That night, Se Hyun was in the car driven by Dae Un. The two were on their way to a bar Dae Un frequented.

There were people waiting for them there. People who moved on Dae Un’s orders. Tonight, they were planning to do a final check on Dae Un’s operation with them.

After that, the operation would be put into action. The first step was to leak part of the operation to Shin Hwa Group through Han Ga Eul.

“Will Han Ga Eul really act as you think? She might not leak our talk to them.”

“Don’t you remember? Her bringing coffee we didn’t ask for to try to find out what we were talking about? She’s also been snooping around your computer, I hear.”

A faint smile appeared on Dae Un’s lips as he recalled the scene.

“You’re smiling about a spy extracting information from you to pass to the enemy? Explain your behavior logically. Han Ga Eul, she was snooping around your computer, wasn’t she?”

“Didn’t I tell you not to worry? And Han Ga Eul snooping around my computer was for a different reason. She said she saw me investing in stocks and followed suit.”

“Now you’re even making excuses for her? I can’t stop worrying. You’re not the type to let someone snoop around your computer. You’re the type who never loses a penny and never lets anyone take advantage of you for free. Get your head straight. If you’re not giving up on avenging your father, stay focused on the goal.”

“Is the information about flaws in TS Tech’s encryption technology certain?”

Dae Un changed the subject, seemingly trying to stay focused on the goal as Se Hyun said. It meant he wouldn’t talk any more about Han Ga Eul. So Se Hyun answered Dae Un’s question for now.

“Of course. I personally confirmed it with a mathematician writing a paper on the flaws in that encryption technology. He said the paper would be out in about 6 months at the earliest, after going through some verification processes. There’s a theory that TS Tech has also obtained this information and is preparing countermeasures. I heard they’re even considering legal battles.”

Dae Un nodded while staring straight ahead. In that moment, Se Hyun quickly asked.

“Is the Han Ga Eul issue your personal matter? In other words, does that mean you have feelings for Han Ga Eul? Is that it?”

Se Hyun didn’t give up easily. He couldn’t just stand by and watch his only friend desire the forbidden fruit. Because the outcome was obvious.

“Don’t you think your life is complicated enough? You want to make it even messier? You started this knowing you and Han Ga Eul are entangled in bad karma?”

“Don’t jump to conclusions. I haven’t started anything yet. Han Ga Eul has someone she likes. She asked to date me because she wanted to get over that person. Crazy…”

Dae Un seemed to mutter something like a curse at the end. But it was so faint, like talking to himself, that Se Hyun couldn’t be sure.

“You haven’t started? You crazy bastard, you stupid bastard, you fool. You haven’t started? At your age… Go die, you idiot.”

Se Hyun knew when Ki Dae Un, who needed everything to be clear to be satisfied, was being vague in his answers. He felt his chest tightening.

The employees who had come to Korea following Dae Un were right. Dae Un was deeply fallen for Han Ga Eul. Even though he denies it. He’s the only one who believes that. He’s the only one who doesn’t know. While the whole world does.

“Either use her or like her, just do one of the two.”

So Se Hyun said. Knowing how Dae Un and Han Ga Eul were entangled, Se Hyun couldn’t help but say at least that much.

“Do you really have no intention of becoming the heir to Shin Hwa Group? Then why did you come to Korea? You could easily deal with Shin Hwa Group from the US. Even now, there are countless companies on Wall Street that would take you. Why are you wasting time in Korea, turning down the chance to become a Wall Street legend?”

“Wasting time? Who’s the one who’s been growing your assets all this time?”

Dae Un said while staring straight ahead. Curious about what he was staring at so intently, Se Hyun followed his gaze. Dae Un seemed to be glaring at a traffic light that had turned red.

“Compared to the money you could have made if you were in the US, it’s peanuts. And why this neighborhood of all places? Even if it’s to avoid surveillance from your grandfather and uncle, couldn’t you have chosen a better neighborhood? It seems like a place where only people who think the 80s were the end of history live. And that office… ugh.”

“Director Sun found it for me.”

“Director Sun? You mean Sun Jae Ho? Your grandfather’s man? Did your grandfather order it?”

Dae Un didn’t answer. When Se Hyun glanced over, Dae Un was focusing on something even more intently than before.

“Why are you picking a fight with the traffic light?”

Se Hyun said, thinking Dae Un was glaring at the traffic light, but that wasn’t it. Following Dae Un’s gaze again, Se Hyun spotted a woman crossing the crosswalk.

As it was near the end of the signal, the woman was hurrying her steps. But her walking looked somewhat awkward. It seemed her body wasn’t obeying her properly.

“Who is it?”

Se Hyun asked. It was dark outside, and the woman was wearing a hat, making it difficult to recognize who it was.

“Someone who shouldn’t be there.”

Dae Un answered through gritted teeth. He seemed to have recognized who the woman was just from the car and streetlight.

“Do you know her?”

“Han Ga Eul.”

“Han Ga Eul?”

Se Hyun’s eyes lit up. How could this be, we were just talking about Han Ga Eul and she appears.

“She looks unwell. Is she sick?”

As Se Hyun asked, he noticed Ga Eul’s disheveled appearance. He also remembered her pale face that seemed to have never seen sunlight. She definitely looked like a patient. Has Ki Dae Un’s taste changed? To a sick Cinderella?

Se Hyun fell into serious contemplation. Was a bold spy Cinderella not enough, so she had to be sick too? Why on earth did Dae Un fall for such a woman? Should he protect his friend’s private life? Or should he make his crazy friend come to his senses?

Han Ga Eul barely managed to cross the crosswalk just before the signal changed. Still, Dae Un’s eyes didn’t leave Ga Eul. Se Hyun had to tap Dae Un’s arm to let him know the signal had changed.

After driving a bit, Dae Un stopped the car.

“You get out. Go to the meeting alone.”

“What are you talking about? Everyone’s waiting for you. You need to do the final review and give instructions for everyone to move.”

“Tell them to meet again tomorrow. I said get out.”

“You bastard, really. I can’t get out. I need to see what your business is. I need to know what urgent matter makes you abandon the people gathered for you.”

Se Hyun tensed his eyes and held his ground. He absolutely can’t get out. He has to follow to the ends of the earth to see. To see what’s going on.

Dae Un seemed to give up and started the car again. After turning the car around, Dae Un drove in the direction Han Ga Eul had walked. The car passed through the hospital gates.

“Hey, how did you know Han Ga Eul went to the hospital?”

“She’s someone who should have been in the hospital. Not on a crosswalk on the street.”

Dae Un parked the car in the empty night parking lot and got out as if running. He quickly walked away without even waiting for Se Hyun to get out.

Se Hyun followed him, almost running. Dae Un increased his speed, but Se Hyun didn’t fall even a bit behind him. I’ll confirm with my own eyes. Just what kind of person Han Ga Eul is to Ki Dae Un.

* * *

Ga Eul threw her bag into the closet and hurriedly unbuttoned her blouse. She felt dizzy, probably because she hadn’t eaten dinner.

They said she couldn’t eat hospital food tonight because she hadn’t requested it in advance. Grandmother had packed some food for her, but if she ate that, she wouldn’t make it in time for tutoring.

In the end, she gave up on dinner and went to tutor. With the hospital bills, she couldn’t afford to have the tutoring fee payment delayed.

It was fortunate that she was able to tutor without missing today. It was also good that she managed to persuade her grandmother, who wanted to spend the night at the hospital with her, to go home. It seemed to work when she said she absolutely had to feed Gyeo Ul some boiled meat today.

Everything worked out well. Even sneaking out of the hospital and back without getting caught. Ga Eul sighed in relief as she hung her blouse in the closet and took out her hospital gown.

Just then, the hospital room door burst open. Ga Eul reflexively covered herself with the hospital gown she was holding. Her heart raced, thinking a nurse had caught her sneaking out.

As Ga Eul turned her head, she saw the door closing as quickly as it had opened. But through the closing gap, her eyes met with the person who was closing the door. It was the president.

Ga Eul was stunned. Her face flushed red hot. Fortunately, she had covered her bare body with the hospital gown, but what if he saw before she covered up?

“What’s wrong? Why are you like that?”

An unfamiliar man’s voice was heard through the closing door.

“I didn’t knock.”

Outside the room, Dae Un answered Se Hyun’s question and banged his head against the hospital room door.

“What’s that, a new way of knocking?”

Dae Un was standing with his back to Se Hyun. He didn’t want to show his face to Se Hyun right now. His face in a defenseless state with everything exposed.

His heart was pounding. People say he has a strong heart, but it doesn’t seem so. Otherwise, how could his heart be racing just from catching a glimpse of Han Ga Eul’s bare skin.

Dae Un gritted his teeth. Ga Eul’s face, seen through the open gap, came to mind. Ga Eul was frozen stiff with surprised rabbit eyes. Her snow-white shoulders and collarbone not fully covered by the patient gown.

You crazy bastard. Dae Un shook his head. It’s just a collarbone, not even bare breasts. He’s not a pubescent boy.

He did catch a glimpse of Ga Eul’s bra-clad chest before she covered herself with the patient gown.

But so what. It’s not like he hasn’t seen women in bikinis before. Even when women in swimsuits barely more than strings bumped into him at pool parties, his heartbeat didn’t change.

For someone like him, what’s seeing a prudish bra that even teenagers in America wouldn’t wear? Her chest wasn’t even that big. What’s Han Ga Eul to him? Han Ga Eul who calls another man’s name even when unconscious.

Dae Un banged his head against the hospital room door again. “Come in” was heard in Han Ga Eul’s voice from inside.

“I understand you want to use your head somehow since you haven’t been using it much lately, but tsk tsk. You should have asked me. I could have taught you hundreds of more useful ways to use it than banging it against the hospital room door.”

“Why did you follow me?”

Glaring at the sneering Se Hyun, Dae Un opened the hospital room door. As he opened it, he immediately shouted. Thinking it was the best way to hide his embarrassment.

“Do you live without thinking at all?”

He thought attack was the best defense. Whether to hide his own embarrassment or to erase Ga Eul’s shame. Or to clear away the lingering image of Han Ga Eul’s white flesh before his eyes.

However, it was Dae Un who became awkward. Ga Eul had already regained her composure and was glaring at Dae Un as if he was pathetic. Her expression seemed to say, why is a dog barking in the middle of the night when there’s no moon?

“Ahem. You’re determined to get back at Young Min’s father, aren’t you? You’re doing this to get revenge for Young Min’s father throwing you out, right?”

“Please speak so I can understand.”

It was past 11 o’clock.

Just as she was about to have some dinner. Are you interfering with that? Is it not enough that you barged in without knocking and saw someone’s bare skin? What’s the reason for coming to harass someone in the middle of the night? Ga Eul glared at Ki Dae Un with all sorts of irritation.

“Miss Han Ga Eul? I apologize for coming so late at night. This friend saw Miss Han Ga Eul crossing the crosswalk near the hospital. It seems he followed out of concern.”

Se Hyun, who had followed along as a bonus, said. He hadn’t seen Ga Eul’s bare skin. So he spoke like a person with discernment.

Gasp. A sound of air escaping came from Ga Eul’s mouth. Her sneaking out of the hospital had been discovered. They say misfortune never comes alone, and here someone was pouring salt on her wounded head when she was just trying to make a living by showing some professional spirit.