It wasn’t a particularly meaningful event for Sun Woo to go on a blind date. Marriage wasn’t urgent or necessary for Sun Woo anyway.

Rather, he had a stronger desire to quickly get through this bothersome process and be done with it.

President Ji Kang Seok arranged the blind date to promote his company U&I Fashion by putting forward his daughter, while Sun Woo was merely pushed by his parents who wanted to somehow get their son married despite his age not maturing him.

“Sun Woo?”

Thirty-five.

He didn’t think it was old, but his parents seemed to think differently.

On a weekend morning, as Sun Woo was lying on the living room sofa reading news on his tablet, Madam Hwang approached as if she had something difficult to say.

“What is it?”

Madam Hwang held out a photo of a modest and cute young woman in front of Sun Woo.

“What do you think? Isn’t she pretty?”

Sun Woo sighed first, and Madam Hwang gauged his reaction to that sigh.

“How old is she?”

At that moment, he thought: If I just get married, I won’t have to deal with this hassle anymore.

At the question about her age, Madam Hwang’s face brightened.

She must have thought he was interested.

He simply asked because she looked too young.

“She’s President Ji Kang Seok’s daughter. Ji In Ha. She’s twenty-eight.”

“Ah. She looked even younger.”

He had thought early twenties.

Her fair skin and youthful face that still seemed to have baby fat made her look even younger.

And if she was young, he was thinking of using that as an excuse to refuse.

“When should we meet?”

“Shall we set a date?”

“Book the wedding hall too. I’ll propose while meeting her.”

Sun Woo got up from his seat, grinning at Madam Hwang.

From then on, Madam Hwang set the date, and Sun Woo asked his friend Jae Seok, who worked in the general affairs team at The K Distribution, to investigate In Ha.

He thought he should look into what kind of woman he was going to marry.

“President Ji Kang Seok has two daughters. The woman you’re meeting is the second daughter. Ji In Ha. Right now, U&I Fashion is not in a good financial situation. Well, the reason they suggested this match with your side is obvious. Your father gives plenty of scholarships to Korea University, right?”

Jae Seok lightly recited the details to Sun Woo.

“Second daughter? Not the eldest? Why? Is the first one married?”

Jae Seok rubbed his chin with his hand.

“The thing is, the eldest isn’t his biological daughter. Legally, she’s a stranger. An adopted daughter. But they couldn’t send an adopted daughter for a blind date with The K Distribution, could they?”

Sun Woo smiled back at Jae Seok.

“They seem like upright people. Even raising someone else’s child.”

“Don’t be sarcastic. President Ji Kang Seok’s character is well-known in this field. Don’t go there and tarnish The K’s reputation.”

That’s how he went on the blind date.

In reality, In Ha appeared modest and proper.

A youthful impression as if she had just graduated from university. A woman with a fresh smile.

Her gently smiling face and quiet demeanor weren’t bad.

“Let’s get married.”

Of course, Sun Woo, who found the whole process bothersome, blurted that out without even exchanging greetings.

“Pardon?”

“Isn’t that why we’re here?”

“Well, yes, but… It’s quite shocking when you say it so suddenly.”

In Ha blushed with embarrassment. Well, Sun Woo thought that look was quite cute.

“I’ll take that as agreement and leave. I’m a bit busy.”

Is this the end of a wandering life? No more living in a mess? It feels like I haven’t had enough fun yet.

He might have had such thoughts as he left the hotel cafe at that moment.

He might end up doing even worse things than during those chaotic times.

And the reason for that might be none other than his fiancée’s elder sister.

No, since she’s an adopted daughter, should I not call her elder sister?

Anyway, the fact that it was that person’s elder sister was shocking even to Sun Woo, who had been living recklessly.

***

But Young Hwa disappeared without a trace after spending a passionate night.

Sun Woo didn’t even know who she was to begin with.

Her traces still remained on Sun Woo’s body, giving him a tingling sensation every time he moved.

She was gone.

That fact made him feel as if he had been toyed with.

‘What’s going on?’

It didn’t add up to simply dismiss it as a one-night accident.

It was the precariousness felt from the moment they first met at the bar. The anxiety and desperation visible in Young Hwa as she seduced him. It felt like a woman standing on a cliff, reaching out her hand asking to be saved.

‘Who on earth is this woman?’

That curiosity and uneasiness made Sun Woo take Young Hwa’s hand.

Moreover, Young Hwa’s subsequent actions only raised more questions for Sun Woo.

‘First time?’

Sun Woo was the one being seduced, but Young Hwa showed a strong aversion to the situation.

Her trembling transmitted through the hand on her shoulder. Fear and tension were also felt.

While saying she hadn’t been with a man through awkward actions and gazes, she was desperately imitating a mature woman.

‘Why on earth is she doing this?’

He almost directly asked the woman what she wanted.

How funny that was.

Though not one to enjoy slapstick comedy, the laughter that escaped between his lips was genuine.

That’s how he gave Young Hwa the one night she so desperately wanted.

But she disappeared.

When he opened his eyes in the morning, the woman was gone like a mirage.

The empty side of the bed felt cold. It ached as if there was a hole in his heart. He laughed even as he got angry.

His palms bore nail marks from how tightly he had clenched his fists.

If he had known this would happen, should he have asked who she was first?

I don’t know her name, I don’t know her surname.

Ha. He thought he was going crazy. He started looking for Young Hwa again by visiting the bar where he had met her.

It was a place Sun Woo and his friends frequently visited. So he asked an employee who had been working that day to check the CCTV footage from that time.

Sun Woo spotted Young Hwa entering through the main entrance and pointed.

“Ah− This person.”

“You know her? Who is she?”

“I don’t know. We’ve sent several people to try to get her business card since we need customers like her to keep our business going, but we couldn’t get it. She refused even our service, she was so aloof.”

“You don’t know anything about her?”

“No. She was a first-time customer that day.”

Sun Woo smiled, twisting his lips.

“What’s with this woman.”

With that, any way of finding the woman disappeared. Thanks to that, he wandered around like a madman. He thought there must be other women, but really, only that woman came to mind.

The thrill felt from her cold fingers brushing against him, along with her breath, voice, even the flutter of her eyelashes, all came back to him.

What drove him crazier was that as time passed, the memories of that day became clearer.

That’s how they met again, just a day before he would have gone completely mad.

It was probably around a month later.

They met again at that bar.

“Hello.”

Ha.

She greeted him casually, as if they had met yesterday and were meeting again today.

“Ha− This is driving me crazy, how can you be so brazen.”

The woman sneered at Sun Woo with an expression of incomprehension.

“Should I get down on my knees or something?”

Talk about being bold, you’d win a gold medal for the nation. The moment Sun Woo saw Young Hwa, his whole body seemed to become hypersensitive.

It was unbearable, and feeling like he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t delay.

Sun Woo grabbed In Ha’s wrist and rushed out of the bar.

“What are you doing?”

“Say one more word.”

Sun Woo’s eyes, as he stopped, were almost half crazed.

“Pardon?”

But Young Hwa seemed unaware of this fact.

“I’m just about to lose it. Will you quietly come along?”

He needed to know.

Who was she?

Why did she act that way, and why did she appear again only now?

There were too many questions to ask her, who had been a question mark from beginning to end.

Well, it was pretty much a threat. The problem was that such threats didn’t seem to work very well on that woman.

“Ah. So that’s what it is. You should have said so. Where are we going?”

A cheap clutch.

Nevertheless, it was a color and atmosphere that suited the woman well. Again, a dress without a brand. It was clothes sufficiently blatant to catch the eye of others, though it didn’t suit her.

“Ha. This is really interesting. Is it your hobby to play with people?”

Sun Woo ran his hand through his moderately long hair.

It can’t be like last time. If I lose her again, I might really go crazy then.

That’s how their second day passed.

In their second meeting, Sun Woo learned that Young Hwa was ‘Ji Young Hwa’, the elder sister of In Ha whom he had agreed to marry, and the adopted daughter of President Ji Kang Seok.

She wouldn’t have approached without knowing that he was Kang Sun Woo. That means Young Hwa intentionally approached him.

She didn’t tell him, so he couldn’t know her true intentions. But Sun Woo became certain of one fact: he couldn’t let Young Hwa go.

If that’s the case, then the marriage should be with Young Hwa, not In Ha, right?

That’s why Sun Woo said he would marry Young Hwa instead of In Ha on the day of the engagement ceremony.

***

Young Hwa ate the room service meal deliciously. Of course, the food from a luxury hotel tasted good.

“You’re eating well.”

Sun Woo’s words were still sharp, as if he was displeased.

Well, even if it were him, he wouldn’t be in a good mood.

She wasn’t certain. That Sun Woo would fall for her seduction.

If not that, she thought even a simple accident would be fine.

The most perfect thing would be to have his child. She had planned to drag Seok Hun and In Ha to hell and then leave with the child.

“It’s delicious.”

“Why did you come back after a month?”

Sun Woo hadn’t touched his food.

Young Hwa’s stomach was already full, but her appetite was stirred. So her eyes kept going to Sun Woo’s food.

“Just because.”

There was no image to maintain anyway, but Young Hwa had to end her regretful meal, wiping her lips.

“You really don’t tell me anything.”

How could she say she came only on dangerous days? Young Hwa avoided Sun Woo’s gaze.

Sun Woo sighed deeply and then placed his plate in front of Young Hwa.

“Eat more.”

“What?”

“Eat a lot and gain some weight. It hurts when we do it.”

Young Hwa frowned.

“What did you say?”

“I don’t like skinny women. So gain some weight.”

It was unpleasant, but the blood-filled meat looked so temptingly delicious.

So even while making up her mind to die, she must have thought about being hungry.

They say even a ghost looks better after eating.

Perhaps there’s nothing wrong with what adults say.

What’s there to argue about between people who have nothing to hide?

Young Hwa picked up the fork and stabbed the meat.

Seeing this, Sun Woo chuckled.

“I’ll tell them today. That I’ll proceed with the engagement to In Ha again.”

“Okay.”

“But, you promise too.”

“Promise what?”

“I don’t know what you want, but promise that if I go along with your tune, you won’t disappear without a word again.”

Even if Young Hwa tried to hide, someone like Sun Woo could find her easily. So Sun Woo’s proposal might be a consideration to allow Young Hwa to stay close to him on her own.

“I will.”

It was arrogant and rude. But Young Hwa didn’t feel that way about his attitude. On the other hand, she thought it was quite ironic that his behavior even seemed cute to her.

At least Sun Woo was patient even in situations where he was angry.

He closed his eyes again and sighed.

“But are you okay with this?”

Young Hwa had a fork between her red lips.

“With what?”

Despite that strange pose, there was quite an erotic atmosphere. Sun Woo quickly turned his head as if trying to look away.

“Are you really okay with me getting engaged to In Ha?”

It was what Young Hwa herself had told him to do. There’s nothing strange about it.

“Yes.”

Young Hwa answered briefly.

“Haa.”

A long sigh continued from Sun Woo’s mouth for a while.

“This is really infuriating.”

Young Hwa touched her mobile phone to check the lunch time.