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Chapter 8: You Like Miss Choi, Don’t You?
Chapter 8: You Like Miss Choi, Don’t You?
As soon as Min-hyuk finished his call with Mr. Im, he opened the front door and waited for Dan-jung to leave.
“?”
Confused by the sudden change, Dan-jung stood awkwardly, blinking in bewilderment.
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Min-hyuk’s tone was cold, almost urging her to leave quickly.
His face, strained from an intense headache, twisted in irritation.
“Well… goodbye then.”
Feeling both embarrassed and hurt by Min-hyuk’s abrupt shift in demeanor, Dan-jung fought back tears. Not wanting to appear pitiful, she hurriedly grabbed her bag and stepped outside.
‘What is wrong with that man?! He called me doll-like just moments ago! Is he really a psychopath?!’
With a huff, Dan-jung spun around and glared at Min-hyuk’s house as if trying to burn it down with her eyes.
“Hmph! Fine! Like I’d marry him anyway!”
Still fuming, she stomped across the garden. But her steps gradually slowed until she came to a complete stop.
Dan-jung felt like Cinderella after the ball—her magical evening shattered. The exquisite dinner, the almost-kiss—it all seemed like a dream.
Now, standing there alone, she felt utterly pathetic.
‘Right, me becoming a chaebol’s wife? I need to get real.’
Summoning what little resolve she had left, Dan-jung pushed open the large gate. Outside, Mr. Im was already waiting, opening the car door for her.
“I’ll escort you home.”
“Is Mr. Im a mouse?”
“What?”
“Never mind.”
If Mr. Im were a magical coachman turning into a mouse, this luxurious sedan would probably turn into a pumpkin soon enough.
Dan-jung sank into the car seat, lost in self-pity, imagining herself as the modern-day Cinderella whose magic had worn off.
For a brief moment, she truly believed Min-hyuk’s charm had transformed her into a real-life fairy tale princess. But now, his spell was broken.
[“Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”]
Min-hyuk’s icy farewell replayed endlessly in her mind, each word colder than the last.
‘Who says I’ll see him tomorrow?’
Tears began streaming down her face as she stared out the window. But not wanting Mr. Im to notice, she hastily wiped them away.
‘Did they have a fight?’
Despite Dan-jung’s hopes otherwise, Mr. Im had sensed something was amiss the moment she walked out of the gate. Had he been mistaken about her becoming the future madam?
Puzzled, Mr. Im tilted his head. Just then, Dan-jung’s phone rang from inside her bag.
“Hello?”
• Do you have a boyfriend right now? Yes or no?
Without preamble, Dan-jung’s mother, Hye-sook, launched into questioning her daughter’s love life.
“Why are you suddenly asking?”
• Just answer. Do you or don’t you?
“I’m not sure…”
Dan-jung hesitated. She couldn’t exactly call Min-hyuk her boyfriend, nor could she say he was someone she might marry.
• What kind of answer is that? If you don’t have one, go on a blind date.
“What? Why are you bringing this up now?”
Lowering her voice so Mr. Im wouldn’t overhear, Dan-jung whispered cautiously.
• The owner of Shangri-La Motel in our neighborhood heard you’re a hotelier and wants to set you up with his son. When I showed him your picture, he loved it! He said if you marry his son, he’ll support your brother’s education and even pass down the motel to you later.
‘Ha! First a hotel president, now a motel owner’s son… perfect timing.’
Dan-jung couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.
• Anyway, keep this Friday free.
“What? So soon?”
• You’re busy on weekends, right? Besides, I met the motel owner’s son—he’s quite handsome.
“Forget it, Mom. I’m not going on a blind date.”
Before she realized it, Dan-jung had blurted out the word “blind date.” Too late to take it back now.
• Hey! There aren’t many opportunities like this these days. And once you’re older, even fewer will come your way.
“I’m too busy to make time. If that’s all, I’m hanging up.”
• You brat! Don’t forget—this Friday!
“It’s the busiest day at the hotel, Mom. Let’s pretend this never happened, okay?”
• Hey!
Click. Unable to bear listening any longer, Dan-jung hung up unceremoniously.
________________________________________
The moment Dan-jung left, Min-hyuk couldn’t endure the splitting headache any longer and rushed to take his medication.
This chronic headache was a lingering symptom of his post-traumatic stress disorder—a physical manifestation replacing emotions he couldn’t feel.
‘What emotion could this be?’
Recalling the doctor’s explanation, Min-hyuk tried to deduce what he might be feeling.
The dinner conversation, their near-kiss—it wasn’t sad or angry, but neither was it particularly joyful or pleasant. It was simply an informative exchange.
Yet, the more he dwelled on it, the worse the headache became, even after taking medicine.
‘I need someone to think for me.’
With that thought, Min-hyuk sprang up and headed straight to Kang Hyun’s apartment.
“This late…?”
Hyun was stunned to see Min-hyuk show up unannounced.
“I have something to ask.”
“At this hour?”
Glancing at his watch, Hyun saw it was nearly 10 PM. Min-hyuk rarely visited without prior notice unless it was work-related—and certainly not this late.
Ignoring Hyun’s surprise, Min-hyuk brushed past him and plopped onto the sofa in the living room.
“What’s going on?”
One look at Min-hyuk’s face told Hyun this wasn’t trivial.
“It’s about Miss Choi.”
“What about her?”
“Thinking about Miss Choi gives me a headache.”
“Huh?”
Could it be…? Was the great Lee Min-hyuk here for relationship advice?
Amused, Hyun burst into laughter.
“Stop laughing. This is serious.”
“Oh, sorry, sorry. Hmm. So thinking about Miss Choi triggers your chronic headaches?”
Seeing Min-hyuk’s stern expression, Hyun quickly sobered up. This rare glimpse into Min-hyuk’s vulnerability was too precious to waste.
“Yes, exactly.”
Min-hyuk felt relieved he’d come. Hyun, ever the consummate hotelier, knew how to assist those in need.
“Why?”
“That’s why I’m here—I don’t know.”
“Did you meet today?”
“Yes.”
“So did you two fight?”
“No.”
“Then did you do… you know, kiss or hug?”
“What do you mean by ‘you know’?”
“Kissing, hugging—any kind of physical contact.”
“Hmm…”
Min-hyuk pondered. He had pulled her close, but it wasn’t quite an embrace. They almost kissed, but didn’t.
“No.”
“Really?”
Hyun eyed him skeptically. Min-hyuk’s hesitation alone raised suspicions.
“Well… not exactly nothing happened…”
“Not exactly?”
“I think I stared at Miss Choi’s face for about ten seconds. And when she placed her hand on my chest, my heart raced faster than usual.”
“…”
What is this nonsense? Hyun was momentarily speechless. Anyone else would recognize these signs of romantic attraction—but Min-hyuk didn’t even realize it.
“Should I reconsider marrying Miss Choi?”
Min-hyuk asked gravely, unable to live with constant migraines.
But with less than ten days left to fulfill his father’s will, finding another bride was daunting. After two days, Dan-jung seemed the most suitable candidate.
‘Wow, does this guy seriously not know?’ Hyun gaped again.
Though Min-hyuk claimed to lack emotions, Hyun hadn’t expected it to be this severe—especially since Min-hyuk wasn’t entirely inexperienced in romance.
“You really don’t know?”
“What?”
“That you like Miss Choi.”
“What?”
Massaging his temples to ease the throbbing pain, Min-hyuk froze at Hyun’s bombshell.
Frowning in confusion, he stared at Hyun.
“What do you mean, I like her?”
“I mean YOU LIKE HER!”
“Why do you think that?”
“Why else would you stare at her?”
“She looked like a doll.”
Min-hyuk recalled her porcelain skin, rosy lips, and sparkling eyes.
“Don’t tell me you stared because she’s pretty?”
“Well… maybe.”
“Ha!”
Even Hyun’s sarcasm couldn’t shake Min-hyuk’s seriousness. Watching him struggle to comprehend was surreal.
Wait—is this the same emotionless Lee Min-hyuk?
“Alright, next question. Why do you think your heart raced?”
“Because Miss Choi put her hand on my chest…”
Before Min-hyuk could finish, Hyun placed his own hand on Min-hyuk’s chest.
“Is it racing?”
“What?”
“Your heart. Is it racing like before?”
“…No.”
After a moment of listening, Min-hyuk shook his head. Same situation, yet his heart remained calm.
“Get it now?”
“So… you’re saying I stared at her and my heart raced because I like Miss Choi?”
“Yes, that’s called excitement.”
“Maybe I should kiss her.”
Lost in thought, Min-hyuk muttered to himself. Perhaps kissing her would clarify whether marriage was the right decision.
And if Hyun was right, he couldn’t afford to lose her. She was the first woman to make him feel excitement—a foreign concept to him.
“I’m leaving.”
Glancing at the clock, Min-hyuk abruptly stood and headed for the door.
Perhaps Dan-jung held the key to curing his condition. Moreover, her tearful expression as she left weighed heavily on his mind.
Her furrowed brows suggested anger, while her glistening eyes hinted at sadness.
“Go ahead.”
Watching Min-hyuk’s unexpected behavior, Hyun was dumbfounded. Despite years of friendship, he’d never seen Min-hyuk so flustered.
It was as though Min-hyuk had reverted to the emotionally expressive boy he’d been before the accident.
“I need to see Miss Choi again.”
Sinking back onto the sofa, Hyun chuckled wryly. What he’d thought was merely a charming hotelier had changed Min-hyuk in just two days—something neither he nor Hye-mi had managed in years.
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