Breaking Matchmaking (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 9
After finishing the date photo verification with Chae Won, Yoo Gun returned to the office.
He was reviewing concept proposals for each round with his trainees, whom he planned to enter in the upcoming broadcast open audition.
Since this was an important company event, he was personally double-checking everything when a message alert chimed.
[Here are the three best shots. – Chae Won –]The kind cinema staff member must have snapped a photo every second—ending up with thirteen in total—and Chae Won was quite surprised upon seeing them.
It wasn’t because there were so many photos; rather, she was shocked that Yoo Gun had leaned his face backward and wondered why he had such terrible manners.
It was an absurd moment—her, who scored not just zero but negative points on consideration, daring to lecture him about manners.
“CEO?”
At the sound of Secretary Ahn’s voice, Yoo Gun lifted his head.
The impeccably dressed male secretary adjusted his round glasses once before setting them back and asked,
“CEO, what were you smiling at just now?”
“Me?”
“Yes. I’m sure you were smiling before you looked at me.”
“You think I was smiling at this?”
“I don’t know what it is, but yes—you definitely were.”
Nonsense.
Yoo Gun glanced at the photo on his screen, quickly turned serious, and dimmed his phone screen.
At Yoo Gun’s muttered denial, Secretary Ahn tilted his head in confusion.
“But you were. Should I pull up the CCTV footage to check?”
Secretary Ahn had a strangely persistent streak in the most unnecessary places.
When Yoo Gun shot him a sharp, deadly glare in silence, Ahn quickly backed down.
“Just kidding. But, um… when do you plan to leave for the day? The operations team outside is still working overtime.”
He added in a softer tone, “Because you haven’t left yet, sir.”
Yoo Gun checked his watch, then immediately began shutting down his computer.
“I already told you all to leave whenever you like—why do you keep watching me so closely?”
“It’d be great if you actually left on time for once, instead of coming back to the office so thoughtlessly again.”
Yoo Gun’s hands, which had been tidying his desk, froze.
Receiving another lethal glare, Secretary Ahn quickly shook his head and said, “Ah!”
“That’s great! Really great that you came back. Haha.”
After giving Ahn one final warning look with his eyes, Yoo Gun picked up his jacket from the side and said,
“How about a workout?”
Secretary Ahn had expected Yoo Gun to leave after returning from an outing, then stay for overtime before finally heading home—but now he was going to exercise instead.
It was an energy level Secretary Ahn could never possibly match.
He calmly began to reply,
“When I was in middle school, I got a merit badge in embroidery. In high school, I learned cooking—specifically, home-style side dishes. Also, I prefer the ocean over mountains, and I enjoy staying home more than going out.”
Listening to Ahn’s irrelevant rambling with growing impatience, Yoo Gun tugged at his tie.
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“I’m just saying my personality is really far from anything athletic. Even though I’ve already declined multiple times, you keep suggesting it—but at this hour, I honestly don’t have the energy to work out, sir.”
“Then why don’t you just stay home and do embroidery? Why bother coming to the office at all?”
Watching his boss’s suddenly sour mood, Secretary Ahn bit his lip in awkward frustration.
‘But… weren’t you in the drama club, Mr. Choi Yoo Gun?’
Amid Ahn’s quiet protest not to insult embroidery, Yoo Gun suddenly recalled Chae Won’s expression from just moments ago.
As he quietly gathered his car keys, Ahn sighed and said,
“You’re really scary like this, CEO.”
Yoo Gun turned his head, puzzled.
“What do you mean?”
“Why do you keep chuckling like that? You just threatened me to go home and do embroidery—and then you smile like this? Those are the moments I find most terrifying.”
Yoo Gun turned completely serious and straightened his posture.
“What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever smile?”
Secretary Ahn, now utterly exasperated, made a pained face.
“I don’t know what it is—but please just let go of your anger. It’s all my fault anyway.”
Muttering “What’s wrong with him?” Yoo Gun strode quickly toward the door and pushed it open.
“Stop talking nonsense and just go home.”
“Have a safe trip home, CEO.”
As soon as Yoo Gun stepped outside, the employees, who had been slumped over like soft rice cakes, all sprang to their feet at once.
“Leaving already, sir?”
“From now on, don’t worry about me—just go home whenever you’re done.”
“Take care on your way, CEO!”
Hearing the staff’s suddenly cheerful voices as he walked down the hallway, Yoo Gun pulled out his phone, intending to call the manager of his usual gym.
But as he went to dial, his eyes again fell on Chae Won’s photo.
“…Why did I even open this again?”
Out of habit, he’d tapped his gallery, revealing the photos of her.
He’d definitely meant to make a call—but his fingers moved on their own.
‘CEO, what were you smiling at just now?’
Remembering Secretary Ahn’s words from moments ago, Yoo Gun looked at his own reflection in the elevator doors.
Seeing nothing unusual in his expression, he shook his head slightly, as if the whole thing were ridiculous.
He decided he’d definitely need to push his workout intensity to the absolute maximum today.
*
“Goodness, he’s grown so much—our grandson.”
Looking at the baby’s ultrasound photo handed to her by Jae Min, Young Ja smiled contentedly.
“Right?”
“Things really have gotten better—when I was pregnant, we didn’t even have things like this. By the way, is it a boy or a girl?”
“It’s still too early to tell.”
“I’ve got a feeling it’s a boy—remember, Mom’s instincts are always right!”
Woof! Woof!
Their smiling conversation was suddenly interrupted by barking.
Seeing the bulldog cradled in Jenny’s arms, Jae Min frowned deeply.
“Seriously—where on earth did you get that dog?”
“I already told you—I promised to take care of Ttotto while Ho Tae’s away on business.”
Grrr! Woof!
The little bulldog, Ttotto, bared his teeth at Jae Min.
Jae Min responded in kind, baring his own teeth—making Ttotto bark even more ferociously.
“Aww, good boy, Ttotto—quiet now. Such a handsome pup.”
As Jenny soothed him, stroking his sparse fur, Ttotto gradually calmed down.
“By the way, what did Hee Joo say?”
At Young Ja’s question, Jae Min let out a heavy sigh, his expression turning grave.
“She said no—even though I offered her half of everything.”
“Oh my god! Oh dear, this is serious—our grandchild can’t stay outside forever!”
“I just don’t understand why she’s being so stubborn.”
“For now, treat her as nicely as possible. Don’t push hard—be gentle and kind instead.”
“Do you really think that’ll work?”
“She’s not naturally a cruel person, right? If we handle this differently from before—coax her gently and sweetly—she’ll definitely sign the papers.”
As she stroked Ttotto’s back, Jenny tilted her head in thought.
“She said she doesn’t remember much after the accident—so if she’s holding onto the divorce because of that, shouldn’t we take her to the hospital right away to recover her memory?”
“You really believe that? The way she’s acting clearly shows she got compensation money from the accident—but claiming she doesn’t remember is all an act. Otherwise, how would she have found this house? How would she know about you, me, and the fact that she was trying to divorce Jae Min?”
“Oh… I guess you’re right.”
“Of course! She’s pretending not to remember on purpose just to be difficult. So first, give her what she wants and gently coax her—somehow, we have to get her to sign.”
Jenny nodded in agreement, finding Young Ja’s reasoning sound. Jae Min, still looking deeply troubled, bit his lower lip and spoke.
“But… what if she still refuses?”
“In that case—!”
Grrr! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!
“Ugh, can’t you get that dog out of here? It’s driving me insane!”
At Jae Min’s shout, the dog barked even more aggressively. Jenny pouted in annoyance and stood up.
“Fine, fine—we’re going!”
After sighing deeply, Jae Min turned back to Young Ja.
“She absolutely must sign tomorrow. Otherwise, I really don’t think Rona will stay quiet.”
“That’s exactly why you can’t keep handling this the way you always have. Do you understand, Mom?”
“Yes. Then… specifically, what should we do?”
Mother and son leaned their heads together for the first time in a long while.
Jae Min nodded repeatedly at Young Ja’s suggestions, and deep into the night, the dog’s barking never ceased.
*
Chae Won, who had been watching the vital signs monitor, turned her gaze toward Hee Joo—lying motionless with a pale face.
“I take after Mom, and you take after Dad,” she said softly.
Though Hee Joo’s heart was beating, she remained unconscious—and still, Chae Won kept talking to her.
“Mom said that even as twins, your personalities and behaviors were very different.”
What kind of person had Dad been?
There were still so many things left unsaid—but Hee Joo remained silent, her lips tightly pressed together, unmoving.
Chae Won regretted not asking more, sharing more, giving more of her heart.
After discovering that Hee Joo’s in-laws were nothing like she’d been told, Chae Won felt guilty for not staying closer to her sister.
“Thankfully, James is a good man. Even after Mom passed, he never abandoned me—he raised me responsibly.”
Staring at her like this almost made it feel as if Hee Joo might speak up at any moment.
If she looked long enough, it almost seemed like Hee Joo’s expression shifted subtly—
as if smiling… or crying…
“James asked me to go on a blind date, and guess what? Of all people, your future sister-in-law’s fiancé turned out to be his relative. I’m usually unflappable—but I was seriously startled!”
Don’t worry too much—I handled it well.
Thankfully, it turned into a mutually beneficial arrangement, so I made a deal with him.
Which means… for the next month, I have to go on a date with him every day. Oh—you’re wondering what kind of guy he is?
Chae Won murmured quietly to the empty air and her own heart, then opened her phone to zoom in on today’s photo.
“Nothing special, really. He’s super tall, handsome, capable, sexy…”
She spoke matter-of-factly—then paused, staring at his photo for a long while.
Even in the photo, his unique aura was unmistakable.
“Look at this—see how he sneakily took a step back? Wow… I was honestly shocked. But don’t worry—it didn’t make much difference anyway.”
Chae Won lifted her shoulders slightly, then fell silent again, gazing at the photo for a long time.
“But with this man and me… somehow…”
She’d just been thinking how well they looked together in the photo—then quickly shook her head.
She must be getting weird thoughts because the photo turned out too well.
“I need to snap out of it. I’ve never even taken acting lessons, yet I’m giving off this level of romantic eye contact? That guy’s definitely no ordinary man. And who am I? I’m Kim Chae Won—rejected countless suitors. I’ve got way too many dreams to waste time on romance.”
Though she chattered on to herself, Hee Joo’s stillness remained unchanged.
“I hate getting anything for free. Wake up soon and pay me back everything. The only person left who can tell me about Dad… is you.”
As her eyes grew moist, Hee Joo’s phone rang loudly.
Chae Won turned her head, stared at the screen showing No Jae Min’s name, and pressed the answer button.
“Yes.”
– Tomorrow’s Saturday. You’re definitely coming, right?
This was already his how-many-th call?
No Jae Min never seemed to get things the first time—and had an annoying, persistent way about him.
Chae Won exhaled quietly.
“I’ll come, so make sure you roll out the red carpet.”
No Jae Min’s protesting voice vanished instantly as Chae Won ended the call.
Looking once more at Hee Joo, who still hadn’t awakened from her long slumber, Chae Won rose to her feet with unwavering resolve.
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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