“Especially with CEO Kang, they even had a physical relationship. Do you remember when we bumped into them at your officetel last time? Hyeju used to talk about that incident quite often. It made quite an impression on her.”
“…”
“I wonder what those two are doing on that secluded island right now. They might be drinking if they’re bored, right? In an unfamiliar place, with alcohol, even nonexistent emotions can arise. You and I have experienced that, haven’t we? Isn’t that right?”
Seungwon seemed to forget to breathe.
“I hope things go well for Hyeju and CEO Kang. It would be great if Hyeju could find a wonderful boyfriend like CEO Kang. The four of us could even go on a double date, right?”
“…They’ll figure it out on their own.”
Seungwon wanted to block his ears. His heart twisted strangely.
Watching Seungwon’s reaction as he put down his chopsticks, Dahee quickly changed the subject.
“What should we do tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?”
Seungwon reflexively checked his desk calendar. There were heart stickers and cake stickers placed side by side.
“Dahee’s birthday?”
It wasn’t intentional, but he kept neglecting Dahee. He even resorted to writing down all the schedules on his desk calendar to remember the promises he made and the dates of their dates.
He used to remember that it was a day to let loose and have a drink before they started dating, but now he couldn’t recall why he couldn’t remember. He felt like a terrible person, even thinking about it.
This shouldn’t be happening.
Really, this shouldn’t be happening to Dahee.
“I made a restaurant reservation. Let’s go together.”
Seungwon forced a smile.
“Really? I’m touched, honey.”
“Since tomorrow is Friday, let’s finish work and leave together. Is that okay?”
“Of course, it’s more than okay! I’m already so excited. I should wear something pretty tomorrow. It’s a special day for us, so should we match our dress code?”
“Yes. If you choose, I’ll match.”
Seeing Dahee so delighted by the hastily made excuse, Seungwon felt guilty.
“Let’s leave now. It’s already past nine.”
Seungwon and Dahee picked up their bags and left the office side by side. Unlike the bustling daytime filled with office workers, the lobby was quiet.
“There’s no one to notice, can I cross my arms?”
Dahee hesitated for a moment. She had never revealed that she was dating anyone, but she wondered how long she had to hide her relationship like this.
“Well, I don’t know. Seungwon wouldn’t betray me, right?”
After making up her mind, Dahee subtly reached out her hand.
“Dahee?”
At that moment, someone’s voice suddenly interrupted.
“Oh, it’s Dahee! Thank goodness. I was just about to leave, thinking you might have already finished work.”
As soon as they stepped out into the lobby, Dahee’s face turned pale at the sight of the familiar face.
“Ah…”
The person waiting in front of the building was a middleaged woman in her fifties. She had her hair parted neatly in the middle and thick eye makeup. The chunky gold necklace visible over her modified hanbok was a clear indication of her unconventional appearance.
Dahee wished she could sink into the ground. The situation was dreadful enough to make her want to run away if Seungwon wasn’t by her side.
“What brings you here to the company?”
“I couldn’t reach you, so I came. I was curious if you’re eating well. But who is this?”
The woman’s gaze turned towards Seungwon. Seungwon politely bowed with a slight bend of his waist.
“Hello, I’m Kang Seungwon, who works at the same company as Dahee.”
A colleague from the same company?
Seungwon’s polite smile felt like a blade cutting through Dahee’s heart. Forgetting that they were in front of the company, Dahee firmly grabbed Seungwon’s arm.
“You don’t have to lie in front of her. She’s not someone from work or anything.”
Then, Dahee raised her head proudly towards the woman.
“He’s my boyfriend.”
“Oh, I see. So, Dahee, he’s your boyfriend. Nice to meet you. I’m…”
“She’s someone I know.”
Dahee cut in, interrupting the woman midsentence.
“We used to live in the same neighborhood, so I still occasionally greet her and such. Ahjumma, have you been doing well all this time?”
Dahee stared at the woman as if she had set a trap. The woman’s eyes, which had been slightly shaking in confusion, quickly calmed down.
“Yeah, I have.”
“Sorry for not contacting you. I’ve been busy with work and my mind has been occupied. Did you stop by on your way?”
“It’s not just on my way…”
The woman held a golden package in her hand. After hesitating for a moment, she resignedly extended the package.
“This is.”
“What is it?”
…She asked me to pass it on. From your mother.”
A bitter smile formed on the woman’s lips.
“I’ll contact my mother separately. Thank you for passing it on.”
Dahee tightly pressed her lips, nodded politely, and turned away.
The woman watched Dahee’s retreating figure with a sense of longing.
It was a moment when the seaweed soup in the insulated lunch box felt particularly plain.
“Do you want to sit?”
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
