Chapter 07
I doubted my ears for a moment.
Did I mishear? I thought he said Dan Haru. That couldn’t be.
Haru turned things over in her head for a few seconds before slowly opening her mouth.
“…What did you just say?”
“Enough with the fake Bae Da-in act. Let’s see your real self, Miss Dan Haru.”
I wished I had misheard—but no.
He deliberately spelled out my name syllable by syllable.
Haru’s mouth dropped open, stunned.
Murmurs of disbelief circled inside her mouth.
“Wh-what? How do you…?”
How on earth did he find out? From where?
There was nothing she could think of that might have raised suspicion.
She couldn’t begin to guess where her information had leaked.
She considered brazenly denying it—pretending not to know who Dan Haru was—but the look on his face showed he already knew.
That resolute expression of certainty was undeniable proof.
Faced with this unexpected turn, she couldn’t decide what to say.
“You didn’t think you’d get caught, did you?”
As he studied her face—obviously rattled—his lips curved into a smirk.
Haru swallowed hard and asked in a resigned voice,
“How did you find out?”
“I already thought something was fishy. Honestly, there were plenty of odd things about you, weren’t there?”
Well, that was true. Getting caught watching an R-rated drama in the elevator, the clothes, the makeup—nothing about her was normal.
But none of that was proof she wasn’t Bae Da-in.
And certainly not a clue to her real name.
“How did you know my name, then?”
“Just now—by chance. From your credit card.”
“Oh!”
So when he’d picked up her credit card earlier, he must have seen the name printed on it.
Of all ways to get caught—she had never imagined this.
“So what’s your relationship with the real Bae Da-in? Some kind of deal between you two?”
“Deal? No! We’re just close friends…”
“Ah, so you two are friends. And you came in her place for the blind date?”
Gasp. His guess forced the truth out of her own mouth.
She realized she had slipped and blanched, lowering her head, eyes shut tight.
Well, it was a deal, really. Da-in had tempted her with an hourly rate of 300, and she’d gone along.
In the end, it was partly her own fault things had gone this far.
“That’s new information for me,” he added.
A deep sense of doom swept over her.
She’d come to put an end to things, but it was her who had ended up cornered.
She felt saying anything more might bring disaster. A quick retreat was the only option.
“I’m sorry. It’s all true. I have no excuse.”
“I like how straightforwardly you admit it.”
“Then, since everything’s out in the open, there’s no reason for us to face each other anymore.”
Haru clutched her handbag—its zipper broken and refusing to close—and began preparing to leave.
Watching her, Ihan asked softly,
“Running away?”
“Wh-what? Running away?!”
She flared up, guilty conscience betrayed.
Yes, she had been about to slip away to escape the situation.
Ihan chuckled, lifting his coffee cup with ease.
“At least have a coffee before you go. Last time, you just walked out too.”
Despite learning the blind date had been a stand-in, he showed no anger or resentment.
If anything, she seemed the only one flustered.
He even seemed amused, a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.
Was he… enjoying this?
“Not having your coffee? Should I order you something else?”
As if she could drink coffee right now.
She simply stared at him in disbelief, then forced herself to ask what he really meant.
“Why are you doing this? Is this supposed to be some kind of punishment for deceiving you?”
“Of course not. But it’s only our second meeting—sharing a coffee isn’t so hard, is it?”
Maybe not for him, but for her, it was.
Now that she’d been exposed, even the plush sofa felt like a bed of thorns.
“Mr. Cha Seung-jae, you don’t even know who I am.”
“I don’t know much about you, Miss Dan Haru. But you seem like an interesting person.”
“…What?”
Puzzled, she stared at him. He kindly explained further.
“Every time I meet you, something entertaining happens. Life’s been dull lately, so thanks—you’ve made it fun.”
What kind of reason was that?
She hadn’t expected him to say, You’re my type. You’re beautiful. I like you. That was too much to hope for.
But because you’re fun? That was absurd.
She wasn’t some comedian.
…Well, her outfit was pretty laughable.
“Want me to be more direct?”
Maybe she still looked confused, because he leaned forward on the table, lowering his voice.
“Why do you think a man asks to see a woman again?”
He waited for an answer, but what he gave her was another question.
Why does a man want to see a woman again…?
Because he likes her? Was this an after-date? Could it mean he l-liked her?
To do what—hand her a hotel key again? Oh my god.
As her thoughts spiraled, Haru’s cheeks flushed red.
Her gaze wavered when it met his.
While she tried to mask her embarrassment, his quiet laugh tickled her ears.
“Since the last time, I’ve noticed—you catch on quickly.”
“What are you talking about? What did I do?”
“You imagined it. Just now.”
Caught again. Damn her poker face.
But he was the one who had provoked the imagination, whispering with that suggestive look.
And yet, she was the one left flustered every time.
He tossed out words so casually, playfully, while she felt herself dancing in the palm of his hand.
The more they talked, the more she felt tangled up.
Even she no longer trusted herself. She took a quiet breath.
Time to pull out her last resort.
“Sorry, but I have a boyfriend.”
Surely, this would stop him from asking to meet again.
“I never asked if you had a boyfriend.”
“…What?”
His unexpected answer left her speechless.
“Who said anything about dating you? I only asked to see you again.”
She was no match for him in words.
He stirred her emotions with talk of men and women, then at the critical moment, withdrew with a shrug.
Once again, she was left looking foolish.
“Well, it seems coffee won’t go down smoothly today either. Next time, let’s have a meal together.”
“Wait—why? Why would we have a meal? Why would we meet again?”
“Because I want to know what the real Dan Haru is like.”
His expression had lost its playfulness now. She shut her mouth.
“Consider the hotel key compensation, and just have a meal with me. Not too hard, right?”
Put that way, she couldn’t flatly refuse.
She had lost the hotel key, and she had deceived him.
Even so, the words of agreement wouldn’t come easily.
“What, you can’t because you’d feel guilty toward your boyfriend?”
She didn’t even have a boyfriend, so there was no guilt there.
She just hadn’t thought of meeting him again.
Especially not as Dan Haru, and not as herself.
“You didn’t feel guilty tricking your boyfriend and showing up in someone else’s place for the blind date?”
His smile cut right to the point.
This man was something else.
At this rate, he’d soon be demanding her imaginary boyfriend’s name and address.
Well—once is hard, but twice isn’t any harder.
She did owe him. So just once more, what harm could it do?
“…Fine. Let’s have a meal.”
“Good.”
At last, Ihan’s smile widened in satisfaction.
Nodding, he added,
“We’ll settle on the time and place later. For today, let’s leave it here.”
“Okay, then.”
Relieved, Haru got up quickly.
“Miss Dan Haru.”
At the sound of her name from his lips, she stopped mid-step.
“See you again.”
Without replying, she turned and hurried away.
Watching her shaky retreating figure, Ihan chuckled quietly.
After she disappeared from sight, he reached under the table.
From beneath his left shoe, he retrieved the hotel key card he’d been hiding.
Slipping it into his jacket pocket, a mysterious smile spread across his face.
