He knew exactly who she had met and what the conversation had been about, but he still asked anyway. Seol-ah hesitated, debating whether, to tell the truth about running into Jung-jae or simply say she’d gone to the restroom. It didn’t take long for her to realize the latter wouldn’t work—the women’s restroom was on the opposite side.

“I ran into Lee Jung-jae. He got into it with Assistant Manager Choi, yelled something about quitting, and stormed out. Then he called me. I wasn’t going to answer, but given the situation, I stepped out to take the call, and I saw him at the end of the hallway. So I just hung up and went over to talk to him.”

“I see. And then?”

Hwi-gang asked casually, pressing the elevator button. Seol-ah recounted everything Jung-jae had said, from his mention of a possible divorce just two weeks into his marriage to his complaints about not getting a decent meal from his wife. He even confessed to missing Seol-ah’s home-cooked meals, which she had always prepared with care.

“You cook that well? Now that I think about it, I’ve never had the chance to taste your cooking.”

As the elevator doors opened, Seol-ah, following Hwi-gang’s lead, stepped inside without much thought. Hwi-gang pressed the button for the first floor, and Seol-ah, now pouting slightly, responded, “Well, you should’ve given me the chance.”

“Hm, did I really miss that?”

“Of course! Every time we met, it was always fancy restaurants or lavish room service at hotels and apartments, or you’d have a full buffet catered. Even breakfast was bread you bought and brought yourself.”

“Huh, sounds like I was the one in a submissive role, then.”

“What?”

Seol-ah looked at him in disbelief, throwing him a confused glare at the unexpected remark. By then, the elevator had reached the first floor, and once again, Seol-ah found herself being led out by Hwi-gang.

“Think about it,” he continued, a playful grin spreading across his face. “I was the one doing all the fetching and buying, wasn’t I?”

“Where are we going now?”

Seol-ah asked, realizing she had no idea what his plans were.

“We’re going to look at wedding dresses.”

“What?”

Seol-ah blinked in surprise.

“We need to hurry and get everything ready for the wedding.”

“No way! It’s work hours right now, we can’t just leave to go dress shopping. Let’s go on the weekend.”

Seol-ah insisted, turning back to press the elevator button. But before she could, Hwi-gang gently grabbed her arm.

“We have a family meeting on the weekend.”

“Then we can go after the meeting!”

Seol-ah insisted, determined. As she pressed the elevator button, Hwi-gang, with a gloomy expression, mumbled, “I already told you my grandfather doesn’t have much time…”

Hearing this, Seol-ah stopped and turned to face him, her eyes filled with concern.

“Has his condition worsened?”

She asked softly, worry evident in her voice. Hwi-gang nodded weakly, unable to hide his sadness.

“How much time? It hasn’t suddenly gotten much shorter, has it?”

Seol-ah’s face turned pale, realizing she hadn’t heard any recent updates about Hwi-gang’s grandfather.

“He wants us to have the wedding right after the family meeting. He’s feeling like his time is running out.

“What should we do? My parents are expecting the wedding to be about a month from now.”

Seol-ah replied, her voice filled with concern.

“That’s why I was thinking… could we tell them during the family meeting on Saturday that the wedding will be next week?”

“Next week?”

Seol-ah’s eyes widened in shock.

“Well, if that’s too soon, we could move two weeks later?”

Hwi-gang quickly corrected himself, realizing that next week might be too soon.

“Two weeks sounds manageable.”

Seol-ah nodded, calming down a little.

“Alright, let’s go with two weeks and make the preparations.”

“Yes, okay.”

Seol-ah responded, still processing the sudden shift in plans.

Having achieved his goal, Hwi-gang pressed the elevator button. His real intention all along had been to secure the wedding date in two weeks. Seol-ah, still unaware of his little scheme, stepped into the elevator with him and, wearing a puzzled look, asked, “Wait, did you plan all of this?”

“Wasn’t the wedding shop already booked?”

Seol-ah asked, still trying to grasp the sudden change in plans.

“I’ll move it to the evening.”

“They’re open at night?”

“If you make a special request, we can reserve the whole boutique from 8 to 10 p.m.”

Though Hwi-gang spoke as if it were no big deal, Seol-ah’s mouth dropped in surprise. It was yet another moment that made her acutely aware of the overwhelming scale of wealth he was accustomed to—a reminder that he was truly in a different league. After all, he was the heir to the LJ Group. Seol-ah sighed inwardly.

‘How long will it take for me to get used to this? Or rather, will I ever get used to it?’

“Isn’t that expensive?”

“Not really.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s not that expensive.”

Hwi-gang said with a relaxed smile as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Seol-ah didn’t know where Hwi-gang’s expensive line started.

“Oh, I thought it would be super expensive.”

“It’s not,” Hwi-gang reassured her. He continued, “So, from now on, all the wedding preparations will be done at night. What do you call it? ‘Stud-me’?”

“Studio, dress, makeup,” Seo-a corrected.

“Right. We’ll do everything at night. Starting today, we’re going full speed ahead, so be prepared.”

Seol-ah nodded, her eyes showing a newfound determination. Knowing that her terminally ill grandfather-in-law’s only wish was to see his one and only grandson get married, she felt that this level of commitment was the least she could do.

“Alright, I’ll see you after work.”

“Okay.”

As the elevator arrived at Seol-ah’s floor, she was about to step out when Hwi-gang leaned down and gently kissed the top of her head before pressing the open button. The sweet gesture made her heart race a little faster. Hwi-gang stayed in the elevator, smiling and waving as the doors closed, leaving Seol-ah with a mix of emotions.

She waved back as the elevator ascended, then quickly made her way to her desk to catch up on work. Just as she was settling in, Inha approached her.

“Hey, did you hear? Lee Jung-jae submitted his resignation.”

“Really?”

Seol-ah asked, surprised.

“Yeah, he just handed it in and packed up his stuff. Look over there.”

Inha said, nodding toward Jung-jae’s desk. Seol-ah followed her gaze and saw a large box filled with various items on top, a clear sign that Jung-jae had indeed packed up and was leaving.

‘So, he really did quit,’ she thought, feeling a twinge of sadness at the idea of Jung-jae walking away from a job he had spent three years preparing for. Despite the situation, Seol-ah chose to remain distant, deciding not to get involved.