‘Kang Hwi-gang. Even his name is as handsome as he is. Wait, what am I thinking? This isn’t the time.’

Seol-ah scolded herself, trying to concentrate again as she mindlessly piled food onto her plate. Hwi-gang noticed this and gently took the food she had picked up and put it back. Confused, she blinked and he handed her his own plate.

“Try this. It’s really good.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Seol-ah replied, feeling slightly awkward.

Without missing a beat, Hwi-gang picked up another plate and added a few more dishes.

“You’re having coffee, right?”

“Yes, a hot Americano, please.”

At her request, Hwi-gang made his way to the coffee station. After receiving two hot Americanos from the skilled barista, he returned to their table.

“Excuse me…”

“Eat before your stomach starts growling again.”

Hwi-gang interrupted, stopping Seol-ah just as she opened her mouth to speak.

Seol-ah sighed softly, her eyes glancing around the room to meet Jung-jae’s piercing gaze. She nodded slightly, aware that his suspicious gaze was still on her.

Jung-jae couldn’t believe that Seol-ah had met such an impressive man in just one week. Now she was staying in the presidential suite of the Sky Tower Hotel, a clear sign of this man’s immense wealth. It seemed impossible that she could have met someone like that in such a short time – unless they had been together all along.

‘You only see what you want to see.’

Jung-jae thought bitterly, convinced that Seol-ah had betrayed him as much as he had betrayed her.

“Babe, do you think maybe she wasn’t really stalking you?”

Seol-ran asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.

Jung-jae replied almost immediately, determined to keep control of the situation.

“Maybe this time it was a mistake.”

He said casually, trying to sound unconcerned.

“This time?”

Seol-ran’s eyes widened in surprise. Her suspicion was growing.

Noticing her reaction, Jung-jae felt a surge of confidence, ready to use the same quick thinking that had gotten him through interviews with top companies. If there was one thing Jung-jae excelled at, it was deception.

“Yes, maybe I was wrong this time, but most of the time I was right. Her stalking was so bad that just seeing her face made me react like that. It became intense – she even started appearing in my dreams. I seriously thought about getting psychiatric help for the trauma she put me through.”

Jung-jae said, trying to sound exhausted.

“Oh dear, was it that bad? Then why didn’t you report her to the police?”

“Huh? Well, I just felt sorry for her, you know? After all, she was someone I dated for a while.”

Jung-jae replied, trying to sound noble.

“You really are too soft-hearted sometimes. There are limits to what you can tolerate.”

Seol-ran remarked shaking her head.

“Yeah, I’m starting to regret it now,” Jung-jae sighed. “Anyway, I’m going to the toilet. Keep eating.”

“Okay, come back soon, babe.”

Seol-ran replied with a sweet smile, her mood lifting once again.

Taking advantage of Seol-ran’s cheerful mood, Jung-jae grabbed his phone and headed for the bathroom.

The sound of a message alert caught Seol-ah’s attention. She looked at her phone and saw a text message from Jung-jae.

[If you even think about getting in my way, stop right now. Consider this a warning.]

Seol-ah’s eyes narrowed as she scanned the room, realizing that he must have sent the message from the toilet. After dating him for three years, she was familiar with Jung-jae’s habits and knew this move only too well.

Anger flared within her, sending a wave of heat across her scalp as she considered responding. But she stopped herself. He wasn’t worth the effort, and even acknowledging him felt like giving him too much energy. Seol-ah decided that the best revenge was complete indifference.

When another message notification appeared, Seol-ah simply switched her phone to silent mode, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing she’d seen it.

“When you’ve finished eating, shall we talk about our wedding? Time is running out.”

Hwi-gang said calmly, his voice steady and reassuring.

“!”

In the middle of sipping her coffee, she jumped in shock, her eyes widening. Meanwhile, Hwi-gang continued talking, completely unfazed, as if they were discussing the most mundane topics.

“You proposed and I accepted, so why are you looking at me like that?”

Hwi-gang asked calmly.

“Uh, Hwi-gang, marriage is not something to joke about…”

“Exactly. Marriage is no joke, so you’re not thinking of backing out now, are you?”

He interrupted his tone light but unmistakably firm.

“!” 

Seol-ah was speechless, but then her eyes met Jung-jae’s as he returned from the toilet. A wave of determination washed over her.

‘Who says I can’t find someone better than you?’

She thought, the desire for revenge burning stronger.

Obviously, the man sitting across from her, Kang Hwi-gang, seemed infinitely more competent than Jung-jae. But Seol-ah knew that she couldn’t use someone else’s life as a tool for her own revenge.

“If you suddenly announce that you’re getting married, your parents will be shocked. They would never approve.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I don’t have any parents.”

Hwi-gang replied, his voice calm and collected.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Seol-ah stammered, caught off guard.

“No need to apologize. You didn’t know. So, now that the problem is over, are we going to get married?”

“No, it’s not like that… You don’t even know much about me. You don’t even know my name…”

“Jin Seol-ah,” Hwi-gang said calmly.

“!”

Seol-ah swallowed hard, speechless as her attempts to stall were met with his effortless responses. She glared at him in frustration.

“Come on, keep talking. I’ll answer everything.”

“You may know my name, but you don’t know my age -“

“You are 30. You said so yourself yesterday. You’re four years younger than me.”

Hwi-gang interrupted.

“Four years?”

“Yes, and yesterday you were excited about it, saying that four years age difference is great – even fortune tellers agree.”

He replied with a hint of amusement.

“I said that?”

“Yes, you did.”

‘Oh, Jin Seol-ah, you really went off the deep end yesterday.’

She thought, almost shuddering at herself. She reached for her hot Americano to take a sip, but it was still too hot, so she put it down quickly.

“Okay, fine. Let’s say you know my name and my age. But – wait, what are you doing?”

She asked alarmed as Hwi-gang suddenly moved closer to her.

“That guy’s coming over. I figured it might be more shocking if he saw us like this, looking extra close.”

Hwi-gang murmured, sliding into the seat next to Seol-ah and casually draping his arm around her shoulders. Caught in the moment, Seol-ah had no choice but to play along.

“Excuse me.”

“Who are you?”

Hwi-gang asked coolly, maintaining his protective hold on Seol-ah.

Seeing Hwi-gang’s relaxed but defensive posture, Jung-jae’s face twisted in irritation before he got to the point.

“Excuse me, but are you aware that this woman has serious stalking tendencies? I’m her ex-boyfriend and we broke up because of it. She’s extremely obsessive. She’ll probably be texting and calling you all day, constantly asking you what you’re doing and questioning everything.”

“You’ve got some nerve,” Hwi-gang replied unperturbed.

“What?”

Jung-jae blinked in surprise.

“You betrayed her and married someone with better credentials, yet you stand here so boldly.”

“!”

Jung-jae’s face twisted in shock, unable to hide his discomfort. At that moment, Hwi-gang stood up and Jung-jae had to tilt his head back to look up at him, considering the height difference of almost a head. Feeling a strange sense of humiliation, Jung-jae subtly lifted his heels to compensate.