CHAPTER 20 – Proposal (Part 1)

As Seoyeon received the large bouquet of flowers, a smile spread across Sehyun’s face. She looked at that face and spoke in a dry voice.

“Have you had lunch yet, Sehyun?”

“Ah, no. I was nervous, you see.”

Interrupting Sehyun, Seoyeon called for Director Chung.

“Director  Chung, do you mind if I have another employee check the condition of your new bag?”

“Of course. Go ahead, Manager Yoon.”

Director Chung winked as she said this. Hearing the words, “It’s a good time, it’s a good time.”, Seoyeon looked back at Seongmi.

“Seongmi, I’ll go eat first. I’ll leave Director Chung to you.”

“Okay, have a good meal.”

“Can you please leave the bouquet at my desk?”

Seongmi quickly took the bouquet and Seoyeon walked ahead and said to Sehyun,

“Get up, let’s have lunch.”

Sehyun straightened his bent knees and apologized to the people around him. Cheers and applause were heard from a few people in the store. Seoyeon opened the door without looking back.

It was not a long walk from the store to the hotel, but the wind was blowing strongly. The wind blowing between the buildings was fierce. The chilling wind penetrated through Seoyeon’s shirt, as she did not have a coat.

‘I thought it would be fine without a coat since it’s just a few steps from the hotel, but the wind is biting.’

Suddenly, the voice of the woman who had bought her father’s tie came to mind. The face is now blurred, but she would recognize her if they met, as she usually does not forget people.

“Seoyeon, you must be cold. Here, take this.”

Sehyun made a gesture of taking off his coat. He seemed genuinely trying to give it to her. If Seoyeon hadn’t entered the revolving door first, he might have done so.

“Jjajangmyeon, is that okay?”

Seoyeon said as she walked ahead. She heard a response of “Okay, that’s fine,” but she didn’t look back. With each step, her anger was rising.

How dare he come to the store. Has he forgotten what he did to me? I wanted to tear off my ears from the sound of the two of them moaning. Did he come to find me right after breaking up with Haewon?

She couldn’t even tell where her anger started and where it ended.

It had been less than two months since they started dating officially, and he had already cheated on her with his half-sister. He was exposed but didn’t even know it. He had confidently confessed his love for Haewon. After that, he had delayed the breakup. He had made an embarrassing remark at the New Year’s party. The love he had for Haewon which he claimed to be willing to risk his life for, he had easily broken up. And now, he had the audacity to come back to Seoyeon.

Fury swirled around Seoyeon like a tornado. That’s why she kept walking forward, her destination being the Chinese restaurant. A room where they could be alone.

She didn’t stop walking until she reached the top of the stairs and stood in front of the Chinese restaurant on the second floor. The manager greeted her with a polite bow.

“Two people, do you have a room available?”

“The private rooms have an extra charge, is that okay?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“Seoyeon, why are you walking so fast?”

Sehyun, who had followed behind, said, panting.

“I’ll have you seated in a moment.”

The manager went inside. 

“Are you really that angry?”

Sehyun asked hesitantly, but Seoyeon didn’t want to answer, keeping her gaze ahead.

“Can you accommodate six people for a meal?”

A voice that brushed against her spine was heard. Seoyeon slowly turned her head. Dojun and his secretary staff were standing there. Seeing Dojun, Sehyun stepped forward and greeted him.

“Ah, CEO Hwang. We meet again. At the New Year’s party… you remember, right?”

Dojun merely nodded his head slightly. At that moment, an employee came forward and said.

“Ah, yes, CEO. The Maehwa Room is available. Let me show you the way.”

Dojun walked past with an indifferent expression. As the manager came out, he bowed deeply to Dojun, then turned to Seoyeon.

“Your seats are ready.”

“Two orders of jjajangmyeon, please.”

After placing the order, a server poured jasmine tea and quietly closed the door as they left.

“That bastard is still annoying.” 

Sehyun muttered as he spread his napkin over his lap. During this time, Seoyeon was staring blankly at the garden beyond the glass wall, trying to calm her anger.

In nearly thirty years of life, she had never been upset about a man, but now, so late, she wondered what was wrong. 

Was this my unlucky year? 

She sighed and looked up, her eyes meeting Sehyun’s, who had been watching her cautiously.

“Seoyeon.”

The frustrating thing was that Sehyun was truly sincere. In the beginning, when they were set up, he had looked at her with the same adoring eyes as he did now, desperately in love with her.

“Sehyun. I’ll say this one more time.”

Seoyeon looked at Sehyun as she spoke.

“Don’t contact me. Don’t come to find me. Don’t call my name casually. I have no intention of seeing you again, and I don’t want to run into you by chance.”

This wasn’t a children’s song that needed to be repeated over and over.

“I know. That you don’t want to see me. I understand your feelings completely. But, Seoyeon…”

“The name.”

“Ah, sorry. Ms. Seoyeon.”

Sehyun corrected the form of address, with a slightly sad expression.

“Ms. Seoyeon… Sigh… Why do you feel so distant? Right, I know it’s all my fault. But, Seoyeon, I mean, Ms. Seoyeon.”

Under Seoyeon’s cold gaze, Sehyun moistened his lips and crumpled and uncrumpled the napkin.

“When Haewon told me we were breaking up, I was happy. I felt relieved. And then I thought of you. That’s when I realized I’ve always had eyes only for you. From the beginning, it was you, and until the end, it will be you.”

As Seoyeon remained silent with a frigid expression, Sehyun pulled his chair closer and continued.

“You know, I was truly sincere with you. I waited for almost a year for you to open your heart. I didn’t even show that I was burdened, just waited. But even after we agreed to date officially, you didn’t accept me.”

After agreeing to date officially, he immediately tried to be physically intimate. He had made excuses and tried to sleep together, saying he just wanted to get to know her slowly. Sehyun rubbed his face and spoke in a pitiful tone.

“It’s because I was so tired, so tired. I wanted to be loved, I wanted to be comforted.”

A bitter laugh escaped Seoyeon’s lips. They hadn’t been in a relationship for long, and in less than two months, he had cheated because she wouldn’t sleep with him. Saying he was tired of not being loved, he had an affair. It was something a passing dog would snort at.

“Do you think that’s a valid excuse?”

“I know. It’s not an excuse. I know that.”

At that moment, a knock was heard, and the door opened. A bowl of delicious-smelling jajangmyeon was placed in front of them. It was the same jajangmyeon she had enjoyed so much that day, but she didn’t want to touch it now. She picked up her chopsticks and looked at Sehyun mixing the jjajangmyeon.

“I have something to say, too.”

Lee Sehyun was the kind of person who would interpret anything you said the way he wanted to hear it. If he’d had any consideration for her in the first place, he wouldn’t have barged into her workplace, and with someone like him, persuasion and conversation were useless.

“The day you said you wanted to break up, the day you came to the hotel and said you loved Haewon.”

“Mm.”

Sehyun nodded his head and leaned forward at Seoyeon’s words.

“I recorded the entire conversation that day.”

Instead of mentioning the dashcam footage, which could lead to a counterattack from him, she decided to use the recording. Sehyun’s body stiffened. Seoyeon looked him straight in the eye and said,

“Never contact me or come to see me again. If you show up like this one more time, I can play it for both our parents anytime.”

Sehyun’s mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t find the words and closed it again. Seoyeon stood up from her seat.

“I’ll be going now. Please finish your meal.”

I hope this is the end of it. 

Seoyeon let out a long sigh as she opened the sliding door and stepped out.