‘I’ve gone crazy, I’ve gone crazy!’

So Yi muttered these words repeatedly as she entered Marco Polo Airport.

It was just past 5 AM when So Yi, who had fallen asleep after being tormented by Si Heon all night, woke up.

So Yi carefully slipped out of the room so as not to wake Si Heon, quickly packed her things and left the hotel.

She wasn’t sure how she had made it to the airport in this state of mind. After completing check-in, she sat in an airport cafe, her mind blank as she replayed the events of last night.

It was clear that she had completely lost her mind last night.

How could she have provoked a man like Cha Si Heon, thinking she could handle it?

When he was appointed as an executive director of Chahan Media earlier this year, the reason he gained fame wasn’t just because of his striking looks that rivaled celebrities.

After graduating with an MBA in the US, he immediately became the head of strategic planning at Chahan Life Group upon returning to Korea. He was highly praised for achieving phenomenal results in just two years.

Not only did he expand the portal site [SEEK] operated by Chahan Life into Southeast Asia, but he also carried out a major renovation of the websites for Chahan Shopping Mall and Home Shopping, subsidiaries of Chahan Life, and introduced same-day delivery service. There were numerous articles about how the total sales and number of new members in 2021 had increased tremendously when you searched his name.

Earlier this year, when Si Heon was appointed as an executive director of Chahan Media, the core subsidiary of Chahan Life, there was quite a commotion with articles suggesting that Chairman Cha Hyun Seob’s succession plan was finally taking shape. So there was no way she couldn’t have known what kind of person he was.

‘How could I agree to date someone like that for a month, even if it’s fake…’

What on earth had she been thinking?

‘Date me for just one month. As a fake couple.’

Even though she clearly knew it made no sense, she couldn’t refuse.

Whether fake or real, she should have refused anyway.

‘Okay.’

She had foolishly agreed.

‘No matter how I think about it, I must have gone crazy.’

So Yi shook her head quickly and sucked up her Americano through the straw.

“Forget it! I won’t see him again once I return to Korea anyway. Surely he won’t send someone to find someone like me. Someone like Cha Si Heon could easily find a woman for a month-long fake relationship.”

As she was muttering to herself and finishing her coffee, her phone vibrated. It was So Eun, So Yi’s elder sister.

“Yes, elder sister. I’m at the airport about to go back to Korea…”

− That article, it’s about you, right?

So Eun cut off So Yi’s words with an urgent voice.

“What article?”

− You and Cha Si Heon in the suite room at Griviti Felix Hotel yesterday!

So Yi’s pupils dilated rapidly.

“How… how do you know about that, elder sister?”

− How do I know? It’s all over the news in big headlines!

“News?”

Her whole body froze. Her slightly curved eyebrows trembled above her wide-open eyes.

− What’s going on, did the article come out without your consent?

Since their parents passed away when they were young, So Eun had always acted as So Yi’s guardian. After the news about Si Heon broke, pictures of the two of them together at the bar started circulating on social media.

So Eun was furious that no action had been taken yet, even though blurry photos of So Yi’s face were circulating.

− Contact Cha Si Heon and tell him to take down the article immediately!

So Yi’s heart sank to the floor.

Contact Cha Si Heon? Even if she had his contact information, he was the last person she should be contacting!

− Don’t tell me… it wasn’t just a one-night stand, was it?

The words “I brought this upon myself, so please calm down” rose to the tip of her tongue.

Whether fake or real, he had proposed a month-long relationship, but she couldn’t bring herself to say that she was the one who had tried to end it as a one-night fling.

“Ah… well. I need to go check in now, so I’ll call you back later!”

Even though she had already completed check-in, So Yi hastily hung up the phone.

Her fingertips trembled as she immediately checked the news portal.

[Cha Si Heon, executive director embroiled in controversy over rude remarks, spotted on leisurely date in Venice.]

The article, with its sensational headline, included a photo of her back view as she entered his room last night.

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Onyeonjae, the mansion in Seongbuk-dong with a name meaning “a house full of warmth”.

This is the mansion of Cha Gun Hyuk, the honorary chairman of Chahan Group who stepped down five years ago, dividing the group evenly among his three sons.

As soon as Chairman Cha Hyun Seob, Si Heon’s father, received the report that Si Heon had returned to Korea, he summoned his family to Chairman Cha’s mansion in Seongbuk-dong.

Although he was already independently running Chahan Life Group, which had separated from Chahan Group, he would usually report the results of major management-related meetings over meals with Chairman Cha.

A table full of steaming braised sea bream, fresh oysters, and braised short ribs with sweet pumpkin was set, and a quiet meal was underway when Chairman Cha slowly put down his spoon.

After taking a sip of water, Chairman Cha’s gaze turned to Hyun Seob.

“Was it really necessary to make him step down?”

Chairman Cha’s eyebrows furrowed at the mention of Si Heon temporarily stepping back from the management of Chahan Media. It seemed that this had been bothering him throughout the meal.

“This is the fastest and surest way to quiet the media.”

“Moreover, even if it’s temporary, putting Si Heon in charge of the H Telecom customer service center would be a good experience for him in many ways.”

As Hyun Seob and Yu Kyung answered in turn, as if they had been waiting for this, Chairman Cha slowly turned his head to look at Si Heon.

“Si Heon, do you agree with this as well?”

“I agreed to go temporarily until a new representative is selected.”

Recently, due to a customer information leak incident at the H Telecom customer service center, the representative had resigned. Despite this, customers who had already lost trust began to leave H Telecom one by one.

As the customer churn rate and complaint rate continued to increase, no one was willing to step up to the position of representative for the troublesome customer service center.

It wasn’t even an H Telecom affiliate, and on top of being a subsidiary representative, it was a position everyone else was avoiding. For Si Heon, this position was nothing short of a demotion.

Just as he was establishing his position and trying to expand his influence within Chahan Media, a demotion like this was absurd to think about.

“Well, if you’ve decided to go, Si Heon, go and help out a bit.”

“That’s the plan. First, I intend to address the increasing customer churn rate due to the personal information leak.”

Si Heon spoke calmly, having decided to follow the decision for now.

Only then did Chairman Cha nod with a satisfied expression.

“By the way, what are your thoughts about that young lady?”

A heavy silence fell over the dining room at Chairman Cha’s next words.

Lately, Chairman Cha had been frequently saying that he felt his time was coming to an end and that he wanted to see his youngest grandchild get married.

Although there had been talks of an arranged marriage with Yeon Ri Na, the granddaughter of Daehan Electronics’ chairman, for a long time, Chairman Cha kept insisting that he wanted to marry Si Heon off quickly to anyone as long as Si Heon agreed.

According to Butler Kim, Chairman Cha had shown a subtly satisfied smile upon seeing Si Heon’s news article, which had Yu Kyung extremely worried.

Even though it was probably just an article released to provoke them, she tried not to worry too much. Surely he wouldn’t be thinking of marriage.

Yu Kyung pretended to be calm as she wiped her mouth with a napkin and glanced at Si Heon.

“We are seeing each other with good feelings. If the relationship deepens, I am even considering marriage.”

“Si Heon.”

Hyun Seob called out to Si Heon in a deep voice, in response to Si Heon’s answer that came without a moment’s hesitation.

“I thought you were waiting for news of my marriage more than anyone else.”

At Si Heon’s following words, Yu Kyung’s eyes finally narrowed sharply.

When Si Heon had resisted being appointed as the representative of H Telecom’s customer service center, the condition Yu Kyung had proposed instead was marriage.

If he married Yeon Ri Na, the granddaughter of Daehan Electronics’ chairman, and established a foundation, she would somehow resolve the issues with the media and the resentment of the fired employees.

Si Heon had been refusing arranged meetings with Ri Na for years, using the excuse of being busy.

Since Daehan Electronics’ chairman would soon step down and Ri Na’s father would succeed him, Yu Kyung wanted to make the marriage with Ri Na happen by any means necessary.

Not knowing what exactly he disliked so much, Si Heon had finally said he would take a break and gave up his position as an executive director.

And then he went to Venice and created this scandal, so Yu Kyung was at her wit’s end.

“Still, wouldn’t it be better to take down the article? You never know what might happen…”

“Leave it be, dear. Si Heon must have his reasons.”

Chairman Cha cut off Yu Kyung’s words in a languid voice. Yu Kyung’s hands, hidden under the table, clenched tightly.

“I still think it would be better to take down the article, grandfather. He’s been avoiding blind dates with the granddaughter of Daehan Electronics’ chairman for years now, and suddenly there’s news of him dating?”

Si Yeon, unable to stand it any longer, chimed in as if frustrated.

“By now, they should understand. That I’m not destined to be with their granddaughter.”

The excuse of being busy was just that – an excuse. He had firmly refused the marriage with Ri Na every year. On the other hand, Si Heon raised the corner of his mouth, thinking that this opportunity might allow him to cleanly resolve the issue with Ri Na’s side as well.