“Did they say it would rain today?”

As I left the company, the sky was gloomy. It looked like it might rain.

“Don’t you have an umbrella?”

Hye Na asked as she took out an umbrella from her bag.

“No, I didn’t even think about it.”

“I’ll give you mine later, take it with you.”

“What about you?”

“I can just call Mr. Kim, the driver”

Though she hadn’t told her coworkers, Hye Na was the daughter of a wealthy family, wealthy enough to have a dedicated driver, as her father was the president of J Food, a well-known domestic food service company.

With three elder brothers above her, Hye Na had grown up with more focus on marriage since childhood. President Yoo’s goal was to raise Hye Na gently and marry her off to a family that could be a good partner.

But as she grew older and became more ambitious about work, Hye Na began to clash frequently with her father’s wishes, and eventually got a job at H Telecom’s customer center, saying she would become independent.

“Thanks. I’ll use it well and return it tomorrow.”

So Yi smiled brightly and headed with Hye Na to a famous omakase restaurant in Cheongdam.

It’s a restaurant that usually requires reservations at least a week in advance, but they called Hye Na an hour before closing time to let her know there was a cancellation.

Hye Na often received such calls from various restaurants in Cheongdam that had partnerships with J Food.

“How is it? Dating our CEO?”

Hye Na asked as she sat next to So Yi in the hall. Because of her father’s desire to marry Hye Na off to a good family, Hye Na naturally couldn’t even dream of dating since childhood.

“Dating is all the same.”

“No way. How can it be the same when you’re dating none other than CEO Cha Si Heon? Eat a lot. You might become our company’s CEO’s wife, so I’ll lobby for you in advance.”

Hye Na picked up the bottle with an excited expression and filled So Yi’s glass.

“What are you talking about, what wife? I’m the one who’s grateful for being able to eat at such fancy restaurants thanks to you every time.”

The place where they were dining today was also an expensive omakase restaurant that So Yi could never even think of affording on her own. Hye Na often took So Yi out to eat delicious food, saying she had a separate allowance card apart from her salary.

“Oh? Jin So Yi?”

So Yi turned her head at the familiar voice from behind.

“Baek Do Hun?”

Do Hun smiled cheerfully, saying he came to have dinner with a friend at the restaurant he had reserved long ago.

Due to the characteristics of the omakase restaurant, the bar wasn’t very large. The four of them ended up dining together as if they had suddenly joined tables, chatting while eating.

“Are you really dating Cha Si Heon?”

Do Hun asked while Hye Na had briefly left for the bathroom. Coincidentally, Do Hun’s companion had also left to smoke.

“Yes, we are dating.”

“What if you break up?”

“If we break up, then we break up.”

“You should be careful of men like that. I’m sure you’ll get hurt later.”

As expected, Do Hun started nagging as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“So what if I get hurt a little? It’s fine as long as I’m happy now.”

She spoke words that weren’t in her heart. She was afraid of getting hurt. She was terrified of falling hopelessly.

She could clearly see herself struggling and hurting alone when she could no longer see Si Heon a month later.

“You’re not young anymore. It’s time for you to start thinking about marriage and seriously meeting someone.”

Do Hun spoke more seriously, putting strength in his eyes.

“Okay. I’ll take care of it myself, don’t worry.”

“You…”

Just then, Do Hun’s companion returned to their seat. So Yi smiled bitterly and picked up the glass in front of her.

“Seems quite serious?”

Ji Wook said as he filled Si Heon’s glass with wine.

The two had visited an omakase restaurant near the company after work and were dining in a VIP private room. The chef who had placed the elegantly set plate on the table bowed and left the room.

“I heard you had quite a scene in the conference room today?”

Si Heon chuckled.

“I thought we’d just meet briefly in passing, but to be that serious…”

“Actually, it’s fake.”

“What?”

Ji Wook’s eyes widened at Si Heon’s casually spoken words.

“What do you mean fake?”

“We’re not really dating.”

“What on earth…”

“It seems our Madam Kang keeps trying to find a match for her son. I wanted to make it clear that I’ll handle my own marriage.”

“And?”

“I also thought I might need some appropriate stimulation to return to Chahan Media quickly.”

Ji Wook, who had been gaping in surprise, finally nodded as if he understood a little.

“What if Jin So Yi really falls deeply for you and says she can’t break up? Or worse, what if she uses this as an excuse to demand financial compensation or exposes it to some media outlet?”

“We started with a contract, so that won’t happen.”

“You wrote a contract?”

“So I just pretended to be sincere, even in today’s meeting.”

Si Heon laughed softly as he picked up his glass.

“Director Choi was talking such nonsense too.”

No matter how much nonsense he had spoken. It still didn’t make sense that Si Heon would be so serious in such an important place if it wasn’t a woman he was genuinely dating.

“So. What did you decide to do?”

“Director Choi’s side keeps contacting me to apologize. I just said let’s talk tomorrow and left.”

“Are you really going to report him for defamation?”

“No, why bother? I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. This much is enough.”

What on earth was he talking about? Ji Wook tilted his head more and more as if he couldn’t understand.

“I acted more intensely to give Madam Kang some tension. She’s the type who would only raise the white flag if I act like I’m really going to marry Jin So Yi.”

Ji Wook, who had been blinking silently, asked again.

“So, what did your mother say?”

“She hasn’t had much reaction yet. You know. She’s infinitely elegant and refined on the outside.”

“True. That’s Director Kang’s charm, isn’t it?”

Si Heon nodded slightly at Ji Wook’s words. It wasn’t wrong.

No matter how angry Yu Kyung got, she never once hissed or raised her voice.

She was always calm and aloof on the outside.

Even when someone made Yu Kyung angry, she was like that.

She didn’t seek revenge through others or vent her anger separately.

She calmly observed and analyzed the other person, then steadily subdued them.

Before they knew it, the other person was on their knees before Yu Kyung of their own accord.

The only person Yu Kyung had never been able to handle at will was her son, Cha Si Heon.

“Don’t tell Heo Jang Woo.”

“Tell him what?”

Ji Wook raised his eyebrows as if to say, what are you talking about?

“I’m going to keep pretending to be sincere to Jin So Yi in front of Heo Jang Woo.”

“Why?”

“He’s close with our mother, you know. He’s grateful for the sponsorship he received in college. Of course, I’m grateful that he’s sincere to my mother, but he’s also the kind of guy who could stab me in the back just as much.”

Ji Wook laughed and shook his head. Saying there’s no way he would go as far as stabbing him in the back, he raised his glass with Si Heon.

A moment later, the two finished their meal and left the room. While Si Heon was paying, Ji Wook pulled his hat down and left the restaurant first, afraid of being noticed by people.

As Si Heon finished paying and turned around, Jin So Yi’s voice suddenly came.

“Why can’t you do it?”

“Maybe it’s because my nails are short.”

“Give it here. I’ll do it for you.”

When he turned his head, he saw Jin So Yi sitting at the bar talking to some man. It was the man who had come to the company entrance during lunch time.

Seeing the man fumbling to attach the keyring properly, So Yi eventually reached out her hand. She attached the keyring to the car key and handed it back to the man. Was that what she had been giving him earlier in the day?

“Oh!? CEO!”

At that moment, So Yi’s eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost. Her cheeks were flushed red, probably from drinking too much.

“I guess this is where your appointment was.”

“Ah… yes.”

So Yi stood up from her seat and quickly patted her cheeks. As if that would return her already reddened cheeks to their original color.

“It seems my girlfriend has had a bit too much to drink. Would it be alright if I took her home?”

Si Heon spoke to Do Hun with an expressionless face.

“No, CEO. That’s…”

She should wait for Hye Na who went to the bathroom and leave together… The words wouldn’t come out of her mouth.

“Yes, go ahead.”

Do Hun replied grudgingly. Si Heon approached So Yi’s seat and picked up her bag and coat. He gently wrapped his arm around So Yi’s shoulder, who was standing awkwardly, and left the restaurant.

In the hallway, So Yi looked up at Si Heon, blinking her round eyes. Si Heon’s eyes were hardened stiffly, whether in anger or not.

“You said you had an appointment, so I thought you were meeting a friend. I didn’t know you were meeting a man?”

Si Heon asked in a heavy voice, lowering his gaze to So Yi.

“No, that’s not it.”

As she was shrinking back, feeling unnecessarily intimidated despite having done nothing wrong, her eyes met with Hye Na’s, who was coming out of the bathroom behind Si Heon.

And at that moment, the elevator arrival chime sounded. As she was about to call out to Hye Na with a troubled expression, Hye Na, who had quickly grasped the situation, gestured that it was okay and to go ahead.

In the end, So Yi silently followed Si Heon into the elevator. Si Heon took out his phone from his jacket’s inner pocket and called someone, telling them to go ahead. It seemed he had been with someone.

From the evening, the sky had been damp all over as if it might rain, and by the time they left the restaurant, heavy rain was pouring down.

Perhaps because it was a rainy day, they couldn’t get a designated driver, so Si Heon ended up calling Jang Woo, who lived nearby.

While waiting for Jang Woo in the back seat of Si Heon’s car, So Yi, who had been hesitating as if she should say something, opened her mouth.

“Were you also dining there, CEO?”

Si Heon nodded, his gaze fixed on his phone screen. Then he said nothing. So Yi’s mouth went dry in the suffocating silence. If only this secretary Jang Woo would come quickly.