You Keep Catching My Eye

Gong Juhee frowned, convinced her ears were deceiving her. A scorching wind tore through her mind, making coherent thought nearly impossible.

Perhaps she was dreaming. No, it had to be a dream. Han Taemin with another woman, sleeping with her, proposing to her—none of it made any sense.

Yet the couple before her was painfully vivid. The voices were too clear, too alive, to be hallucinations.

“Joo Haena, we’re not married yet.”

The woman’s name slipped quietly from Taemin’s lips.

That single name shattered Juhee’s last fragile hope that this might still be a nightmare.

That woman is Joo Haena? The same Joo Haena she knew?

Right then, the woman turned her body at an angle.

The small face hidden behind wavy curls came into view. Striking features, tall stature, a slender yet alluring figure, and the unmistakable beauty mark beside lips painted vivid red.

It was truly Joo Haena. The school bully who had destroyed her high school years.

Juhee clenched her eyes shut. The sight of the large, ostentatious bouquet in Joo Haena’s hands burned.

“Then what about her? She’s been coming and going from your house like it’s hers even though you’re not married. Am I wrong?”

“If you have a problem with it, walk away now. It’s not too late.”

“Oh please. Who said I had a problem? But when are you planning to tell her we’re getting married?”

“Soon.”

That ‘soon’ would be this weekend, Juhee thought with a hollow laugh.

Even so, she knew better than anyone that this was precisely the moment to remain calm. Experience had taught her that lesson well.

Slowly opening her eyes, Juhee lifted her phone and recorded the pair on video.

“Driver, please take me back to where we started.”

The taxi glided onto the nighttime road. Pressing her forehead to the cool window, eyes closed, Juhee let the memories of her time with Taemin wash over her.

That boy who had protected her had grown into a remarkable man. Juhee had believed his sincerity with all her heart. So when had it changed? Why?

Questions multiplied in her mind until her phone rang from inside her bag. The caller was Hye-sun.

“I’m sorry, Aunt. I’m not feeling well, so I turned the taxi around and I’m heading home.”

As Hye-sun’s nagging stretched on, Juhee thought bitterly, So that’s why you handed me the ginseng chicken soup. To clean your son’s house.

At this point, a question surfaced. Did she know about her son’s betrayal? A thin thread of hope remained. After all the years they had spent together, surely this woman would be on her side.

“Aunt, I think I’m going to receive a proposal from him this weekend. I’m pretending not to know, but I’m so excited. You’re happy for me too, right?”

She had hoped for congratulations, but the clear discomfort in Hye-sun’s voice felt like repeated blows to the back of her head.

So you knew too.

“Aunt, my head hurts too much right now. I’ll call you later.”

“We’ll talk about that later too, Aunt. I have to go now.”

For the first time, Juhee ended the call first. Hye-sun called back, but she ignored it and tossed the phone into her bag. Ten years can change mountains and rivers, they said. People change too.

The years spent with Taemin and his mother flashed through her mind like a panorama. She had ignored the saying that you should never raise a black-haired beast and supported them for over a decade. Her body had been exhausted and her wallet empty, but her heart had been full.

When exactly had it all gone wrong? When had Han Taemin started treating her like she was invisible? When had Hye-sun begun treating her like a housemaid for her son?

Even now, Juhee wanted to fall to her knees before them, cling to them, sob and beg. If it meant returning to the past, she thought she could do it. Being left alone, having no one left in the world, was too terrifying.

But the fog had lifted, and the truth it revealed was unbearably cruel. Only after the man she had considered her entire life plunged a knife into her heart did she realize she had been the only one desperately holding on.

Habits were truly frightening. Even after staying up all night, her eyes still opened at six in the morning.

Juhee burst into Seo Yeji’s snack shop before it had even opened. The only person she had left now was Yeji.

Using poor health as an excuse, Juhee took her first personal day. While waiting for Yeji, she left her contact information on Joo Haena’s social media. Given Joo Haena’s personality, she loved tormenting people face-to-face, so she would surely reach out. Juhee also emailed her former superior in preparation for leaving Seohwa.

Soon the door opened and Seo Yeji appeared, breathing hard. The moment she saw Juhee’s face—pale beyond exhaustion—she exploded.

“It’s because of Han Taemin, isn’t it? Don’t tell me he actually has a problem down there? Or is he some kind of pervert? Does he make you do weird stuff? Whips and handcuffs…?”

“It’s not that.”

Juhee cut her off.

“Then what is it?”

“It’s nothing much. Just that Han Taemin betrayed me.”

“What? That’s nothing much—wait, what?”

In the calmest voice she could manage, Juhee told Seo Yeji everything that had happened the night before. She tried not to cry; crying would only make her look pathetic. But the tears kept rising anyway. Seo Yeji watched with pity as Juhee kept wiping her reddened eyes with the back of her hand.

“Gong Juhee, sometimes you just need to cry out loud. Keeping it all inside will make you sick.”

“I don’t want to. Why should I? I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Han Taemin is worse than that bitch Joo Haena! He acts like some noble scholar from the Joseon Dynasty, but then pulls this cowardly crap? After everything you did to help him succeed, he throws away his perfect wife?”

Seo Yeji shot up from her chair and rolled up her sleeves, looking ready to storm out of the shop.

“Lead the way, Gong Juhee.”

“Where?”

“Where else? We’re marching into Han Taemin’s company, raising hell, and destroying Joo Haena.”

Seeing her friend rage on her behalf eased some of the sorrow in Juhee’s heart.

“If I throw a fit at him and go after Joo Haena, what changes? She’ll just enjoy my humiliation and spread it all over social media. And Taemin will shake off any guilt and feel relieved to be rid of me.”

Juhee’s calm words left Seo Yeji speechless.

“So you’re just going to let those two bastards go?”

“No.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“What am I going to do? It’s either the grave or the island.”

Seo Yeji, unable to follow, asked again.

“My brain isn’t as good as yours, so I don’t get it. What’s the grave?”

“Giving Taemin one more chance.”

“Gong Juhee, you’ve completely lost it.”

Juhee gave a small smile at her friend’s horrified expression. She wasn’t exactly in her right mind right now.

“The grave is off the table. What’s the island?”

“Revenge.”

“Ooh, I vote for the island! But how are you going to get revenge?”

Seo Yeji’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“I’m going to succeed spectacularly and live well. Well enough to make their stomachs twist with jealousy until they writhe on the floor.”

The proper way to take revenge was clear. The problem was whether it was possible. How could she possibly rise higher than Joo Haena, born with a golden spoon, and Han Taemin, who was racing up the ladder of success?

A deep sigh escaped her at the vague prospect when her phone rang with an unknown number. After a moment of hesitation, Juhee answered.

“This is Director Kang Han-seok, serving Chairman Yang.”

Although she had worked at Seohwa Motors for seven years, this was Juhee’s first time at Seohwa Group headquarters. She had made it here somehow, but her vision was blurry and her head spun.

She needed to rest a moment, but the lobby was crowded. With no other choice, she headed for the emergency stairwell. The moment the door closed, she collapsed onto the stairs, buried her face between her knees, and closed her eyes.

She stayed like that for several seconds until the sound of the emergency door opening made her lift her head weakly. She let out a sigh.

It was that man again. Yoon Jeha.

Despite her less-than-welcoming reaction, he approached without concern, crouched down, and met her eyes at the same level.

“Hello, Princess.”

She wanted to snap at him not to call her that, but she had no strength left. Come to think of it, the fact that she had made it this far in one piece was impressive enough. She sent him an intense silent plea to leave her alone.

“What brings you here, I wonder.”

Yoon Jeha asked casually, smiling brightly. She hated this strange standoff, hated how he matched her eye level, hated those eyes that seemed to see right through her. She hated everything about this man.

“Did you come to see Grandfather?”

Why should I tell you? You’re not my boss yet, are you?

Juhee swallowed her sharply twisted retort and staggered to her feet. Yoon Jeha frowned as if he had seen something unpleasant.

“It’s the thirty-ninth floor. You weren’t planning to walk up, were you?”

Instead of answering, Juhee bowed politely at the waist and turned away. From behind her, a long arm reached out. Yoon Jeha had moved behind her at some point; he grasped the emergency door handle and opened it for her with a smooth motion.

Why did this man keep doing things like this for her? One moment he seemed kind, the next he tormented her, then he was kind again.

Too tired to argue, Juhee simply looked at him with exhausted eyes. He let out a short laugh.

“I’m a bit of a gentleman.”

She couldn’t tell how much Yoon Jeha—Han Taemin’s friend—knew or how much he was pretending not to know. If he knew everything, she would look like a fool. If he was pretending, she would look pathetic.

“Don’t run off. Follow me.”

With a sense of resignation, Juhee followed behind him. Everyone in the lobby stopped to greet him as he strode across it with his long legs. Whether he was acknowledging their greetings or simply smiling for no reason, a light seemed to radiate from his face as he gave a faint smile.

Juhee had heard the rumors. Perfect face, perfect body, even better aura. His photos circulated on social media like those of a celebrity, and overseas luxury brands competed to sponsor him.

She could see why. A man who lacked nothing in any way would naturally overflow with confidence—bordering on arrogance—and possess a magnetic charm.

Yoon Jeha, you really have it all. The world, and everyone in it, lies beneath your feet.

The place he led her to was not the elevator but the employee café located in the lobby.

“One Earl Grey milk tea, please.”

Jeha took the milk tea from the staff and held it out to her.

Why? Juhee’s questioning gaze remained fixed on him as his eyes lingered persistently on her face.

Her bloodless, pale complexion. Eyes that had lost their light, pupils unfocused. Dry, cracked lips. A small frame so fragile it looked like it might blow away with one breath.

“Thank you, Representative.”

Even the small hand she weakly extended was so pale and translucent that the veins showed through.

After accepting the milk tea, Juhee bowed once more with perfect courtesy and headed for the elevator. Even after her precarious silhouette disappeared inside it, Yoon Jeha remained motionless.

Running into her like this kept bringing back that day nine years ago. The day he had thought he would never return to Korea, yet found himself strangely unable to stop thinking about her, wondering if he should at least say goodbye.

He had touched her round head, told her to take care, and as he turned away he had thought vaguely:

Will I be able to see you again? No, I hope I never see you again. Because if I ever do see you—not as a girl but as a woman—I feel like I might do something truly terrible.

But now…

“You keep catching my eye.”

Making me want to do terrible things.