji Su-eon had a rebellious streak, and her grandmother often scolded her, calling her a girl who kicked away her own rice bowl. Su-eon looked at Ki Seung-jo with a sigh-like smile.

[T/N: The expression “제 밥그릇을 걷어차다” (literally “kick away one’s own rice bowl”) is a Korean idiom meaning to ruin one’s own chances or opportunities through reckless behavior.]

“Still, the rebellion doesn’t last long. I haven’t stood anyone up recently.”

That, too, was the truth. Since witnessing Su-eon kneeling in front of Assemblywoman Yeo’s desk, Jung Cho-ah had stopped running away from blind dates, even if she occasionally caused a scene. At least, that was true until today. Perhaps that was why Su-eon had let her guard down.

“Then I guess I won’t be stood up today either.”

Ki Seung-jo smiled lightly and looked at Su-eon, who was still standing. There was an unmistakable silent pressure, as if he was waiting for her to sit first. Ignoring the pangs of her conscience, Su-eon pulled out her chair and sat down.

Once she sat, Ki Seung-jo removed his jacket, casually draping it over the back of his chair, and then sat down in a relaxed posture. The sense of intimidation he had exuded while standing transformed into something different now that they were seated face-to-face.

It was close. Too close. Su-eon glanced at the width of the table, wondering if it was too narrow, and leaned back slightly. Even so, it wasn’t easy to manage her gaze. It had been a long time since she faced someone whose reaction she couldn’t predict—someone whose gaze she couldn’t figure out where to meet without offending.

“……”

It was already this awkward, and dessert hadn’t even arrived yet. 

Could I endure until the end?

Su-eon suddenly understood Jung Cho-ah’s feelings as she had dodged and ran away from matchmaking meetings. Sitting here now, as a stand-in for her, she felt like she had been hit squarely in the back of the head. . The irony of sitting in her place after being betrayed and understanding her feelings made Su-eon bitterly self-critical.

This is why you’re not going anywhere in your career, Ji Su-eon.