1.2

She was soon leaving Korea, so revealing this secret wasn’t such a big deal.

“What? Seonho? The… Yoon Seonho I know?”

Joo-eun asked to make sure she heard correctly.

“Yeah, that Yoon Seonho.”

“Wow, what a surprise!”

Joo-eun covered her mouth with both hands in disbelief. When the shock subsided, she began rolling on the floor, laughing.

“Hahaha, Yoon Seonho? The same Seonho who couldn’t stand losing and was always so competitive?”

This was exactly why Chaeyoon didn’t want to say it. She knew Joo-eun would react like this.

Chaeyoon only knew Seonho because of Joo-eun. They had known each other since they were ten years old, nearly as long as Chaeyoon had known Joo-eun. But they weren’t friends. They were classmates in middle school, skipped high school, and met again in college, where he was Chaeyoon’s biggest rival for a year.

As far as Chaeyoon could remember, Seonho didn’t show much interest in studying in middle school. He wasn’t rebellious, but he was lazy and indifferent in class. It was surprising that he ended up in the business administration program at the top university in the country.

Chaeyoon, who wanted to be the best, studied hard to get a scholarship, but unexpectedly, Seonho became a stumbling block. Chaeyoon was on edge in her first year, knowing that she could miss out on the scholarship with just one mistake; fortunately, Seonho forgot to mark his attendance.

With Seonho gone to the military, there was a considerable gap in their grades, so studying became easier afterward. That made her realize how much she had been driven by competition with Seonho.

It irked Chaeyoon that Seonho, who seemed to study halfheartedly, was matching her own efforts and grades, ranking alongside her. It was the third thing on her list of things to dislike about him.

“He’s such an unexpected choice. You must have been really restrained. Was all that dislike just a facade?”

“Not exactly… I distanced myself because I didn’t like being conscious of him, but to others, it probably seemed like I disliked him.”

“I understand. Despite this and that, Seonho has a way of attracting attention. After serving in the military, he became even more masculine, emitting pheromones and renewing his decadent charm day by day.”

Joo-eun recalled Seonho’s appearance.

With a face that could rival actors and a model-like physique as a given, the languid decadence that overflows from his body is the real attraction.

“Exactly. That’s why it’s annoying that I’m attracted to him like other girls.”

Seonho was sexy. To the point where she had the urge to sleep with him.

Damn it.

Seonho’s attractive appearance and sexiness were the second thing on her list of things to dislike about him.

“It’s natural to feel attracted to someone if they’re attractive.”

“But not for you.”

“I have Seokhyun-oppa. My taste is clear.”

“Good for you, you have clear tastes. After hearing from you, I’m even more annoyed that I’m into such a pretty exterior.”

“It’s not just about the exterior. There’s also ability, and you’re the kind of person who can overlook a person’s lack of personality if they have the ability.”

“Me?”

“Didn’t you know? You sometimes say, ‘I’d rather have someone with abilities, even if they’re obnoxious, than someone kind but incompetent.'”

“Incompetence is a nuisance when it comes to work.”

“That’s right. Anyway, Seonho has a lot of things you might be interested in. But it’s surprising. I thought you were the type to conquer rather than wait if you found someone you liked.”

Chaeyoon wasn’t interested in men, but if she set her mind to it, she could easily seduce any man. With her intelligence, she would plan and seduce men systematically, but she was also a beauty with the aura of a boss.

With a small face and jet-black hair that reached her shoulders, her delicate frame gave her an overall innocent vibe, but her fair skin and bright red lips were just as captivating as Seonho’s decadent charm.

Especially her deep, mysterious black eyes, which seemed like they could draw you in if you looked at them for a long time. Of course, Chaeyoon didn’t tolerate anyone staring into her eyes for too long.

“What’s the point of conquering an obvious heir of a conglomerate? Just because you date doesn’t mean you’ll get married, but what’s the point of getting involved with someone who obviously isn’t suitable for you? It’s an emotional waste. I don’t like short-term relationships like you do. And not to mention the humiliation when you’re caught?”

With an expression that seemed to say she found it repulsive, Chaeyoon opened a new can and took another sip of beer.

The first thing on her list of things to dislike about Seonho was simply because he was an heir to a conglomerate. Chaeyoon doesn’t want to get involved with any chaebol other than Joo-eun. Much less a man.

“You could be different. Remember the case with Chairwoman Ahn’s family? The eldest son married his secretary.”

“That was a case pushed by Chairwoman Ahn.”

“Is that so?”

“Even if there’s a chance of marriage, I wouldn’t want it.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because I don’t want to live in hiding as a chaebol daughter-in-law. I didn’t choose my birth, so why should I have to live with my head down like a sinner just because I’m not born into a chaebol family?”

“You don’t have to live like a sinner.”

“It’s easier said than done. How can you, the daughter of a chaebol, know what it’s like?”

“Still, if you love someone, couldn’t you live with it?”

“If I did love enough to overcome all the hardships and get married, how long will that love last? Life is long, but will I be happy living under the watchful eye of the in-laws? Love is bound to fade quickly, so it’s wise not to even start a love that won’t work out in the first place.”

Chaeyoon spoke firmly, leaving no room for doubt.

“So what you’re saying is that the great Han Chaeyoon is afraid of falling in love with Yoon Seonho?”

“Afraid? Not at all. It’s just caution from the start. My motto is ‘I’d rather have a love that lasts for a long time than one that burns with passion and harms the heart.’ They must be someone who respects and cares for me. Taking everything into account, Seonho is clearly the opposite.”

The only trap is that when Chaeyoon sees Seonho, there’s a primitive desire to sleep with him.

Damn it.

“I can’t agree with being cautious. We’re young. Isn’t it okay to have a ‘mistake’ of like ‘accidentally’ sleeping together before going abroad for study?” 

“Not okay at all.”

“You said you might not come back from studying abroad this time, and it would be a shame if you never see Seonho again, so let’s create a beautiful memory page of our 20s.”

Joo-eun clasped her hands together and made a dreamy face.

“Are you kidding? How can a ‘mistake’ of a one-night stand become a beautiful memory page?”

Chaeyoon gave her an incredulous look.

“You excel in everything but lack romance. Why are you so dry?”

“It’s not dryness; it’s being realistic. And even if I wanted to have a one-night stand by mistake, it’s not possible because he dislikes me. You know that. We’ve always been rivals.”

“Hehe, maybe not. Maybe Seonho fakes it like you. Now that I think about it, there’s something strange. He’s lazy and slow like a sloth in everything else, but he was desperate to beat you.”

“Don’t spread baseless conspiracy theories.”

“You never know. But hey, if Seonho is willing to sleep with you, will you sleep with him?”

Joo-eun asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

“It’s an unlikely scenario, so let’s not talk about it. I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to make such a big deal out of it. It’s not even worth my time to talk about something so trivial.

“What’s so trivial about this? There’s a guy you want to sleep with.”

“Enough, and just be careful not to get caught in your secret relationship.”

“I will. Getting caught is a hassle in many ways. I detest hassle.”

“In that sense, let’s cheers. To your secret romance!”

Chaeyoon raised her beer glass high. Joo-eun also raised her glass, playfully cheering.

“To your dried-up romance.”

At that moment, Chaeyoon didn’t know what her friend had in store for her.