Was That Your Type?
With the Royal Center at her back, Seol-hye let out a faint breath and started walking toward the familiar luxury car.
She didn’t remember deliberately holding her breath, but the moment she stepped out of the building, the air felt noticeably lighter in her lungs. It must have been because of that unexpected little scene.
Finally reaching the rear passenger door, Seol-hye found herself smiling faintly without meaning to. To call getting slapped in front of who-knows-how-many eyes a mere “scene”… even she had to admit it sounded ridiculous.
Just then, the driver’s door opened and a sharply dressed man stepped out.
It was Min Ha-jun, Su-ran’s boyfriend. Su-ran had sent her here after some issue came up at the foundation and asked him to pick her up.
In the three years since she’d entered the Kang-an household, the staunchly single Su-ran had gone through four men that Seol-hye knew of. Ha-jun was probably the one she’d kept around the longest.
He was no longer active, but having once been a fairly successful idol, his exceptional looks were likely a big part of it.
“Sorry I’m a little late.”
“Oh, come on! It’s fine. No need to apologize between us.”
Seol-hye gave a polite nod to Ha-jun as he took the shopping bags from her hand and held the rear door open, then climbed into the car.
She paid little attention to the overly affectionate tone and courteous manner he displayed, as if they were particularly close.
The only thing that bothered her was the strong cologne filling the car. She pressed her palm over her nose. It was the perfume Su-ran had ordered for him not long ago, claiming it suited his taste.
“Huh?”
The door that had been about to close suddenly swung open again. As Ha-jun leaned in and asked his question, Seol-hye’s lips parted slightly.
“Wait a second! What happened to your face?”
It seemed the redness on her still-stinging cheek was still visible. She hadn’t spoken with Ha-jun many times, but she had always thought he was unusually perceptive.
Once, when a drunken Su-ran had thrown a glass at her in a fit that could hardly be called one, he had swiftly stepped in and caught the flying tumbler in midair. That was when she realized that, beyond having the agile body of an idol, he was also quick-witted.
“It wasn’t someone hitting you, was it?”
“Mr. Min Ha-jun.”
Only then did Seol-hye, startled by how close he was, finally react. She made no effort to hide her displeasure.
“Whoa? That mark looks like it was scratched by a fingernail.”
Her face darkened at the unfamiliar discomfort. When Ha-jun tilted his head and reached toward her cheek, she cut him off sharply.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Ah, sorry. I told you before, didn’t I? You look just like my first love.”
Only after Ha-jun closed the door with a bright, teasing smile did Seol-hye finally release the sigh she had been holding back.
Before long he was back in the driver’s seat, and she could feel his gaze through the rearview mirror. She ignored it, staring fixedly out the window instead.
“No, I’m not lying. You two are seriously identical. Every time I see you, I can’t help but act all friendly without realizing it.”
She remembered the first time they met at the mansion half a year ago. He had grabbed her and called her by another woman’s name.
His face had turned bright red all the way to his neck, and the shy smile he wore had left her in an awkward spot. She couldn’t exactly show open disgust.
She had forgotten about it since there was no need to dwell on it, but no matter how many times she told him he was mistaken, he refused to believe her. It had been quite a hassle.
She had simply assumed she must resemble that woman a great deal and let it go.
After that, whenever they ran into each other he would act overly familiar, as if they had known each other for years. Still, it had never felt this unpleasant before.
“Hey, we’re the same age. Can’t we at least be friends?”
“If you keep this up, it makes me uncomfortable.”
“Man, you’re so cold.”
When Ha-jun made a visibly hurt face and closed the door, Seol-hye briefly wondered if she had raised her voice too much.
Had the incident at the center earlier made her unusually sensitive?
“If it’s because of my sister, then at least when it’s just the two of us, you can relax. Yeah?”
Deciding it would be better to make things clear once and for all, she chose to maintain the unintentionally stiff attitude.
“I’d appreciate it if you would start driving.”
“You’re way too icy. I bet your nickname in school was the Ice Princess or something.”
Seol-hye shifted her body so it wouldn’t appear in the rearview mirror where she could feel Ha-jun’s persistent gaze, pressing herself all the way against the window.
As she raised the slightly lowered glass, the car suddenly lurched forward with a loud exhaust rumble. The rush of wind that hit her cheek stung sharply.
The sudden prickling pain was enough to make her frown. The belated ache felt especially intense in one spot. It seemed there really was a scratch from a fingernail there.
Suddenly, Han Sun-joo’s face flashed in her mind. The woman who had looked ready to grab her by the hair when Seol-hye suggested she might not be an enemy after all.
Along with the appearance of Sun-joo’s mother, Madam Bok, who was known for wielding enormous influence in the chaebol world.
How could someone’s expression change so completely in an instant? The shock had left goosebumps all over her arms.
She didn’t know the details, but there must have been some reason behind it.
While she was lost in these tangled, unnecessary thoughts, the car left the bustling city behind and the road leading to the mansion came into view.
It should have felt familiar by now, yet the unique atmosphere of the estate still felt foreign. It made her think that, just as Han Sun-joo had said, some of her own words had come dangerously close to nonsense.
Her resolve had been built on nothing but the single-minded belief that whatever Chairman Kang wanted was her duty to carry out.
She had even boldly declared that she could arrange a direct confrontation with Kang Tae-yul.
It was late in the evening when she hurried over. Just as she had texted ahead, Seol-hye headed to the study’s conference room.
After explaining the upcoming schedule for several minutes, she stopped speaking.
“Young Master Kang Tae-yul?”
He had been sitting with his long legs crossed. Only then did he slowly lift the gaze he had kept lowered the entire time.
“I’m listening.”
His expression was extremely displeased, and the irritation in his voice had been constant since the moment she entered the conference room.
“Ha.”
He let out a long, heavy sigh. She tried to read the emotion in his unwavering stare but couldn’t quite grasp it.
“Is there something I said that made you uncomfortable?”
“Image making. Volunteer work, donations, and what else was it?”
“Interviews.”
“It’s all for me, so why would any of it be uncomfortable?”
Seol-hye found Tae-yul’s tone, which carried no trace of sincerity, slightly unsettling. Still, she lowered her eyes back to the tablet to finish delivering the rest of the information.
For some reason, the way he had been stroking his jawline earlier lingered in her mind. His expression today felt strangely unfamiliar.
If only he would just say what was bothering him. The vague tension made her feel as if she had done something wrong.
“Are you finished?”
“Finally, I’ve arranged the meeting with Ms. Han Sun-joo in a quiet location. The schedule is set for seven o’clock this coming Saturday evening.”
“That’s enough.”
His thoroughly indifferent response was followed by him shoving his chair back and crossing his legs the other way.
“Since when have you been going around leaving marks like that everywhere?”
The abrupt remark made him rise from his seat.
He hadn’t even taken a step toward her, yet her shoulders instinctively drew inward.
“Now you’ve even started dragging around some lowlife punk.”
Ah. He must be talking about Min Ha-jun, Su-ran’s lover. They had gotten out of the car together in the parking lot and walked side by side until their paths split.
“Or is it just that I’m the only one who sees it?”
Wondering what he meant this time, Seol-hye blinked and straightened her back to put some distance between them.
This time he stretched out his unusually long legs and turned his body fully toward her.
“Or are you just hiding it from me?”
The oppressive atmosphere made it hard for her feet to move.
“They say the talent for bewitching men is something you’re born with.”
His piercing gaze bored straight into her. The corner of his mouth twisted crookedly, as if something had thoroughly ruined his mood.
His unusually bright eyes seemed filled with an uncontrollable rage.
She couldn’t begin to guess what emotions had seized him or what he wanted to say. And then—
The breath that followed his words brushed against her ear with a roughness that bordered on violence.