Chapter 32: Easy to Misunderstand

‘So the weekend’s finally coming to an end.’

We had met for a late lunch and didn’t leave until the sun had nearly set.

After hours of negotiation, Jae-Ha finally got Vice President Seo to agree to let him do things his way.
Maybe he was trying to act indifferent, but I could see the happiness written all over his face.

“Thanks for today.”

“It worked out well for both of us, so don’t mention it. Are you heading home?”

“Yes.”

I nodded, already longing to get back and rest. But when I saw the car parked in front of us, I suddenly froze.

‘Oh no. I can’t drive.’

The drinks I had at lunch came rushing back to me. My apartment wasn’t too far, but I wondered if I should call for a driver.

Just as I was mulling it over, Jae-Ha spoke first.

“Secretary Han will be here soon. Ride with me.”

“That’s okay. I live nearby. And if I need to, I can just call someone.”

His offer was kind, but I remembered that his place was quite a distance from mine. No need to trouble Secretary Han when I could easily arrange something myself.

I was reaching for my phone when I heard footsteps approaching. I looked up.

Jae-Ha was already beside me, watching me like I was an unpredictable child.

“…Or I could just take a taxi,” I added awkwardly.

Suddenly, he reached out and took my hand.

I froze, my hand halfway to tapping the ride app.

Actually, it wasn’t just holding hands—it was interlocked fingers. Seeing my smaller hand completely enclosed in his made my heart jolt in surprise.

“I don’t like getting into a car driven by strangers—especially not when Secretary Han isn’t driving.”

“Excuse me? I’m the one taking the ride.”

‘I never said I was riding with you.’

It was already a given in his mind, and I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
Was he always this cheeky?

“A married couple is supposed to act as one. Of course we should go together.”

“What… You think that makes sense right now?”

‘We’re not even married yet; we haven’t had a ceremony or anything.’

There was a playful glint in his eyes that made it clear—he was teasing me.

‘Ugh. He’s doing it again.’

I glared at him. But when I tried to pull my hand free, he tightened his grip.

“This is why I avoid drinking. I knew this would happen. No taxis, no drivers.”

“I just have to press a button, you know. Besides, we live in opposite directions.”

As I was about to tap the screen, he lifted our clasped hands high in the air.

He was being even more mischievous than usual today.

I had thought our so-called marriage was purely for revenge, that I wouldn’t feel anything.
But he kept doing things that made me very aware of him.

Even now, he was staring into my eyes as if waiting for an answer. I turned away, only for him to mutter, clearly annoyed, “So stubborn.”

He voiced exactly what I was thinking, and I ignored him. Just as I tried to lower our raised hands—

“This is confiscated.”

He reached out and took my phone.

With no way to win, I finally looked him straight in the eyes.

“There you go. Finally looking at me.”

“You’re being impossible!”

Even as I snapped, he smiled and calmly said, “Didn’t you notice? We’re being watched.”

His words made me stiffen.

‘What? Who’s watching?’

I looked around the parking lot in a panic, but Jae-Ha gently pulled me toward him.

Before I knew it, I was in his arms.

“Not around us. Look at me.”

His low voice rumbled above my head.

We were so close, I could barely breathe.

With our bodies pressed together, he looked down at me, amused by my wide, startled eyes.

“We need to make it believable—for the elders.”

“…How?”

I felt his hand slide around my waist, firm and grounding.

My whole body tingled from the contact, my pulse pounding louder than ever.

“Hmm.”

With a sly smile, he lifted his hand to cradle my cheek. He tilted his head and slowly leaned closer, his gaze dropping to my lips.

“What do you think we should do?”

Time seemed to slow, stretching that moment into a thousand heartbeats.

So close.
So dangerously close.

Overwhelmed by his intense gaze, I shut my eyes tight.

—Thump. Thump. Thump.—

My heart felt like it might explode.

And then—the sound of a car engine broke the silence.

I slowly opened my eyes.

“They’re gone.”

Jae-Ha let go, and the tension that had gripped my body finally eased.
I staggered slightly as I backed away from him, gasping for breath.

“Ahem!”

A sudden cough made me flinch and spin around.

Secretary Han was standing nearby, having arrived unnoticed.

“What are you two doing?” he asked with a smirk.

—

We sat in silence in the back seat on the way home.

From time to time, Secretary Han glanced back at us through the rearview mirror, but the awkward tension in the car still lingered.

Even after bothering to come all the way to my doorstep, Jae-Ha simply said, “Have a good weekend,” and left.

Unlike me, who couldn’t bear to look him in the face, he had a relaxed smile.

And just like that, the weekend ended and a new week began—but my mind was still a tangled mess.

Worse, every time the memory of that day resurfaced, the spot on my cheek where he had touched me would flush warm.

—-

“This is driving me crazy.”

I cupped both cheeks, which were heating up again.

Every time I recalled what happened that day, I wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

Even though someone from the vice president’s side was right there, we were close enough that it could have happened.

No—if it hadn’t been for the sound of the engine starting, it really might have…

The thought alone made me dizzy.

“This wasn’t supposed to get emotional.”

The problem was that I kept letting my guard down around Jae-Ha.

This directionless, drifting heart of mine—it felt like it was going to cause a disaster soon.

As I sat at my desk in the programming department, clutching my head, Senior Yeong-Joon approached and asked, “Aren’t you heading to the shoot?”

He had just returned from the pre-recording for the 9 o’clock news.

I guess it was almost my turn.

“Oh, right. I should go.”

I jumped up and grabbed my script. He looked at me, puzzled.

When I entered the news studio, I saw a group clustered near the cameras.

At the center stood Seo-Rin.

She seemed to be chatting with staff members she was close with.

“Really? Sounds like a proposal’s coming soon.”

Seo-Rin blushed and giggled bashfully at the cameraman’s comment.

“I think so. Oh—but Director, it’s not official yet. You know, right?”

When Seo-Rin coyly said it was a secret, the director and staff chuckled.

“Of course, I won’t say a word. So that’s why you’ve been abstaining from alcohol—to get married?”

“Yes, that’s part of it. And, well, I can’t drink anymore for other reasons too.”

As I set my script down on the desk, eyes briefly turned to me—then just as quickly looked away.

Seo-Rin practically announcing her marriage to everyone like it was breaking news was absurd.

“And yet she conveniently leaves out the fact that her fiancé was my ex.”

I turned my gaze away from her shameless display and opened my script.

“Fine, go ahead and brag.”

There weren’t many days left for Seo-Rin to bask in joy like this.

Until then, I planned to let her do as she pleased.

“When did you two start dating?”

“Yeah, I had no idea. When did the secret relationship begin?”

“Oh, it just kind of happened. You know how people talk…”

The conversation got more and more ridiculous.

Seo-Rin’s syrupy voice needled at my ears, setting me on edge.

“I just didn’t want to be a burden on my fiancé’s career. I guess I kept quiet too long. I’m sorry.”

It was almost like she wanted me to hear her.

“You all understand, right?”

The unpleasant title made me lift my head—and I locked eyes with Seo-Rin, who was staring straight at me.

I thought I’d grown numb to the constant parade of humiliations, but apparently not.

The smug expression on her face, full of a woman basking in love, made my stomach twist.

Where had she left her conscience?

“Of course, of course. You’ve got our congratulations.”

“Congratulations.”

“You’re going to be a great wife, Seo-Rin. Your husband-to-be is a lucky man.”

Glancing at the clock on the wall, I saw there was still time before recording started.

As I stood up to close my script, my phone vibrated on the desk.

“Who could it be?”

I would’ve preferred it to be Jae-Ha.

But the name on the screen—Seo Ji-Han—sent a sharp pain through my head.

What impeccable timing.

A call from someone I neither wanted to see nor hear from, as much as Seo-Rin standing right in front of me.

I almost rejected the call. But seeing Seo-Rin flaunting herself changed my mind instantly.

“Hello?”

I wanted to see the look on her face when she realized her fiancé was calling me.

—“Can you talk?”

Ji-Han’s voice was so casual, it was as if he’d forgotten we were no longer engaged. I fought to keep my face neutral, turning my body slightly so Seo-Rin could hear.

“Seo Ji-Han. Get to the point. I’m about to start pre-recording.”

I made sure to emphasize his name, and Seo-Rin’s head whipped around.

—“You got the message, right? Chairman Seo is back.”

So that’s what this was about.

As soon as he said it, I remembered the call I’d received from Pyeongchang-dong (“Beverly Hills of Seoul”) the day before.

Just one line from Chairman Seo: “Come to the house.” Then he hung up.

—“He has called everyone to gather today.”

Chairman Seo had been in the U.S. for a major contract. If he was calling everyone back, it meant he knew everything.

“He must have been briefed—from the broken engagement to the failed merger.”

Even Ji-Han sounded tense, like he was preparing for battle.

It was time to bring this suffocating relationship to a definitive end.

“I know. I already spoke to him over the weekend.”

—“Right. I’ll come to the station so we can go together.”

“I don’t think so.” I scoffed at how naturally he still spoke like we were a couple.

“We’re not in that kind of relationship anymore—“ I was about to cut him off, but then I caught Seo-Rin staring directly at me.

Smiling coldly, I deliberately softened my tone.

“Don’t keep the chairman waiting. Go on ahead.”

—“……”

“Did you bring it? On a day like this, you should be prepared.”

—“Bring what? Don’t tell me… blood pressure meds?”

Chairman Seo’s high blood pressure often led to fainting spells.

Though I hadn’t said it outright, Ji-Han caught on instantly. And with the news about my wedding to Jae-Ha sure to come up, I genuinely worried for the chairman’s health.

As I fell silent, his voice came low and serious through the receiver.

—“You’re really going to end things with me?”

Something about his tone seemed to register with Seo-Rin—her brow furrowed deeply.

She must have sensed this was a family matter.

“We’ll talk there. I have to start recording now.”

With that, I hung up.

No matter how loved Seo-Rin was, she still couldn’t reach the Hojin family.

But after today, I would make sure even that high threshold no longer stood.

I smiled faintly as I saw the flicker of fear in Seo-Rin’s eyes. Perhaps she feared we might get back together.

“Shall we get ready to record?”

I turned to the gathered staff and smiled brightly.