Chapter 03
The trembling gaze fixed on the card key finally met the man sitting across from her.
It hadn’t even been ten minutes since they’d met, nor had they exchanged more than a handful of words. Yet his expression remained perfectly calm. So calm that she began to wonder if she was the odd one out for feeling so unsettled.
Is this what blind dates are like these days?
Maybe I just don’t know because I’m inexperienced, Haru thought, before quickly shaking her head.
No—his words and actions had clearly been rude.
Sure, she’d been caught watching that kind of video in the elevator, but still—how lightly must he view people to treat her this way?
Even if Da-in had been sitting here in her place, she wouldn’t have let it slide. No, if anything, she would’ve made a bigger scene.
Annoyance rising, Haru grabbed the small handbag at her side.
Just as she was about to stand, I-han beat her to it, leaning down suddenly to close the distance.
Startled, Haru froze half-risen from her seat.
“You came here planning to tank this blind date, didn’t you? So we’re on the same page, aren’t we?”
His low whisper brushed her ear, sending the fine hairs on her skin standing on end.
How did he figure that out?
Her heart skipped. And yet, the phrase on the same page irked her.
So this man had no intention of trying from the start either?
Her face flickered with mixed emotions when his next words came.
“If you cooperate, I’ll make things go the way you want. Pick up the card key, get up, and link arms with me.”
Only then did he step back.
As the scent of him receded, Haru finally let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
She neither sat back down nor fully stood, caught awkwardly in between.
Why he’d made such a proposal puzzled her, but the man clearly wasn’t going to give her time to mull it over.
He simply turned, stepping aside from the sofa, then moved closer to her side.
“Let’s go.”
The single word made her pulse quicken.
With no chance to hesitate, Haru snatched up the card and rose as though pulled along.
Just as he’d instructed, she slipped her hand through his arm.
Through the fabric of his suit, she felt the hard definition of his muscles.
Her hand, wedged between his serratus and biceps, trembled as if dazed.
As they walked forward, she suddenly felt a prickling gaze.
Scanning the room, she spotted a woman standing frozen, glaring at them.
“Oppa.”
The woman seemed to be addressing him, but he didn’t so much as glance her way.
Instead, her sharp stare shifted to Haru.
Without realizing it, Haru lifted her chin in return, trying to gauge its meaning.
Maybe it was the overly dramatic cat-like makeup, but the woman’s glare felt almost predatory. And the instant their eyes met, she flinched and backed down.
Passing her by, the two stepped outside and entered the elevator.
As soon as the doors closed, I-han slipped his arm free and put distance between them.
Haru’s hand fell, suddenly awkward in midair.
“Thanks. You saved me from a nuisance.”
Normally, that clingy woman would’ve hovered around him, but seeing him with someone else at his side must’ve rattled her.
A faint smile tugged at I-han’s lips at the unexpected gain.
“We’ll part ways here.”
At his curt words, Haru turned to look up at him.
When she didn’t immediately agree and instead sent him a questioning look, he asked:
“Isn’t this what you wanted?”
“…Yes, you’re right. This is what I wanted.”
Her belated reply made him nod. He slipped a hand into his jacket pocket.
“Give me your number.”
Haru blinked at the phone held out to her, baffled.
Didn’t he just say they wouldn’t be seeing each other again? Taking her number seemed contradictory.
“Sometimes things come back to bite me. Just in case.”
As if reading her thoughts, he added the explanation.
Reluctantly, Haru tapped in her number.
He pressed the call button, and her phone rang just as the elevator reached the first floor.
“We’ll each come up with our own excuse. It’s been a pleasure.”
With that, I-han stepped out.
Watching his retreating figure, Haru felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
It was the second time today she’d watched his back as he walked away.
As she stood frozen, her phone buzzed in her hand.
When the blind date’s over, come down to the parking garage. I’ll be waiting.
Receiving Da-in’s message, Haru headed straight for the garage.
The headlights of a red sports car blinked in greeting.
The moment she sat in the passenger seat, she asked,
“When did you get here?”
“Just now. Was gonna wait a while, but you finished earlier than I thought. Did you meet him?”
“Yeah. I did.”
Da-in fastened her seatbelt, scrutinizing Haru’s face as she replied.
“So, does that mean the outfit I picked did its job?”
“It helped, sure.”
The dim garage.
Noticing Haru’s dazed expression, Da-in leaned in for a closer look.
“Where’d you even learn to do makeup like that? Honestly, your face had more impact than the clothes.”
“Does it look that weird?”
“It looks sexy. But don’t do it again.”
When Haru shot her a glare, Da-in only grinned and grabbed the wheel.
“Where to?”
“My birthday party, for real this time. Wouldn’t it be a waste to dress up like this just to go home?”
Da-in pressed the accelerator and pulled out of the hotel.
As she steered, curiosity got the better of her.
“So what was the blind date guy like?”
“You set me up to go in your place, and now you’re curious?”
“Yeah. I skipped it ‘cause of Won-woo oppa, but I can’t help wondering. Mom said she hyped him up as this crazy good-looking guy. That was a lie, right?”
“It wasn’t.”
At once, his face rose in Haru’s mind.
Deep-set eyes, thick brows, a soaring nose, a sharp jawline—
Not a single feature out of place, as if a god had sculpted him by hand.
Perfect—that was the only word that fit.
“In terms of looks, he’s the best I’ve ever seen.”
“What? Seriously?”
Da-in’s mouth dropped open.
It made sense. Haru’s standards for male beauty were notoriously high, raised by her daily habit of watching handsome actors on screen.
For her to acknowledge someone’s looks meant only one thing.
“So you’re saying he was really handsome!”
Haru quietly nodded.
Truth be told, when she first saw him, she’d been more shocked than anything. As if she’d stumbled across her eternal ideal type.
But what good was that? She’d agreed to 3 million won for this gig and didn’t even make 500,000 before walking out.
“Just how handsome are we talking? More than that guy you met in Italy?”
“Why bring him up now?”
Haru frowned at Da-in, annoyed she’d stirred up an old memory still lingering in her chest.
“Because this is the first time you’ve praised anyone since him. Anyway, if you liked him, you should’ve given it a shot. You could deal with the fallout later.”
“No. He seemed forced into it too. Didn’t look like he wanted anything serious.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. So we ended things clean.”
Then why doesn’t my heart feel clean?
His face kept circling in her mind, his low voice echoing in her ears.
Earlier, she’d been so indignant she nearly stormed out. Now she was… regretting it? Or something else?
Disgusted with herself, Haru shook her head.
“There won’t be a next time. Nor should there be.”
The first step had already gone wrong—the embarrassing video in the elevator.
It was a doomed connection, she told herself firmly.
“By the way, how did you, Bae Da-in, quit your job and end up playing the part of a bride-in-training?”
“Oh, that? I pulled a big stunt this time.”
At a red light, Da-in stopped the car and continued,
“I got hired as the GN Media CEO’s secretary. Just temporary, filling in for someone on maternity leave.”
“What?”
“Crazy, right?”
The daughter of a conglomerate chairman, with a stellar resume to boot—why on earth would she do that?
Haru nodded emphatically, and Da-in explained,
“You know how I’ve always wanted to start a film company? I figured working as the CEO’s secretary would let me learn the ropes and get inside info.”
So that was why her parents had dressed it up as “bride training.” They couldn’t exactly tell people their daughter had taken a temp secretary job.
“Rumor has it the CEO’s insanely handsome too. Honestly, can you ask for a better work environment?”
Da-in beamed.
The light turned green, and the car sped off into the glittering night.
“Yes.”
I-han responded curtly to the knock at his office door, eyes still fixed on the document in hand.
“Sir, this is the secretary covering Ms. Im Yun-joo’s maternity leave.”
At the chief secretary’s words, I-han finally looked up.
The woman stepped forward, bowed, and introduced herself.
“Hello, sir. My name is Bae Da-in. I’ll be assisting you from today.”
For a moment, his usually impassive face betrayed a flicker of surprise.
Then, his question burst out.
“What did you say your name was?”
