Chapter 9. Wanting to Have a Love Marriage  

“Haa.”

The first woman Lee Hyun had to meet was Kwak Seoyoon, the daughter of a three-term congressman. She was someone who had a deeply entangled bad relationship with Yerin.

And now, Seoyoon was the top candidate Lee Hyun was supposed to meet.

It was undoubtedly a twisted fate.

“Why is everything happening to me these days…”

Just looking at Seoyoon’s smiling photo brought tears to Yerin’s eyes.

Seoyoon was someone who coveted everything that belonged to Yerin.

Though they had spent years together under the guise of friendship, it seemed Seoyoon never truly regarded Yerin as a friend.

Seoyoon had deliberately approached and seduced Yerin’s ex-boyfriends, causing them to break up.

At first, Yerin thought it was a coincidence, but as it kept happening, she realized it was intentional. From that point on, she couldn’t see Seoyoon in a favorable light.

Even recently, Seoyoon had taken away the man Yerin had been dating.

It wasn’t the first time, so all Yerin could do was laugh bitterly, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

Looking at Seoyoon’s face in the photo wasn’t a pleasant experience.

Thinking of how Seoyoon, who had taken her man, would now live happily with someone as amazing as Lee Hyun made Yerin’s insides boil with anger.

Of course, she also wanted to keep her distance from Lee Hyun. That was why she couldn’t bring herself to reveal that she was the woman from that night.

However, she didn’t want to arrange a meeting between Lee Hyun and Seoyoon either.

The thought of Seoyoon, who had taken so much from her and enjoyed it alone, standing next to Lee Hyun made her even more determined not to let it happen.

Some might criticize her for mixing personal feelings with a professional matter, but even a worm will squirm when stepped on.

Thinking of all the days she had endured, all she could do was sigh.

Although she hadn’t observed him for long, Lee Hyun was a very good person.

A cunning woman like Seoyoon didn’t suit such an amazing man.

‘I don’t want the Director and her to meet.’

As she thought that, the phone on her desk rang.

“Yes, Director.”

– Secretary Han, come in. I have something to discuss.

After knocking, Yerin entered Lee Hyun’s office.

“I heard you met my mother this afternoon.”

“Yes, I had lunch with her.”

“My mother must have asked you to arrange my matchmaking appointments.”

“That’s correct.”

Lee Hyun rested his chin on one hand, which was placed on the desk.

“You’ve seen the list of matchmaking candidates, haven’t you? What do you think?”

The only thought Yerin had when she first saw the list was that she didn’t want Lee Hyun to meet the woman ranked first.

However, she couldn’t let her personal feelings ruin Lee Hyun’s important matchmaking arrangements.

Yerin put on a soft smile.

“It seems Mrs. Yoon has selected some excellent women.”

“So that’s your impression, Secretary Han.”

Lee Hyun tapped the desk lightly with his index finger.

As Yerin hesitated, wondering how to respond if Lee Hyun asked her about the women on the list, he said something entirely unexpected.

“But I have no desire to attend matchmaking meetings.”

Yerin hadn’t thought it would be easy to get Lee Hyun to attend the meetings.

That was probably why Mrs. Yoon had called her separately to make such an earnest request.

Still, she hadn’t expected Lee Hyun to be so adamant, and a hint of surprise appeared on her face.

“The Chairman said he’d give the successor position to whoever gets married first, didn’t he?”

“I said I wouldn’t attend matchmaking meetings, not that I wouldn’t get married.”

Wasn’t that essentially the same thing?

Yerin carefully reviewed the conversation in her head, wondering if she had missed something.

Meanwhile, Lee Hyun lifted his head and stared intently at Yerin’s face.

Feeling the heat of his gaze, Yerin hesitantly lifted her eyelids.

“I want to have a love marriage. Not some boring arranged marriage tied to mutual interests.”

Mrs. Yoon’s words came to mind.

‘If he falls in love and marries someone he truly connects with, he’ll live an even happier life.’

Yerin agreed with that to some extent.

Rather than marrying for conditions in an arranged marriage, wouldn’t Lee Hyun be happier if he fell in love with someone and married them?

Yerin raised the corners of her mouth into a smile.

“That’s a good decision.”

Then she cautiously added a question.

“Do you happen to have someone you’re seeing right now?”

“No.”

The curt response left Yerin unable to hide her surprise once again.

A man who claimed he wanted a love marriage confidently admitted he wasn’t seeing anyone.

“Then who do you want to date?”

“You already know, Secretary Han.”

“….”

Under the icy gaze that seemed to pierce through her, Yerin swallowed nervously.

“I’m sorry. I must not have received that information from Secretary Choi…”

“You know her. That woman.”

The chill that ran down her spine was unmistakable.

It felt as though Lee Hyun was saying he knew she was hiding everything.

Every time Lee Hyun mentioned “that woman,” Yerin’s heart raced uncontrollably.

Struggling to keep her trembling pupils steady, Yerin feigned calmness and asked,

“I know her?”

“The woman I’m desperately searching for right now.”

The “woman” Lee Hyun was referring to was none other than herself.

That was why this situation was so baffling to her.

“Are you saying you want to date that woman?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Lee Hyun’s face showed that he thought it was a simple matter, while Yerin’s expression was filled with overwhelming confusion.

“Why?”

Yerin was genuinely curious.

Why was she suddenly being identified as Lee Hyun’s potential romantic partner?

Lee Hyun tilted his head slightly, as if recalling that night.

“She’s a woman I can’t forget.”

“….”

“I can’t forget her.”

She was dying to know why.

Eventually, Lee Hyun slowly opened his mouth.

“Because she was my first.”

“Cough!”

Even though she wasn’t drinking anything, Yerin coughed uncontrollably in shock.

“Secretary Han, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Yerin tried to compose herself.

She had heard so many shocking things that her fingertips were trembling.

He said it was his first time. His first.

How could someone as skilled as him claim that night was his first time?

Yerin’s brown pupils quivered rapidly.

No, there was something even more surprising.

The fact that he was thinking of dating that woman just because she was his first.

Yerin felt dizzy, wondering where to even start addressing this. She took a deep breath and slowly opened her mouth.

“Director, I might be about to say something presumptuous.”

Lee Hyun leaned forward slightly, as if intrigued.

“As far as I know, that night, it was mutually agreed to just spend one night…”

“There was no such agreement.”

“Pardon?”

What was he saying?

She was sure they had agreed to spend just one night together, and she had made it clear she didn’t want to share any personal information with him.

That was the mindset she had when she decided to have a one-night stand.

Lee Hyun, on the other hand, looked even more incredulous, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“What I’m saying is, we never promised it would only be for one night.”

With a face so brazen it bordered on shameless, Lee Hyun left Yerin completely speechless. She almost foolishly blurted out, “Excuse me?”

Barely managing to collect her scattered thoughts, Yerin opened her mouth, intending to reason with him.

“Well, a one-night stand doesn’t necessarily have to be explicitly stated beforehand; it’s more of an unspoken understanding…”

“Secretary Han, how do you know so much about this?”

“Pardon?”

Lee Hyun abruptly stood up, rounded the desk, and began taking slow, deliberate steps toward Yerin.

“You’re speaking as if you were there that night.”

“Me? Oh, no. That’s not the case at all.”

“Is that so? Well, I suppose you couldn’t possibly be that woman, Secretary Han.”

By the time Lee Hyun reached her, he had his hands deeply buried in the pockets of his suit pants, staring at her intently.

“So, please continue with what you were saying.”

“Well, from what I heard from a friend…”

“A friend?”

“Yes. I’ve never enjoyed or frequently engaged in one-night stands myself.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Yes, it is… a relief.”

She wasn’t entirely sure what was so relieving, but she decided to take it as a good thing.

Lee Hyun seemed patient, as if waiting for her to continue her explanation.

“So, from what I’ve heard, it can be awkward to face the other person again after that night.”

At her words, Lee Hyun’s brows furrowed deeply.

“Awkward, you say.”

Fixing his gaze on Yerin, Lee Hyun asked,

“Was it awkward for you, Secretary Han?”

His cold voice pierced through her ears.

“Pardon?”

Yerin’s eyelashes trembled slightly.

‘What is this? Why is he asking me that?’

Unable to hide her confusion, Yerin stared at Lee Hyun, who suddenly broke into a grin.

“My apologies. I misspoke.”

Lee Hyun laughed as he corrected his earlier question.

“What I meant to ask was, if you were in that situation, would you have found it awkward?”

“Oh, I see.”

Even as she responded, Yerin’s suspicious gaze lingered on Lee Hyun.

He smiled warmly, as if to suggest there were no ulterior motives behind his question.

Hearing his earlier words had made her heart feel like it dropped to the floor.

For a moment, she wondered if Lee Hyun knew everything and had said those things intentionally, which left her feeling dizzy.

Fortunately, it seemed he had genuinely misspoken, as he repeatedly apologized afterward.

“If it were me, I probably would have felt that way.”

At Yerin’s honest answer, a faint crease appeared between Lee Hyun’s brows.

‘Ah, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.’

But what was she supposed to do? It was the truth.

That night had been so enchanting, and even now, when she looked at Lee Hyun’s face, the memories of that night came flooding back in vivid detail.

However, it was nothing more than a fleeting moment, a memory to be tucked away.

Getting involved with him beyond that was unthinkable.

Lee Hyun nodded slightly.

“I see.”

For some reason, he looked as if he had been hurt.

The confidence that usually filled his eyes seemed to have dimmed slightly, replaced by a hint of regret.

‘Now that I’ve said all this, he won’t keep looking for that woman, right?’

Thinking that, Yerin silently praised herself for being honest.

“I’ve taken your opinion into account, Secretary Han.”

But Yerin didn’t know Lee Hyun as well as she thought.

“I’ll keep it in mind, but since you’re not that woman, right, Secretary Han?”

Lee Hyun’s deep gaze bore into her.

Feeling that she couldn’t avoid answering, Yerin nodded vigorously.

“Yes, of course. I’m not that woman.”

“Good. Then it seems meeting her and asking her directly would be the right thing to do.”

“Director, you’re not saying you’re still going to look for her, are you?”

“Yes, I plan to.”

“Why…?”

“I believe I’ve mentioned it before. I want to date her.”

Everything seemed to circle back to romance.