Chapter 14. Han Yerin’s Boyfriend  

The person outside was banging on the door so hard that Yerin, who was inside, couldn’t help but furrow her brow, as did Lee Hyun.

Yerin pushed Lee Hyun, who was blocking her way, and stood up.

“Is there someone expected at this hour?”

It was indeed late enough for Lee Hyun to say that.

Yerin hesitated, biting her lip as she contemplated her answer.

There was no one who had promised to come, but there was exactly one person who would come unannounced at this hour.

“I’ll just step out for a moment.”

“No, you can’t.”

Lee Hyun shook his head, blocking her way with his sturdy body.

“I’ll go out.”

“No!”

Yerin quickly grabbed Lee Hyun’s forearm as he tried to open the door and go out.

She could feel his solid muscles, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.

“I have to go out.”

“You seem to know who it is.”

“I think it’s my father.”

“Oh.”

At the mention of Yerin’s father, Lee Hyun stepped aside with a short reply.

“Director, even if you hear noise outside, don’t come out.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“If my father sees us together at this hour, he might misunderstand.”

Misunderstanding.

Just those two words caused a crease to form on Lee Hyun’s forehead.

“I’ll send my father away quickly, so just stay here…”

In the meantime, the commotion outside continued.

“Han Yerin! I know you’re in there, so come out!”

As Yerin turned the doorknob to open the front door, Lee Hyun’s low voice came from behind.

“Come back quickly.”

“……”

“I think I might miss you.”

As he said that, Lee Hyun made a teasing face.

It was a look that was hard to distinguish whether it was serious or joking.

Lee Hyun, seeing Yerin frozen in surprise, chuckled as if she were cute.

“I was just saying that because it’s my first time being alone in a house without the owner.”

“Oh, I see.”

Realizing the true meaning of Lee Hyun’s words a moment too late, Yerin bit her lip.

She found it ridiculous that she was flustered over something he said without meaning.

However, there was no time to talk to Lee Hyun any longer.

Outside, her father, Byeonghun, was pounding on the door handle so aggressively it seemed like he might break it at any moment.

Beep-beep-beep—

The sound of the digital lock disengaging rang out, and as Yerin revealed herself, Byeonghun, who had been throwing a fit, pointed a finger at her, his face flushed.

“You’re always so slow!!”

Worried that Lee Hyun might hear this, Yerin quickly stepped outside and slammed the door shut.

Gripping the doorknob as if it were her salvation, she leaned against the door.

“Open the door! What are you doing?”

“Dad, let’s talk over there.”

She desperately wanted to move the conversation somewhere farther from the house.

Byeonghun, however, continued to follow her, shouting loudly enough for his voice to echo through the neighborhood.

“Your father came all the way here, and you won’t even offer me a cup of tea?”

“You know how small my place is, don’t you?”

“Is this how a daughter treats her father when he comes to see her? Disrespectful! Ugh!”

Yerin led him to a corner of the rooftop.

It was such a cramped space that talking here would still be heard by Lee Hyun, but there were no other options.

“What brings you here at this late hour?”

“Does a father need a reason to visit his daughter? Hah. This is why raising a daughter is useless.”

Byeonghun kept pointing his finger with a gruff voice.

He must have had a drink already, as the smell of alcohol filled the air every time he opened his mouth.

“Dad, if you’ve been drinking, who’s taking care of Mom?”

“Am I supposed to be caring for a dying woman right now?”

“Dad!”

Thinking about how her mother was alone in the hospital today made Yerin’s eyes well up with tears.

So she shouted to call Byeonghun and then regretted it afterward.

“Why? It’s not my fault your mother is sick, so why should I be stuck in that hospital smelling of medicine?”

“Haah.”

Yerin pressed her forehead with one hand as a headache started to throb.

“Did you come here because you need pocket money?”

At the mention of pocket money, Byeonghun, who had been furious, quieted down.

He opened his eyes drowsily and gaped.

“Haha. It’s not that I needed it specifically.”

Yerin let out a short sigh.

“Did you already spend the living expenses I gave you last time?”

“Of course. What am I supposed to do with that amount? Even though I look like this, I used to be a successful businessman.”

Byeonghun was always like this.

He couldn’t escape from his glorious past and lived in the swamp of those memories.

He didn’t realize that it was poisoning the hearts of the family members beside him.

“This time, I have a really good business idea.”

“……”

“If this goes well, it won’t be a problem to move your mother back to a VIP room and have her be called ‘Madam’ again.”

As usual, he was talking about unrealistic dreams.

The money Yerin earned while working at Jiseok Electronics all went to Byeonghun’s pocket money and her mother’s hospital bills.

“Dad, then when I get my paycheck this month…”

“Am I supposed to starve to death until then?”

Before Yerin could finish her sentence, Byeonghun raised his voice again and scolded her.

“Are you really ignoring me just because my business failed?”

“No, that’s not it. How could I?”

Yerin felt wronged.

Before Byeonghun’s business failed, they lived comfortably in a spacious house, but even if that wasn’t the case, it was okay.

She just thought that as long as her parents were happy, she would be too, so despite her meager salary, she sent Byeonghun living expenses every month.

“Do you know how much money I spent to raise you? You don’t know the gratitude for raising you, and here we are.”

Yes, the reason Byeonghun came to see Yerin today was for pocket money.

“Do you think such a small amount can cover your mom’s hospital bills and maintain my dignity?”

“Dad, I really gave you the maximum I could.”

“A man, you see, when he’s running a business, has to meet people and spend money freely here and there. How many times do I have to tell you that this is all an investment?”

Yerin thought of going inside to grab her wallet.

At that moment, she felt a familiar warmth behind her, and a low voice echoed on the rooftop.

“Yerin, it’s still cold outside. Why are you taking so long?”

Byeonghun was startled to see the man who suddenly appeared.

“Who is that?”

Yerin was also surprised by Lee Hyun, who was looking down at her affectionately.

Seeing Lee Hyun standing tall in front of her, Byeonghun felt completely intimidated by the overwhelming aura he exuded.

It was no wonder; Lee Hyun was nearly 190 cm tall with shoulders as broad as the Pacific Ocean.

Even Byeonghun, who was interested in clothes, could tell that the suit Lee Hyun was wearing was a luxury brand.

He was an impressive man, not just in appearance but also in demeanor.

In this noisy situation, Lee Hyun spoke without flinching.

“And who might you be, spending such a late hour with my daughter?”

Lee Hyun simply stared at Byeonghun with indifferent eyes.

The coldness of his gaze made Byeonghun feel as if he had stepped into a freezer.

“Ahem.”

Byeonghun cleared his throat.

“I’m Yerin’s father.”

“Yes, I heard the conversation well.”

Usually, when one person introduces themselves, the other party would also clarify who they are, but Lee Hyun stood there without blinking.

Byeonghun squinted his eyes, alternating his gaze between Lee Hyun and Yerin.

Being together at this late hour implied a close relationship.

Byeonghun was quite surprised to think that Yerin might be dating such an impressive man.

However, he tried hard to hide his surprise and feigned ignorance as he asked.

“And who are you, spending time with my daughter?”

It was already the third time he asked.

Byeonghun waited nervously to see if Lee Hyun would ignore his question again.

“I am.”

Lee Hyun glanced at the frozen Yerin and spoke without hesitation.

“I am Yerin’s boyfriend.”

“B-boyfriend?”

As the thought he had been hoping was true became a reality, Byeonghun stuttered in surprise.

“Yes. I am Yerin’s boyfriend.”

Yerin was so shocked that she quickly tugged at the sleeve of Lee Hyun’s suit.

It was a signal to stop, but it seemed to have been miscommunicated to Lee Hyun.

Lee Hyun intertwined his hand between Yerin’s fingers, holding them tightly.

“Um…”

Flustered, Yerin struggled to pull her hand away from Lee Hyun, but it wouldn’t budge.

Byeonghun could only let out strange exclamations as he looked at their clasped hands.

“Wow. Are you really Yerin’s boyfriend?”

“Yes.”

It was a short but powerful answer.

“Hahaha.”

Byeonghun had so much he wanted to say.

He wanted to ask where this impressive guy came from, but he felt that was something to discuss when he was alone with Yerin.

Although this man seemed like the son of a wealthy family, he didn’t want to be the kind of father who would easily give his approval.

So, he forced a stern expression and spoke.

“Still, it’s inappropriate to be together at such a late hour in her home.”

“That’s true.”

“You must know that coming at this hour is a nuisance.”

“Of course. But since even someone as respectable as you, President Han, knows better than to do so, I felt displeased and came out here myself.”

“……”

Byeonghun was about to argue but then closed his mouth again.

Lee Hyun had clearly called him ‘President Han.’

It was a term he hadn’t heard since his business failed.

For some reason, that simple word made his lips twitch upward into a smile.

The fact that Lee Hyun was mocking him was already forgotten.

“Hahaha. I was just worried about whether our Yerin was doing well…”

“As you can see, she is doing very well with me.”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

“If you’ve confirmed that, please be careful going down.”

Lee Hyun always spoke this way.

It seemed like he was listening to the other person, but the conclusion always ended up as he wanted.

If this was a skill, it was truly an outstanding one.

Before he knew it, Lee Hyun had already reached a conclusion in the conversation with Byeonghun.

Lee Hyun tightened his grip on Yerin’s hand and began to speak.

“We will now go and finish what we were doing.”

Yerin’s pupils trembled.