IDTE 07

Chapter – 07

I wanted to give him a relaxed smile, too, but instead of smiling, my lips only trembled.

“Just one question. Why an engagement? There are so many other excuses—friends, lovers, anything else.”

“An engagement is the most solid justification.”

His gaze swept past me, indifferent.

“Once we’ve caught the attention of those greedy old men, we need a real reason, not an excuse. Being friends or lovers only stirs unnecessary suspicion. But an engagement… that’s different.”

“What’s different about it?”

“It gives us the family excuse. Someone I’m responsible for, someone who will become part of the Sungjin family. Then there’s no room for pointless rumors.”

The word family caught my breath for a moment.

“And… it’s also the best way to keep an outsider close who knows our internal information. For now, it’s the most certain method. For both me and you.”

“You might regret this day later.”

He raised one eyebrow and burst into laughter.

“You’re even more stubborn than I thought. Don’t you know that the one who accepts a proposal is in more danger than the one who made it?”

He turned and headed toward a black sedan parked by the roadside.

“I’ll contact you again soon. Get some sleep—you look awful when I see you like this.”

Watching Doihyun walk away, I finally exhaled the breath I’d been holding.

Was this really the right choice? I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have any regrets. But there was no other way.

The path I chose had already begun.

“Doihyun, I’ve been waiting.”

My palms were sticky with sweat from nervousness.

Right now, I was going to meet Park Jinho, the notorious chairman of the Sungjin Group.

A name I’d often seen on the social pages of newspapers, still occasionally surfacing online like a ghost story—once leading the old Sungjin Association.

And maybe… the very person who, twenty years ago, had pushed everyone around recklessly to establish Sungjin Capital.

Doihyun, standing beside me, bowed politely.

“It’s been a while, Chairman.”

“When it’s just us, call me Uncle.”

Rising from a large, high-quality desk, he was nearly seventy but still tall and broad-shouldered—a presence that immediately made it clear he wasn’t an ordinary man.

His face looked gentler than I expected, but his eyes shone like a predator’s.

“So, you must be the lady. The lawyer, was it?”

“Yes, my name is Yuminha.”

Chairman Park Jinho’s thick hand grabbed mine firmly.

“Call me Father, comfortably. If you’re going to be Doihyun’s wife, you’re practically my child.”

I glanced at Doihyun in confusion, but he looked completely unfazed.

“…It’s just an engagement.”

“Just an engagement? Your fiancé might be a little disappointed to hear that!”

“Exactly. Nobody knows the future, after all.”

“Miss, this guy hasn’t even mentioned friends or women before, and yet here we are with an engagement. He must really like you.”

Though he seemed approachable at first glance, I could feel from his eyes that he was continuously scrutinizing me.

“Recent pointless rumors made me want to make our relationship official. That’s all. It’s a bit sudden, I know. But I’m sure you understand better than anyone, Chairman.”

“Alright. In any case, I completely welcome it.”

Park Jinho’s hearty laughter echoed.

“Thank you for fulfilling my wish, Yuminha. Now I can face your father. I wonder how Sungcheol would have loved to see this—if only he were here.”

Do Seongcheol—the early leader of the Sungjin Association—was Doihyun’s father and a close friend of Park Jinho. I already knew that.

A fleeting glance at his face made me notice a strangely dark expression.

“Let’s have the engagement ceremony as soon as possible,” Chairman Park Jinho said, and I fled the Sungjin Holdings building.

I exhaled, releasing the tension I’d been holding in all this time.

Doihyun didn’t say a word as he walked to his parked car.

His unusually sharp aura made me decide not to speak either.

“Do you want me to drop you off in front of your company?”

“Yes. Please park somewhere a bit away—I don’t want anyone to see us together.”

As soon as the car door closed, the man with the scarred face driving sped away from Sungjin Holdings.

“Just so you know, I’ll keep this strictly a secret—that I got involved with Sungjin. I don’t want to be misunderstood as some ambitious legal professional.”

“Do as you like.”

Even after meeting Chairman Park Jinho, Doihyun remained as tense and sharp as ever.

I thought: if this person were truly someone I liked, I’d be in serious trouble. A relationship would have been a complete thorny path.

How lucky that I had no feelings for him.

“Get out.”

The car stopped in an alley a few blocks from my office.

Just as I was about to open the door, his words made my heart skip a beat:

“After work, pack your things and come in.”

“Where?”

“My place.”

“Why should I go there?”

“If we live apart like strangers, there’s no point in being engaged.”

Oh no—I hadn’t thought this far.

I was so flustered by this sudden cohabitation notice that I couldn’t bring myself to say yes or no.

“I’m uncomfortable with you coming, too. Understood? Now get out.”

He gestured irritably to the car door. He seemed ready to shut it as soon as I got out.

“So, where should I go…?”

“I’ll send someone to pick you up after work.”

As soon as I was pushed out, Doihyun shut the door and disappeared.

I thought again: how lucky it was that this person wasn’t actually my fiancé.

Since I had taken the morning off, I spent the day catching up on work, and before I knew it, it was almost 7 p.m.

I had been steadily ignoring Senior Choi’s messages.

I avoided the break room, worried I might run into him. I didn’t have the energy to care about anyone right now.

All my attention was focused on going to Doihyun’s house after work.

Doihyun’s house… perhaps this could even be a good opportunity.

I could check his bedroom, his study—maybe find some minor internal information about Sungjin Capital.

And then… after that, what would I do?

“Yoo Byun, aren’t you leaving?”

“Ah!”

Deep in thought, I screamed without realizing it when a voice came from over the partition.

It was Senior Choi, looking tense.

“You alright?”

“You startled me.”

“Sorry… not leaving yet?”

“No. I’ll leave soon. I have to.”

Doihyun had said he’d send someone after work.

Who could be waiting? Sending someone who looked like a gangster near my office would be a problem.

“Yoo Byun, let’s go to the subway station together.”

I looked at Senior Choi. He was no longer a senior I could rely on.

“I think we already finished talking that day.”

“That day was my mistake… Minha, I wanted to talk to you more…”

“No, it’s fine. I’m not going to the subway with you.”

I packed my bag roughly and left the law firm. Senior Choi followed persistently as I went down the stairs.

“You have plans today? What a shame. If not, we could have had dinner together.”

We reached the first floor. I carefully opened the door.

Fortunately, there was no suspicious person. Then, who was waiting?

“Where’s your appointment?”

Despite my cold expression, Senior Choi was trying to make up for his past mistake.

But I couldn’t soften my heart. My sense of betrayal was too strong.

“Go. Someone is waiting.”

“Is it a friend you’re meeting here?”

“Senior, just go. I’m not in the mood to talk right now.”

“Since I can’t feel good about it, if there’s time before your friend arrives…”

Beep—

A horn blared from a distance.

I looked toward the sound. A white luxury sedan was parked on the main road ahead.

The door opened, and a neatly dressed man got out of the driver’s seat.

Light brown hair, fairly tall, wearing a gray knit sweater and casual pants—he looked good in it.

“Minha!”

For a moment, I thought I misheard. Minha? Was there another Minha besides me?

I stared at him in disbelief. When our eyes met, he smiled brightly—a smile that lit up the dim evening.

“This is it!”

“Minha, do you know him?”

I could hear the tremor in Senior Choi’s voice beside me.