Perhaps deeming it lacking in substance, their tone and behavior toward Kwonyul changed instantly.

Kwonyul rose from his seat and looked at Bora, who was standing there with tears streaming down her face. He briefly thought about offering a handkerchief, but hesitated.

“Should I offer the handkerchief after making her cry?”

Worried that his meaningless gesture might be harmful to her, he hesitated.

Kwonyul withdrew his hand that had reached towards his pocket and muttered softly.

“Bora, we had no choice but to do this for each other.”

“…”

“I hope you won’t be too hurt.”

With that, Kwonyul turned his gaze away from Bora.

“If you felt uncomfortable since this morning, I apologize. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

Kwonyul bowed politely and as soon as he turned his back, a dull sound was heard.

Startled, Kwonyul hesitated for a moment in his place. However, he couldn’t stay any longer.

Bora stared at her ceiling with resentful eyes.

“Do you have no pride, as a human being? Unrequited love? Huh. Be careful not to spoil the company’s name elsewhere!”

Her parents continued their scornful criticism for over an hour.

Bora’s wounded heart seemed invisible, as if she was solely concerned with managing the potential risks of rumors and negative reputations.

“Rejected even by Kwonyul, who’s not even a chaebol. This is the first time in my life I’ve felt such disgrace.”

But more than the blame from her parents, Bora felt more bitter towards Kwonyul.

At Kwonyul’s plea to stop, it felt like all the memories they had shared together had disappeared like a mirage.

“…To this extent. Really, to me…”

As she swallowed the words she had to say, she thought of Han Seoyeon, as bright as a sunny summer sky.

How precious that woman must be to dedicate so much time like throwing away a piece of oneself.

She wanted to ask if she really had no emotions, not even as much as a fingernail.

Bora clenched her fists in frustration, pounded her chest vigorously, and exhaled heavily.

As overwhelming emotions rushed in, she crouched down, making wailing sounds.

In fact, as soon as she learned that Kwonyul’s girlfriend was Han Seoyeon, she had stored the number on her phone.

But she couldn’t muster the courage to act as planned and reveal the truth about Seoyeon’s identity.

So, as an alternative, she chose to inform Seokgu about Seoyeon’s identity.
As soon as the age difference of 7 years was mentioned, Seokgu erupted with the expected rage.

Bora had been convinced that Seokgu would put everything back in its place regarding Kwonyul. No, she wanted to believe that. That way, she could hold onto a small hope for Kwonyul.

“Sigh. Just to receive treatment like this…”

She remembered the times she visited Seokgu’s office, wanting to get along with Kwonyul, and the times she glimpsed him studying in the library until late at night.

“…Like a fool.”

Uncontrollable anger surged, unable to regulate it like someone thoroughly betrayed.

If Kwonyul came out so firmly, Seokgu, who was strong-willed until now, would have no choice but to accept Han Seoyeon. If that was the case, there was only one option left.

“If I can’t have it, neither can you.”

Thinking about the next step while forcibly swallowing the words trying to justify fairness, Bora recalled the plans she had meticulously prepared in the chaotic situation.

She had everything from the phone with the videos of Seoyeon and Minhyuk, the email list of reporters, to the address of the advertising company creating ‘Jirashi.’

Although she hesitated due to family connections and relatives well-known by name, there was nothing she couldn’t do when everything was a mess.

Bora remembered the plans she had thoroughly prepared in the already hopeless situation.

She thought of a suitable place where no one, neither her family nor her school, could recognize her. She needed a place with a constantly changing population, where it was impossible to figure out who was who, preferably with many young people—perhaps a gaming room.

Instead of calling the usual driver, she left the house without calling a model taxi.

Normally, she would have called a model taxi without hesitation, but she walked slowly for over 20 minutes.

Then, she caught a taxi that had just arrived in front of her.

“Hongdae Station Exit 9, please.”

As soon as Bora sat in the back seat, she pressed her hat down and pretended to look at her phone. However, her heart throbbed with nervousness, despite her bold appearance.

Besides the unfamiliar emotions from going to a new place for the first time, she wondered if she could handle this. What if something went wrong, and her identity was revealed? Various worries cluttered her mind.

“Don’t be scared. Maybe that woman will be grateful to me. After all, I’m giving her a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to become a part of the DN Group family.”

Bora continued to rationalize, trying to soothe the spreading anxiety.

At that moment, she saw a crowd of people pouring out of the subway entrance.

“Hey, please stop in front of the traffic light.”

To leave no trace, Bora took cash out of her wallet. To make no special impression, she even took the coins she would normally never take.

“On the anonymous bulletin board, eyewitness accounts, next is the email, and finally, the quick service.”

Looking at the largest PC room nearby, Bora murmured as if talking to herself.

“Yul, this is my farewell gift.”