Chapter 6 (Part 2)

During a break.

As In-ah was returning from the restroom, she was about to re-enter the shooting set.

At the sound of the female model’s giggling laughter, In-ah paused.

“Who said anything about getting married? Who are you, from the Joseon Dynasty? Or even before that?”

Turning her head toward the voice, In-ah saw a female model standing at the corner of the hallway.

“Why are you getting ahead of yourself? Can’t we just know each other casually?”

The person the smiling female model was talking to was Jinwon.

“You’re putting up such a wall, it’s making me competitive.”

At that moment, Jinwon, who was turning his gaze, met eyes with In-ah standing not far away. In-ah, with an indifferent expression, walked into the shooting set.

Jinwon removed the hand the model was holding and spoke in a clear tone.

“I have a girlfriend.”

“Oh, come on~ That’s a lie.”

“It’s not a lie. So…”

“If there’s no couple ring, it means it’s not confirmed yet, so it’s okay.”

Jinwon’s face turned cold. From an expression that had shaken off embarrassment, an intensely sharp aura emanated.

“I don’t need to prove anything.”

Jinwon left the place with long strides. The model couldn’t take her eyes off Jinwon as he walked away.

“What is this, why is he so handsome?”

***

On a weekend morning, In-ah hurriedly prepared and visited a workshop in Gyeonggi Province.

The workshop, located in a secluded forest, was a place where In-ah often spent her weekends.

‘Scritch, scritch, scritch’

In-ah was making props with freshly cut wood. This place, filled only with silence, was like heaven for In-ah, who loved wood and furniture.

She had started working around lunchtime, and the sun was already setting.

“Hello! Is anyone there?”

In-ah, focused on sanding, was startled. It was because the workshop was far from the main road, and it was unusual for outsiders to visit.

But now, with the sun down and the night dark, hearing a stranger’s voice at an isolated house was indeed alarming.

In-ah quickly looked around the house. Then she grabbed a long mop handle to use as a club.

She also dialed 112 on her phone, ready to call at any moment. 

Or should I dial 119?

“Please help!”

The man’s voice grew louder. He was definitely closer to the house now.

Taking a deep breath, In-ah made a big decision and opened the door. Holding the mop handle tightly with both hands, she cautiously stepped outside.

“Oh! Thank God!”

What was this suddenly?

In-ah pointed her phone’s light towards the source of the voice. 

There stood a man with a face smudged with something, as if he had been stoking a fire.

His hiking clothes, which he had put effort into wearing, were torn and in a mess, as if he had rolled down a mountain.

In-ah, eyeing the man with suspicion, heard an unexpected name.

“Seo… In-ah?”

In-ah, wide-eyed, quickly shone the phone light on the man’s face.

“Oh! It’s too bright. Move it away.”

The man, who had been making a fuss while covering his eyes with both hands, seemed to gradually calm down.

“I’m Lee Seong-jun.”

“What?”

Only then did In-ah realize that the man in disarray was Director Lee Seong-jun.

Seong-jun, wrapped in a blanket in front of the stove, received a hot coffee from In-ah.

“Thank you.”

As the night fell and the temperature dropped sharply, Seong-jun had been shivering from the cold for a long time.

“Have you eaten?”

“No, it’s okay. I’m not that hungry.”

Contrary to his words, Seong-jun began to devour the meal In-ah had prepared. In-ah thought it was the most human-like she had ever seen Seong-jun.

Feeling embarrassed by In-ah’s gaze, Seong-jun glanced at her.

“Could you stop staring?”

“Oh, okay.”

After swallowing the rice in his mouth, Seong-jun spoke as if doing a favor.

“If you have questions, I’ll give you time after the meal, so ask then.”

In-ah replied as if it was ridiculous.

“Sure, sure. It’s like a celebrity Q&A session or something.”

“Do you always say whatever you want?”

“Has the Q&A already started?”

Instead of answering, Seong-jun focused on the soup again.

“Thanks to you, I ate well.”

“Did you get lost? You seem to have come for hiking.”

“Yes, that’s right. So why are you here, In-ah?”

“I guess I was here to save you, Director.”

Seong-jun bit his lip as if he had been hit.

“Let’s start the Q&A session. But I won’t be the only one answering. Let’s ask each other questions. How about that?”

“Sure.”

In-ah readily accepted Seong-jun’s proposal.

With Seong-jun’s appearance, it became difficult to concentrate on woodworking again. She also thought it was a good opportunity to ask the questions she had been curious about.

“You got lost, right?”

“Yes. Before I found these lights, it was definitely a situation of being stranded. Since I owe you a lot this time, let me know if you need help later. I’ll help once without any conditions. Like if you want to go to an overseas branch or something.”

“Sure.”

With a relaxed expression, Seong-jun crossed his arms and spoke.

“Now it’s my turn. Have you ever held back something you wanted to say?”

“No, I don’t think so. Now it’s my turn to ask, right? What’s it like being the son of a chaebol?”

Seong-jun’s arms uncrossed as he was caught off guard by the unexpected question.

“Is that what you’re curious about all of a sudden?”

“It’s not sudden. I’ve been curious for a while. I didn’t say I had to ask something I’m curious about right now.”

After thinking for a moment, Seong-jun crossed his arms again, regaining his composure.

“Well, it’s just like that. Do you have anything you’re afraid of, In-ah?”

“No, I don’t. It’s my turn now, right?”

“Ask anything.”

“Why did you immediately suggest dropping the issue of my design leak?”

“Why?”

“I didn’t expect you to agree so easily.”

Seong-jun looked at In-ah quietly. Her eyes seemed more serious than ever.

“Because the rat must be elsewhere.”

“??”

“Miss In-ah, you the designer yourself, said you didn’t leak it, and Team Leader Lee, your superior, is also innocent.”

“Of course.”

“Then the rat must be elsewhere, so I thought it would be better to wait for later.”

In-ah seemed to be thinking, shifting her eyes.

She was confused by the thought that Seong-jun might not be the type of person she had thought. 

She thought of why was Jinwon so eager to prevent Seong-jun and her from getting closer.

“Now it’s my turn to ask. Do you have a boyfriend?”

In-ah was at a loss for words.

“Do I have to answer?”

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”

“……”

If she said no, it felt like she was allowing advances, and if she said yes, she’d be lying, so In-ah hesitated for a moment.

Then Seong-jun spoke first.

“Aren’t you sleepy?”

The workshop, which doubled as a house, was a single space. Although spacious, it wasn’t structured with separate rooms. In reality, it wasn’t far to drive out of the forest, but the problem was that it was early morning, and there was no car.

Hearing a sound similar to a wolf’s howl from somewhere, Seong-jun shrank and mumbled.

“Are there wild animals here?”

“Why pretend not to know when you just heard it? Yes, there are wild animals.”

“Don’t worry, I’m here, so just sleep.”

Though his words were reassuring, his eyes were darting left and right, clearly showing he was scared.

In-ah couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

“Do you know your words and expression are each making strong claims of their own?”

In-ah turned her head to the silent Seong-jun.

‘Snore—’

Oh my. This man was already asleep. 

In-ah’s incredulous laughter didn’t subside easily.

***

What awaited In-ah at work was Hye-yoon’s admiration.

“Wow! The design that JM Furniture copied from you, it got canceled. What is this? How can this happen?”

In-ah, with a blank expression, recalled Seong-jun’s words from the past weekend.

‘Because the rat must be elsewhere.’

Ultimately, it meant that the rat had even conveyed to JM Furniture what In-ah had appealed to Seong-jun about dropping the issue. That’s how this outcome came about.

Unaware of this, Hye-yoon, still amazed, questioned In-ah.

“Did you foresee things that far ahead? To let the spy communicate the project’s weak points to JM? Incredible!”

In truth, In-ah hadn’t made such an outstanding prediction. At that time, she was merely hoping that the innocent Jinwon wouldn’t get caught up in it.

She wouldn’t do the same now.

In any case, it was clear that Seong-jun had assessed the situation and made a forward-thinking decision.