“What are you saying?”

It was not Ha Jun but Ji Hyun who flared up at Seung Ho’s somewhat threatening words.

“Ha Jun and I are just friends. Isn’t it too much to call him a ruffian?”

“Friends……”

Despite showing no particular expression, Seung Ho’s face as he looked at Ha Jun while muttering in a low voice was threatening.

“If you were really friends, you shouldn’t have raised your hand first. Or is there another meaning to being friends?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Ji Hyun’s voice grew louder at Seung Ho’s sarcasm. She was upset that Ha Jun was being undervalued by Seung Ho just because he was her friend. The unexpected quarrel caused people around them to whisper.

Ji Hyun shrugged her shoulders, uncomfortable with the attention drawn to her. Seeing her stiff posture, Ha Jun stepped to her side.

“I’m fine. Don’t be too upset, Ji Hyun.”

Ha Jun, who was patting Ji Hyun’s shoulder as if to comfort her, turned his head to stare at Seung Ho. Seung Ho’s lips twisted at the upright appearance that showed he was raised with love in a proper family. Ha Jun spoke first.

“I was planning to meet you anyway. Shall we talk separately, just the two of us?”

“I don’t think we were close enough to talk in private. Is my memory wrong?”

Sparks flickered in Seung Ho’s eyes as he tilted his head. Ha Jun readily agreed.

“Yes, you’re right. We weren’t. But now I think we need to talk.”

“If someone heard, they would think we were close as men.”

Seung Ho, who shot a cold sneer, shifted his gaze to Ji Hyun. Barely swallowing the urge to twist Ha Jun’s wrist resting on her small shoulders, he spoke in a thoroughly indifferent voice.

“I think you forgot, but it’s working hours right now. It’s not time for you to have a touching reunion with an old friend.”

Ji Hyun’s eyes were not kind towards him who was being very sarcastic. Seung Ho’s patience, which felt thirsty like a river drying up in the burning sunlight, became even thinner.

He found the petty friendship of treating a friend rudely infinitely ridiculous. But it didn’t matter.

Ji Hyun’s light brown eyes were only reflecting one person, only him, and Seung Ho felt a little better than before at that fact.

“So follow me quietly. There’s more work to do.”

Ha Jun hurriedly called out to Seung Ho who was about to leave.

“Wait, I’m not done talking…”

“If you want me that much, get in line. I’ll deal with you later. I still have that left…”

Ha Jun clenched his fists tightly with a stiff expression at the sight of him bragging with his fancy exterior.

Ji Hyun looked back and forth between Seung Ho and Ha Jun with an awkward face. Ha Jun signaled with his eyes for her to go quickly. He didn’t want to be seen as the same kind of person as Seung Ho to Ji Hyun.

“Seung Ho, where have you been until now!”

Min Woo, who spotted Seung Ho, approached him with an empty champagne glass, panting.

“I thought all my hair would fall out looking for you! By the way, huh?”

Min Woo stopped what he was going to say and opened his eyes wide when he saw Ji Hyun standing behind Seung Ho.

‘Was she always this pretty?’

Min Woo usually liked glamorous beauties whose eyes, nose and mouth clearly asserted themselves. So he often couldn’t understand Seung Ho’s abnormal obsession with Ji Hyun.

It was only a while ago that he thought there were plenty of pretty girls like her at social gatherings…

Now he felt he needed to change that view.

Ji Hyun, wearing a black A-line dress that emphasized her slender waist, exuded a more captivating atmosphere than anyone else at this party. Especially her unrefined, transparent eyes and red eye area.

“Don’t make me feel sick and just continue what you were saying.”

At the sharp voice that cut off his thoughts, Min Woo finally turned his gaze away from Ji Hyun. There was something else he had to focus on.

“That bastard Myung Ho, no, your elder brother, was completely chewing you up in front of people like jerky, how should we deal with this?”

“If possible, I’d prefer beef jerky…”

“Is this a joke in this situation?”

“I’m kind of serious.”

Seung Ho recalled Myung Ho, who was trembling and couldn’t even hold a martini glass straight after a few words. Why were there so many who barked while hiding their tails and shaking…

“What did he say, a coward who went on an escape study abroad? Hey, I listened quietly and found out the rumors all originated from there.”

“There must be more, tell me everything. It’s interesting.”

At his urging, being called a coward, Min Woo’s gaze briefly turned to Ji Hyun and then back to Seung Ho.

“Surprisingly, he has very low standards for women…”

Somehow, the more he spoke, the more it felt like his own neck was being strangled, but Min Woo continued.

“Whether he can properly, ahem, fulfill his duties as a man, I don’t know. Of course, it’s all nonsense!”

It was the words he had filtered quite a bit. What Myung Ho had actually said was much more explicit.

“A poor younger brother who is attracted to vulgar things despite his noble appearance.”

Rumors depend on who is saying them. Everyone listened with interest only because it was about Seung Ho, but no one actually believed those words.

If Seung Ho had said he liked a maid working at the mansion, most of the women there would have secretly wished to become his maid.

Ironically, Myung Ho’s desire to denigrate only made Seung Ho more mysterious. And Seung Ho knew that fact better than anyone.

“Anyway, even the gossip of an elder brother is nasty…”

Min Woo clicked his tongue, looking at Seung Ho who was giggling as if the rumors targeting him were ridiculous.

“Such a thick-skinned guy.”

Seung Ho’s eyes turned cold after laughing for a long time and raising his head. It was something he had anticipated to some extent. Myung Ho did not know how to win people’s hearts. It was the result of living only thinking about himself and doing only what he wanted.

“Now that you’ve laughed enough, tell me the point.”

“The candidates for deals from Myung Ho’s side are Shin Gun Jung, the president of Shinjin Industries, and his daughter Shin Hae Min, who attends law school.”

“Shinjin Industries…”

“It’s one of the rising companies. It was already doing well before, but these days, it’s in the mood to expand its business even more.”

It was uncertain whether a win-win deal for both sides was possible in Shin Myung Ho’s head, but the possibility of one in a million could not be ruled out.

“The reason for sending the daughter to law school is probably…”

Seung Ho nodded as if he knew what Min Woo wanted to say.

“There’s nothing like marriage to expand power.”

The president of Shinjin Industries wanted a son-in-law in the legal or political circles using his daughter.

“Of course, the daughter doesn’t seem to mind and is actively taking the lead.”

“A typical story.”

“Ah, and you, why didn’t you tell me?”

Seung Ho took the champagne that the server politely offered.

“About what?”

“About Park Chae Rin.”

“Why is she being mentioned here?”

“Didn’t your father say Chae Rin is our daughter-in-law?”

Seung Ho smiled without batting an eye.

“It seems like he’s finally trying to bring in the eldest daughter-in-law. Elder brother Myung Ho will be getting married soon.”

“This is really not something to be taken as a joke. It’s different if it’s Rivernic. And do you know what Park Chae Rin’s dream is?”

“Don’t say it. I don’t want to know…”

Seung Ho frowned as much as he could, but he continued.

“Her dream is to marry you.”

‘That name again.’

Standing silently behind Seung Ho and listening to their conversation, Ji Hyun heard a familiar name.

Park Chae Rin.

A person that Min Woo was particularly sensitive about and a name that even Seung Ho, who was usually indifferent to most things, reacted to.

She had been upset by Seung Ho’s cold treatment of Ha Jun until just now, but she had completely forgotten about that.

Chae Rin’s existence, whom she had never seen face to face, was now affecting even Ji Hyun. Min Woo continued talking to him with an unusually serious face.

“We were pretty close during our study abroad days. You know her personality is really bad, right? Just like you.”

“Who’s like whom? Do you really want to die by my hands?”

Seung Ho’s eyes flared up, bothered by the word ‘similar’. But Min Woo was not one to stop with just a threat.

“She’s such a rare breed that she never lets go once she bites. Rarely seen in our world, just like you. And she’s going to marry elder brother Myung Ho of all people.”

“I’m not in the mood to listen to nonsense.”

When Seung Ho approached as if to grab his collar, unable to stand the blabbering mouth, Min Woo lowered his voice.

“No, you have to listen more. Because there were also signs that Rivernic tried to make a deal with elder brother Myung Ho. And…”

Wondering about the conversation that was no longer audible, Ji Hyun tilted her head. Chairman Shin calling her our daughter-in-law, a deal with Myung Ho. It was a perfect table set for Myung Ho. But Min Woo’s expression said otherwise. There was more to it.

“Hey, Shin Seung Ho!”

Then, a high-pitched voice filled with emotion hit her ears. Ji Hyun turned her head to where the sound came from.

A woman wearing a sky-blue knit one-piece dress that highlighted her slender height and figure was waving her hand among the crowd. As soon as he saw her, Seung Ho openly frowned.

Ji Hyun realized it immediately. That person was none other than Park Chae Rin…

Chae Rin walked towards Seung Ho, pushing through the crowd with a confident gesture. She was a beauty with striking features.

“Shin Seung Ho, it’s been so long. Do you know how much I missed you?”

Despite Seung Ho’s openly unpleasant attitude, Chae Rin continued without minding.

“Hmm, you’re still so cool, I really like that. I was surprised to hear rumors about you through elder brother Myung Ho earlier.”

“Rumors? That’s all nonsense. Elder brother Myung Ho lied.”

Min Woo stepped in to explain on his behalf, but Chae Rin did not back down.

“I heard you have really low standards for women. So I wondered if that’s why you didn’t like me…”

It was a tremendous self-confidence befitting her birth. Her unrestrained words, as if she had never experienced failure in her life, continued.

“Seung Ho, what was your type again… Ah!”

Chae Rin pointed to Ji Hyun who was standing silently behind Seung Ho.

“Is she the one from the rumors?”