When You Forget Me (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 9
Just then, the melody, which had been flowing like water, screeched off-key.
Startled, Eun Chae looked toward the entrance.
It was a piece she’d practiced dozens of times—she’d never made a mistake before. So why now?
Gritting her teeth, Eun Chae bit her lip and repositioned her bow.
Still bothered by the slip-up, she stayed behind after practice to play a little more before leaving.
Yet not far away, she spotted her friend Mi Rae and Gi Ju, who had just rehearsed with her, standing together.
Mi Rae was saying something while Gi Ju listened quietly—until suddenly, he looked up and met Eun Chae’s fixed stare. Noticing her too, Mi Rae approached.
Eun Chae shot a quick glance at Gi Ju before speaking to Mi Rae.
“What is it? Did that person interrogate you or something?”
“Huh? No. He just asked what your practice schedule’s been like lately. But honestly, I haven’t seen him in ages. You know everyone got jealous and left when he started talking to me, right?”
Mi Rae giggled, and Eun Chae clicked her tongue as if she’d expected exactly that, replying coldly.
“If he talks to you again, just ignore him. He’ll probably ask about my schedule again.”
Mi Rae, who’d entered a year late and was the only one the same age as Eun Chae, was closer to her than to the other team members. Sensing right away that Eun Chae was in a foul mood, she nodded and quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, did you check the group chat? Ga Hee suggested we go to Pocheon—her uncle just opened a ski resort.”
“Do you really think we have time for that? The concert’s practically around the corner.”
Eun Chae scoffed as if it were absurd, and Mi Rae, reluctantly agreeing, let out a deep sigh.
“But we said we’d go somewhere before graduation, remember? Everyone’s already on board. We’ve never even had a proper MT—just stuck in practice rooms or here all the time.”
They occasionally went out for drinks after rehearsals, but Eun Chae usually skipped those. Besides, this trip would likely be their first and last MT-style outing, so attending made sense.
After a moment’s thought, Eun Chae pulled out her phone.
“Fine. I’ll check the message and reply.”
“So you’re going?”
“Yeah.”
When Mi Rae asked again and Eun Chae answered with a smile, Mi Rae waved and disappeared. Eun Chae waved back, then walked toward Gi Ju, who was waiting where she’d just been talking with Mi Rae.
“When are you going to stop digging into my private life behind my back? Oh, I guess you can’t help it—you’re just following the Chairman’s orders, right?”
Taking one step closer, Eun Chae gave a faint, mocking smile up at Gi Ju, who was looking down at her intently.
“All this time—pretending you had feelings for me—was that also just part of your orders?”
It was meant as sarcasm, but also held a shred of sincerity. Gi Ju opened his mouth, hesitated, then closed it again. After a silent moment, he narrowed his eyes slightly and finally spoke.
“I just asked because I was curious. Personally.”
He seemed surprised she’d taken it that far; the word “personally” tacked on almost as an afterthought.
For an instant, Eun Chae realized she might have misunderstood—but that only made her more exasperated. She sidestepped past him and headed toward the car.
“Why bother asking my friend specifically?”
“Because you’d never tell me yourself if I asked directly.”
Eun Chae felt a strange lightness in her shoulders and turned around. Gi Ju stood behind her, holding her viola case.
Still facing forward, she asked in disbelief,
“Why are you even curious about that in the first place?”
“Aren’t people naturally curious about the ones they spend time with?”
Gi Ju opened the car door and slid the viola case inside first. Glancing sideways at his profile, Eun Chae climbed into the passenger seat and muttered,
“I’m not curious at all about what you do, Mr. Kwon Gi Ju.”
Just as he was about to close the door, Gi Ju lowered his eyes to Eun Chae, who sat primly inside, and rested a hand on the car roof. His long fingers tapped lightly against its surface.
“What can I do? I’m just the second.”
At his low murmur, Eun Chae turned her head toward him.
Gi Ju leaned his upper body deep into the car, bringing his face close to hers.
“It’s fine. You just need to be curious about me.”
Feeling his hand brush against the nape of her neck just below her ear, Eun Chae’s eyes narrowed as she frantically checked the driver’s seat.
The driver was nowhere to be seen—probably gone to the restroom—but they were still on campus. Anyone passing by might see them. Yet Gi Ju’s hand gripped her neck and the side of her head, pulling her forward.
The heavy scent of his usual cologne tickled her nose. Her lips tingled. His eyes, which had been fixed on her lips, slowly drifted upward.
“It’s kind of annoying that we have to hide this.”
Gi Ju pulled away with a hint of regret, adjusted his tie, and calmly watched Eun Chae, who was now staring straight ahead. Then he closed the door.
Alone for just a brief moment before Gi Ju got into the passenger seat, Eun Chae finally exhaled as if a long-blocked breath had finally broken free.
Leaning back into the car seat, her neck and earlobe burned and itched as if bitten by something. In the end, Eun Chae undid her hair, which she’d tied up for practice, and closed her eyes.
The sound of paper being crumpled violently echoed through the office.
The secretary standing before Seung Yoon glanced nervously at him, unsure what to do.
Furious, Seung Yoon crumpled the paper in his hand even further, then tore it apart and flung the shredded pieces at his secretary.
Even for Diewon Group, the report they’d brought back on just one bodyguard was embarrassingly shallow—barely better than what was printed on a business card.
He knew perfectly well he wouldn’t accept such a worthless report lacking even basic family information, yet the secretary kept repeating the same excuse:
It seemed there simply weren’t any records available on Kwon Gi Ju.
All the documents contained were the company’s official information and speculative notes from surveillance—nothing revealing even the slightest hint of weakness or guilt.
“Does that even make sense?”
“The briefing was moved up, so the report is incomplete. If you give me a little more time, I’ll assign more tails and gather better intel.”
“Never mind that. Schedule a meeting with Song Eun Chae for tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.”
After the secretary left briefly, Seung Yoon irritably ran a hand through his hair and laughed bitterly.
So is he some guy who just dropped from the sky?
He’d tried to figure out what kind of arrogant fool this person was, only to end up even more furious.
He’s obviously nobody special. Just some nobody.
“Director. Ms. Song Eun Chae says she has a schedule in Pocheon tomorrow but will contact you as soon as she returns.”
Hearing yet another unsatisfactory reply from his secretary upon his return, Seung Yoon scowled and waved him away dismissively.
Chairman Song, believing everything with Han Seung Yoon was proceeding smoothly and without issue, didn’t object to the overnight ski trip. Of course, a bodyguard was still assigned without exception—but this time, it wasn’t Gi Ju. Another guard accompanied Eun Chae instead.
Eun Chae glanced around briefly for Gi Ju and realized he wasn’t coming.
Did he have other duties besides guarding? As she traveled, she kept thinking about his absence. Upon arriving at the ski resort, she asked the bodyguard to stay out of sight—the kids found his appearance a little intimidating, which made things awkward.
Soon, the last to arrive, Eun Chae, joined the rest of her team. Since the resort was newly opened, the facilities were excellent. The weather had warmed slightly earlier but turned cold again, erasing her earlier concerns.
The lively group split into threes and boarded the ski lift. Eun Chae took the beginner slope slowly at first to get a feel for it, then gradually picked up speed.
Thanks to various childhood hobbies—skiing, snowboarding, swimming, ballet, squash—her body seemed to remember. But even back then, Eun Chae had poor coordination and stamina. She seemed to be doing well at first, but eventually took a big fall.
Her ankle twisted slightly, but it wasn’t serious, and she didn’t want to make a fuss. So Eun Chae finished the day’s activities and only messaged the bodyguard once inside the resort, asking him to bring some pain-relief patches.
Right after, everyone rushed off to shower, leaving Eun Chae as the last to come out—only to find wine and matching appetizers already set on the table.
“Unnie Eun Chae, hurry up!”
Ga Hee waved her over.
Eun Chae pushed her slightly damp hair behind her back and took a seat.
It was customary to invite romantic partners to graduation concerts, and many girls, eager to find boyfriends beforehand, were buzzing with excitement, chattering about it.
“Should I ask the guy I like if he’s free that day—right now?”
“Yeah, go for it! Might as well be bold since we’re already drinking.”
“I went on a blind date recently, and the guy couldn’t tell cello from violin. Seriously, the worst.”
Eun Chae chimed in,
“Right? Though confusing viola and violin—I could almost understand that.”
The girl laughed at Eun Chae’s dry reply and clapped her hands.
“By the way, Unnie Eun Chae—do you have someone you like?”
A few who knew about Eun Chae’s arranged marriage suddenly fell silent, and the mood grew tense.
Though Eun Chae herself didn’t mind, more and more friends started glancing at her awkwardly. Feeling uncomfortable, she took a sip of wine and brushed it off playfully.
“Who knows?”
“You’re pretty and kind—you must be super popular! I’m jealous.”
“Totally! Unnie Eun Chae looks just like a ball-jointed doll.”
As they nodded in agreement, Eun Chae, unsure how to respond, rubbed her pale cheeks with her palm and ate some cheese.
Ding-dong.
Just then, the intercom rang, and Eun Chae stood up. Waving for Mi Rae, who’d started to get up to check it, to stay seated, she headed to the door.
“I called for it.”
Assuming it was the bodyguard, Eun Chae slipped on her slippers and opened the door.
But the person standing outside was taller than the bodyguard assigned to her today.
Looking up, she met Gi Ju’s eyes and flinched in surprise, her eyebrows lifting.
In his hand, he held not just the patch but other first-aid supplies as well. Yet instead of handing them over right away, he slowly scanned her from head to toe before speaking.
“Are you hurt?”
For a moment, Eun Chae felt herself lean backward. Seeing his unexpected face so suddenly left her body stiff.
Had she been staring at the white snow too long? Even the absurd thought that she might be hallucinating flickered briefly through her mind.
“Ah…”
After a pause, Eun Chae let out a low sigh. The tall man before her lowered his gaze—she had to tilt her head down more than usual just to fully see his face. Kwon Gi Ju, their eyes finally meeting, tilted his head slightly as if asking why she was just staring.
His tailored suit gleamed under the hallway lights. Even the first-aid kit in his hand looked stylish. Ridiculous as it was, that’s exactly what Eun Chae thought.
“Eun Chae, is everything okay?”
Worried since she’d gone silent, someone had sent him to check. Only then did Eun Chae snap out of it. Embarrassed, she instinctively snatched the items from Gi Ju’s hand and quickly shut the door with a loud click.
She only realized how jarringly loud it had been after she’d already returned to the bedroom.
The others looked at her with puzzled expressions.
“I asked him to bring this.”
Eun Chae explained almost unconsciously. Their looks clearly said, “Is that really something worth losing your mind over?”—but she had no good excuse. She just stared awkwardly at what she held in her hands.
Meanwhile, Ga Hee, who’d stretched her neck to peer past the door, blushed and spoke up,
“He came too? I thought only that scary-looking guy would show up.”
“Who? Could it be…?”
Mi Rae, out of habit, started to ask—then abruptly widened her eyes mid-sentence as if she’d already guessed. Ga Hee nodded eagerly, even more excited.
“The one we both know!”
“What? I didn’t see him!”
“He’s seriously handsome. Why is that face still walking around in the real world? Shouldn’t he be locked away in some entertainment company’s practice room?”
Ga Hee’s eyes sparkled brightly as she said it. Since she’d always been vocal about her celebrity crushes and often brought them up in conversation, it wasn’t surprising. Yet for some reason, Eun Chae felt uncomfortable.
To clear her unnecessarily complicated thoughts, she deliberately steered the conversation elsewhere—asking about Ga Hee’s idol concert, pretending to know lines from dramas she’d never watched. Fortunately, the mood stayed pleasant.
With just the right amount of alcohol in them, it was only a matter of time before everyone collapsed into bed. After even Ga Hee, the last one awake, finally fell asleep, Eun Chae quietly slipped out of the room.
Her tolerance was low, so she’d been careful from the start—but apparently not careful enough. Her face felt hot.
Pressing her burning cheeks with the backs of her hands, Eun Chae stepped outside. The ski resort at night was different—unlike the crowded daytime, only a few snowboarders occasionally glided down.
Staring blankly at the quiet scenery, she pulled her cardigan tighter and turned to leave—but stopped before even taking a step.
She’d spotted Kwon Gi Ju leaning against the building’s outer wall. With bare-branched trees behind him, he looked up.
They locked eyes for just a few seconds—but Eun Chae didn’t say a word. Instead, she turned and walked in the opposite direction from where he stood.
She could feel his sticky, clinging gaze on her back like a pull—but she ignored it.
She stopped at a small smoking booth. A familiar-looking man, who’d been smoking, quickly stubbed out his cigarette.
Only then did Eun Chae remember he was a guy staying in the adjacent room. Mi Rae, sensitive to being watched, had complained about his frequent glances making her uncomfortable. That remark had stuck in Eun Chae’s mind, so she deliberately avoided his gaze.
The man, still waving away the lingering smoke in the air, shuffled closer with hesitant steps.
Just as Eun Chae was about to leave, sensing annoyance coming on—
“Song Eun Chae.”
Kwon Gi Ju walked steadily toward her. Eun Chae took a deep breath. The cold air filled her lungs and made her head spin briefly.
His hair fluttered eerily against the wind, revealing his flawless forehead and straight nose.
“Why come out only now? I’ve been waiting.”
His fleeting smile felt oddly familiar and gentle.
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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