-
“What? What do you mean…?”
“I’ll hang up now. I have something important to attend to.”
-
“Hey, Jun-hyuk! Jun-hyuk!”
Ignoring his mother’s desperate call, Jun-hyuk coldly ended the call and took a step forward, staring straight into Lin’s eyes.
“I’m planning to leave Korea for quite a while this time. And I wanted to try something new—with new people, in a new place.”
“Ah, I see…”
Lin forced a smile as she responded.
She was currently on a blind date.
The man sitting across from her was Oh Choong-seon—a middle-aged CEO of a mid-sized construction company, heir to a colossal fortune, and from a family with deep political roots.
The problem? He was extremely boastful.
And he was… well, not just a little, but a lot older than Lin, who was only twenty-six.
Oh Choong-seon was forty-nine.
He had been divorced twice and even had a son two years older than Lin from his first marriage.
But Lin had neither the excuse nor the authority to refuse this blind date.
Her parents—more precisely, her mother—had commanded it, and defying that command would mean the end of her life as she knew it.
“I’ve been wanting to marry a woman who is beautiful, wise, and pure. Someone proper this time. And wouldn’t you know it? CEO Hwang from Samyang told me Assemblyman Hwang Joon-hee’s daughter is just the one!”
“…”
“And when he showed me your picture—well, when you’ve lived as long as I have, you develop an eye for people. The moment I saw you, I knew. You were the one I’d been searching for. That delicate, innocent look—you seemed like the kind of woman who’d respect and honor her husband and put family first. You’re a rare find in this day and age. My ideal woman, no doubt.”
Oh Choong-seon whispered, scanning Lin from head to toe with a lewd gleam in his eyes.
“You just look so pure and naive. But also… and I don’t know how else to put this—there’s this subtle, sensual aura about you.”
Lin’s pupils widened dramatically, and she froze.
Not because of the crude, indecent remark about “sensual aura.”
But because of the man approaching from behind Oh Choong-seon—his gaze locked on hers.
No way. It can’t be… it can’t…
But completely absorbed in his own speech, Oh Choong-seon didn’t notice Lin’s reaction and went on excitedly.
“You seem like someone who’d show a different side at night. You know what I mean? Ah, do you even understand the word demure? With our age gap, I suppose I have to explain everything…”
“Then perhaps you should consider meeting someone your own age instead, and save yourself the trouble.”
A low baritone voice cut in from somewhere.
Oh Choong-seon snapped his head around.
“Who the hell…?”
As soon as Lin heard that voice, she realized it wasn’t a hallucination. Her lips parted slightly in disbelief.
“Mr. Tae Jun-hyuk…?”
At that title, a faint crack appeared in the man’s otherwise stoic face.
“It’s been a while.”
That crack formed into a subtle smile.
“Both the title—and you.”
Their eyes met, and Lin instinctively looked up at Jun-hyuk with her lips still slightly parted.
He was a man of strikingly sharp features and colors.
A straight nose running down from his forehead, full lips, and a strong jawline—the contours of his face were vividly defined.
His thick black hair, dark brows, and even darker eyes only deepened that impression.
Six years ago, he’d had a youthful freshness, but now—he exuded a strength that could make anyone lower their head.
He was famous for being scouted by numerous entertainment agencies just walking down the street—not just for his face, but for his body too.
His broad physique, already large back then, seemed to have grown even more. You couldn’t mistake the sculpted muscles beneath the fine cashmere coat.
So this is what a grown man feels like…
The mature, commanding aura that radiated from Jun-hyuk felt both familiar and foreign to Lin.
Ah… even his scent…
Six years ago, he had smelled of fresh ocean breeze. Now, it was the scent of a vast, dense forest filled with towering trees.
It was strange. She normally disliked strong fragrances, but his… she didn’t mind at all.
“…Ahem, hmm!”
Noticing Lin’s dazed expression and the trance-like way she stared at Jun-hyuk, Oh Choong-seon cleared his throat in irritation.
Snapping out of it, Lin quickly adjusted her expression.
“Do you know each other?”
“Ah, yes. He used to tutor me years ago.”
“Your tutor?”
“Yes. When I was nineteen.”
At Lin’s explanation, Oh Choong-seon’s face twisted.
Why was her old tutor showing up now, of all times?
Lin had no idea either.
Could it be… Hwang Joon-hee sent him?
She recalled the “matchmaking list” her mother had shown her not long ago.
Names, affiliations, and ages had been written down—among them, “Tae Jun-hyuk of Taesan Group” had been labeled as “Most Ideal but Least Likely.”
No. There’s no way even she could make him show up here.
No matter how influential Hwang Joon-hee was, even she couldn’t rope in the heir of Taesan Group for her daughter’s marriage prospects.
And yet—he was here.
That could only mean one thing.
Just recently, he…
“I get that you’re happy to see an old acquaintance, but as you can see, we’re in the middle of a serious meeting.”
Oh Choong-seon’s voice cut off her train of thought.
“I’ll make sure you two get some time to catch up later. I’m not so petty, you know.”
He tried to act relaxed, puffing himself up.
It was obvious the tutor was younger, but the weight of his presence couldn’t be ignored.
Maybe it was his height, or his solid physique, or the unwavering fire in his eyes—eyes that looked like they’d never once been intimidated by anyone.
Running a construction company and entertaining all sorts of people over the years, Oh Choong-seon instinctively recognized it.
He was no match for this man.
Which meant he needed to handle this gracefully and get him out of here before Lin caught on to how flustered he was.
Why does he look so familiar…? I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.
Shaking off the thought, Oh Choong-seon put on his best pompous act.
“Why don’t we get a meal sometime? Since you were Lin’s teacher, that makes you important to me too.”
Beneath the table, Lin clenched her hands tightly.
The way he was already acting like her husband made her sick, but she couldn’t show any signs of that—not when every little thing she did would be reported back to her parents.
“Well then, let’s wrap up for today. Let’s plan something next time. Take care on your way out.”
As Jun-hyuk silently observed Lin biting her lower lip, he slowly shifted his gaze to Oh Choong-seon and spoke.
“Sir.”
“What… what did you just say?”
“Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for you to head home first? It’s about time for bed, isn’t it?”
“Now listen here! What the hell are you—hah, unbelievable!”
“A man your age saying things like that in front of a girl so young… Tch.”
Jun-hyuk tilted his head slightly.
“Pathetic.”
Silence fell.
Jun-hyuk’s face remained impassive.
Lin had her hands over her mouth.
And Oh Choong-seon…
“You little punk! I was going to let it slide because you were Lin’s old tutor, but you’ve crossed the line! Somebody needs to teach you some manners! Lin’s startled, so let’s take this outside!”
Maybe he didn’t like that someone who used to be a mere tutor was now interfering in his date with Lin.
Maybe, just maybe—he’d once had feelings for her.
Whatever the reason, Oh Choong-seon now just wanted to get that smug face out of Lin’s sight.
He could tell just by Jun-hyuk’s calm, unwavering eyes—if they fought, he’d lose.
Despite his polished appearance and poised demeanor, this man’s empty, cold stare screamed danger.
Like a rogue with no sense of limits.
I’ll just talk to him privately and smooth things over. Handling a hotheaded kid? Child’s play.
Convincing himself with the excuse that he didn’t want to expose delicate Lin to such a crude confrontation, Oh Choong-seon got up and grabbed Jun-hyuk’s arm.
“Let’s just step outside for a moment. I think there’s some misunderstanding here…”
“Oh Choong-seon. Age forty-nine. Known VIP spender at entertainment bars in Gangnam. One week ago, a woman claiming to be pregnant with your child approached you—but you kicked her out, saying you were about to get married.”
Jun-hyuk’s voice was calm and flat—just a list of facts, devoid of emotion.
Oh Choong-seon turned deathly pale.
“Her name is Yoon Da-mi. Junior at Juseon Women’s University. Twenty-two years old. She’s currently preparing to go public with a lawyer.”
“What? She said she’d take fifty million won and disappear if I—!”
Oh no, my blood pressure!
Clutching the back of his neck in shock, Oh Choong-seon suddenly looked at Lin.
And then it hit him.
He had just admitted everything Jun-hyuk said—right in front of her.
This blind date was officially over.
No matter how much Assemblyman Hwang needed his family’s power, there was no way she’d marry her daughter off to a man like this.
“If you know your place, stop blocking a young woman’s future and just get up and leave, sir.”
