“Well, look who it is.”

“Chae Gyu-eun! It’s been a while.”

“When did you get back?”

Upon seeing Gyu-eun, those who recognised her greeted her one by one with warm embraces.

“Yesterday.”

“What? You knew?”

Jun-young asked in surprise, immediately turning to Kyung-jin.

“I reached out to him.”

Gyu-eun replied with a soft smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

“I was missing everyone and wondered if there was a year-end party. When I asked, he said there was one today.”

After exchanging greetings with several familiar faces, Gyu-eun turned her body towards Se-hyeon. Her eyes lingered on him, filled with a quiet, affectionate gaze.

Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she stepped closer, gently wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in to press her cheek against his.

“Woo, Se-hyeon. It’s been too long.”

She leaned in and whispered something quietly into his ear.

Se-hyeon responded by placing a hand on her shoulder and gently pulling her away.

“You disappeared without a word. Do you know how long it’s been?”

Gyu-eun smiled, tugging up the corners of her mouth.

“Why are you pretending to care? As if you’ve ever once wondered what I’ve been up to.”

“Who says I didn’t?”

“You jerk. There you go again.”

‘Always saying things that mess with people’s heads.’

She narrowed her eyes at him, though there was no malice in the look.

It had been three years since she left the country. When she heard Woo Se-hyeon was getting married, she fled—ran from the very idea of watching him marry someone else.

She simply hadn’t had the courage to attend his wedding.

And only now, after finally convincing herself she’d moved on, had she returned.

But it seemed that had been wishful thinking. Seeing him again like this, her emotions were anything but settled.

“Are you back for good?”

Se-hyeon took a sip of wine and asked casually.

“I’m not sure yet. I came back because of some things at home.”

The truth was, she couldn’t care less about charity auctions or fancy gatherings. The only reason she’d come was to see him.

The infamous Woo Se-hyeon—now the talk of the town. Married and supposedly so sweet it was sickening.

That’s what made her curious.

Who was the woman who’d managed to win over Woo Se-hyeon—the most emotionally distant man she’d ever known?

She just wanted to see that oh-so-great face of hers, the one that captured his heart.

“Have you… been well?”

‘Is it awful of me to hope he hasn’t been?’

Perhaps this was simply how her life was destined to be from the outset. A life in which marriage was dictated by corporate gain rather than love. A world in which emotions were a luxury and this state of affairs was accepted by all without question.

But Se-hyeon had chosen love. He had always been her best friend. Somewhere along the way, her feelings for him had quietly and naturally deepened into something more.

So when he married someone else, it initially felt like betrayal. Then came the dull ache of disappointment.

Had she been wrong to think that he might have felt the same way? Should she have said or shown more?

In the end, it all turned into regret. Ultimately, she chose to disappear from his life entirely.

“I’ve been doing well.”

Se-hyeon replied with a charming smile. He hadn’t changed at all from three years ago… and yet, something about him felt different. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on—something that irked her.

‘Is it… her influence? That woman’s taste?’

“I heard you’ve been appointed CEO. Congratulations.”

“Thanks. You should come around more often. You’ve been impossible to reach.”

To that, Gyu-eun only smiled faintly. Then, drawing closer, she tilted her head as if catching a scent.

“Wait… did you change your cologne?”

Se-hyeon had always worn the same one. A subtle, familiar scent that blended naturally with his skin. She’d even gifted him a bottle of it once or twice.

But ever since their hug, she’d noticed the fragrance lingering on him was unfamiliar.

“Oh. The cologne.”

Se-hyeon said with a quiet chuckle. Gyu-eun stared at him, searching his expression.

“Yeah, I did. Switched it—my wife’s preference.”

“……”

The words struck her harder than she expected. For the first time, the fact that Woo Se-hyeon was really married… felt real. She didn’t know what to say. Her lips parted, but no words came.

And then—

“Come to think of it, you’ve never met Ji-an, have you? I’ll introduce you. Just a moment.”

With that, Se-hyeon began scanning the room for his wife.

Gyu-eun watched him. Her throat was dry. She reached for the wine nearby and downed it in one long swallow. The bitterness clung to her tongue, making her wince.

“Hoo…”

As she watched Se-hyeon step away, Gyu-eun reached for another glass.

“You still haven’t given up, have you?”

Kyung-jin approached her, leaning in just enough for only Gyu-eun to hear his low murmur.

“You should give up. He’s head over heels for his wife.”

She said nothing. Just finished off the last of her wine.

‘Damn it.’
Maybe she shouldn’t have come.

She had a burning sensation in her chest. Was this what people meant when they said their insides were on fire? She hated how pathetic she looked, showing her emotions so openly.

She was supposed to let go.

And yet, even after three years, she still couldn’t.

She thought that keeping her distance and leaving Korea behind would put space between them, but feelings that had lasted over a decade didn’t disappear so easily.

Frustrated, she poured herself another glass of wine. However, Kyung-jin, who had been watching her silently, stopped her.

“That’s enough.”

“Just leave me alone.”

Brushing off his hand, she drank anyway, trying to calm the storm inside her.

***

Ji-an slipped out of the banquet hall, doing her best to hide the dull, stinging pain that pulsed through her with every step.

“Haa…”

The cool air in the lobby hit her lungs like ice and, for the first time that evening, she could breathe properly.

The tight, aching feeling in her chest eased slightly.

She wandered down a quiet corridor where no one passed and leaned against the wall. The chill sobered her more than she expected.

— “By the way, Yoon-young, who was that woman?”

It was Joo-ri, Jun-young’s wife, unable to contain her curiosity.

— “Heard from my husband she’s an old friend. The third daughter of C Paper Company.”

— “Someone said there was always a woman in their group. That must be her, right?”

— “Seems like it. Word is, she left the country just before President Woo’s wedding.”

Ji-an hadn’t wanted to hear it, but she heard every word anyway.

Whether she liked it or not.

And maybe it was because Gyu-eun had been playing the part of a tragic heroine all night, but Yoon-young seemed intent on whispering just loud enough for Ji-an to catch every word.

— “But why’d she leave before the wedding?”

— “Who knows? That’s a mystery even I don’t know.”

It wasn’t just the private details about his past that were hard to hear.

No, it was that woman who had truly unsettled Ji-an. The way she embraced Se-hyeon so naturally! And how intimately she had smiled at him!

Even worse, Se-hyeon had smiled back.

That smile—

It wasn’t the one he wore when they were putting on a show for others.

It was softer. Warmer. Real.

This was unlike the cold, unreadable expression he so often wore around Ji-an, which made her feel as though there was always an invisible wall between them.

What unsettled her the most was that woman’s face. Her style. Even the way she carried herself.

It was all eerily similar to Ji-an herself.

“ ‘You want me to treat you the way I treat other women? Do you even know what that’s like?’ ”

Ji-an had no idea why he had said that particular line at that moment. Shaking her head to banish the memory, she began to walk down the corridor towards the bathroom.

“Ah…”

She halted. The raw ache in her heels flared again—matching the burn in her chest.

‘These shoes don’t fit—just like everything else tonight.’

Gritting her teeth, she took another step, rounded the corner and collided hard with someone hurrying out.

“Ah!”

Her clutch slipped from her hand, scattering its contents across the marble floor. The sudden twist of her ankle then snapped one of her stilettos clean off.

“Seriously? Can’t you watch where you’re going?”

The sharp voice lashed her ears—no apology, only irritation.

‘You’re the one who wasn’t looking.’

Ji-an almost lost her temper, but managed to control herself. Instead, she took a steadying breath, lifted her gaze and found herself face to face with the same woman who had embraced Se-hyeon so tenderly.

The softness had gone, however, replaced by a clear look of irritation. Up close, the woman was even more striking: She had bold, clear eyes; refined features that seemed carved in stone; and a curtain of sleek, black hair that commanded attention.

For a moment, Ji-an could do nothing but stare, forgetting the mess at her feet.

Meanwhile, Gyu-eun crouched down to pick up her fallen clutch bag. As she stood up, she swept Ji-an from head to toe with a scrutinising look, her lips curling slightly.

A subtle fragrance hung in the air between them—the very same scent Ji-an had picked up on Se-hyeon earlier.

“I never imagined perfume would be what gave you away.”

Gyu-eun murmured, a thin, icy smile curving her mouth.

The words left an unpleasant chill. Ji-an frowned, but said nothing. She finally lowered her gaze and gathered her scattered belongings.

“Here you are. I’ve been looking everywhere.”

That warm, familiar baritone voice came from behind her.