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Sena quickly got up and picked up her underwear scattered on the floor and chair, hastily putting them on. Grabbing her dress that had fallen halfway between the bed and the door, she slipped into the bathroom.
The reflection in the mirror was a mess. Traces of Joo-hyuk were all over her body—red, blotchy marks scattered everywhere. Recalling the events of the night, she blushed deeply. A tingling sensation spread from her lower abdomen again, and she hurriedly shook her head to dispel the thought.
She washed away her smeared makeup with a quick cleanse and tied her disheveled hair into a loose knot.
Stepping out, she glanced down at Joo-hyuk, who was still peacefully asleep.
“Sorry. I’ll go first.”
Though he couldn’t hear her, she muttered the words under her breath.
Like she was escaping, she left, hailed a taxi, and headed home.
It was unfortunate that Joo-hyuk had woken up alone in the bed to face the morning, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Perhaps she could make up for the guilt later, though she wasn’t sure how.
Fortunately, her aunt’s family was still fast asleep.
Sena quietly entered her room, changed her clothes, and lay down on her bed.
Even after thinking it over, the events of the previous night felt unreal. How had she ended up having sex with Joo-hyuk? Where had she found the courage to do such a thing?
She couldn’t blame it all on the alcohol—that much, she knew better than anyone.
But no matter how much she thought about it, no clear answer came to mind.
Just then, her phone suddenly rang. Startled, Sena checked it to find a message from Joo-hyuk, coincidentally.
“Did you get home safely?”
Thinking about how baffled he must have been waking up to an empty bed made her feel guilty all over again.
After a brief moment of hesitation, she called him.
“Yeah?”
His voice, thick with sleep, answered the call.
“Did I wake you?”
“I was about to get up anyway.”
“I’m sorry... I was worried my family might misunderstand...”
But it wasn’t a misunderstanding, was it?
She started to explain herself but stopped, closing her mouth. The misunderstanding her family would have had if they knew she’d stayed out all night wasn’t a misunderstanding at all—it was the truth. And that was why she had rushed home, embarrassed.
Though she hadn’t meant to make excuses, the words slipped out anyway.
“You don’t need to explain. Waking up alone in an empty bed isn’t pleasant, but unless you regret last night or thought it was bad...”
Regret? Bad?
Sena shook her head.
“I don’t regret it.”
This time, she spoke clearly so he could hear her.
“And it wasn’t... bad either.”
Though it was embarrassing, Sena deliberately emphasized her words, wanting him to understand exactly what she meant.
“Good to hear that.”
A faint trace of laughter lingered in his voice.
Was it normal to feel embarrassed toward someone who had seen you naked and witnessed your surrender to desire? Or was it the opposite? Suddenly, Sena found herself wondering about such things.
The two agreed to meet over the weekend to choose a wedding dress and tuxedo before hanging up.
The warm, fuzzy feeling bubbled up again, but this time Sena clearly understood what it was.
Love.
If that felt too sudden, perhaps “liking” would suffice.
Either way, it was a pleasant feeling.
Knock, knock. Suddenly, Hana poked her head in with a soft tap on the door.
“Are you awake?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“Then come out. Wash up and have breakfast.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, right!”
Just as Hana was about to leave, she suddenly turned back and stuck her head into the room again.
“What time did you get home last night? I waited up pretty late for you.”
“Huh? Oh, the movie ended late.”
“Was it fun?”
“Yeah, it was worth watching.”
Sena tried not to panic as she barely managed to answer Hana’s questions.
“Really? Tell me all about it later, okay?”
“Sure.”
Finally, Hana rubbed her sleepy eyes and left the room.
Sena let out a long sigh.
Thankfully, the situation had passed without suspicion, but she wondered if she’d be able to dodge similar questions from her aunt and uncle during breakfast.
Still, there was no helping it. Hoping they wouldn’t pry too deeply, Sena got up and stepped outside.
* * *
One month later, inside the KMS News Director’s office.
“Goodness, you startled me!”
Eun-yoo clutched her chest as she entered her office after finishing a meeting. She seemed surprised to see Joo-hyuk standing by the window, gazing outside.
“What brings you here, all the way to my office?”
“Is this a place I’m not allowed to visit?”
“Where would there be a place the CEO can’t go? I only said this because you never come here.”
“You’re teasing me again.”
Shaking his head, Joo-hyuk walked over and sat down on the sofa. Eun-yoo smirked faintly behind her cold demeanor and tossed a stack of documents onto the desk.
She was his university classmate and one of the founding members of KMS, now serving as its current news director. Many people found her cynical personality uncomfortable, but Joo-hyuk actually appreciated and felt at ease with her straightforwardness.
“Why are you here?”
Today, he had come to make a bombshell announcement to her.
However, fearing the repercussions of dropping the bomb all at once, Joo-hyuk decided to take his time.
“Got any coffee?”
“Looking for coffee in my office?”
“I know you’ve got some, so hand it over.”
“Hmm...”
Eun-yoo furrowed her brows and pulled out a packet of instant coffee from the bottom drawer of her desk. After boiling water in the electric kettle, she prepared a cup of tea for herself and a coffee for Joo-hyuk before sitting down on the sofa.
“Thanks.”
Joo-hyuk took a sip of his coffee and spoke.
“What’s with all the hesitation? Spit it out already.”
“It’s not hesitation.”
He raised his lips into a faint smile.
“I’m getting married at the end of next month.”
“Keh, keh—cough!”
Eun-yoo, who had just sipped her tea, choked and began coughing violently.
“Oh no, are you okay?”
Joo-hyuk quickly grabbed a tissue and handed it to her.
“Marriage? The great Choi Joo-hyuk is getting married?”
She wiped her mouth and clothes roughly with the tissue, her small eyes wide with shock.
“Is it really that surprising?”
“In college, you couldn’t even last 100 days in a relationship, and after entering the workforce, your longest relationship lasted only six months—and that was three years ago!”
“You don’t need to list out my entire dating history—I know it well enough.”
Joo-hyuk awkwardly cut her off.
“Do you have any idea how exhausting it was being by your side during all that?”
“Exhausting? I thought you enjoyed it?”
“Of course, there were some fun moments,” Eun-yoo corrected herself.
It was an open secret between them that thanks to the rumors linking her to him, her own sexual preferences had remained safely hidden from others.
“I was wondering why you’ve been so hard to reach after work lately. So this is why—busy with romance?”
“Well... something like that.”
“When did you meet her? Who is she?”
“It’s been almost two months. We met through a matchmaking setup.”
“Two months? Matchmaking? And you’re getting married next month?”
Though it was indeed surprising, Eun-yoo’s loud reaction made Joo-hyuk feel slightly uncomfortable as he nodded.
“You’re saying you’re getting married without even 100 days of dating?”
“Is that what it sounds like?”
Come to think of it, he realized she was right.
Would Sena even care about such details? Somehow, he doubted she would.
That night—whether it should be called making love or simply spending the night together—afterward, they hadn’t had sex again. There had been tender, passionate kisses exchanged in intimate moments, but he hadn’t pushed her further.
Though he felt drawn to her and found himself more preoccupied with her than anyone else before, he stopped there. Even when the urge became unbearable, he resisted taking her to a hotel or his place.
It required immense self-restraint and patience, but he wanted to avoid deepening their emotional connection beyond the physical.
After all, their relationship was one arranged by their parents, and its duration would ultimately be decided by them as well.
“Wait a moment.”
Eun-yoo suddenly stood up from the sofa and walked over to her desk, picking up the phone.
“Tell the head of the Social Affairs 1st Division to come to my office.”
After saying that, she hung up the phone and pulled a cigarette from the pack on her desk, placing it between her lips.
“Smoking is prohibited inside the office.”
“I know. I’m just holding it in my mouth.”
“If you’re going to do that, why not use an e-cigarette?”
“If I were going to do that, why smoke at all?”
She scrunched up her face and shot back sarcastically. Knowing how much she detested e-cigarettes, Joo-hyuk decided not to push further.
“Why did you call the head of the Social Affairs 1st Division?”
“Why? Isn’t this obvious?”
She looked genuinely shocked, as if asking, How could you not know?
“It’s a scoop!”
“A scoop?”
“Your marriage is one of the most anticipated events right now. Of course, there’s going to be a frenzy over it. Naturally, KMS should break the news exclusively.”
“Ah...”
“You didn’t go and schedule interviews with other outlets, did you?”
“Come on, I’m the CEO of KMS.”
“Or did you not even think about it?”
“Yeah…”
Joo-hyuk fidgeted with his reddening earlobe, rubbing it awkwardly.
Ever since KMS had grown into a major media company, whenever he appeared in public, reporters and cameras followed him everywhere. Whatever he said or did would trend online almost instantly, or at least by that evening, setting the internet and TV abuzz.
But that was only during official public appearances.
The idea that his own marriage might become headline news—a “scoop”—hadn’t crossed his mind. It was his oversight.
“You really are something else.”
“I didn’t think my marriage would be such a big deal.”
“You’ve topped every list as the number one most desirable groom for women across all age groups, surpassing even male celebrities, and you’re saying this?”
“Me?”
“Ugh, please stop focusing only on politics and society pages and pay attention to other sections for once.”
Eun-yoo shook her head in disbelief.
“Surely the woman marrying you doesn’t think so lightly of this either?”
“Who knows.”
“What an extraordinary couple you two must be. Once word gets out about your marriage, it’ll draw both public attention and envy.”
“Hmm...”
This was troubling.
He had never thought of his marriage as such a significant event, so he was genuinely flustered now.
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