Chapter 9
The place Jae-i arrived at was an upscale Korean traditional restaurant located on the outskirts of Seoul.
The building’s roof was covered with traditional tiles, giving it an elegant and old-fashioned appearance that immediately caught her attention. From the moment she stepped out of the car, Jae-i could not take her eyes off it.
As she approached the entrance, an employee who had been waiting greeted her.
“May I ask the name of the reservation?”
“Gang Joo-won.”
The employee bowed politely and guided Jae-i inside with perfect courtesy.
“He arrived earlier and is waiting for you.”
The luxurious interior design immediately captured her gaze.
When the employee opened the closed room door, Joo-won, who had been looking outside, turned his head.
His calm gaze seemed to shimmer softly under the gently lit room, almost like an illusion.
As the employee who had guided Jae-i inside left and closed the door behind him, it felt as though the two of them had been left alone in an entirely different world.
“Sit.”
“You came early.”
Jae-i sat down and looked at him with a gentle expression.
“The traffic was lighter than usual.”
He lifted the water glass, lightly touched it to his lips, and placed it back on the table.
Even the way his throat moved as the water he had just swallowed traveled down was clearly visible.
A simple action from him somehow felt different in her eyes.
“Is there anything you like?”
Joo-won asked while casually flipping through the menu.
“I eat pretty much anything. I’m not picky.”
Joo-won’s gaze briefly shifted toward her as she continued looking through the menu.
He placed the menu, which he seemed to have only skimmed through, down on the table and pressed the call button.
A moment later, an employee opened the door and entered.
“We’ll have course A.”
After he placed the order, the employee explained the ingredients that would be used, asked about the preferred level of doneness for the meat and whether there were any allergies. Only after hearing Joo-won’s answers did the employee leave the room.
Beyond him, the garden view outside the window reflected the dim lighting and sparkled beautifully.
“Thank you for bringing me somewhere so wonderful.”
Her voice sounded slightly excited, almost like a child’s.
A smile spread naturally across Jae-i’s softened expression.
Joo-won’s eyes were drawn toward her without him realizing it.
Some kind of anticipation was clearly visible on her face.
She was the rare type of person around him whose thoughts showed openly on her expression.
What she was thinking, what she was expecting, and why she had come here—all of it was obvious to Joo-won.
She was transparent, and it did not seem like she had any intention of hiding it.
Looking at the face of a woman like that was unexpectedly interesting.
The food was even better than expected, and throughout the meal, Jae-i’s expression constantly changed as if she was expressing every flavor she tasted.
Joo-won watched her throughout dinner as if he were appreciating a piece of art.
She was like a painting filled with countless colors, each one blending perfectly together.
“Everything was delicious.”
Even without her saying it, her expression alone showed how satisfying the meal had been.
The quiet dinner came to an end, and for dessert, tropical fruits and warm tea were served.
“The words you said—that you would do anything—are they still valid?”
Without touching the fruit, he took a sip of tea and finally spoke.
“Of course.”
Jae-i’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, as though she had finally been given something she could do.
“Anything?”
At his meaningful tone, Jae-i narrowed her brows slightly.
“As long as it’s not killing someone.”
While drinking the tea that had been served for dessert, Joo-won let out a small cough.
He seemed slightly surprised by the words that slipped out of Jae-i’s mouth, but his expression remained calm.
He pressed a napkin against his lips, and for a brief moment, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth before disappearing.
“It’s not particularly difficult. Of course, it may depend on how you see it. If you don’t want to do it, you can refuse.”
Jae-i’s face was filled with curiosity as she looked at him, wondering why he was taking so long to say what he wanted.
“My grandfather is still alive. He’s my only family. He’s elderly and his health isn’t good, so he’s currently in Hawaii for recovery. Since his only grandson keeps postponing marriage, it seems he’s becoming impatient. Of course, I have no intention of getting married, and that won’t change in the future either. My grandfather is the kind of person who cannot rest until he finishes what he starts.”
His voice was firm yet plain, and Jae-i found herself staring at him as if drawn in.
She could already guess what he was about to say, and her heart began beating strangely.
“So, what I’m asking is… I want you to act as my fiancée.”
The moment she heard the words she had only vaguely imagined in her mind, Jae-i was startled.
Her racing heartbeat echoed loudly in her ears, shaking her thoughts.
The certificates she had worked so hard to earn and the professional knowledge she had gained by staying up countless nights studying—all of those things felt useless at this moment, which somehow disappointed her even more.
A fiancée?
When she thought about it, it was not actually a difficult task.
She could simply think of it as a role-playing act with a set period of time. She only had to stay by his side for as long as he wanted.
Compared to everything she had received from Gang Joo-won until now, such a performance was nothing.
Her desire to become someone who could help him had not changed.
No matter what it was.
However, she did not understand why the fact that he had no intention of marrying made her feel so drained.
It was a strange feeling—an emptiness mixed with disappointment, while at the same time feeling as though some kind of expectation had disappeared all at once.
Lost in the flow of her own thoughts, Jae-i suddenly came back to her senses.
Am I crazy?
She had no idea what kind of thoughts she had been having.
Get a grip, Yoon Jae-i.
She could not understand herself. Why was she feeling this way after only seeing him a few times?
She scolded herself for daring to hold such feelings.
But when she looked back on the past, although she had only actually met Gang Joo-won a handful of times, he had always felt familiar—as if he had been beside her in her unconscious for years.
During major turning points in her life, such as entering school and graduating, and even during her ordinary daily life, he had always existed as a clear presence in her life through his role as her guardian.
To her, he was someone she was always grateful for and curious about.
She only knew his name, yet she imagined what kind of person he was and decided on her own that he must be a good person.
He was the person who had supported her life when she had been completely alone in the world.
Without his generous support, she might not have become the person she was today.
“I told you, didn’t I? I want to be of help to you in any way I can. That’s always been true when it comes to you, sir.”
