Brother, You're Mistaken (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
“Why are you giving this to me…?”
Could this possibly be kindness? There’s no way Kang Joo Won would show me something like that.
“If you strut around the streets looking like that, people will think you got beaten up somewhere.”
…Of course.
Hye Ju couldn’t figure out how to respond to those words—kindness in name only, not in truth. She looked down at her blouse splattered with seonji-guk. Now that she thought about it, the stains really did look like blood.
“Thank you.”
He nodded.
Joo Won gave a cool, curt nod.
Hye Ju hurriedly slipped the knit sweater over her blouse. Blue skirt, blue knit—this brand-new fashion experiment instantly crushed her confidence, and she thought she heard a faint, mocking whisper in her ear.
“You look like a box of crayons.”
Joo Won chuckled lightly and turned away. Watching his back as he opened the door and left, Hye Ju clenched her fist.
“Even if you say the same thing, couldn’t you phrase it nicely? Where’s it going to hurt you? I almost slapped you with that whole crayon box thing. Ugh.”
She almost took it off right then, but held back.
At least now her ruined blouse was covered, so she was grateful for that.
From Kang Joo Won—this was the first time.
“So that’s why I caused a scene bright and early this morning. Walking down Gangnam-daero in ‘crayon fashion’—my face burned so badly I thought I’d die.”
“Hehe, just imagining ‘crayon fashion’ is hilarious.”
“It’s not funny. I seriously wanted to sink into the ground.”
After work, Hye Ju met Da Hee to vent about what had happened that day. Reuniting after a while at their usual skewer joint, chatting away like old times, it felt as if they’d gone back to the past.
“Where’s that outfit now?”
“In my bag. Luckily, I had spare clothes at the office and changed right away. I’ll wash it and return it.”
“What a shame. I missed my chance to see Oh Hye Ju’s crayon fashion.”
“Whatever. Spare me your eyes.”
Da Hee giggled and placed a skewered fish cake onto Hye Ju’s small plate. Hye Ju refilled Da Hee’s empty soju glass.
“Anyway, President Kang Joo Won is surprisingly different. I thought he’d hate the buddy program, but he’s being super proactive?”
“Proactive doesn’t even cover it—he’s practically a devout follower. He gave a whole speech about the purpose and necessity of the buddy program.”
“Do you like him or something?”
“Pfft!”
The half-swallowed fish cake lodged itself in Hye Ju’s throat.
“Why is the conversation going that way?”
“Isn’t it obvious? It’s totally out of character for him to be so enthusiastic about the buddy program. Plus, instead of just taking photos and parting ways, he actually took you to a restaurant—and even lent you his clothes.”
“He’s only been in the role a short while, so he’s probably trying to adapt to company culture. And he took me to the restaurant because he needed hangover soup. Would you go eat seonji-guk with a girl you liked?”
“Hmm, I guess that’s fair…”
Da Hee nodded, then narrowed her eyes slightly.
“How about you?”
“Me what?”
“You must’ve been happy—getting paired as buddies with a guy you like, right?”
“Not really.”
Hye Ju had completely forgotten she’d once dropped a bombshell in front of Da Hee, confessing she liked Joo Won. Startled, she quickly added,
“I’ve already moved on. So please stop linking me with President Kang Joo Won.”
“Why get so serious all of a sudden? Do you hate even hearing his name?”
“It’s not that I hate it…”
Really. What was this feeling?
Hye Ju poked at her fish cake, lost in thought. Every time Joo Won’s name came up, she felt oddly flustered.
It was as if she’d been caught in a lie.
Probably because she’d once falsely told Da Hee she liked him.
“It’s not that I dislike it—it’s just uncomfortable. Being around President Kang Joo Won keeps making me create embarrassing memories, and that’s frustrating.”
Da Hee nodded, as if that made perfect sense.
They passed drinks back and forth, chatting about work.
Even though they were on different teams, the company wasn’t huge, so they were both quite familiar with each other’s colleagues and office dynamics.
When Da Hee heard that Ruby, who had originally been matched with Joo Won as his buddy, got food poisoning, she let out an absent-minded chuckle.
“Guess she’s got it pretty bad. Serves her right.”
“Serves her right?”
Hye Ju asked, a little surprised. Da Hee flinched and quickly explained,
“I mean… she usually acts kind of shady, doesn’t she? Didn’t you notice?”
“What do you mean? I actually thought Ruby was cheerful and positive—pretty nice, honestly.”
“I don’t like the look in her eyes.”
“What’s wrong with her eyes?”
“She acts like she’s the only person in the world—all confident and full of herself. Total princess syndrome. Because everyone around treats her like royalty, she actually thinks she’s a real princess.”
It was the first time Hye Ju had heard Da Hee gossip about someone—and that someone happened to be Ruby, her friendly colleague from the business division.
She couldn’t just blindly agree, but outright disagreeing would obviously upset Da Hee, so Hye Ju tried to gently change the subject. Just then—
Creak—
The wooden door to the skewer joint slid open, and Seung Won appeared.
“Huh?”
Since it wasn’t a prearranged meeting, Da Hee looked slightly surprised. Hye Ju was equally taken aback.
“What’s Kang Seung Won doing here?”
“No idea. I didn’t say I’d be coming here today.”
Even more shocking was the person who stepped in right behind him.
“What’s this? A company dinner?”
Shaking off the light drizzle, the man who walked in was none other than Kang Joo Won.
8 p.m.
Most employees had already left, leaving the office eerily quiet. Alone in the president’s office, Joo Won stared intently at his computer screen.
Anyone watching might assume he was reviewing a billion-won contract, but in reality, it was something utterly trivial—he was looking at the buddy photo he’d taken with Hye Ju that morning.
“She closed her eyes so boldly.”
It was from Hye Ju’s buddy mission report, uploaded that afternoon. After passing through HR, the final report had reached him, and he was reviewing it before leaving work.
Joo Won rested his chin in his hand, gazing blankly at the screen.
“She’s already not that good-looking to begin with.”
A faint smile touched Joo Won’s lips. Though his words called her unattractive, his expression was warm—like someone watching an adorable little sister.
Thinking of Hye Ju gave him a strangely soothing feeling. She was funny, absurd, and somehow as cute as a teaspoon’s worth of sweetness.
Even ten years ago, when she suddenly thrust a Pepero at him without warning, she’d always been delightfully odd. Back then, she’d given him that Pepero with a face as charred as a burnt sweet potato—yet now, when he finally rolled out the welcome mat, she ran away. And after ten years apart, the moment they reunited, she blurted out a confession.
“It’s true that I liked you, hyung. But I’ve moved on now.”
And yet, all she says now is that she’s moved on—completely, cleanly, tidily.
He couldn’t figure out what tune to dance to. If she’d just asked him out properly, he could’ve clearly rejected her. But Oh Hye Ju’s current behavior made absolutely no sense. Was this really how someone acted toward someone they liked? Far too lukewarm.
Even if he generously assumed she was in the process of moving on, that still didn’t explain it. How could someone cut off contact like a lizard shedding its tail before the other person even had time to feel flattered? This wasn’t just anticlimactic—it felt like getting hit over the head with a hammer.
The real problem was his own heart. Why did it sting to hear that a girl he’d never cared about had “moved on”? He ought to be grateful she’d stepped away on her own—so why couldn’t he stop thinking about it?
‘Is it because I feel sorry for her…?’
Lost in complicated thoughts, Joo Won shut down his computer and stood up. Deciding that overthinking would only give him a headache, he figured he’d go drink alone—just as he reached to turn off the office lights—
Rustle rustle.
A head suddenly popped up from behind the partition.
“Haven’t you left yet?”
“Oh, hyung.”
It was Seung Won, rubbing his messy hair as he stood. He looked tired, likely from a heavy workload.
“I was just about to head out. Are you done too?”
“Yeah.”
Naturally, they stepped into the elevator together. As kids, they used to joke around often, but now, like most grown siblings, they rode in silence, eyes fixed on the changing floor numbers. Finally, Joo Won spoke.
“Want to grab a drink before heading home?”
“Are you buying?”
“You haven’t even gotten your first paycheck yet, and you’re already scheming to mooch off me?”
“If you don’t like it, forget it. I spent a fortune last month on game items—I’m broke.”
“You thief.”
Joo Won chuckled softly, pressed the button for the basement parking level, then tapped 1 again and jerked his chin toward Seung Won.
“Let’s go.”
And so they arrived at the skewer joint. Neither expected to find Hye Ju and Da Hee there, so both were slightly startled.
“Over here! President, please sit here too.”
Da Hee, quicker to recover, sweetly offered her seat. As she moved to pick up her small plate, Seung Won stopped her.
“Just stay put. We’ll find our own seats.”
“…Really?”
The skewer joint was a small, cozy place with a central hotpot full of fish cakes and circular seating arranged around it.
Da Hee and Hye Ju sat in the curved corner—someone occupied the seat to Da Hee’s left, while Hye Ju’s right side was empty.
Naturally, the two newcomers sat beside Hye Ju on the right.
“What were you eating?”
“We ordered salt-grilled skewers and gizzard skewers!”
“Then I’ll go for galbi flavor. Boss, order here!”
While Seung Won placed their order, Joo Won stood with arms crossed, silently studying the menu—or rather, stealing glances at Hye Ju. With Seung Won sitting between them, all he could see was her dark brown hair and beige coat.
‘Oh Hye Ju changed her clothes.’
She’d replaced the blue knit sweater he’d given her that morning with a beige coat—and for some reason, that irked him. So Joo Won kept his expression cool and indifferent the whole time.
“Seung Won-ah! How come you came with the president? Did you know we were here? Oh—since the president’s here, should I use formal speech?”
Thrilled to see her boyfriend, Da Hee chattered excitedly.
“Relax. We’re just here for a drink—brothers off duty.”
Joo Won replied curtly.
Clearly awkward, the four began drinking. Da Hee led most of the conversation, with Seung Won chiming in supportively.
Hye Ju, for some reason, stayed quiet. Noticing that the usually high-spirited girl had suddenly gone silent the moment he arrived, Joo Won couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
He had no idea she was seriously debating whether to switch seats with Da Hee—aware of Seung Won sitting right beside her.
“Since we’re all together, let’s do a cheers! Even though he’s the president, he’s also my boyfriend’s older brother! By the way—you know we’re dating, right?”
Da Hee’s eyes crinkled warmly, her tone free of malice—but Joo Won clearly saw Hye Ju’s expression subtly darken at that moment.
…Why?
“Someone should give a cheers toast. It’s not an official dinner, but as the eldest here, President, would you like to?”
Unaware of the tension, Da Hee cheerfully filled her glass.
“Alright, then.”
Just as Joo Won reluctantly raised his glass—
Whoosh!
Flames shot up from the kitchen, visible right from their table. Heat surged instantly. Crimson fire roared up from the grill where skewers were cooking, and all four shouted at once:
“Watch out!”
In that instant, Seung Won pulled Hye Ju close, shielding her.
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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