Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
“Ughhhhh……”
Joo-eun, who had been lying on the bed staring at the ceiling ever since returning from the lower floor, suddenly sat bolt upright with a strange groan.
Seoyoung, who had rushed over mid-makeover, looked at her with eyeliner smudged unevenly around her eyes.
“What’s wrong with you now?!”
“Give me some medicine…”
As Joo-eun reached out with hollow, dazed eyes, Seoyoung grabbed her hand without hesitation.
“What kind of medicine?!”
“Something to erase my memory…”
Muttering under her breath about whether this was some kind of joke, Seoyoung let go of the hand she’d been holding.
“Are you asking for something to make you forget you’ve gone crazy?”
“Hahahaha….”
“Are you laughing or crying?!”
“I don’t even know anymore…”
“For heaven’s sake, what did you see downstairs? If you can’t explain it, just draw it already!”
Joo-eun’s wide eyes trembled faintly.
In her twenty-seven years of life, she had never once drawn that.
Should she really try drawing it? What if her friend fainted…?
“Ugh, fine, don’t bother drawing it. I’m leaving. This trip took seven years to plan, and you’ve wasted the whole day like this—it’s suffocating. If you come to your senses, meet me downtown later.”
“I’m sorry… I should be going with you.”
The two of them had meticulously planned every hour of their itinerary, even in this resort town.
Joo-eun couldn’t help but feel guilty for wasting the entire day while her friend waited for her to snap out of it.
“It’s fine. That’s what friends are for.”
With an exaggerated wave, Seoyoung turned to leave.
If she could be so cool about leaving, why couldn’t she have just casually asked the concierge to handle the swimsuit situation earlier…?
Thinking about the swimsuit brought back the vivid image of that overwhelming sight she had witnessed earlier.
“No, no, no! Don’t come back into my mind! My memory might be bad, but my eyesight is way too good!”
The more she pulled at her hair in frustration, the clearer and more intense the memory of that awe-inspiring presence became.
In the middle of the spacious, spotlessly clean bathroom, Minhyuk stood expressionless as he picked up his toothbrush.
It was just brushing his teeth, but his sleek muscles tensed unnecessarily with every movement.
When a sudden gust of wind blew past his rock-hard abs, he reflexively glanced down, feeling around.
“Ah… I put them on earlier.”
How many times had he checked today alone?
It wasn’t unusual to be undressed in his own private suite, but after what happened that morning, he found himself constantly checking his pants.
He had thought he was living quite comfortably behind the mask he’d created for himself.
But now, he had shown everything—literally everything—to a woman he’d never met before.
“Hah, life sure throws you surprises…”
The shocked expression on her face kept replaying in his mind, making it impossible to focus on anything else.
What had that look meant?
It almost seemed like a smirk tinged with mockery.
What? A mocking smirk?
His brow furrowed sharply, irritation rippling across his face.
“That’s impossible. No one would dare mock the great Jeong Minhyuk.”
Looking down at himself, he arrogantly tilted his head side to side.
His body—a masterpiece that had never bowed to anyone—how could anyone dare laugh at it?
His grip on the toothbrush grew rougher as he tried to refocus.
Just then, the sound of a bell rang out, followed by a loud voice calling, “Oppa! I know you’re not sleeping, so open the door!”
Bang, bang. The pounding on the door made his smooth features twist into a scowl.
After enduring such humiliation earlier, how dare she show up again within hours?
This wasn’t just infatuation anymore—it was clearly stalking.
Maddening, relentless stalking.
Before returning to Korea after finishing his overseas assignment, Minhyuk had embarked on this trip to clear his mind and prepare himself. But somehow, he felt more entangled and exhausted than ever.
After rinsing his mouth carelessly, he irritably grabbed a checkered shirt and shrugged it on.
Chaerin, who had no interest in anyone else’s feelings, quickly entered as soon as the door opened and launched into her prepared speech.
“No matter how much I think about it, something feels off. I can’t shake the feeling that you’ve completely deceived me.”
Her high-pitched voice grated against Minhyuk’s already frayed nerves.
“What passion could I possibly have for you that I’d go through the trouble of deceiving you properly?”
It was a question laced equally with sarcasm and anger.
Of course, Chaerin didn’t flinch.
Years of enduring all kinds of hardships had honed her resilience.
“That woman isn’t your girlfriend, right? She’s probably just an employee here or a secretary from the DK Group. Am I wrong?”
“Did she seem like that to you?”
“Jeong Minhyuk, who has never shown even the slightest interest in women his entire life, suddenly has a girlfriend and is even traveling with her? It’s absurd. Earlier, I got so worked up that I almost fell for it. Stop joking around. Since we’re on vacation, let’s just have fun together, Oppa.”
He glared at her with sharp eyes and smirked.
“What should I do? I plan to spend the whole day with my girlfriend—from morning till night, passionately.”
Chaerin’s lips trembled.
“But why isn’t she here now? There’s none of her stuff around.”
“The floor above.”
“The… floor above?”
Chaerin’s heavily lined eyes widened in disbelief at the unexpected answer.
“There were too many clothes and bags I bought her, making the place messy, so I rented another room. Thanks to that, this place is clean and nice.”
“It doesn’t make sense…”
He knew how nonsensical it sounded.
But the more ridiculous the situation, the more brazenly he needed to push forward. He had to remain unshaken to shake off this persistent adversary.
“If you’re satisfied with the answer, leave now.”
“No. I won’t believe it until I see it with my own eyes.”
“Do you really want to witness such an explicit scene?”
Chaerin bit down hard on her lip, fuming.
“Tell me the level you can handle. I’ll show you as much as you want—though I can’t guarantee I’ll hold back.”
The response came unexpectedly.
“At 9 p.m., meet me at the cocktail bar.”
“I’ll come out and make you give up on me. Then I’ll walk away cleanly.”
He had expected her to turn around with wounded pride, as usual, after a little more humiliation.
Minhyuk’s smooth eyebrows twitched noticeably.
“But if it turns out you two aren’t close, I’m starting wedding preparations. As you know, both families are already talking about marriage.”
Minhyuk was well aware.
Two families that supported each other perfectly were exchanging talks of marriage.
But that was solely the elders’ plan.
The mere thought of spending a lifetime with someone whose brief presence already gave him a headache was unimaginable.
“That won’t happen.”
“We’ll see whether it happens or not.”
This time, Chaerin showed no signs of backing down easily.
As she turned abruptly, her barely-there skirt fluttered precariously.
Thud. The moment the door closed, Minhyuk slammed his fist onto the armrest of the sofa.
“Damn it…!”
A headache was brewing.
Why had he told such a lie to this infuriating woman, Chaerin? What if this nonsense actually led to a rushed engagement? His stomach churned at the thought.
With a deeply darkened expression, he stared up at the ceiling.
No appetite, no peace of mind.
The shock of having witnessed something monumental refused to subside.
Joo-eun sighed deeply, letting time slip by aimlessly when suddenly, the doorbell rang.
"Is it already time for room cleaning…?"
With great effort, she dragged her body toward the door like a zombie, shuffling step by step.
The door opened.
In an instant, her half-closed, drowsy eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"W-What brings you here?!"
While Joo-eun trembled as if facing the Grim Reaper himself, Minhyuk stood there with an air of complete calm.
"Don't we have something to discuss?"
One eyebrow on his otherwise expressionless face rose lazily.
"Huh? I don’t think so…"
"You’ve been wearing that guilty look all day, and now you’re pretending not to know?"
All day?! How dare he!
I thought about other things too, at least for a little while!
Joo-eun blinked her large, innocent-looking eyes exaggeratedly and waved her hands in denial.
"I really don’t understand what you’re talking about. My eyesight is bad, and my memory is even worse. All I’ve been thinking about is where to go later or something trivial like that. Really."
"Even if you’ve forgotten, how do you plan to compensate me for the mental trauma I’ve suffered?"
Mental trauma? He looks perfectly fine to me.
"Humiliating."
Thud.
"Infuriating."
Ka-thud.
"I don’t think I’ll be able to trust anyone ever again. This definitely calls for substantial compensation."
Compensation? Monetary compensation…?
Joo-eun felt a chill run down her spine.
I’m just a witness! An accidental witness to that horrifying scene!
She wanted to argue back, but strangely, no words came out.
"What can I possibly do to make you feel better…?"
Her hands instinctively clasped together, fearing he might actually demand compensation for emotional distress.
It wasn’t like she had stripped him.
Deep down, she knew this was unnecessary, but her body seemed to have a mind of its own.
Such is life as the underdog.
Clasping her hands politely, she forced the prettiest smile she could muster and looked up at him.
His lips parted slowly.
"Tonight at 9 p.m. At the bar. Just the two of us."
…Huh?
"Just five minutes. Please pretend to be my girlfriend."
What is he saying? Has this man lost his mind from all that anger and humiliation earlier?
Joo-eun stared at him blankly, utterly dumbfounded.
Google Sites
Report abuse