6.3

At the departure gate of Jeju Airport, Chaeyoon gathered her luggage and looked around for an agent to take her to Joo-eun.

Her eyes landed on a man standing at the exit—a man who stood out instantly like a model from a magazine spread, even though he wasn’t lined up perfectly. 

Maybe it was because it was daytime, maybe it was because he was wearing a suit, and of course, even in a suit, the decadence was still there, but the sleek, competent, professional air of the man was definitely Seonho.

Why is he here?

After a steamy one-night stand, they parted ways the next day after a neat goodbye. She thought she would never see him again.

No, life might bring them together again, but she hadn’t expected it today, and their sudden encounter was quite disconcerting.

“Hey.”

Seonho raised a hand in greeting and approached Chaeyoon.

Please, don’t come over. Just pretend you don’t know me.

Chaeyoon silently pleaded as she stepped back. However, Seonho, with his long legs, was already standing in front of her.

“You said you’re coming straight from New York, and this is all your luggage?”

Seonho asked, grabbing the handle of Chaeyoon’s suitcase.

“What about it?”

Chaeyoon gripped the handle tightly, as if to prevent him from taking it. Seonho looked down at her quizzically.

“Didn’t Joo-eun tell you? I’m here to pick you up.”

“You’re the person Joo-eun sent?”

“She told me that I wouldn’t be any help and that I should just come meet you.”

“Does she even think before she acts?”

Ugh, Cha Joo-eun, what kind of thought system can you have to have to set up a one-night stand as a gift, and then make me reunite with the man from that one-night stand like this?

“As you know, she’s been crazy for a long time.”

Seonho casually took the suitcase, and Chaeyoon eventually followed him to the underground parking lot.

“Right, crazy.”

Chaeyoon glanced at Seonho out of the corner of her eye. The way he treated her was so natural, as if he didn’t remember the night they’d slept together.

After all, Seonho was likely to forget. And that infuriated her. Even after six months, she couldn’t forget that day.

Or was it not just about forgetting? Maybe, as Joo-eun said, it was about preserving a beautiful memory on the pages of her life.

“Love really does make you lose all reason.”

“Why didn’t you stop it?”

“Why should I? It has nothing to do with me. That’s something for close friends with a strong bond to do.”

“I was on the other side of the globe. How could I intervene? She kept her mouth shut until the day of my licensing exam. If I had been closer, maybe I could have sensed something.”

Chaeyoon said, sounding regretful.

“Even if you were here, could you really have stopped it?”

“No.”

I wouldn’t have been able to.

“You can’t expect me to do something you couldn’t then.”

At that, Chaeyoon murmured “Right.” and sighed.

“So they’ve registered their marriage?”

“I even signed it as a witness.”

“That’s really surprising.”

Cha Joo-eun, you really are crazy. To ask someone who could have been your fiancé to be a witness. And Seonho? Was he being kind, or just thoughtless?

No. It can’t be that Seonho was kind. He was simply thoughtless. 

Still, it was surprising that someone who always found everything bothersome would agree to be a witness.

“I’m surprised too. Cha Joo-eun using me. Didn’t I tell you? She’s sharp when it comes to her own matters. She’d top even Seokhyun in cunning.”

“Yes. She’s smart enough to say she’s tired of fighting for succession, that she wants to enjoy all the benefits of being part of a chaebol family, and then she takes it upon herself to leave.”

She had a crush on Seokhyun and chose to have a temporary relationship with him. It was unbelievable to Chaeyoon that such a person would choose love. 

Arriving at the car, Seonho opened the passenger door for Chaeyoon. Once Chaeyoon got in the car, Seonho put the carrier in the trunk and got into the driver’s seat.

“How many months pregnant is she now?”

“How would I know that? She said she’s due around June next year.”

“Where’s Joo-eun now?”

“She ran away after registering her marriage and went to Seokhyun’s apartment.”

“And Chairman Cha just let that happen?”

She’s not the heir, but she’s still the eldest daughter. It’s not like them to just watch and do nothing.

“For now, yes.”

“Have they accepted him as part of the family?”

Chaeyoon tilted her head.

“I doubt it.”

“Right. That would be unlikely. How about Seokhyun’s parents?”

“They’re furious, calling him ungrateful bastard, considering the severance pay they got when they left a few years ago. Even without that, it’s not easy to accept a lady they once served as a daughter-in-law.”

“Did they come to the wedding?”

“Would they? They might want to, but they can’t because of Chairman Cha’s prying eyes.”

“Sigh, I told her to avoid such a messy situation.”

“But it’s better than dying from starvation, isn’t it?”

Seonho’s voice was indifferent, but the meaning behind his words was not something to be taken lightly.

“Is she still… skinny?”

Chaeyoon’s throat tightened as she recalled the last image of Joo-eun.

“She’s back to normal now. It’d be strange if she wasn’t, considering how much she eats. Pregnant women really seem like aliens sometimes. It’s kind of scary.”

Seonho spoke as if he were a child tattling to a mother.

“So what’s this wedding then? There are no parents from either side.”

“It’s just a small gathering with colleagues from his company and friends from both sides. It’s better than not having it at all, right?”

“Ugh, it’s hopeless. As her best friend, I don’t know whether I should be congratulating her on the marriage or scolding her again.”

When Joo-eun broke up with Seokhyun and cried her heart out, Chaeyoon felt like her heart was being torn apart. Now, facing the situation of a hapless pregnancy leading to marriage, she felt anxious and disturbed.

“There’s no point in nagging her when she’s already pregnant. Just congratulate her. She’ll be happier to hear one word from you than ten from anyone else. Aren’t you her best friend after all?”

It sounded like perfectly reasonable advice coming from Seonho, which made it all the more bizarre. Human warmth and Seonho seemed an unlikely match.

“That’s why I rushed back from New York, where I was supposed to spend Christmas.”

“I heard she wanted to have the wedding in New York, but I barely managed to convince them that long-haul flights are dangerous for the baby.”

“Who? You?”

Chaeyoon stared at Seonho, who was driving, with a puzzled expression.

“Yeah, me.”

“Since when were you two so close?”

It was indeed strange. Seonho and Joo-eun had known each other for a long time but were not friends. Yet, they were connected closely enough to potentially be linked by marriage.

Even if their engagement had fallen through, how could Seonho, who wasn’t even a friend, be so deeply involved in Joo-eun’s wedding?

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m the witness on their marriage document. Plus, you have no idea how much I contributed to making today’s wedding happen.”

Seonho spoke with a tone full of self-praise, lifting his chin proudly.

“Like what?”

Chaeyoon looked skeptical.

“You’d have to stay up all night to hear it all. You ready for that?”

Seonho glanced at Chaeyoon, his brown eyes catching the sunlight and shimmering golden. The corners of his mouth curved upward playfully, bringing out the sexiness that had been suppressed by the suit.

Her heart skipped a beat.

In the erotic atmosphere emanating from Seonho, Chaeyoon’s heart was caught like a spider in a web. 

It’s a figure of speech, let’s not be too sensitive. It’s cringe.

His tone was so casual that it didn’t sound like he meant anything other than that he really had a lot to say.

Despite that, Chaeyoon didn’t like being drawn to him like this against her will.

Biological responses were related to the law of species preservation, which made them quite persistent, so her s*xual attraction to him was in full swing again today. 

It was not a pleasant feeling to confirm it.

Chaeyoon skillfully concealed her momentarily wavering heart and casually changed the subject. A very safe and dry topic. 

“How’s work? Or should I ask if you’re still working?”

The company Seonho was assigned to was an automotive subsidiary.

“I have a reputation for being very competent.”

“Really? You’re a serious procrastinator, and you’re actually showing up for work?”

“Yes.”

“No distractions?”

“Of course not. I skipped the internship and went straight to being a team leader.”

“No one likes a 25-year-old parachutist. I wouldn’t like it either.”

T/N: The Korean word for “parachute” means when someone receives an opportunity, such as a promotion or job, due to personal connections, which is often nepotism.

“Well, that’s kind of a given now, because I’m attractive and capable and all that.”

“You seem confident.”

Chaeyoon snorted.

He’s still full of himself. The word ‘humility’ must have been deleted from his dictionary.

“Can you keep up the smugness? Your group’s worst-performing subsidiary is the automotive company.”

They’re exchanging jokes lightly, but the situation might not be so relaxed. Among many subsidiaries, the place Seonho was sent to is the lowest-performing one.

“Are you worried about me?”

Seonho smirked, a smile that made the waves of light in the car pulsate.