“Thank you.”
With Chaewon’s farewell, the door closed behind her. She really had only borrowed the chair, as if to say she had no other need of Yu-Geon in this orchestrated romance scenario.
Yu-Geon was also reluctantly participating in this arranged meeting, but he couldn’t shake off a sense of emptiness.
‘When do I even have time for dating, with the business keeping me so busy?’
That was the response he always had at the ready for those who asked. Indeed, since his military discharge, completing his education, and immediately immersing himself in business, he had prioritized growing his company over pursuing relationships. With natural luck and insight, he had been riding a wave of success, feeling only the rush of achievement in his life. Now, for the first time, Chaewon’s simple borrowing of a chair left him with a feeling of disappointment.
“Ha, funny Yu-Geon,” he scoffed at himself.
He had planned to dive straight into bed, exhausted. But he had thought about having tea with her, offering her some kind of assistance instead of a chair, things like that.
“It’s just urgent, that’s what it is now.”
Right, that was it. He had been worried Kim Bok-Rye might finally hand over the Seongsu-dong house to Ho-Tae, so he was willing to forget his fatigue and try to warm up to his date.
Overcome again with fatigue, Yu-Geon decided to take a shower and go to bed. After showering and cooling off with cold water, he was about to head to bed when the doorbell rang again.
Yu-Geon turned his head toward the entrance.
“Thank you, the chair was very useful.”
Opening the door in his robe, Yu-Geon found Chaewon standing there with a smile. As he stared at her, her gaze swept over his robe and back up to his face.
“Sorry if I disturbed you. You should get some rest.”
“It’s okay.”
“Oh, this is for you.”
Chaewon extended a long shopping bag she was holding in her wrist.
Yu-Geon’s gaze settled on it.
“What’s this?”
“It’s wine. It’s a bit strong but tastes good. I had a few bottles in reserve and brought one as thanks.”
If she intended to share it, it would be a very natural gesture. Perhaps this woman was a mastermind in the art of romance.
“Then, good night.”
After flashing another charming smile, Chaewon turned to leave.
Holding the wine shopping bag, Yu-Geon stood motionless until the sound of the door closing. Not just motionless, but frozen in surprise.
Like when she simply borrowed the chair, she had now simply left the wine and gone.
“……What’s with this indifference?”
Feeling the cold shoulder for the first time in his life, Yu-Geon tilted his head several times, perplexed.
He had been in similar situations numerous times before, but there had always been clear flirtation. Never a night so clearly defined with boundaries like this.
He had been ready to open his doors wide for once, but she left cleanly. Just like that.
“Ha.”
For the first time, he felt a bit flustered facing a date who was indifferent to him.
“This is problematic.”
Turning his head towards Chaewon’s apartment, Yu-Geon let out a hollow laugh.
It felt like a night stirring his competitive spirit.
“Short meeting, wasn’t it? Guess not. That man turns out to be the neighbor.”
Chaewon set her phone to speaker mode while unpacking items from a box.
“Chaewon, it’s close to your workplace, secure, so we trusted Kim Lady’s word and signed the contract. Had no idea he was right next door.”
The awkward laughter of James confirmed it.
He must have known.
Whether it was really to match them or for business needs, Chaewon laughed lightly.
“Thanks, Dad. The place is nice.”
Chaewon genuinely appreciated James.
It was a remarriage, so after her mother passed away, there was no real need to maintain a father-daughter relationship.
He had fulfilled his responsibilities as a father to the end, raising Chaewon to be who she is today.
“If anything makes you uncomfortable, just let me know.”
“Yes.”
Rustling. Chaewon, busily unpacking, replied succinctly.
“That, and please take care of the arranged meeting.”
Clearly, James wasn’t in a position of power in this situation.
With a light laugh, Chaewon cheerfully responded.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
I’ll do my best to ensure a natural farewell.
After a few more words of greeting with James, Chaewon pressed the end call button.
She took a lamp out of the box, meticulously wiped it with a dry towel, and headed towards the bedroom.
“The new dining table is coming the day after tomorrow, and the custom-made chairs the day after that… Looks like everything will be in place by the weekend.”
But there’s no need to unpack further now.
Knowing that the man she needs to deal with in the arranged meeting lives next door, it won’t be a long stay in this apartment.
Picking up her phone to call the caretaker, Chaewon accidentally accessed the shopping center app.
A sudden advertisement popped up, featuring a male actor. Oddly enough, he resembled the man next door, capturing her attention for a moment.
“He does look similar.”
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
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