Chapter 2
“Are you… insane?”
After the first arranged meeting, what Jinju heard through her mentor left her utterly dumbfounded.
Director Yoon Jae had apparently told her father that he was satisfied with the woman he met and wanted to marry her as soon as possible. He even added that there was no need for an engagement—he preferred to proceed directly to marriage.
—Master! Three times. I’ll decide after meeting him just three times.
Jinju, who had never even seriously considered dating, let alone marriage, immediately sensed that something was off from the excited tone in which her mentor relayed the situation.
Saying she would meet him three times was an excuse that slipped out instinctively, as she could clearly feel that Uncle Ji-hoon and her mentor were already pushing things toward marriage.
—Right? Then I’ll tell Ji-hoon oppa that you’ll meet him three times and decide afterward whether to marry. That’s it! A woman mustn’t just accept a man’s feelings outright. You’ve got to make him wait at least three times.
After that, her mentor began asking acquaintances about Yoon Jae’s reputation.
Yoon Jae was known as a perfectionist in his work. He was also infamous as a cold, impenetrable man who left no room for women who approached him.
Since everyone already knew he was likely to become the next executive of K Entertainment, many women openly tried to approach him—including famous actresses.
Because his work involved constant contact with entertainers, he was often at the center of major scandals. Yet he remained the very definition of a cold man: expressionless, stern, and silent.
And he was only twenty-three—he hadn’t even graduated university yet. Marriage?
No matter how she thought about it, Jinju felt it was far too early.
Trying to figure out how to shake off the persistent suitor quickly, she sought advice from her best friend Kang-ae.
—Hmm, Jinju. Men like you—proper, elegant, and pretty—tend to like women like you. So why don’t you act and speak completely opposite of that?
—Opposite?
—First, suggest meeting at an amusement park. A man in his thirties would be horrified.
—Would he really hate it that much?
—Of course. I even asked seniors before—older men don’t go on amusement park dates.
Following that advice, Jinju boldly texted Yoon Jae to meet at an amusement park. To her surprise, he agreed.
—He’s famous for being ice-cold, right? Why don’t you take the initiative and make physical contact first to break his interest completely?
Trusting Kang-ae’s words, Jinju, the moment she met Yoon Jae, imagined his waist as a log and shut her eyes tightly.
If this third meeting ends here, I can do this much.
Her hands trembled and her lips barely moved, but she forced herself to speak as if acting.
“G-great to meet you.”
He’ll probably get angry and leave now. Sorry, but I can’t help it.
Her expectation seemed to come true at first.
“Ms. Bae Jinju… are you… insane?”
His low, slightly growling voice carried a strange intensity that made her steady her breathing.
What? Didn’t Kang-ae say he would hate it?
The fingertips of her awkwardly held hand brushed against the fabric of his jacket, revealing the firm muscle underneath. She flinched but pretended not to notice.
However, what she received in return was something completely unexpected.
“So you want a European-style reunion. What exactly are you expecting?”
She tightened her grip on his suit jacket.
Hah—his face was suddenly so close she could barely think straight. Jinju froze, unsure what to do.
Raised among traditional singers in her master’s household—where propriety and etiquette were strictly observed—she was the epitome of a conservative, disciplined woman.
What is this? What am I supposed to do?
Before she could even organize her thoughts, his deep voice struck again like lightning.
“I’m quite capable of everything.”
H-Huh?! W-what is this man saying?
Her eyes widened dramatically. His face was drawing closer.
Her pupils trembled like an earthquake.
This… this isn’t how it’s supposed to go!
The information she had received from the performance circle was clear—Yoon Jae was someone who would frown and turn away the moment a woman came close.
They said he’d run away if I initiated physical contact!
Yoon Jae, his dark eyes filled with suspicion, reached a hand toward her cheek.
“Eek! N-No!”
Startled, she flailed her arms, pulled her face away, and stepped back a few paces. Her face had gone completely pale.
She frowned.
She had never met—or even imagined—a man this strange before.
But strangely… why didn’t she hate it?
Maybe because they had met a few times already?
Instead, a faint heat rose inside her, like the final breath before stepping onto stage for a performance.
Jinju simply stared up at him, eyes wide like a startled rabbit, catching her breath.
On the other hand, Yoon Jae found her reactions—each exaggerated response to his teasing—strangely entertaining.
For someone who had likely lived only listening to traditional pansori, this must be quite stimulating.
Well… she has a cute side too.
He looked at her again with a meaningful gaze. When their eyes met, he felt like teasing her once more.
“See? Even now, your eyes are scanning me, aren’t they?”
He suppressed a smile. As expected, her ears, cheeks, and eyes had all turned red.
Tsk.
“Th-That’s not true!”
Pouting, she turned away and walked toward the amusement park entrance. Yoon Jae followed at an unhurried pace.
The sky was clear, not a single cloud in sight.
Inside the amusement park, they looked around to decide what to ride first. Jinju decided to apologize for her earlier behavior.
“I’m sorry.”
“How am I supposed to interpret that?”
“Well… I thought it might be an acceptable way to greet someone who’s spent a long time in Europe.”
It was a painfully weak excuse.
In the end, Kang-ae’s sincere advice had been wrong.
What went wrong? Did I overdo it? What should I do? I need him to give up within these three meetings…
On the other side, Yoon Jae watched her, head slightly lowered in thought.
Her neat apricot-colored dress barely concealed beneath layers of lace at the collarbone. Her jawline and neck were as clean and flawless as her deep black eyes.
“What kind of rides do you like?”
“Pardon?”
“Didn’t you ask to meet here because there’s something you wanted to ride?”
—Once inside the amusement park, go for the most violently shaking ride. If she screams like crazy and her hair’s a mess, any feelings will disappear instantly.
—R-really that much?
Jinju pointed into the distance.
“That one.”
It was a giant dancing octopus ride flailing its legs wildly.
Yoon Jae frowned. The screams coming from it were intense.
“That looks like it’ll shake too much. You’ll get dizzy.”
—If he refuses, twist your body and beg in a cute voice. No man can withstand that.
Jinju decided to trust Kang-ae once more.
“I… I want to ride that one… o-oh…”
She spoke awkwardly, blinking brightly and puffing her lips slightly as she pleaded.
Yoon Jae narrowed his eyes at her.
That image etched itself deeply into his mind.
“Th-that one too.”
“Really that one as well?”
“Yes… y-yes.”
Yoon Jae tilted his head slightly.
So this is how you plan to get rid of me.
He had already realized she was intentionally choosing bizarre, violently shaking rides.
Even though she tried to look disheveled on purpose, she would unconsciously fix her hair when it fell into her face.
She doesn’t even realize it.
He pretended not to notice and played along with her plan. And to him, it was more entertaining than expected.
After riding several attractions, they entered a small rest area to drink something.
Silence lingered. He rested his chin on interlaced fingers and looked at her.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
Yoon Jae himself had been burdened by this arranged meeting, forced by Chairman Ji-hoon’s sudden insistence on honoring a long-standing promise between families.
He had attended the meeting out of consideration for his father.
He knew how deeply his father valued the relationship with Master vocalist Bae Giju and Teacher Nam Ae-sun—almost like family.
But marriage was an entirely different matter.
As he grew up, Yoon Jae had come to place little meaning in love or marriage.
Perhaps it was because of his father’s unhappy marriage and his own painful childhood.
After the first meeting, Ji-hoon had taken a hard line.
—If you don’t marry Bae Jinju this time, I will register her as my legal daughter.
Yoon Jae had argued that such a move would destroy the family with inheritance disputes, but Ji-hoon had not budged.
His voice only grew firmer. Yoon Jae refused to marry for the sake of inheritance and told him to do as he wished.
—If you go this far, do you think you can continue your directing career?
That was the final card.
Ji-hoon knew how much his son loved his work. Yoon Jae’s refusal to keep women close was also, in his view, because of his career.
The usually warm-faced Ji-hoon had grown cold.
Blackmailing him with his career made Yoon Jae’s expression twist, and Ji-hoon spoke even more sternly.
—Marry her, and I will not interfere with your work at all.
—Do you really have to go this far?
—This is the one promise I must keep with Giju.
Silence fell.
Looking at Jinju sitting quietly across from him, Yoon Jae ran a hand over his face.
After the first meeting, he had felt relieved.
If Bae Jinju didn’t want the marriage either, then his father would have no choice.
She clearly hadn’t wanted to be there in the first place.
But that night, the call from Chairman Ji-hoon had completely overturned his expectations.
—Yoon Jae, just meet her seriously three times. Jinju wants it that way.
—She really said she wants to meet me three times?
—Yes. She said you seemed sincere and had a good impression.
What is this woman?
Between marriage and his career, Yoon Jae had no hesitation—he would choose his work.
From a young age, he had studied art in Europe, attending art high school and university. Art and performance were his life.
He came to Korea to bring its beauty onto the world stage.
And now, at this critical moment, they were telling him to abandon it and join the company?
Unacceptable.
After thinking it through, he decided to accept the three meetings and gently steer Bae Jinju away from marriage.
A business-like arranged marriage was not uncommon anyway.
If he didn’t intend to marry, then perhaps they could treat it like a business deal and maintain a free, mutually beneficial arrangement.
“Ms. Bae Jinju… do you really intend to go through with this marriage?”
His expression had softened compared to their first meeting. Even his voice had lost some of its cold edge.
Father will never give this up.
He remembered Ji-hoon’s tearful expression as he recalled his final promise with Giju.
Ji-hoon had explained everything—that Giju, before dying, entrusted his young daughter Jinju to him as a final will, fearing she would be left alone.
That was why Ji-hoon was so determined to see Jinju married into their family.
The final promise weighed heavily.
Yoon Jae eventually fell silent. Breaking Ji-hoon’s stubborn resolve was impossible.
What if it’s just a business marriage?
If he persuaded her properly, maybe she—someone ambitious about her career—would accept.
After all, she had agreed to three meetings… and even suggested the amusement park for their first meeting. That could be a good sign.
He relaxed his expression slightly and looked at her.
Her face came into sharp focus, like a camera zooming in. Smooth porcelain skin, cherry-blossom cheeks, and deep black eyes filled with layered emotion.
A gaze that sparked curiosity. Mysterious, as if asking countless questions but never revealing answers.
Why was he seeing her so clearly?
After staring for a long moment, Jinju finally spoke.
“No. I don’t want this marriage at all.”
In an instant, Yoon Jae’s softened gaze sharpened again.
