“Average……!”

Though it wasn’t unexpected, I got upset again easily.

Relaxing the tension in her furrowed brow, Da Hae narrowed her eyes.

Her molars were still clenched.

“……It’s the average for South Korea, you know?”

“Miss Kye Da Hae, your statistics lack credibility. You even tell people to investigate their acquaintances when talking about show window couples. The sample is flawed from the start.”

Should I elbow him in the side? The position is just right. How does he manage to choose only the most annoying things to say so precisely?

“What we’re doing right now, Kang Jae Kyung and I, is the epitome of a show window act. We can tell just by looking at ourselves, do we need more samples?”

“I thought show window couples pretended to be close?”

“Exactly?”

“Aren’t we quite close?”

“Oh my? On what grounds?”

Question marks abounded.

With no rebuttal coming, Da Hae looked up and drew a blank breath. Because of Kang Jae Kyung’s sly eye smile.

Why is he really like that? Though the murmured voice should have reached his ears sufficiently, he didn’t withdraw his smile.

“……Come to think of it.”

Suddenly struck by a fundamental question, Da Hae began in a low voice.

Jae Kyung’s gaze lowered, following her composed voice.

“I’m starting to suspect that the condition for inheritance isn’t just ‘marriage’, but ‘marriage to Kye Da Hae’. Sharing a family register was just an excuse, and you actually needed Chairman Bae’s influence, right? So you approached me intentionally?”

I know it doesn’t matter either way. It didn’t matter. Since it’s a relationship where we just need to achieve our respective goals. Still, being used in a calculated manner is a bit different, isn’t it? Such a thought suddenly occurred to me.

The man answered nonchalantly.

“So what?”

“Pardon?”

“Is that not allowed?”

He was calm, without a hint of bewilderment.

“Isn’t that what we agreed on?”

At that answer, it was Kye Da Hae who felt as if something other than the crux of the matter had been struck.

“……That may be true. But it feels like I’m losing out too much.”

“Try harder. I’ll let you use me for anything.”

“Yes.”

“You’re not hurt, are you?”

“Not at all?”

It wasn’t an appropriate expression for feigning innocence. Her hurt feelings were fully evident in her cold voice.

Staring at the woman who clumsily hid her emotions, Jae Kyung turned his gaze to the lake. His lips formed a smooth curve.

The news story was just an excuse.

From the moment he inherited Samyeong Entertainment, which was on the brink of collapse, until the moment he brought it to the top of the industry, he had experienced enough of the media’s illusions.

Even without such experiences, using Young Son Group’s power to do something was purely Chairman Kang’s intention; Director Kang had no such thoughts at all.

Peering at the crown of her head, which had suddenly become less talkative, Jae Kyung untangled the woman’s arm that was loosely entwined with his.

Then he naturally wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Her small frame fit snugly against his solid side.

Da Hae, only lowering her eyes to confirm the hand gripping her shoulder, let out a hollow laugh.

She knew he was shameless from the start, but she didn’t know it was this severe.

“Take it easy.”

“If I’m going to take it easy, why bother at all?”

“What……”

“Wow! Hey, hey! Over there!”

A young voice that had just passed puberty excitedly pointed at Kang Jae Kyung.

It was at the point where they had reached the end of the lake park. Soon after, several male students surrounded him, and the surroundings became noisy.

“His dream is to be Kang Jae Kyung!”

With an face full of excitement, the student who had bowed deeply shouted additionally.

“You’re my dream!”

……Oh my goodness.

Watching the young student whose dream was not a specific profession like police officer, civil servant, doctor, CEO, or lawyer, but Kang Jae Kyung himself, Da Hae scratched her head with a dumbfounded expression.

The flushed face reciting bold aspirations, saying how much he respects the CEO, that he’s collecting all videos and articles, and that he’ll definitely become just like him.

The dream-like adult gently patting that head with a kind smile.

The children flocked around the man who readily agreed to their request for a photo.

Receiving the phone, Da Hae finally let out a chuckle. Because the fingers forming a V-sign mixed in with the children were cute.

Enough to forget why she had felt wronged just moments ago, Kang Jae Kyung was annoyingly cool.

“Don’t spend your parents’ money on in-app purchases.”

“Yes! I’ll keep that in mind!”

Unlike the student who was elated while checking the photo, his friend seemed more interested in Da Hae.

While the scary-looking older guy was said to be the CEO of some game company, the pretty older sister on a date with him kept catching his eye.

Feeling the glancing gaze, Da Hae turned her eyes to him, and the male student neatly dressed in his school uniform rubbed his philtrum.

While doing so, he looked back and forth between the two adults.

“Are you two in love?”

Yeah, no. We’re using each other.

……Since she couldn’t say that, she just smiled. The friend answered the question instead, saying she was CEO Kang Jae Kyung’s wife.

Hearing the title of wife from a child’s mouth felt quite unfamiliar, so Da Hae smiled awkwardly.

The group of male students each said their goodbyes and moved away. While watching their retreating figures, she felt something was missing.

Realizing that the reason was Kang Jae Kyung, who had been quiet for some time, Da Hae tilted her head.

“Kang……Jae Kyung?”

The voice calling his name was rather cautious. It was because Kang Jae Kyung’s expression as he looked down at his phone somehow didn’t seem right.

His eyes slowly rose from the screen. Then, biting his lip firmly, the man with an uncharacteristically troubled expression locked eyes with her.

“Miss Kye Da Hae. I’m sorry, but……”

Bzzzzt.

The sentence that started with an apology left only questions as it was cut off at the waist.

As if trying to reclaim his attention, the phone vibrated.

The man answered the call without delay.

Even as the other person’s voice continued, Kang Jae Kyung only listened. The occasional sighs he let out were deep.

“I’ll come now.”

A low voice, as if suppressing anger. Throwing his gaze anywhere in the air, he spread his fingers and pressed his temple.

“I said I’m coming right away. Wait.”

The man who unilaterally ended the call rubbed his dry face.

The impatience reflected in the man who was always relaxed and easygoing was unfamiliar.

Da Hae seemed to understand. The reason why Kang Jae Kyung suddenly apologized first.

“Um……”

“Let’s part ways here. We’ve taken enough pictures, I think.”

Da Hae, who snatched the words, shrugged her shoulders. Let’s part ways. Those four words somehow made her chest ache dully.

Jae Kyung stared at the woman who didn’t ask anything for a moment.

Da Hae, who met his eyes indifferently, tilted her small chin as if to say ‘Why aren’t you going already?’ Along with a forced smile.

“I’ll take you home.”

“No, thanks. I was planning to run some errands before going home since I’m out. Don’t worry about me……”

“What errands?”

“Would you understand if I told you?”

“Where are you going? I said I’ll take you.”

“Oh, Mr. Kang Jae Kyung. I’m not a child. Stop arguing and just go quickly.”

Da Hae was adamant. Another sigh that wouldn’t dry up escaped.

The man checked his watch by turning his wrist, then gently grasped the wrist of the woman standing sideways and pretending not to care.

“I’ll call you.”

The light smile she had raised saying ‘sure’ gradually faded as he turned his back. At that moment, the man’s feet, which had moved about two steps away, suddenly turned back.

Did he have something more to say? Before her puzzled, tilted head could straighten, Jae Kyung, who had come right up to her, transferred the cream-colored knit he was wearing to Da Hae’s shoulders.

“It’s still cold in the evening.”

“……It’s fine. I’m hot.”

The sleeves that fell long over her shoulders were tied firmly, as if rejecting her refusal.

“Don’t think about sending it back by quick delivery.”

Their gazes intertwined quietly, calming the unsettled air.

With a complicated face, Jae Kyung managed to draw a smile and quickly disappeared from view, blending into the crowd.

“……How artificial.”

Left alone, Da Hae stood there. The sky was fading as if the sun was about to set.

How long had she been like that? Her hand carelessly fumbled in her back pocket and pulled out her phone. Then she dragged through the SNS photos she had captured yesterday evening.

#DateRestaurant, #DateCourse, #GoodAtmosphere, #WeekendDateEvening.

The photos of restaurants with good atmospheres, as tagged with keywords, were deleted without hesitation.

……What date.

Closing the photo album full of only shoe pictures, her empty pupils captured the lake.

The sunlight reflecting off the water ripples gently.

“Choi Ae Jung, huh.”

I saw it. The name that appeared on the screen.

If it was a woman who could summon Kang Jae Kyung with one phone call, there was someone I could guess.

The unidentified older woman who made him rash and reckless.

Even from the tone that wasn’t affectionate but felt friendly, an atmosphere of knowing each other for a long time was evident.

So even though I had no errands, I made up the words. Because it seemed like I should.

The warm spring breeze blowing from the lake tickled my face.

As heavily drooping flower petals poured down like rain, exclamations burst out from all around.

Amidst people in a festive mood all around.

To Da Hae, standing alone, the golden light embraced by the lake was no longer brilliant.