Chapter – 31
We arrived at a resort that was fairly large but worn with age.
However, I couldn’t find the courage to step inside.
Even at a glance, groups of people I wanted nothing to do with were scattered everywhere. A familiar sense of rejection rose in my chest.
“…What are you doing?”
“There are more people than I expected.”
“It would be stranger if there weren’t.”
“I know it’s under the pretext of a workshop, but Chairman Park Jin-ho must have another reason for calling me here, right?”
With a low sigh beside me, his large hand intertwined with mine.
“For now, just stay next to me. Like this.”
“What are you—!”
“This draws the least attention.”
As we walked forward hand in hand, unpleasant gazes shot toward us like arrows. Coughs laced with mockery—or maybe ridicule—popped up here and there.
“Director Do, you’re looking good.”
A middle-aged man with a rough face approached from afar.
“So this is that fiancée?”
“You’re asking when you already know.”
“They say Chairman Park invited everyone to show off your happy engagement. Guess it was true.”
His eyes traveled from my head to my toes. The look felt thick and sticky, like wet cement poured at a construction site—heavy and suffocating, as if it would harden right there.
“When did your eyesight go bad?”
“What?”
“Fix your damn stare. Or get glasses. You’ve got money, don’t you?”
“You little—!”
His large hand tightened around mine and pulled me along.
“Just look ahead.”
I never imagined Do I-hyeon’s whisper would give me a strange sense of comfort in this disgusting, unsettling space.
At the same time, I wondered whether it was right to feel relieved because of him. The discomfort only grew.
The large hall was filled with disgraceful gangsters seated around neatly arranged round tables.
Among them were a few older men dressed in hiking clothes or jumpers, trying to look ordinary. At a glance they seemed normal, but the scattered scars across their faces made it impossible to ignore.
“Alright, Seongjin family.”
Chairman Park Jin-ho, seated at the largest table in the center, stood up.
He raised one hand as if to propose a toast.
“Opportunity favors those who seize it—but grabbing it isn’t the end. After that, you take it. This year, we seized opportunities. Now, let’s go take what’s ours!”
It was a flashy toast. Impressive, in the worst way.
As I cursed internally, I felt as if Chairman Park’s sharp eyes met mine across the air.
“To Seongjin—cheers!”
Glasses clinked sharply.
Conscience is a form of intelligence. It was unfortunate that intelligence seemed nowhere to be found here.
I only pretended to sip my drink. When I looked up, I met Kim Geon’s eyes diagonally across the table.
He grinned playfully and mouthed a word.
“Trash.”
Was he thinking the same thing as me? I couldn’t help but smile.
“What’s so funny?”
Do I-hyeon’s low voice came closer than I expected, and I quickly suppressed my smile.
“You know there are a lot of eyes on us, right?”
His whisper brushed my ear, making the back of my neck tingle. He felt closer than usual.
“Director Do, introduce us to your fiancée!”
“Yeah, don’t hide her now that she’s family.”
With the heavy smell of alcohol thick in the air, people began gathering around us.
Kim Geon’s words from a few days ago came to mind:
“People will try to test the relationship between I-hyeon and you. Just respond appropriately. If things get difficult, I’ll help.”
But Do I-hyeon had told me the opposite—just stay still.
When you don’t know which side to choose, the safest answer is somewhere in the middle.
I decided to respond minimally and keep quiet.
Just as I was about to greet them, a warm hand covered mine under the table. Do I-hyeon’s hand. There was weight in it, as if telling me not to step forward.
“I recall we already gave proper greetings at the engagement ceremony.”
“We didn’t get a good look at her then.”
“You’ll see her properly at the wedding. She’s a bit nervous today.”
“Director Do already whipped by a woman? I never thought I’d see the day.”
Whispers and stares kept pouring in.
Kim Geon watched us from across the table, smiling like a child observing an interesting toy.
“So you two are really getting married?”
“Are there fake weddings too?”
“I just can’t believe it. You, Director Do?”
As time passed, the atmosphere grew increasingly vulgar.
“Miss, let’s see your face properly. Introduce yourself.”
An elderly man reeking of alcohol leaned toward my right side.
Disgust rose to my throat.
“Crazy old man.”
Do I-hyeon stood and shoved the man’s upper body. It looked light, but the man stumbled harder than expected.
“You little punk with no respect!”
“If you’re old, go home and sleep. Don’t wander around getting on my nerves.”
“Hey! Director Do!”
The mood turned ugly in an instant.
Just as I was about to stand and make an excuse to leave—
“Geon, we’re heading out first. Take care of the table.”
Do I-hyeon moved faster than I could.
He grabbed my hand and walked out without hesitation, leaving behind the stench of alcohol and filthy intentions.
I didn’t entirely hate the warmth of his large hand.
Chairman Park’s booming laughter echoed from not far away.
“Go back in.”
The distance between us in the room felt both far and strangely close.
“No need. I wanted to leave anyway.”
“Was this what Chairman Park wanted? People surrounding us and picking fights?”
“To be precise, he probably wanted it to look like I’m in love with Yoo Min-ha. Otherwise, what’s the point of the engagement?”
Ah. So that was it. For a fleeting second, I almost overthought his intentions for pulling me out.
“There’s nothing to do there but drink. I’m sick of it.”
As he spoke, Do I-hyeon began taking off his shirt.
“W-What are you doing? Why are you taking your clothes off?”
“To shower.”
“Why?”
“It’s evening. I want to rest.”
The clock showed it was past 7 p.m.
Resting wasn’t strange. The problem was that we were sharing the same room.
He walked past me and into the bathroom.
Earlier, when I’d been flustered about sharing a room, he’d said casually:
“There’s no need to start rumors that we’re not sleeping together.”
I had expected him to arrange separate rooms behind the scenes. That had been my naive assumption.
With him gone, the tension in the room grew heavier.
Outside were disgusting thugs. Inside was Do I-hyeon, who’d casually gone to shower. I was losing my mind.
Knock knock—
The sudden sound froze me.
Lately, even small noises made my body tense.
As I approached the door, a familiar voice called out.
“Min-ha, are you inside?”
I opened the door. Kim Geon stood there.
“You were startled earlier, right? There are more weird bastards here than you’d think.”
If I had followed his advice and responded more actively, would things have turned out differently?
Maybe worse. Maybe better. Hard to say.
“I’m fine. But… is it okay for you to be here?”
“Why not? It’s boring without you and I-hyeon. But can you really sleep here tonight?”
Even while talking to me, his eyes kept scanning the room.
“What choice do I have? Like I-hyeon said, separate rooms would look strange.”
“Then how about this?”
Kim Geon stepped closer.
“Sleep with me tonight. Not I-hyeon.”
