IDTE 09

Chapter – 09

The texture that wrapped around my entire body felt strange—it was something I had never experienced before.

For someone else, this might have been an event they’d wear something like this for only once in their life.

Soon, the bustling hands around me disappeared, and the curtains were drawn back.

“Strange, isn’t it?”

“Not at all. It looks perfect on you.”

Behind the curtains, Kim Gun was standing there, giving me a wholehearted thumbs-up.

“Thank you for saying that.”

“I don’t give empty compliments. I mean it.”

Had I ever received such wholehearted praise from anyone?

Feeling awkward and wanting to look away at the wrong moment, the dress shop staff brought over a hairpiece and placed it on me.

“The tiara completes the look perfectly.”

“You don’t need to go that far… You know me.”

“If Minha wants to do it, we do everything for her.”

The reflection in the mirror felt so unfamiliar that I wanted to disappear.

And showing this to a man I had only recently met was incredibly embarrassing.

“Oh my! The groom can’t take his eyes off the bride.”

“Yes, his eyes are practically dripping honey.”

The unexpected comment from the dress shop staff made a part of my chest tighten.

I couldn’t find a proper response, and it felt like a lump had formed at the base of my throat.

“I guess I just can’t help but keep looking because it suits you so well.”

“Oh my, he’s really devoted! I’m jealous.”

Kim Gun replied without a hint of embarrassment.

Even as I met his gaze, unable to erase the awkwardness, his expression remained relaxed.

A little later, as we left the dress shop, Kim Gun’s light brown hair and eyes stood out strongly in the warm autumn sunlight.

Dressed in a beige cardigan and jeans, he looked like an ordinary person living an ordinary life.

“You didn’t have to come all the way here. I feel bad.”

“It’s nothing. I-Hyun asked me personally. By the way, is your company okay?”

“Ah…”

I had had to take sudden half-days and full days off alternately over the past week.

My boss had given me more than subtle glares, asking why I was suddenly doing this, which made me uneasy.

But I couldn’t tell him all of this. Life isn’t that simple.

Instead of giving a clear answer, I awkwardly tried to change the subject.

“By the way, it’s my first time wearing a dress today, and it feels strange.”

“It suits you so well, I was really surprised! But it must feel a little frustrating.”

“What do you mean?”

“Usually, isn’t this the moment the husband sees first?”

I couldn’t help but let out a small smile. A question mark appeared on Kim Gun’s face.

“That person isn’t really my husband, or my fiancé, anyway.”

“But apparently moments like this are special for women.”

“So you’re surprisingly romantic?”

I silently smiled, following Kim Gun as we walked down a street lined with ginkgo trees.

The autumn sunlight was warm, and the breeze was cool. It felt unreal that my engagement would happen in just three days.

“It’s not really my place to say, but I-Hyun must be quite worried too.”

“Do you think so? Honestly, I don’t even know what he’s doing or where he is.”

“Someday, you’ll understand this side of things too.”

“By saying that, I can tell you’re a kind person.”

At that moment, I felt something squishy under my feet. Soon after, a popping sound followed.

I must have stepped on a ginkgo fruit. The rising pungent smell was terrible.

Instinctively recoiling, I heard Kim Gun chuckle softly beside me.

“Unbelievable… of all things, you had to step on the biggest one.”

“It’s fine. Strange things happen in life all the time.”

“I’d rather not experience something like this.”

“Ha ha, sorry. It’s my fault for suggesting this route.”

A quiet, truly peaceful autumn afternoon passed.

If only the lingering stench underfoot wasn’t there.

“Are you crazy? Have you lost it? Your mother would faint if she knew.”

It was a message from my friend Minjeong, whom I had decided to invite to this fake engagement after some deliberation.

Originally, I hadn’t planned to invite anyone to this ridiculous charade. But the thought of being surrounded by Seongjin’s men alone on the day of the engagement made me nauseous from the tip of my tongue.

To stay sane, I needed someone—someone to remind me who I really was.

As expected, Minjeong was strongly opposed.

Actually, it’s more accurate to say she didn’t understand it at all.

But it was too late to turn back. I couldn’t explain my situation anyway.

I had to keep wearing the mask of a woman headlong in a passionate love.

Where could Do I-Hyun be right now? Should I meet him awkwardly at the engagement?

In the past few days, I searched the study and other rooms in this house, but found nothing of interest.

The remaining spaces were Do I-Hyun’s bedroom and the safe in the study.

But the bedroom and safe were always tightly locked, and I had no way to open them right now.

If not here, I’d have to search inside Seongjin Capital itself, which would be far more difficult.

For a moment, I had a silly thought: maybe the safe’s password was the last digits of his phone number.

It wouldn’t hurt to try. I carefully went to the safe and searched for his number on my phone.

Beep beep—

Of course, it didn’t open. Of course—he wasn’t stupid enough to set such an obvious number as the password.

[What is it?]

Do I-Hyun’s low, distinctive voice came from somewhere.

[What do you want?]

It was coming from the phone in my hand.

Damn it. I had accidentally called him while just checking the number.

“Ah… wrong call. Sorry.”

[Did you press the safe keypad just now?]

“Well…”

[It’s 0229. Got it?]

Why was he so calm, even though some woman he barely knew was trying to open a safe in his house?

Perhaps this man really could see through all my moves.

I cleared my throat and tried to leave confidently.

“I don’t understand what you mean. I’ll hang up now.”

[You’re not good at lying, you know? Nothing special in there anyway.]

“Really, I don’t know what you mean. By the way… you’re not coming in?”

[You’re not good at changing the subject either. No. I only come when necessary.]

“You must be really busy, huh?”

[Do I have to report why I’m busy?]

“Yes, yes. I won’t say anything else. Alright? Also, I only told one close friend about the schedule. She’ll attend.”

“Understood. Prepare the venue.”

[Yes.]

A subtle silence followed; we said nothing and didn’t hang up.

“Well, I’ll hang up then.”

I finally broke the silence, and the call ended without a response.

After hanging up, I realized it had been a fairly normal exchange of pleasantries, considering the circumstances.

I could actually have a conversation like this with such a cold-blooded man.

I remembered Do I-Hyun in his white shirt, who came to the house the first time I called this number.

Then, as now, he was cold and impossible to read.

And he was likely the first person I would have to strike to destroy Seongjin Capital.

I was startled at myself, casually exchanging pleasantries with someone like that.

I snapped back to focus and opened the safe. And there really was nothing special inside. Just a single photograph.

It was an old photo of a familiar, but younger-looking boy giving a peace sign while sitting on the back of a middle-aged man.

“Did you see the floral wreaths outside? Sunjun Electronics sent one too.”

“Really? I was too busy to notice.”

Time flowed relentlessly, leaving no room to complain.

The day of the engagement arrived. From the morning, I had to place my body here and there, like a perfectly cut paper doll.

Now, sitting in the waiting room of an unknown high-rise building, I tried to calm my rapidly burning nerves.

“Are you really okay?”

“I’m just very nervous.”

“No, I mean, are you really okay with being engaged to the director of Seongjin Capital? It doesn’t make sense.”

“It’s an engagement, not a marriage.”

“If it was a normal engagement, why keep it secret from your mother too? Did he catch something on you? We should report it right now.”

I felt guilty once again toward my friend Minjeong, who had known me since high school.

“Why would a legal professional like you get involved with a gangster?”

“Hey! Someone could hear you.”

“That’s why you haven’t told your company either, huh? It shows.”

“It’s just an engagement. No need to tell everyone.”

The more I talked with Minjeong, the more I realized it had been wise to bring a friend.

In this unnatural situation, I needed something to keep me grounded.

Soon, Minjeong left the waiting room, saying she couldn’t handle it anymore.

As a quiet stillness filled the room, my chest grew tight again.

Soon, a heavy knock came at the door. The door opened silently.

It was Do I-Hyun, whom I hadn’t seen in a week.

His face had lost a little more weight, making him look sharper.