Married For Now Chapter 22: THE SCANDAL

KIM HEEDO only had three people he could call his friends.

And all of them are my childhood friends.

First was Yang Jaewon, an Alpha— the golden son of the owner of Beomsoo Broadcasting System (BBS), one of Korea’s three biggest broadcasting companies.

My friend since I was born.

Second was Hong Sera, a Beta— the precious daughter of the Daesung Group.

I t her in elentary school, much to my misfortune.

Third was Kwon Gaon, an Alpha— the reserved son of the president of Taeyang Security (the most trusted security agency in the country, the one that trained Shin Kang).

It was Mr. Shin who introduced Gaon to when I was in my first year of middle school.

Of course, Heedo had other friends. After all, as the future heir of the Ilsung Group, it was his responsibility to build a clean reputation.

Hence, that ant having a good social life.

But only Jaewon, Sera, and Gaon are the ones I truly consider as friends.

Their friendship was fortified even more when Yang Jaewon and Kwon Gaon joined him when he enlisted.

Hong Sera had to take a break while the three of them were in the army.

So, the four of us will graduate together— as long as no one takes a long break again.

That was why Heedo was pissed when one of his friends ’betrayed’ him.

"How long are you going to ignore Hong Sera?" Yang Jaewon complained while they were eating at the school cafeteria. They only had a short break, so they had no choice but to have lunch there instead of eating out. "We all know that it wasn’t really our Sera who told Junsu that you’re already married."

Yes, the ’culprit’ with loose lips was Hong Sera.

"Sera asked you if she could tell her boyfriend about your marriage, and you gave her permission," Yang Jaewon said. "Sera probably accidentally said it while Han Raehyun was with Jin Minki."

And ’Jin Minki’ would be Hong Sera’s boyfriend’s friend...

... who also happened to be Lee Junsu’s friend and forr colleague.

Jin Minki was supposed to debut in Kosmos, but sothing bad happened to him.

Anyway, Heedo knew that Yang Jaewon’s theory was 90% right.

Hong Sera wouldn’t tell Lee Junsu about my marriage since she wasn’t close to Lee Junsu.

Even so, Hong Sera was still at fault for being careless.

Moreover...

"That brat claims that she’s the one who told Lee Junsu, and it seems like she’s adamant about covering up for what her boyfriend’s friend did," Heedo said, scoffing. "So, until she admits that she didn’t do it, then I’ll ignore her."

Yang Jaewon sighed while shaking his head, and then he turned to Kwon Gaon who was just silently eating his food. "Hey, Gaon-ah. Say sothing."

Kwon Gaon put his chopsticks down before turning to Heedo. "Stop being petty."

Haaah.

The thing about Gaon is he rarely opens his mouth— but when he does, his words burn.

As a result of Kwon Gaon’s harsh words, Yang Jaewon burst out laughing.

"You always take Sera’s side," Heedo complained, putting all the greens on his plate on Kwon Gaon’s plate as revenge. Yes, he was really petty. "I’ll talk to Sera when she cos to see in person, so stop being an to ."

***

LIKE KIM Heedo expected, Hong Sera really showed up during his long break.

Their group t in the Student Lounge of the Business Administration Departnt.

It was actually packed, and everyone was talking loudly.

"Heedo-ya, how long are you going to sulk?" Hong Sera asked, giving Heedo her famous puppy dog eyes. "I’m really sorry, okay?"

Aigoo.

Hong Sera was one of the most beautiful girls that Heedo had seen in his life.

And he wasn’t the only one who thought that way.

In fact, most students around them were stealing glances from Hong Sera.

This brat isn’t only pretty— she also exudes elegance, making it obvious that she’s from a very wealthy family, even though she’s dressed modestly.

"I co with a peace offering this ti."

Heedo raised an eyebrow. "Peace offering?"

Hong Sera smiled proudly. "Follow ."

Heedo got up, and so did Yang Jaewon and Kwon Gaon.

Then the three of them followed Hong Sera, gaining attention from their schoolmates even though it wasn’t the first ti that the four of them hung out together.

"Oh, it’s that friend group..."

"They’re all shining..."

"Yeah, most rich kids are like that..."

"I want to join their group..."

"Dream on, dude."

Haaah.

It was like high school all over again.

Heedo and his friend group were treated like rare animals in a zoo when the four of them were put in the sa class during their senior year.

It wasn’t fun.

Because our school treated us like an idol group, many immature kids bullied Lee Junsu for "inserting" himself in our group.

Ah, damn.

Heedo cursed internally when he realized he was thinking about Lee Junsu again.

"Sera-ya, is it alright if we use another departnt’s lounge room?" Yang Jaewon asked when they entered the Webtoon Animation Lounge Room. "And how is this room empty?"

"I reserved it in advance," Hong Sera said, sitting down on the big and soft sofa. "It’s my privilege since my father was the one who gave the school the money to build this lounge area."

"You’re from the Literature Departnt," Yang Jaewoo asked, knitting his eyebrows. "Why would your father donate a lounge area to the Webtoon Animation Departnt?"

"Raehyun-ah is in the Webtoon Animation Departnt," Hong Sera reminded them casually, bringing up her boyfriend’s na in the conversation. "When Raehyun was a freshman, he had a hard ti because the Student Lounge Room was always packed. I felt bad for him, so I asked my father to donate a lounge area to this departnt."

Aigoo.

Spoken like a true chaebol heiress.

But Heedo couldn’t really say anything since Hong Sera was in the sa position as him.

This brat also needs Han Raehyun for the continuous prosperity of Daesung Group.

"Did you bring us here just to brag about how you spoil your boyfriend?" Heedo asked impatiently. "Where’s my peace offering?"

"Be patient, silly," Hong Sera said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Have you heard about the nasty rumor about Park Sohee Oppa? Your contract husband?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Why aren’t you doing anything to stop the rumor from spreading?"

"Sohee Hyung told that he can handle it," Heedo said defensively. "What else am I supposed to do then?"

Hong Sera looked shocked by Heedo’s response. "How heartless. Is that how you treat the person who sincerely rooted for you and Lee Junsu in the past?"

Yes, his friends knew about the first ti Park Sohee refused to marry into the Kim Family.

"Sohee Hyung isn’t a child," Heedo said, defensively again. "He said rumors like that die naturally, and I agree with him."

Hong Sera let out a sigh while shaking her head. "I haven’t t Park Sohee Oppa yet, but I already feel bad about him for having a cold-hearted husband like you."

"Is insulting the peace offering you ntioned? Thanks, I love hearing you pass judgnt on ."

"No need for sarcasm, silly," Hong Sera said, rolling her eyes. And then she took out an old phone from her expensive and rare handbag. "Here. I was in your departnt’s lounge area while waiting for you when I heard so sunbaes talking about Park Sohee Oppa. Apparently, they know Park Sohee Oppa as their friend’s ex-boyfriend."

Oh, right.

Sohee Hyung did ntion that he had a boyfriend in the past.

"Those an sunbaes were about to post a video on the community board to make fun of Park Sohee Oppa, so I used my power to stop them," Hong Sera said, shaking the old phone in front of Heedo. "The video that they wanted to post is in this phone. Let’s watch it."

Heedo felt like it would violate Park Sohee’s privacy, but he still caved in the end.

I need to know if I can help Sohee Hyung.

***

IT WAS a low-quality video, and it was obvious that it was taken secretly.

But the audio was clear.