Breaking Matchmaking (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 16
After confirming Jaemin and Rona’s location, Yoo Gun cleverly switched seats to a spot where he could clearly see them.
Chae Won crossed her legs as she glanced toward them seated diagonally across.
Her eyes fixed on the backs of their heads, Chae Won bit her lips and focused intently.
“My babe, I want popcorn!”
“What flavor? Caramel? Garlic? Just say the word!”
“I’ll take caramel!”
“Got it. Open up!”
“Ahh—Wait, what? It’s garlic!”
“Just kidding!”
“Ugh, babe! You’re such a tease!”
It looked exactly like the kind of exchange they’d be having.
Though too far away to catch their actual words, Chae Won could roughly see whether they were facing each other, looking straight ahead, or giggling quietly.
Yet without any photos or recordings as proof, and stuck just watching their little lovey-dovey act, Chae Won found the situation growing frustrating.
“I didn’t come here just to relax and watch a movie—now it seems I’ll end up wasting time for nothing.”
Yoo Gun turned his head toward Chae Won after shifting his gaze away from the advertisement featuring one of his company’s actors.
He had been watching No Jae Min and Gorona playfully banter with indifferent eyes, but now slowly parted his lips.
“If you can’t stand looking at them, there are only two options: either I step aside, or we get rid of what you dislike.”
Chae Won gently cupped her chin, pondered briefly, then gave a slight nod.
“I prefer the latter.”
“Then we’ll get rid of it.”
Meeting Yoo Gun’s eyes, Chae Won pulled out Hee Joo’s phone as directed by his glance.
The phone, which had originally been unlocked using Hee Joo’s fingerprint, now easily opened with the password Chae Won had set.
Leaning back in her seat, Chae Won stared at the back of No Jae Min’s head and dialed his number.
“I’m going to make our little Kongal a celebrity—definitely, if he takes after me! Oh, hold on!”
Jae Min rummaged through his bag and pulled out his phone.
“Jae Min, switch your phone to vibrate! It’s basic etiquette!”
“Yeah, got it. Huh? It’s Kim Hee Joo?”
“What? Why’s she calling you?”
“Never mind. Don’t worry about it—you’re stressed enough already.”
He tucked his phone back into his bag and turned his attention once again to Rona.
Their seats suddenly erupted into laughter, as if they’d just exchanged a few words.
Meanwhile, Chae Won still heard the ringing tone of her unanswered call.
“Ah, so she won’t pick up, huh?”
Chae Won sneered, then quickly opened the messaging app and typed a text.
“Do you even know what I told you earlier?”
“What did you say?”
“Wait, hold on.”
Jae Min, still giggling, pulled out his phone again to check the message.
He saw Hee Joo’s name once more.
Though he’d initially decided not to check—thinking of Rona—he grew curious about the reason for two consecutive messages.
[Are you at the movie theater?]Immediately stiffening upon reading the text, Jae Min slowly turned his head left and right with rigid shoulders.
“Babe, what’s wrong?”
“Shh!”
“Huh? What’s going on?”
He scanned the surroundings in a low crouch, then quickly gripped his phone and slipped out of the theater alone.
“Babe! Where are you going?”
Left behind, Rona stretched her neck toward the direction Jae Min had disappeared, while Chae Won stared fixedly at the two of them.
[Jae Min]Not long after Jae Min left, Hee Joo’s phone began vibrating loudly in Chae Won’s hand.
She gave Yoo Gun a small shake of the phone with a subtle smile.
“Now this moment—I quite like it.”
Yoo Gun, faintly amused, leaned back loosely in his seat as if ready to properly enjoy the movie about to start.
Chae Won, mirroring his posture with her back fully against the chair, pressed the call button.
“Yes?”
—What, uh, what’s going on? Where are you?
“Why do you keep stuttering like that?”
—I’m not! Why would I—I mean, forget that. Where are you right now?
“At a café.”
—What? But how, why—did you really see me?
“My friend who went to Daegu yesterday thought she saw you at a movie theater there, so I just wanted to check.”
—Daegu?
Chae Won heard a sigh of relief from Jae Min, who clearly wasn’t anywhere near that location.
“Daegu? I’m in Seoul right now. And of course I’m working at this hour—do you really think I’d be lounging around watching a movie, even on weekends?”
—I see. I just had to make sure.
Chae Won ended the call with a smile, and shortly afterward, Jae Min returned to the theater.
Unlike when he’d left, he now walked back with a straight spine and confident bearing.
Seated again, he whispered something to Rona, and forgetting his earlier tension, soon resumed their cheerful laughter and playful teasing.
“You’ve still got a long way to go, No Jae Min.”
Still arms crossed, Chae Won muttered under her breath and lifted Hee Joo’s phone again.
[My friend just said she’s actually in Seoul, near Taeseong-dong. Are you really not at the theater?]Jae Min, in the middle of feeding popcorn to Rona, skimmed the message and froze in shock.
“Babe, what’s wrong now?”
Too startled to even respond to Rona, Jae Min’s eyes darted wildly.
“Babe, why are you like this?”
“Ugh, stop calling me ‘babe’ already!”
“What?”
Snapping irritably, Jae Min instantly regretted it as he saw Rona’s face crumpling.
“I just meant lower your voice, that’s all.”
But he had no time now to soothe her hurt expression.
“I’m leaving first. Rona, you stay a bit longer and come out later—or just finish the movie and go home!”
“What? Are you serious? You’re leaving and making me watch the rest alone?”
“Ugh, just keep your voice down!”
“Oh my… oh dear.”
Rona blinked several times in surprise at Jae Min’s second outburst.
Just as she opened her mouth to demand an explanation, Jae Min was already hunched low, taking quick, tiny steps down the stairs.
Utterly baffled by his behavior, Rona called after him with a stunned look.
Jae Min, bent over with a finger pressed to his lips, silently pleaded for quiet.
Watching the two of them, Chae Won turned toward Yoo Gun with an expressionless face.
“I was planning to train that mutt a bit longer, but it ended faster than I expected.”
Yoo Gun tore his eyes from the screen and looked at Rona, who stood alone, lost and unsure what to do.
It was a strikingly awkward moment for someone so lacking in dignity.
“That’s enough. Let’s go. You did well today, Choi Yoo Gun.”
As Chae Won rose lightly from her seat, the movie began, plunging the theater into darkness.
The doors shut, and with faint lighting, the film’s opening scene commenced.
Realizing she was now blocking the view of people behind her, Chae Won looked around in flustered embarrassment.
“Oh!”
Yoo Gun immediately grabbed her arm, and she turned toward him.
With a subtle tug and a nod toward their seats, he signaled for her to sit back down quickly.
“Hey, even now—”
Just as Chae Won was about to suggest they leave, Yoo Gun leaned in close to whisper—and their faces nearly touched.
Startled by the sudden proximity, Chae Won froze.
“…I mean…”
She’d been about to suggest quietly slipping out, but his dark eyes lingered close, slowly scanning her face.
His gaze rested too long on her lips.
The more he stared, the more rigid she became—until he tilted his chin and leaned in abruptly, making her flinch.
“Let’s leave a bit later. Better not run into him now.”
Only after his whispering voice faded did Chae Won realize her misunderstanding and release the breath she’d been holding.
“Alright.”
Still tense, she replied awkwardly and fixed her eyes firmly on the screen.
He soon leaned back into his seat, putting some distance between them.
“Phew.”
Unnoticed by Yoo Gun, Chae Won exhaled deeply once more and glanced at him softly.
Unlike her, he already looked perfectly composed, fully absorbed in the film.
Clearly, nothing unusual had happened—it had just been a whispered remark.
She shook her head, chiding herself for feeling oddly flustered just because their faces had briefly drawn near.
She straightened her posture and stared forward, mimicking Yoo Gun’s calm demeanor.
Yet her suddenly racing heart, startled by the encounter, refused to settle down easily.
*
About an hour passed.
The film was building toward its climax, and thirty minutes earlier, Rona—left alone—had quietly slipped out of the theater with her head lowered.
Thinking it was finally time to leave, Yoo Gun turned toward Chae Won.
She sat perfectly still, watching the movie—but was clearly fast asleep.
Now that he thought about it, she’d stayed up all night caring for Kim Hee Joo and had come straight here early this morning—of course she’d be exhausted.
“…I mean…”
His mind drifted back to just moments ago, when their faces had accidentally drawn near—and he’d found himself openly staring at Chae Won’s slightly parted lips as she’d flustered.
He’d already thought several times before that her lips were one of her most alluring features, but this time, being so close, he’d studied them more intently.
Full and red like cherries—they looked both soft and dewy.
Just as he’d almost given in to the urge to touch them, he’d barely managed to pull himself together and whispered into her ear instead:
“Let’s leave a bit later. Better not run into that guy now.”
Had he delayed his words even slightly, he might’ve been called a madman.
Expecting an annoyed reaction when he pulled away, he was surprised to find her expression entirely different from what he’d imagined.
“Alright.”
Kim Chae Won had replied in a stiff, almost robotic tone without meeting his eyes, then turned toward the screen with a strange look in her eyes.
Always so confident and assertive—yet here she was, completely flustered and frozen.
That sight had caught his attention, and he’d found himself staring at her tense profile for a long while.
Nod. Nod.
Amid the escalating, noisy soundtrack of the film, Chae Won fought hard against her drowsiness.
She’d jerked awake once—only to start nodding off again.
When her head began drooping again, Yoo Gun reached out and gently guided it onto his shoulder.
She flinched as if waking—but he kept his hand around her head, ensuring she stayed comfortably resting against him.
Her head grew slightly lighter on his shoulder—perhaps she was fully awake now—yet she didn’t pull away.
It almost seemed like she was hesitating.
Heh.
Suppressing a chuckle, Yoo Gun removed his hand from her hair but left his shoulder in place for her.
Whether she’d fully decided to lean on him or had simply drifted back to sleep naturally, her weight gradually settled more heavily onto his shoulder.
Yoo Gun smiled quietly to himself.
She really was an interesting woman.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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