Chapter 20
Go Dohun wanted to marry her because of Lee Sung?
The betrayal surged up again, but it was meaningless. No point in being angry now.
“Please leave me out of this. Go Dohun, did you cancel everything about the wedding? Make sure the settlement is done properly. Just letting our acquaintances know the cancellation is exhausting enough, so don’t make me handle any of it.”
“The house sale will have to wait. The price has dropped compared to when we bought it. The market’s bad right now. Let’s wait until it goes up again.”
“For how long? Ha— did you even move out of the house?”
“I became an outcast after talking about canceling the wedding. My family won’t take me in. Told me to figure things out myself. I’ll stay in the apartment a little longer. I can’t move out until I find a place—whether it’s a studio or one-room. And I need to sell the apartment to pay off the loan.”
There was no point in threatening or pressuring Go Dohun to move out—it would only drain her energy.
“You know I put in more loan money than you, right? So while you’re staying there, you pay the loan interest. And once it’s sold, don’t make any excuses—just leave.”
“It has to be sold first. If we sell it cheaper, we’ll only be left with the debt, so I’m going to wait for the right time.”
“Hoo…”
She let out a sigh, and Seo Yuhra smirked and scoffed.
“Go Dohun, you’re still clinging onto something, huh.”
“Aren’t you the same? Still not over Lee Sung?”
Did it hit a nerve? Seo Yuhra hesitated, her gaze rebellious.
“It’s not lingering feelings—I just… have a lot of resentment toward him. Whatever. I’m leaving first.”
Seo Yuhra rushed out as if fleeing. Ha. She still had strong feelings for Lee Sung, didn’t she?
Why did she even do such a thing with Go Dohun? It made no sense to her. Not that she needed a reason anyway.
“If we all just went back to our original places, wouldn’t everything be fine?”
“Go Dohun. Didn’t Seo Yuhra just tell you? You should at least be clear about where you stand.”
“Jeong-ah, make sure you stick to what you said, too. Be clear about your attitude with Lee Sung.”
“What?”
Go Dohun didn’t answer and stormed out, but it felt like a warning to her. Or maybe he was just programmed to think that way.
Because her attitude and Lee Sung’s had already started to blur.
If Go Dohun found out about the erotic(?) situation going on between her and Lee Sung, it would become a disaster.
Lee Sung, who stood at the peak of this world, might fall into ruin instantly.
His clean image would be tainted, and his global prestige would be damaged.
Her mind was burdened with worry. What would happen tomorrow at Lee Sung’s house?
Should she really go? That house she used to come and go from so often now felt strange.
What if your request for help as a friend ends up destroying you?
Just then, junior colleague Nahyeon suddenly walked into the meeting room. Nahyeon had studied with her in the same fashion department during college and followed her into DIA Studio.
Since she was always dependable and hard-working, they got along well and had grown a kind of camaraderie.
Nahyeon shook her head and slumped into the seat next to her.
“Chief Gam, we have to redo the research, right? Senior Dohun told me to look into 1920s China and Japan street fashion, then just stormed out.”
“Ah, I have a compiled file. I’ll send it to you.”
Nahyeon glanced at her cautiously and carefully brought something up.
“Chief… I mean, unni. You know the studio’s been buzzing, right? After the broken engagement bomb yesterday, the director suddenly handed authority to you, and rumors are flying everywhere.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“That Senior Dohun has a flat butt, saggy nipples, billions in debt… Little things like that. But the most credible one is—he cheated. What do you think? Ah, you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to… but people keep asking me and it’s hard to deal with.”
“Just say you don’t know if you don’t know.”
“Well… I’m a little curious, too. Hehe.”
Even if she blabbed about what Go Dohun and Seo Yuhra did, it would just become gossip for others.
And if those two ever dragged her and Lee Sung’s relationship into it somehow, all the attention would be on the celebrity.
Lee Sung would become the prey. And that was the most terrifying picture for her.
No need to fall to their level.
“Let’s go with the flat butt theory for Go Dohun. Okay?”
“Ai— geez.”
Grumbling with a frown, Nahyeon scratched her short bobbed hair.
“But are you okay? For someone who just broke off an engagement, you seem totally fine.”
“I’m fine.”
“I thought maybe we should go out for drinks and I could join you in cursing him out… That kind of thing.”
“Haha. I appreciate the thought. Thankfully, I don’t need a cursing match with you.”
“Jeez. That’s suspicious. Why are you so okay…”
Yeah, why am I okay? It’s suspicious.
There was no time to be mad about Go Dohun and Seo Yuhra. Lee Sung had completely taken over her mind.
The guy who had been next to her like air for 30 years… suddenly sparked desire in her body.
Helping Lee Sung with a sexual issue? No—wasn’t it more like he was awakening her own desire? A sensation that none of her previous boyfriends, including Go Dohun, had ever stirred?
What the hell. Am I weak to temptation too?
“Nahyeon, do you think your body and heart move together? Or separately?”
“Huh? What do you mean? Wait… Are you talking about… sex? Ah—was your sex life with Senior Dohun unsatisfying?”
“Haha. What are you talking about.”
She laughed it off, but… maybe it wasn’t so wrong.
“Then… why? Hmm… This is something we should be saying over drinks. Anyway, in my case, it’s better when there’s love. If someone’s really skilled, it’s fun for a bit, but if I don’t feel the love, the pleasure feels hollow.”
“A one-night stand story?”
“Ah, haha. Is it? Anyway, I mean, the body can act separately, but for it to be perfect, the heart has to follow… right? Why are you asking? Wait… did you fall for someone? Got a new guy? No way.”
“Why not?”
“Because if you did, the director wouldn’t give you a chance. Ah, whatever. I don’t want to guess anymore. It just gives me a headache.”
She chuckled and patted Nahyeon on the shoulder.
“Yeah, don’t overthink it. Let’s just focus on our new project. Listen to Senior Dohun carefully.”
“Okay.”
Nahyeon pouted, clearly disappointed that she wasn’t opening up.
“I’ll tell you once things quiet down a bit. For now, we should focus on work, not scandals.”
“Okay, got it. Oh, by the way, how’s actor Lee Sung doing? Hehe.”
Nahyeon had been a self-proclaimed fan of Lee Sung since she first saw him in college. She always joked that he’d make it big someday.
And he did. Whenever they met, she proudly reminded him she was his number one fan.
Maybe that’s why she felt a pang of guilt.
“Oh, yeah. He’s… doing well.”
“He’s… doing well? What kind of answer is that? Hehe. Did you see his new Netflix show? His acting was killer. Detective Do was so sexy.”
“I haven’t had time. Been too busy.”
“True. I binged it the night it came out. Seriously, Lee Sung sunbae is amazing! He is that charming and edgy Detective Do. Total sexy dynamite police~! Come to think of it, Yuhra sunbae was so lucky. Even if they broke up, she must’ve experienced passionate love!”
Nahyeon’s cheeky expression made it clear that “passionate” meant more physical than emotional.
But why did she feel so embarrassed and self-conscious?
After all, the one who actually experienced Lee Sung’s love(?) wasn’t ex-girlfriend Seo Yuhra… but best friend Gam Jeong.
Maybe Seo Yuhra’s suspicions were bound to come true. Ha.
Even though she wasn’t the first to betray, it felt like she was.
Should she keep walking down the path Seo Yuhra predicted?
“Help me… as a friend.”
Why did those words make her give in so easily?
Helping as a friend… felt too raw and… too erotic.
Text Message Exchange:
—What time are you getting off work?
—Around 8.
—I’ll go to the studio’s underground parking lot at 8.
She checked her messages with Lee Sung and looked at the clock.
It pointed to 8:45.
